The power tower, responsible for driving the force arrays, emitted an exceptionally bright glow. Waves of force surged like the tides, one after another, towards the central cultivation chamber.
In a windowless stone room, where the core of the array was located, several servant disciples dashed out, shouting, “Hurry! This batch of black crystals is all used up! Quickly inform the warehouse to fetch more black crystals!”
Inside the stone room, a disciple’s face was pale, drenched in sweat. He was in charge of replacing the power source of the force array, but as soon as he inserted a black crystal into the array, it would quickly turn grayish-white, depleted of energy.
A whole box of black crystals had been brought in, only to be completely consumed in no time. The disciple was sweating profusely, for the crystals used in the Heavenly Tier cultivation chambers were not ordinary. These highly purified energy-grade black crystals were several times more expensive than the common ones.
The duty elder had already rushed over, and seeing the rapid consumption of black crystals, his facial muscles twitched involuntarily. At the current rate of consumption, this single cultivation chamber was consuming more than the combined total of the other six.
“Have you checked the energy-gathering array?” The elder, with his vast experience, immediately asked the key question.
The disciple hurriedly replied, “We have checked it, and the energy-gathering array is functioning perfectly. Such an abnormality has us all suspecting that… that…”
Impatient with the disciple’s hesitation, the elder barked, “Speak!”
Startled, the disciple hastily explained, “It seems that the person inside the cultivation chamber is absorbing the force too quickly, and the energy-gathering array cannot keep up, leading to this situation.”
The elder’s eyes bulged, and he snapped, “Nonsense! The Heavenly Tier array is of such a high standard that even elders can cultivate inside without the array failing to replenish the force. Do you think I’m senile? It must be that you’ve mishandled the array and are trying to cover it up!”
The disciple grimaced, “We wouldn’t dare lie about such a serious matter. You can see for yourself!”
The elder personally inspected the stone room housing the core of the energy-gathering array, both inside and out. His expression turned very strange, and he said, “Could it really be that the array can’t keep up? Who is inside? I haven’t heard of any Supreme Elder coming here.”
Someone nearby replied, “It’s the Seventh Young Master…”
“Zining?” The elder was even more puzzled. Even if there were ten Seventh Young Masters, their combined force consumption wouldn’t be this high.
The disciple continued, “It’s a guest warrior under the Seventh Young Master’s command.”
He flipped through the registration book and said, “This person is named An Renyi, twenty-four years old, an eighth-level warrior, with an unknown force attribute.”
“Eighth level?!” The elder’s eyes nearly popped out. An eighth-level warrior daring to absorb force at this rate was suicidal. Such a massive amount of force could explode even dozens of eighth-level warriors! Yet, the level of the warrior taking the exam couldn’t be faked; it would be impossible to cheat.
Moreover, the anomaly in the cultivation chamber had persisted for quite some time. If it were truly an eighth-level warrior, they wouldn’t have been able to sustain it for this long. What kind of secret method was this person practicing to cause such astonishing consumption?
Perplexed, the elder saw the disciple tentatively suggest, “Perhaps we should call the person out and check if there is a leak in the array inside.” He himself lacked confidence, for they had initially checked and found no signs of leakage outside the cultivation chamber.
The elder’s expression was indecisive, and he asked, “Is the person inside unharmed?”
The energy-gathering array once again went into a frenzy, and the disciple replenishing the black crystals swiftly replaced two rows of depleted crystals. Clearly, the person inside was not only unharmed but had begun a new round of cultivation.
The elder gritted his teeth, “Go to the warehouse and fetch more black crystals, and then set the energy-gathering array to overdrive. The Song Clan cannot afford to supply such a small amount of force to an eighth-level brat, let alone a guest warrior! If word gets out, our face will be lost!”
The disciples received their orders and dispersed, each busy with their tasks. Soon, the energy-gathering array glowed even brighter, and boxes of energy black crystals were brought from the warehouse, flowing steadily into the array.
Fortunately, after increasing the output of the energy-gathering array, the operation stabilized, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Qian Ye, inside the cultivation chamber, was unaware of the commotion outside. In his qi sea nodes, more than a dozen drops of dawn force had formed and merged with the previously purified dawn force, now a pool of milky white.
Under the flood of such a massive amount of force, the ninth node began to emit a faint light, its barrier trembling. Qian Ye felt that just a few more cycles would ignite the last node.
The benefits of the Heavenly Tier cultivation chamber exceeded Qian Ye’s expectations, but he began to feel a subtle fatigue, a sign that his cultivation was nearing its limit. Continuing further would accumulate too much force in the short term, and even his robust body couldn’t handle it. Besides, the dawn force had finally overcome the blood energy, making further extensive cultivation inadvisable.
Qian Ye looked up at the force clock and was surprised to find that less time had passed than he thought. If he ended his cultivation now, Song Zining would still have two days. Assessing his physical condition, he decided to complete the final two cycles, and thus absorbed the remaining force in the room, quietly refining it.
Outside, the sun bathed the fields, and it was now mid-afternoon the next day. A group of people entered the training ground.
Leading the group was a tall, grim-faced young man, about twenty years old, exuding an extraordinary aura; he was already a war general.
