The violent surge of Spiritual Energy made Li Bai clearly feel the transformation taking place within his body.
Compared to before, his Spiritual Energy had increased severalfold.
Moreover, in Li Bai's view, the Spiritual Energy Disaster was much easier to overcome than the Human-Body Disaster.
After all, one's Spiritual Energy had been tempered continuously since the beginning of cultivation. As long as the practitioner did not rely purely on elixirs or other external forces to raise their cultivation, there would not be much danger when facing the Spiritual Energy Disaster.
Of course, this only meant there was no risk of death, not that it could be easily overcome. Even someone as gifted as Mo Xingtian had failed to pass the Spiritual Energy Disaster in one attempt.
Still, each time a cultivator attempted it, their Spiritual Energy would become more refined and condensed, bringing a definite improvement in overall strength.
However, this process consumed an immense amount of Spiritual Energy, as purification naturally led to reduction. Therefore, each attempt required ample time to replenish the depleted Spiritual Energy.
That meant one had to prepare other Spiritual Energy–rich resources as supplements.
Of course, using a divine artifact for fusion, as Li Bai was doing, produced far greater results, but that was not something ordinary people could even attempt.
When everything finally returned to calm, the many outer disciples who had been alarmed by Li Bai's breakthrough all withdrew their attention and continued their own cultivation. Even the more hot-tempered ones only cursed quietly in their rooms. No one dared to come knocking.
Those capable of becoming outer disciples of the Flame God Sect might be proud or arrogant, but they were never fools. Especially the ones of noble birth—they could still distinguish clearly who could and could not be provoked.
Although Li Bai still had plenty of experience points left, he did not rush to continue advancing.
Because within the three stages of the Sovereign's Minor Disaster, the Spirit Disaster was the most dangerous.
The Spirit represented the essence of one's vitality, energy, and soul. It was the most important part of a cultivator. If the Spirit was destroyed, not only would one's cultivation foundation be instantly shattered, even consciousness would vanish, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell of flesh, no different from a puppet.
The Spirit Fire that formed during the Spirit Disaster was of no benefit to the flesh or Spiritual Energy, but for the Spirit itself, it was utterly lethal. If one could not withstand the burning, the Spirit might be reduced to ashes.
To be safe, Li Bai decided to wait until he had joined the Five Elemental Divine Sect. Perhaps there he could obtain better cultivation methods or divine treasures that would increase his chances of overcoming the Spirit Disaster.
A month passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Fire Dragon Valley was unusually lively, because it was the time for the Inner Disciple Selection. All outer disciples could participate, and as long as they entered the top twenty, they would qualify to become inner disciples of the Flame God Sect.
Although the Flame God Sect was strict in recruiting disciples, there were still thousands of outer disciples at present, yet only twenty were chosen each year. It was easy to imagine how fierce the competition would be.
Moreover, with people like Li Bai joining the contest, that meant some of those limited spots would be taken by individuals who were already far beyond the outer disciples' level. Naturally, it was no surprise that many were quietly cursing in frustration.
Following the crowd, Li Bai soon arrived at the massive Coiling Dragon Plaza located at the very heart of Fire Dragon Valley. Though the selection was crucial for outer disciples, for the sect itself it was merely a routine affair.
Normally, only outer sect stewards or inner sect elite disciples were assigned to oversee it. At most, one or two free True Disciples might show up out of boredom. However, because people like Li Bai were participating this time, not only were True Disciples present, but even several Elders had come to observe.
This sight alone made the stronger outer disciples tremble with excitement.
This was an opportunity.
If they could perform well enough to catch the eye of one of those Elders, would that not be a direct step into the heavens?
At that thought, a few particularly confident outer disciples immediately grew solemn and focused.
When everyone had arrived, a middle-aged steward stepped forward and pointed at the twenty arenas on the plaza. "The rules are simple. Those who have confidence may step onto an arena. The twenty who remain standing by the end will become inner disciples of the Flame God Sect. Of course, if your performance manages to catch that person's attention, even becoming a True Disciple will not be impossible."
