Xu Jiuge's deafening voice echoed in everyone's minds.
Most people had no intention to listen to what he was saying, still shaken by the shock of the two lives lost just moments ago.
Yet Li Jizhou had already etched Xu Jiuge's words into his heart; this might be the next round of bizarre rules.
"Now, follow me to the Heart Inquiry Hall and commence the first round of assessment!" Xu Jiuge finished speaking, his body gently floating into the air, and then the Thunder Sword spontaneously flew beneath his feet, carrying him toward a grand hall at the front of the plaza.
"Run away!"
"That person is too terrifying, we can't follow him!"
"Let's join forces to break the formation, escape from here, and call the Zhenren outside the ore!"
...
Seeing Xu Jiuge riding the sword away, those who sought opportunities first retreated in haste, wanting to flee.
In contrast, the twenty-six who had been quietly observing the situation slowly followed Xu Jiuge toward the hall.
"Puff~"
Suddenly, anomalies occurred,
and among the group trying to escape, the person at the front suddenly turned into a mist of blood, diffusing into the air.
Immediately after,
"Puff puff~" several more sounds of transformation into blood mist echoed.
"Something's wrong; it seems if you leave Xu Jiuge's certain range, you'll instantly turn into blood mist! Quickly run back!" someone noticed the anomaly and hurriedly turned to pursue Xu Jiuge.
However, Xu Jiuge's speed abruptly increased; although those who started running back exerted all efforts to chase him down, several people still transformed into blood mist one after another.
Nonetheless, Li Jizhou's group managed to maintain a safe distance, quickly and steadily entering the Heart Inquiry Hall.
In the end, only sixty-seven people remained out of the original one hundred.
Besides Li Jizhou and the twenty-six others, the remaining forty-one were all breathless, trembling all over, with pale faces.
It was clear they hadn't recovered from the shadow of fear just moments ago.
Now, they finally understood the severity of the situation and had a newfound perception of Li Jizhou and the twenty-six others who had remained unharmed.
Clearly, these twenty-six were extraordinary compared to them.
"The first test is to assess whether you can calm your mind!"
Xu Jiuge stood atop the hall with a voice as loud as a bell.
Then, with a wave of his grand hand,
Shwishing~
Sixty-seven short tables appeared before the crowd, each equipped with writing tools.
Besides that, a circle of bookshelves emerged around the grand hall, filled with jade slips emitting a peculiar glow.
"These are various cultivation techniques and secret skills collected over a millennium by our Thunder Flame Sect. However, the great calamity approaches, and the legacy may be extinguished. The Elder of the Scripture Pavilion ordered us to copy the jade slips as a precaution!"
"You will transcribe here, and upon my return, I will evaluate you based on your transcription quantity and quality."
As soon as the words fell, Xu Jiuge's figure was nowhere to be seen in the hall.
The crowd remained silent for a moment, and once certain Xu Jiuge was no longer present, they erupted in cries of joy.
"Cultivation techniques and secret skills collected by the Thunder Flame Sect!!!"
"Anything deemed worthy by the Thunder Flame Sect inscribed into the jade slips must be extraordinary! At least middle-grade cultivation techniques!"
"Opportunity, great terror accompanied by great opportunity!"
In no time, the crowd acted like madmen, rushing toward the surrounding bookshelves.
"Purple Sky Scripture! This... isn't it the foundation of the Thunder Flame Sect, reserved for sect core disciples?"
"Thousand Mechanisms Guide! A peerless cultivation technique and secret skill passed down through successive Sect Leaders of the Thunder Flame Sect!"
"Heavens, it even includes the sect protection skills from the Golden Sun Sect, Divine Intent Sect, and Cold Wind Valley!"
...
As the jade slips were perused, exclamations grew louder and wilder.
Many immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, speeding up their memorization of the cultivation techniques within the jade slips.
Even those who had been as cautious as Li Jizhou couldn't entirely control their inner excitement.
