Ten Thousand Thunders Body Tempering

Hearing the heavy doors slam shut behind him, Xiao Yun did not give it much thought. He glanced at the four still-flustered people beside him and strode into the passageway.

The passageway was not long. After roughly three minutes of walking, Xiao Yun saw a pale yellow glow ahead.

After leaving the passageway, Xiao Yun found himself in an exceptionally spacious chamber. Nearly twenty energy barriers lined the walls, and the pale yellow light came from them.

The other four soon arrived as well. "Is this the energy layer the Vice Dean mentioned? Those treasures are floating in midair. Are we supposed to jump up and reach into them?" Fang Wen, the first among them to arrive, asked.

"Wait and see." Seeing their puzzled expressions, Xiao Yun, who knew what was going on, spoke up. There was no need to explain; they would soon learn how to obtain them.

Just as Xiao Yun finished speaking, a faint sound of rushing wind suddenly echoed through the room. Though the sound was extremely subtle, to the Da Dou Shi within the chamber, it was like muffled thunder in the sky.

"Something's coming." Fang Wen shifted his stance toward the source of the sound. A violet-red streak of light shot out from one of the energy barriers, and Fang Wen, who stood closest, snatched it from the air.

The violet-red glow slowly faded, revealing a scroll wrapped in an energy layer in Fang Wen's hand.

"Xuan Tier intermediate cultivation method, Thunderfire Formula."

Holding the scroll, Fang Wen gently reached his hand inside and discovered that it passed through the energy layer without any obstruction, allowing him to take out the scroll directly.

Seeing what Fang Wen had done, the other three immediately understood. At that moment, clusters of energy in various colors began pouring out of the energy barriers, filling the room and darting about with mournful whistling sounds.

The three followed Fang Wen's example, repeatedly leaping into the air to intercept the energy clusters one by one.

Unlike the others, Xiao Yun did not blindly grab at the energy clusters. Instead, he extended his Soul Perception to its limit, searching for the light spheres with the strongest energy.

"Earth Tier low-grade battle skill, Thunderclap Hand."

"Xuan Tier high-grade cultivation method, Flame-Burning Refinement."

"Sixth Tier high-grade medicinal ingredient, Heavenly Jade Fruit."

Time passed bit by bit. Xiao Yun made several attempts but failed to obtain what he wanted. Of the items he had found, aside from the Earth Tier low-grade battle skill that did not suit his attributes, the Heavenly Jade Fruit was the most valuable. Yet neither was something Xiao Yun, who was currently only a Third-Tier Alchemist, needed.

As time dwindled, the others had all obtained items they liked, while Xiao Yun's hands remained empty. "There isn't enough time," he muttered, his Soul Power growing ever tenser.

At a certain moment, as his Soul Power tightened to its limit, his heart suddenly trembled. The Soul Perception spread throughout the room caught an extremely faint fluctuation and sent it back to his mind. His tightly shut eyes snapped open. Xiao Yun shot into the air like a cannonball leaving its barrel, stretching his right hand upward and firmly grasping a silver energy cluster in his palm.

Xiao Yun landed steadily on the ground. His left hand reached in lightly, passing through the energy layer without obstruction. Four large characters were inscribed upon the scroll before his eyes.

"Ten Thousand Thunders Body Tempering!"

His pupils contracted as Xiao Yun stared at the scroll in his hand in shock. "Could this be a body-tempering method of the Thunder Clan? Dean Mang Tian Chi truly is generous, placing even a technique like this in the Library Pavilion."

As Xiao Yun took out the scroll, the various energy clusters flying through the air gradually slowed. Then, the energy barriers erupted with powerful suction, drawing every energy cluster back inside.

Seeing this, the five of them understood that half an hour had passed. Fortunately, each had obtained something they wanted. They exchanged glances and headed back toward the passageway they had come through. As the five departed, the vortex-like energy barriers surrounding the vast chamber also began to shrink slowly.

A moment later, the energy barriers turned into tiny points and vanished completely with faint cracking sounds. The huge chamber became empty and desolate. No one would have imagined that countless treasures and cultivation methods capable of causing a sensation in the outside world had once appeared here.

"Creak."

When Xiao Yun and the others reached the end of the passageway, the tightly closed doors slowly opened. Warm sunlight from outside shone through the gap, leaving a long streak of light in the pitch-black passage.

As the doors opened, Xiao Yun and the others filed out. Looking at the beautiful scenery beyond the building, they could not help but let out relieved breaths, feeling as though they had seen daylight again.

Seeing the five emerge, one of the gray-robed elders seated cross-legged at the entrance stirred. A vast wave of energy swept over Xiao Yun and the others, making them feel as though every part of them had been laid bare.

"Very well. You followed the rules. Your time is up, and you may leave now. One more thing: no information regarding the Library Pavilion may be revealed to the outside world, including the items you obtained from within." A hoarse voice rang out, echoing by everyone's ears.

Xiao Yun and the others hurriedly bowed and agreed, promising not to reveal even the slightest detail about the Library Pavilion.

"You're out. None of you came back empty-handed, did you?" Outside the pavilion, Hu Gan, who had been waiting in the same spot, smiled as he saw them emerge.

"No..."

"That's good. Whether what you obtained was what you truly wanted or not, it is still better than returning empty-handed."

Hu Gan smiled at them, then turned and gave a slight bow to the two gray-robed elders standing at the entrance like stone statues. "Since these little ones have obtained their items, I shall not disturb the two of you in your cultivation."

The two elders did not react, remaining as indifferent as before.

Hu Gan did not mind. He took the lead and guided everyone back through the passageway they had come from.

In the spacious, brightly lit study, Hu Gan waited until the hidden door in the wall behind the desk slowly closed before turning to the five standing in the room. Smiling, he said, "All right, you have received your rewards. Go back and get some proper rest. Remember to come here tomorrow. I will take you to the Inner Academy then."

Hearing Hu Gan's words, everyone hurriedly nodded and committed them to memory. Just as they were preparing to leave, another voice came from behind them.

"One more thing. As newcomers, if you want to avoid being bullied by the older students after entering the Inner Academy, then aside from having strong fists yourselves, you must set aside your grudges and support one another. Otherwise, once you enter the Inner Academy, the consequences will not be pleasant."

"Do not think that being among the top five means your fists are stronger than theirs. The students in the Inner Academy were once outstanding students of the Outer Academy as well. With the Inner Academy's exclusive cultivation resources, at your current level of cultivation, you can only be considered below average."