The scenery on both sides flew by rapidly. In a short while, Di Liu brought Gu Yuan to the front of a grand structure.
Di Liu released Gu Yuan's shoulder. Gu Yuan looked at the building, dozens of meters tall, and activated the perspective of the Dao 운 Tian Tu. He saw that the entire building was suffused with azure qi.
"Holy cow, how much azure qi is this?" Gu Yuan marveled in his heart. He wished this building belonged to him.
Above the ancient main gate, a large plaque hung, inscribed with three powerful characters: Cang Jing Ge (Scripture Depository).
Gu Yuan shook his head slightly, dispelling the thoughts in his mind, and followed Di Liu into the Scripture Depository.
Upon entering the first floor, Gu Yuan found the space to be extremely vast, seemingly utilizing the method of Sumeru mustard seed.
The first floor was lined with bookshelves, holding numerous jade slips. Students were busily searching for martial skills or cultivation techniques that caught their eye.
Di Liu first circled the first floor. Many passing students recognized him as the school's Sixth Elder. Seeing him with a student, they cast curious glances at Gu Yuan, wondering what was happening.
This made Gu Yuan a bit uncomfortable. However, Di Liu soon found his target.
He bypassed the bookshelves and went to the depths of the first floor, where a small counter stood. Behind it sat an elderly man, appearing extremely old, with many age spots on his face.
"Hey Old Wang, your counter changes every day, and I have to keep looking for it. It's quite troublesome," Di Liu said with a smile, tapping the surface of the counter.
The old man, addressed as Old Wang by Di Liu, raised his cloudy eyes and looked at Di Liu expressionlessly, immediately filling the air with an unusual atmosphere.
Seeing that Old Wang was giving him no face, Di Liu coughed awkwardly and said, "Old Wang, I'm here for business today. I need to unlock the ninth-tier cultivation pavilion for this student."
Old Wang's gaze shifted to Gu Yuan, standing behind Di Liu. His previously cloudy eyes seemed to suddenly clear up, even showing a hint of fervor.
Gu Yuan found Old Wang's gaze peculiar but said nothing.
"Child, step forward," Old Wang finally spoke, his voice like the grating of two decaying pieces of wood.
Gu Yuan dared not be careless, as the elder before him controlled access to the academy's ninth-tier inheritances. The thought alone was incredible; this must be some sort of ancient monster.
Arriving at the counter, Old Wang presented a tablet that was neither entirely gold nor entirely not. He asked Gu Yuan to drip a drop of blood onto it. Gu Yuan complied.
A drop of blood squeezed from his fingertip exuded a charming fragrance. This was normal, as in the path of martial arts, much of the body's essence resided in the blood, containing abundant vital energy. To ordinary people, it was no different from a miraculous elixir.
The blood seeped into the tablet and was instantly absorbed. Then, a miraculous scene unfolded. Gu Yuan's eyes widened as he watched lines of text automatically appear on the previously blank tablet, displaying his information.
"My heavens, this is too magical! With just a drop of my blood, it can reveal my information."
Old Wang smiled imperceptibly at Gu Yuan's stunned expression. He retracted the tablet and, with fingers like withered wood, began rapidly forming hand seals.
A profound fluctuation arose. Gu Yuan stepped back, frowning, his eyes searching for the source of the disturbance.
Then, a blue vortex, resembling a spatial tunnel, appeared directly in front of him.
Seeing that the portal was open, Di Liu wasted no time. He thanked Old Wang, grabbed Gu Yuan's shoulder, and instantly vanished from his spot, entering the blue tunnel.
Old Wang waved his hand gently, and the blue teleportation tunnel instantly disappeared. Having done so, he returned to his previous state of drowsy slumber.
After a familiar sensation of spinning and disorientation, Gu Yuan's vision flashed with blue light.
Opening his eyes, Gu Yuan beheld a beautiful scene. He looked upwards to see numerous jade slips, like stars, emitting golden radiance, floating in mid-air.
At this moment, enlightenment dawned in Gu Yuan's eyes. These must be the ninth-tier cultivation techniques.
