Superior Aptitude, True Yang Qilin Fire

"The Sword Dao Stele can activate the Sword Dao Trial. Each time you defeat a renowned sword cultivator from history, you can obtain their insights into the Sword Dao and raise your realm in the Sword Dao."

"The Great Dao Monument has the greatest uncertainty. It tests your overall standards. As long as you can take more than seven steps, it can strengthen the weakest aspect of your foundation."

"Beyond that, there are Myriad Methods steles such as the Technique Stele, Divine Ability Stele, and Pill and Artifact Stele... You may choose freely, so long as you do not select more than three."

Zhang Song explained the various matters concerning the Myriad Methods Stone Stele Forest.

He would not interfere with Jiang Li's choices, but he would offer specific guidance.

Jiang Li fell into thought.

He had already accepted his teacher's suggestion.

There was no other reason.

The other Myriad Methods steles would not be of much use to him.

As for the Technique Stele, the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land's sect master had promised him a Sect-Protecting Technique, saving him one choice.

Thus.

By choosing the Talent Monument, Sword Dao Stele, and Great Dao Monument, he could make the fullest use of his advantages.

Very soon.

Jiang Li arrived at the Myriad Laws Hall.

The so-called Myriad Methods Stone Stele Forest was actually located within a small secret realm. Only Foundation Establishment disciples who met the requirements could enter.

Jiang Li walked in alone.

Six Foundation Establishment disciples were already waiting inside the hall.

"Strange. The Myriad Methods Stone Stele Forest opens once a year. It has only been less than two months since the last opening. Why has it opened early this time?"

"Yeah. I had already prepared to wait another year, yet the Holy Land notified me to come over yesterday."

The six of them conversed.

They were puzzled by the opening of the Myriad Methods Stone Stele Forest.

Until...

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Jiang Li strode in with steady footsteps.

"It's him, Jiang Li—the peerless prodigy who attained Enlightenment Foundation Establishment."

"Damn, so they didn't want this peerless genius to waste a year waiting."

"Fuck, so we're benefiting from his glory."

The instant they saw Jiang Li, the six Foundation Establishment disciples were shaken. The doubts in their hearts immediately cleared.

They had all heard of this peerless prodigy who had attained Foundation Establishment upon hearing the Dao and caused such a tremendous stir.

Now that they saw him in person, he truly was extraordinary.

"Brother Jiang, I have long admired your name."

The six Foundation Establishment disciples stepped forward almost simultaneously, displaying their respect for Jiang Li.

There were differences even among prodigies.

Outside, disciples like them, who had successfully reached Foundation Establishment before turning thirty, were called peerless geniuses. They were future Golden Core True Persons and Nascent Soul Venerables. Yet in the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land, before Jiang Li, their aptitude could only be considered mediocre. They were not even outstanding.

Before Jiang Li, who possessed the potential to become immortal, they could not summon even the slightest desire to compare themselves with him.

There was only admiration.

They were willing to be stools beneath the sacred first place.

When he ascended in the future, they would become immortal artifacts.

Jiang Li nodded slightly.

He was still somewhat unaccustomed to such enthusiasm.

His heart was full of emotion. I have seen many geniuses, but they all called me a genius.

"Since everyone is here, follow me."

After Jiang Li appeared, the elder guarding the Myriad Laws Hall immediately revealed himself. His solemn, razor-sharp gaze swept across the disciples one by one. When his eyes fell upon Jiang Li, his expression changed, revealing a trace of warmth as he gave a slight nod.

Then.

With a wave of the Guardian Elder's hand, tens of thousands of Spirit Stones flew from his sleeve and landed in every corner of the hall.

The next moment.

The formation enveloping the entire hall activated.

Ripples appeared at the center of the formation.

A Foundation Establishment disciple whispered, "Brother Jiang, this was specially opened for you. I heard that every opening of the Myriad Methods Stone Stele Forest costs a million Spirit Stones, and maintaining it for each additional day requires another hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Only the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land is wealthy enough to open it once every year."

A flicker of surprise appeared in Jiang Li's eyes.

A million Spirit Stones for one opening—this was far too extravagant.

Had he already become this important?

Fuck, had the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land already begun treating him like a precious treasure in their palm?

For an undercover agent to reach this point, he was truly one of a kind.

"Good. Enter."

At the Guardian Elder's command, all seven of them, Jiang Li included, slipped into the entrance of the secret realm vortex.

When Jiang Li opened his eyes again, he had already appeared within a forest of stone steles.

The surroundings stretched as far as the eye could see.

Thousands upon thousands of ancient stone steles towered into the heavens.

As though they were about to prop open heaven and earth.

They stood densely packed together, forming a forest of steel.

Jiang Li sucked in a breath of cold air.

Was this truly something human hands could accomplish?

Could the being who had transported these steles have been one of the legendary immortals?

As for the immortal insights Zhang Song had mentioned, Jiang Li felt that perhaps they had not been an exaggeration.

"Brother Jiang, shall we go together? I chose the Talent Monument, Technique Stele, and Great Dao Monument."

The six Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered of their own accord.

They formed a group with Jiang Li at its core.

Most of them had chosen the Talent Monument.

After all.

