Novel Full Chapter 105: Choosing Secret Arts!
Chapter 105: Choosing Secret Arts!
The moment Li Yun finished speaking, a strange energy surged into existence around him. Space split open before his eyes as a spatial rift was forcibly torn apart. That strange energy moved like an invisible giant hand, seizing Li Yun and dragging him straight into the rift.
After passing through the distorted space for roughly a minute, Li Yun was deposited into a new realm.
At first glance, this place looked identical to the boundless dark space where the first trial had taken place. However, unlike that empty void, this space was filled with countless clusters of light suspended in the air. They drifted like stars scattered across a galaxy, rotating slowly along their own paths, while layers of soft, starlight-like radiance continuously flowed from them.
“Is this the Soaring Cloud Holy Land?”
Li Yun scanned his surroundings, surprise clearly written on his face.
“Hmph. Truly useless. Such a simple trial, yet it took him this long to finish!”
Just as Li Yun was taking in the scene, an impatient and icy voice rang out.
Li Yun immediately lifted his head and realized that he was not alone in this galaxy-like space. Several figures were already present.
They were Ye Beichen, Zhu Ximen, Lu Changsan, Han Lingxue, and Huo Tian.
The mocking voice had come from Lu Changsan.
Li Yun ignored him and instead looked at Ye Beichen and the others, a trace of doubt forming between his brows.
“Did all of them also pass the three trials?” he wondered silently. “Judging by their expressions, it seems they arrived here quite some time ago. Could it be that they completed the three trials far faster than I did?”
The thought made his heart sink.
“How is that even possible?”
Li Yun instinctively rejected the idea.
If only Ye Beichen had reached the Soaring Cloud Holy Land before him, Li Yun might have accepted that the man had completed the three trials faster. However, seeing that everyone else had arrived ahead of him made the situation difficult to believe.
He had exhausted nearly every ounce of strength to survive those three trials, and even then, success had come only after extreme hardship.
Aside from Ye Beichen, whose strength was slightly greater and who might reasonably have cleared the trials ahead of him, Zhu Ximen, Lu Changsan, and Han Lingxue were all at roughly the same level as Li Yun. If he had struggled so fiercely, how could they have passed with such apparent ease?
As for Huo Tian, the matter was even more baffling. Although Huo Tian appeared strong, he was clearly inferior to Li Yun. With Huo Tian’s level of strength, passing the three trials should have been extraordinarily difficult, and there was no way he should have arrived faster.
“What exactly is happening here?” Li Yun felt genuinely perplexed.
What Li Yun did not know was that the Eternal Sky Heavenly Tablet did not contain a single uniform trial. Instead, it housed many different trials, each with varying degrees of difficulty.
The trials of the Soaring Cloud Sect were divided into three tiers based on difficulty. The first was the Normal-level trial, which corresponded to Inner Sect Disciples of the Soaring Cloud Sect and generally required only Xiantian Realm Second Level cultivation to pass.
The second was the Elite-level trial, designed for Elite Disciples, which typically required cultivation around the Xiantian Realm Fourth Level.
The final and most demanding was the True Disciple-level trial. Passing its first three stages required roughly Xiantian Realm Seventh Level cultivation, while clearing the ultimate stage demanded at least Qi Sea Realm First Level strength.
Among these, Normal-level trials were the easiest, while True Disciple-level trials were the most punishing.
After the destruction of the Soaring Cloud Sect, the Eternal Sky Heavenly Tablet was left without a master. As a result, it could no longer assign trials based on a cultivator’s actual strength and instead sent entrants into trials at random.
Ye Beichen and the others had been fortunate, as they were placed into Elite-level trials that suited their abilities. Huo Tian was even luckier, having been assigned a Normal-level trial.
Only Li Yun was truly unlucky.
He had been thrown straight into a True Disciple-level trial.
No wonder he had struggled so fiercely through the trials while the others seemed to pass them with relative ease.
Six people had entered the Eternal Sky Heavenly Tablet at the same time, yet only Li Yun had been sent into the True Disciple trial.
It had to be said that this was a cruel twist of fate.
If Li Yun had known the truth earlier, he might have been so depressed that he would not know whether to laugh or cry.
However, being unfortunate enough to enter the True Disciple trial was not entirely a bad thing, as it also came with hidden benefits.
Unlike Normal-level or Elite-level trials, which only granted qualification to enter the Soaring Cloud Holy Land and observe the Martial Dao imprints after completion, the True Disciple trial offered tangible rewards at every stage to strengthen the trial taker.
After passing the first trial, Li Yun’s Physical Body had been tempered, pushing his Golden Battle Body far beyond what it had previously achieved at the fourth stage.
After passing the second trial, a powerful Killing Intent seed had condensed within him. Once that seed was fully comprehended into true Killing Intent, it would undoubtedly become one of Li Yun’s formidable methods.
After passing the third trial, the qi within his body was refined and purified, and his perception sharpened to the point where he could easily discern flaws in an opponent’s attacks. At the same time, his sword intent seed had been driven to its limit and now stood on the brink of breaking through into true Sword Intent.
If Li Yun were to know this he probably wouldn’t complain and would willingly choose the true disciple level difficulty if he was given another chance to enter the trial.
“Welcome to the Soaring Cloud Holy Land!”
