Chapter 76: Taiji Gives Birth to Yin and Yang

  Liu Cai chose the long sword with the dual attributes of gold and thunder, as well as the bead-shaped magic artifact that assisted in cultivation. The remaining two artifacts belonged to Lin Changfeng. As for those ranked fourth to tenth, they did not receive any top-grade artifacts as rewards, at most only getting one mid-grade artifact.

  Those new disciples who failed to enter the top ten could only envy them in silence.

  The sky had already turned dark, but the host did not announce the end of the event. Instead, he led everyone towards the Scripture Pavilion at the back mountain. Although the ranking trial had ended, there were still two important matters that had yet to be completed.

  But after a short while, everyone arrived in front of the Scripture Pavilion. The Scripture Pavilion was over ten zhang high, shaped like a pagoda, and its top layer was even shrouded in clouds. However, what caught people's attention was the large array that enveloped it, occasionally emitting a dangerous aura. Those new disciples all believed that if they forced their way in, they would definitely be killed by this large array.

  "It's another large formation of five stages or higher!" Fang Li's eyes narrowed, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

  "There are thirteen levels in the Scripture Pavilion, and the higher you go, the better the sword moves and techniques. However, the top-grade swordsmanship suitable for Qi-refining stage cultivators is all on the third level. Whether or not you can obtain it depends on your own fortune." Dao Yan stroked his beard and began to explain to these new disciples.

  "Looking for Fu Yuan?" The new disciples were all stunned, could it be that there was something else mysterious in the Scripture Pavilion?

  "Entering the Scripture Pavilion is also a major test for our Xuan Yang Sword Sect. Each floor has a strong pressure, and if you can't withstand it, you won't be able to enter higher floors, and naturally, you won't get any good skills either. For you, as long as you can enter the third floor, you can be considered one of the top disciples of our Xuan Yang Sword Sect. The requirement is not high, actually." Dao Yan said calmly.

  "You bunch of 'mixed' kids, you'd better make some effort. The third floor is all about top-notch swordsmanship. If you can get one, you'll be able to pull ahead of your fellow disciples at the same level. And in future competitions, your chances of winning will increase by a lot." Da Luo suddenly chimed in with his loud voice, cheering on these new disciples.

  After hearing his words, Fang Li's heart was somewhat itchy and eager to move. Swordsmanship had always been his weakness, and he had long wanted to obtain a manual. Now that he had finally waited for this opportunity, he would not miss it, even if entering the third layer required going through treacherous mountains and seas of fire, he would do so without hesitation!

  "Alright, I've handed over everything that needs to be handed over. You can go in now. However, you must all come out within two hours." After finishing speaking, Dao Yan glanced around at the disciples surrounding him.

  The new disciples did not dare hesitate and hastily promised.

  As the voices of the many disciples fell, a loud rumbling sound was heard, and the large 'door' of the Scripture Pavilion suddenly opened, while the protective array outside also stopped rotating.

  Fang Li's pupils contracted, knowing that all of this was under Dao Yan's control. The guardian stone of the Great Array should be in his hands.

  The grand entrance of the Zang Jing Ge was opened, and everyone had some expectations in their hearts. Gongfa is the most basic thing for cultivators, if they can obtain a top-grade gongfa, they will be one step ahead of others at the starting line. The benefits are naturally numerous.

  "I must enter the third level and cannot fall behind other fellow disciples." Many new disciples secretly said in their hearts, very determined.

  Fang Li stood among the crowd, seeing that those disciples on the side were eager to get the Gong Fa quickly, but none of them dared to be the first to enter. It seemed like they were all waiting for someone else to go in and pave the way. After all, the Sect Master had said that each layer had a powerful pressure, so it was better to be careful.

  Fang Li saw this and burst out laughing. He didn't care about anything, took big strides, and directly stepped inside. Since they were gutless, he would be the first to enter!

  "Fang Li, wait for me!" Liu Cai 'Yu' saw this and immediately followed Fang Li's footsteps into the Scripture Storage Pavilion.

