Auspicious Purple Qi Comes from the East

Trailing behind the Instructor, the four disciples reached the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion.

“Enter the Scripture Pavilion and make your selections,” the Instructor instructed them. “Remember, each of you may choose only one volume.”

Shangguan Xue, Qin Yueyan, and Sang Yuling assented with a nod, but Luo Jin, in his heart, silently railed against Grand Spirit Academy’s perceived parsimony.

The very next moment, they collectively stepped across the threshold and into the Scripture Pavilion.

Books, everywhere.

Within the Scripture Pavilion, towering bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, forming a series of interconnected octagonal arrays. They held an exhaustive collection, ranging from ancient clay tablets and delicate bamboo slips to modern paper volumes.

“Which of these are one-ring Spirit Seals?” Shangguan Xue inquired, a slight furrow in her brow.

In response, she witnessed countless volumes leap from their shelves, collectively weaving a radiant river of light that flowed past the four disciples.

Shangguan Xue’s expression became rather peculiar. A part of her yearned to mock the ostentatious display, yet another part instinctively recognized it as one of Beigong Qingmei’s characteristic antics.

“These are the one-ring Spirit Seals…”

Qin Yueyan declared, stepping first into the shimmering river of light.

Luo Jin and Sang Yuling hesitated for a brief moment, then, holding hands, stepped in together. Shangguan Xue trailed close behind them.

Within this river of light, an overwhelming torrent of books whizzed past them, each volume emanating a profound and mystical fluctuation.

‘No, what is this grandstanding? Can a mere one-ring Spirit Seal truly possess such profound fluctuations? I refuse to believe it.’

The more Shangguan Xue observed, the more convinced she became that this was simply another one of Beigong Qingmei’s elaborate pranks.

Reaching out, she snatched a book that whizzed by, its aura reminiscent of scorching flames capable of incinerating oceans.

The instant her palm made contact with the volume, its description flooded directly into her mind.

“[Flame Finger: A one-ring Spirit Seal that imbues the user’s finger with fire.]”

‘I knew it! For a basic attack, its aura is ridiculously exaggerated, as if it could scorch the heavens and boil the seas, masquerading as a seven-ring Spirit Seal!’

‘This absolutely has to be Beigong Qingmei; only she would devise something so deliberately irritating!’

‘Can’t you be a little more mature, Beigong Qingmei?’

Shangguan Xue roared silently in her mind, then released her grip, allowing the book to rejoin the luminous river.

Concurrently, her spiritual sense detected Luo Jin moving purposefully along the river of light.

‘I recall him acquiring the “Purple Qi from the East” here…’ Shangguan Xue mused, then immediately gave chase.

Before long, Luo Jin abruptly halted. With a mere thought, he watched a particular bamboo slip slowly spiral towards him, moving at a noticeably slower pace than the other Spirit Seals.

Embodying his philosophy of “if you’re going to choose, choose something extraordinary,” he decisively settled on this one.

Just then, Shangguan Xue arrived.

The instant Luo Jin’s hand was poised to grasp the “Purple Qi from the East” scroll, Shangguan Xue delivered a swift palm strike to his arm, causing him a sharp jolt of pain that made him instinctively retract his hand.

“You again!”

Consumed by a furious rage, he channeled the Maha Art, his fist enveloped solely in spiritual energy, and launched a strike at Shangguan Xue.

Though seemingly unremarkable, this punch, bolstered by his burgeoning destiny, miraculously harnessed the latent power of the river of light. It possessed enough force to repel even an ordinary Condensation Realm cultivator.

Alas, the Martial Saint was merely in the Body Tempering Realm, not the Condensation Realm.

She let out a cold snort, her spiritual sense bifurcating instantly. One portion materialized into a viscous swamp before her, while the other, like an unseen hand, deftly seized the bamboo slip.

The moment Luo Jin’s fist connected, he felt it plunge into a thick, viscous mire, rendering him unable to exert any force and leaving him trapped, unable to advance or retreat.

