Following Lu Changsan’s action, a second person finally moved.
That person was none other than Ye Beichen, the one ranked first on the New Disciples Ranking.
Ye Beichen lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his foot, and in the blink of an eye, his entire body seemed to transform into a drawn flying sword. He cut a razor sharp streak of light through the air as he shot straight into the depths of the boundless dark space.
Along his path, countless light clusters drifted past him, yet he did not even glance at them, let alone strike. His actions were calm and decisive, as though he already knew exactly what he was looking for.
"This guy really lives up to his reputation as the top ranked genius."
Sensing the movement, Li Yun opened his eyes and followed Ye Beichen’s trajectory. His gaze quickly locked onto the light cluster Ye Beichen had chosen.
The mysterious aura radiating from that light cluster was astonishingly intense. Compared to it, the surrounding clusters seemed like faint fireflies, while this one blazed like a scorching sun. The disparity was overwhelming.
Li Yun immediately understood that the secret arts imprint contained within it had to be of the highest tier.
He had been observing for a long time without finding a truly satisfying imprint, yet Ye Beichen had identified such a high tier secret arts imprint the moment he acted. Li Yun could not help but feel a trace of envy, while also admiring Ye Beichen’s sharp judgment.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
After Ye Beichen moved, Zhu Ximen, Han Lingxue, and Huo Tian also locked onto their respective targets and sprang into action.
Judging from the strength of the mysterious auras they pursued, their secret arts imprints were slightly inferior to Ye Beichen’s choice, yet they were still extremely high quality.
"I need to hurry."
Seeing that everyone else had already found suitable secret arts imprints, Li Yun drew in a deep breath, steadied his thoughts, and pushed his perception to its absolute limit.
His perceptive range expanded severalfold in an instant, sweeping across all the light clusters within several hundred meters.
"This one."
At last, perseverance paid off. Under his fully unleashed perception, Li Yun discovered a light cluster that met his expectations.
The aura it emitted was no weaker than the one Ye Beichen had chosen. There was no doubt that it, too, contained a top tier secret arts imprint.
To be absolutely certain, Li Yun quietly activated his left eye. A faint purple glow spread across it as his gaze swept over the secret arts imprint he had selected, then shifted to the other imprints nearby. The moment he examined them through his divine eye, a wave of relief washed over him. If he had not checked, he truly would have fallen into a trap.
"Damn... the energy on these secret arts imprints is deliberately misleading," Li Yun thought to himself.
Several of the imprints appeared to radiate powerful auras on the surface, yet under the scrutiny of his divine eye, he discovered that those energy signatures were fabricated, designed purely to deceive others.
"In that case, there is no way to tell which secret arts imprint is truly good or bad unless..." A subtle smile curved Li Yun’s lips. "Unless someone has the same eye as me."
With the Nine Tribulations Divine Eye, he could pierce through the false layers of energy and directly perceive the genuine essence left behind within each secret arts imprint.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Li Yun’s expression shifted slightly.
"Damn it. The one Lu Changsan chose actually has the strongest true energy signature."
The discovery surprised him, but after a brief glance at Lu Changsan he noticed something and seeing this, Li Yun could not help but laugh inwardly.
"So you want to play games with me? Fine. I will play along."
With that thought, Li Yun immediately put on the performance of his life.
"Phantom Gale Steps!"
Locking his mind onto a random light cluster, Li Yun sprang to his feet and took a single step forward. His figure instantly blurred, turning into a wisp of smoke as he shot through the air at astonishing speed.
Within one or two breaths, he crossed several kilometers and appeared directly before the light cluster.
Li Yun raised his palm and struck toward it.
Buzz buzz buzz.
Just as the green robed elder had explained earlier, the light clusters containing secret arts imprints were not objects that could be seized at will. The moment it sensed Li Yun’s attack, the light cluster began to vibrate, releasing a sharp buzzing sound. It then surged forward in a streak of dazzling light, dodging his grasp with incredible speed.
"You are quite fast," Li Yun said with a chuckle. "But you will not escape."
He took another step and immediately gave chase, clinging to the fleeing light cluster like a shadow as they darted through the dark, star filled river of light.
"Seal it!"
Li Yun drove the fleeing light cluster into a corner of the air and gave a low command. His fingers flicked forward in rapid succession, each motion precise and controlled.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With every flick, a slender beam of light shot from his fingertips, carving intricate paths through the air. The beams intertwined and overlapped, forming a dense lattice that closed in from all sides. In an instant, they converged into a radiant cage, trapping the light cluster completely and leaving it with no route of escape.
"Suppress!"
Li Yun roared as his body blurred. He appeared above the trapped light cluster in a flash and drove his palm downward with overwhelming force.
Whoosh.
Sensing the danger and realizing flight was no longer possible, the light cluster ceased struggling. Its surface trembled faintly before erupting in a burst of dazzling radiance.
The glow looked intangible, yet the moment it made contact, its solidity became unmistakably clear.
Li Yun’s palm strike slammed into the light, only to be stopped cold. It could not advance even half an inch.
"Hmph. It is still struggling?" Li Yun sneered. "Wishful thinking. Dominant Thunder Palm!"
