Endless thick clouds enveloped the surroundings, leaving only the path ahead visible.
Above a towering gate, ancient script was carved with four characters: Great Dream Academy.
"This time, it feels different."
"It seems I can see further, and my perception is clearer."
"There should be something within reach this time, right? Hopefully, it will be a treasure directly, without any Heart Inquiry Platform nonsense..."
Silently thinking, Zhao Xing strolled through the clouds, crossing the academy's grand entrance.
Just like the first time, numerous treasures flashed before his eyes.
Reincarnation Hall, Heart Inquiry Platform, Martial God Tower, Secret Arts Repository, Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Sacred Beast Palace, Fate Palace... Pavilions and towers, clusters of palaces, corridors and sky bridges, all arranged in an orderly manner, with layers of peaks and mist swirling around, as if in a fairyland.
However, as he approached, these places gradually sank into the clouds.
Waiting, quietly waiting.
Amidst the anticipation, a palace magnified in his vision, shining with golden light, eventually stabilizing completely.
"Hmm? This isn't the Heart Inquiry Platform; this is... the Hall of Heavenly Crafts?"
Zhao Xing examined the palace, surprised that after entering the academy, it was the Hall of Heavenly Crafts that appeared instead of the Heart Inquiry Platform.
"The Hall of Heavenly Crafts has many treasures, but they are divided into many places; it depends on which side hall I entered."
Zhao Xing thought to himself, then stepped into the palace.
As soon as he entered, a surge of mist erupted around him, which then dispersed, slowly revealing the real scene.
"Scholar Zhao Xing, welcome to the Hall of Heavenly Secrets."
A deep voice came from the mist ahead, followed by a strange beast slowly emerging.
It was as large as a bull, resembling a qilin, with dense black fur all over its body, bright and spirited eyes, a silver horn on its forehead, and it spoke human language.
After Zhao Xing clearly saw the beast's appearance, he was momentarily stunned.
A Mechanism Beast, Xie Zhi? He actually arrived at the Hall of Heavenly Secrets?
"Greetings, Guardian." Zhao Xing quickly cupped his hands in salute.
He was not unfamiliar with the Hall of Heavenly Secrets; this Xie Zhi was the guardian, also known as the Law Beast.
Xie Zhi was highly intelligent, understanding human speech and nature. Many national treasures of various dynasties transformed from one to another, sometimes a qilin, sometimes a mysterious bird, sometimes a true dragon, and sometimes a phoenix. But the status of Xie Zhi remained unchanged; it was a national treasure in every dynasty.
It was also a guardian of the nation. Although the one before him was not a true Law Beast Xie Zhi, but merely a Mechanism Beast, its interior contained the spirit of the Law Beast, and its body was crafted from ninth-tier materials, making it hardly different from the real one.
The Law Beast Xie Zhi glanced at Zhao Xing: "You are only at the mid-Gathered Essence stage; the only place suitable for you to challenge is this Hall of Heavenly Secrets."
Zhao Xing listened quietly.
"The way of Heavenly Crafts involves addition and subtraction, seeking the source of creation. The mechanisms and formations inside mainly test the scholar's wisdom and calculation ability, combining the five elements and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches."
"Each level will double in difficulty, but the rewards will also double."
"If you can reach the end of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets, you will receive a 'rare treasure'."
The Law Beast Xie Zhi introduced.
Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel his heart race.
Rare treasure!
In terms of treasure grades, beyond the first to ninth tiers, there are 'rare treasures' and 'extraordinary treasures'.
A so-called rare treasure is one that is very rare within a dynasty over a millennium, with not too many in number, at most a few digits.
As for extraordinary treasures, they are items that cannot be found in the current world, passed down from ancient times.
Why was Zhao Xing excited?
Because during this period, the Great Dream Academy had not yet been plundered by the Martial Emperor, and these challenges had not changed much!
He had passed these challenges in his previous life!
"The first level is right ahead, the Hall of Heavenly Secrets."
Xie Zhi took a gentle breath, and then the mist ahead dispersed, revealing a uniquely shaped wooden door.
"The Hall of Heavenly Secrets has three mechanism locks. Unlocking them counts as passing the first level."
Zhao Xing suppressed his inner excitement, cupped his hands, and walked over.
The wooden door stood five meters tall and eight meters wide. It was said to be uniquely shaped because it was entirely embedded within the wall, fitting seamlessly.
Everywhere else was incredibly smooth, and the door seams were completely invisible. At a height of one meter, there were three components.
Two of them protruded.
One was shaped like a bull's head, and the other resembled a snake.
The third was embedded in the door, forming a plum blossom pattern.
