Chapter 397 The Shock of the Mysterious Stone Palace
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan followed Jiang Chongguang, and the group stood together on one of the floors of the assessment tower.
Ahead, there was a very large transparent wall, divided into many different light screens, which revealed the images of many cultivators participating in the assessment.
Because there were so many cultivators applying for the entrance examination, every floor of the examination tower was packed, and there were naturally a lot of images. Only those who stood out from the other cultivators who were also taking the examination were shown.
The Zhong and Wu couple came at the invitation of Jiang Chongguang, mainly so that Wu Shaogan could observe these cultivators from his own level and see if there were any highlights in their combat strategies.
The couple readily agreed.
Zhong Cai was, after all, a martial arts practitioner, so when he appreciated these outstanding images, he could gain a lot of insights from them, which greatly helped his own combat.
And Wu Shaogan...
He watched and then "nitpicked".
It easily pointed out a considerable number of loopholes.
Anyone that Wu Shaogan felt was not up to par would be placed on the "to be eliminated" list. If two cultivators had similar results, the one on the "to be eliminated" list would be eliminated. Only those not abandoned by Wu Shaogan would be subject to a more detailed comparison.
·
The cultivators were fighting fiercely on the light screen. Zhong Cai looked at them one by one, and couldn't help but linger on a few of the images.
Special Taoist soldiers.
The two of them rarely contact the Dao soldiers now, basically letting them develop on their own. They only heard that the outline of the sect has been built, but there are still many projects to be completed and it has not been fully finished yet.
The special Dao soldiers who originally decided to come to participate in the assessment not only arrived smoothly, but many of them have already entered the assessment process.
Zhong Cai then saw a special silver-armored soldier wielding a long sword whose swordsmanship was as fast as lightning, and who had already cut down ten phantoms in the blink of an eye.
·
These phantoms are the key to the assessment. Each phantom may not be as strong as a real person, but their fighting style is very flashy and their teamwork is seamless.
The examinee must endure the onslaught of these phantoms for half an hour to pass the first test.
It's a very straightforward test of combat effectiveness.
After passing this hurdle, we will have to go through the "Questioning the Heart" stage.
The Inquiry Formation is not complicated; you only need to examine your inner self and answer five questions that directly address your true nature.
First question: Do you have no ill intentions towards the Temple of War and the Spirit Immortal Sect?
The second question: Before your fellow disciples and the Lingxian Sect do anything to harm you, can you refrain from actively harming your fellow disciples and the Lingxian Sect?
The third question: When the War God Temple and the Spirit Immortal Sect require secrecy, are you able to keep your secrets?
The fourth question: Are you a practitioner of the right path?
Fifth question: Have you ever intentionally slaughtered the weak without any prior grudge?
The answers to the five questions are also fixed, and they are:
[No malicious intent.]
[It can be done.]
[I can do it/I will do my best to do it.]
[Yes. ]
[No. ]
Once you answer correctly, you have officially passed the assessment.
Of course, after passing the initial screening, the ranking will be considered, and students will be admitted from top to bottom according to their scores. They can then directly join the new temple.
Disciples who pass the assessment but exceed the quota can enter the outer hall first, and then apply for the inner court assessment at a later time. If they pass again, they can choose to join a hall—the new hall they couldn't enter before is also an option.
·
Zhong Cai saw that although his special silver-armored soldier with a sword could not last half an hour against the phantoms, he directly cleaved the phantoms to their limit and passed the test with a higher score.
The other twenty-odd Dao soldiers also successively ascended onto the light screen.
As expected of those who have already gone through internal competition, the ones they selected are all top-notch.
If nothing unexpected happens, at least more than half of them should be able to enter the Temple of War smoothly.
However, those special armored soldiers are not powerful enough to join the new hall directly, and will have to stay in the outer gate for a while first.
That doesn't matter.
It's a good opportunity to build up more connections outside the main gate.
·
The assessment lasted for ten consecutive days.
