Chapter 885
The Tide of Seclusion, Sword Sect Trials
Song Qingxing never really understood how this so-called trial path helped him break through to the Golden Core stage.
According to Luoxia City, regardless of one's aptitude or whether one has completed the Five Elements Daoist principles beforehand, as long as one passes through the exit and walks out of the trial path, one is guaranteed to succeed in breaking through.
The underlying principle is quite intriguing.
At least Song Qingxing and Song Changsheng had only heard of one method: that is, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator condenses their cultivation into fragments of laws and Dao essence, and then directly infuses them into their body, which can raise their cultivation to the Golden Core stage at its highest.
The method for breaking through the Trial Path is unheard of, and the disciples of the Wuliang Sword Sect never participate. It is completely open to the outside world, which seems to be selfless, but upon closer examination, something feels a little off.
Is this the ultimate secret that Li Yuxia mentioned?
"I know what you care about most. That thing is shaped like a die, and it emits a bright blue light. It fell from the sky suddenly, and the process was as beautiful as a shooting star."
At first, we didn't know what it was, we just thought it was some kind of treasure. Later, Zhengchun said that he vaguely felt that the dice were guiding him in some direction.
It was then that we realized this might be related to the trial.
Later, as we followed the dice, we were frequently pursued and killed. We learned from a prisoner that they, too, were guided there by some mysterious force.
Before my brother Zhengchun perished, he gave me that mysterious die. Following the guidance, I entered a door and passed through five trials: the Path of Thorns, the Hell of the Fiery Demon, the Rock Space, the Void Sword Tomb, and the Boundless Sea of Bitterness.
These five trials correspond to the soul, magical power, physical body, swordsmanship principles, and Dao heart, respectively.
During this period, a strange power would be injected into my body with each test I passed. This was a power I had never encountered before, and it was somewhat similar to the feeling I had when I fused with the spiritual objects of heaven and earth.
After crossing the sea of suffering, the trial path will come to an end. After using the dice to open the spatial portal and return, you will be faced with the Golden Core Tribulation.
If you haven't experienced it, you might find it unbelievable. But once you pass the test corresponding to the Five Elements, the Golden Core Tribulation is not difficult.
I've compiled all my personal insights and experiences into a book; feel free to take it. I hope it will be helpful to you.
This also contains a map of the Trial Grounds and the location of where Brother Zhengchun fell.
To be honest, I don't know if Zhengchun's body has been damaged. We've done our best and left the rest to fate. You don't need to put too much pressure on yourself.
At this point, Li Yuxia paused and said, "It's fortunate that you came, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find a suitable candidate."
Normally, five million low-grade spirit stones would hardly attract a sufficiently strong contender, but this is all the money I have left after selling off my assets, and I'm just trying my luck.
Moreover, I only know that Brother Zhengchun was born in Luoxia City of the Great Qi cultivation world, but I don't know his exact location. If the body is found, we will have to search for him extensively." Li Yuxia's tone was full of bitterness and sighs.
Although he had broken through to the Golden Core stage, he was penniless. The five million spirit stones he had were scraped together from various sources. Apart from his natal magic weapon, he didn't even have a single spirit treasure.
Song Qingxing took the jade slip from his hand, and after reading its contents, he realized that there were so many intricacies to the Trial Path.
The key lies in vying for the dice and passing the five trials.
Therefore, killing is not the main objective. If you want to play it safe, you can avoid fighting in the early stages and just seize the dice at the crucial moment.
Moreover, there is likely more than one die, because only by obtaining the die can one receive the correct guidance and participate in the five trials.
In the previous trial, three people successfully passed the test, so the number of people who received the dice and participated in the trial must be greater than that number.
There are still plenty of opportunities.
The only uncertainty at present is how the dice are generated and what conditions are required.
While getting the dice in advance carries many risks, it's also like securing a ticket in advance.
Most importantly, Song Qingxing came here not just to break through to the Golden Core stage; if that were all, there would be no need for him to make this special trip.
What he needs is to break through the life-or-death predicament under immense external pressure; only in this way can he surpass his own limits.
"The Trial Path should open in about a month. You need to be prepared and study the map I gave you carefully. There are many hidden hiding places and resource replenishment points."
On the path of trials, you can't bring anything in besides your sword and a storage bag; you have to be self-sufficient in everything. This map is enough to give you a head start.
"I understand, thank you." Song Qingxing said solemnly.
Li Yuxia could have kept these things to himself, since no one else knew anyway, but he showed a rare sense of responsibility. Based on this, Bai Zhengchun was right to have chosen him!
……
Just as Song Qingxing was actively preparing for battle, the General Affairs Hall also handed Song Changsheng a list. Looking at the densely packed names on it, he felt gratified, but also genuinely felt a bit of a headache.
