Inheritance Trial!

"Could it be that the Cloud Heaven Sect left behind an inheritance here as well?"

Someone in the crowd cried out in shock, their voice echoing through the empty ruins.

Wei Qing clearly saw that the eyes of everyone present lit up the instant they heard the word "inheritance."

If they could obtain the inheritance of a former Cloud Heaven Sect powerhouse, they would surely soar into the sky in a single bound and reach a level they had never even dared imagine.

The once fairly harmonious atmosphere within the group suddenly grew tense.

The disciples of the various sects almost instinctively split into several groups according to familiarity, visibly widening the distance between one another, their eyes filled with wariness.

Wei Qing could not help but sigh inwardly at the sight.

Sure enough, when faced with enormous benefits, human nature was exposed in an instant.

Before an opportunity capable of changing one's fate, the already fragile alliance crumbled in the blink of an eye.

Liu Yulong of the Blazing Sun Sect was the first to move. Throwing up his arm, he shouted, "Disciples of the Blazing Sun Sect, heed my command! For everyone's safety, the time has come for us to contribute. Follow me and charge!"

Before his words had even faded, more than ten Blazing Sun Sect disciples had already shot toward the distant palace complex like arrows released from the bowstring.

"They truly have no shame." Nangong Ruyan snorted coldly, then turned to the maidservants and Mystic Maiden Palace disciples beside her. "Everyone, do not be greedy. Safety comes first. Move!"

"Yes, Young Palace Mistress."

The people of the Mystic Maiden Palace responded in unison and rushed after them toward the palace complex.

Seeing this, how could the disciples of the other small and medium sects hold themselves back any longer?

Some formed groups of three or five and traveled together.

Others simply acted alone, scrambling to flood toward the palaces.

In the blink of an eye.

The original group of more than eighty people had scattered seven parts out of ten, leaving only Qin Shuang, Song Yuanming, and three other Qingshan Sect disciples standing where they were.

"Senior Brother, if we do not act now, the inheritance will be snatched away by them all!" A male Qingshan Sect disciple looked anxiously toward Song Yuanming.

Just as the Qingshan Sect members had been about to enter and fight for the inheritance, Song Yuanming had stopped them.

Song Yuanming raised a hand, signaling his junior brothers and sisters to stay calm, then turned to Wei Qing. "Lord Wei, what do you think of the inheritance here?"

When he saw that Wei Qing had not acted immediately, a faint sense of crisis arose in his heart.

His intuition told him that staying by Wei Qing's side would be safer.

That intuition had helped him survive danger more than once, which was why he had stopped his junior brothers and sisters.

"Watch while standing."

"Pfft."

Dongfang Rongrong was once again amused by Wei Qing's bizarre answer and laughed.

It was still the same familiar flavor.

Song Yuanming's mouth twitched.

Couldn't you follow the usual script for once?

"Brother Qin, do you not want the Cloud Heaven Sect's inheritance?"

"Brother Wei, you are not in a hurry?"

"Not in a hurry."

"Neither am I."

After saying that, the two exchanged a smile.

The others were bewildered by their conversation. What was going on?

Only when everyone stepped onto the plaza did they understand why the two were not in a hurry.

They saw that the disciples from the various sects who had rushed in earlier had all stopped upon the steps before the palace complex.

There were twenty-four steps in total.

At that moment, most people had stopped between the ninth and twelfth steps.

A small number struggled between the fifteenth and twentieth steps.

Only Liu Yulong, Nangong Ruyan, Qin Yang, and more than a dozen others had stepped onto the twenty-first step and were still continuing upward.

When Song Yuanming and the others followed Wei Qing onto the steps, a ray of white light instantly enveloped them all, and they felt their bodies sink.

Jun Wushang cried out in alarm, "My strength has been sealed!"

Wei Qing's expression remained calm. "Everyone should be the same."

The others nodded one after another, indicating that it was indeed so.

"No wonder these people are so slow even climbing one step. Qingzi, did you know this long ago?"

"I only felt that things were not so simple."

As Wei Qing answered, that thread of unease that had lingered in his heart surfaced again, even stronger than before.

Over the following period.

Aside from Song Yuanming and Dongfang Rongrong, the other Qingshan Sect disciples could no longer advance another step when they reached the twelfth step, crushed by the immense pressure.

In the end, including Wei Qing's group of four, Qin Shuang, Song Yuanming, and Dongfang Rongrong, a total of twenty people ascended the twenty-fourth step.

"Congratulations. You have passed the first trial."

Suddenly, an aged voice drifted out from the central palace, seeming both near and far.

Everyone looked up and saw the bronze patterns on the palace doors slowly flow, eventually gathering into a blurry figure.

"Next is the second trial. It will directly determine what kind of inheritance you will be assigned."

As the old man's voice fell, a two-meter-tall boulder appeared out of thin air. Clouds and mist flowed within the stone, mysterious beyond measure.

"Please step forward one by one and place your hand upon the Heart-Questioning Stone."

Liu Yulong was the first to step forward. The instant his fingertips touched the Heart-Questioning Stone, the entire stone abruptly shone with white light, wrapping around his whole body.

Then the old man's voice sounded again. "Only when the roots are unsullied by dust can one attain the Dao; only when love and hate are both forgotten can one see truth. Fourth palace on the left."

As soon as the words fell, Liu Yulong vanished from before everyone's eyes.

Nangong Ruyan was the second to step forward.

"Emotional threads entwine the Dao like vines winding around a tree. When the vines flourish, the tree bends; when passion burns fiercely, the Dao strays. Third palace on the left."

Next.

The remaining people stepped forward one after another.

All were assigned to different palaces.

Zhang Xue, Song Yuanming, and Dongfang Rongrong were assigned to the third palace on the right, the fifth palace on the right, and the second palace on the left respectively.

After Jun Wushang received the evaluation:

"A blade wielder is one who dominates. Yet when dominance reaches its extreme, it becomes violent; when violence flourishes, one dies young. Remember: the blade in your hand may sever all things, but the blade in your heart must leave a thread of mercy."

He was assigned to the second palace on the right.

When it was Tantai Yue's turn.

"Her heart is like clear ice; even if heaven collapses, she is not startled. The highest goodness is like water: it benefits all things and does not contend. First palace on the left."

"Brother Wei, you first, or me first?"

"Brother Qin, please go first."

"Alright."

Qin Shuang stepped forward.

"Ice soul gathers the spirit; a cold plum stands amid snow. Untainted by the seven emotions, unmoved by the eight winds. Yet excessive hardness breaks easily; the highest goodness should be like water. First palace on the right."

Finally, it was Wei Qing's turn to step forward.

The instant his fingertips touched the Heart-Questioning Stone, white light enveloped his entire body.

When Wei Qing regained consciousness, he found himself within a vast starry sky.

Beneath his feet lay endless void, above his head flowed a river of stars. Billions of stars revolved slowly around him, each containing a Great Dao rhythm that made one's heart tremble.

At the end of the river of stars, a blurry figure was walking toward him atop the stars.

With every step that person took, a star beneath their feet lit up.

"You have come."

The voice was not loud, yet it made Wei Qing's entire body quake violently.

"Senior, you are..." Wei Qing forcibly suppressed the stormy waves in his heart and bowed respectfully.

The figure shifted slightly aside, avoiding Wei Qing's salute.

"Time is running out. Grow stronger quickly. We are waiting for you."