Chapter 175 The Marriage Cave 2
The dragon's shape was incredibly realistic, just like a real divine dragon.
In an instant, its long tail swept across, circling in all directions, and lashed out directly at the geniuses who had responded to the challenge!
Terrifying flames surged!
These geniuses reacted extremely quickly, dodging the dragon's tail. However, after they had avoided the dragon's tail, they realized that the entire dragon had trapped them in the center and then immediately turned into a sea of fire!
The sea of fire was incredibly vast, and it instantly engulfed everyone.
The talented cultivators felt a burning pain all over their bodies as they were completely engulfed in a sea of fire, forcibly suppressed within it, unable to escape at all.
At that moment, they each used their own methods to resist the flames.
However, all methods were annihilated when they came into contact with the flames, and had no effect whatsoever.
But now, those in this sea of fire are all geniuses. They quickly grasped the concept, abandoned their other methods, and released the flames they had nurtured, or secret techniques of the fire attribute.
No sooner had they done so than the recruited cultivators discovered that these flames were rapidly merging into their fire-attribute secret techniques, as if they were being drawn in by a suction force.
The group had no choice but to quickly refine the raging fire that the fire dragon had transformed into.
What was terrifying was that, in the next moment, more than a dozen cultivators couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.
·
While the other cultivators in the Marriage Cave were observing themselves, the people in the Moon Appreciation Pavilion could see things clearly.
The cultivators who cried out in pain had red skin and many blisters. Their fire-attribute secret techniques had collapsed, and the people who released the flames seemed to have been set on fire, unable to control the nurtured flames mixed with the fire dragon's fire.
Zhong Cai didn't quite understand, and after thinking for a while, she tentatively guessed.
"Old Wu, could this flame be formed from some rare and precious natural treasure?"
He began frantically searching his mind for any rare and precious material that could create such a scene.
But I can't think of anything.
Zhong Cai guessed again.
[Or was it created using some kind of formation or talisman?]
Thinking of this, he looked at his old man, Wu, questioningly.
·
In his early years, Zhong Cai drew a book called "Complete Book of Elementary Talismans" from the altar and handed it directly to Wu Shaogan to study. He himself didn't have much time to read it, but occasionally Wu Shaogan would mention a few words to him, and he would remember the general uses of those talismans.
As the number of sacrifices increased, Zhong Cai successfully obtained a complete collection of intermediate and advanced talismans, with the highest level of talismans reaching level nine!
Yes, when the "Complete Collection of Advanced Talismans" appeared in the guaranteed option of a ten-pull in the Golden Flame Pool, Zhong Cai chose it without hesitation, and naturally, he had already given it to his old man, Wu, to keep.
In addition, Zhong Cai had also drawn some items related to weapon crafting and formations intermittently, which he then handed over to Wu Shaogan.
For Zhong Cai, aside from cultivating to improve his combat power and realm, he should spend the rest of his time honing his alchemy skills, because he has top-tier talent in this area and must make good use of it.
Zhong Cai was naturally interested in all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge about artifacts, arrays, and runes, but he knew that his talent didn't lie in those areas. He only needed to have a certain understanding of them and didn't need to really delve into them—although he wasn't completely without talent, he was still a bit inferior to Wu Shaogan.
Wu Shaogan's combat talent is among the best of the best, while his talent in other miscellaneous skills—weaponry, array formation, and talisman—is about the same—he has some talent but not very high, and his talent in alchemy is even worse.
If we really want to quantify it, using a percentage system...
So that's how it is:
Zhong Cai has a talent of 100 in alchemy, 85 in combat, and around 75 in weapon formation and talisman skills.
Wu Shaogan has a talent of 70 in alchemy, 100 in combat, and around 80 in weapon formation and talisman skills.
·
Wu Shaogan had already specialized in drawing purification talismans and refining alchemy furnaces, mastering both talisman and artifact crafting. Later, he also dabbled in formation-related matters.
In these aspects, Wu Shao's hunting scope is broader.
So when faced with a potentially related question, Zhong Cai subconsciously asked his husband, Lao Wu.
·
Wu Shaogan stared at the location of the divine dragon's sea of fire, lost in thought.
At the same time, he held Zhong Cai's fingers, indicating that he had not ignored Zhong Cai's problem.
Zhong Cai understood, so while watching the cultivators struggling in the sea of fire, he continued to review the rare and precious materials he knew.
After a short while, Zhong Cai still hadn't been able to match up her information, but Wu Shaogan responded.
[It should primarily be a formation that gathers flames. The formation of the fire dragon and the control of temperature might be achieved through a simple formation, or perhaps with the assistance of talismans. I haven't studied it in detail, so I can't discern the specifics.]