He counted them: eighteen golden stars.
"These are all the ninth-tier inheritances in the First Martial Arts University. Choose as you see fit. No one can help you here. Remember, the cultivation techniques here will shape your future path," Di Liu's voice sounded from behind Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan did not turn around, as the information on these eighteen ninth-tier cultivation techniques had already appeared in his mind.
The first one:
"Great Thunderclap True Scripture": The inheritance of the ancient Great Thunderclap Temple. It can cultivate true qi imbued with Buddhist light that purifies evil. Great Thunderclap True Qi also possesses healing, calming, and suppressing effects, with extremely formidable power (Forbidden for those not proficient in Buddhism!).
The second one:
"Heavenly Constellation Earthly Fiend Profound True Method": Absorbs the Heavenly Constellation and Earthly Fiend qi between heaven and earth. The Heavenly Constellation subdues demons, and the Earthly Fiend suppresses monsters. The Heavenly Constellation and Earthly Fiend can be switched at will. Cultivating to the depths allows the Heavenly Constellation and Earthly Fiend to autonomously temper the body, ultimately achieving the Heavenly Constellation Earthly Fiend body, which autonomously absorbs Heavenly Constellation and Earthly Fiend qi (Forbidden for those with wavering willpower!).
The third one:
"Blazing Sun Divine Fire True Monarch Method": An inheritance from the ancient Blazing Sun Divine Palace. It absorbs the Blazing Sun qi between heaven and earth, transforming it into true qi within the body, and cultivating the power of divine fire. Cultivating to the depths will form the Blazing Sun Divine Fire True Monarch to confront enemies.
...
The eighteenth one:
"Nine Heavens Violet Firmament Divine Thunder Method": The sect-protecting cultivation technique of the Divine Firmament Sect from over two thousand years ago. It can draw upon the Nine Heavens Violet Firmament Divine Thunder for attack. All true qi within the body transforms into Violet Firmament Divine Thunder True Qi, possessing paralyzing, rapid, extremely high damage, and body-tempering effects. (This method is extremely dangerous to cultivate. Those with poor luck should be cautious, as you might truly get struck by lightning.)
After reading the information on the eighteen ninth-tier cultivation techniques, Gu Yuan was filled with desire. He wanted to cultivate every single one.
Was this the allure of ninth-tier cultivation techniques? It was so hard to choose, Gu Yuan scratched his head in distress.
Wait a minute, didn't he already have a cultivation technique that directly led to the Great Dao, the "Origin Beginning Ancestral Qi Chapter"? He wouldn't consider anything else. Coolness was paramount.
Gu Yuan glanced over the descriptions of the eighteen techniques again.
He found that playing with lightning was still the coolest. So, he decided on a high-spec version of Zenitsu, choosing the "Nine Heavens Violet Firmament Divine Thunder Method."
Moreover, it was a complementary technique to the "Divine Firmament Imperial Thunder Nine Slashes" he had previously selected from the Central Prefecture's treasury. Excellent.
Gu Yuan was now satisfied.
With a mental touch on the option representing the "Nine Heavens Violet Firmament Divine Thunder Method," a strand of electric light descended from above Gu Yuan's head and entered his mind.
A thunderous roar erupted in Gu Yuan's mind. His spirit jolted, and the projection of the Great Emperor Ziwei of the Central Heavenly Firmament in the depths of his soul trembled almost imperceptibly at the eyelids, a faint smile playing on his lips.
In the myriad worlds, within an infinite multiverse, in a majestic palace filled with divine thunders of various colors, a being whose back was adorned with the phenomenon of infinite thunders being born and extinguished slowly opened its eyes. The moment its eyes opened, all the thunders in the myriad worlds rejoiced.
Its gaze turned towards Gu Yuan's universe, then shifted to the universe above, meeting the gaze of another being. It smiled slightly and murmured, "Ziwei, is this also your plan?"
"Heh heh, interesting..."
Following this, the thunders of the myriad worlds slowly subsided.