Nine Sages Become One Book-Fail, and Be Destroyed!

As soon as the bamboo slip moved, the aura it emitted immediately became violent, howling like a gale as it rushed towards Qiu Yan.

In an instant, the wind and clouds surged around Qiu Yan, and his soul was enveloped by an artistic conception that was both inherited and distinct!

"Not good!"

With a thought, Qiu Yan's Heart Fire surged, and he released his Primordial Divine Sense, which hovered around him, attempting to block it for a moment. However, after those intents surged over, they directly seeped into his Primordial Divine Sense!

In the blink of an eye, the Primordial Divine Sense was corrupted, tainted with various spiritual energies, and showed a faint tendency to split into eight!

At this moment, Qiu Yan no longer had time to sense the changes in his Divine Sense. After being infiltrated by his Divine Sense, the eight volumes of spirit had already collided with his soul and then merged into it.

Qiu Yan wanted to resist, but he couldn't get his way.

Subsequently, the eight spirits spun and flowed within the soul, releasing waves of artistic conception!

Qiu Yan's soul suddenly swelled up, like an inflated balloon!

"These Sage Spirit have actually squeezed into my soul! But their meaning is profound and interconnected, and my will alone is simply insufficient to stop them!"

At this moment, Qiu Yan was deeply shaken, but his will was no match for the Sage Spirit! All he could do was calm his mind, lock his thoughts, forcefully suppress and hold fast to himself, and push back the swelling soul!

Soon, the Masters Section Bookshelf appeared from his soul, and the scroll of "Exhortation to Learning" flew out, merging with the eight spiritual forces to manifest nine bamboo scrolls deep within his consciousness—

"Exhortation to Learning," "Honor and Disgrace," "Rectification of Rectifying Names," "The Kingship and Hegemony of the Enriching the State," "Human Nature Is Evil," "On Music," "Enriching the Nation," "Against the Refuting the Twelve Masters," and "On Heaven!"

These nine Sage Spirit transformed into nine bamboo scrolls, releasing an aura of shared lineage. Qiu Yan had already grasped some of them, while he only had a superficial understanding of others.

"Even the 'Exhortation to Learning' has been influenced. This text is the earliest Sage Spirit that I received, and I have long since refined it into an integral part of my being. Since this spirit has reacted to the other eight paths, it at least proves that those eight spirits are not impersonations!"

The aura of the bamboo slips quickly spread throughout the entire soul, causing the Heart Fire the soul to surge and rapidly grow stronger!

"The Heart Fire has spontaneously grown stronger! The progress is astonishing!"

Sensing this, Qiu Yan was surprised. The sign of the Third Realm of Nature Cultivation is the Three Souls Unity and the manifestation of the Heart Fire. Although this is the sign of the first stage, it is consistent throughout. The Three Souls Unity Divine Soul is the carrier of Nature Cultivation, while the Heart Fire is the foundation of Divine Ability.

Strictly speaking, Qiu Yan hadn't been able to condense his Heart Fire for very long, and his understanding of it wasn't very deep. However, he had already researched methods for strengthening his Heart Fire. He knew that he could nourish his Heart Fire by burning away distracting thoughts. Similarly, he could guide his Heart Fire to grow stronger by accumulating perception and understanding.

Now, the fluctuations radiating from the nine streams of Sage Sun Spirit are a kind of enlightenment. The Heart Fire captures the aftershocks and nourishes itself, growing five times stronger in a short period of time! And it is still improving.

However, the change in the Heart Fire is merely incidental. The real key lies in the Nine Paths of Spirit itself.

Influenced by the Sage Spirit, Qiu Yan's soul was stiff and unable to move. He could only passively observe the changes within his soul. In this way, he was able to eliminate all distracting thoughts and capture the slightest changes with his mind!

The structure within that soul became increasingly clear in my mind.

Almost simultaneously with the surge of Heart Fire, the nine spiritual entities intertwined and coalesced, each releasing its own light, transforming into a ball that vaguely formed the shape of a thick book!

The light radiated throughout his body, causing wondrous changes in his soul. The speed at which his Heart Fire grew increased once again, and even his Primordial Divine Sense began to transform!

Sudden!

As the light faded, a thick book appeared in Qiu Yan's consciousness, exuding an ancient, solemn, and dignified aura, mixed with various artistic conceptions. Nine spirits resided within it, constantly changing and influencing each other.

The pressure originating from the Sage Spirit suddenly disappeared, and Qiu Yan's soul felt much lighter.

"This is..."

As Qiu Yan sensed the book, he noticed that the Primordial Divine Sense was also wrapped around it, like a sponge absorbing the waves emanating from the book.

Then, the entire Divine Sense gradually transformed, becoming more and more condensed, releasing a strange artistic conception.

A sudden realization dawned on Qiu Yan. With a thought, his Divine Sense completely merged into the book, becoming one with the Sage Spirit within. Then, with another thought, the book suddenly expanded, transforming into the figure of an elderly man in a tall hat and wide robe.

This is how he used the Visualization Method to spontaneously generate the Sage Spirit contained within the book.

As soon as the old man appeared, Qiu Yan's Heart Fire began to flicker, and the rate of consumption far exceeded that when he was contemplating the Blood-Colored Sage. However, after this baptism, his Heart Fire had grown more than seven or eight times stronger, so he was still able to sustain it.

"In terms of energy expenditure alone, when the Heart Fire is at its peak, it can sustain one for the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea."

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea is roughly equivalent to ten minutes in Qiu Yan's previous life, and half a cup of tea is about five minutes. It seems very short, but through the mental connection, Qiu Yan can feel the terrifying power contained in this Sage's image. Even though the time is short, it has the ability to change the course of the battle!