[Perhaps... it was specially set up by the Cold Moon Palace, specifically for cultivators practicing ice and cold moon attributes to hone their skills.]
Zhong Cai thought for a moment.
But shouldn't they need to absorb flames when they cultivate?
Wu Shaogan nodded slightly, then shook his head slightly.
[Perhaps this ability to absorb flames was added later, or it may have been present from the beginning. Cultivators with the ice attribute absorb flames into their bodies and use their own power to wear them down, which is also a form of training.]
Zhong Cai suddenly realized and agreed wholeheartedly.
[Those gathered flames might have been collected and added by powerful individuals, or perhaps they were directly condensed through some method?]
Wu Shao chuckled dryly.
Both are possible.
·
There are too many methods in this world, and the companion treasures summoned by the powerful may also have many hidden functions that are not widely publicized.
Even if their lineage is very solid, and even if they frequently borrow books from the Myriad Classics Tower in the Azure Dragon Academy to broaden their knowledge, they wouldn't dare say they know everything or can make correct judgments about everything.
These are all just speculations now.
Casual chat.
If there is confirmation later, that would be great. If there is no confirmation, they will not be able to investigate the secretive methods of other level eight forces.
Even if it's just to gain some experience.
·
At this moment, the cultivators whose outer skin had already been burned still wanted to persevere, but they could not hold on for long enough and could not withstand the intensity of the flames. Naturally, they had no choice but to call upon their guiding disciples.
Interestingly, when the guiding disciple appeared, he was holding a disc. When he pointed the disc at the cultivators who were about to leave, a beam of light would fall on them.
The next moment, the cultivator was forcibly pulled out by the disc.
Of course, since many recruits were asking for help, there was more than one guide who came to lead the way, and each of them went through a similar process.
After rescuing the people, the guides brought these losers into the main hall and placed them in the seats of their companions.
Of course, even though they knew that many people had seen their disheveled state, these failed geniuses still took pills to heal their injuries before letting themselves be teleported away.
Now, when I meet people, I'm still barely recovered.
At the same time, these failed geniuses looked up at Liulihuo.
There, the imagery reflects other geniuses who are still persevering. These failed geniuses recall their previous feelings, gaze at the scene in the sea of fire, silently reflect, and try to make up for their shortcomings—or find a way to do so.
Since the attempt failed anyway, we can't let the trip be in vain.
·
Zhong Cai's gaze returned to Fan Jiming, who was engulfed in flames.
He was also absorbing the flames, but for the time being, he was relatively normal and there were no signs of burns.
Flames entered his body and seemed to merge with him smoothly, but as time went by, they caused a flush to appear on his face.
This is a sign that he has plenty of energy and is working hard to digest it.
There are quite a few cultivators like Fan Jiming. Some quickly adapted after the initial panic, while others adapted in a very short time—almost instantly refining the essence and even starting to improve themselves.
However, many talented cultivators initially adapted well, but gradually found it difficult to keep up.
Their faces quickly flushed red, and their exposed skin turned fiery red, as if they were about to be scalded—no, perhaps it was because they had already generated a powerful heat within their bodies that they couldn't contain for the time being, and when combined with the sea of fire outside, it was very difficult to endure.
Soon, several more people couldn't hold on and were forced to quit.
Time flies.
Almost every hour, less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, someone would give up and leave.
The sea of fire was still boiling and refused to dissipate.
·
Zhong Cai leaned on Wu Shaogan's shoulder.
I reckon this sea of fire will last for at least several more hours.
Wu Shaogan smiled.
【Why? 】
Zhong Cai blinked.
[I also think that the intensity of this flame might be on par with the icy aura of the Frost Spirit. Or perhaps, it's slightly weaker.]
Wu Shaogan smoothed Zhong Cai's black hair and waited for him to continue.
Zhong Cai sighed.
[After all, it's about finding a partner. If the flames aren't strong enough, forget about harmonizing your constitution; you might just freeze to death.]
Wu Shaogan smiled helplessly.
That's the truth.
Therefore, whether the flame intensity is sufficient will inevitably be a standard of testing.
Even the cultivators who responded to the call were at least at the Suspended Illumination Realm because their cultivation levels had to match, or at least match as quickly as possible.
·
This matching is not for the purpose of being a good match in terms of social status.
Just because... don't freeze to death because you're too weak.
Therefore, when Han Bingling is choosing a son-in-law, it is best if he can be at the same Fusion Realm as her; the second best is the Peak of Suspended Illumination Realm – with the help of Hanyue Palace, there is still a great chance of breaking through to the peak sooner – but unless the overall quality of the Peak of Suspended Illumination Realm is stronger than that of the Fusion Realm, she will still give priority to the Fusion Realm cultivators; only then will she turn her attention to the Suspended Illumination Realm cultivators of other realms.
