Trial Grounds

On either side of the stone wall, towering ancient trees stretched from nearby all the way to the distant horizon. Birds sang, and rosy clouds shrouded the scene.

The stone wall rose from the ground, a thousand zhang high. Its entire surface was smooth, and beneath the sunlight, it gleamed with a tranquil yet mysterious radiance, as though it concealed exquisite murals containing a thousand unspoken words.

"Open!"

A shout that resounded through the heavens rang out.

Boom!

A violent crash echoed forth, as though the gates of heaven had opened. The entire stone wall split in two, revealing a long, narrow fissure in the middle.

Though it was called a fissure, to the disciples, it was a broad road.

They peered inside. It was dark, without a trace of light, with only waves of scorching heat drifting out.

"Please wait here for a moment, Senior Brothers," Junior Brother Chu of Fire Spirit Peak said to Lin Changsheng and the other disciples from the upper peaks.

Then he turned to the newcomers.

"Follow me!"

At once, under Senior Brother Chu's lead, everyone entered the fissure in the stone wall.

"It's so dark!" A female disciple could not help frowning as soon as she entered.

"You all surely know the origins of the Heaven Scroll. It is Shangqing Mountain's sect-defending true method. It is not lightly passed on, nor can it ever be leaked. Naturally, such a tome must be hidden well."

As Senior Brother Chu spoke, he raised his right hand high. A brilliant red flame burned in his palm, bringing light to the crowd.

At last, everyone could see the narrow path beneath their feet.

"This place is called Yellow Springs Road. All manner of deadly traps have been laid here. If not for you newcomers coming here to undergo trials, under normal circumstances, even a Great Power of the Transcendence Realm would be reduced to ashes upon arrival."

Senior Brother Chu explained further, making the disciples tread with extreme caution, afraid of touching some hidden mechanism.

The path was narrow, winding into secluded depths.

No one knew how long they walked. At times they went upward, at times downward, twisting and turning along the way.

Only when a glimmer of light appeared did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, when the newcomers arrived at a broad stretch of open ground, roaring flames filled their eyes.

Straight ahead lay a sea of dark-blue fire stretching to the horizon, magnificent and dazzling beyond compare.

The surging flames made the disciples' hearts tremble, filling them with a powerful sense of danger.

Senior Brother Chu looked at the sea of fire and said,

"This sea of fire was formed when generations of Shangqing Mountain predecessors who cultivated the Fire Element Heaven Scroll cast their inner cores into it before passing away. Some of those predecessors were of lower cultivation, perhaps only in the Transcendence Realm, while others had nearly reached True Saint!"

The newcomers' expressions changed at once. Who could possibly break through that?

"This is the second checkpoint here, and also the place where you will undergo your trial, because the Heaven Scroll is placed at the end of the sea of fire!"

"Huh?" The disciples' eyes widened as they froze in place.

They had to cross that thing?

Senior Brother Chu gave a casual smile. "Don't worry. How could your trials be so difficult? When the time comes, only the shallowest power of the flames will be opened."

"Do you see the book placed on that platform?" He pointed toward a Dao platform not far to the left, where a book lay.

"That is the matching ultimate skill for the Heaven Scroll Platform Chapter. You only need to cultivate it to the beginner stage to pass through. Of course, there is a time limit."

"What if we fail? What happens if we cannot reach the beginner stage within the allotted time?" a Violet Cauldron Genius asked doubtfully.

"Fail?" Senior Brother Chu immediately revealed a teasing expression and sneered.

"If you fail, you will not obtain the Heaven Scroll. Moreover, we will erase your memories concerning this ultimate skill!"

Everyone's expressions shifted slightly.

Having heard of the Heaven Scroll's origins, they yearned for this true method beyond measure.

Yet if they wished to cultivate it, they first had to pass the trial!

"Of course." Senior Brother Chu abruptly changed the subject. "Li Huai'an does not need to undergo the trial. When your trials begin tomorrow, it will be the time for him to receive the inheritance."

"..."

Sure enough, geniuses received different treatment.

They had only been given an opportunity, while Li Huai'an, who had condensed a Golden Cauldron, could obtain it directly.

There was nothing to be done about it. Who could blame them when his talent towered above everyone else's?

"Right now, I will give you half an hour to look through that ultimate skill and see whether it suits you. After all, among the three Heaven Scrolls, you must choose one that fits you. Of course, let me remind you of this: if you read the ultimate skill but do not choose to undergo the trial for that Heaven Scroll, your memories will still be erased."

Senior Brother Chu's words rang in everyone's ears, and Bai Jing, who had just begun moving, abruptly halted.

I've already made my choice anyway. I can't fleece this sheep, he thought, and could only watch as the disciples read through the immortal Dao ultimate skill.

"You two aren't going to take a look?" Senior Brother Chu asked as he looked at the two people before him who had not moved.

"We've already decided!" the two said in unison, then both froze.

Bai Jing and Li Huai'an exchanged glances and shrugged.

With the Talent Tree by his side, it made no difference whether he looked or not. Still, he was surprised that this Golden Cauldron Genius had made his choice so early.

Of course, they were not familiar with each other, so it was not appropriate for him to ask.

Senior Brother Chu merely nodded and said nothing more.

In the distance.

"A single spark can set the prairie ablaze." One disciple after another read the descriptions within the ultimate skill and actually began practicing it.

However, it was certainly impossible to gain much in just half an hour.

The main purpose was to sense whether they were suited to this Fire Element Heaven Scroll.

As for which Heaven Scroll held advantages in which realm, such considerations had all been tossed to the back of their minds.

They would first learn a Heaven Scroll. If they could not even pass the trial, everything else was empty talk.

Bai Jing sat cross-legged on the ground, propping up his chin with one hand. It was the first time he had seen the wealthy man looking so serious, so different from the usual carefree manner he displayed.

Perhaps because the trial was quite difficult, even this man, who was usually as calm as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze, wore a tense expression.

Time slowly passed, and half an hour vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Stop."

Senior Brother Chu's voice rang out. The disciples wore reluctant expressions, but they could only stop what they were doing.

"There are still two Heaven Scroll trials to experience. We cannot waste too much time. Follow me out."

With that, Senior Brother Chu led everyone back.

Before long, they emerged from the fissure in the stone wall.

"How was it? What are your thoughts?"

Lin Changsheng and Fang Wenze came forward to meet the disciples of Spiritual Elegance Peak and hurriedly asked.

Yet everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.

Perhaps the difficulty of that ultimate skill had made them feel pressured.

"Don't worry. There are still two Heaven Scrolls you have yet to experience. You may consider them carefully. The trials do not begin until tomorrow," Lin Changsheng comforted them.

He had gone through the same thing back then and understood their feelings well.

"Come, lift your spirits. We're heading to Water Moon Peak now."

As he spoke, Lin Changsheng used the Cloud-Riding Art, carrying everyone toward another lofty and splendid immortal mountain.

Not long afterward, Senior Brother Chu led the newcomers to the trial grounds for the Water Element Heaven Scroll.

This time, apart from Bai Jing, every newcomer read through the Heaven Scroll ultimate skill.

From this, it was clear that the Water Element Heaven Scroll was the one chosen by Golden Cauldron Genius Li Huai'an!

Time passed once more.

More than half an hour later, everyone arrived at Wind Star Valley.

The trial grounds.

This time, apart from Li Huai'an, everyone else began reading through the Wind Element Ultimate Skill.

As Bai Jing immersed himself in the ultimate skill, a crystalline bubble within his sea of consciousness gradually solidified.