  Upon hearing Fang Li's laughter, the remaining disciples' faces all felt a bit scorching and also somewhat irritated. Being cautious wasn't anything wrong, so why was Fang Li laughing?!

  After entering the scripture hall, the scene in front of him suddenly became clear and bright. Row upon row of massive bookshelves appeared before Fang Li, and the ancient aura actually made him pause for a moment.

  "What's wrong with you, don't waste time, there are only two hours left, and I don't know if we can even find a sword technique that suits our taste." Liu Caiyu followed closely behind and walked in, patted Fang Li's shoulder, took a deep breath of the surrounding air, and suddenly laughed: "Those people outside are really ridiculous, the first floor of the pavilion doesn't have any pressure at all, it's strange that they're so cautious, as if they're afraid of being the first to come in and suffer losses."

  Fang Li casually flipped through two bookshelves of classics and found that they were only inferior sword techniques in the Qi Refining stage, so he lost interest. He also heard what Liu Cai 'Yu' said and couldn't help but laugh: "Being cautious is not wrong, but being too cautious makes one seem a bit timid. Since the Sect Master has already spoken and said we can come in, would they still try to deceive us?"

  "That's right." Yuliu 'Yu' said, suddenly hearing a footsteps sound from behind, frowned and continued: "Quickly go up to the second floor, they are also coming in soon."

  Fang Li put down the book in his hand, nodded, and quickly walked towards the stairs with Liu Caiyu. The staircase on the first floor was located at the easternmost corner of the floor, and from the entrance, you had to pass by more than a dozen large bookshelves.

  As he walked to the staircase, Fang Li's powerful spiritual sense immediately detected something unusual. He saw that on the stairs leading to the second floor, there was a faint glow circulating.

  "Could this be what Master Zong said was oppressive? Stuck on the stairs, it's quite troublesome." Liu Cai 'Yu' furrowed her delicate eyebrows.

  Fang Li looked at her with curiosity, compared to when they just met, she had become much more mature and steady now.

  "Let's try it out first, after all, it's just a checkpoint leading to the second floor, no matter how powerful it is, it can't be that powerful." After finishing speaking, Fang Liyun turned his body's true energy and stepped onto the stairs.

  Suddenly, Fang Li only felt a tremor in his soul, as if a great mountain was pressing down on him. This oppression was not physical, but spiritual, making one feel helpless and unable to resist.

  "How is it?" Liu Caiyu saw Fang Li's face suddenly change color and couldn't help but ask anxiously.

  Fang Li "rubs" his head, immediately releasing his spiritual sense to counter this pressure. It's unknown whether this pressure is too weak or Fang Li's spiritual sense is too strong, but Fang Li suddenly feels a lightness in his body, and the discomfort from before has lessened.

  "Come on, the pressure isn't too great, remember to release your spiritual sense first to resist it." Fang Li said to Liu Cai 'Yu'. Then, step by step, he continued to walk upwards.

  Seeing Fang Li's carefree appearance, Liu Cai's heart relaxed a bit and she also stepped forward, but the next moment, she suddenly let out a cry of surprise. She was forced to retreat and fell to the ground.

  Fang Li heard the exclamation and immediately turned his head to see Liu Cai 'Yu' staring at him with a fierce gaze, couldn't help but laugh: "Didn't I tell you to release your spiritual sense first? Why are you still in such a sorry state?"

  Liu Cai 'Yu' however indignantly said: "Are you intentionally pretending to be that relaxed, in order to lead me into embarrassment?"

  Fang Li's demeanor just now was indeed too relaxed, as if he were walking normally. No wonder Liu Cai 'Yu' would be so careless.

  Fang Li smiled helplessly and said, "If I'm not mistaken, to withstand this pressure, one must have a strong divine sense and an unshakeable will. My divine sense has already reached the third stage, and even compared to some initial Golden Elixir cultivators, it won't be much different, which is why I can be so relaxed."

  "That's a good reason." Liu Caiyu's face still looked unpleasant, she gritted her teeth and continued to walk up the stairs. At this time, although she had already used all her strength, her legs were still shaking slightly, one step at a time, looking very strenuous.