"Zhaoyang Plum Blossom Lock, Chongguang Bull Head Lock, Huangluo Snake Lock." Zhao Xing looked at these three mechanism locks and couldn't help but smile.
Although he was not an expert in mechanisms, he knew the answer.
He even knew more than one method of solving it.
He remembered it from when he was a player, but it could still be used now, as this type of mechanism lock did not involve the use of vital Qi.
Xie Zhi also mentioned that it tested the scholar's wisdom and calculation ability, as well as their understanding of the five elements and Heavenly Stems.
"The Zhaoyang Plum Blossom Lock and Chongguang Bull Head Lock are both Heavenly Stem locks, while the Huangluo Snake Lock is an Earthly Branch lock."
"These basic components are combined in a unique way to form locks; each component must be moved to the corresponding position to unlock."
Zhao Xing first tackled the Bull Head Lock.
He pushed with his left hand, adjusting the position of the Bull Head Lock, causing one bull head to move down while the other faced him.
The wall seemed soft, allowing the Bull Head Lock to move freely within, but it was impossible to pull it out forcefully.
Zhao Xing kept his left hand still and only used his right hand to operate. He pulled the Bull Head he held in his right hand back until it reached the 'Upper Chapter' position, which was one-third of the Kun position.
Then he gently turned the Bull Head in his right hand upward, causing the lower Bull Head to rotate as well, forming an arrangement of one above and one below.
At this moment, the lower Kun position's Bull Head had already detached, but it was still not considered unlocked.
He still needed to move the Bull Head at the Upper Chapter position to the 'Chongguang' position, which was the 'Zhen position.'
Afterward, he rotated it down to two-thirds of the Zhen position and attempted to pull it outward.
"Ka ka ka ka~"
The two Bull Heads immediately retracted into the door, illuminating a faint blue light, indicating that one of the locks had been unlocked.
"Using the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch method is indeed the fastest; one down!"
Clapping his hands, Zhao Xing moved to the other side to tackle the Huangluo Snake Lock.
The snake-shaped lock was horizontal across the door, about three feet long, composed of numerous small beads.
"The Huangluo Snake Lock has one hundred and forty-six active beads and nine fixed beads. The combination method is not too complicated, with half hidden inside the door, making the difficulty lie here." Zhao Xing began to explore, searching for the position of the fixed beads.
The key to unlocking the snake-shaped lock was to find the nine fixed beads and restore them to the Huangluo position.
"Fortunately, I'm the only one here; no one is making it difficult for me." Zhao Xing thought of some amusing incidents while unlocking.
Challenging this level was quite interesting; the snake-shaped lock would reset at midnight, ensuring that four fixed beads were exposed.
This was the initial difficulty of the first level.
However, if someone deliberately caused trouble on that day, hiding the fixed beads, or if a fool angrily moved the active beads around, then the difficulty for those who came afterward would increase, surely causing frustration.
So every time it was midnight, there would be a queue here, striving to be the first to unlock it, not letting others make things difficult for them, while also causing a bit of trouble for others.
"Done!" After a moment of exploration, Zhao Xing restored the nine fixed beads.
Hiss~ The snake-shaped lock quickly retracted into the door, and the original position glowed with blue light.
"Not bad, quite talented." Xie Zhi observed Zhao Xing's actions and couldn't help but nod slightly. "It seems the first level won't be a challenge for him."
With the first two locks solved so quickly, the last one was clearly not a problem.
Only the last one remained, the Zhaoyang Plum Blossom Lock.
This was also the most difficult of the three locks.
"Nine petals of the plum blossom must be restored once. Fortunately, the Heavenly Stem only has the Zhaoyang position, making it much easier. If it were a higher difficulty, requiring both the Heavenly Stem and the time, that would be troublesome." Zhao Xing pondered for a moment, then gently pressed one of the plum blossom petals.
After pressing it down, a sound emerged from within, and Zhao Xing listened carefully before continuing to the second one.
The first step was to filter.
Among the nine petals of the plum blossom, there must be one petal in the Zhaoyang position.
Since each petal had to be restored, he needed to find the first petal, move it away, but he couldn't move them randomly; he had to remember the order of the movements, or he might end up restoring only one petal after much effort.
After finding the position, Zhao Xing began to unlock.
After ten breaths.
"Weng~"
The plum blossoms lit up in blue light in sequence, then expanded and bloomed.
"Ka ka ka ka~"
The door began to retract to both sides.
First level, passed!
"Scholar Zhao Xing, congratulations on passing the first level of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets." The Law Beast Xie Zhi approached, "You have received a reward: the fourth-tier 'Five Organs Purging Evil Pill'."