The moment he finished speaking, some impatient participants instantly leapt onto the platforms, standing there proudly while waiting for challengers.
Li Bai glanced at them. Those individuals were likely true outer disciples of the Flame God Sect. He had no intention of challenging them, since there were still plenty of empty arenas available.
Choosing one at random, Li Bai landed lightly upon it.
At the same time, two other figures with similar auras each picked a separate arena as well.
They were clearly just like Li Bai—people who had come for the Five Sect Grand Tournament two months later. After stepping onto their platforms, they simply sat cross-legged and closed their eyes, waiting for the selection to end.
They knew full well that with their level of strength, no one would dare challenge them.
And indeed, that was the case.
Once the crowd saw Li Bai and the other two each occupy an arena, everyone collectively sighed in relief, finally daring to step forward and claim the remaining ones.
Time passed quickly. On the other seventeen arenas, battles erupted fiercely. Violent Spiritual Energy waves rolled across the sky, and if not for the protective formations surrounding each arena, the plaza would likely have been reduced to ruins.
Unlike the other two, Li Bai did not close his eyes in meditation. Instead, he watched the matches with interest. Most participants cultivated Fire-attribute Spiritual Energy, and since their strength was relatively even, the fights were quite intense.
Soon, however, Li Bai noticed a few particularly outstanding talents. Not only were their cultivations higher, but their combat techniques were varied and powerful. Some even wielded Deity-grade Spiritual Arts, and with the aid of high-level Spiritual Artifacts, they easily withstood multiple challengers in succession.
Li Bai shook his head slightly. With such configurations, few at the same level could match them, let alone the average outer disciple.
Many times, even if ordinary people joined a powerful sect, they would still remain ordinary. Unless one possessed protagonist-like fortune—such as a mysterious artifact or unparalleled destiny—one would only live a mundane life.
This was not only true in the stricter sects, but even in seemingly lenient academies.
In that sense, the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy's fairness made it all the more precious.
One had to admit, in this regard, the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy's Dean surpassed everyone else.
Originally, Li Bai had wondered whether some proud young geniuses would challenge them, but reality quickly proved him wrong.
Throughout the entire selection, it was as if the three of them had nothing to do with the proceedings. Neither the competing outer disciples nor the onlookers and supervisors paid them any attention at all.
At that moment, Li Bai finally understood why the other two had immediately sat cross-legged and begun meditating after stepping onto the stage. Clearly, they had already anticipated this outcome.
After the selection concluded, seventeen outer disciples cheerfully received their Inner Disciple Tokens. As for those who were eliminated, many wore dejected expressions, and several cast hostile glances toward Li Bai and the other two.
Frowning slightly, Li Bai made no aggressive response. He did not believe he had stolen anyone's place to begin with.
Only then did the rarely-seen Elders rise to their feet. One of them flicked his sleeve, sending out three streaks of flowing light that landed before Li Bai and the other two.
"Li Bai, Yan Xu, Dong Qing—these are your Inner Disciple Tokens. From now on, follow me to Chaoyang Peak, where you will reside and prepare for the Five Sect Grand Tournament two months from now."
"Yes, Elder!"
The three answered in unison.
Now that they had been officially accepted as Inner Disciples, there was no reason for the Flame God Sect to have them live with the ordinary disciples any longer. It would benefit neither side.
Chaoyang Peak had been specially designated for people like Li Bai. There, they could adapt in advance to the kinds of challenges they would face during the Five Sect Grand Tournament.
Following the Elder, Li Bai and the other two arrived at a seemingly ordinary mountain. However, since the mountain faced the direction of the rising sun, it had been given the poetic name Chaoyang Peak.
They now stood before a massive cave entrance, from which a cold and eerie wind continuously blew, sending a chill through their hearts.
