While Xiao Qi and Mu Qingfeng were reaping rich rewards in the alchemy room, Liu Yun, leading disciples Wang and Zhao, had also arrived at the "Scripture Pavilion" area marked on the map. Unlike the ancient silence of the alchemy room, this area consisted of several towering towers with flying eaves and corners, faintly glowing with precious light, exuding solemnity and the weight of knowledge.
The most magnificent tower among them had an ancient cloud script plaque above its door, boldly inscribed with five characters: "Ten Thousand Laws Collection Pavilion." The tower's main door was tightly shut with no lock or key, yet a layer of misty, water-like clear light circulated across it, emanating mysterious energy.
Liu Yun tried gently touching the layer of clear light with her sword energy. The light rippled but didn't counterattack, instead producing a soft repelling force as if refusing unauthorized entry.
"It seems this place also requires specific conditions to enter," Liu Yun frowned slightly. She wasn't skilled in breaking restrictions.
Just as she was pondering a solution, the female disciple surnamed Zhao behind her seemed to sense something and stepped forward. She cultivated water-based techniques, had a gentle temperament, and possessed keen spiritual perception. Hesitantly, she reached out, condensing a sphere of pure, gentle water spiritual power in her palm, and gently pressed it against the layer of clear light.
Something strange happened. The moment the clear light touched her water spiritual power, it melted away like ice and snow, rapidly retreating to both sides, revealing the heavy wooden door. With a soft creak, the door slowly opened inward on its own.
"Well done, Junior Sister Zhao!" Disciple Wang exclaimed in delight.
Liu Yun's eyes also flashed with surprise, then understanding. "I see. The restriction on this 'Ten Thousand Laws Collection Pavilion' rejects hostile energy and impurities, requiring relatively pure and peaceful spiritual power to open. Junior Sister Zhao's water spiritual power happens to meet the requirements."
The three didn't hesitate and entered one by one.
The tower's interior space was far more vast than it appeared from outside, as if spatial expansion techniques had been applied. Instead of the expected rows of bookshelves, what met their eyes was a boundless, cosmic starry void. In this void, countless light spheres of various colors and sizes floated like grains of sand in the Ganges, innumerable!
These spheres emanated energy fluctuations of varying strengths—some blazing like the sun, some cold as the moon, some heavy as mountains, some ethereal as wind... They floated and sank in this void like living things, dotting the darkness like a dreamscape.
"These... are all technique inheritances?" Disciple Wang was dazzled, his breathing becoming rapid.
Liu Yun was also shocked by this magnificent scene, but she quickly calmed down. "Focus and steady your breathing! This place is mysterious—don't act rashly. These spheres seem to choose their masters based on the intruder's aura."
As if confirming her words, the moment she finished speaking, several spheres closer to them, as if disturbed, began slowly floating toward them.
Among them, three silver spheres with sharp radiance emanating strong sword intent fluctuations flew directly toward Liu Yun like magnets attracting iron, circling her slowly and making soft sword sounds, appearing quite intimate.
Liu Yun could feel the profound sword dao inheritance contained within the spheres, resonating with her own sword intent. After a brief perception, she reached out and pointed at one of the spheres with the purest, most condensed sword intent. The sphere was cool to the touch and instantly transformed into a stream of light, merging into her brow. Her body trembled slightly as she closed her eyes to concentrate, clearly receiving the inheritance information.
Meanwhile, several other spheres emanating thick earth-yellow radiance or soft water-blue halos floated toward Disciple Wang and Junior Sister Zhao respectively. Disciple Wang cultivated earth-based defensive techniques, while Junior Sister Zhao had water spiritual roots—these spheres matched their attributes perfectly.
Each chose a sphere that felt strongest to them and accepted the inheritance, joy appearing on their faces.
While Liu Yun's group was receiving inheritances in the scripture pavilion, Mu Qingfeng and Xiao Qi waiting at the Hundred Herb Garden entrance weren't idle either. Xiao Qi was trying to comprehend the gray jade slip recording the "Basic Heart Refinement Method."
This method seemed simple—just using one's own heart and will to communicate with fire and materials, replacing some of the tedious spell controls. But in practice, it was extremely difficult. Heart-spirit power was intangible and elusive—precise control was easier said than done? Xiao Qi tried several times. Forget communicating with the alchemy furnace (the dark red one on his back)—he couldn't even concentrate enough to guide his weak spiritual fire, instead making himself dizzy.
"It seems this heart refinement method can't be accomplished overnight," Xiao Qi rubbed his throbbing temples and gave up helplessly.
Just then, the jade pendant at his chest again transmitted clear heat. This time, it wasn't pointing toward the medicine garden interior or the alchemy room, but faintly toward... the direction of the Ten Thousand Laws Collection Pavilion!
"Senior Brother," Xiao Qi stood up, looking toward the scripture pavilion area, "I feel... something over there seems to be calling me."
Mu Qingfeng's expression shifted upon hearing this. He knew well that Xiao Qi possessed a strange treasure with extraordinary spiritual perception—this feeling was definitely not groundless. "The three hours are almost up. Junior Sister Lin and the others should be returning soon. If they're unharmed, we can go investigate."
Time passed. The agreed three hours were about to expire. First to return was Junior Brother Li's group who had gone to "Thunder Quenching Gorge." The three looked somewhat disheveled, their robes bearing several charred marks, their energy slightly fluctuating, but their eyes were unusually bright—they had clearly gained much.
