Choosing a Technique

Su Lingyun saw this and fastened one of the small rings onto the handle of the flying knife, then hooked the other ring over her thumb. With that, she hurled the flying knife down the mountain with all her strength!

Luo Zheng let out an "ah." The entire area was pitch-black, and the flying knife was razor-sharp. If it plunged deep into the ground after being thrown like that, finding it again would be difficult.

Yet Su Lingyun merely flicked her hand, and the flying knife that had already shot away suddenly turned back, returning neatly into her hand.

At this sight, Luo Zheng could not help clicking his tongue in amazement.

The two small rings looked utterly unremarkable, but it was as if an invisible thread connected them. With a gentle tug, the thrown flying knife could be pulled back.

The flying knife was so sharp, yet Su Lingyun caught it with ease. That display alone left Luo Zheng full of admiration.

After Luo Zheng accepted the flying knife and the pair of rings, he clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for the generous gift, Instructor Su."

Instructor Su pressed her lips into a smile, then suddenly reached out and patted his head. "From now on, you're one of Little Rain Peak's people. There's no need to be so polite! Hurry back and rest. After the peaks are assigned tomorrow, you'll still have to choose your techniques!"

Luo Zheng nodded before making his way back along the same route.

On the way down the mountain, he hooked one of the small rings over his thumb and imitated Instructor Su by throwing the flying knife. However, when he pulled hard to bring it back, the flying knife shot straight toward him instead.

Luo Zheng immediately broke into a cold sweat. Only by dropping flat in a panic did he avoid the flying knife. His body was tough, but there was no way he could withstand that blade.

He had watched Instructor Su catch the flying knife barehanded with such ease, yet he could not find the trick to it himself. After experimenting several times, he finally grasped a little of the technique.

By the time he returned to the dormitory, it was already the dead of night.

Most of the trial disciples were already fast asleep. Luo Zheng quietly slipped inside as well, closed his eyes, and entered dreamland.

Early the next morning, all the instructors and trial disciples gathered together to discuss the assignments.

According to the previous day's tally, the disciples who had participated in the Bloodcolor Trials had been ranked.

Luo Zheng, who had killed a fifth-level phantom beast, had taken First Place without dispute and become the object of every instructor's fierce competition.

The instructors began quarreling again over Luo Zheng.

However, they were already used to it. A spectacle like this, with everyone fighting over First Place, played out almost once every month.

When the argument reached its end, no one was willing to yield. In the end, they could only ask Luo Zheng for his opinion and let him choose where he would go.

The Outer Sect Disciples nearby were green with envy when they heard this.

Luo Zheng was truly amazing. He could go to whichever peak he wanted. Most of the Outer Sect Disciples thought that if they were in his place, they would definitely choose Heaven One Peak, ranked first among the Thirty-Three Peaks.

All the instructors waited for Luo Zheng to choose. Elder Xu, however, was the most confident of all. Heaven One Peak had a great reputation and was the strongest peak among the Thirty-Three Peaks. Anyone who was not a fool would choose Heaven One Peak.

"I choose Little Rain Peak," Luo Zheng said calmly.

As soon as he said this, all the instructors wore stunned expressions.

Among the Thirty-Three Peaks, Luo Zheng could have chosen any peak in the top ten.

For example, Black Rock Peak, ranked second, or Spirit Ring Peak, ranked fifth...

Yet Luo Zheng had actually chosen Little Rain Peak, ranked dead last.

What kind of nonsense was this?

Su Lingyun walked out with graceful steps and said to Luo Zheng with a beaming smile, "I accept your choice. From now on, Luo Zheng is an Outer Sect Disciple of Little Rain Peak!"

Instructor Xu and the other instructors wore unpleasant expressions. At the same time, they were puzzled. Su Lingyun must have paid some price to bring Luo Zheng under her wing; otherwise, Luo Zheng could not possibly have chosen Little Rain Peak.

"Instructor Su, isn't this a little improper?" Instructor Xu was determined to get Luo Zheng.

Selecting the best had always been the tradition of the Thirty-Three Peaks. Though everyone understood that those who performed brilliantly now might not necessarily excel in the future—after all, Azure Cloud Sect had produced countless disciples of extraordinary talent throughout the long river of time, yet few had ultimately achieved great accomplishments—

the more outstanding disciples a peak had, the greater its chances of producing someone successful. It was a simple and obvious truth.

"Oh? Instructor Xu? Why don't you tell me what's improper?" Instructor Su sneered. "It's a matter of one willing to fight and the other willing to take the blows. I don't think you fail to understand that, Instructor Xu. If you want to stir up trouble, I, this humble woman, will be happy to accompany you to the very end. I just wonder whether you have the leisure for it."

Hearing Su Lingyun's words and Luo Zheng's steady reply, the two of them had clearly reached some sort of agreement and understanding. Apart from cursing Su Lingyun in their hearts, what else could the instructors say aloud?

They might have argued with her if Su Lingyun had been in the wrong. But if they continued picking a fight with her now and provoked her anger, they would simply be asking for trouble.

Thus, the struggle over this year's First Place came to an end. Next, they began quarreling over the Outer Sect Disciple ranked second...

After Luo Zheng chose Little Rain Peak, Mo Can also chose Little Rain Peak without hesitation.

After half a day, all the trial disciples and Aristocratic Clan Disciples had found their destinations.

But that was not the end. The next step was extremely important: choosing a technique suited to oneself.

Within Azure Cloud Sect stood a great hall called the Heavenly Book Pavilion.