"This is the Soul Suppression Cave," the Elder said expressionlessly. "Inside lies a seventh-grade Soul Suppression Array. Each of you will enter one of the stone chambers within and cultivate there. If, within two months, you can withstand the fifth level of Soul Suppression, you may participate in the Five Sect Grand Tournament. Otherwise, withdraw voluntarily."
"Why?" Among the three, the young man named Yan Xu was the first to voice his question.
Although the Elder's face remained cold, his explanation was clear and precise.
"Because the Five Sect Grand Tournament is held within an ancient spatial domain. The environment there is filled with immense spiritual pressure targeting the soul. If you cannot endure even the fifth level of Soul Suppression, then it is better not to go seeking death."
"Furthermore, the weaker your soul endurance, the less of your strength you will be able to display. You may even be defeated by opponents whose cultivation is lower but whose souls are stronger."
"Oh, and one more thing. During the Grand Tournament, you are not allowed to rely on any power outside your own body—including Spiritual beasts." As he said this, the Elder gave a pointed look at Li Bai's oddly-styled hair and at the slumbering Jiuyou.
"That is all. What you do next is up to you."
Having said that, the Elder departed swiftly without any hesitation.
Li Bai and the other two exchanged glances, clearly surprised by this unexpected condition. But since things had reached this point, they could only comply.
Li Bai clasped his hands toward the others and smiled. "Gentlemen, please."
With that, he strode straight into the shadowy depths of the cave.
Watching his figure vanish into the darkness, the two remaining at the entrance suddenly felt as though the darkness itself had swallowed him whole.
The feeling sent chills down their spines, but before long, they too entered the cave.
Upon stepping inside, Li Bai discovered that it was not as pitch-black as he had imagined.
The walls were inlaid with countless luminous stones, casting a faint green glow throughout the tunnel. Though dimmer than sunlight, it was enough to see clearly.
After walking for a short distance, Li Bai found a stone chamber marked with a number.
The door was open, and several dozen meters away was another chamber whose door also stood ajar.
Recalling the Elder's words, Li Bai did not hesitate. He entered the nearest chamber at once.
The instant he stepped inside, the heavy stone door slammed shut behind him. The room brightened as glowing numbers appeared upon the stone door, ranging from "One" to "Seven."
"So this must be the control for adjusting the level of Soul Suppression…"
Li Bai carefully extended his senses, slowly closing his eyes.
Activating his Heart Array state, he could only perceive a faint mysterious fluctuation before a dark and oppressive aura surged in, cutting off his perception completely.
The Soul Suppression Array directly targeted the soul, and thus it powerfully suppressed any sensory technique like the Heart Array.
Finally, Li Bai suddenly opened his eyes. A layer of blue light now veiled his originally dark pupils, and a faint eye-like mark appeared upon his forehead. The entire stone chamber dimmed in his vision.
Mysterious, multicolored lines began appearing before his eyes—but before he could discern them clearly, everything vanished in an instant.
"Damn it!"
Li Bai immediately clutched his head, an intense pain stabbing through his eyes as though his eyeballs were being gouged out.
A cold sensation swiftly spread through him, easing the pain somewhat.
Even so, when he finally reopened his eyes, his eyeballs were bloodshot.
"I'm still only at the beginner stage of the Void Heart Spirit Eye. Trying to see through a seventh-grade Spiritual Array is too difficult—it even causes backlash."
At that moment, Jiuyou emerged, assuming her human form. Seeing Li Bai's state, she breathed a sigh of relief before smirking.
"Tsk tsk, serves you right! You were sent here to temper your soul, yet you tried to see through the formation instead. They already told you this was a seventh-grade Spiritual Array, and you still charged in headfirst. Are you trying to suffer on purpose?"
Rubbing his eyes, Li Bai exhaled in relief as the pain faded.
He was not angered by Jiuyou's mockery. Instead, he nodded calmly. "You're right. I brought this upon myself. With my current mastery in formation arts, I can only construct simple sixth-grade Array. Trying anything beyond that is indeed overreaching."
...
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