In front of the Scripture Pavilion, Jian Dan embedded her Violet Jade Sword Token into the Dragon Ridge Golden Mirror. Once the verification was complete, she turned to Xue Ru and said softly,
"Your Master will wait for you here. Go up on your own."
"Yes. If Master has other matters to attend to, there's no need to wait for me. Once I retrieve my cultivation method, I'll return to Tianyue Peak myself."
"Good girl, go ahead."
Jian Dan's voice was gentle, carrying a touch of warmth.
Xue Ru smoothed out her pink Daoist robe, lifted her chin, and strode confidently into the Scripture Pavilion. In just a quarter of an hour, she ascended all the way from the first floor to the ninth, where the air grew quiet. Past the seventh floor, there were almost no people.
She passed through the glowing barrier of light that guarded the ninth level and stood before nine towering rows of bookshelves. The place was completely deserted, save for Tian Zhen Zhēnzūn, who watched from the shadows, observing Jian Lu's young disciple.
Taking a deep breath to steady her heart, Xue Ru wandered along the bookshelves, searching for a technique that resonated with her. She circled the rows once but found nothing to her liking. Following her Master's instructions, she sat cross-legged in the center aisle and began circulating her Qi Refinement cultivation technique as if in regular meditation.
Tian Zhen Zhēnzūn stroked his beard thoughtfully. This little girl hadn't found Wind and Cloud Art, yet she sat down to cultivate. Interesting.
As Xue Ru's mind settled into tranquility and her technique flowed smoothly, the spiritual power of the wind element began gathering around her. The wind spirit rooted deep within her wind spiritual root stirred, coiling upward from her spiritual root to refine the wind energy she absorbed, making it purer before it flowed into her dantian.
Just as she continued to absorb spiritual power, a ripple appeared before her. A small whirlwind slowly materialized, and though the wind spirit noticed, it stayed hidden in her spiritual root, aware of Tian Zhen Zhēnzūn's watchful presence.
Its master had warned it—revealing itself would draw unwanted attention. Its mistress wasn't yet strong enough to defend such a treasure, so it remained concealed.
At the center of the small whirlwind appeared a jade slip, pale green and about the size of a palm.
"Well, well. Jian Lu's disciple really managed to lure it out. Not bad. To think it was hidden in the wind itself—she even fooled me."
Tian Zhen Zhēnzūn's voice was laced with amusement as he observed openly, showing no intention of intervening.
The jade slip floated free of the vortex, which dissipated without a trace. Xue Ru, still seated in meditation, remained unaware as the jade slip hovered in front of her, circling her quietly.
When she failed to respond, the jade slip darted forward, pressing itself against her forehead. It dissolved into a streak of green light that shot straight into her sea of consciousness.
Only then did Xue Ru sense the disturbance. She instinctively raised her defenses, but in her sea of consciousness, three ancient characters glowed brightly: Wind and Cloud Art.
Before she could react further, the cultivation method for the Foundation Establishment stage unfurled in her mind.
Wei Xueru's eyes snapped open, her lips curving into a delighted smile. Not only had she acquired the technique she wanted, but the barrier of her twelfth Qi Refinement stage also felt looser.
She stood and bowed deeply to the empty air, then hurried down from the Scripture Pavilion.
What she didn't know was that the moment the technique entered her sea of consciousness, a fierce wind swept through the sky above the pavilion, setting the bells at the corners of the ninth floor chiming melodiously.
Outside, Jian Dan looked up at the swirling clouds, a knowing smile on her lips. Xue Ru had succeeded.
"Master!"
With a light leap, Xue Ru let the wind carry her straight to Jian Dan's side.
"Did you get what you wanted?" Jian Dan asked, her voice calm.
"Yes! Thank you, Master."
Xue Ru's cheeks were flushed with excitement as she bowed respectfully.
Yue Liang, perched nearby, wagged her fluffy tail in congratulation.
Just as Jian Dan was about to escort her disciple home, a loud crash echoed from the southern peak, followed by anxious shouts.
The Tianjian Peak trembled faintly. Jian Dan's brows knitted.
"Yue Liang, take Xue Ru back to Tianyue Peak, then come back to me," she ordered.
"Yes, Zūnshàng."
With a flash, Yue Liang appeared on Xue Ru's shoulder. Xue Ru cupped her hands to Jian Dan before vanishing with her guardian.
Jian Dan teleported directly to the southern peak, where chaos reigned. Jian Li, Sect Master Jian Chong, Jian Mao, and Jian Xu had already gathered, with several Zhēnzūn lurking unseen nearby.
The Dreamlike Illusory Rubik's Cube Realm was spinning violently, throwing out cultivators who had been undergoing trials. Many were caught off guard and landed hard before scrambling to their feet.
"What's going on?"
Sect Master Jian Chong's voice rang out as he questioned the disoriented cultivators.
"Reporting to Sect Master, I don't know. The insect beast I was fighting suddenly warped and vanished, and then I was expelled. I wasn't defeated."
The Nascent Soul cultivator's answer only deepened the frowns around him.
Jian Dan felt for the realm's energy flow, her eyelid twitching. Jian Li stepped closer immediately.
"Jian Lu, is there a problem with the Rubik's Cube Realm?" he asked.
Rubbing her temples, Jian Dan finally spoke.
"The realm itself is fine. I just need to know—who entered it last?"
"It was Tian Hong," came the calm reply from Tian Shou Zhēnzūn, who had appeared beside Jian Dan and Jian Li.
"Greetings to Tian Shou Zhēnzūn," everyone said, bowing in respect before turning back to Jian Dan.
"The realm doesn't have enough spiritual power to sustain this many simultaneous trials. Now that Tian Hong Zhēnzūn has entered, the Mahayana trial level has activated, and it's draining even more energy."
Before she could finish, another cultivator was ejected—this one in the Divine Transformation stage.
Tian Shou Zhēnzūn watched silently, shaking his head with a sigh. "Who knows what Tian Hong is doing in there..."
More cultivators followed, ejected one after another: Divine Soul, Void Refinement, Unity. Complaints began to rise. After all, many had spent a fortune in sect points to earn entry. Now, to be expelled mid-trial was infuriating.
Sect Master Jian Chong was quickly surrounded by voices of protest, while Jian Li dealt with higher-level complaints. Meng Congjian from the Operations Hall hurried over to manage the chaos. Soon, the southern peak buzzed with activity as all the ousted cultivators hovered in the air, waiting to see who would emerge last.
The Rubik's Cube Realm continued to shift. Not long after, it began shrinking. Jian Dan's eyelid twitched even harder.
"Jian Lu!"
A commanding voice resounded as Tian Yun Zhēnzūn appeared before them, calling her name directly.
"Disciple is here!" Jian Dan answered immediately.
"Tian Hong hasn't come out yet. As the artifact's creator, you must stabilize the realm. It has to hold until he's done."
So that was why her eyelids wouldn't stop twitching.
"Zhēnzūn, give me a supreme-grade spirit vein. With that, I can hold it together until Tian Hong Zhēnzūn finishes."
"Zūnshàng, there's already a high-grade spirit vein buried beneath the realm," Meng Congjian quickly reported.
Jian Dan rolled her eyes.
"Go check it."
Jian Li's voice was firm, sending Meng Congjian off.
He returned swiftly, looking dejected. "That spirit vein won't last much longer."
Fortunately, Sect Master Jian Chong had already ordered someone to fetch a supreme-grade spirit vein when Jian Dan first requested it. By the time Meng Congjian finished his report, a jade box containing the sealed vein was delivered to Jian Dan.