"The Five Organs Purging Evil Pill can enhance your internal cultivation technique, strengthening your organs, allowing for faster recovery of vital Qi, and smoother casting of spells."
"If you cultivate a technique that absorbs evil Qi, it can also enhance the five organs' resistance to evil fire."
After speaking, Xie Zhi opened its mouth, and a five-colored pill flew out from its belly.
Zhao Xing received it with both hands: "Thank you."
Looking at this Five Organs Pill, he couldn't help but marvel; the Great Dream Academy's standards were indeed high. For a mere first level, they directly awarded a fourth-tier pill.
If it had become the Cloud Dream Academy during the Martial Emperor's time, then this first level would at most offer a first or second-tier treasure as a reward.
One was elite, the other was civilian; naturally, the rewards couldn't be compared.
"Do you wish to continue challenging?" Xie Zhi asked.
"Yes, I would like to continue." Zhao Xing nodded.
"Hu~" Xie Zhi blew towards the front, and it seemed a fierce wind arose, swirling the clouds.
Zhao Xing was swept away by this wind, and when he settled down, the scene had drastically changed.
"Second level, the Heavenly Secrets Boxes."
"Before you are four Heavenly Secrets Boxes, divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D. Each contains treasures of different qualities."
"The Heavenly Secrets Boxes have no locks or clasps; they are sealed with formation scripts. If you are a mechanism master, you can attempt to unlock them using the formation scripts."
"If you wish to break them open forcefully, the A, B, C, and D Heavenly Secrets Boxes require your spell and martial skill power to reach the initial, mid, late, and perfected stages of the Spirit Bridge realm, respectively."
The Law Beast Xie Zhi spoke of the cultivation realms of the Great Li Dynasty, which corresponded to the ancient realm levels.
The Gathered Essence realm corresponds to the ninth tier, while the Spirit Bridge realm corresponds to the eighth tier.
Gathered Essence is easy to understand; it involves absorbing the vital Qi of heaven and earth, condensing vital Qi to cultivate oneself.
The Spirit Bridge realm, on the other hand, involves building a bridge of heaven and earth from one's dantian, connecting with heaven and earth, allowing for a clearer understanding of the five elements' power, while also accelerating the absorption of vital Qi, ensuring a continuous cycle of vital Qi.
The characteristics of the realms are the same; only the names differ across dynasties.
"To break open forcefully, the A-level box requires an attack standard of perfected Spirit Bridge realm." Zhao Xing thought to himself, "The difficulty has increased a bit."
In his previous life, the A-level box only required the mid-Spirit Bridge realm standard.
However, whether it was the Great Dream Academy or the Cloud Dream Academy, the requirement was not for combat power; as long as the 'attack power' single value met the standard, it was sufficient.
This meant that the damage of a single spell could break through the box's defenses without needing to match the overall 'Spirit Bridge realm' level.
According to the Great Zhou cultivation system, a mid-tier spell or martial skill reaching the ninth turn was the hallmark of the eighth tier.
The upper eighth tier (perfected Spirit Bridge) would generally have multiple mid-tier perfected spells or secret techniques, or even self-created spells, breaking through the limits of the ninth turn, and when combined, they would be more comprehensive, naturally increasing combat power.
The lower eighth tier (late Spirit Bridge) would have multiple mid-tier ninth turn spells or secret techniques.
The difference between the ninth and eighth tiers in terms of vital Qi is not qualitative; it's just that the physical body becomes stronger. Of course, the distinction between martial artists in the eighth and ninth tiers is significant, but the difference among spellcasters is smaller.
As for whether a single spell at the ninth turn could be considered eighth-tier combat power, that would depend on the specific situation.
For example, now, the A, B, C, and D boxes were all made of special wood. If one only knew 'earth spells,' they would be left staring blankly.
Because the five elements dictate that wood overcomes earth; even if one mastered seven or eight earth spells, all reaching the mid-tier perfected level, they still couldn't break through forcefully.
"My thunder technique is only at the ninth turn and not yet perfected; I wonder if it can break through." Zhao Xing thought to himself. In terms of attack power, thunder techniques were indeed the most powerful, while Ice Rain, although at max level, might not reach the critical value in this situation.
Moreover, the systems of the Great Li and Great Zhou were different; he was unsure if it would work.
The so-called formation scripts were the passwords to unlock the boxes.
Formation scripts are a more advanced application technique in the way of mechanisms.
Now, these Heavenly Secrets Boxes were not the same as the ones he was familiar with from the Martial Emperor's time, and the 'password' was naturally not the same either.