Cultivation techniques rank high among the essentials for cultivation.
A top-grade primary cultivation technique and a lower-grade cultivation technique yield incredibly different results in both cultivation progress and the magical power cultivated.
These people present had come down for the Thunder Spirit Crystal Ore, naturally lacking deep backgrounds.
The techniques they cultivated were at most middle-grade.
So, they were immensely excited about the divine skills and secrets collected by the Thunder Flame Sect.
Only Li Jizhou remained calm, taking a deep breath; he ignored the commotion and randomly picked a jade slip from the bookshelf, examining it with Spiritual Sense, then unfurled the paper and ink, calmly and meticulously copying.
As for the contents, he didn't memorize them; he simply transcribed them mindlessly.
Within this enigmatic realm, all cultivation techniques and secret skills are illusions, dissipating from memory once you leave the realm.
Moreover, Xu Jiuge had made it clear moments ago: calm your mind!
Don't be disturbed by external matters.
Though he didn't know how Xu Jiuge would handle those who failed to meet the standards upon his return, Li Jizhou preferred not to gamble.
As time elapsed,
More and more people couldn't suppress their inner desires, seeking high-grade cultivation techniques suited to their Spirit Roots, and some legendary secret skills of unparalleled power.
"I've struck it rich, struck it rich! With such top-grade cultivation techniques, I'll restart cultivation even at the cost of some foundation damage; it's definitely faster than my current technique!"
"If I can memorize ten cultivation techniques, I'll restart with the highest-ranking one myself; the rest, I'll sell, might even gather enough resources for Core Formation!"
"With these techniques, founding a sect isn't out of the question!"
...
"Brother Yu, help me find a top-grade technique suitable for my water attribute Spirit Root, preferably one with insights on Core Formation... Oh, Brother Yu, isn't this your Divine Intent... um, isn't this the renowned Divine Intent Sect's Sect Protection Guide 'Carefree Travel'? You should memorize it!" Yang Yutong exclaimed repeatedly.
The young man beside him also changed his expression dramatically, solemnly cradling the jade slip engraved with 'Carefree Travel', swallowing hard.
"Is it truly 'Carefree Travel'?"
His heart was a mixture of surprise and joy.
Divine Intent Sect had a rule that only the Sect Leader's direct disciples could cultivate the Sect Protection Guide.
Although his talent was exceptional and he had entered the inner sect, whether he could catch the Sect Leader Zhenren's eye was uncertain.
'Carefree Travel' isn't a primary technique for cultivating magical power but a cultivation technique specialized in honing the Divine Soul and Primordial Spirit.
Quite marvelous!
Legend has it that at advanced levels, the Divine Sense of the Core Formation Stage can roam eight hundred miles by day and night, comparable to the Divine Sense of Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
It can even be used to perform basic divine sense attacks!
Within the realm below Nascent Soul True Monarchs, it's practically indefensible.
After much deliberation, Ye Jingyu finally embraced the jade slip tightly, submerging his Spiritual Sense within.
"Wrong!"
In the next moment, Ye Jingyu suddenly awakened.
He slowly scanned the surroundings.
The scenes of all beings appeared before his eyes.
"Wrong, something is definitely wrong!"
"Brother Yu, what's wrong? Where's wrong?" Yang Yutong was startled, hastily withdrawing his mind from a jade slip with Water Attribute cultivation techniques.
"Everything's wrong; something is wrong everywhere!" Ye Jingyu bit the tip of his tongue to calm himself further.
Then he gazed at the people immersed in the jade slips on the shelves.
"This Thunder Flame Sect is wrong! Xu Jiuge is wrong! The cultivation techniques and secret skills here must also be wrong!"
"Even if this is truly the Thunder Flame Sect, it's surely impossible to allow disciples not yet inducted to copy such patrimony!"
He wouldn't suddenly... Ye Jingyu's gaze fell upon Li Jizhou, who sat calmly at the writing desk, focused and dedicated as he transcribed.