Choosing a Cultivation Method

Seeing this, Su Lingyun fastened one of the rings to the handle of the Flying Knife, and the other ring to her thumb. Then, she forcefully threw the Flying Knife down the mountain!

Luo Zheng let out an "ah". It was pitch black everywhere, and the Flying Knife was incredibly sharp. If it went deep into the ground after being thrown like that, it would be hard to find.

But then he saw Su Lingyun lightly flick her hand. The Flying Knife, which had already shot out, returned and was skillfully caught back in her hand.

Seeing this scene, Luo Zheng couldn't help but marvel.

These two small rings looked unremarkable, but there seemed to be an invisible thread connecting them. The Flying Knife, once thrown, could be pulled back with a gentle tug.

And the fact that Su Lingyun could easily catch such a sharp Flying Knife in her hand also made Luo Zheng admire her skill.

After taking the Flying Knife and the pair of rings, Luo Zheng cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Instructor Su, for the generous gift."

Instructor Su smiled slightly, then suddenly reached out and patted his head. "From now on, you're one of us from Little Rain Peak. No need for so much formality! Hurry back and rest. After the peaks are assigned tomorrow, you still need to choose your cultivation techniques!"

Luo Zheng nodded and returned the way he came.

On the way down the mountain, he fastened a small ring to his thumb and, imitating Instructor Su, threw the Flying Knife out. But when he pulled back forcefully, the Flying Knife shot towards him.

This instantly scared Luo Zheng and made him break out in a cold sweat. He quickly dropped to the ground to avoid the Flying Knife. Although his body was strong, he probably couldn't block this Flying Knife no matter what.

He had seen Instructor Su catch the Flying Knife with her bare hands so easily just now, but he couldn't find the knack. After trying several times, he finally grasped a little bit of the trick.

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

Most of the trial disciples were already asleep. Luo Zheng also quietly slipped in, closed his eyes, and entered his dream.

Early the next morning, the instructors and trial disciples gathered together to discuss the assignment issue.

According to yesterday's statistics, the trial disciples who participated in the Bloodcolor Trials had been ranked.

Luo Zheng, who was able to kill a Level 5 Illusory Beast, was undoubtedly ranked first, becoming the target of contention among the instructors.

The instructors started arguing again over who would get Luo Zheng.

However, these instructors were already used to it. The scene of fighting over the first place happened almost every month.

After arguing to the end, they still wouldn't give in to each other. In the end, they could only seek Luo Zheng's opinion and let him choose where he wanted to go.

The Outer Sect Disciples nearby were all envious when they heard this.

This Luo Zheng is really amazing. He can go to whichever peak he wants. Most Outer Sect Disciples were thinking that if it were them, they would definitely choose Heaven One Peak, which is ranked first among the thirty-three peaks.

All the instructors were waiting for Luo Zheng's choice. Among them, Elder Xu was the most confident. His Heaven One Peak had a great reputation and was the most powerful peak among the thirty-three peaks. Only a fool wouldn't choose his Heaven One Peak.

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

As soon as these words came out, all the instructors were stunned.

Among the thirty-three peaks, it was possible for Luo Zheng to choose a peak ranked in the top ten.

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

But Luo Zheng actually chose Little Rain Peak, which was ranked last.

What kind of situation is this?

Su Lingyun walked out gracefully and said to Luo Zheng with a smile, "I accept your choice. Now Luo Zheng is an Outer Sect Disciple of our Little Rain Peak!"

Instructor Xu and several other instructors had unpleasant expressions. At the same time, they were also a little confused. This Su Lingyun must have paid some price to get Luo Zheng under her wing, otherwise Luo Zheng wouldn't have chosen Little Rain Peak.

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

Selecting the best has always been the tradition of the thirty-three peaks. Although everyone understood that being outstanding now didn't necessarily mean being outstanding in the future, after all, the Azure Cloud Sect had countless disciples with extraordinary talents and proud aptitudes throughout the long river of time, but not many ultimately achieved great success.

However, the more outstanding disciples a peak had, the greater the probability of achieving success. This was a simple and easy-to-understand truth.

"Oh? Instructor Xu? Why don't you tell me what's inappropriate? I don't think Instructor Xu wouldn't understand the matter of one willing to hit and one willing to be hit, right?" Instructor Su sneered, "If Instructor Xu wants to cause trouble, this little woman can accompany you to the end. I just don't know if you have the leisure."

Hearing Su Lingyun's words and Luo Zheng's calm answer, there must have been some kind of agreement and understanding between the two of them. What else could these instructors say besides complaining about Instructor Su in their hearts?

If Su Lingyun was being unreasonable, they could still argue with her. However, if they were to pick a fight with Su Lingyun now and anger her, they would simply be asking for trouble.

Thus, the fight for the first place this year came to an end. Next, they started arguing over the Outer Sect Disciple ranked second...

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

It took half a day for all the trial disciples and Aristocratic Clan Disciples to find their homes.

However, this was not the end. The next step was very important: choosing a cultivation technique that suited them.

Within the Azure Cloud Sect, there was a large hall called the Heavenly Book Pavilion.

The Heavenly Book Pavilion contained almost all the cultivation techniques in the entire Empire.