Just as Li Yun was sorting through these thoughts, the hollow, ethereal voice echoed once more. This time, however, it was accompanied by the appearance of an elderly man in a green robe. He had gentle eyes, a benevolent expression, and white hair and beard that flowed naturally, giving him the air of an immortal sage.
“Who are you?” Everyone asked at once, watching the green-robed old man with clear vigilance.
“Hehe, I am the Tablet Spirit of the Eternal Sky Heavenly Tablet.”
The old man in green spoke with a gentle smile as he introduced himself. His gaze then swept calmly across everyone present before he continued.
“Since you have all passed the trial, you should already understand where you are. That is correct. This place is the Soaring Cloud Holy Land, the repository of the secret arts imprints left behind by the sages of the Soaring Cloud Sect. The star-like clusters of light floating around you are those very secret arts imprints. As long as you shatter one of these light clusters, you will obtain a secret arts imprint.”
“So this really is the Soaring Cloud Holy Land.”
The old man’s words confirmed everyone’s suspicions. At once, fervor flared in their eyes, impatience and excitement surging as they longed to seize a secret arts imprint without delay.
“Hehe, do not rush. Let me explain the rules first.”
Seeing their eagerness, the green-robed old man chuckled softly and continued in an unhurried tone.
“Secret arts imprints are not stones scattered along a road, free for anyone to pick up. Whether you can obtain one depends entirely on your own ability. Each of you will have only three chances to strike. If, after three attempts, you fail to obtain a secret arts imprint, it means your strength is insufficient to comprehend one, and you will be immediately sent out of this place.”
He paused briefly, then added, “Furthermore, each person may obtain only one secret arts imprint. Once you acquire it, I will send you to a quiet space where you will have five days to comprehend it. After those five days, the secret arts imprint will vanish on its own, and your consciousness will be expelled from the Eternal Sky Heavenly Tablet.”
After explaining the rules in detail, the old man looked calmly at Li Yun and the others.
“That concludes everything you need to know. If there are no further questions, you may now begin acquiring a secret arts imprint.”
“Tablet Spirit Senior, I have a question,” Li Yun said as he stepped forward, his tone respectful.
“What is your question? Speak,” the green-robed old man replied calmly.
“Tablet Spirit Senior, are these secret arts imprints divided into better and worse ones?” Li Yun asked.
The old man let out a light chuckle. “Martial artists themselves differ in talent and attainment, and these secret arts imprints were created by martial artists, so it is only natural that there are superior and inferior ones. However, do not entertain the idea that I will tell you which imprints are good and which are bad. I will not reveal such things. What kind of secret arts imprint you obtain will depend entirely on your own opportunity.”
Hearing this, Li Yun and the others felt a chill run through them, and their expressions grew noticeably more cautious.
After coming all this way to the Soaring Cloud Holy Land and finally gaining the opportunity to obtain a secret arts imprint, no one was willing to act carelessly. Choosing a poor imprint would be something they might regret for the rest of their lives.
“That is all I can tell you. From this moment on, everything depends on you.”
As the green-robed old man finished speaking, he waved his sleeve, and his figure vanished from the starlit space.
Once the old man disappeared, Li Yun and the others immediately turned their attention to the countless light clusters suspended within the river of stars. Each of them observed carefully, hoping to identify the most valuable secret arts imprint.
“Although these light clusters look identical on the surface, there are subtle differences if you examine them closely. The key lies in the profound aura they emit. Some release a very strong and vigorous aura, while others emit only a faint one.”
“I am certain that the light clusters emitting a stronger profound aura contain superior secret arts imprints. Conversely, those with weaker auras must hold inferior ones.”
Li Yun focused intently, and with the heightened perception he had gained from the third trial, he quickly discovered that the seemingly identical clusters did indeed differ. His eyes lit up with excitement.
Now that he could distinguish their quality, he no longer needed to worry about ending up with the worst secret arts imprint.
He then sat down, raising his perception to its utmost limit. Invisible waves spread outward from his body like a silent radar, carefully searching for the light cluster that radiated the strongest profound aura, readying himself to strike.
“Swish!”
Just as Li Yun was concentrating on locating the light cluster that emitted the strongest profound aura, a sharp sound tore through the air. In the next instant, a figure shot upward and sped toward the distance, clearly having chosen a target and begun to act.
“Hmm? It’s Lu Changsan. Can he also tell the quality of these light clusters by the strength of the aura they emit?”
Li Yun opened his eyes and glanced at the person who had moved first. Seeing that it was indeed Lu Changsan, a trace of surprise flashed across his face. He then shook his head lightly. “Forget him. I should focus on finding the light cluster with the strongest profound aura.”
With that, Li Yun withdrew his attention and returned to his own search.
If he had continued watching Lu Changsan at that moment, he would certainly have felt puzzled.
The light cluster Lu Changsan had chosen did not emit any profound aura at all.
Based on the earlier deduction, the secret arts imprint contained within that light cluster should have been of the lowest quality.
Even if Lu Changsan could not distinguish the quality of the light clusters through their auras, he was still a top-tier genius. His judgment should not have been that poor.
The situation was clearly strange.
As Li Yun turned his focus away, Lu Changsan glanced back at him with a sinister look, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his lips.
“Li Yun, you dared to offend me, Lu Changsan. I will make you understand what true regret feels like. I will first let you taste the bitterness and humiliation of obtaining the worst secret arts imprint. Hahaha.”