It takes time to train them.
Han Bingling's current physical defects will worsen with each outbreak, but with the wealth of Xingyue Palace, it is possible to obtain rare and precious materials for her to harmonize in the early stages.
However, external forces are ultimately no match for the true harmony of one's constitution.
So she needs to be prepared.
It remains the same principle: better to have none than to have something of poor quality.
If none of the recruits in this batch are a match for her, she will not settle for second best, otherwise it will be very disadvantageous for her—she would rather wait a few more years and go to a more distant state to look for someone... in the meantime, she will just have to endure it on her own.
The standard for strength can be lowered by at most one major level in order to cultivate it as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, if the difference in strength is too great, there will be a lot of variables, and she simply won't wait.
·
Gradually, fewer and fewer cultivators remained in the sea of fire, and this indeed lasted for more than two hours.
At the very last moment of the third hour, the sea of fire completely dissipated.
It was as if it had never existed.
What is revealed now is still the interior of a very ordinary cave.
There are currently 45 people who have successfully passed this test and are still standing in place.
Another large portion of them were eliminated!
Instead, many more tables and chairs were quietly added to the Moon Appreciation Pavilion.
People were already seated.
·
The failed geniuses stared intently at the cultivators who were still persevering, their expressions either complex or inscrutable.
Many of them came full of ambition and high spirits, but now the arrogance in their eyes has faded, and some have become more composed.
It failed too early.
Those who failed to pass even one level were indeed quite discouraged.
Such a test is also a contest between geniuses with similar physiques and cultivation attributes.
Even though they didn't actually clash... those geniuses who had already been defeated beforehand were still feeling incredibly embarrassed.
·
Zhong Cai sized up Fan Jiming.
It was discovered that this Brother Jiming was actually one of the cultivators in the best condition, and his strength was the lowest among them.
The other geniuses who had reached this stage were also sizing each other up, observing each other's energy expenditure, current condition, and individual strength.
Naturally, Fan Jiming, who had been mingling among the group, finally revealed himself.
It has attracted the attention of quite a few people.
·
Inside the main hall of the Moon Appreciation Pavilion, the relatives and friends of the geniuses, as well as the geniuses who had failed, gradually began to discuss among themselves.
"I never expected that there would still be several friends in the Suspended Illumination Realm who are persisting... It seems that their fire physique is very strong, and their fire techniques are also very powerful."
"That's true. Anyone who has actually tried it will know how difficult it is to pass the levels. Those who passed all the levels with such a level are naturally outstanding. However, their level is ultimately a weakness, and we'll have to see how the subsequent tests go."
"How about we make a bet? Whoever wins the beauty will have to treat us to a big meal."
"Why not? I'll bet on that guy surnamed Yin!"
"Brother Yin Zhao? As far as I know, you don't particularly like this person."
"I may not like him, but I have to admit that he is very strong and has a high chance of winning."
"Alright. Then I'll take a different approach and gamble on that peak of the Suspended Illumination Realm..."
·
Someone made a bet over here, and suddenly someone whispered over there.
"Then how come there's another one who just entered the Suspended Rank?"
Then someone sneered, "It's that Fang family with the Crimson Sun Seven Treasures Blood. They had a scoundrel in their early years who did crooked things, so the whole Fang family is no good! Now that they've fallen on hard times, they've set their sights on Fairy Ice Spirit, so isn't that exactly what they're going to do with all their might? I wonder what methods they've been using behind the scenes to keep going until now."
A cultivator who also knew the situation sighed, "I see he's covered in wounds and looks quite pitiful. He must have endured it all by practicing the Crimson Sun Fire. There's no need to say he used any tricks. Ultimately, he had that scumbag weighing on him before, and now the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the family has been placed on him. His appearance here, subjected to contempt, must be quite bitter."
After a moment of silence.
The other cultivators didn't say anything more about this Fang family member.
Although in their view, the Fang family's reputation was ruined and its members should naturally bear the responsibility, they had never heard of this Fang family member doing anything wrong, and they really shouldn't make unfounded assumptions about him.
Finally, someone said, "This child won't make it to the next level."
The other cultivators all nodded slightly.
·
Zhong Cai also saw Fang Jiazi, but he was only surprised by the other party's endurance.
With his alchemist's keen eye, he could clearly see that this Fang family member had been seriously injured and was only enduring the pain.
After enduring the ordeal, it will be quite painful to recover fully.
·
The cultivators who had survived the ordeal of the inferno rested for a while longer.
There was still a door blocking their way.
After a short while, the door opened.
This time, there were no fiery dragons or seas of fire inside; instead, it exuded a faint, refreshing scent.
More than forty cultivators went inside.
