Chapter 1446: The Sect Entrance Assessment (Part Two)

Li Yan immediately realized something was wrong with the wind and snow. Although he was already on guard, his attention had been focused on potential attacks that could appear at any moment.

But without him noticing, he had already fallen into the trap. His senses were beginning to dull. In such a frigid environment, his body was slowly losing its feeling of cold.

‘The attack began the moment I entered!’

The ice and snow in this seemingly illusory scene were, in fact, the greatest killing move.

Though they couldn’t strip away flesh and melt bone like an Astral Wind, they could silently freeze a person’s Three Huns and Seven Pos, causing their soul to dissipate and perish before they even knew what was happening.

The attack here was a fatal trap set for the soul, formless and intangible.

While it couldn’t directly break through Li Yan’s Spirit Power shield, it could seep through with every breath, along every perception, and permeate the Three Huns and Seven Pos.

Therefore, while you were still waiting and staying vigilant, the assault had long since begun.

‘This is a test of the soul’s yin and yang power!’

Li Yan understood the purpose of this restriction’s attack. The Three Huns and Seven Pos were divided into yin and yang. Generally speaking, the Huns were yin, and the Pos were yang.

In this trial, if one couldn’t summon the power of their soul to resist, their life force would fade away as their soul drifted into a stupor.

And though the ice and snow here could be countered with fire-attribute divine abilities, the core of the formation’s attack was aimed at the human soul. Thus, this was no ordinary ice and snow.

It contained the sorrow and fear of the Po souls and the yin of the earth. Ordinary fire-attribute divine abilities couldn’t easily dispel it; one could only rely on the broader rules of heaven and earth to suppress it.

While this could achieve a general defense, it wasn’t a targeted counter.

At the same time, the moment you used such methods, you would arouse the suspicion of others, essentially giving yourself away without being prompted.

A crimson light flickered continuously on Li Yan’s forehead. Instantly, the falling snowflakes vanished the moment they came into contact with the red glow.

A warm sun seemed to rise within Li Yan’s body. As he channeled his Po power, the red light on his forehead grew increasingly brilliant, eventually enveloping his entire being in a crimson radiance.

The red light continued to expand. Wherever it touched the surrounding ice and snow, it was like encountering a scorching sun, melting them at an incredible speed.

Where the crimson light passed, large patches of green grass were revealed on the ground.

When the light had spread about ten feet from his body, Li Yan himself seemed to have transformed into a blazing red rising sun.

Li Yan surveyed his surroundings and prepared to walk forward. He needed to find the exit to break the restriction and step out of this ice plain.

Outside, the young man was staring at a door. The indifference on his face was now gone.

This room was the side chamber Li Yan had entered. At this moment, the door had vanished, replaced by a screen displaying an image. On the screen, Li Yan stood with red light emanating from his forehead.

“This person’s Po power is only at the Initial-stage Nascent Soul level, but why is it so incredibly pure? Has his soul been tempered by some secret art?”

Watching the Po power erupting from Li Yan, the young man’s eyes revealed a look of astonishment.

After more than ten years of arduous cultivation, Li Yan could now be considered to have precise control over his soul power. He had, of course, only revealed the Po power of an Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, the time he had spent cultivating was still too short, and he had yet to gain a truly profound understanding of soul cultivation.

Through the Po power Li Yan emitted, the young man outside could not only discern his cultivation realm but also see that there was something “off” about Li Yan’s soul.

This “issue” was something many cultivators dreamed of—the purity and condensation of one’s soul cultivation.

Li Yan had already done his utmost to control his soul power, keeping it at the level of an Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, but that only controlled the soul’s vigor and density.

He couldn’t conceal the intensity of the red light it emitted. The Po power he released was a deep crimson, already showing signs of transforming into a brilliant scarlet.

This greatly surprised the young man outside. Even though he had reached the Late-stage Nascent Soul realm, his soul’s condensation and compression would only be richer and tighter than Li Yan’s.

But the color of the red light he emitted was definitely not as vibrant as Li Yan’s.

