Seeing the golden lotus rising from the earth and the Sanskrit characters appearing on the stone tablet, the old emperor’s face darkened uncontrollably, while the others were a mix of vigilance and amusement.
Yet the crown prince seemed to have no further desires, having completely abandoned his pursuit of the throne. His expression remained serene, showing no trace of worry or fear. The golden lotus gradually transformed into a mysterious yellow, and the Sanskrit characters alternated between clarity and obscurity, constantly shifting. Even Simashi, who had reached half the mastery of the Dharma Body, struggled to discern their meaning.
Meng Qi had always been curious by nature. He half-closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and entered the golden Buddha within his Yuan Shen, using it to simulate an imposing aura in his gaze.
His eyes were like crystal, clear and untainted, yet shielded by his eyelids, no trace of energy leaked outward.
His gaze fell upon the “Inscriptionless Tablet,” and the shifting Sanskrit characters entered his pupils, finally settling on:
“Buddha Emperor.”
What audacity… Meng Qi closed his eyes and reopened them, now sharply defined, deep as a lake.
A cup of tea later, the mysterious yellow lotus vanished, the Sanskrit characters faded, and the Inscriptionless Tablet returned to its ancient, tattered appearance.
The crown prince rose to bow, smiling serenely as he returned to his platform, completely indifferent to the emperor’s dark glare and the others’ amused expressions.
Surveying the remaining crowd, Meng Qi showed no impatience, determined to be the last to step forward and make the final impression.
At that moment, Fan Changmiao, dressed in dark red enforcer’s garb with a silver badge at his waist, descended from the platform to begin his meditation on the Inscriptionless Tablet.
No one mocked his attempt. After all, everyone had to try, and perhaps there would be a reward? Hadn’t everyone before him failed yet none gave up?
Some sipped tea, others chatted in small groups, and the atmosphere relaxed instantly.
Meng Qi, however, watched intently. He had never fully understood this Zhuangyuan. His cultivation seemed to reach the resonance between Heaven and Man, yet the specifics remained vague—perhaps his technique was uniquely special.
If he gained any insight, perhaps a clue could be uncovered…
“Fan Changmiao was born and raised in the capital, and his reputation was not prominent before becoming the Zhuangyuan. Truly, he remained silent until the time to speak was right,” Wang Zai remarked casually, noticing Meng Qi’s attentiveness.
Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully. “What technique is he cultivating?”
“It’s said to be the family art ‘Taiyi Ziran Sword.'” Wang Zai, ever knowledgeable, replied.
Never heard of it… if it wasn’t a top-tier technique, Meng Qi naturally wouldn’t know it.
As they chatted idly, both suddenly grew serious, mouths shut, eyes locked on Fan Changmiao!
Whether from the sun being obscured by clouds or some other cause, Fan Changmiao’s surroundings grew dim and shadowy.
“Can he actually gain insight?” Wang Zai asked in surprise.
As the words left his mouth, a light flared from the darkness—faint yet dazzling, like a sword beam.
Shocked, some aristocratic youths who had come merely for sightseeing spat out their tea in disbelief—Fan Changmiao had actually comprehended a sword beam!
How many half-step experts had failed before? Only the “River of Blade Qi” at second place on the Human List and the crown prince, who was about to break through, had gained anything. What gave Fan Changmiao the right?
Because of his resonance with Heaven and Man? Because he ranked fifteenth on the Human List?
It was almost laughable!
Meng Qi wasn’t surprised. Using Wang Zai’s question, he replied, “Even with only the resonance of Heaven and Man, one can still contemplate the path forward. There’s no contradiction.”
Wang Zai looked deeply at him, vaguely guessing that Meng Qi himself was the same.
“With Fan Changmiao gaining insight, the ‘Crazy Blade’ must be under immense pressure!” someone glanced toward the platform where Meng Qi and Wang Zai stood.
“Exactly. If the first-ranked Human List member gains nothing, his reputation will be ruined!” others whispered in agreement.
“Just gaining insight isn’t enough; it must surpass their phenomena, or how can one claim the top spot?”
“Even so, the phenomena are quite similar, making it hard to determine superiority…”
As murmurs spread, Fan Changmiao opened his eyes, thanked the emperor reverently, and smiled as he returned to his seat.
Unexpected person, unexpected insight. The crowd grew noisy, so much so that no one noticed Xuan Zhen had already reached the Inscriptionless Tablet.
After a short while, the crowd quieted down as the tablet emitted waves of Buddhist light, and behind Xuan Zhen appeared a Bodhi tree, upright and lush, green and tranquil, bearing seeds like prayer beads!
