Utilizing the faint light, Jiang Yuechu finally saw the other person's appearance.
He had a thin face and wore a ragged, gray cloth gown that hung loosely on his body.
If he were placed on the street outside, one might mistake him for a dying old man.
Jiang Yuechu took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed the tremor in her heart, clasped her hands, and bowed respectfully.
"Junior Jiang Yuechu of the Longyou Commandery greets Senior."
The old man glanced at her a few times. "You're from the Region?"
"That place is bitter and cold. It's rare that it could raise such a delicate Little Girl like you."
"Uh..."
Jiang Yuechu didn't have the heart to say that she had actually grown up in Chang'an.
But then she thought about it.
The one who grew up in Chang'an was the original owner; what did that have to do with the current Jiang Yuechu?
Saying she was from the Region was still technically the truth... "Senior, you flatter me."
"Alright, stop standing there stiffly."
The old man pointed to the kneeling cushion in front of the sacrificial table.
"Since you came here to seek a Spiritual Seal, sit down."
Jiang Yuechu stepped forward as instructed and sat cross-legged on the kneeling cushion.
The cushion was somewhat worn, and the straw stalks inside made her legs itch slightly.
The old man said no more, turned around, and slowly walked toward the depths of the shadow.
"Calm your heart, focus your mind, and release your thoughts."
"As for what you can obtain, it all depends on your fortune."
Hearing this.
Jiang Yuechu closed her eyes.
She regulated her breathing.
The smooth and flawless Golden Core within her body slowly pulsed with the rhythm of her breathing.
Between each inhale and exhale.
Distracting thoughts gradually vanished.
In the darkness, her consciousness seemed to detach from her body and slowly rise.
After an unknown period of time.
A speck of starlight suddenly illuminated her previously pitch-black vision.
Immediately after.
A second point, a third point... countless points of light, like fireflies on a summer night, appeared in this endless Void Realm.
Some were as faint as candlelight, flickering uncertainly.
Some were as cold and clear as the bright moon, hanging high in the sky.
Others were as scorching as the blazing sun, emitting a terrifying aura that made one's heart tremble.
These were... Spiritual Seals?
Jiang Yuechu's heart stirred slightly.
She tentatively extended a thread of her Divine Soul towards the nearest ball of light.
It was a pale green halo, soft and docile.
The moment they made contact.
A refreshing coolness traveled back along her Divine Soul.
A vision of a green pine tree standing proudly on a cliff appeared in her mind.
A faint intention was transmitted, carrying a hint of closeness and flattery.
It seemed that if Jiang Yuechu merely nodded, this Spiritual Seal would immediately descend and help her step into the Ink Dot Realm.
Jiang Yuechu did not hesitate in the slightest.
Her Divine Soul trembled, directly pushing it away.
Trash.
If it comes just by beckoning, it must be a roadside reject.
Continue.
She bypassed the faint points of light and headed straight for the higher reaches.
The higher she went, the scarcer the points of light became, but their auras grew stronger.
An intent of raging fire appeared in her mind.
Following that, the image of an immovable mountain rock was imprinted into her mind.
Jiang Yuechu was like a picky buyer, selecting and rejecting among a pile of goods.
Some of the Spiritual Seals she rejected left disheartened, while others were enraged by shame, seemingly accusing her of being ungrateful.
Jiang Yuechu paid them no mind.
Not enough.
Still not enough.
Her Divine Soul continued upward.
That was the peak of this Void Realm.
Only a handful of light points hung there, isolated.
Every single one emitted a suffocating pressure.
Jiang Yuechu felt as if her Divine Soul had sunk into a swamp; every step forward required enduring immense pressure.
"That's far enough..."
A voice deep in her heart was urging her.
Going any higher would truly kill someone.
But Jiang Yuechu gritted her teeth, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes.
Since she had come all this way.
If she didn't take a look at the best ones, she would regret it for the rest of her life!
Boom—!
Finally.
