The ancient bronze door slowly opened, revealing a dazzling spectacle before Meng Qi’s eyes.
The sky was a canopy of ice, the ground a blanket of snow, with shimmering crystals swirling in the air, reflecting light to create a breathtaking scene of indescribable beauty.
Towering between heaven and earth were massive, translucent ice pillars, radiating brilliant colors. Encased within them were various treasures—Thunder Pool Metal, Sun God Stones, and other materials of different grades—as if this were the ancient treasure vault of the Zhixu Mountain sect, accumulated over countless ages.
Before Meng Qi could take a closer look, his gaze was drawn to the weathered ice wall deep within this frozen expanse.
It stood there, separating the inside from the outside, even splitting the sky into two realms. Stretching endlessly to the left and right, it seemed to extend to the very edge of the universe. To proceed further, one had to break through it—there was no way around it!
Extending his divine sense, Meng Qi’s eyes grew profound, like a bottomless pool that could still reflect the passing geese and shifting clouds on its surface.
At this moment, every minute detail of the ice wall was laid bare before his discerning gaze.
With a thunderous roar, the ancient ice wall faded away, revealing its true form—a primordial universe where the laws of existence were manifest. It seemed to resonate with the Great Dao, materializing all principles of virtue, morality, law, and reason into crystalline ice particles, which in turn formed an indestructible barrier that had stood since time immemorial.
Halt, traveler! This path is closed!
Is this the second trial? The Dao Unity Glazed Lamp manifested in Meng Qi’s eyes, illuminating the illusory and mysterious world of karma. Brilliant threads of starlight connected to the ancient ice wall, absorbing every detail.
“This universe, where ‘principles’ are highly crystallized, repels all living beings and objects…”
“Its nature is akin to the Real World, its rank comparable to exalted universes like the Brahma Heaven of Creation. It cannot be broken by mere legends…”
“Borrowing the Zhuxian Formation Diagram and pairing it with the Four Swords of Slaughter, Annihilation, Trap, and Destruction, then executing the ‘Three Purities in One Breath’ technique, might allow me to forcibly end this universe for a short time—but clearly, I lack the means…”
“The ‘Infinite Seal’s’ capacity for containment and dissolution could also work, but it would take too long to forge a passage. Yet the Real World is currently turbulent, and changes could arise at any moment…”
“The ‘World-Opening Seal’ and my self-created blade techniques could be attempted. If I can cleave heaven and earth, why not this mere repulsion? But I suspect it won’t be that simple…”
“The karma here forms its own cycle, with no significant connection to this place. Unless the ‘Cause of All Effects’ is perfected, erasing it through karma would be impossible…”
Thoughts flashed through Meng Qi’s mind, giving him a clear grasp of the situation and possible approaches.
Pausing briefly, his bamboo crown shifted slightly as a chaotic auspicious cloud emerged, cradling the shadow of an ancient and immensely powerful banner.
As the banner fluttered, the surrounding world seemed to dissolve into nothingness, unable to withstand its aura.
Raising the Peerless Blade, purple lightning surged forth, merging with the banner’s shadow. Then, in a flash of light, the world between Meng Qi and the ancient ice wall was split in two. Time still flowed, and the Great Dao remained hidden, but everything else was cleanly divided.
*Rip!*
A strange sound reverberated as the ice wall was stained with radiant purple and tainted by chaos. Ice crystals shattered one by one, forming a visible fissure.
Yet as the fissure extended forward and the blade light struck the opposite side to create a passage, the ice wall’s principles of virtue, morality, law, and reason writhed like living beings. Their speed surpassed Meng Qi’s reaction—in the blink of an eye, they had repaired the damage, “chasing” the blade light with flawless precision!
As the blade light advanced, isolated from the outside world and unable to draw power from the myriad realms, it began to weaken. Clearing the path grew increasingly difficult, while the repairs behind it became easier.
After a few breaths, the blade light dimmed and vanished. The fissure deep within lasted only a moment before healing completely, leaving the other side of the ice wall seemingly as distant as ever.
This dissuaded Meng Qi from merging with the Peerless Blade and charging forward recklessly. Even if he attempted it, he would first need to gauge the ice wall’s “thickness” and the extent of its isolation to determine if he could endure to the end.
“What exactly is the founding ancestor of Zhixu Mountain testing here?” After this failed attempt, Meng Qi pondered the purpose of this trial.
The first trial tested disciples’ mastery of innate numerology and calculations. What, then, was the second trial meant to assess?
Withdrawing his gaze, he examined the most prominent feature of this place—the rows of crystal-clear, multicolored ice pillars. Inside them were all manner of materials, from ordinary iron blocks to Thunder Pool Metal for forging weapons, and even rare treasures and divine weapon components—nothing was missing.