The Glazed Fire synchronized with all the scenes.
Therefore, the visitors to the Moon Appreciation Pavilion saw that the entrance led to a huge stone cave.
Inside the cave, there were mountains of strange, white, ice-like flowers.
·
Zhong Cai blurted out: "Fire Floss Ice Flower?"
The sound wasn't loud.
However, some cultivators who were nearby, or whose souls happened to pass by, heard it, glanced at Zhong Cai, and then quickly went back to thinking about the information about the Firefly Ice Flower.
Wu Shaogan remembered.
[Level four rare herbs can be used to refine Fire Velvet Pills and Ice Core Pills.]
Zhong Cai nodded and gave him a bright smile.
Yes! That's it!
·
This precious medicine possesses both ice and fire properties. Its color is ice-white, but upon closer inspection, one can discover that among the dozens of petals in each flower, there is always one that is ice-white with fiery red threads showing through it.
The fiery red thread is what is known as "fire velvet." It is very thin, but it carries a strong fire attribute. If the entire rare flower is used to refine pills without extracting the velvet, it will inevitably lead to the clash of ice and fire, causing the pill furnace to explode.
To extract this tinder, one must be extremely meticulous.
Aside from alchemists who can use special techniques to extract it, other cultivators have attribute requirements—they must be fire-attribute cultivators who can use the power of flames to penetrate the petals and pull out the fire velvet.
The tinder actually has extremely fine, fiber-like channels around it.
The power of fire enters the petals through this channel.
During this process, the flames must be perfectly controlled, otherwise the pipes will be broken by the flames, causing the icy white petals to be damaged.
·
Zhong Cai's expression became somewhat strange.
So, is this level such a detailed test of fire power?
Or is it possible to provide a certain amount of damage allowance?
·
At this moment, a calm voice rang out from within the glass fire.
[Cultivators who can process one hundred Firefly Ice Flowers within half an hour, without damaging more than ten, may enter the depths of the Marriage Cave.]
[Cultivators who can process 150 Firefly Ice Flowers within one hour, without damaging no more than two, may enter the depths of the Marriage Cave.]
The requirements are still quite...
It's very difficult.
Processing a hundred flowers in half an hour is truly demanding for cultivators other than alchemists!
One hundred and fifty hours is a generous time limit, but the requirement for a high success rate is too high!
That's absolutely outrageous!
But at this stage, it's only natural that the challenges become increasingly difficult.
Moreover, the calm voice quickly explained what Firefly Ice Flower was and how to process this precious medicine.
Not all geniuses recognized this rare flower; they understood it after the explanation.
However, none of them, without exception, had ever tried it.
Everyone starts on the same starting line... This strange flower tests their ability to control the flame.
This is especially true for cultivators who lack special physical constitutions and do not possess innate flames, as they need to utilize the flame power derived from the secret techniques they have learned, which is truly extremely difficult.
But that's not surprising.
Simply using fire attribute to harmonize one's constitution does require several extra steps, making it less convenient than using a special constitution.
Therefore, this aspect will naturally be tested.
·
After a bell tolled.
Many talented cultivators quickly began to deal with the situation.
Fortunately, they were all incredibly experienced cultivators. Even when faced with tasks they had never done before, they were able to quickly find their rhythm. Each of them first took a Firefly Ice Flower to observe, found the unique petal, rubbed it with their fingers to sense it, and then determined how to use it.
During this time, he naturally used his soul power to explore carefully.
That's how I gradually gained some confidence.
Then, it slowly began...
The first flower in my hand was handled with extra care.
·
Zhong Cai's feelings became even more complicated as she watched this scene.
Their cautiousness felt like that of a group of burly men holding embroidery needles...
But the level of detail in their work is really about the same.
After all, it was a very serious test.
Zhong Cai then looked at Fan Jiming.
Fan Jiming was very meticulous and patient, showing no sign of impatience whatsoever.
Zhong Cai raised an eyebrow.
Having reached this crucial juncture, he increasingly felt that Brother Jiming's chances of success this time were very high.
·
During this trial, the geniuses in the Marriage Cave worked hard, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets, while the onlookers in the Moon Appreciation Pavilion held their breath—as if making a sound would disturb them through the Glazed Fire.
The geniuses who have failed have mixed feelings.
On one hand, they felt it was a bit strange to have to do this kind of work after passing the first few levels, but on the other hand, they felt that this was actually a way to hone their fire power... Otherwise, when they got back, they would try to find some similar methods to refine themselves.
·
In less than half an hour, cultivators had already destroyed more than ten flowers.
They were eliminated.
Half an hour later, a cultivator failed three times, and since the number did not reach one hundred, he was also eliminated.
There wasn't a single person who could complete 100 flowers in half an hour with a high success rate.
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