"Flowing Clouds!" Zhao Xing pointed, and clouds suddenly appeared above him.
Because the understanding of spells is rooted in the soul, spells can also be cast within the Great Dream Academy.
In the future, if his vital Qi undergoes a qualitative change, he can also use higher-level Guiding Talismans and Soul Calming Talismans to bring his combat power into the challenges.
"Summon Thunder!"
A bolt of lightning fell from the clouds.
Knowing that his thunder technique was not perfected, Zhao Xing could only focus on his manipulation skills.
"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom!"
Nine bolts of lightning struck the same spot on the Heavenly Secrets Box, attempting to break it open.
"Did it break open?"
Zhao Xing focused his gaze, only to find that the Heavenly Secrets Box had merely developed a charred spot, far from being broken open.
"Forget it, there's no need to waste time on this level."
Zhao Xing quickly gave up on breaking the A-level box.
Even if he didn't obtain the highest reward in the second level, he could always challenge it again later.
"Boom boom!"
Two bolts of lightning easily broke open the C and D boxes.
As for the B-level Heavenly Secrets Box, it took a bit more time.
"What treasures are inside?"
The Heavenly Secrets Box was not large, only half a meter long and as thick as an ankle, so it was impossible to hold anything big. The items that emerged were also three small-sized treasures.
However, treasures are not judged by size but by grade.
As Zhao Xing broke it open, three light orbs floated before him.
"Wind Crystal Earrings, third-tier upper grade, made from wind crystal jade produced in the Wind River Cave, wearing them can enhance hearing."
"Earth Evil Pill, third-tier upper grade, contains a trace of earth evil, can be used to cleanse the organs."
"Great Whale Pill, fourth-tier mid-grade, made from the blood and flesh of deep-sea great whales combined with third-tier herbs, consuming it can enhance physical strength, making one immensely powerful. Especially for the lungs, a cultivator in the Gathered Essence realm can dive a thousand meters underwater just with their physical body after consuming the Great Whale Pill."
Xie Zhi's voice rang out, introducing the three treasures one by one.
It was unknown whether it was due to the forceful breaking, but these three were basically items for martial artists.
Hearing this, Zhao Xing couldn't help but wonder: all body training items, am I, a mere agricultural official, being pushed towards a physical strength route?
However, the quality of the items was indeed excellent; for a mere second level, they provided such good rewards.
Zhao Xing couldn't help but marvel; the elites of the Great Li were truly well-fed.
It should be noted that these three items, among the third and fourth tiers, had quite unique effects and were not common goods.
The Earth Evil was for body training, the Great Whale enhanced strength, and it even had an underwater effect. As for the Wind Crystal Earrings, they could enhance hearing, making them quite practical.
"Scholar Zhao Xing, do you wish to continue to the third level?"
"Yes, I wish to continue." Zhao Xing broke the B-level box and earned the qualification to continue.
If he had only broken the C and D boxes, he would not have been able to proceed to the third level.
"Weng~"
The clouds rolled again, and Zhao Xing felt himself blown away by a gust of wind, arriving between two walls the next moment.
"Third level, named the Mechanism Maze."
"The maze has many mechanisms, some visible and some hidden, and they are movable. You need to find the patterns within to deal with those mechanisms and navigate through the maze."
Xie Zhi explained: "If you enter the maze, you can exit within four hours to receive a fourth-tier treasure reward."
"If you exit within two hours, you will receive a fifth-tier treasure reward."
"If you exit within one hour, you will receive a sixth-tier treasure reward."
"If you have not exited within four hours, it will be considered a failure."
Zhao Xing blinked; the Mechanism Maze actually offered a sixth-tier treasure reward?!
This was far superior to the Cloud Dream Academy during the Martial Emperor's time!
During the Martial Emperor's time, the highest reward was only a fourth-tier treasure!
He just didn't know if the Mechanism Maze had been simplified; if it hadn't been simplified, it would mean the difficulty was the same, and this time he would truly strike it rich... Zhao Xing felt a surge of excitement.
Xie Zhi looked at Zhao Xing, puzzled, not knowing what he was excited about; was he perhaps afraid?
To clarify, Xie Zhi even explained: "The Mechanism Maze is not dangerous; you can enter with peace of mind. If you fail, you will only fall into a deep sleep for three days, so there is no need to worry about your safety."
Zhao Xing cupped his hands: "Thank you for the reminder, Guardian."
"Enter now."
"Yes." Zhao Xing stepped into the maze.
Xie Zhi blew a breath, and the Mechanism Maze immediately began to move.
(End of Chapter)