No one doubted Xuan Zhen’s ability to gain insight. Born from the Chan Sect of Shaolin, he had advanced step by step, possessing the realm of unity between Heaven and Man. His mastery of Buddhist teachings was profound, often leading to enlightenment. If he gained nothing, that would be strange!
After a cup of tea, the Bodhi tree behind Xuan Zhen withered, and he opened his eyes, sighing softly, “Bodhi… Prajna… I finally understand. This journey was not in vain… Amitabha, I have let gain and loss cloud my mind.”
With that, he clasped his palms and thanked the emperor.
“Chan Master Xuan Zhen, rich in Buddha-nature, naturally gains insight,” the old emperor replied.
Xuan Zhen shook his head and smiled. “Unfortunately, Master Zhen Hui is not here. He might have gained even more insight than me…”
Meng Qi nodded slightly in full agreement. Although Zhen Hui had only a limited understanding and was still far from contemplating the path, he practiced the “Flower-Snatching Finger”—the “Buddha’s Flower Snatching, Kashyapa’s Smile” had always symbolized “enlightenment.” Zhen Hui possessed a simple wisdom and might indeed attain some realization, which wouldn’t surprise Meng Qi in the least.
While the aristocratic youths were still debating what Xuan Zhen had comprehended, Zhao Heng took a deep breath and stepped down from the platform.
Meng Qi let out a soft “Hm,” surprised. Compared to before, Zhao Lao Wu now walked like a dragon and a tiger. Even the high-ranking officials on the platform, though deep in scheming, turned their gazes toward Zhao Heng.
For years, Prince Wei had been silent. Even as his health improved and his martial arts advanced, he remained unnoticed. Now, his posture rivaled that of the crown prince and Prince Jin!
After bowing to his father, Zhao Heng sat cross-legged before the tablet, falling into silence.
The lake rippled gently, the water calm, the tablet and its surroundings showing no anomaly.
“It seems Prince Wei, like Prince Jin, still lacks the final touch…” a noble from the capital murmured, shaking his head slightly.
As the words left his mouth, a dragon’s roar suddenly erupted from the ground, majestic and noble. From within the tablet flew golden dragons, claws and fangs bared, circling around Zhao Heng’s body!
This… the Son of Heaven… countless people thought inwardly.
Prince Jin’s expression changed dramatically. His previously overlooked younger brother had actually comprehended the True Dragon!
The emperor’s eyes narrowed, and his right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.
The dragons coiled around him, entered his body, then flew out again, condensing into a golden seal that slowly settled upon Zhao Heng’s forehead.
When Zhao Heng opened his eyes, Meng Qi knew he had at least saved a year of cultivation.
“Thank you, Father, for allowing me to contemplate the tablet,” Zhao Heng said respectfully.
The scene fell silent. Many high-ranking officials remained silent, scrutinizing Zhao Heng as if seeing him anew.
The emperor smiled. “Excellent, excellent! The Zhao family has another Qilin child!”
This was high praise indeed, making Prince Jin’s expression darken further, while the crown prince merely showed surprise before returning to calm.
Nonetheless, Prince Jin wasn’t overly concerned. Even if Zhao Heng displayed the talent of Su Meng or Gao Lan, the succession still depended on the stance of various factions.
Without a Dharma Body to suppress, countless extraordinarily talented princes had been excluded from the line of succession because top noble families feared they might use imperial power to cultivate a Dharma Body.
“Unexpectedly, Prince Wei is also so outstanding…” Wang Zai, without a trace of jealousy, spoke candidly.
Meng Qi pursed his lips, deep in thought. Zhao Lao Wu had only recently broken through and hadn’t initially found his path. The current phenomenon must have greatly benefited from the “True Emperor’s Seal.”
This was truly a human Dao treasure!
After Zhao Heng returned to his seat, all eyes turned between Bai Qigu and Meng Qi, the only two left to perform…
One was a perfect half-step cultivator who had ascended through unity with Heaven, the other the top-ranked warrior on the Human List. Both had the foundation for insight. Would they create a grand display, overshadowing all previous?
If their phenomena were similar, the Prince Wei with the dragon circling his body might rank first.
At this moment, someone they had overlooked silently approached the Inscriptionless Tablet.
“Ah, who is that?”
“It seems… it’s a guest of the Gongsun family.”
“Oh, it’s Qi Zhengyan, the descending immortal-mortal, a top-twenty Human List expert, and a direct disciple of the Huanhua Sword Sect.”
After entering the Human List, Qi Zhengyan had gained attention from the Huanhua Sword Sect, receiving many resources.