They still had some confidence in their aptitude. This was also the only stele where they could receive a guaranteed reward without any requirements.

"Let's go."

Jiang Li nodded.

He had figured it out.

As long as he was present, he would automatically become the leader of the group.

If he did not move, no one else moved either.

They were all waiting for him.

The Talent Monument was a white jade stele, smooth as a mirror across its surface, with faint spiritual patterns flowing through it. It felt icy cold to the touch.

A cultivator needed to inject their essence, qi, and spirit into the stele to activate its reward mechanism.

Recalling the method his teacher had taught him, Jiang Li first injected his liquid Glass-like Mana, then dripped in a bead of blood, and finally infused it with Spiritual Sense.

Once he had done all that.

Jiang Li sat before the white jade stele and quietly waited.

After roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, the white jade stele began to tremble. It projected a beam of white light that enveloped Jiang Li.

Highest-grade Glazed-Tier Mana. Mana contains no impurities, pure and flawless. Evaluation: Exceptional.

Three-Attribute Spiritual Roots. Innate affinity with the fire attribute. Metal and wood spiritual roots are somewhat inferior. Evaluation: Below average.

Spiritual Sense surpasses that of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Sea of Consciousness is stable and clear, free of distracting desires. Evaluation: Superior.

Overall evaluation: Superior.

Bestowed: one wisp of True Yang Qilin Fire.

Jiang Li focused as he interpreted the Talent Monument's evaluation of him.

There was nothing to say about his Mana.

After the Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art completed its Option Mission, the range of his Spiritual Sense had doubled. Yet in the Talent Monument's eyes, it could only be considered superior.

His weakest point was his Three-Attribute Spiritual Roots aptitude.

Below average.

A little worse, and it would have been low-grade.

Surely not.

Jiang Li muttered to himself.

He was, after all, the Backup Possession Body chosen by the Myriad Desire Demon Lord. He definitely had talent. It was only that the Talent Monument's standards were set too high, making his aptitude appear terrible.

He guessed that even a Heavenly Spiritual Root would only be worth a superior evaluation in the Talent Monument's eyes.

Only when combined with a special physique might it possibly reach an exceptional evaluation.

Just as he was thinking this.

A wisp of fire drifted down from the sky.

The fire seed glowed purple.

Amid its burning flames, the faint roar of a qilin could be heard.

"This is... a natural treasure?"

Jiang Li was somewhat astonished.

The quality of this natural treasure was extremely high—higher than the Fire Spirit Mushroom.

It was even slightly superior to the Yi Wood Spiritual Infant he had obtained from the Zhou Family in Qinghe County.

"If I refine it, my fire spiritual root can rise into a Heavenly Spiritual Root."

Jiang Li was secretly thrilled.

This Talent Monument was far too heaven-defying.

It could actually bestow a natural treasure of this level so casually.

After putting away the True Yang Qilin Fire, Jiang Li rose and looked toward the other Foundation Establishment disciples.

Wails filled the area.

"No way. My Azure Jade-grade Mana can only be evaluated as above average? My spiritual roots are above average, my Spiritual Sense is below average, and my overall evaluation is average."

"Dizzy... mine is below average."

"I'm barely above low-grade."

The group looked at one another.

They had never expected the aptitude test they had taken such pride in to produce such results.

Almost all of them were merely average.

No wonder the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land only gave talented Foundation Establishment disciples spots to enter the Myriad Methods Stone Stele Forest. If access were fully opened, the vast majority of Foundation Establishment disciples would probably have low-grade aptitude, and their Dao Hearts might collapse.

"Brother Jiang, what was your evaluation?"

Someone asked Jiang Li curiously.

Jiang Li answered calmly, "Superior."

Hiss!

Everyone drew in sharp breaths.

A group of average aptitudes had encountered a superior one. The gap was simply too obvious.

No wonder he could attain Foundation Establishment upon hearing the Dao.

They were convinced.

After a spell of faint sorrow.

They arrived before the second non-mandatory choice.

The Great Dao Monument.

The Great Dao Monument was an irregular polyhedral stone stele floating three feet above the ground, bobbing gently up and down. Its surface was neither metal nor jade, seemingly illusory yet real, carved with dense, strange ancient runes.

With every rise and fall, it emitted a peculiar pressure from within to without, crushing people until they could barely breathe.

The six Foundation Establishment disciples advanced with great difficulty.

After taking merely four or five steps, they already felt as though they were struggling through an impassable mire.

They found it difficult to take even one more step.

This was not mere gravity, but a multidimensional spiritual pressure.

Only those whose overall attributes met the standard could continue moving forward.

Otherwise, no matter how strongly one had tempered their body, they would not be able to walk more than a few steps.

As they struggled onward.

They noticed that Jiang Li had never stopped.

His movements were not fast, but every step was extraordinarily steady. Step by step, leaving footprints behind, he walked nearly thirty paces before extending his hand to touch the Great Dao Monument.

A beam of light descended from the heavens.

It enveloped Jiang Li.

Reached the Great Dao Monument in 10 minutes. Comprehensive assessment activated.

Liquid Glazed-Tier Mana, total of fifty drops. Quality surpasses that of a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator. Evaluation: Exceptional.

...