Chapter 849
Star-Picking Tower, God Transformation Supreme?
Following the elegant young woman who led the way, Song Changsheng and his wife went straight to the legendary Scripture Repository of the Array Dao Academy, which was said to house all the world's books in one building.
As one of the few Nascent Soul level powers in the Southwest, the Array Dao Academy, established during the Immortal Dynasty, is relatively young. However, its foundation surpasses that of the Vajra Temple, which holds a leading position in Buddhism and wields immense influence throughout the entire human cultivation world.
Throughout history, this place has produced more than half of the world's top array masters. These people gathered from all directions, and after mastering their skills, most of them returned to their hometown. Over the years, they have built a terrifying network of relationships.
Fortunately, the Array Dao Academy has always adhered to the principle of absolute neutrality over the years, focusing on the development and inheritance of the array Dao. Otherwise, given their enormous size, the surrounding cultivation worlds would have been swallowed up in one gulp, and there would be no way they could have such a prosperous scene of a hundred flowers blooming as they do now.
However, it is precisely because of this pure desire for the Dao that the Dao of Formations in the human cultivation world has flourished.
The long history and profound heritage did not stop these pure seekers of the Dao from moving forward, nor did they make them complacent. On the contrary, they studied the Dao of formations with even greater dedication.
The anti-gravity array that could support an entire continent was merely the tip of the iceberg among the many achievements of the Array Dao Academy. They had completely integrated arrays into their lives and cultivation, which truly broadened the horizons of Song Changsheng and his wife.
Many of these formations were so unfamiliar to them that they had never even heard of them, let alone seen them.
For example, when they passed by a small martial arts arena earlier, they saw a young cultivator dressed in the robes of a student from the Array Dao Academy take out a metal sphere the size of a pigeon egg from his pocket, throw it on the ground, and it actually set up a second-tier top-grade [Quicksand Array].
It took only a breath, and no array techniques were used; it was just a seemingly ordinary toss.
Song Changsheng once learned the method of refining the [Sword Pill] from the Enlightenment Stele of the Heavenly Sword Sect. It was somewhat similar to the one in the little cultivator's hand, but the difficulty between the two was not even in the same league.
He found it hard to imagine how the four essential elements of setting up an array – array base, array flags, array patterns, and energy – could be arranged in an instant using such a small sphere; no ancient book had ever recorded such an arrangement.
Even though he is now a mid-grade fourth-level array master, it is impossible for him to set up a top-grade second-level array in such a short time.
In addition, he saw a Qi Refining cultivator lift a huge bronze cauldron with one hand, a feat that would be difficult even for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, and this was also achieved with the help of the formation.
The opponent inscribed an anti-gravity array on his palm in the form of an inscription.
This method was not unfamiliar to Song Changsheng, because it was called "Inscribing an Array with One's Body," except that the other party only used his palm as a carrier to inscribe a small array.
Although the power that the formation could exert was extremely limited, judging from the casual way that cultivator used it, the formation consumed very little energy and had almost no noticeable effect on him.
In contrast, the [Impermanent Killing Array] within him is only equivalent to his current full-force attack, yet it will drain all his mana, leaving him in a state of weakness for a considerable period afterward.
During the Five Academies Grand Competition, if Song Changsheng hadn't used the Primordial Qi formed from the essence of the sun and moon within his body, it would have been uncertain whether he could have defeated his enemy in one strike.
Clearly, the Array Dao Academy has made significant progress in developing "Inscribing Arrays with One's Body," but it is not entirely consistent with the direction He Yunxuan initially chose.
However, their approach is clearly the better solution.
Besides these, there were many other surprises that Song Changsheng had seen and heard along the way. Even just a cursory glance at them brought him a lot of inspiration and touched him deeply.
Only now did he truly understand the meaning behind those words.
The Array Dao Academy, the sacred place that all array masters in the world dream of visiting!
"Gentlemen, this is the Sutra Repository."
The elegant young woman leading the way suddenly stopped.
Song Changsheng snapped out of his daze and looked ahead. Before him stood a vast, square pavilion that seemed to pierce the clouds. The gilded characters on the plaque shone brightly in the clear sunlight.