Would the Hun Tian Treasure Mirror at the level of resonance between Heaven and Man evoke phenomena… Meng Qi was filled with anticipation and curiosity.
Others, having seen Fan Changmiao’s precedent, also remained vigilant, watching closely.
Dressed in plain green robes, upright in posture, with an ordinary face and no expression, Qi Zhengyan bowed to the emperor and sat alone before the tablet.
Noon had passed, yet autumn sunlight remained, casting a golden glow over the tablet and Qi Zhengyan, dyeing them in a warm hue.
Time flowed like water, yet Qi Zhengyan and the tablet showed no anomaly.
As everyone thought it a failure, the surroundings suddenly turned yellow, and a second sun appeared above the river, slowly descending, perfectly round.
“The setting sun over the long river…” the phrase suddenly surged into Meng Qi’s mind.
The river reflected the sun, displaying a late glow, crimson like fire, with white mist rising. Birds, drawn by something unseen, flew toward it, dancing with the glow, the water blending with the sky.
Scene after scene appeared, leaving the crowd spellbound, their minds flashing with poetic lines:
“The setting glow and solitary wild goose fly together; autumn waters and the long sky share one color…”
“Suddenly, spring wind came in one night; ten thousand pear trees bloomed…”
“Far up the cold mountain, the stone path winds; where white clouds gather, there are homes…”
“The cascade falls three thousand feet; like the Milky Way descending nine heavens…”
“Boundless fallen leaves rustle down; endless Yangtze rolls on…”
…
“This is the manifestation of many Huanhua Sword Sect techniques!” Such a spectacle naturally drew exclamations, with even high-ranking officials turning their heads in awe.
Yet in Meng Qi’s eyes, this was far more than just poetic sword techniques of the Huanhua Sword Sect!
His expression grew solemn, his gaze intense. He saw the Baiyunyan, Meixiadang, Tukunlun, Bixue Xue, and Zixinghe techniques of the Hun Tian Treasure Mirror merging into the poetic sword arts of the Huanhua Sword Sect!
What kind of phenomenon was this?
Various scenes rotated, blending yet resisting each other, filled with tension.
Suddenly, darkness enveloped the area around the tablet, and a single sword beam flared, illuminating the surroundings. All phenomena united, following the sword beam into the sky, brimming with vigor and self-strengthening will!
Wang Zai couldn’t help but exclaim:
“Heaven’s movement is vigorous; the gentleman constantly strengthens himself!”
“Qi Zhengyan used the Inscriptionless Tablet to fuse his martial arts into one, creating his own technique!”
“Heaven’s movement is vigorous; the gentleman constantly strengthens himself… This is Qi Senior Brother’s motto, and his contemplation of his path?” Meng Qi inhaled deeply, both surprised and pleased.
Countless noble youths were stunned. This was undoubtedly the most shocking revelation from the stele today.
Truly, one cannot judge a person by appearance…
Qi Zhengyan remained expressionless, thanked the emperor, and returned to his seat unhurriedly.
Later, Bai Qigu also gained insight from the Inscriptionless Tablet. The river collapsed, the earth trembled, clearer and more refined than when she ascended to the half-step. Yet her phenomenon could only match Xuan Zhen and others, unable to rival Qi Zhengyan.
Thus, only Meng Qi remained.
Only now did the aristocratic youths recover from the shock of Qi Zhengyan’s display, turning their gazes toward Meng Qi, wondering what insight the top-ranked figure on the Human List would gain.
Would he surpass all who had come before, outshine those ranked below him?
Especially since Qi Zhengyan had integrated his skills and comprehended a technique, could the “Crazy Blade” reach even greater heights?
This seemed unlikely… after all, insight sometimes had little to do with strength. Higher rankings and greater combat prowess didn’t necessarily mean better insight!
High-ranking officials also turned their gazes toward Meng Qi, their eyes like tangible forces, filled with judgment.
Meng Qi originally felt little pressure, confident he could surpass Xuan Zhen and others. Yet Qi Zhengyan’s unexpected insight unsettled him—could he do even better?
“Hesitation” was not an option in battle. Meng Qi took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and everything around him faded, then slowly reappeared. The primordial energy of heaven and earth gently swayed, soaking his body, bringing comfort and ease, free from thoughts of victory or defeat.
He rose leisurely, stepped into the air, and slowly descended to the Inscriptionless Tablet.
After bowing respectfully, Meng Qi sat cross-legged under the crowd’s intense gaze.
He didn’t immediately close his eyes but carefully examined the Inscriptionless Tablet. Its stone was gray-white, ancient and worn, covered in fine cracks, as if unearthed from ruins.