It's only because the Temple of War is efficient enough that we would have had to continue.
Afterwards, the Zhong and Wu couple compiled the rankings and checked the names one by one.
As Zhong Cai had predicted, the soldiers indeed made great progress.
Moreover, it went more smoothly than he had imagined.
All thirty special Dao soldiers have passed the test!
The special silver-armored soldiers followed the steward in charge of the matter into the 124th hall, while the special iron-armored soldiers and special bronze-armored soldiers followed the crowd and soon went to the outer hall with a large group of disciples.
Zhong Cai's feelings were somewhat complicated.
So, Master Jiang only recruited 112 people in total, and ten of them are his and Lao Wu's subordinates?!
If they are lucky, the ten special silver-armored soldiers at the peak of the Palace Constructing stage may be able to successfully transform into spirits in a short time by utilizing the resources of the new branch hall. The strength of the entire 124 halls will be greatly enhanced!
Looking at the expressions of those special soldiers... they were all quite happy, with slight smiles on their faces.
They were already quite powerful in life, but it would be difficult for them to come from a top-tier continent. Now that they have entered a top-tier continent, they should indeed be happy.
·
While the small-scale disciple recruitment event at the Temple of War was in full swing, guests also arrived from the Spirit Immortal Sect.
These guests were none other than eighth-level alchemists, or even alchemy emperors, from different powerful forces.
They had heard of Sang Yunchu, the newly arrived Pill Emperor, long ago, and had been paying close attention to him, so they couldn't wait to send out their invitations.
With so many invitations arriving, Sang Yunchu naturally couldn't be negligent, so he accepted them all and said that after he had tidied up the mountain, he would invite them to come and visit.
After making all the preparations a few days ago, Sang Yunchu replied again, and they agreed to meet on this day.
·
On the outskirts of the West River Basin, a flying treasure ship.
Dressed in a light blue robe and radiating a spring breeze, Xie Hanzhao held a small wine cup and slowly drank his wine.
Opposite him, a martial arts cultivator clad in armor said helplessly, "Thank you, Alchemist. I overdid it today."
Xie Hanzhao quickly downed his drink in one gulp before showing his glass with a smile.
The armored cultivator sighed and advised, "Didn't you go to spar with Emperor Sang Dan today? Now that you're drunk, you'll be unhappy if you lose to him later."
Xie Hanzhao rolled her eyes: "Qin Su, can't you think of me in a good way?"
Qin Su said, "That's the right thing to do."
Xie Hanzhao rolled his eyes again: "That doesn't make sense!"
After a few words of argument between the two, the flying treasure ship had successfully approached the Lingxian Sect.
Qin Su hovered the spaceship, then pulled Xie Hanzhao out of the hatch together.
The Lingxian Sect sent disciples to greet them and led them directly into the mountain range where Sang Yunchu was located.
Because the mountain range was deep within the sect and quite far from the gate, the disciple flew there on a rare bird and saw quite a lot along the way... What should have been scenery has now become "scenery".
·
Xie Hanzhao did not come from any sect or power, but belonged to the Xie family, which was quite powerful. He was once an ordinary member of the family. If he had not encountered many opportunities later, he would not have achieved this success. The Xie family now relies on his help.
After all, Xie Hanzhao was the most skilled in alchemy, while Qin Su, who was in the late Nirvana stage, was the strongest in combat.
Qin Su was a rogue cultivator recruited by Xie Hanzhao. He was a friend Xie Hanzhao had met in his early years before reaching a certain level. Later, Qin Su got tired of wandering around and felt he could find a stable job, so Xie Hanzhao pulled him back to the Xie family and provided him with a lot of resources and assistance.
Once Qin Su had become powerful, he didn't turn out to be an ingrate. Instead, he continued to support Xie Hanzhao, greatly enhancing the Xie family's fighting strength.
·
At this moment, Xie Hanzhao sat cross-legged on the back of the bird, scanning both sides.