  It took a full five minutes for Liu Caiyu to finally make it up to the second floor. As soon as she came up, she sat down on the ground without caring about her image, panting and cursing: "This damn pressure is too strong, almost killed me!"

  Fang Li smiled slightly, not saying a word, but looked towards the staircase. At this time, many new disciples were already trying to climb up the stairs, but they were too impatient and eager to rush ahead. Many of them had already reached halfway, only to fall back down due to one misstep, before getting up again to continue trying. Judging from their situation, it was unlikely that anyone would be able to reach the top within half an hour.

  Among them, Fang Li found the figures of Lin Changfeng and Yan Chongli, who were estimated to be still injured and climbing with great difficulty.

  "Let's go to the third floor, although there are many top-grade sword techniques here, but none of them are extremely rare. Staying here is also a waste of time." Fang Li said calmly.

  Liu Cai's face flashed a hint of difficulty, and she said softly: "Why don't you go up first? With my current state, walking up the stairs is estimated to be difficult, even taking a step would be hard. Even if I could climb up to the third floor, it would take at least half an hour."

  Fang Li's expression didn't change, and he calmly said, "It doesn't matter, I'll carry you up."

  "Are you carrying me up?" Liu Caiyu was stunned, but before she could react, Fang Li had already picked her up and quickly walked towards the stairs leading to the third floor.

  Liu Cai's face turned red, and she tried to struggle free, but suddenly felt a strong sense of oppression wash over her, causing her soul to tremble with fear. She didn't dare speak again. Fang Li was still holding onto her, but the pressure on his soul hadn't lessened in the slightest. Fortunately, this oppressive feeling didn't last long, and Fang Li immediately rushed up to the third floor.

  "You scoundrel, I almost got my soul crushed by this overwhelming pressure!" Liu Caiyu broke free and immediately pointed at Fang Li, scolding him loudly. Being forcibly brought here by Fang Li, Liu Caiyu now felt a bit dizzy.

  "Sorry, didn't think that much." After saying that, Fang Libian ignored her and started browsing the secret books on the bookshelf.

  Liu Cai was furious for another reason, which was that Fang Li dared to hug her without her consent. Didn't he know that men and women should not be intimate with each other?

  But Fang Li seemed like a person who didn't care, and Liu Cai's 'jade' wasn't easy to provoke either. He could only hum twice and start searching for his own suitable sword technique. After all, time was limited, and it couldn't be wasted.

  Fang Li flipped through the books at an extremely fast speed, one after another swordsmanship manuals passed through his hands, but after reading the introductions to those swordsmanship techniques, he wasn't quite satisfied.

  "Huh?" When Fang Li picked up another secret book, he couldn't help but let out a soft "huh". The introduction of that secret book was somewhat attractive, the first sentence read: Basic Swordsmanship Advanced Chapter - Taiji Swordsmanship.

  Whether it's "Basic Swordsmanship Advanced Chapter" or "Taiji Swordsmanship", these words deeply attract Fang Li. First, the basic swordsmanship is what Fang Li has been practicing all along, and can be said to have reached a state of perfection. If he were to cultivate its advanced chapter, his progress would naturally double. Moreover, Fang Li was also very familiar with the two words "Taiji", as he had once read an ancient book that contained the following sentence: Wuji gives birth to Taiji, Taiji gives birth to Liangyi, Liangyi gives birth to Sixiang, Sixiang gives birth to Bagua...

  The fundamental swordsmanship is the beginning of all swordsmanship, and it is said that in ancient times it was called Wujiquan Swordsmanship. According to the words on that ancient book, there should be an advanced chapter after Taiji Swordsmanship, which is Er'ying Swordsmanship.

  Let's not talk about the overall power of this set of swordsmanship for now, but just the fact that it contains a set of Taiji Swordsmanship is enough to make it worth Fang Li's learning. Internally, the Water and Fire Two Forms Array forms two forms; externally, the Two Forms Swordsmanship forms two forms; in terms of equipment, the Water and Fire Double Attribute 'Xing' Longsword forms two forms. The three are all interconnected, and it's possible that they can burst forth with power that surpasses their original strength by three or four times!