"Senior Brother, Brother Xiao Qi!" Junior Brother Li reported excitedly. "That Thunder Quenching Gorge is truly a treasure trove for body cultivation! At its core is a 'Qian Heaven Thunder Pool,' and beside the pool grow several 'Lightning-Struck Trees'—supreme materials for artifact forging! We collected some lightning-struck wood and tempered our flesh at the pool's edge using thunder power—we benefited greatly! But the thunder in the core area was too violent—we didn't dare venture deeper."
Just as he spoke, the sound of breaking air came as Liu Yun's group also returned on time. All three wore barely suppressible joy.
"Senior Brother, Xiao Qi," Liu Yun said with a trace of excitement in her voice. "The Ten Thousand Laws Collection Pavilion indeed contains ancient inheritances! All three of us gained something." She briefly explained how the light spheres inside chose their masters.
Disciples Wang and Zhao also nodded, clearly very satisfied with the inheritances they had received.
Hearing that Liu Yun and the others had successfully obtained technique inheritances, Mu Qingfeng felt reassured. He turned to Xiao Qi: "Since Xiao Qi senses something from the scripture pavilion, we shouldn't delay. Let's go immediately. Junior Sister Lin, you three just received inheritances and need time to digest them—stay here to consolidate and guard the medicine garden entrance, just in case."
"Alright!" Liu Yun agreed decisively.
Mu Qingfeng, Xiao Qi, and the seemingly recovered and bouncing rabbit spirit immediately set off, rushing toward the Ten Thousand Laws Collection Pavilion.
With the path Liu Yun's group had opened, the two quickly arrived before the magnificent tower. Looking at the water-like clear light restriction, Xiao Qi followed Junior Sister Zhao's example, not using spiritual power but slowly guiding the jade pendant at his chest to emit a trace of pure, peaceful cool breath, enveloping himself before stepping forward.
The clear light touched this breath and indeed parted without resistance like meeting something of the same origin, and the door opened accordingly.
The two stepped into that starry void. Countless light spheres sensed living breath and became active again.
However, unlike Liu Yun's group, most of the spheres, after approaching Xiao Qi to a certain distance, seemed to sense something and one by one stopped, then slowly drifted away as if avoiding something. Only a few spheres emanating upright, peaceful energy or tending toward life-healing aura hovered near him but didn't immediately acknowledge him as master.
Xiao Qi could feel that these spheres seemed to be... afraid? Or rather, rejecting the Purification Essence hidden within him that was of a higher order? They yearned for purity, but when encountering an existence far beyond them in essence, they dared not approach.
Mu Qingfeng also noticed this strange phenomenon and frowned slightly.
Just as Xiao Qi was feeling disappointed, thinking this trip would yield nothing, deep within the countless spheres, an extremely dim, almost indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness, unremarkable gray sphere—as if having slept for eons—was touched by Xiao Qi's unique purification aura and trembled slightly.
The next moment, it crossed space like a ghost, silently appearing instantly before Xiao Qi.
This gray sphere had no powerful energy fluctuations, no attribute tendencies—ordinary as a roadside pebble. Yet suspended there, it gave an incredibly ancient, incredibly heavy feeling.
Xiao Qi looked doubtfully at this actively approaching, seemingly most unremarkable sphere. The jade pendant at his chest transmitted unprecedented, clear resonance and heat!
He hesitated, then reached out and gently pointed at this gray sphere.
No brilliant light, no explosion of information. The moment the sphere touched his fingertip, like a water droplet merging into a sponge, it silently merged into his body.
A vast yet gentle stream of information, like the rotation of galaxies and the birth and death of the universe, slowly unfolded in his sea of consciousness. Not a specific cultivation formula, nor an offensive or defensive spell, but an auxiliary technique specifically for tempering, strengthening, and condensing the soul's origin—called the "Spirit Concentration Art"!
This technique had no rank, yet its concept was lofty, pointing directly to the essence of the soul. It emphasized "gathering and dispersing at will, spirit illuminating the vast world." When cultivated to profound levels, spiritual sense could become substantial, seeing through illusions, even covering thousands of miles with a single thought! Its core essence strangely echoed the application of heart-spirit power in the "Basic Heart Refinement Method" and the spiritual perception enhancement from the jade pendant, even more systematic and profound!
Xiao Qi instantly understood—this "Spirit Concentration Art" was the inheritance most suitable for him at this moment! It couldn't directly increase combat power, but could fundamentally solidify his foundation, especially having immeasurable benefits for controlling the Purification Source, using that nascent sword intent, and even cultivating the "Heart Refinement Method" in the future!
"The Spirit Concentration Art..." Xiao Qi murmured, bright light exploding in his eyes. This seemingly ordinary choice might be the most suitable and most precious treasure in this Ten Thousand Laws Collection Pavilion!
Mu Qingfeng also chose from the hovering spheres an incomplete inheritance of the "Thick Earth Supporting All Things Sword Canon" that complemented his steady sword intent. Though incomplete, it gave him new understanding of his own sword dao.
The two exchanged smiles, both feeling the trip worthwhile. However, unbeknownst to them, the moment Xiao Qi accepted the Spirit Concentration Art inheritance, at the highest point of this starry void, that pair of indifferent eyes seemed to blink again, casting more attention on this youth who possessed strange purification power...