God Descending Tower, Third Floor

The light shooting down from the Tian Qiong grew stronger and stronger, and this light condensed into the skin of Yi Yun's arm, Emperor's Mark began to slowly appear.

One after another, they resembled beautiful dragon scales.

The dragon scales coalesced and became increasingly dense, giving Yi Yun's skin a slightly tingling and stinging sensation, which he found quite comfortable.

After the light faded, Yi Yun counted them briefly and found that defeating the guardians on the third floor had given him eighteen Emperor's Mark at once. Combined with the thirty-seven Emperor's Mark he already had, Yi Yun now had a total of fifty-five Emperor's Mark.

Looking at the Emperor's Mark on his arm, Yi Yun felt a surge of emotion.

He didn't get a single Emperor's Mark when he only withstood the attacks of three layers of guardians, but he got eighteen Emperor's Mark when he defeated them.

Fifty-five Emperor's Mark —this was a number that Shentu Nantian and the others could only dream of when they first entered the Empress Secret Realm. It sounds like a lot, but Yi Yun knew that the reason he had so many wasn't because he had fully met the Empress's requirements, but because people like Shentu Nantian were far from achieving them.

His trials were not perfect every time; it could only be said that at times, he satisfied the rules of the Empress Secret Realm.

In this way, once he enters the final treasure of the Empress Secret Realm, the number of Emperor's Mark he possesses will probably not be enough.

His journey is still long.

The God Descending Tower should be the highlight of this trial; this is where the opportunity lies.

Yi Yun made up his mind that he would do his best to be perfect along the way, so that he might be able to gain the approval of the Ancient Empress.

Yi Yun continued forward, slowly ascending the steps to the third floor of the God Descending Tower.

Yi Yun looked inside through the door on the third floor of the God Descending Tower.

The third level of the God Descending Tower is a closed hall.

"The first floor is a grand hall, the second floor is a wild and untamed world, and the third floor becomes a grand hall again..."

Yi Yun hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.

He looked around, trying to find Lin Xin Tong, but the three-story hall was empty, and he couldn't find Lin Xin Tong at all.

Therefore, it seems that either Lin Xin Tong has already left the third level, or the third level of the God Descending Tower is independent for each person, where each person can only see themselves and will not encounter others.

The third-floor main hall of the God Descending Tower, unlike the magnificent gold and jade of the first floor, exudes a more solemn and dignified atmosphere.

The floor tiles in the main hall seem to be made of the same material as the floor tiles in the square in front of the tower. They are as black as inkstone, and when you step on them, you can feel a strong smell of blood.

Yi Yun walked around several pillars and saw a painting in the very center of the hall.

This painting hangs on a bluestone wall. After so many years, the paper has begun to yellow, but the figures in the painting are still clearly discernible.

Upon seeing the painting clearly, Yi Yun was suddenly stunned. "This is..."

The painting depicts a man sitting on the ground, leaning against a large tree, with one leg outstretched and the other arched like a bridge.

His left arm was casually draped over the knee of the leg that was bent over, and his right hand was gripping a gourd of wine as he drank heavily. Beside him, his sword was stuck diagonally in the ground, its blade still stained with blood.

This painting, with its bold style and freehand lines, feels like the work of a dissolute master of traditional Chinese painting, who, after getting drunk, freely wielded his brush and splashed ink, completing it in one go.

Looking at this painting, Yi Yun couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.

The man in the blue robe in the painting was the same Green-robed Swordsman who fought against the Black Armored Warrior in the image of the array plate he had seen earlier.

The blood on the sword's edge proved that the swordsman in blue had just been through a fierce battle and had likely killed an enemy.

But then, he paid no attention to the battle he had just fought. Instead, he sat alone on the grass, leaning against a big tree, facing the wilderness, drinking heartily and indulging in righteous indignation.

What an unrestrained and unconventional life!

Yi Yun stood in front of the painting for a long time. He had chosen the Imprint Array Disk of the Green-robed Swordsman on the first floor of the God Descending Tower, and he saw the portrait of the Green-robed Swordsman on the third floor of the God Descending Tower.

Was it a coincidence, or was it because I chose the array plate left by the Green-robed Swordsman in Green-robed Swordsman that I saw his portrait?

Yi Yun couldn't understand it; the Empress Secret Realm contained all sorts of mysteries.

Leaving aside the extraordinary abilities of the Ancient Empress, her ability to imagine and plan everything within this secret realm is astonishing.

"This painting might help me comprehend swordsmanship..."

Yi Yun stroked his chin, setting aside the painting for the moment. He walked behind the bluestone wall, where he saw a row of bookshelves.