This indicated that the other party’s soul had been tempered, and tempered to an extreme purity. The purity represented by this color was something only a Spirit Transformation soul cultivator should be able to achieve.

“Is this person a rogue cultivator? Did he obtain a tempering method from another outsider cultivator, or did he consume some kind of heavenly material or earthly treasure…”

As shock filled the young man’s heart, he recalled some information about the Soul-Slaying Sect.

The ancestor of that sect was also a cultivator who had walked out of the Soul-Suppression Palace, and a stunningly brilliant one at that. Later, after founding the Soul-Slaying Sect, he had absorbed some of the soul cultivation methods that had been swept into this world.

It had long been said that the cultivation methods created by this sect had their own unique and impressive aspects. Seeing it today left him rather astonished.

Techniques for tempering the soul existed in every soul cultivation sect; they were the most important means of honing the soul.

However, he didn’t seem to have heard that the Soul-Slaying Sect’s methods were this formidable. In that case, there were two other possibilities.

One was that Li Yan had obtained another, more powerful soul cultivation method. The other was that he had consumed a treasure that enhanced the soul.

The young man felt the first scenario was unlikely. After all, soul cultivators were rare, and those who were swept into this place were even rarer. However, he couldn’t rule out the possibility.

Some outsider soul cultivators, despite cooperating with the sects here, would always keep their most core secrets to themselves, unknown to outsiders. It was certainly possible that Li Yan could have obtained one.

But he was more inclined toward the latter guess: Li Yan had found something good during his travels outside.

Within the Earth-True Domain, extraordinary items related to soul cultivation like “Soul Crystal Sprouts” and “Crystal Smoke Land” had appeared. It wasn’t impossible for other heavenly materials and earthly treasures capable of tempering the soul to exist.

Seeing that the restriction attack, originally designed for Nascent Soul cultivators, had instantly dissolved after Li Yan displayed such pure Po power, the young man knew this trial had been easily broken by the other party, unless he adjusted the formation’s difficulty to the Spirit Transformation level.

But he wouldn’t dare to act so recklessly. He wasn’t the only one who knew the assessment list, and there was a corresponding roster outside. It could be checked with perfect accuracy.

The Soul-Suppression Palace placed great importance on cultivators from other sects who wished to join. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have set up a separate “Strange Sparrow Hall.”

“This person has a secret. When I have the chance, I must investigate the Soul-Slaying Sect’s cultivation method records more carefully!”

With just a single glance, the young man could tell that Li Yan was hiding a secret.

Thus, Li Yan was not a true immortal; he couldn’t divine the future with a pinch of his fingers and could only do his best and leave the rest to fate. And other people were not fools.

There were plenty of intelligent people among cultivators.

However, with this, the young man’s mind was filled with thoughts of the other party’s cultivation method, which made him even less likely to doubt Li Yan’s identity.

For someone with such pure Po power, especially one who could release it so easily, to claim he wasn’t a soul cultivator would be a joke.

In his heart, the thought of befriending Li Yan in the future also arose. Perhaps he could trade for some secret arts from him; it wasn’t impossible.

As for killing him for his treasures, the thought did cross his mind. However, unless he could do it cleanly, leaving no trace for others to find…

A venomous thought flashed through the young man’s mind, but it was merely a backup plan. If a real opportunity arose, he wouldn’t mind capturing the other party.

But he was more inclined to befriend Li Yan. After all, he wasn’t confident he could wipe the slate clean, and he feared the sect’s punishments even more. The thought of those tortures was enough to make his heart and guts split with fear.

Li Yan had no idea that he had just arrived and was already being targeted.

…

In the space of ice and snow, just as Li Yan was about to take a step, the world of ice and snow before him suddenly changed, like a scroll painting being rolled up.

The space first curled up from both sides. Then, the ice, snow, and other scenery before him completely distorted and twisted, rapidly rolling toward the center.

In just an instant, Li Yan found himself standing in a pitch-black space. In front of him, a small, luminous scroll was rapidly closing toward the middle.

