Chương 96: Lesson

"Do you think the Golden Core True People outside will give us some reward? For our contribution?" Fan Linzen asked. He was sitting next to Shu Yang, both of them taking a break from studying the formations. Another five days had passed, and Shu Yang was just about to recover enough power to activate his Bloodline Ability again. He felt that he should pass the threshold in another hour or so.

"I doubt it. Is that something experts of that level would do? You know better than me," Shu Yang answered.

"No. You're right," Linzen said, sighing, "Maybe if I were part of the sect, I would receive some contribution points at least. But now, I guess I'll be lucky to make it out alive."

"It's not certain there are Golden Core experts outside," Shu Yang pointed out, "It's just speculation." Linzen shook his head, "I don't know much about cultivators at that level. But some things are true for all levels of cultivation, and that is that opportunities are rare, and you must have the courage to fight for them when they present themselves. Just for someone like me, gathering the resources required to establish a Foundation is incredibly difficult, almost a dream.

You can imagine how hard it is for the higher levels to get hold of any resources that could help them improve further. I doubt that many Golden Core True People would just sit by and watch this inheritance get taken by someone else."

"You need resources to advance?" Shu Yang asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Linzen asked, looking confused.

"I mean, can't you just break through once you've cultivated to the peak? Using spiritual qi?" Shu Yang asked.

"Just where did you come from Zhangye?" Linzen asked, looking at him strangely.

"Never mind then," Shu Yang said, turning his head away.

"No, no. Sorry. Maybe it's possible for a genius, an absolute once-in-a-century genius. Considering your sword intent, that might be the case for you. But then again, you are only a low-level QI Refiner, so I guess you don't have very good spiritual roots.

"To break through without a Foundation Pill, you would have to have high-grade spiritual roots, and perhaps a Golden Bloodline. But even then, you would use one just to make sure everything went smoothly. People with that kind of talent aren't exactly lacking in resources."

"What's a Foundation Pill? Is it hard to get?" Shu Yang asked.

"You…" Linzen looked at Shu Yang as if he were some kind of caveman.

"A Foundation Pill helps you break through to the Foundation stage; it also helps save your life in case you fail. No one really attempts to break through without one."

"And it's very expensive?" Shu Yang asked.

"Very," Linzen said, "But even with enough spirit stones, it's not sure you can get your hands on one. There are nowhere near enough Foundation Pills to go around for everyone who wants one to get one. Outside of sects, it's basically impossible."

'Is it really that necessary? Is it the same for body cultivation?' Shu Yang somewhat believed it. He was very talented when it came to body cultivation, but he still almost failed.

'It would be great if I could get my hands on some of these pills to bring home.'

'Then again, it might be useless for body cultivation.' Shu Yang didn't dare ask about what body cultivators used, though, as that would almost definitely reveal that Shu Yang himself was one.

'If I have enough spirit stones, I might ask the Yide Pavilion later. I'm already going to reveal that I'm looking for Tianyi, so I might as well go ahead and ask anything I'm curious about, no matter how much it will reveal.'

"I came here hoping the inheritance might have a Foundation Pill," Linzen said with a sigh, "Now, it seems it doesn't matter, though. I'm not going to get it even if it's there." Shu Yang patted the man's shoulder.

"It will work out."

"I doubt it," Linzen said, shaking his head with a desolate look.

"I envy Song Hongchi; with her bloodline, she doesn't have much to worry about. Not to mention that she is valued by the Green River Sect. It wouldn't surprise me if she advanced to the Foundation stage before she even turns 30."

"Her bloodline?" Shu Yang asked.

"The Song Bloodline? You don't- Of course you don't," Linzen said, smiling slightly.

"The Song family's Bloodline Ability makes building a Foundation much easier. I don't know the details of how it works, but the Song family has the most Foundation cultivators of any family clan in the Yuanchi Immortal Land, even beating the Chen family. The Bloodline Ability might be useless most of the time, but I sure wouldn't complain about it."