The Heavenly Book Pavilion contained nearly every technique in the entire empire.

However, for Azure Cloud Sect disciples, entering the Heavenly Book Pavilion to select a technique was no easy matter.

Each selection consumed one hundred points, equivalent to two hundred Square Crystal Stones at market price.

For Aristocratic Clan Disciples, this might have been a simple matter. But for the vast majority of disciples born from humble roots, it was an absolutely enormous sum.

The most outrageous part was that the Heavenly Book Pavilion contained too many techniques of every kind. It had high-ranked techniques, but even more low-ranked ones. Some disciples painstakingly saved one hundred points, only to enter and exchange them for nothing more than an utterly ordinary "Wild Bull Fist."

A technique like that sold for only a few dozen taels of gold in the Imperial Capital. It was the most common of common goods—enough to lose one's shirt and then some.

Thus, selecting a technique in the Heavenly Book Pavilion required considerable care.

Every Outer Sect Disciple was granted one free opportunity to enter the Heavenly Book Pavilion and choose a technique.

Led by their instructors, everyone set off for the Heavenly Book Pavilion.

The deeper they went into Azure Cloud Sect, the more they sensed its vastness. They crossed forests, then lakes, then passed all sorts of magnificent buildings. At last, they stopped before the entrance of a great hall.

The entire hall was purple. Looking closely, one could see streams of purple light radiating outward.

Luo Zheng stared at the countless rays of purple light, his eyes growing slightly uncomfortable. The sensation was strange, resembling the pressure radiating from the Azure Dragon sculpture in his mind, though its power was naturally far weaker.

"Don't keep staring at those lights. They can pass through your eyes and damage your soul," one instructor warned.

When they heard that the light could damage their souls, all the Outer Sect Disciples were startled and quickly shifted their gazes away.

The soul was a person's most important possession. Soul damage was called "injuring the spirit" in common speech. In mild cases, one would suffer dizziness and weakness for several days. In severe cases, one might be unable to move for years or even become an idiot.

"Instructor, what exactly are these lights?" an Outer Sect Disciple asked.

"This is 'intent,'" the instructor explained.

"All things in this world possess intent. People have human intent, the heavens have heavenly intent, swords have sword intent, and blades likewise have blade intent." The instructor pointed at the purple light. "Those purple rays came from a Xing Tian Beast. After Azure Cloud Sect slew it, its bones were buried here. That is its Xing Tian Intent."

At these words, Luo Zheng's thoughts stirred.

If that was the case, then the pressure of the Azure Dragon in his mind was Dragon Intent?

Remembering the sensation of his soul being torn apart again and again beneath that Dragon Intent, Luo Zheng knew he would never forget that pain. But what exactly was this intent? How could one comprehend it?

Luo Zheng did not rashly ask the question.

After everyone climbed onto the platform before the Heavenly Book Pavilion, the instructors stopped.

"This is your only free opportunity to select a technique or secret manual. Go on. Here is one kind reminder: the farther you go into the Heavenly Book Pavilion, the higher the grade of the techniques. But the deeper you go, the greater the power of the Xing Tian Intent. Even with your eyes closed, the Xing Tian Intent can still damage your souls. So go as far as you can, but do not force yourselves," one instructor warned.

Upon hearing the order, the Outer Sect Disciples dispersed and headed toward the Heavenly Book Pavilion.

Luo Zheng climbed the steps one by one. After crossing the steps and entering through the doors, he found himself in a splendid, resplendent great hall.

In the center of the hall, Luo Zheng saw a large character cast from black iron: "Yellow."

"This is the outermost area of the Heavenly Book Pavilion. It contains only Yellow-Ranked Techniques. They're trash techniques, worthless!"

Several Aristocratic Clan Disciples shouted before crossing the character "Yellow" and heading farther inside.

The Yellow-Ranked Techniques were packed densely onto the bookshelves. Luo Zheng estimated casually that a single level of shelving could hold ten thousand Yellow-Ranked Techniques. There were twenty levels of shelves here—did that mean there were two hundred thousand Yellow-Ranked Techniques?

Yellow-Ranked Techniques circulated widely throughout the empire. Although the Aristocratic Clan Disciples had put it harshly, they truly were not worth much.

Only a handful of people stayed here. Most continued farther inside.

Luo Zheng did not think much of it and followed the crowd forward. However, he noticed that Mo Can had not followed. Instead, he had remained in the hall containing the Yellow-Ranked Techniques.

After walking several dozen feet, everyone entered another great hall. A large character stood in the middle of this hall: "Profound."

There was no need to say more. This was the hall of Profound-Ranked Techniques.

The purple Xing Tian Intent grew increasingly abundant in this hall, and some people withdrew after sensing discomfort.

Resisting the pressure of the Xing Tian Intent depended on the strength of one's soul.

Most of the people present had never tempered their souls. Some were simply born with stronger souls, while others had souls that were naturally frail. This had nothing to do with cultivation strength; it was almost an innate difference.

Several Outer Sect Disciples already felt extremely uncomfortable but seemed unwilling to give up. Thus, they closed their eyes and forcibly endured the pressure of the Xing Tian Intent.

Before long, their faces turned bluish-black, as though they were about to faint. In the end, they had no choice but to withdraw. One person even fainted directly in the hall and had to be carried back.

Most of those remaining understood that the hall of Profound-Ranked Techniques was already their limit. If they went farther, they would likely injure their souls.

Thus, the vast majority stayed there and searched for techniques belonging to them.

Only a very small number continued onward.

Luo Zheng was one of them.