"Sky Cloud Island?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, the World-Destroying Spirit Fire was startled and asked, "The island that gave birth to the Heavenly Mandate? Didn't Ji Ning say that island existed from the very beginning of the Primal Realm? And that island possesses nearly infinite spiritual energy. How could this small Upper Clarity Palace's introductory trial be related to Sky Cloud Island?"
Ye Ling shook his head and said, "I'm not sure, but I absorbed almost all the power of the Sky Cloud Sacred Spring. Even though there isn't a single trace of Sky Cloud Sacred Spring's power left in my body now, and the Heavenly Mandate has been completely cleared, I still have a vivid memory of that kind of power."
"That's strange..." The World-Destroying Spirit Fire pondered and fell into thought.
"However, just from this point alone, this Upper Clarity Palace is not as simple as we thought. It seems we need to investigate this introductory trial thoroughly."
"Yes, this trial is indeed worth a thorough investigation." Ye Ling nodded slightly and walked to the resting area as instructed by the Upper Clarity Palace to wait.
In the resting area, there were already quite a few cultivators waiting for the trial to begin. Their ages varied, the youngest appearing to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, while the oldest...
Ye Ling even saw cultivators leaning on canes, stooped over, and unable to walk steadily.
Seeing those with insufficient cultivation and nearing the end of their lifespan, Ye Ling seriously doubted if those cultivators could emerge from the trial.
However, the one thing they all had in common was holding that jade token imbued with power similar to that of Sky Cloud Island.
Not long after Ye Ling entered the resting area, he felt a mysterious power sweep over him. He immediately used runes to conceal all his power, and at the same time, used the Ink Chamber to alter his bone age to his actual seventeen years old to avoid exposure.
The mysterious power lingered on Ye Ling for a moment before shifting to another cultivator who had just entered the resting area.
"World-Destroying Spirit Fire, did you sense that mysterious power?" Ye Ling immediately asked the World-Destroying Spirit Fire after the power disappeared.
"I sensed it... That cultivation feels like a supreme expert. What is he trying to find on us?" the World-Destroying Spirit Fire asked in a deep voice.
"I'm not sure... But this trial is definitely not as simple as we imagined. The Upper Clarity Palace must be harboring some wicked intentions behind this." Ye Ling said.
On the surface, this introductory trial was, at most, a routine disciple-gathering ceremony held every three years for the Upper Clarity Palace.
For such a trial of low-level cultivators, having a Great Dao Immortal Lord or a Chaos Master preside over the situation would already be considered extremely important by the Upper Clarity Palace.
But now, not only did the Upper Clarity Palace use the power of Sky Cloud Island, but they also deployed a supreme expert... This clearly showed that the Upper Clarity Palace's true intentions were elsewhere.
The Upper Clarity Palace was likely using the introductory trial to achieve some unspeakable secret.
At this moment, an elder from the Upper Clarity Palace appeared above the resting area and said to everyone in a clear and resonant voice, "Fellow Daoists who wish to join the Upper Clarity Palace, the trial will begin soon. The specific trial content and precautions have been transmitted to your jade tokens. Please read the content in your jade tokens carefully when the trial begins."
Following the Upper Clarity Palace elder's instructions, Ye Ling injected his soul power into the jade token, and a string of information flooded into Ye Ling's mind.
"Kid, what does the jade token say?" the World-Destroying Spirit Fire asked curiously.
Ye Ling replied, "The trial content is ordinary. As long as one successfully reaches the summit of Upper Clarity Mountain within the allotted time and stands before the gates of the Upper Clarity Palace, they will pass the trial. However, the precautions in this jade token are quite thought-provoking."
"What precautions?" the World-Destroying Spirit Fire asked again.
Ye Ling said, "This jade token states that there are three Sacred Springs within Upper Clarity Mountain, containing supreme treasures. Trial participants are forbidden from entering them. If discovered, they will immediately lose their trial qualification."
"What's so strange about that?" the World-Destroying Spirit Fire asked, confused. "Doesn't every sect have a few forbidden areas?"
"If those three Sacred Springs were truly forbidden areas, the precautions would simply state that entry is prohibited. And with the Upper Clarity Palace's strength, setting up separate barriers for forbidden areas would not be difficult."
"But this jade token specifically mentions that the Sacred Springs contain supreme treasures, and that qualification is only lost upon discovery. The gains are huge, and the risks are almost non-existent. Isn't this clearly indicating that the Upper Clarity Palace wants to attract people to investigate?"
As Ye Ling spoke, he glanced at the surrounding cultivators and noticed that a considerable number of them had subtle changes in their expressions, appearing to have some thoughts.
For most cultivators, even if they couldn't join the Upper Clarity Palace, they could join other sects, or even participate in the trial again next time.
Three years, for most cultivators, was merely the blink of an eye.
But if they could obtain the supreme treasures of the Upper Clarity Palace, it would truly be a path to great fortune for all the cultivators present.
After Ye Ling's reminder, the World-Destroying Spirit Fire also realized it and asked Ye Ling, "So, kid, are we going to investigate those three Sacred Springs?"
"That's right. I estimate that cultivators who attempt the normal ascent are not within the Upper Clarity Palace's plan. Those who break into the forbidden areas are the true targets of the Upper Clarity Palace." Ye Ling nodded and said.
"Time is up, the teleportation array is activated. I wish all of you martial luck!"
At this moment, the Upper Clarity Palace elder's resonant voice echoed through the resting area again. Immediately, a dazzling light shone from beneath the resting area, and all the cultivators in the resting area were directly teleported away.
The noisy resting area instantly became quiet.
And the Upper Clarity Palace elder standing in mid-air looked at the empty resting area, a subtle curve suddenly appearing at the corner of his mouth, and murmured, "I wonder how many will be chosen this time... I'm truly looking forward to it..."
As his words fell, the Upper Clarity Palace elder smiled and disappeared from his spot with a flick of his sleeve.
On the other side, at the foot of Upper Clarity Mountain.
Ye Ling and a group of trial participants arrived at the entrance to the mountain climb.
Most cultivators, in order to snatch time, rushed towards the mountain path of Upper Clarity Mountain as soon as they entered, fearing they would fall behind.
However, Ye Ling and a small portion of cultivators chose to remain in place to observe the situation.
"It seems we have entered Upper Clarity Mountain. Let's contact Tian Xing first..." Ye Ling glanced at the barrier outside Upper Clarity Mountain and muttered to himself, then attempted to contact Tian Xing, who was already inside Upper Clarity Mountain.
However, when Ye Ling tried to contact Tian Xing, he couldn't help but be startled, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"How can this be?"
"Kid, what happened?" the World-Destroying Spirit Fire asked, seeing Ye Ling fall silent again.
Ye Ling came back to his senses, carefully scanned the surrounding environment again, and then said to the World-Destroying Spirit Fire in a deep voice, "World-Destroying Spirit Fire... where we are now, I'm afraid it's not Upper Clarity Mountain!"