I Have a Compass for Opportunity

From a distance, Liou Yuan saw the grand three-character inscription atop the octagonal pavilion, which read ’Cultivation Skill Pavilion’.

Whether Zhao Zhuoran revered the Cultivation Skill Pavilion, or feared it, was unclear.

He landed about twenty zhang away from the pavilion.

"When we enter, speak little; there is a somewhat eccentric elder inside, and speaking too much might cause offense."

Zhao Zhuoran warned Liou Yuan and the others through sound transmission, then walked toward the pavilion’s entrance.

Liou Yuan and the others, naturally nodding repeatedly, followed Zhao Zhuoran inside.

The floor of the pavilion was paved with smooth bluestones, worn over countless ages, exuding a cool sheen.

Liou Yuan surveyed the interior and saw no physical books in the pavilion, only ancient jade slips resting between the bookshelves.

Near the entrance of the pavilion, a large desk was set up, made of some unknown wood with distinct patterns, emanating a faint fragrance.

Neatly arranged on the desk were brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, the ink not yet dried, as if someone had just been writing there.

Behind the desk, an elderly man with crane-white hair and childlike features seemed to be partly closing his eyes, as if sizing up Liou Yuan and the others entering the pavilion.

Liou Yuan glanced at the elderly man.

His hair was as white as snow, tidily bound behind his head, and his face was like ancient jade meticulously carved by time, full of fine wrinkles yet exuding a peculiar tranquility.

Liou Yuan naturally remembered Zhao Zhuoran’s earlier warning.

At the sight of the elder’s figure, he promptly lowered his eyes, avoiding eye contact.

Even the notoriously unruly Yan Yingsi and Qiu Ming behaved in the same manner.

"Mr. Qi, here is the roster of the top ten from this batch of the outer sect trial."

"By order of the Sect Leader, I’ve brought them here to choose their cultivation techniques."

Zhao Zhuoran, with utmost respect, addressed the elder as Mr. Qi, then handed over the roster recorded at the Spirit Ascension Platform onto the desk.

"Hmm!" The elderly man didn’t even glance at it, focusing instead on a scroll before him, and without raising his head, said, "Take them in, you know the rules."

The elder’s voice was calm, lacking the eccentricity Zhao Zhuoran had mentioned.

After speaking, the elder tossed a black cloth bag, caught by Zhao Zhuoran, from which Liou Yuan heard the clinking of jade.

Zhao Zhuoran, without further disturbance, respectfully nodded and retreated, motioning for Liou Yuan and the others to follow him.

"The Cultivation Skill Tower has seven floors."

"The first three floors contain inheritance jade slips of the various celestial arts."

Zhao Zhuoran introduced the inner sect skills to the ten individuals present through sound transmission.

Being among the top ten in the outer sect meant each disciple had immense potential, making them potential Foundation Establishment great cultivators, hence Zhao Zhuoran was inclined to build goodwill.

Liou Yuan quickly discerned Zhao Zhuoran’s intentions, listening silently to his explanation.

"The fourth and fifth floors are for magic inheritance."

"The sixth floor houses the cultivation technique inheritance."

"The seventh floor holds the highest five inheritances of our Five Extremes Mountain, left by the sect’s founder, Jing Xuzi."

"They were once placed atop the five Spirit Mountains that suppress Erosion Land, now enshrined here by future disciples."

Mentioning Jing Xuzi, Zhao Zhuoran’s expression was one of sincere reverence.

He was, after all, the founder of the Five Extremes Mountain, who single-handedly suppressed Erosion Land and established a sect.

Not only did this grant Five Extremes Mountain disciples numerous conveniences when traversing the world, but Jing Xuzi’s achievements also saved the entire Cyan Feather Realm from the Star Erosion Catastrophe, making him a benefactor of this world.

His name should be remembered even millennia later.

"The inheritance left by Patriarch Jing Xuzi."

Among the outer sect disciples present, who hadn’t heard of Jing Xuzi’s legend?

Upon hearing about the inheritance left by Jing Xuzi on the highest floor, each one showed an expression of fervent desire.

Liou Yuan was naturally among them.

"That’s Jing Xuzi’s inheritance. At least it’s a Golden Core-level inheritance—having just one would make one lord over the Cyan Feather Realm."

Liou Yuan’s eyes also revealed a hint of longing.

However, this unrealistic idea was quickly dismissed from his mind.

"To obtain that highest inheritance, who knows what kind of person you need to be, at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"Right now, I’m not even worth a fart, best not to harbor such extravagant hopes."

While speaking, Zhao Zhuoran had already brought them to the center of the first floor, taking out items from the bag Mr. Qi had given him.

These were white jade tokens, each inscribed with writing.

Three tokens bore the character ’C,’ and seven tokens bore ’D,’ exactly matching the three Grade C Foundation Establishment Skills and the seven Grade D Foundation Establishment Skills rewarded from this outer sect trial.

"Keep these safe; you’ll need these tokens to claim your reward later."

"Each token can only be used once in the Cultivation Skill Pavilion."

Zhao Zhuoran distributed the tokens to the ten individuals, with Liou Yuan naturally receiving one of the three ’C’ tokens.

After completing this task, Zhao Zhuoran began forming seal skills with both hands, directing them toward the ground beneath.

Buzz! Liou Yuan felt the array beneath his feet activate.

Looking down, complex array patterns emerged from the smooth bluestone, enveloping the ten individuals.

When they opened their eyes again, they were already on the sixth floor, the layer of cultivation technique inheritance.

This sixth floor space seemed not to belong within the Cultivation Skill Pavilion.

Because it was extraordinarily vast, Liou Yuan scanned the area, feeling it was nearly as large as the Artifact Refining Pavilion.