Upon seeing him, a welcoming manager immediately approached with a smile, warmly greeting, “Second Young Master, what brings you here?”
Song Zian, the second in line among the Song Clan’s direct descendants, and the second in the line of succession, had advanced to war general earlier than his elder brother, Song Zicheng. Claimed to be the most powerful among the younger generation, he was always a strong competitor to Song Zicheng.
Song Zian nodded to the manager and said, “The major exam is approaching, and I need to use a Heavenly Tier cultivation chamber. I should have plenty of time left, right?”
The manager hesitated, “Um… Second Young Master, I’m sorry, but all the Heavenly Tier cultivation chambers are full.”
“Full?” Song Zian was somewhat surprised.
Starting a Heavenly Tier cultivation chamber was extremely costly, so the quotas were always limited. Even he only had ten days this year. Usually, there were always some Heavenly Tier cultivation chambers available, but today, they were all occupied. Presumably, with the major exam approaching, many clan members were determined to apply for a Heavenly Tier cultivation chamber to boost their chances.
Disappointed, Song Zian asked, “When will one become available?”
The manager’s eyes flickered, and he suddenly said, “Second Young Master, it would be difficult to ask the others to vacate the other six chambers, but this one is interesting. Let me show you this.” He flipped to the page with An Renyi’s record in the registration book and presented it to Song Zian.
Song Zian glanced at it, and his eyes lit up, “Interesting. So, it’s someone of the Seventh Young Master. Haha, the Seventh Young Master is quite generous.”
He threw the document back to the manager and coldly said, “With the Old Ancestor’s birthday approaching, some rules can be relaxed during this special period. The cultivation chamber is a top resource of the Song Clan and should be reserved for Song Clan members. Have the Seventh Young Master’s guest warrior vacate the chamber.”
The manager immediately replied, “I’ll get it done right away! Just a moment. By the way, he has already been in there for a whole day, which should be enough.”
As the manager turned to leave, Song Zian suddenly stopped him, saying, “No need. I’ll go and see for myself what kind of person the Seventh Young Master values so much.”
With that, Song Zian led his men towards the Heavenly Tier cultivation chambers.
The manager inwardly groaned. That chamber was occupied by the Seventh Young Master’s guest warrior, who might well be a rival in the upcoming major exam. If Song Zian took advantage of his superior numbers and injured or killed this person, the situation would escalate.
Normally, losing a warrior could be resolved with compensation, but during the critical period of the major exam, the guest warriors’ list had already been submitted. With the Old Ancestor placing such importance on the exam, who would dare to cause trouble under her watchful eye? If the matter escalated, Song Zian could easily pin the blame on his subordinates, but the manager’s position would be in jeopardy.
Despairing, the manager knew that the Seventh Young Master, despite being favored by the Old Ancestor, did not wield real power. The manager had intended to curry favor with the Second Young Master, aware of the recent tension between him and the Seventh Young Master. But if it led to a major conflict, it would backfire.
Not knowing what to do, the manager stood there, turning in circles.
Meanwhile, the other welcoming managers exchanged glances, smirking. One of them discreetly signaled a servant disciple, who quickly slipped out, jumped into an off-road vehicle, and sped towards the nearby compound of the Song Clan’s direct descendants.
Ignoring the managers, Song Zian led his men to the compound.
Inside the cultivation chamber, Qian Ye was at a critical point in refining a mouthful of force. The milky-white drop had formed halfway, and the ninth force node was emitting a flame-like glow, as if it were burning. This was the precursor to the node igniting. Once the refining was complete, the force’s impact upon entering the qi sea would shatter the node’s barrier, allowing Qian Ye to step into the ninth level.
At that moment, the door of the cultivation chamber was suddenly yanked open, and a haughty voice shouted, “Come out, stop your cultivation!”
The sudden shout startled Qian Ye, causing the force within him to scatter wildly. The partially condensed pure force shattered instantly.
The uncontrolled force violently battered Qian Ye’s internal organs. If not for the blood energy protecting his organs, the shock would have severely injured him, potentially damaging the node and affecting his future potential.
Qian Ye’s face turned ashen, and he let out a muffled groan, a trickle of blood escaping his lips. Slowly, he opened his eyes, his obsidian pupils filled with murderous intent.
The person who shouted clearly did not do so by accident; they deliberately wanted to disrupt his cultivation.
The special bronze bell used to rouse cultivators was at the entrance. Its sound would not harm the mind. Moreover, the door was incredibly heavy to prevent accidental opening. The person must have deliberately activated the mechanism.
A young man in the Song Clan’s uniform stood at the doorway, continuing to sneer, “Cultivating pretty well, huh? Come out. An eighth-level warrior needs a Heavenly Tier cultivation chamber?”
Qian Ye slowly rose, feeling intense pain in his chest and abdomen. Any slight movement caused a surge of bloody energy in his throat. Hearing the instigator’s mocking tone, Qian Ye silently drew his newly acquired fifth-level force gun.
The man sneered, “That little gun is interesting…” Before he could finish, he met Qian Ye’s gaze and froze!
Qian Ye’s icy killing intent was palpable, regarding him as if he were a dead object.
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