He used his martial art and struck again. Thunder boomed as arcs of lightning exploded outward, filling the air with violent energy. A massive lightning hand condensed and smashed down upon the radiant barrier.
Bang.
The impact was devastating. The brilliant light shattered instantly, scattering into countless fragments before vanishing completely.
Stripped of its defenses, the light cluster hovered weakly in place, docile and helpless, like prey laid bare on a butcher’s block.
"Got it," Li Yun said, a trace of delight flashing across his face as he reached out to claim it.
"Li Yun, my thanks for your hard work. I will gladly accept this light cluster for you. Hahaha!"
Just as Li Yun’s fingers were about to close around the prize, a cold, mocking laugh rang out. It was followed by a sharp shout.
"Star Shift Talisman!"
Bang!
Li Yun’s expression darkened, though inwardly he could barely contain his amusement. Maintaining his act, he snapped his head up.
Lu Changsan stood at a distance, wearing a sinister smile. Before him floated a talisman covered in intricate, glowing runes.
He clenched his hand, and the talisman ignited instantly.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
As the talisman burned away, a strange force surged forth and wrapped around both the light cluster before Li Yun and the one under Lu Changsan’s control. The energy moved like lightning, swift and unavoidable.
A peculiar radiance flared, and in the blink of an eye, the two light clusters vanished and reappeared in opposite positions.
They had been swapped without warning, right before Li Yun’s eyes.
Thump.
Li Yun had not expected such a bizarre turn of events, so his reaction appeared a fraction too slow. In truth, everything had unfolded exactly as he intended. He was merely putting on an act.
By the time he seemed to notice something was wrong and cried out inwardly in alarm, his outstretched hand had already closed around the light cluster that Lu Changsan had swapped into place.
"Congratulations. You have obtained a secret art imprint. According to the rules, you may now proceed to the quiet chamber to comprehend the secret art imprint you have acquired."
The moment Li Yun grasped the light cluster, the calm voice of the green robed old man echoed beside his ear.
"Damn it!"
Li Yun’s expression instantly turned ugly.
The light cluster in his hand was no longer the one that had radiated an overwhelming mysterious aura. Instead, it was a dull cluster that did not emit even the faintest trace of profundity.
’Act it properly. Go all out. Give them a flawless Oscar level performance.’
Li Yun laughed inwardly as he forced his expression to darken further.
"Tablet Spirit Senior, may I exchange this for another light cluster?" Li Yun asked, sounding unwilling to accept the outcome.
The green robed old man shook his head calmly. "No. Each person has only one opportunity to select a secret art imprint. Once chosen, it cannot be changed."
As his words ended, the old man did not give Li Yun any chance to argue. He lifted his hand, and a strange power immediately descended, wrapping around Li Yun and preparing to send him out of the Soaring Cloud Holy Land.
Li Yun struggled instinctively, but the power was far beyond him.
The gap between them was like that between an ant and a dragon. Any resistance was meaningless.
"Li Yun, stop struggling and accept reality," Lu Changsan sneered loudly. "A useless person like you is only fit to receive the most worthless secret art imprint."
He laughed even more arrogantly as he continued, "As for the secret art imprint you discovered earlier, it looks quite exceptional and perfectly suited for a genius like me. I will accept it without hesitation. Do not worry. After leaving the Eternal Sky Heavenly Tablet, I will personally use the supreme technique I comprehend from it to take your miserable life. Hahaha!"
Lu Changsan’s laughter rang with unrestrained delight.
"Lu Changsan!"
Li Yun’s eyes burned with fury. At that moment, he wished nothing more than to strike Lu Changsan down with a single blow. Yet wrapped in the green robed old man’s power, he could not move even a finger.
All he could do was glare at Lu Changsan with eyes full of seething hatred before the strange force pulled him away from the Soaring Cloud Holy Land.
After leaving the Soaring Cloud Holy Land, Li Yun found himself inside a quiet, enclosed chamber.
"HAHAHAHA! That idiot... he really fell for it!"
The moment he confirmed there was no one else present, Li Yun burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Lu Changsan had confidently seized what he believed to be the best secret art imprint, while Li Yun had seemingly been forced to accept the worst one. Yet in the end, Lu Changsan had severed his own path with his own hands.
"Thank you very much, Lu Changsan," Li Yun said between laughs. "Without your help, I would never have located the strongest secret art imprint here."
Gradually calming himself, Li Yun turned his attention to the light cluster he was holding. He clenched his fist and applied a measured amount of force.
The light cluster shattered instantly, scattering into motes of light, and an object dropped out from within.
It was a stone arrow roughly one foot in length.
This was the secret art imprint.
The forms taken by secret art imprints were never uniform. Some appeared as blades of grass, others as grains of sand, drops of water, or countless other shapes. Their appearances were strange and endlessly varied.
A secret art imprint shaped like a stone arrow was nothing unusual.
Li Yun already knew how to activate it, having learned the method from the green robed old man earlier.
Without hesitation, he grasped the stone arrow with both hands, focused his mind, and poured his will into its interior.
Rumble.
The instant Li Yun’s will fully entered the stone arrow, a deafening roar erupted inside the quiet chamber.

Comments

Loading...