With his eyes closed, Meng Qi tapped into his connection with heaven and earth to sense the tablet. He intuitively felt it was hollow, containing only an unfathomable gray-white void, with no discernible secrets within.
Meng Qi had prepared himself, excluding techniques like the “Rulai Palm” and “Shenxiao Jiulie” that might attract envy. He activated his inner universe, revealing the path he had preliminarily established, visualizing related phenomena.
His various acupoints “opened,” some chaotic, others dotted with stars, or shaped like a dome over a square earth, with the Fusang tree in the east and Kunlun immortal mountains in the west…
In the acupoints filled with stars, each shining star was a sun, surrounded by dark stars forming systems, gathering into clouds, merging into the Milky Way—boundless, vast, and magnificent.
Sensing the mechanism, the deep gray-white void stirred slightly, as if something was about to erupt from within.
On the high platform, Wang Zai saw the tablet slowly glowing after Meng Qi closed his eyes, nodded slightly with a smile, feeling that a phenomenon was about to appear, and Meng Qi was sure to gain insight.
Each acupoint was a universe, separate yet intersecting at the “Ten Thousand Heavens.”
The “Ten Thousand Heavens” referred to the nine celestial acupoints and the five viscera and six bowels, which evolved the Five Elements, sprouted life, heralded the apocalypse, and formed a cycle of their own.
As Meng Qi activated his inner world to approach the “Zhetian”, the grayish wriggling became increasingly violent. Meng Qi faintly sensed the aura of the “Zhetian”! It was an interweaving of laws and principles, a manifestation of Dao and virtue! This made his comprehension of the Zhetian increasingly refined and smooth.
Seeing the stone tablet’s glow intensifying, the old emperor nodded slightly, and everyone was already prepared to witness extraordinary phenomena. Who knows whether Kuang Dao could surpass Qi Zhengyan of Huanhua Sword Sect?
Just at this moment, as Meng Qi was activating his own “Zhetian,” the grayish wriggling did not intensify further but instead gradually calmed down! How could this happen?
Meng Qi was fully immersed in the activation and comprehension, without any emotional fluctuation. However, Wang Zai and others saw the glow gradually extinguishing. They looked surprised, unable to believe such a situation. Could it be that Kuang Dao, the top-ranked martial artist on the Human List, was still half a step short of comprehending the stone tablet? Yet among the top twenty on the Human List, three had successfully gained insights!
Higher than the universe, the Zhetian hovered above, influencing their principles and laws. Yet as Meng Qi drew closer in his activation, the wriggling grayish mass became calmer. When Meng Qi completed the activation through the Zhetian, the grayish wriggling completely subsided.
However, in Meng Qi’s perception, it became even deeper and darker, seemingly undergoing an indescribable transformation compared to before.
Above the Zhetian, at the source of the River of Time, was an indescribable “point.” It had no distinction of up or down, left or right, nor any concept of before or after, fast or slow. There was no past, present, or future—this was the cause of all outcomes, the beginning of everything!
Meng Qi’s Yuan Shen sat cross-legged within it, eyes half-open, exuding a profound and chaotic aura, beyond words to describe.
“Why did the glow fade into silence?” a noble asked softly.
His companion half-smiled and said, “It means he still lacks a little.”
As he spoke, the man turned his head toward Fan Changmiao, nodded with a bow, as if congratulating him.
Fan Changmiao nodded in return, gazing at the silent stone tablet and Meng Qi, his eyes filled with confusion. Could it be that Meng Qi had not yet figured out his own path?
Wang Siyuan had been smiling all along, showing no surprise, only slightly raising his eyebrows when Qi Zhengyan showed abnormalities. But now, he slightly furrowed his brows, feeling his calculations might have been slightly off.
Xiao Meng was very confident, definitely not blindly so… Wang Zai looked toward Ruan Yushu and Qi Zhengyan, Meng Qi’s two friends, and saw that both were still watching the stone tablet with concern, showing not disappointment but confusion.
The Yuan Shen sitting cross-legged showed no change, or rather, it encompassed all changes.
The cause of all outcomes, the beginning of everything, is known as Yuan Shi.
Suddenly, Meng Qi’s Yuan Shen opened his eyes.
Chaos shattered, the Zhetian emerged, the universe evolved, and heaven and earth were formed!
At the same time, a breath seemed to burst from within the grayish mass, merging into this sensation.
The sun shone brightly, golden rays illuminating the stone tablet. There was no shadow, no change, no text—nothing but the tablet itself.
At this moment, Meng Qi opened his eyes, stood up, bowed, and walked toward the platform.
“No extraordinary phenomenon at all?”