“What is happening?” he roared, his voice laced with confusion and anger. “What sorcery are you employing?”

“And what concern is that of yours?”

Shangguan Xue tucked the bamboo slip into her sleeve.

This act signified her selection of the Spirit Seal, and she was instantly teleported out of the river of light.

She attempted to re-enter the luminous river, only to encounter a palpable resistance.

‘Only one selection per person…’ Shangguan Xue nodded to herself, her thoughts forming.

‘I could force my way back in if I truly wished, but such an act would likely devastate the entire Scripture Pavilion.’

‘And then Beigong Qingmei would undoubtedly make me kneel in apology, before proceeding to thrash my palms raw with a ruler.’

The Martial Saint, lost in these whimsical thoughts, waited patiently outside the river of light for the others to emerge, though she kept a sliver of her spiritual sense within, keenly observing Luo Jin.

Luo Jin, however, would not encounter the “Purple Qi from the East” again. Within the operational cycle of the Scripture Pavilion, identical Spirit Seals never manifested a second time.

This mechanism existed to prevent unlucky disciples from repeatedly encountering the same unsuitable Spirit Seal, even after numerous attempts.

Shangguan Xue’s gaze remained fixed within, solely to ascertain Luo Jin’s eventual choice.

She “observed” Luo Jin selecting an ancient tome with a remarkably restrained aura, recognizing that he was still adhering to his principle of choosing something unique.

‘Alas, you’ll be disappointed. This Spirit Seal is indeed potent, but it is the body-tempering “Saint Demon Body”.’

‘And some individuals simply lack the resolve to cultivate body-tempering Spirit Seals.’

Shangguan Xue murmured these thoughts to herself, then witnessed both Luo Jin and Qin Yueyan being teleported out.

Qin Yueyan emerged holding a body-tempering Spirit Seal as well, one named “Heavenly Golden Physique.”

This outcome did not surprise Shangguan Xue; she had unwavering faith in the young girl’s perseverance to master it.

‘After all, she’s even become a student of Instructor Shi Ledong…’ Shangguan Xue muttered, a hint of amusement in her tone.

“How was it?” Qin Yueyan inquired, her face devoid of emotion, as she approached Shangguan Xue.

“A fine treasure,” Shangguan Xue replied with a knowing chuckle, offering no further explanation.

Shangguan Xue’s smile ignited an inexplicable fury within Luo Jin, causing his insides to churn with resentment.

Shangguan Xue, however, was not jesting; it truly was a valuable acquisition.

To her knowledge, it was a fragmented scroll.

The complete “Purple Qi from the East” was a five-ring Spirit Seal. By cultivating purple qi within one’s body, it granted immunity to all poisons, invulnerability to weapons, and fearlessness of both water and fire.

Moreover, upon advancing to the Nirvana Realm, integrating the purple qi into one’s Nirvana would render its effects permanent—a distinct advantage over common five-ring Spirit Seals, which often diminished in utility after such an advancement.

Luo Jin, initially possessing only a fragmented scroll, found his condensed purple qi capable of resisting only ice and fire. Yet, he later fortuitously completed the scroll before reaching Nirvana.

Recalling these details, Shangguan Xue felt an even greater surge of delight at having snatched the item from him.

Just then, Sang Yuling also emerged from the river of light.

The Spirit Seal she had chosen was “Spirit Hoard,” which allowed her to store spiritual energy during ordinary times and release it during combat, thus ensuring sustained endurance.

As the last person departed, the river of light vanished without a trace, and all the books seamlessly returned to their respective shelves.

Upon seeing the four disciples emerge from the Scripture Pavilion, the Instructor offered them a nod of approval.

She remained unaware of the events within the river of light, knowing only which Spirit Seals they had selected.

“Excellent,” the Instructor commended. “Your choices all possess significant practicality and growth potential, ensuring their utility even as you ascend to higher realms.”