The ancient wooden bookshelf has stood here for so many years, seemingly bearing witness to the long history of the Empress Secret Realm.

Yi Yun walked up to the bookshelf and saw rows of dusty jade slips on it.

He casually picked up a piece and immersed his senses in it. Inside the jade slip were incredibly ancient characters, and the complex strokes looked extremely obscure.

"The Azure Water Scripture!"

The first jade slip, Yi Yun saw these three words right at the beginning.

Is it a cultivation manual?

Yi Yun's eyes lit up. "Azure Water Scripture"—that must be the name of a water-based cultivation technique. Could it be that the jade slips on this bookshelf are all cultivation Secret Manual?

Yi Yun picked up a few more jade slips.

The Carefree Sword Scripture!

<The Spirit Concealment Illusionary Book>!

<Star Gathering Compendium>!

Each jade slip contains the name of a martial arts technique, including various Secret Manual on Movement Technique, moves, and more.

Did the Ancient Empress leave all her cultivation techniques on the third floor of the God Descending Tower?

The thought flashed through Yi Yun's mind. Just then, the cold voice of the Empress Secret Realm rang out. "You have two hours to choose any two sets of Secret Manual from here! After that, the stone wall will be sealed!"

Two hours!

Yi Yun's heart skipped a beat; this was far too short.

Choosing an array plate is one thing; half an hour is barely enough. Basically, just by looking at the images in the array plate, you can determine whether you can withstand the pressure of the images and whether the things in the images are suitable for your cultivation.

However... choosing the Secret Manual is not a simple matter.

You need to read at least half of Secret Manual to determine if it suits you. As for whether you can learn it, you'll have to see how difficult the second half of the Secret Manual is.

These Secret Manual are all obscure and difficult to understand; it's not easy to comprehend even one of them.

" In the Empress Secret Realm, even choosing a single Secret Manual is a challenge and a test. How can one possibly read through so many Secret Manual in just two hours?"

Yi Yun frowned slightly. The rules were set by the Ancient Empress, and he could only abide by them.

With only two hours to spare, he quickly picked up the jade slip and began browsing its contents.

If Secret Manual contains obvious laws or principles, such as the Five Elements Law or the Law of Creation, then Yi Yun would discard it immediately.

He cultivates the Pure Yang Law; if the law is wrong, there's nothing to see.

If the weapon is wrong, I won't look!

I won't look at techniques that aren't profound enough!

I won't read anything that's too short!

With so many cultivation techniques available, Yi Yun had to resort to crude methods to speed up the selection process. Some techniques might be less complex but still profound, but Yi Yun couldn't care less about that now.

He has already spent an hour, but still hasn't found a truly suitable cultivation technique.

With most of the unselected cultivation techniques still remaining, Yi Yun had no choice but to speed up his pace once again.

This kind of test is really exhausting.

It tests the test taker's eyesight, analytical skills, judgment, and comprehension!

Whether a trainee can quickly understand a Secret Manual is itself a reflection of their cultivation ability.

Yi Yun read faster and faster, and obscure words flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. He selected the ones that best suited him from among them.

Every Secret Manual he read, regardless of whether it suited him or not, Yi Yun wanted to choose it or not, he could remember its Secret Manual and general contents.

This makes subsequent choices easier, which will be a big test of Yi Yun's memory.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and only a little over half an hour remained until the time was up.

A slight sheen of sweat appeared on Yi Yun's forehead; the Empress Secret Realm's collection was truly vast, encompassing virtually everything.

When Yi Yun arrived in the Tianyuan Realm, he also came into contact with some of the Tianyuan Realm techniques Secret Manual there. He sensed that many of the Secret Manual currently used by the major powers in the Tianyuan Realm might be related to these ancient Secret Manual even developed from them.

Some cultivation techniques Secret Manual, even the versions currently popular in the Tianyuan Realm, are not as good as those here.

This may be because the Secret Manual themselves have become incomplete or missing during their long history of transmission.

Realizing this, Yi Yun focused even more intently.

Another quarter of an hour passed, leaving only half an hour.

Yi Yun didn't bother wiping his sweat; he still had a quarter of the Secret Manual left to read. He had a good grasp of his speed, and he should be able to finish reading all the Secret Manual before time ran out.

Just then, as Yi Yun picked up a blood-red jade slip, his hand suddenly froze.

"Hmm? This is..."

Yi Yun was taken aback. This jade slip did not record any martial arts techniques or moves, but rather a Totem Secret Method, which was the secret method needed for a martial artist to condense Dharma Aspect Totem.

This wouldn't be surprising in itself, but the name of this technique is—<The Myriad Beast Catalog>!

...(To be continued~^~)