The scenery within the Lingxian Sect is quite nice, and one can even faintly smell the fragrance of elixirs, indicating that the disciples here are all very diligent.
Xie Hanzhao just watched casually, occasionally chatting with Qin Su.
Suddenly, Xie Hanzhao covered his eyes.
What is that?! Why is it so bright?! It's blinding!
Qin Su reacted even faster, quickly taking out a pair of glasses so that Xie Hanzhao could quickly cover his eyes—although he wouldn't go blind because of it, he still found it somewhat annoying.
Xie Hanzhao exhaled, then looked through the glasses at the thing that had been flashing at him, filled with curiosity.
He didn't know what this thing was... but then he saw what it was.
A small palace built with a large number of mid-grade mystic stones and level-six refining materials!
As the sunlight shifts, the refraction of light through those mid-grade black stones causes more light to burst forth in all directions, creating that "brilliant" feeling.
Xie Hanzhao was a little surprised, but didn't say much.
Judging from the quality of the materials used, it must have been created by a level six alchemist; the quality is quite unique.
Xie Hanzhao didn't think anything of it and had no interest in going over to look, so he was still being carried along quickly.
However……
After flying about a hundred feet away, they passed another mountain peak, and on the mountainside, a glittering palace had been built!
It is also made of black stone.
All the materials used this time were level 5 refining materials, with only a few level 6 materials.
It seems that its owner is a level 5 alchemist.
Xie Hanzhao's lips twitched slightly.
He was flashed again just now.
Next...
Once or twice is fine, just keep flying.
However, unexpected events always follow one after another.
Then, every hundred or two hundred feet Xie Hanzhao flew forward, he would see a palace whose main structure was made of black stone. Sometimes, he wouldn't even need to travel that far; it would only be thirty or fifty feet!
The deeper one ventures into the sect, the more mountain ranges one encounters, and the more numerous and luxurious the mystic stone palaces atop each mountain peak become.
Xie Hanzhao gradually became numb to it, but he still had the patience to carefully distinguish the quality of the Xuan Stone House.
Generally speaking, cultivators with higher levels of alchemy skills should use higher quality and more numerous mysterious stones.
Whether it's a small mountain range or a large mountain range, there will often be a luxurious palace on the one with the most abundant energy of heaven and earth.
They are similar in style, only generally carrying some of the personal styles of the alchemists.
These most luxurious palaces must have been built by the lineage leaders.
Xie Hanzhao knew how many lineage leaders there were in the Lingxian Sect, and he even had the leisure to count them.
And this number...
Such palaces were built on every single mountain range!
It's incredibly dazzling!
Doesn't this mean that every Dan Emperor built one?
Xie Hanzhao had never seen a palace like this before, but for some reason, the longer he looked at it, the more he felt that these palaces were very ingenious!
He stroked his chin, pondering: Perhaps... he could come after he gets back...
Sitting next to Xie Hanzhao, Qin Su, who had also been repeatedly struck by the light and ultimately endured it through sheer willpower, noticed Xie Hanzhao's reaction.
Qin Su: "...You want one too?"
Xie Hanzhao nodded.
Qin Su: "Your family's wealth is insufficient."
Xie Hanzhao's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly became nonchalant. "Then I'll save up more money recently, and build one when I have enough. I'm sure many of the alchemists who come this time will be very interested in this palace, and I can't fall behind. What a loss of face it would be if they had it and I didn't?"
Qin Su: "...That works too."
Xie Hanzhao said with a hint of schadenfreude, "I'd like to know what kind of thoughts those serious, upright people will have after seeing so many spirit stone palaces?"
Qin Su patted Xie Hanzhao's hand reassuringly and said to him, "Try to look normal, we're almost there."
Xie Hanzhao immediately took out a bronze mirror and carefully tidied his appearance.
·
Besides Xie Hanzhao, the other level-eight alchemists who arrived one after another also saw the same scene.