'Bloodline Abilities can even work like that?' Shu Yang continued talking with Linzen for a while, before he felt his Bloodline Ability recover and made his way back to the grand door. He looked over the various patterns covering the door and felt a headache. He had gotten a feel for just how impossible the formation was to solve over these past few days. It was no wonder that almost everyone had given up already.

'But why make it so difficult? What's the point of the inheritance if no one can get it?' Shu Yang really couldn't understand the motive behind this part of the trial. The formation was a much higher grade than anyone present. How was a Qi Refiner supposed to solve it? It seemed a bit unfair.

'I'll just have to map out what lies beyond the door and see if I can get any clues.' Shu Yang activated his Bloodline Ability and looked toward the place where he had spotted a corridor the last time. As soon as he saw it, he tried to adjust his vision to follow it.

'Strange.' The walls were covered by engraved patterns, but they didn't seem like they made up any formation. Shu Yang ignored them for the moment and focused on following the corridor to see where it led. It was a bit tricky, but luckily, he had plenty of practice with adjusting his Piercing Gaze now, so he still managed to make his way forward. It was still a bit disorienting, though. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

After following the corridor for about a hundred feet or so, Shu Yang reached a door.

'Is this it?' Shu Yang grew a bit excited, pushing his way forward to see what hid behind.

'It's…not working?' All Shu Yang managed to see when he tried to pierce the door with his gaze was a blur. It was familiar to the sensation when he tried to see Tianyi through the formation in Chenqi Immortal City. He tried his best to work his way through it, but the blur didn't clear. And after a few more seconds, his ability ran out of power.

'Looks like there is a formation on the door so high in grade that even my Piercing Gaze is useless.' Shu Yang wasn't too upset, though. He had gotten a lot of new information.

'Next time, I'll take a closer look at those patterns on the wall.' But that was still five days away. Until then, Shu Yang would have to work on getting a bit more familiar with what these patterns actually meant. He turned to look at Song Hongchi, who was walking along the door, comparing the patterns engraved there to something she had written down on the paper she was holding.

'It would be a lot faster if Song Hongchi could teach me what she's learned so far. But will she agree?' Shu Yang had tried to approach Song Hongchi over the past few days, hoping to get some answers about the different patterns. But it was difficult to get her to say more than a few perfunctory words. It really felt like she was reluctant to share anything more than she absolutely had to.

'Whatever, I'll figure it out myself if I have to. I might not make it in five days, but what about five months? Five years?' Shu Yang wished more than anything that he wouldn't have to wait that long, but what if he had to? He certainly couldn't lie back and leave it all to fate. His only option was to make use of all the time he had and work out how to leave this place. He couldn't trust anyone else to do it for him.

'One day at a time. I'll figure this thing out.' … One day after another came and went, and eventually, two whole months passed.

"Cleave it entirely in two if you can," Song Hongchi instructed.

"You know that's impossible," Shu Yang said"I said 'if you can.' If you can't, just say so," Song Hongchi said.

"I can't," Shu Yang said.

"Whatever, just attack it then," Song Hongchi said. Shu Yang didn't argue, he swung his sword, targeting a pattern engraved on the top corner of the huge door. The sword strike didn't leave a single mark, just like he knew it wouldn't.

"Again," Song Hongchi said, looking down at a set of patterns she had carved into one of the pillars in the grand hall. It was something Shu Yang had discovered. One day, he had just started attacking things randomly, feeling frustrated. To his and everyone else's surprise, the pillars in the grand hall got damaged. It was the first time he saw something in this place that could be altered.

Not long after, Song Hongchi had started putting everything she learned into practice and engraved patterns of her own on the pillars. After that, every day was filled with tests. At first, Ding Yilang had been Song Hongchi's loyal helper, with Ding Quang flying up and attacking the higher formation patterns. But eventually, Ding Quang grew tired of it, and Ding Yilang's lack of formation knowledge held him back. This all occurred about a month ago, and Shu Yang had managed to figure quite a few things out by then.