But it was not easy for disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect to enter the Heavenly Book Pavilion and choose a cultivation technique.

Each time they chose, it cost one hundred points, which was equivalent to two hundred Square Crystal Stones at market price.

For Aristocratic Clan Disciples, it might be a simple matter, but for the vast majority of disciples from humble backgrounds, this was definitely a huge sum of money.

The most unfair part was that because the Heavenly Book Pavilion had too many and too complex cultivation techniques, there were high-level techniques, but even more low-level techniques. Some disciples painstakingly saved one hundred points, only to exchange them for an ordinary "Wild Bull Fist".

This kind of cultivation technique only sold for a few dozen taels of gold in the Imperial City and was a genuine common commodity. It was a huge loss.

Therefore, choosing a cultivation technique in the Heavenly Book Pavilion was very particular.

All Outer Sect Disciples had one free opportunity to enter the Heavenly Book Pavilion and choose a cultivation technique.

Under the guidance of the instructors, everyone moved towards the Heavenly Book Pavilion.

The deeper they went into the Azure Cloud Sect, the more they could feel its vastness. They passed through forests, lakes, and various magnificent buildings of different shapes, finally stopping at the entrance of a grand hall.

This hall was entirely purple. If one looked closely, they could see countless rays of purple light emanating from it.

Luo Zheng stared at the myriad purple lights, his eyes feeling slightly uncomfortable. This feeling was very peculiar, similar to the pressure emanating from the Azure Dragon sculpture in his mind, but naturally much weaker.

"Everyone, don't keep staring at those lights. These lights can pass through your eyes and damage your souls," an instructor warned.

Hearing that the light could damage their souls, all the Outer Sect Disciples were immediately startled and quickly averted their gaze.

The soul is the most important thing for a person. Soul damage, in common parlance, is called "harming the spirit." In mild cases, it causes dizziness and weakness for a few days, while in severe cases, it can lead to being unable to move for several years or even becoming an idiot.

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

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

"Everything in this world has 'Intent'. Humans have human intent, heaven has heavenly intent, swords have sword intent, and knives also have knife intent," the instructor said, pointing at the purple light. "That purple light is the Xing Tian Intent of a Xing Tian Beast that was killed by our Azure Cloud Sect and buried here."

Hearing this, Luo Zheng's heart stirred.

According to this, the pressure of the Azure Dragon in his mind was Dragon Intent?

Thinking of the feeling of his soul being constantly torn under that Dragon Intent, that kind of pain, Luo Zheng would never forget it. But what exactly was this Intent? And how could one comprehend it?

Luo Zheng did not rashly ask questions.

After everyone walked onto the platform in front of the Heavenly Book Pavilion, the instructors stopped.

"This is your only chance to choose cultivation techniques and secret manuals for free. Go ahead. A kind reminder: the further you go inside the Heavenly Book Pavilion, the higher the level of the cultivation techniques. However, the further you go inside, the stronger the power of the Xing Tian Intent becomes. Even if you close your eyes, the Xing Tian Intent will still damage your souls. So go as far as you can, but don't force yourselves," an instructor warned.

The Outer Sect Disciples heard the command, dispersed, and walked towards the Heavenly Book Pavilion.

Luo Zheng ascended the steps, passed through the entrance, and entered a magnificent hall.

In the center of the hall, Luo Zheng saw a large character cast in profound iron. It was the character "Yellow."

"This is the outermost area of the Heavenly Book Pavilion, all Yellow-level cultivation techniques. They are trash techniques, worthless!"

Several Aristocratic Clan Disciples shouted, then passed the character "Yellow" and walked further inside.

Those Yellow-level cultivation techniques were densely placed on the bookshelves. Luo Zheng roughly estimated that a single layer of bookshelves could hold ten thousand types of Yellow-level cultivation techniques. There were twenty layers of bookshelves here, so wouldn't there be two hundred thousand types of Yellow-level cultivation techniques?

Yellow-level cultivation techniques were widely circulated in the Empire. Although the Aristocratic Clan Disciples' words were unpleasant, they were indeed not valuable.

Only a very few people stayed here; the vast majority walked further inside.

Luo Zheng didn't think much and followed the main group forward. However, he did notice that Mo Can did not follow but stayed in the hall with the Yellow-level cultivation techniques.

After walking a few dozen feet, everyone entered another hall. In the center of this hall stood the character "Profound."

Needless to say, this was the hall for Profound-level cultivation techniques.

In this hall, the purple Xing Tian Intent gradually increased. Some people felt uncomfortable and retreated.

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

Most of the people present had not trained their souls. Some people were born with strong souls, while others were born with weak souls. This had nothing to do with strength; it was almost an innate difference.

A few Outer Sect Disciples, although already feeling very uncomfortable, seemed unwilling to give up. So they closed their eyes and stubbornly resisted the pressure of the Xing Tian Intent.

Before long, their faces turned pale and then black, as if they were about to faint. In the end, they had to retreat. One person even fainted directly in this hall and was carried back.

Most of the remaining people understood that the hall of Profound-level cultivation techniques was their limit. Going further inside would likely damage their souls.

So the vast majority stayed here, searching for their own cultivation techniques.

Only a very few people continued to walk forward.

And Luo Zheng was one of them.