"However, the arrival of those eight Sage Spirit was too bizarre and sudden. Even if the Three Passes were perilous, one shouldn't have obtained such power so easily. If that were truly the case, I'm afraid everyone would flock to it..."

As he pondered, Qiu Yan dispersed the old man's figure, revealing the book again. He put it back on the bookshelf, and it was faintly connected to the Manifest Law Spirit. However, he was not surprised. As he put the bookshelf away, the flickering Heart Fire immediately calmed down, and then nine Divine Sense flew out from it.

Compared to the Primordial Divine Sense, these nine Divine Sense are more condensed. The Primordial Divine Sense gives people a light feeling, as if a strong wind could blow it away, while these nine Divine Sense have a more profound and resilient feeling, each exuding an aura of artistic conception, as if they are nurturing different powers.

"I thought I would have to wait until later to calm down and comprehend it before I could perfect my Divine Sense, but I didn't expect that so little time had passed before I condensed nine of them in one go!"

Feeling the power contained within the nine Divine Sense, Qiu Yan couldn't help but sigh. His gains from this Soul Entry into the Scholar Forest far exceeded his expectations; even the word "abundant" was insufficient to describe them.

"When the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription was arguing with the longsword, it was mentioned that the number of Divine Sense is related to combat power. Generally speaking, each Divine Sense can evolve into a Divine Ability, and the more Divine Sense senses there are, the more versatile one can be, and the more one can control and drive multiple external objects at the same time! This gives one an innate advantage in fighting with more people than Innate Realm."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan tried to control it, and the Divine Sense moved as he wished before he withdrew it.

The nine Divine Sense, though seemingly independent, were actually connected to the consciousness. With this gathering, they immediately curled up and merged, falling into the Heart Fire. The next moment, Qiu Yan felt a surge of profound insights within him. As long as he could calmly process them, he would soon gain something from them.

"These are insights gained from the fusion of the Sage Spirit within one's Divine Sense. Although not comprehensive, they are easy to understand and comprehend, making them a good method for learning. Strengthening one's divine Divine Sense of Sage Spirit, and then comprehending them through that Divine Sense, will undoubtedly yield twice the results with half the effort."

Reflecting on its wonders, Qiu Yan couldn't help but think of the other Sage Spirit on the bookshelf, considering using these spirits to condense a few more Divine Sense.

Aside from the <Lying God Inner Art>, Qiu Yan had not practiced any other sects' Cultivation Method. At most, he had used the Upper Spirit Sect Method Formula. He had reached his current level through self-exploration. Originally, he wanted to perfect his Divine Sense, but he still needed some time to refine it. Unexpectedly, these nine Divine Sense pointed him to a path.

As Qiu Yan was thinking, he suddenly felt a tremor around him, and a sense of solid ground beneath his feet. Looking ahead, he saw a vast expanse of white smoke. With a thought, he took a few steps forward and soon felt as if he had passed through a barrier. Then, his vision cleared up, the white smoke disappeared, and in its place appeared an Ancient Ruins City.

This ancient city covers a vast area, with stone buildings everywhere, but most of them are dilapidated, some are even half-destroyed, and many ruins are covered with withered grass and vines.

Looking out at the ancient city, Qiu Yan felt a sense of antiquity and decay.

Separated from the ancient site is a deep, dark canyon with a stone bridge spanning it. The bridge looks dilapidated and ancient, giving the impression that it is about to collapse.

Waaaaah...

The sound of wind howling came from the canyon beneath the bridge.

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Yan turned around and looked back. What he saw was a vast expanse of white mist, stretching from the sky to the ground. Neither the eyes nor the senses could detect any trace of it.

"Another illusion?" Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, looked down at his hands, and with a thought, his hands immediately changed before reforming.

"The soul's Divine Ability were not imprisoned, I don't know..."

Qiu Yan was still thinking when he suddenly sensed something. He stopped thinking, collected his thoughts, made a hand seal to conceal his form, and then released his senses.

Ta-da-ta-da...

Footsteps could be heard coming from the clouds and mist.

Qiu Yan held his breath, because the clouds and mist obscured his vision, and he could only wait for the person to come out.

Soon, a blurry figure appeared, then became clearer. The person's face was obscured by the mist and was difficult to recognize. Qiu Yan only recognized the person when the figure emerged from the mist.

The person was dressed in a loose robe, with long hair flowing down his shoulders, and a face as handsome as jade. Who else could it be but Bai Zhaoyuan?

Immediately afterwards, Bai Zhaoyuan spotted Qiu Yan and turned his gaze over.

The method of concealment proved completely ineffective.

"You're Qiu Yan? I've heard Bei Xuan mention your name. I didn't expect you to pass the second trial before me. You're impressive."

He glanced at Qiu Yan a few times, said a few words, but his face showed no emotion whatsoever; he simply cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Qiu Yan simply withdrew his Method Formula, returned the greeting, and asked, "Does Your Excellency have any knowledge of this place?"

Bai Zhaoyuan nodded, his gaze passing over Qiu Yan and landing on the Ancient Ruins City across the canyon. "This is the Three Passes and most dangerous level. The first two levels vary from person to person, but even if you fail, you may not die. Only this Three Passes —if you don't pass, you perish! There is no third way."

"The most dangerous hurdle, failure means destruction?" Hearing this, Qiu Yan felt a chill. Although Bai Zhaoyuan spoke in a calm tone, almost without any inflection, giving people a cold and indifferent feeling, Qiu Yan still sensed the danger in his voice.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a sudden change occurred!

"Roar!!!"

A deafening roar came from the ancient ruins, accompanied by a powerful tremor!

Whoosh!

The stone bridge in the canyon began to sway, and two or three pieces of rock crumbled off.

ps:

Thank you to "Jia Ada" and "Can I Not Fill In?" for your monthly votes!