On the third floor of the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion, upon hearing the old man's words, Xiao Yan felt a sense of unease. He had no idea about the rules of the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion unless Ling'er had mentioned them earlier. He hadn't expected that the mysterious old man would bring them up again, leaving Xiao Yan somewhat at a loss.
Under that astonishing pressure, Xiao Yan remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with some difficulty:
"I apologize, this is my first time here, and no one has informed me of the rules."
"Hmph, fine, ignorance is no excuse. Considering this is your first offense, leave now."
Upon hearing this, the mysterious old man snorted, and the oppressive aura pressing down on Xiao Yan dissipated. However, before Xiao Yan could make any move, another aged voice rang out.
"Remember, once you enter the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion, everyone may only take one item, and it must be returned to its original place within three months. Otherwise, you will be punished according to the clan rules."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart sank, and his expression changed slightly. He had entered the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion today not just for the Fire God's Wrath, but the mysterious old man's words had completely shattered his plans.
However, despite their resentment, the rules were the only way, and they had no choice but to accept it.
Letting out a long breath, Xiao Yan helplessly pursed his lips and walked towards the stairs leading to the second floor, while the two mysterious old men fell silent once again.
"Hey, this little guy seems a bit reluctant."
Inside the top floor of the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion, two old men sat cross-legged, their bodies motionless. Although their old eyes were closed, they were fully aware of everything that was happening inside the pavilion. At this moment, seeing the unwilling expression on Xiao Yan's face, one of them couldn't help but chuckle.
"Rules are rules. The Grand Elder has already been very lenient with him; we absolutely cannot make an exception for him again."
Compared to the former, the other old man seemed much more rigid, his tone indifferent, his voice carrying a coldness that kept people at a distance. The jovial old man, however, seemed accustomed to this, merely chuckled and said again:
"Hehe, of course the rules can't be broken, but I also remember that although you can only take one item with you, that doesn't include anything you cultivated within the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion, right...?"
"Hmm? You mean...?"
The aloof old man suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, staring at the former with a look of surprise, and said in a deep voice:
"In the last hundred years, only three people have ever accomplished something like this."
"The previous one seems to be this little guy's ancestor. I remember that he not only mastered the Wind God's Fury in the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion, but also took away a scroll. Perhaps this little guy can accomplish the feat his ancestor accomplished."
Upon hearing the old man's words, the latter immediately fell silent, his gaze slightly fixed as if recalling the situation the old man had described. The man whom his clansmen called a cripple held a very deep impression on them...
As the old man finished speaking, the pavilion fell silent.
At the same time, Xiao Yan was also frowning as he stepped down the first floor.
Xiao Yan's slightly slow footsteps pounded on the thick floor. His brows were furrowed, and his expression carried a hint of bitterness. Although the outcome was already clear, he still felt somewhat unwilling. He had come to the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion for the sake of the Fire God's Wrath, but in addition, he also hoped to find a way to help Xiao Xuan break through his bottleneck. However, he never expected the result to be like this.
"Well..."
With another helpless sigh, Xiao Yan looked up at the approaching gate, his heart growing increasingly tense. Once he opened those two doors again, it would be difficult to enter this place again. After all, even with the protection of the Grand Elder, he could not repeatedly refute the wishes of the three cabinet leaders.
He could only hope for a miracle before he could actually lift the two doors open himself...
With the tightly closed attic door so close, Xiao Yan's emotions tightened to an extreme. Even his breathing paused slightly, and a few beads of cold sweat appeared on his previously calm face.
"Four steps... three steps... two steps..."
Unconsciously counting the steps to the door, Xiao Yan's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. When he took the last step, Xiao Yan finally let out a slow breath, raised his slightly trembling hands, and placed them on the round, shiny doorknob.
With his hand gripping the doorknob, Xiao Yan paused briefly, then gritted his teeth and was about to open the door and leave. Just then, an aged voice, which made him freeze instantly, finally came from the empty hall behind him.
"Kid, if you really want to take something else with you, it's not impossible..."
The aged voice was like sweet rain, nourishing Xiao Yan's nearly broken heart. The next moment, as Xiao Yan turned around, a sharp pain shot through his left eye. He was shocked to find that cold sweat had covered his face and soaked his clothes.
"I humbly request your guidance, senior!"
Coming to his senses, Xiao Yan quickly bowed towards the depths of the hall, his emotions rapidly calming down.
He wasn't stupid. Judging from the old man's words, there was clearly more to the story. Since they were willing to make concessions, they would inevitably have other demands.
"Hey, easy. As long as you can master either the Fire God's Wrath or the other thing you're looking for within the time limit, you can leave the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion with one of them. Otherwise, you won't be able to take anything with you."
"You have three days. If you succeed within three days, you can choose any item in the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion. If you fail, we will forcibly expel you."
No sooner had the former finished speaking than a cold, aged voice rang out, its meaning causing Xiao Yan's heart to tighten instantly, and he immediately felt a pressure coming his way.
Three days is enough time to master a single Intent Class Dou Technique, but to grasp its essence and achieve mastery is an almost impossible task.
The formation and maturation of all things in the world require a process, and the length of time required for this process varies greatly depending on the simplicity of the things. Although high-level Dou Technique have the impressions left by predecessors, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort, it is not something that can be accomplished overnight, let alone Intent Class Dou Technique.
If this move succeeds, the profits will be substantial. However, if it fails, not only will they fail to find a way to help Xiao Xuan break through his bottleneck, but they will also lose the powerful trump card, Fire God's Wrath. The pros and cons are indeed difficult to weigh!