On the Cangmang Peak side, Song Qingshi, Song Changxiu, Song Changxue, Song Luzhou, Song Chang'an, Song Yulong, Song Qingqian, Song Qingyu, Song Qingming, and more than a dozen deacons will be in seclusion for the next period of time. On the Twin Islands side, Song Changxuan, Song Youqing, Song Youping, Song Qinghong, Song Changrong, Song Qingming, and others are also in seclusion.
With Song Qingxing participating in the Trial Road, well, only Song Qingxi and Xia Yunxue are left to manage the major halls of the Song Clan, and they are all commanders without any subordinates, because they are both in seclusion.
Those who attempt to break through minor realms through seclusion are relatively fortunate. As long as they have sufficient resources, they can emerge from seclusion in a few months to a year and a half. Even if they fail, it won't have a significant impact.
However, a considerable number of these people are in seclusion to break through to the Purple Mansion stage, which takes anywhere from five or six years to more than ten years. During this period, the Song family's management will be in a state of large number of vacancies for a long time.
According to the original operating model of the Song family, when the chief elder went into seclusion, the stewards and deacons at all levels in the hall were responsible for handling the daily affairs that arose, so as to ensure that the family would not stop operating because of accidents or seclusion of a few people.
However, when they formulated these operating rules, they never imagined that one day the family would encounter such a widespread wave of seclusion, with a seclusion rate as high as 70% from the chief elders down to the second-level deacons!
The Song family is now a large family with thousands of cultivators, controlling four states, ten counties, and a vast territory in the East China Sea. The remaining manpower is barely enough to maintain basic operations.
More importantly, the failure rate for breaking through to the Purple Mansion is extremely high. Even though they all have spiritual items like the [Breakthrough Pill] or [Amethyst Jade] to assist them, no one can be sure exactly how high the success rate will be.
Song Changsheng's expectation was half, which, given the current investment Song's family has made, is already a relatively high expectation.
Assuming a 50% success rate, the Song family's management will undoubtedly undergo a major reshuffle in the next few years, especially the chief elders of each hall. Losing any one of them would cause turmoil within the Song family.
The best option is to stagger the breakthroughs and proceed in batches, which can ensure a smooth transition of power in the family elders' council as much as possible.
A breakthrough opportunity is rare, so we can't just tell them to delay it. No one would say something like that without a stroke a hundred years ago.
Therefore, Song Changsheng is currently facing a considerable headache.
"Those who are capable should do more work. Everyone has been working hard during this period. As they make breakthroughs one by one, the situation will gradually improve."
Of course, I also know that your energy is limited. I will transfer Jingrun and the others back to the family from Donghai to share the burden with you.
In addition, a group of managers needs to be promoted as soon as possible to fill the vacancies. This matter will be personally overseen by the Chief of General Affairs, and one principle must be followed at all times: better to have none than to have substandard ones.
Song Qingxi nodded and said, "I will implement it as soon as possible. However, family affairs are complicated, and it will be difficult to handle them properly without a period of systematic learning."
Therefore, I suggest that some positions that will not have much impact in the short term can be temporarily suspended, such as the Sutra Repository, the Hall of Arts and Crafts, and the Hall of External Affairs.
You can focus your energy on the General Affairs Hall, the Law Enforcement Hall, and the Internal Treasury, prioritizing the basic operations of the family.
The situation should improve in three months at most.
“That makes sense. Let’s do it your way.” Song Changsheng casually signed his name on the list.
With the approval of the list, the Song family ushered in an unprecedented "seclusion wave," and a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators of the "Jing" generation were promoted to enter the family's management.
By using a mentorship system, we managed to get through the most difficult month.
At the same time, the path of trials officially began.
Contestants from all over the country gathered in a huge training ground; a quick glance revealed that the total number of participants was no less than three hundred.
Five hundred cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm represent nearly half the number of cultivators in dozens of cultivation worlds on the border. The great war between the Great Qian cultivation world and the sea race did not even reach this scale.
But within the next sixty years, 99% of the people here will die.
The last survivors were few and far between.
In the great war against alien races, there might not be such a huge sacrifice even after many years, but on the Trial Path, it happens once every sixty years, just for a few pitiful spots. How cruel is that?
The path to ascent is too narrow.
Everyone felt heavy-hearted, and the air seemed to carry a sense of unease.
A Nascent Soul True Monarch with an air of otherworldly grace arrived on a cloud. Looking at the crowd below, he said expressionlessly, "The Path of Trial begins today. Once you enter, you are responsible for your own life and death!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he pointed, and a spatial gate several meters high instantly materialized in the center of the martial arts arena, resembling a ferocious beast's maw ready to devour its prey...
……
P.S.: I'll add an extra 3,000 words first, then update as usual tonight~ (End of this chapter)