"Could it be that the Cloud Firmament Sect left an inheritance here?"
Someone in the crowd cried out in surprise, their voice echoing through the empty ruins.
Wei Qing clearly saw every person's eyes light up the instant they heard the word "inheritance."
If they could obtain the inheritance of a former Cloud Firmament Sect powerhouse, they would surely soar into the heavens and reach a level they had once never even dared to imagine.
The previously harmonious atmosphere among the group suddenly grew tense.
The disciples of the various sects instinctively split into several groups according to their familiarity with one another. The distance between them visibly widened, and their eyes filled with wariness.
Seeing this, Wei Qing could not help sighing inwardly.
As expected, when faced with enormous benefits, human nature was exposed in an instant.
Under an opportunity powerful enough to change their fates, the already fragile alliance collapsed like a house of cards.
Liu Yulong of the Blazing Sun Sect sprang into action. He waved his arm and shouted, "Disciples of the Blazing Sun Sect, heed my order! For everyone's safety, the time has come for us to make our contribution. Charge with me!"
Before his voice had even faded, more than a dozen Blazing Sun Sect disciples had already shot toward the distant palace complex like arrows loosed from a bow.
"What shamelessness." Nangong Ruyan snorted coldly, then turned to order the maidservants and disciples of the Mystic Maiden Palace beside her, "Everyone, don't be greedy. Safety comes first. Let's go!"
"Yes, Young Palace Master."
The people from the Mystic Maiden Palace answered in unison and charged toward the palace complex right behind them.
Seeing this, how could the disciples of the other mid-sized and small sects hold themselves back?
Some traveled in groups of three or five.
Others simply acted alone, surging toward the palaces in a mad scramble to be first.
In the blink of an eye,
the group of more than eighty people had scattered almost completely. Only Qin Shuang, Song Yuanming, and three other disciples of the Qingshan Sect remained standing where they were.
"Senior Brother, if we don't act now, they'll take all the inheritance!" one male Qingshan Sect disciple anxiously pleaded with Song Yuanming.
Earlier, when the Qingshan Sect's people had been about to enter and compete for the inheritance, Song Yuanming had stopped them.
Song Yuanming raised a hand, signaling his junior brothers and sisters not to be impatient. He 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 trace of danger had risen in his heart.
His instincts told him that he would be safer if he stayed beside Wei Qing.
This instinct had helped him survive crises more than once, which was why he had stopped his fellow disciples.
"Stand and look."
"Pfft."
Dongfang Rongrong was amused by Wei Qing's bizarre answer once again.
It was the same familiar flavor.
Song Yuanming's lips twitched when he heard this.
Can't you play by the usual rules for once?
"Brother Qin, could it be that you don't want the Cloud Firmament Sect's inheritance?"
"Brother Wei, you're not in a hurry?"
"Not in a hurry."
"I'm not in a hurry either."
After saying that, the two exchanged a smile.
The others were baffled by their exchange. What was going on?
It was not until everyone entered the plaza that they understood why the two were not in a hurry.
The disciples of the various sects who had rushed in earlier had all stopped on 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 few were struggling between the fifteenth and twentieth steps.
Only Liu Yulong, Nangong Ruyan, Qin Yang, and a dozen others had reached the twenty-first step, and they were still climbing upward.
When Song Yuanming and the others followed Wei Qing onto the steps, a white light instantly enveloped their bodies. They all felt their bodies grow heavy.
Jun Wushang cried out in alarm, "My strength has been sealed!"
Wei Qing's expression remained calm. "It should be the same for everyone."
The others nodded one after another, confirming that this was indeed the case.
"No wonder those people are moving so slowly even on the steps. Qingzi, did you know this would happen from the beginning?"
"I only felt that things weren't as simple as they seemed."
As Wei Qing answered, the thread of unease that had lingered in his heart surfaced once more, and it was far stronger than before.
Afterward,
aside from Song Yuanming and Dongfang Rongrong, the other Qingshan Sect disciples were unable to take another step when they reached the twelfth step, crushed by the immense pressure.
In the end, including Wei Qing's four companions, Qin Shuang, Song Yuanming, and Dongfang Rongrong, a total of twenty people reached 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. The bronze patterns on the palace gates were slowly flowing, eventually condensing into a blurry figure.
"Next is the second trial. It will directly determine what kind of inheritance will be assigned to each of you."
As the old man's voice fell, a massive stone two meters high appeared out of thin air. Clouds and mist flowed within its body, making it extraordinarily mysterious.
"Please come forward one by one and place your hand on the 'Heart-Questioning Stone.'"
Liu Yulong stepped forward first. The instant his fingertip touched the Heart-Questioning Stone, the entire stone abruptly blazed with white light, enveloping his whole body.
The old man's voice rang out again. "Only when the roots and dust are untouched can one attain the Dao; only when love and hatred are both forgotten can one glimpse the truth. Fourth palace on the left."
As soon as the voice faded, Liu Yulong's figure vanished before everyone's eyes.
Nangong Ruyan stepped forward second.
"Threads of affection entangle the Dao, like vines winding around a tree. When the vines flourish, the tree bends; when affection burns fiercely, the Dao strays. Third palace on the left."
Next,
the remaining people stepped forward one by one.
All of them 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.
After Jun Wushang received the evaluation:
"The blade is dominance. Yet when dominance reaches its extreme, it becomes brutality; when brutality flourishes, it brings an early death. Remember: the blade in your hand may cut down all things, but the blade in your heart must leave a sliver of mercy."
he was assigned to the second palace on the right.
When it was Tantai Yue's turn,
"When the heart is clear as ice, the collapse of heaven and earth cannot cause alarm. The highest virtue is like water; it benefits all things yet contends with none. First palace on the left."
"Brother Wei, you go first, or shall I?"
"Brother Qin, please go ahead."
"Very well."
Qin Shuang stepped forward.
"The ice soul gathers the spirit; winter plum stands in snow. Untainted by the seven emotions and unmoved by the eight winds. Yet what is too rigid easily breaks. The highest virtue should be like water. First palace on the right."
Finally, it was Wei Qing's turn to step forward.
The instant his fingertip touched the Heart-Questioning Stone, white light enveloped his entire body.
When Wei Qing regained consciousness, he found himself in a vast starry sky.
Beneath his feet stretched endless void. Above his head flowed a river of stars. Billions upon billions of stars slowly revolved around him, each containing a profound Dao rhythm that made his heart tremble.
At the end of the starry river, a blurry figure was walking toward him atop the stars.
With every step that person took, a star beneath his feet lit up,
"You've come."
The voice was not loud, yet it shook Wei Qing from head to toe.
"Senior, you are..." Wei Qing forcibly suppressed the storm raging in his heart and bowed respectfully.
The figure turned slightly to the side, avoiding Wei Qing's courtesy.
"There isn't much time left. Grow as quickly as you can. We are waiting for you."