第11章 五柱全亮

The half-page of the technique fell to the bottom of the storage bag, and Li Sanshun did not notice it for the time being.

Five types of spirit qi surged from the Spirit-Drawing Pillars.

When ordinary five-element spirit roots encountered this situation, the five qi channels would fight each other. The more spirit qi there was, the more intense the conflict. It was precisely because Zhao Yuanqing had counted on this that he dared to bet his three-month qualification for the Grade A Spirit-Gathering Room.

Five Elements Synchronization could not change the grade of one's spirit roots.

Five low-grade spirit roots could not possibly have a total absorption speed that surpassed a single high-grade fire spirit root.

Zhao Yuanqing stood on the sidelines, staring at the base of the Spirit-Drawing Pillars. He only needed to wait for the first round of spirit qi conflict, and he would be able to reclaim the face he had lost at the testing grounds.

Li Sanshun began to circulate the Primordial Origin Art.

Wood qi entered the first qi channel, followed by fire qi. Earth, gold, and water qi followed in sequence, forming a complete cycle outside the dantian. After one round of transformation, the differences in the original attributes of the five types of spirit qi rapidly diminished.

Each of the five Spirit-Drawing Pillars rose with half a foot of light.

The speed was very slow.

Zhao Yuanqing opened his folding fan.

"At this rate, he might not even reach three feet by the time the incense burns out. Five Elements Synchronization sounds impressive, but in the end, it all comes down to cultivation speed."

Instructor Xu did not respond.

He had taught three batches of new disciples and had seen spirit qi conflicts as well as blocked qi channels. Yet, the fluctuations emanating from Li Sanshun's body were extremely stable; the five Spirit-Drawing Pillars remained at the same height, without even half an inch of deviation.

As the first round of the five-element cycle ended, Li Sanshun inhaled a mouthful of the array qi gathered around him.

[You have ingested a mouthful of Five Elements Spirit-Gathering Array Qi.]
[Air quality: Excellent.]
[Life energy increased by 2 points.]
[Immortal technique power increased by 0.2 points.]
[Realm progress increased by 0.02 points.]
[First time ingesting complete Five Elements Spirit-Gathering Array Qi, five qi channels nourished.]

The system notification ended, and the operation of the five qi channels accelerated by ten percent.

The Spirit-Drawing Pillars rose to one foot.

After the second round of the cycle began, the water qi no longer lingered in the qi channels, and the gold qi was also successfully integrated. The five elements propelled each other, and the absorption speed increased accordingly.

One foot five inches.

Two feet.

The discussions on the sidelines quieted down significantly.

Zhao Yuanqing closed his folding fan and secretly calculated the time. Only one-third of the incense had burned, yet Li Sanshun had already risen from half a foot to two feet. At this rate of growth, he indeed had a chance to cross three feet, but he was still far from his own seven feet three inches.

Li Sanshun continued to breathe in the array qi.

The gains from the same source of qi gradually decreased, but the nourishment of the qi channels did not stop. Every time the Primordial Origin Art completed a cycle, the five-element circulation became a little smoother.

When the Spirit-Drawing Pillars rose to three feet, the light suddenly stopped.

Zhao Yuanqing's heart, which had been hanging in his chest, finally settled.

There was an upper limit to five low-grade elements after all. While it looked lively to have all five Spirit-Drawing Pillars active at once, there was only so much spirit qi that could actually be absorbed.

Instructor Xu walked to the edge of the array and discovered gaps in the array patterns beneath the five Spirit-Drawing Pillars.

The Spirit-Gathering Array had been built many years ago and had always been used only for testing single or dual spirit roots; it had never simultaneously drawn the complete five-element spirit qi. The wood and fire paths in the array had sufficient supply, but the earth, gold, and water paths had already bottomed out.

"The array's spirit qi is insufficient. The test is paused."

Zhao Yuanqing spoke up immediately: "Instructor Xu, all disciples use the same array. Li Sanshun failed to surpass my score, so the bet has a result."

"Your high-grade fire spirit root only draws from one array path, while he needs all five to be open. If the array cannot provide enough spirit qi, how can it be considered finished?"

Instructor Xu took out the array disk, preparing to replenish it with spirit stones.

Zhao Yuanqing blocked the array disk.

"The Xuan Chu Academy assessment looks at how much spirit qi a disciple can absorb from the existing array. The array will not specifically accommodate a certain type of spirit root. When he competes with others for a cave dwelling in the future, can he also demand that his opponent replenish the five elements for him first?"

This remark hit the rules of the Xuan Chu Academy.

The quota for the Grade A Spirit-Gathering Room was limited, and it was meant to test a disciple's cultivation efficiency under existing conditions. Li Sanshun's Five Elements Synchronization required a complete five-element environment, which was equivalent to an extra layer of restriction.

Instructor Xu found it difficult to force a replenishment of the array.