‘Indeed, our selections are far superior to a mere basic attack like “Flame Finger”,’ Shangguan Xue silently agreed.

Shangguan Xue silently interjected, a wry thought passing through her mind.

“Now, regarding the test for the assistant scholar positions,” the Instructor continued.

Observing no dissent from the four, the Instructor pressed on, “Prepare yourselves. We shall see how long you can endure my spiritual pressure.”

‘Ha! If I were to fully deploy my spiritual sense, I could outlast you until your spiritual energy completely depleted. Oh, no, then the question would become how long *you* could endure.’

Shangguan Xue mentally quirked her lips.

The very next instant, the oppressive spiritual pressure of an Enlightenment Realm expert descended from above, causing all four disciples to let out a stifled groan.

Shangguan Xue did not fully mobilize her spiritual sense to withstand it, merely circulating her spiritual energy. She had no desire to overexert herself.

It was then that she noticed Sang Yuling stepping half a pace forward, subtly siphoning off a portion of Luo Jin’s burden.

‘She’s trying to curry favor with Luo Jin…’ The Martial Saint’s brow furrowed, deepening her suspicion that Sang Yuling was indeed the Yan beloved by the Child of Destiny.

‘However, if she truly is Yan, then Hong Gang, an expert at the pinnacle of the Creation Realm, would be by her side.’

‘Should we reveal our intentions, even if Jia Nan, Beigong Qingmei, Instructor Shi Ledong, and Ziyan were to combine forces and manage to eliminate Hong Gang, the surrounding populace would still suffer greatly.’

‘Furthermore, Hong Gang is a master of evasion. If he were to escape, operating from the shadows while we are exposed, it would prove a significant disadvantage.’

‘So be it. Yan is not the true threat; the threat lies with the Child of Destiny.’

As Shangguan Xue entertained these thoughts, she observed a golden radiance emanating from Sang Yuling’s form, which immediately made her question her suspicions.

For Yan, upon taking human form, are incapable of cultivating righteous, luminous, or harmoniously balanced spiritual arts, being confined solely to the path of demonic cultivation.

This golden light, however, bore no resemblance to demonic cultivation.

While Shangguan Xue was still pondering her identity, Sang Yuling collapsed. Having shouldered an additional portion of Luo Jin’s burden, she had, after all, borne the brunt of the pressure.

‘Sacrificing herself for another’s benefit… if this isn’t a calculated deception, then she must be a fool.’

The Martial Saint delivered her silent verdict.

Regrettably, even with a portion of his pressure alleviated, Luo Jin failed to endure until the very end.

Had he cultivated the “Yin-Yang Wood Art,” with its resilient spiritual energy properties, he might have persisted for a while longer.

As it stood, he cultivated the “Maha Art,” whose domineering spiritual energy, when sustained for too long, became uncontrollable and inflicted self-harm.

The only ones who remained standing were, without a doubt, Shangguan Xue and Qin Yueyan.

The Martial Saint’s endurance was, of course, unrelated to her spiritual sense, but rather a testament to her “Martial Art’s” complete utilization of spiritual energy.

It was as if everyone possessed ten units of strength, but others could only exert seven or eight, while she could exert all ten, effectively giving her two more units of power than others.

Qin Yueyan, on the other hand, endured due to her unique constitution, the “Indestructible Vajra Body,” further bolstered by her cultivation of the Saint-grade Spirit Art, “Saint Statue Demon Suppression Art.”

Within the same realm, her defensive capabilities and stamina were unequivocally superior.

Seeing only two still standing, the Instructor retracted her spiritual pressure.

“Given this, Qin Yueyan and Shangguan Xue, you two shall be the assistant scholars.”

“Henceforth, when venturing out for practical training, you must lead your fellow students.”

“Understood,” the two assented.

Behind them, Luo Jin glared at them with eyes burning with hatred, as if they had stolen his rightful opportunity.