At the heart of the royal city Taiqing Dao Tablet.
Under the vast, inky black sky.
This ancient and majestic stone monument, towering over ten thousand feet high, seems to be crafted from primordial jade, its surface shimmering with the radiant light of the ancestral star at its birth.
Like an eternal, still epic monument, it makes one want to bow one's head and dare not do anything disrespectful here.
If any monk could overcome this fear and laboriously raise his head, he might be fortunate enough to see the densely packed inscriptions on it.
Those obscure and difficult-to-understand Daoist scriptures constantly changed form, always covered by three layers of light. Even if True Person of the Divine Connection Realm exhausted their eyesight, they would never be able to decipher a single character in them.
The energy flows and resonates with the heavens and earth!
Ordinary cultivators, simply by residing around the Dao Stele, feel as refreshed as an exhausted mortal immersing himself in hot water.
Moreover, the reason is unknown.
However, this place not only boasts a spiritual energy concentration far exceeding that of many other blessed lands, but it also greatly enhances cultivators' understanding of supernatural abilities and techniques.
In other words, it's about improving one's comprehension.
However, given that this incredibly miraculous function has stood in the royal city for countless years, it seems somewhat unsurprising.
The development of the [Taiqing Dao Tablet] in Taiqing Shenzhou is still too superficial.
Aside from the [Five Continents War] which occurs at fixed intervals, no one knows much about any changes that may occur to the Dao Stele at other times.
Therefore, even though this place is hailed as a sacred site for spiritual cultivation, it is rarely open to the outside world.
Currently, many prodigies are taking advantage of this downtime to meditate and cultivate around the Dao Stele day and night.
In the past, only those cultivators within the Central Continent Heavenly Supervision Department who had made outstanding contributions were specially permitted to cultivate here.
Ying Xuanji has also visited a few times.
Her understanding of the Taiqing Dao Tablet was actually deeper than that of most people present.
"..."
She didn't linger after arriving at this place.
They quickly found Ye Li waiting quietly not far away.
Even when she came to his side, the boy had no intention of speaking to her.
"..."
Ying Xuanji did not insist, but instead raised her gaze and fell on the slender figures meditating and cultivating under the heavy foundation of the Taiqing Dao Tablet.
With her discerning eyes, sharpened by her Divine Connection Realm, she could easily distinguish the noteworthy figures among the group.
The thin young man, dressed in a dark purple cloak and constantly exhaling wisps of mist from his mouth and nose, was the most renowned figure in the [Golden Scale Grotto-Heaven], known for his unparalleled cultivation of mind and spirit. Four hundred years ago, he had already distinguished himself in the Western Continent, wielding his Golden Hook Dragon Painting Spear to kill countless established Heaven and Earth Venerable.
In order to obtain the spear manual he desired, he once single-handedly broke into someone's Mountain Gate, forcibly seized the manual, destroyed the inscriptions on the ancestral hall, and then left triumphantly.
On the other side, instead of meditating properly, the black-haired girl was constantly observing the geniuses around her. She seemed to be ignorant and incompetent, but in fact, she was the personal disciple of the head of a major Talisman sect in the Southern Continent.
It is said that her talent in Talisman Dao arts is unmatched. At a young age, she was exceptionally granted a Divine Connection Realm Talisman and won a Mountain Gate competition without bloodshed. She left her opponents helpless with just her Protective Talisman, without even revealing much of her offensive cultivation.
At this moment, Divine Mark flowed in a pair of clever and mischievous eyes, taking in the cultivation levels and foundations of all the surrounding prodigies, most likely preparing for the future.
There was also that burly man whose entire body was radiating ripples of true energy; his muscles and bones were so well-trained that there was nothing wrong with them. He was said to be the youngest Law Enforcement Elder of the Northern Continent's Tianwu Hall.
After a brief investigation, Ying Xuanji discovered that, apart from the relatively small number of geniuses from the Central Continent, she saw nearly half of the well-known forces from the other continents.
That's the downside of arriving late.
Not only will they become the object of scrutiny by everyone present, but under such a grand occasion, if they perform poorly, they risk damaging the reputation of the Eastern Continent Heavenly Supervision Department as well.
Fortunately, although these two personal disciples of the Eastern Continent Director of the Celestial Observatory are not among the top talents in the Five Continents, they are still quite good.
At least I won't be subjected to excessive ridicule...
Ying Xuanji nodded slightly, then looked away, her gaze lingering for a fleeting moment on the profile of the young man beside her, but she saw no trace of unease or helplessness.
It seems they had made the necessary mental preparations before coming here.
Buzz--
At that moment, the teleportation array in the distance lit up again.
The elder in charge of recording the results also arrived; he was a stern-faced old man in gray.
He strode up to Qin Han and the other man who were pacing back and forth at the base of the pedestal, and said with a serious expression:
"I'm in charge of this test. Who wants to go first?"
Qin Han and Fu Yunshu exchanged a glance, then Fu Yunshu let out a sigh of relief and stepped forward.
"I'll go first."
In just that short time, she understood one thing—
Among the geniuses cultivating here, she was not even ranked.
But at least she's the senior student.
If anyone's going to lose face, it'll be her first.
"Come with me."
The gray-robed elder had no idea what she was thinking and immediately led her up to the majestic base.
Buzz!
Accompanied by a rumbling sound in the void, the huge blue stone tablet emitted a faint light.
"Discard distracting thoughts and reach out to touch the stele."
The old man's unusually serious voice rang in my ears.
Fu Yunshu didn't hesitate any longer, and her slightly trembling hand slowly touched the Dao stele.
In an instant, the Qi Sea within her body seemed to resonate in unison, suddenly surging and roaring!
Not only that, her spirit also began to tremble slightly at this moment!
Boom--
The Taiqing Dao Tablet, which was over ten thousand feet tall, suddenly shone with light, and a thousand Stars lit up on it at the same time. Then they quickly dimmed, leaving only a few hundred stars still shining, their faint brilliance illuminating the sky.
"..."
Such a commotion naturally alerted many of the talented individuals from the Five Continents who were diligently cultivating beneath the foundation.
They looked up at the Dao stele above, and when they saw the hundred or so stars reflected in the sky, they were incredibly Stars.
Some looked slightly surprised, while others wore a smug smile.
It had been practicing Daoism for 876 years, and while it emitted a light, it was not very bright and did not attract any unusual phenomena.
He has good talent.
But in this place, that's all.