After entering the imperial palace, Shi Zhao sensed an air of antiquity and the weight of countless years.
A peerless powerhouse had once kindled divine fire, founded an ancient kingdom, and ruled over billions of miles of land. After endless ages, these grand, imposing monuments still bore witness to all that had happened then.
The imperial palace was beautiful, with picturesque scenery everywhere, but Shi Zhao had no mind to admire it. All she wanted was to enter the Scripture Temple as soon as possible.
She followed an Old Guard Captain through the palace. Magic Formations had been laid in certain areas, making them equivalent to small worlds, vast beyond imagination.
At last, they stepped onto a stretch of barren, sparsely vegetated land. Only after walking a considerable distance farther did they reach their destination.
An ancient temple shimmered in the morning glow, sacred and serene.
This was the imperial clan's most important sanctuary-the Scripture Temple!
"Ahem. From ancient times to this day, the Scripture Temple has stood unshaken. All the imperial family's secret scriptures are stored here. It holds the very foundation of our kingdom's great Dao," the old guard captain said.
He was very old, with an aged face and gray robes, and spoke with great composure.
Shi Zhao was finally moved. This was the place she yearned for most at present.
The surroundings were silent and spacious. Before the ancient temple stood only an old pine, vigorous and gnarled, its cracked bark making it resemble an ancient dragon resting there.
Not a single soldier guarded this place, for none was needed. It already lay deep within the imperial palace, and an imperial venerable was surely stationed here. Its defenses were as impregnable as walls of metal and a moat of boiling water.
"Hmm?"
Shi Zhao was astonished. As she climbed the Scripture Temple's steps, she actually sensed an indescribable resonance of the Dao, leaving her momentarily dazed.
The guard captain was surprised. A golden gleam flashed through his eyes, which were as piercing as those of a Golden-Winged Roc.
Over the long ages, who knew how many Human Emperors had studied the scriptures here? Naturally, they had left behind an indelible aura of the great Dao.
With the passage of time, even the Scripture Temple seemed to have awakened a spirit of its own.
Occasionally, someone had entered the Enlightenment State here without reading scriptures or consulting ancient texts, prompted solely by this ancient temple. But such people could be counted on one hand.
This was Shi Zhao's first visit. Before she had even looked at a Bone Scripture, she had touched the traces of the "Dao," resonated with them, and fallen into enlightenment. Naturally, this was astonishing.
In a single instant, heavenly blossoms cascaded before the temple doors. Brilliant petals rained down, engulfing Shi Zhao as streams of rainbow light bloomed and coiled around her.
Her own body emitted a lustrous radiance, accompanied by the sounds of the Dao. Like the booming of great bells, they sent ripples through the void.
This was the manifestation of a primordial spirit drawing close to the Dao, resonating with heaven and earth and existing alongside the great Dao.
At the center of her brow in particular, wisps of purple-gold mist seeped out, then sank back between her eyebrows. Their divine brilliance gathered there into a small purple-gold lake.
Her primordial spirit was too powerful, far surpassing her physical body. Unable to advance further, it could only transform into spiritual power and condense into tangible form.
Shi Zhao felt her spiritual perception continually transforming as well. Wherever her divine sense reached, she could perceive everything nearby without eyes or ears, with extraordinary clarity.
There was also another change that delighted her. Because her primordial spirit was so powerful, it actually nourished her physical body through some unfathomable means, moistening every inch of her flesh and strengthening her constitution.
Though the improvement was slight, its significance was extraordinary. It foretold smoother cultivation in her future, for both her body and mind were clear and ethereal, merging with the Dao.
Before long, Shi Zhao awakened, her heart clear and tranquil.
Although her cultivation realm was too low and her accumulated foundation too shallow for her to gain a cultivation increase or any concrete insights, the unease and impatience she had felt earlier were swept away.
At this moment, her primordial spirit was more condensed, and her physical body had become more spiritually attuned. Not only had it been nourished, with spirit and flesh brought into harmony, but it had also drawn closer to the Dao. This would greatly benefit her future.
In a sense, this was more important than a breakthrough in cultivation, for it accumulated potential and expanded the limitless divine treasures within her. Sooner or later, she would soar into the heavens in a single flight!
"Remarkable. The younger generation truly commands respect!" the guard captain sighed.