“Kuang Dao is indeed a martial artist whose combat strength surpasses his cultivation realm…”
“In terms of insight and contemplation of the principles of heaven and earth, he is inferior to Fan Changmiao…”
Amid murmurs of discussion, Wang Zai closed his eyes in thought, feeling it shouldn’t be this way. Suddenly, he heard a crisp sound.
All surrounding sounds vanished. Instinctively, Wang Zai opened his eyes and saw the center of the grayish stone tablet slowly cracking!
With a “crack,” the fissure grew longer and deeper.
The wordless stone tablet had cracked, cracked… Even someone as composed as Wang Zai was stunned, this going beyond his imagination.
Wang Siyuan suddenly narrowed his eyes, forgetting to breathe.
Fan Changmiao tightened his grip on his sword, his gaze blank.
The wordless stone tablet had cracked, cracked… The people who had just been talking were now stunned, their expressions frozen.
Cui Qingyu, the acting head of the Cui family, unconsciously twitched his right hand resting on his knees. Sima Shi, the chief investigator of the Six Gates, quietly inhaled.
Despite their strength and high cultivation, the imperial ministers had never witnessed such an event before, making it difficult not to be shocked.
The wordless stone tablet had cracked, cracked…
Crash, crack… Many nobles dropped their teacups to the ground.
The old emperor first showed astonishment on his face, then looked extremely displeased. If the wordless stone tablet were to shatter like this, how could he face his ancestors?
The cracking sound ceased. The stone tablet did not split into two, still deep and dark, but the fissure was long and deep. Compared to the previous fine cracks on the tablet, it was like the difference between a stream and a mighty river.
At least it didn’t shatter… The old emperor exhaled in relief.
Amid a series of sharp intakes of breath, the old emperor sighed, “Kuang Dao should be the champion…”
He couldn’t bring himself to comment further, his mood fluctuating, needing peace and quiet.
Meng Qi felt his physical body become more lively, with one more restraint lifted. Combined with his earlier insights and the merging breath, he was only missing one final trigger to break through!
Perhaps it would be a battle, or perhaps understanding why Suziyuan had been sent to the Shaolin Temple…
“What a terrifying Kuang Dao…”
“What exactly did he comprehend, making the wordless stone tablet unable to withstand it?”
“Could it be because too many people have comprehended it before?”
“Nonsense! If too many comprehensions could damage the tablet, would the emperor have brought it out?”
“Perhaps Kuang Dao is the strongest first-ranked martial artist in history…”
Amid the exclamations, Meng Qi walked steadily, his green robe rustling, unhurriedly returning to his seat.
Just sitting down, a faint smile unconsciously curved his lips as he glanced at the wordless stone tablet, seeing the deep crack.
“At least it didn’t shatter; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to afford the compensation…” Meng Qi inwardly sighed in relief. Of course, the Rulai Divine Palm could rival it.
Wang Zai looked at Meng Qi, rarely unable to control his emotions, as if staring at a monster wearing human skin: “Since the wordless stone tablet reappeared, this is the first time.”
For some unknown reason, he silently added another sentence: at least it had great fortune…
Meng Qi didn’t know how to respond and could only half-jokingly say, “Everything has its first time.”
Cough, cough, Wang Siyuan began coughing violently.
After a brief silence, the old emperor finally spoke, offering Meng Qi a cup of wine and continuing, “The third test: in a martial cultivation world, the nation is built upon martial prowess. No matter how many insights or how high one’s cultivation, it ultimately comes down to actual combat. The Yulin Garden contains an illusion formation that can simulate perilous terrains such as deep valleys and steep mountains, and it can also allow participants to escape danger. Those who wish to test their combat abilities may enter.”
“This will be a chaotic battle, and the last person expelled from the formation by the array will be the champion.”
Ah, so it’s like this. If I coordinate with my companions, there’s still hope of victory… Meng Qi suddenly understood. However, since it’s an illusion formation, weather and terrain must be considered, and it might be impossible to contact teammates at all.
Cui Qingyu pondered for a moment and said, “Although the formation offers protection and escape mechanisms, if there is interference, it might delay their escape by half a beat. They are all extraordinary talents; it would be a pity if they perished here.”
The old emperor chuckled and said, “Since Minister Cui is concerned, then I shall lift the restriction, allowing you all to leave a trace of your aura on your descendants. In critical moments, you can retrieve them, combining it with the formation itself to ensure absolute safety.”
Cui Qingyu nodded slightly, no longer objecting.
…
Outside the palace, Doumu Yuanjun had already finished recounting past events and was sitting quietly in a secluded place, seemingly sensing something.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and murmured softly, “It has begun…”
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