In the span of a breath, the scroll transformed into a white point of light, which flickered once before vanishing completely into the pitch-black darkness.

“Did I break the restriction?”

The red light on Li Yan’s forehead also dimmed in that instant, then disappeared.

Although his soul power was not weak, it still seemed thin compared to his sea-like magical power. He couldn’t sustain such an expenditure for long.

Fortunately, the soul-recovering medicinal pills in the Earth-True Domain were quite effective. These were items that were almost impossible to buy in the outside world.

On his way here, Li Yan had passed through several market cities and purchased a considerable amount.

He maintained his usual caution, buying the pills in small batches from different places.

Although there was currently no possibility of leaving, Li Yan was already habitually making preparations. It was best to stock up on as many of these rare medicinal pills as possible.

Just as Li Yan withdrew his Po power, the pitch-black space before him changed again. In a blur, it transformed into a gray, dim space.

The scene that appeared before him caused Li Yan, who was still on high alert, to first be slightly stunned. Then, his dark eyes contracted violently, a rare look of disbelief appearing within them.

At this moment, although he hadn’t moved his feet, as the space here changed, Li Yan found himself standing at… the mouth, or perhaps the end, of a long, dim alley.

Because behind him was a wall, like a place of beginning or end. A long alley stretched out before him, curving as it extended forward…

On both sides were high, gray walls, and the sky above was a hazy gray, making it impossible to see how high the walls truly were.

Although there was light in the long alley, the overall scene was dim and gray, appearing very dark. The further one looked into the alley, the darker it became.

Only where Li Yan stood was there a beam of dim light shining down from above. The flagstones on the ground were gray, and the walls were also gray…

The appearance of this scene made Li Yan feel as if he had traveled through time in an instant, returning to a place he was extremely familiar with.

“This… this is the Underground Long Alley?”

Li Yan nearly shouted aloud, but in the next moment, he forced the words back down. He knew he hadn’t moved at all and was still within a formation.

The world of ice and snow had just transformed before his eyes. He hadn’t been teleported away at all; he had stood in place, and then this long alley had appeared at its end.

This could only mean that the formation here was changing, and this was not a real place!

“But… but how can the Soul-Suppression Palace have something like this… Ascended cultivators? The Hellsoul Clan?”

A few pieces of information flashed through Li Yan’s mind. But when the thought of the “Hellsoul Clan” arose, even Li Yan himself found it somewhat incredible.

However, this thought was just a fleeting one in his mind. He knew he couldn’t stand here for too long.

He was in the middle of an assessment. It was acceptable to show surprise, but he couldn’t get lost in thought, as that would arouse suspicion. He would think about everything carefully after he got out of here.

Li Yan first pretended to look around, and after confirming that there was no danger, he cautiously began to walk forward.

As he took each step, he was already counting silently in his mind.

‘One, two,three…’

Sure enough, when he counted to three, a white, illusory figure suddenly appeared ahead. The figure instantly launched an attack at him…

A quarter of an hour later, a pale-faced Li Yan appeared before the young man. The young man’s gaze was also tinged with a strange look as he carefully scanned Li Yan.

This cultivator named Li Yan had actually advanced one hundred and seventy zhang in the long alley. This formation had just been improved this year.

In particular, this Long Alley attack sequence was something Great Master Lan had painstakingly refined after consulting an ancient text from the sect, pouring her heart and soul into it.

This formation, it was said, was originally intended to temper the disciples’ souls. However, because it was not mature, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance it would cause the death of any cultivator who entered without protection.

Therefore, the sect did not agree to Great Master Lan building such a realistic tempering environment within the sect, as that would be tantamount to self-destruction.

But under Great Master Lan’s constant pestering, the Sect Master finally agreed that she could continue researching this ancient method, first refining it into an illusion formation attack and placing it within the sect’s assessment formation.

With cultivators watching over it here, it was a perfect opportunity to test the formation, identify its problems and shortcomings, and after it was perfected, the sect would truly establish a place where disciples could cultivate.