He knew this little girl's origins. She came from the Martial King Manor and had received the Human Emperor's special permission to enter the Scripture Temple. Without needing to guess, he knew her talent must be outstanding, but he had never expected it to be so astonishing.
With talent like this, she surely could not be inferior to that so-called Double Pupils One.
Her large eyes bright and clear, Shi Zhao stepped lightly into the Scripture Temple.
A vast, sacred aura washed over her, accompanied by imperial majesty that made the place feel solemn and imposing.
White jade tables stood in neat rows, bearing numerous Bone Scriptures and ancient texts. Looking up, she saw carvings on the surrounding walls, each depicting a lifelike Ancient Species.
"That is the Golden-Winged Roc Soaring to the Heavens Diagram. It bears the true essence of the Golden Roc clan. Although it was only left by an Ancient Species, it is still a fine Dao diagram," the Old Guard Captain said, pointing at a wall.
Shi Zhao's gaze flickered. If she remembered correctly, this old guard captain was actually a Golden-Winged Roc living in seclusion within the Stone Kingdom's imperial palace.
She studied the carving intently. Unique Runes were inscribed on the Big Peng diagram, representing the Golden Roc clan's precious technique legacy.
The marks constantly changed, revolving ceaselessly like stars in the heavens, intricate and mysterious.
Normally, even with her extraordinary talent and astonishing primordial spirit power, she would have needed to study it for at least half a day on her first viewing to memorize all its transformations.
But just as Shi Zhao gazed at the Golden-Winged Roc diagram, the scrap of tattered cloth deep within her sea of consciousness, which had remained inactive all this time, suddenly showed a faint reaction.
Her primordial spirit sat cross-legged on the side marked with seven stars. On the previously blank reverse side, the outline of a Golden-Winged Roc gradually appeared, its wings spread for flight, poised to soar into the skies and contend with heaven.
The Golden-Winged Roc soared upward, then transformed into a rune imprinted on the tattered cloth.
"This..." Shi Zhao had not expected the tattered cloth to stir at this moment.
Beyond her astonishment, what concerned her more was what benefit this might bring her.
But now was not the time to investigate. A genuine Golden-Winged Roc stood beside her. It would be troublesome if she caused some extraordinary disturbance.
Shi Zhao forcibly steadied her mind. Without betraying anything, she turned to look elsewhere.
She had to admit that, after the upheaval at the Martial King Manor, she had become far more composed.
"That is the Suanni Playing with the Heavens Diagram. Bearing lightning ten thousand feet long, it charges into the highest skies and strikes at the heavens," the old guard captain continued, noticing nothing unusual.
"While I was at the manor, I heard that our Stone Kingdom possesses two great kingdom-guarding divine abilities, both precious techniques of primordial heavenly-tier fierce beasts. One of them is the Suanni Method," Shi Zhao said.
"That is correct. However, the Suanni Playing with the Heavens Diagram records only an Ancient Species' precious technique. The true pure-blooded divine ability is held by the Human Emperor," the Old Guard Captain explained, thinking she did not understand.
"What a pity." Shi Zhao felt somewhat regretful.
The old guard captain smiled
and said, "The Martial King values you highly, so the Human Emperor granted special permission for you to come here and study the Bian Precious Technique. It too is a kingdom-guarding divine ability. As for the Suanni Method, if you perform exceptionally in the future, learning it may not be impossible."
Shi Zhao looked interested and automatically disregarded the enticing promise tacked onto the end.
In fact, she also knew that, long ages ago, the Stone Kingdom had possessed a third method, passed down by its ancient sacrificial spirit. Unfortunately, it had been completely lost during a time of turmoil.
And while the Bian Method appeared complete, it was actually missing a portion, with some runes absent.
The two continued onward. There were many Bone Scriptures recording various cultivation methods, along with pieces of jade bone, silver secret scriptures, and other texts.
Shi Zhao browsed as she walked, feeling increasingly that this was a wonderful place.
Finally, she stopped before a Peacock Diagram. Its Five-Colored Divine Light split the heavens, profound and wondrous.
This was also the precious technique she currently understood most deeply in her cultivation, taught to her personally, through demonstration and explanation, by a clan elder at the Martial King Manor. It was mostly practiced by women of the Shi Clan.
Perhaps that was precisely why it had not stirred the tattered cloth back then.
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