"【Zhaixinglou】..." Zhuang Yuechan involuntarily read out the words on the plaque.
Those few seemingly ordinary words conveyed to her an immense and overwhelming power that compelled her to bow down.
The elegant young woman spoke softly: "The tower is ten thousand feet high, and one can reach out and pluck the stars; it is called the Star-Plucking Tower."
This plaque was personally inscribed by His Majesty the Emperor when the academy was first established.
This building has 365 floors, with each floor being nine zhang (approximately 33 meters) long. It was originally built with only 365 floors, but now it has more than 800 floors.
The books inside are vast and numerous, spanning from ancient to modern times, and arranged in order of quality from low to high. Each level has an array at the entrance as a test; as long as you can break through it, you can proceed to the next level. Once inside, you can freely browse the books.
If needed, there is a chance to borrow or make a copy after consulting with the elder in charge of the pavilion.
Because of the vast amount of heritage, many people have lost their way within it. After entering, guests are urged to remain calm and mindful, act within their means, and not let greed blind them.
please."
Zhuang Yuechan shook her head slightly and said, "Since it's a test of your array formation skills, then I won't go in."
Yu Shu Zhenjun is a versatile person, and she has some knowledge of formations, but not in great depth. She has never put much effort into this area, so the Star-Picking Tower does not hold much appeal for her.
Upon hearing this, the elegant young woman spoke again: "The guardian elder previously instructed that if guests do not wish to enter the Star-Picking Tower, they can go to the Absolute Sound Valley. The academy is not only filled with formations."
The Valley of Absolute Sound is clearly a place related to music.
For Zhuang Yuechan, it was an unexpected surprise.
"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way, fellow Daoist."
The couple split up.
When Song Changsheng entered the Star-Picking Tower, he was immediately overwhelmed by the layers upon layers of scriptures and classics.
It is no exaggeration to say that the number of books stacked on this one floor alone is more than the total number of books in the Song family's entire library.
It should be noted that although the Song family's foundation is shallow, due to the existence of the Lost Pearl Small World, the library in its Scripture Pavilion is extremely rich, far exceeding that of ordinary Golden Core forces, yet it is simply not enough here.
This is only the first floor; the Star-Picking Tower has over 800 floors!
No wonder the elegant young woman had specifically warned them not to let greed blind them; even the most self-disciplined person could succumb to temptation in such an environment. The Star-Picking Tower is a pyramid-like structure, and unsurprisingly, the lower floors contain the most books, especially this one.
However, there were only a few scattered cultivators on this floor.
They were all very young, only teenagers, yet they were already completely overwhelmed by the vast sea of books.
He was somewhat surprised to find that there were Qi Refining cultivators in the academy.
He casually picked up a few jade slips from the mahogany bookshelf, which were many times larger than the Song family's historical records. He found that they contained some basic knowledge of array formations. He flipped through them and found many similarities. The same knowledge point was recorded in different books with considerable differences.
"They really accept everything without any revision? Aren't they going to proofread it carefully?" Song Changsheng was a little puzzled. After the content was optimized and revised, he felt that even one jade slip was too much. Using several jade slips to record it would not only take up space, but would also be too redundant and complicated, making it extremely inconvenient to study.
The few volumes he picked up at random were all like this. Of the hundreds of thousands of volumes on this floor, probably 99% were like this. He didn't quite understand why they did this. Was it to deliberately increase the learning cost? That would be really a waste of time.
"Without the meticulous editing, you wouldn't be seeing such a large number."
Before anyone knew it, an old man in a gray robe with white hair and beard appeared beside Song Changsheng and placed a jade slip with some cracks into the bookshelf.
Song Changsheng had no idea when the other party had appeared. He quickly put down the jade slip in his hand and bowed respectfully, saying, "Junior Song Changsheng greets senior. You must be Elder Shouge. Please forgive me if I have offended you just now."
The reason he addressed him as "senior" was because he couldn't see through the other person's cultivation level. Although he couldn't see through the guardian elder before, he was certain that the other person was a Nascent Soul True Monarch. But when facing this person, he couldn't be sure.
