NOVEL WEB
Chapter 4: Record
Throughout the entire day, Meng Zhang spent most of his time reading the "Sect Master's Chronicle." This magic tool, passed down among the Taiyi Sect's generations of Sect Masters, brought him great surprises. Meng Zhang's eyes were opened wide, and his anticipation for the contents recorded in the chronicle grew.
By the time night fell and after spending the whole day, he came across an interesting entry in the book. It was recorded by a former Sect Master of Taiyi Sect, Xuan Qingzi. According to his account, in Taiyi Sect's prime, they possessed numerous Trial Grounds used to temper the disciples.
Outstanding disciples who entered these Trial Grounds would face various tests. If they passed, they would gain significant benefits, including access to certain sect legacies that greatly enhanced their strength.
After Taiyi Sect's annihilation, these Trial Grounds were either destroyed or occupied by other sects. However, some of these Trial Grounds were located in other dimensions, and during the sect's destruction, they might have escaped the catastrophe.
After Taiyi Sect was rebuilt, the higher-ups of the sect had invested considerable effort to re-enter these Trial Grounds and reclaim their lost legacies. After numerous attempts, the post-rebuilt Taiyi Sect successfully communicated with one of the Trial Grounds.
This Trial Ground was located in the Netherworld, and the physical body of a living person could not enter it. Only when the Divine Soul Left the Body and entered as a Soul could one access it. Furthermore, the targets of this Trial Ground were Refining Qi stage disciples of the sect, so only cultivators at the Refining Qi stage could enter.
Ordinary cultivators generally had to reach the Refining Qi stage before their Soul could barely leave their body. Moreover, the Soul could not stay out of the body for too long or go too far from it. If an ordinary cultivator wished for their Soul to stay outside the body for an extended period and travel far, they would need to possess a Cultivation Base at the Foundation Building stage.
However, such limitations were nothing to the flourishing Taiyi Sect, which once boasted numerous Primordial Spirit elders and a multitude of talents. There were always some peerless geniuses who possessed the Soul strength equivalent to that of the Foundation Building stage even while at the Refining Qi stage. Furthermore, Taiyi Sect at that time had many special means to enhance the Soul strength of ordinary Refining Qi stage disciples.
As a result, this Trial Ground in the Netherworld frequently welcomed Refining Qi stage disciples with powerful Souls during its prime.
However, after the reconstruction of Taiyi Sect, there were no more exceptional disciples, and all means of enhancing Souls were lost. Consequently, despite their painstaking efforts to communicate with this Trial Ground, they couldn't enter it or make it function. All the efforts of the sect members turned out to be in vain.
When Sect Master Xuan Qingzi recorded this event, he expressed his regret and frustration, lamenting that the post-rebuilt Taiyi Sect was simply unlucky and encountered obstacles at every turn.
Afterward, Taiyi Sect's mountain gate was once again breached, and the sect was left in chaos and displaced. This particular record was then submerged in history, and the subsequent generations of Sect Masters showed no interest in it.
When Meng Zhang read this entry, he didn't breeze through it as the previous Sect Masters did. Instead, he carefully read it repeatedly. Perhaps due to his status as a transmigrator, Meng Zhang's Soul was naturally stronger than that of an ordinary person.
In this aspect, his exceptional talent was evident even before he began his cultivation. He possessed a photographic memory and remarkable comprehension. Shortly after formally starting his cultivation, with just a Cultivation Base at the Refining Qi initial stage, he could easily achieve Divine Soul Left the Body. As his Cultivation Base advanced to the Refining Qi stage middle phase, he could even leave his body for extended periods and wander freely as a Divine Soul.
Being a transmigrator was his most significant secret, one he hadn't even revealed to his mentor, Daoist Profound Spirit.
Over a month ago, when the former Sect Master, Daoist Profound Spirit, was summoned by Twin Success Valley, Meng Zhang took advantage of the opportunity to indulge in his Soul's wanderings. In the dead of night, he would willingly let his Divine Soul leave his body and explore the sect's surroundings. A few times, he even dared to venture far from the sect's residence, wandering around the area.
With this special ability, Meng Zhang's interest was immediately piqued when he read about the Trial Ground. This Trial Ground seemed tailor-made for him. Although his Cultivation Base was not high, being only a Refining Qi mid-stage cultivator, he was confident in his Soul's strength and believed that he could enter the Trial Ground without any problems.
As for the authenticity of the records in the book, Meng Zhang had no doubts. This "Sect Master's Chronicle" was specially used by the Taiyi Sect's successive Sect Masters to record events and was exclusively reserved for Taiyi Sect's Sect Master. The previous Sect Master, Xuan Qingzi, would not lie in there. Meng Zhang was genuinely looking forward to the Trial Ground left behind by Taiyi Sect's prime.
However, the current Taiyi Sect was a far cry from its prime, not to mention the difference compared to the rebuilt Taiyi Sect from before. The sect's heritage was almost completely lost, and apart from Meng Zhang's "Sect Master's Chronicle," they probably couldn't find anything in the sect that connected them to the past Taiyi Sect.
Taiyi Sect had always lived a compact life, relying solely on the production of the 19-acre spirit field. They had to surrender almost one-third of the output as offerings to Twin Success Valley, with the rest exchanged for various resources to sustain the sect's operation.
To subsidize the sect, the former Sect Master, Daoist Profound Spirit, often led the disciples to hunt and kill demonic beasts or take on jobs to earn spirit stones. Everyone in the sect, including Meng Zhang, the prominently cultivated seed disciple, struggled due to the lack of sufficient cultivation resources.
Of course, the so-called geniuses consumed the same resources but achieved faster cultivation progress. Meng Zhang was such a genius. Despite having the shortest cultivation time, he had the fastest progress among his peers.
If he could obtain the heritage of Taiyi Sect's prime, it would undoubtedly benefit both him personally and the entire Taiyi Sect immensely. Long ago, Meng Zhang had promised Daoist Profound Spirit that he would revive Taiyi Sect and restore its former glory.
Now, it seemed that an opportunity to fulfill this promise had presented itself before him. Meng Zhang quickly made up his mind and decided to enter this Trial Ground as soon as possible, even if it meant taking risks.
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