Li Sanshun finished his cultivation and stood up to look at the five Spirit-Drawing Pillars.

"In the assessment regulations, is there any prohibition against a disciple replenishing the array qi themselves?"

"No. But during the test, you cannot take medicinal pills, nor can you use spirit-gathering artifacts."

"Are spirit stones allowed?"

Instructor Xu shook his head: "Spirit stones also count as external objects."

Li Sanshun took a half-page of old paper from his storage bag.

Just now, while he was practicing, this paper had slipped out from the lining of the Primordial Origin Art cloth scroll. There were only five blurry patterns on the paper, each corresponding to a basic immortal technique.

A flame, a water droplet, a clod of earth, a wood sprout, and a Gold Blade.

Between the five patterns, there were also lines drawn for the circulation of qi.

When the Old Rascal taught him the Primordial Origin Art, he only taught him to perform the five-element techniques separately; he never mentioned that the five techniques could be connected.

Li Sanshun looked at it once and tucked the paper into his robes.

"Does the spirit qi drawn by techniques count as an external object?"

Instructor Xu understood his intention.

"Techniques cast by yourself do not count. But casting spells also consumes immortal technique power; using your own strength to replenish the array might not be worth it."

Li Sanshun sat back down.

He raised his hand to condense a droplet of water and sent the water qi into the array. Earth-type power followed, injecting into the ground to fill the gaps in the array patterns below. A wood sprout grew from a crack in the stone, caught the earth qi, and provided traction for the fire-type array path.

The four techniques were connected successfully, and the last wisp of gold qi returned to his body along the Spirit-Drawing Pillar.

The five elements formed a ring once again.

The three paths of spirit qi missing from the array were drawn in, and the five-element aura scattered around the training ground began to converge toward the center. Most of the immortal technique power Li Sanshun had expended returned to him through the cycle.

Instructor Xu watched the changes on the array disk, his expression becoming increasingly serious.

Everyone knew basic techniques. To make five types of techniques connect end-to-end required sufficient control over each type of spirit qi. The slightest deviation would cause the five-element cycle to break.

Li Sanshun had only looked at the half-page of old paper and succeeded on his first attempt.

The Spirit-Drawing Pillars crossed three feet.

Four feet.

There was only a small stub of incense left, but the light of the five Spirit-Drawing Pillars was growing faster and faster.

Zhao Yuanqing opened his folding fan again, then closed it inadvertently.

He had practiced fire-type heart techniques for seven years and considered himself extremely proficient in drawing qi. But after Li Sanshun connected the five basic techniques into a cycle, the speed at which he gathered spirit qi had already caught up to a high-grade fire spirit root.

Six feet five inches.

Seven feet.

Before the incense ash fell, all five Spirit-Drawing Pillars stopped simultaneously at seven feet five inches.

The training ground was silent for a moment.

Instructor Xu put away the array disk and announced the result on the spot.

"Li Sanshun, seven feet five inches, first place this year. The number one spot in the Grade A Spirit-Gathering Room belongs to him. Zhao Yuanqing, according to the bet, must forfeit his three-month qualification."

Zhao Yuanqing stared at the Spirit-Drawing Pillars, not moving for a long time.

Only two inches short.

If the array had not been restored, Li Sanshun wouldn't even have passed three feet. But the rules were proposed by himself, and the bet was also initiated by him. Now, finding excuses would only make the disciples of the Grade A Academy lose face along with him.

He unhooked the Grade A Cultivation Token from his waist and placed it in Instructor Xu's hand.

"I concede. However, one spirit-drawing test cannot determine one's cultivation level. Three months from now, I will reclaim this qualification with my own hands."

Li Sanshun took the cultivation token.

"Remember to bring an extra one next time. So you don't have nothing left to bet after you lose."

Zhao Yuanqing turned and left the training ground, his steps much faster than when he arrived.

That night, Li Sanshun entered the Grade A Spirit-Gathering Room.

After the stone door closed, five-element spirit qi rose from the array eye on the ground. The array qi here was denser than in the training ground; as soon as the five qi channels completed one cycle, system notifications appeared one after another.

[Five Elements Spirit-Gathering Array Qi is being continuously ingested.]
[Life energy increased by 10 points.]
[Immortal technique power increased by 1 point.]
[Realm progress increased by 0.1 points.]

Li Sanshun sat cross-legged in the center of the array eye, slowing his breathing.

Half an hour later, the immortal technique power in his dantian had increased by ten percent. His five qi channels were also slightly wider than before he entered the room.

He took out the half-page of old paper and studied the route of the five-technique connection once more.

The paper absorbed the five-element aura in the spirit-gathering room, and a line of small characters gradually emerged on the back.

"Primordial Origin Five Turns, merely the entry level."

Below the small characters, there was also a library seal.

Tai Xuan Sect, Scripture Library, Ninth Floor.