This formation had been here for several decades, and Great Master Lan would modify it every year. The young man in charge of the assessment, out of curiosity, had also entered to test it a few times while others stood guard.

After adjusting the formation to the Nascent Soul difficulty level and trying a few times, the most he could advance was about two hundred zhang before the attacks inside would beat him half to death, causing him to faint several times.

Because Great Master Lan’s control over so many soul spirits in the formation was far from perfect, the soul spirits inside attacked like a torrential storm.

This made it extremely difficult for cultivators to defend themselves inside, but at the same time, the formation could not fully unleash its true power.

This caused the soul spirits, which were hard to come by, to be consumed too quickly. They would often be completely dissipated after six or seven attacks, with fifty percent of their power being wasted.

Fortunately, they were a soul cultivation sect and had their own methods for nurturing soul spirits.

They had a dedicated Soul-Rearing Hall, where they could use secret arts to nurture weak souls into powerful soul spirits.

In a place like the Immortal Spirit Realm with its extremely rich spiritual energy, and with the help of “Soul Crystal Sprouts,” the Soul-Suppression Palace could raise soul spirits even faster.

These soul spirits were constantly instilled with a consciousness for slaughter, so they had no other thoughts and were just ferocious spirits that knew only to attack madly.

Nurturing soul spirits above the Nascent Soul level was more difficult and required more time. Foundation Establishment and Golden Core soul spirits were easy to cultivate, and occasionally, the souls of outsider cultivators could be used directly.

The consumption of this formation was so severe that the sect was unwilling to bear the cost. Therefore, the consumption of the soul spirits used here was borne by Great Master Lan alone.

But she was a Great Grandmaster of alchemy and artifact refining, and she was very wealthy. Assessments were not held every day, so Great Master Lan could afford it.

Even though this formation was immature, the young man in charge of the assessment felt that he ranked in the top one hundred among those in the Nascent Soul realm.

Being able to break through to a distance of two hundred zhang was enough to make him proud, but that was in comparison to Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

But the cultivator before him, Li Yan, was only at the Initial-stage Nascent Soul level, yet he had…

‘This isn’t just a matter of his soul power’s purity. I saw that his judgment was terrifyingly accurate when he was evading the siege of those soul spirits.

Even after finishing off one batch and continuing forward, before the next soul spirits appeared, it was as if he knew in advance where they would appear next…

And during the attacks of a group of soul spirits, he seemed to be able to accurately judge the sequence of their attacks…

He repelled the opponent by using the most soul-power-efficient method, basically without wasting any soul power, as if he had broken through this formation countless times…’

The young man was already extremely surprised. Li Yan gave him the feeling that he had been assessed in this long alley countless times.

But he quickly dismissed this idea. This formation was something Great Master Lan had deduced after countless failures, based on an ancient text from the sect.

According to what Great Master Lan once said, this formation was…

That one…

Therefore, this formation had only ever appeared in the Soul-Suppression Palace. It was impossible to see it outside, let alone break through it for cultivation.

“Then this person’s soul senses are exceptionally keen. This is a true soul cultivation genius. After his ancestors left the Soul-Slaying Sect, they themselves did not cultivate any earth-shattering strength, but they gave birth to such an heir!”

The young man judged everything he saw in his heart.

Some people are born with powerful divine sense, and some are born with powerful souls. This kind of thing even occurs among mortals.

Those who are naturally sensitive to light, sound, and even the sense of danger and death—they are not seasoned warriors who have fought countless battles, but are born with an extremely keen sense of danger, even able to sense the direction from which danger originates.

Such people are, in fact, truly born with powerful souls, and the purity of their souls is also very high. Often, when cultivating the same technique, such people’s souls will more easily unleash the power of the technique.

Therefore, after seeing Li Yan’s later performance, the young man felt that his previous guess might have been wrong. Li Yan’s various subsequent actions could only show that he had excellent cultivation aptitude.