He even engraved patterns of his own to experiment with. His sword intent made for an excellent tool for the intricate work. Eventually, Song Hongchi grew frustrated with her own engraving skills. There were no appropriate tools around for her to use, after all. So she suggested teaming up with Shu Yang. Shu Yang readily agreed, as Song Hongchi was a lot more knowledgeable than he was about formations, and he would be able to grasp things a lot quicker with her help.

In theory, everyone was already working together, of course. But the reality wasn't so perfectly harmonious.

"What's the connection between these patterns?" Shu Yang asked, "I don't get it."

"I'll explain later," Song Hongchi said, staring intently at the different patterns on the pillar.

"Cut it again. Keep doing it until I tell you to stop."

"Tell me what you're looking for first," Shu Yang said. Song Hongchi turned to look at Shu Yang with a smile, tilting her head.

"Isn't that a waste of time? As long as I solve it, we all get out, right? Teaching you along the way will just drag this out."

"Then let's drag it out," Shu Yang answered. Song Hongchi narrowed her eyes slightly.

'Why must every tiny piece of information be so difficult to get out of her?'

"When did you figure it out?" Song Hongchi asked.

"Figure what out?" Shu Yang asked.

"Your behavior doesn't make sense. No one is this adamant about learning formations. Not in a situation like we are in," Song Hongchi replied.

"Well, if you had been more charitable with what you had found, maybe I wouldn't have gotten so suspicious," Shu Yang muttered.

"Since you know, you should understand why I won't explain. If you help me, you can observe. But you have to figure out things by yourself; I'm not helping you," Song Hongchi said, crossing her arms. Shu Yang frowned.

'Will I be able to surpass her like that?' Shu Yang felt like he was learning more now than before, but he had a feeling Song Hongchi was gaining a lot more than he was.

'But working on my own is too slow.' Not to mention that Shu Yang had no foundation in formations; he was only a 2nd-stage Qi Refiner. In the grand hall, the spiritual qi was incredibly sparse, and cultivation was basically pointless. However, it was possible to recover spiritual qi that you used up. It was slow, but it was possible. Since the patterns they engraved couldn't be connected to wherever the formations on the door got their power from, they had to use their own spiritual qi to test them.

Song Hongchi was a 9th stage Qi Refiner, and she could test a lot more patterns in a day than Shu Yang could. Not to mention she could call in others for help when she ran dry.

'I guess she will proceed faster than me whether I help or not.' Shu Yang sighed, 'Then what's the point? She will get the inheritance in the end.' Shu Yang had indeed figured out what Song Hongchi had known for a long time. This grand hall, and the formation blocking their way, wasn't supposed to be solved. It wasn't a test; it was a lesson. That was why the engraved patterns were all clearly visible. They were meant to be observed and comprehended.

Shu Yang became sure of that when he had looked closer on the patterns inside the tunnels behind the grand door. After many uses of his Piercing Gaze, Shu Yang had discovered more than fifty of those corridors hidden behind the door. They all had the same structure, and seemed to make up a test, a kind of puzzle, that Shu Yang guessed he would have to solve in order to enter the final door at the end of the corridor.

'Maybe I will have a chance if I can figure out the test while we're still out here. But is there enough time?' Shu Yang definitely had an advantage in that he could glance at the final test before Song Hongchi. But that was useless if he couldn't figure out what to do with them. The only thing he had figured out, which Song Hongchi should have noticed as well, was that there was some kind of timer on the smaller doors leading into the corridors. In about three months, they would open.

'Can I figure all that out in just three months?'

"Well? Do you agree?" Song Hongchi asked.

"Guess I don't have a choice," Shu Yang said. He struck out with his sword once again, but kept some of attention on what Song Hongchi was doing.

'Let's see who comes out on top in the end.'