“Is this truly Zhixu Mountain’s treasure vault? Then why place it before the second trial?” Meng Qi’s thoughts raced as he frowned in contemplation.
“No, it’s not a complete vault—just materials, materials for forging.”
“Could the second trial require crafting something to assist in breaking the ice wall?”
“Not necessarily breaking it—perhaps passing through it, yes, passing through…”
At this thought, a spark of inspiration struck Meng Qi, connecting to something Yue Ziqing had mentioned earlier.
The *Baoshen*-type Yellow Turban Warriors!
“By studying the rules and deducing the details of the Great Dao, one can directly create objects with extremely high synchronization rates—be they Yellow Turban Warriors, divine personas, ancient lamps, or books.”
Couldn’t this very method solve his current predicament?
By comprehending the crystallized principles of virtue, morality, law, and reason in this ice universe, he could deduce the corresponding details of the Great Dao and craft an object with a high synchronization rate to a portion of its rules. This object would then replace that portion, becoming part of the ice universe!
And since it bore his imprint and was under his control, it would serve as a bridge through the ice wall, allowing him to slip past undetected!
So this trial tests disciples’ ability in this regard… Meng Qi suddenly understood, though a doubt lingered. The materials he had seen so far seemed insufficient to craft a *Baoshen* warrior or divine persona with such synchronization.
Beyond the materials for divine weapons, higher-grade materials lacked clear classifications. Most were remnants of legends, creations, or transcendence, unawakened primordial objects, enhanced or mutated collective energies, or materialized principles like the Peach Orchard—diverse, rare, and often serendipitous.
Extending his divine sense across the frozen expanse, Meng Qi quickly located what he sought within the ice pillars.
Two corpses exuded vast yet restrained auras, their inner universes fully formed and reflecting the external world. They were slowly withering—corpses of legendary experts, and judging by their attire, they were Zhixu Mountain elders from countless generations past!
“Given Zhixu Mountain’s ethos, elders donating their bodies for research after death is perfectly normal…” Meng Qi sighed, noting the missing parts of both corpses.
He held deep respect for such selfless acts, even if he couldn’t emulate them.
Now that the materials were ready, what should he craft, how should he craft it, and could it be done quickly?
…
Outside the bronze door, the white-robed middle-aged scholar sighed, though it was unclear what he lamented. Then, addressing the surroundings, he announced, “The second trial cannot be completed in a day. Everyone, return to your normal cultivation and research. Only Ziqing needs to stay and wait.”
Whether crafting *Baoshen* warriors or divine personas, even with his years of experience and near-creation-level prowess, it would take several hours to produce a barely functional item—one meant solely for passing the trial, not for long-term use. Many legendary elders might not even possess this skill.
As for Su Meng, encountering this for the first time, even if he succeeded, it would likely take months or years of study. For everyone to stand here idly would be a waste of life!
At this point, the black-robed elder woman rasped, “Su Meng has wide connections. How do you know he lacks friends skilled in this art?”
He might finish in just a few hours!
Recalling the first trial’s external assistance, the Zhixu Mountain crowd fell silent. After a long pause, the middle-aged scholar said, “No other sect specializes in this…”
This was Zhixu Mountain’s unique expertise!
“True.” The elder woman nodded confidently, waving her hand. “Everyone, disperse. Ziqing stays.”
Within moments, the figures above the valley had vanished.
…
Sitting cross-legged, Meng Qi pondered what to craft, how to craft it, and the time required:
“Whether it’s *Baoshen*-type Yellow Turban Warriors or divine personas, I’ve never attempted either—only heard the general idea from Yue Ziqing…”
“But comprehending principles of virtue, morality, law, and reason is my forte. With the ‘Cause of All Effects,’ grasping the ice wall universe’s details quickly shouldn’t be hard. The challenge lies in deducing the Great Dao’s manifestations to improve synchronization…”
“Thus, two difficulties: deduction and the practical crafting…”
“*Baoshen* warriors, divine personas, divine personas…” Just as an idea began to form, the Peerless Blade in his sleeve trembled, flashing with purple lightning as if announcing itself.
What does the Peerless Blade mean? Meng Qi was briefly puzzled, then understood.
The ancient Thunder Pool was akin to an incarnation of the Great Dao, and the Nine Heavens Thunder God was a primordial deity wielding celestial authority to enact heavenly punishment. Both shared similarities with *Baoshen*—crudely put, they possessed their own “divine personas,” though unbound by them, free from the risk of falling for disobedience.
The Peerless Blade, forged from the ancient Thunder Pool and the Thunder God’s remnants, was the perfect reference for deducing the Great Dao’s manifestations and crafting divine personas!
No wonder it was eager to show off!
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