Chapter 81: The Trial of Concentration

A single thought surfaced in the minds of all the Cultivators at the same time.

"We've hit the jackpot this time."

Just looking at this first floor, there were more than ten thousand Cultivation Techniques!

Simply taking a few out would be enough to make up for over ten years of hard work.

Waves of greed rose within the hearts of the Cultivators.

Although these Cultivators were already extremely covetous of the Cultivation Techniques on the bookshelves, they were intimidated by the power Qin Hall had shown earlier and did not dare to act rashly.

Qin Hall didn't seem to notice the abnormality of the Cultivators present.

He looked at the rows of bookshelves, a look of nostalgia in his eyes, and said slowly, "The Dao of the heart lies in concentration, in courage, and in perseverance."

"This first trial is to test the level of your concentration."

"There are 36,541 Cultivation Techniques here. For the next period of time, you will stay here and transcribe them. The time limit is three months."

"After three months, I will assess you based on the quantity and quality of the techniques you have transcribed."

Upon hearing what Qin Hall said, the Cultivators present all showed expressions of wild joy.

So many Cultivation Techniques, and they were actually being allowed to read and transcribe them freely?

As long as they could memorize a few techniques, even if they gained nothing else later, this adventure would be worth it.

Qin Hall ignored the reactions of the Cultivators.

With a casual point of his finger, over a hundred sets of tables and chairs rose within the pavilion.

On the tables were brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

"Now, you may begin. I hope you do not disappoint me." Qin Hall produced a wine gourd from somewhere and took another gulp.

Then he leaned against the wall, motionless, as if he had fallen asleep.

Seeing Qin Hall give the word, the Cultivators could no longer restrain themselves.

They rushed to the bookshelves and picked up the techniques to see for themselves.

A moment later, the pavilion erupted into a clamor.

"This? How is this possible?"

"The 'Golden Flame Blazing Fire Technique', a fire-attribute technique. It can be cultivated all the way to the Nascent Soul Realm?"

"This one, this one, and this one too—are they all Nascent Soul techniques?"

"Haha, we've hit it big! We've truly hit it big this time!"

…

Looking at the group of Cultivators who seemed to have gone mad, Li Fan couldn't help but let out a cold sneer in his heart.

He casually picked up a Cultivation Technique, chose a table, sat down, and began transcribing.

He didn't bother to delve into the content of the technique at all, simply transcribing it word for word with patience.

Because he knew that these Cultivation Techniques were all illusory!

In his previous life, Cultivators who had explored this place countless times had long since reached a conclusion about the techniques appearing in this trial.

During the trial, no matter what method was used to record the techniques…

As long as one left the Yunshui Heavenly Palace, all records would disappear.

It would be as if they had never existed.

These ten thousand volumes of heart-stirring techniques were simply flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water—tools used to tempt the mind.

Although some of the Cultivators present could vaguely guess the truth…

But…

With a true Nascent Soul technique right in front of them, how many people could resist the temptation and not read it carefully?

There were even one or two who were directly intoxicated by the profound mysteries of the techniques and delayed their transcription.

Even when they came to their senses after being reminded by others…

They still wrote and stopped as they transcribed, unable to resist looking back and reading again.

Those like Li Fan, who wrote with great speed and vigor, ignoring everything else and just transcribing continuously, were truly too few!

The paper and ink were both inexhaustible, and Li Fan soon finished transcribing the volume in his hand.

He put it back on the bookshelf and picked another one.

Li Fan's lack of attachment caught the attention of some people.

After some thought, they also gave up on their previous attempts to memorize the techniques.

They focused solely on transcribing.

As for those who were still intoxicated by the techniques, they had no intention of kindly reminding them.

…

Time passed day by day.

Continuous transcription was, after all, a tedious and exhausting task.

Having learned their lesson earlier, no one dared to use their dharmic power to cheat.

Soon, some people could no longer hold on.

They couldn't help but stop to rest.

Some immediately resumed transcribing after closing their eyes to recover for a moment.

Others took a thorough rest before pulling themselves together.

But Li Fan did not rest for even a single moment.

There were two or three others who were as tireless as Li Fan.

They seemed to have exceptionally good endurance and mental fortitude, perhaps due to their Cultivation Techniques.

Even without sleep or rest for a long time, they showed no signs of anything unusual.

Li Fan, on the other hand, was purely enduring it through sheer willpower.

Because he knew that Qin Hall's evaluation for this trial, besides being related to the number of techniques transcribed and the number of errors…

Had another very important criterion: the duration from the moment the brush was picked up until it was put down.

As Qin Hall had said before, the test of this trial was concentration.

Once the transcription of the techniques began, stopping for any reason would be considered a break in one's "concentration."

Li Fan was focused and single-minded, immersed in the transcription of the techniques.

All physical and mental fatigue was forcibly suppressed.

An unknown amount of time passed.

"Ah, that was truly a good sleep!" Qin Hall's voice suddenly rang in their ears.

He stretched, and the paper and brush in front of Li Fan disappeared.

"Time is up. Let me see how you all performed."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's really getting worse every year." With his eyes narrowed, as if examining something, Qin Hall shook his head repeatedly.

"Eh, wait…"

"This is somewhat interesting."

Having seemingly discovered something, he glanced toward Li Fan, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

However, Qin Hall didn't say anything and quickly looked away.

"The first trial is now over. Everyone will rest tomorrow. The second trial will begin the day after tomorrow."

He clapped his hands, and Li Fan felt the scene before his eyes shift.

In the blink of an eye, he was back inside the tall building where they had slept before.

Qin Hall's figure did not appear with them.

The Cultivators finally began to relax.

They were excited and exchanged words with each other.

"This truly was a great Opportunity. I memorized while transcribing and managed to remember a full fifteen techniques. Most were Golden Core techniques, and there were even a few Nascent Soul techniques."

"I remembered quite a few as well."

"What's the use of remembering so many? We'll have to see if we can get out alive first."

"That's not necessarily true. Given my talent, if nothing unexpected happens, I'll likely stop at Foundation Establishment for the rest of my life. To now be fortunate enough to glimpse the mysteries of the method for forming a Nascent Soul—even if I die tomorrow, I'll have no regrets!"

"Fellow Daoist, your words resonate deeply with me."

"Good advice is hard to give to those determined to die. Hmph!"

…

Besides the arguing, some Cultivators also began to eye the belongings of those who had lost their lives earlier.

Unfortunately, after checking, they all showed looks of disappointment.

Li Fan even heard someone nearby sneer, "Don't even think about it. I already checked that night. After being killed by that Qin Hall, their Storage Rings, Magical Artifacts, and everything else disappeared. Not a single thing was left."

Hearing this, Li Fan shook his head and was about to head back to get some good rest, but he froze when he inadvertently saw a corpse.