They could be described as flashing every three steps and swaying every five.
Even if some alchemists are concerned about their reputation and originally intended to endure it all the way, the constant flashes of light eventually became a nuisance—their strength was such that they wouldn't be unable to withstand it, but the frequency was too high and too troublesome!
Later, the alchemists all started wearing glasses.
Let's hurry up and head to the mountains of Sangdanhuang!
It is said that the mountain range is called the Azure Dragon Mountain Range.
The mountain where Sangdan Emperor lived was called Sangshan.
·
When the inner disciples of the Lingxian Sect learned that these eighth-level alchemists were visiting, they were all eager to go out and see when they would pass by.
But what I didn't expect was that every time I saw one of them, they were wearing glasses on their noses.
In a flash, these inner disciples understood.
Some of the more quick-thinking individuals had already rapidly opened the Danwu Heavenly Curtain and rushed straight to the "Forum Area".
·
[Discussion] Does anyone understand my astonishment when I saw those Level 8 seniors wearing glasses on their noses today?
[Discussion] Can anyone tell me how come there are so many level 8 alchemists here?
[Discussion] Hahaha! From the reactions of those alchemists, I know what's going on!
·
[Original Poster: Before today, I never imagined that those level eight alchemists in our Lingxian Sect would all be wearing hoods. When I first saw it, I thought I was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, I realized that without exception, it was the work of those Xuan Stone Palaces! Hahaha!]
[Explosive Excitement: The Mystic Stone Palace is truly magnificent, showcasing wealth and power. Just by looking at the materials used in its construction, you can tell who's the poor one!]
[Bombing Senior Brother: No matter how nicely you say it upstairs, it can't hide the fact that you're just a poor wretch who can't afford to build a Xuan Stone Palace.]
[Let's try it out: Forget about the floors above us, even we ourselves couldn't afford to build one! How many Xuan Stones would that cost! And we'd also need to use Xuan Stones to buy so many expensive refining materials; it would really require a huge savings.]
[The furnace exploded late: Actually, only those exceptionally skilled alchemists, at least at level six, could create such a palace. Among our many inner disciples, very few could actually do it. The ones who can truly create something spectacular are the sect leaders and the like.]
[All destroyed today: Sigh... That palace is truly beautiful. I wonder when I'll be able to gather enough Xuan Stones. Your fellow disciples from the same lineage probably haven't built their Xuan Stone palaces yet, so they're not in a hurry, but I'm different! Several of my friends, neighbors, senior brothers, and sisters have all built Xuan Stone houses! They rise and fall with the mountains like lights, but when they get to my area, it suddenly goes dark. That's when I'm most anxious!]
[Martial Arts Battle in the Mysterious Realm: What are all the alchemists researching? It's so lively... Oh! They're talking about that obviously expensive palace! You really don't treat mystic stones like mystic stones at all. Aren't you afraid someone will take the palace away along with it?]
[Exploding Flower: The person upstairs is being a bit overly worried. The atmosphere in our Lingxian Sect is quite good; no one would likely take this away.]
[Explosive Exclamation: Speaking of which, Junior Brother Zhong Cai is already at the top of the sixth-level alchemist rankings, but he doesn't seem to have built a Xuan Stone Palace yet?]
A series of posts flooding the screen...
Yeah, yeah!
Why didn't Senior Brother Zhong build it?
[The one who started it all, Sang Danhuang, is actually Junior Brother Zhong's master!]
[Does Senior Brother Zhong not like this palace?]
[No way! It seems Emperor Sangdan really likes it. I heard that he meticulously built this palace back in the intermediate continent, and now he's just moving it over here!]
[Perhaps Junior Brother Zhong is a bit tired of seeing it after watching it for so long...]
Many online cultivators are discussing this matter extensively.