"You are not the first person to have this question. When I first entered the Star-Picking Tower, my thoughts were much bolder than what you have said."
"My master told me the answer back then, and now I'm relaying it to you, hoping it can resolve your doubts." A hint of reminiscence flickered in the Elder's eyes as he gently stroked the bookshelf. "Young friend Song, in your opinion, does everything in this world have a definite and unified answer?"
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng answered without hesitation: "Of course not."
"That's it. You only saw that the contents of these jade slips have many similarities, but you didn't notice their differences."
Despite their many differences, once you read through them, you'll find that their theoretical logic is actually completely self-consistent. However, once you extract them and place them in other jade slips, they become extremely chaotic.
The same thing will appear different depending on the angle from which it is viewed. Once they've written down their opinions, can you still distinguish between right and wrong?
The way to ensure long-term survival is through open debate. Even if the final result is the same, one person's opinion cannot be applied to everyone, because the process is equally important.
Even if the outcome seems wrong to us now, no one can say it will always be wrong. Perhaps one day when we go astray, it can help us get back on track.
Nothing is impossible, there is no absolute truth in the world, and some things may just lack someone who truly understands them.
We have collected and stored these scriptures and classics here, waiting for someone who can understand them.
Even if only one person perseveres and studies it over ten thousand years, its existence is still meaningful. Since it is meaningful, it should be passed down. It is a priceless treasure left by our predecessors, and we have no right to select and decide for future generations.
This was also the original intention behind the construction of the Star-Picking Tower.
Does this explanation clear up your doubts?
After hearing these words, Song Changsheng felt enlightened and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Elder. I will humbly accept your teachings."
The elder guarding the pavilion nodded slightly: "This young man is teachable."
"The number of books in the Star-Picking Tower has long exceeded one hundred million. With your expertise in formations, you are qualified to access at least seventy percent of them. Even if you are a Golden Core cultivator, you would not be able to finish reading them in less than several hundred years."
Below the 300th floor, the help you can offer is negligible. I suggest you start from the 300th floor; it will save you a lot of time.
As soon as he finished speaking, the elder guarding the pavilion vanished into thin air, as if he had never existed at all, leaving no trace whatsoever.
"This... could it be a Nascent Soul Supreme?" Song Changsheng was shocked. He was certain that this was the strongest person he had ever encountered in his life, apart from his master, even stronger than the Human King of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty.
Only a Nascent Soul Supreme can meet this condition!
He never imagined that he would one day come into contact with such a powerful person, especially under such circumstances.
Suppressing his shock, Song Changsheng followed the elder's advice and walked to the second-level steps. What blocked his way was a first-level [Maze Array], which he easily broke through.
And so, he completed the trials without stopping, from easy to difficult, and reached the 380th floor in one go.
Those who can reach this level are at least top-tier third-order array masters.
Despite being nearly four hundred floors high, the library still holds more than 70% of the books found on the first floor. Among them are not only top-tier third-order books, but also fourth-order array inheritances.
However, the inheritance only accounts for a very small part of the collection. The majority consists of personal notes from predecessors, which contain insights into the art of formations, travelogues, anecdotes and other content. It is practically a replica of the "Creation Classic".
The difference between the two is that the content recorded in the "Creation Wonders" is more comprehensive and also more ancient.
However, the Star-Picking Tower completely surpasses the "Creation Scripture" in terms of array formations, since the array formations were only just emerging when the Sky-Supporting Sword Immortal ascended to immortality.
Song Changsheng only skimmed through a few books to get a general idea before continuing to climb to higher floors.
His time inside depends on when True Lord Yingyue returns, but it will most likely be only a few days.
Time is precious, and he didn't want to waste too much time on the lower floors.
The higher he went, the more difficult the test became. After reaching the 460th floor, he had to rely on the power of the [Insightful Eye] to continue.
Using this almost cheating method, he reached the 590th floor in one day.
This floor already displays fourth-tier top-grade inheritances and scattered fifth-tier array masters' notes.
Just as Song Changsheng was preparing to climb to the 600th floor in one go, he suddenly felt a strong attraction, as if something was calling to him...
...(End of chapter)