157 Chapter 1315: Corridor of Puppets (1/2)

In the courtyard, Zhang Xuan instructed, ”Sun Qiang, find out if there are any pills, spirit essence, or spirit stones that are more effective than concentrated high-tier spirit stones. I wish to buy some.”

After the chat with Zhao Ya, he had returned to his residence.

As his butler, Sun Qiang had moved into the Sanctum of Sages to stay together with him. Fortunately, his residence was rather spacious, so even with the both of them staying together, it did not feel cramped at all.

”Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded before backing out of the residence.

Most of those in the Elite Division were important figures from powerful organizations, and to them, what was most important at the moment was to raise their cultivation as much as possible. As such, they were assigned personal attendants to take care of miscellaneous affairs, just like how Zhang Yu was assigned to Zhang Qian.

As Zhang Xuan's butler, as long as he was registered with the Sanctum of Sages, he would receive an emblem that allowed him free access in and out of the Sanctum of Sages without coming under the attack of the defensive formation.

Watching at Sun Qiang's departing back, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed deeply. I really need to cultivate faster now…

When he chatted with Zhao Ya the day before, he had found that although it had only been half a year since they last met, the latter's cultivation had already reached Saint 7-dan!

That was many times stronger than him.

It was one thing for him to be sent flying by his future brother-in-law, but to be weaker than his students on top of that… With his current strength, how could he win Luo Ruoxin's hand in marriage?

All along, he had thought that his talent was still okay, and the rate that he cultivated at was not too bad either… but at that moment, he had realized that he was nothing at all!

Those around him were simply too monstrous!

For this reason, as soon as he returned, he instructed Sun Qiang to find items that were rich in spiritual energy so that he could cultivate.

Currently, this was also what he was lacking the most.

After Sun Qiang left, Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw and thought contemplatively.

There are two ways for me to swiftly raise my fighting prowess!

Firstly, I can find Leaving Aperture realm and Grand Dominion realm cultivation technique manuals and compile the corresponding Heaven's Path Divine Arts and cultivate them swiftly.

Secondly, I can find soul cultivation technique manuals and compile the corresponding Heaven's Path Soul Art to strengthen my Primordial Spirit. Either of these two should bring about a significant growth in my strength.

Of course, if I have time, it would be best for me to find optic art manuals so as to complete the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld. If I can't cultivate the technique, I won't be able to become the head of the Sanctum of Sages!

There were two ways he could quickly raise his cultivation at the moment—zhenqi and Primordial Spirit. Currently, he had only compiled a portion of the Leaving Aperture realm Heaven's Path Divine Art, and as for Grand Dominion realm cultivation technique manuals, he had not seen a single one of them yet. He would have to make haste on that.

So, Zhang Xuan took out his identity token and took a look at it for a moment before nodding slightly.

In order gain access to the cultivation technique manuals of the Sanctum of Sages, I have to prove my fighting prowess first by clearing the Corridor of Puppets! The longer I can last in there, the more formidable the cultivation technique manual I will be able to access.

The rules of the Sanctum of Sages were vastly different from those of the Master Teacher Pavilions and Master Teacher Academies that Zhang Xuan had been to.

If anyone wanted to browse the sanctum's cultivation technique manuals or secret manuals, they would first have to prove that their fighting prowess had reached a level worthy of doing so.

The stronger their fighting prowess, the more profound the secret manuals they would be able to access. In a sense, this was aligned with Kong shi's philosophy of 'personalized guidance'.

If top-notch cultivation techniques were given to those who were incapable of cultivating them, it would only harm the person in question.

To use an analogy from Zhang Xuan's previous life, this was like giving a racing car to an amateur driver. That would not be goodwill but murder.

For this reason, the Corridor of Puppets served to evaluate the fighting prowess of those challenging it so as to determine the cultivation technique that the individual was suited for. This way, they would be able to better bring out their strength.

The Corridor of Puppets is divided into ten levels, namely Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui 1 , and each of these levels corresponds to a couple of cultivation technique manuals. Due to the many different levels in the trial, they are able to segregate the types of cultivation techniques totally. However, what I require is quantity, not quality!

Zhang Xuan frowned in distress.

To him, it mattered not whether the cultivation technique he practiced was profound or simplistic.

This was also the reason he had not been too happy when he obtained the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld and the Heavenly Art of Dimensional Unravel, perhaps showing disdain for them even. It was not because he was intentionally acting aloof to humblebrag but because no matter how profound a technique was, it was bound to have its flaws.

Practicing a flawed technique made him feel as if a fish bone was stuck at the back of his throat. If he had a choice, he would rather collect a thousand ordinary books and compile a Heaven's Path technique instead!

As such, the Sanctum of Sages' method of segregating the cultivation technique manuals into various tiers worked to his disadvantage.

In the past, when the manuals were placed alongside one another, he could collect all of them with just a sweep of his eyes. However, now that they were divided across different levels, compiling them together would not be that easy anymore.

After a moment of dilemma, Zhang Xuan was still unable to come up with an alternative, so he could only shake his head in defeat. Forget it, there's no point thinking so much about it at this point. I should just head over to take a look instead.

Pushing open the door, he left his residence.

The Corridor of Puppets could be considered as a type of trial, so it was located at the Hall of Solidarity.

Through asking those walking along the streets for directions, it did not take long for him to arrive before a gate with a massive '义 (Solidarity)' character inscribed on it. Just like the '智 (Erudition)' character that he had seen earlier, there was a deep conception behind it as well, but the sensation that it evoked was completely different.

The '智 (Erudition)' character induced sparks within one's mind, cultivating one's wisdom with a prolonged period of examination, granting one greater clarity of thought.

On the other hand, the '义 (Solidarity)' character seemed to encourage magnanimity, expanding one's narrow state of mind. All of the petty frustrations and worries that plagued one's mind in the past would vanish without a trace, and feelings of friendship and brotherhood would wrap around one's heart, lingering for a very long time.

The calligraphy looked simple on the surface, but it carried an imposing and forthright aura, reminiscent of a soldier charging valiantly across the battlefield.