The martial arts cultivators were one thing; they just thought the alchemists were really rich and extravagant... But the alchemists were different. They all thought the Mystic Stone Palace was exceptional. Even though it was so dazzling that the other alchemists couldn't react immediately, once they returned and experienced it, they would realize that the Mystic Stone Palace was a symbol of status and alchemy skills! They absolutely had to build one!
The forum became lively again.
Lately, every now and then, there are always a lot of new topics, and these new topics are always related to the Zhong and Wu couples.
This is definitely a hot topic!
·
Upon arriving at the Azure Dragon Mountain Range, numerous level-eight alchemists dismounted from their flying beasts.
They saw a tall, slender, pale-faced young man standing in front of a magnificent black stone palace, giving them a slight smile as a welcome.
Level 8 alchemists: "..."
Each one is brighter than the last!
That's probably what makes it unique.
But this feature doesn't seem to have existed before...
Immediately, some alchemists turned their suspicious gazes to Sang Yunchu.
Could it be that all these changes were brought about by this new Dan Emperor?
Sang Yunchu ignored the thoughts of these eighth-level alchemists, simply raised his hand slightly to let them in, and said, "Please come in, everyone."
Seeing his polite demeanor, the other level-eight alchemists also became polite and followed Sang Yunchu into the palace.
·
Sang Yunchu's palace was indeed the most luxurious. Even though Xiao Zinuo was the first Dan Emperor to think that the palace was beautiful and to try to build one in the same style as Sang Yunchu, and his palace was indeed very luxurious, it was still a little inferior after it was completed.
It's not because Xiao Zinuo is less wealthy than Sang Yunchu.
After all, Sang Yunchu was much younger than Xiao Zinuo, and Xiao Zinuo's alchemy skills were far superior to Sang Yunchu's, so he naturally had more resources.
The main reason why Xiao Zinuo's palace was slightly inferior was that he had too little time to prepare.
Ever since Sang Yunchu chose that mountain to cultivate at the Azure Dragon Academy, he had already begun building this palace.
Over the years, he has worked diligently to forge his materials, replacing them with better ones whenever he could find them. As Sang Yunchu's cultivation level increased, he used more and more materials of increasingly higher quality, which truly consumed a great deal of his energy.
So when they arrived, Sang Yunchu asked Jiang Chongguang to simply remove the palace and bring it to the top continent.
Xiao Zinuo is now gradually adjusting.
Presumably, it won't be long before he can replace many of the materials and create the most luxurious Mystic Stone Palace.
·
Sang Yunchu treated these eighth-level alchemists with great care, having the puppets bring them only the finest tea.
After drinking tea, the level eight alchemists will begin refining pills and discussing their methods.
Sang Yunchu readily agreed.
So Sang Yunchu and a "newbie" from another alchemy faction who had just become an eighth-level alchemist less than twenty years ago were tasked with refining the same batch of pills, and then the observing alchemists would point out the shortcomings and provide further demonstrations.
The level eight alchemists sat down beside them, watching intently as the two refined their pills.
The two men carried alchemy furnaces, one at the southernmost point and the other at the northernmost point.
As the fire was released to warm the furnace and a large amount of medicinal herbs were gradually added into the furnace, the alchemists, who were initially quiet, gradually began to speak in hushed tones, pointing out the alchemical techniques used.
When disagreements arose, the alchemists' arguments became quite heated.
This alchemy process will take a very long time...
Fortunately, although Sang Yunchu's cultivation level was a whole level lower, his alchemy furnace could compress the time for refining pills, so his pace was about the same as the other alchemist.
As the alchemists watched the two alchemists' refining techniques, they would murmur their praises when they encountered something exquisite.
·
More than a month later.
In front of a mountain range tens of thousands of miles away from the Xihe River Basin.
A tall, handsome young man in silver armor was wielding a large spear, relentlessly reaping lives.
These were all harvested from local bandits.
When they came down the mountain to rob this tall, handsome young man, they were already destined to die by his gun.
One shot, one kill; blood splattered, then frozen by frost.
They all died very quickly.
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