She reached the highest point.
Before her, there were only three masses of light.
The mass on the left was brilliantly golden, faintly showing a Golden Dragon circling, radiating imperial majesty.
The mass in the middle was the Purple Qi from the East, revealing an ethereal and transcendental Dao Rhyme.
And the mass on the right... faintly revealed a phantom figure, holding a long saber and standing atop a mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
A massive wave of Evil Qi surged toward her face.
Just by looking at it.
Jiang Yuechu felt her body inexplicably tremble.
Fear?
No.
It was excitement.
Without any hesitation, Jiang Yuechu manipulated her Divine Soul and slammed it fiercely toward that black light.
You are the one!
Boom—!!!
The instant they made contact.
The black light swelled violently, like an enraged Vicious Beast.
A terrifying will poured back into her along her Divine Soul.
"Scram!!!"
Inside the great hall.
Jiang Yuechu, sitting cross-legged on the kneeling cushion, suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
In the darkness.
The old man paused his movement.
He turned his head, looked at the tottering figure, and slightly furrowed his brow.
"She doesn't know what's good for her..."
He sighed, just about to intervene and interrupt her.
If this continued, that girl's Divine Soul might truly shatter.
However.
The instant he raised his hand.
His movement stopped again.
He saw that the figure, which looked like it could collapse at any moment, had actually straightened her back stiffly.
"What's wrong?"
The girl curled her lip into a sneer, "Do you look down on me?"
Boom—!
Another, even more violent wave of Evil Qi surged back.
Jiang Yuechu's body trembled violently, and blood seeped from all seven orifices.
But a red glow flashed in her eyes.
"On my journey here, I have killed tigers, slaughtered wolves, butchered white apes, and slain flood Dragons."
"You are just a dead object..."
"And you dare look down on me?!"
"Get over here... now!!!"
Buzz—!!!
Perhaps sensing this nearly insane will.
Or perhaps being moved by this Evil Qi of the same origin.
The black light, which had been resisting, suddenly paused.
Immediately after.
The phantom figure, holding a long saber and standing atop a mountain of corpses, slowly lowered its head.
It succeeded!
In the depths of the shadow.
The old man watched this scene, a trace of astonishment flashing in his originally murky eyes.
"What an overbearing temperament..."
The old man shook his head, preparing to step forward to act as a Protector for the girl and help her complete the final Fusion.
However.
Just as the Spiritual Seal was about to completely fuse into Jiang Yuechu's body.
An unexpected change occurred.
Deep within Jiang Yuechu's mind.
The hundred demons compendium, which had been silent all along, seemed to be stimulated by something.
Boom—!!!
"Hmm?!"
The old man's expression suddenly changed.
He felt an immense Demonic Qi soaring into the sky, instantly filling the entire Imperial City.
This is bad!
Is a Great Demon appearing?!
Before he could even react.
Rumble—!!!
A startling clap of thunder exploded above the Imperial City... Outside the Hall.
The sun was scorching hot.
Cui Yuan paced anxiously below the steps with his hands clasped behind his back.
"How long has it been now?"
He occasionally looked up at the sky, then back at the two tightly closed Black Rock Gates.
Based on past experience.
When an ordinary Martial Artist enters the Martial Temple to seek a Spiritual Seal, it usually takes the time for an incense stick to burn.
If they lack affinity, they go in, turn around, and come out.
If they have affinity and gain the Spiritual Seal's recognition, it's a natural process that doesn't take much time.
Back when he sought his Spiritual Seal, he only spent the time for a cup of tea before happily coming out.
But now... it's been almost half an hour!
"Could that girl have fallen asleep inside?"
Cui Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling uneasy in his heart.
"Or... did she get greedy and try to forcefully take one of those top-tier Spiritual Seals, resulting in Divine Soul damage and turning her into an idiot?"
A Core Formation Realm expert in her late teens entering the Martial Temple only to become an imbecile... if that were true, it would be quite the spectacle.