Volume One: The Miscellaneous Duties of Changshui County Chapter 110: The Border Crossing Approaches
“Congratulations to the trial participant for becoming a core disciple. Awarding the participant an identity token. With this token, the participant may enter the third floor and above of the library pavilion, access the ground-level secret chambers for cultivation, and earn the opportunity to become a disciple of the Supreme Elder…”
After becoming a core disciple, there were indeed many benefits.
But these benefits had little to do with Lu Jiuzhang.
The Pathbreaking Sect had already been destroyed; the sect no longer existed. What use was an identity token?
Moreover, the library pavilion was gone—what good was going there?
The secret chambers at the ground level were inaccessible, and the Supreme Elder was no longer around. Who would want to be a disciple of a ghost?
This thing was nothing but a useless trifle!
Lu Jiuzhang thought for a moment, then decided to keep the identity token on him and continue the trial.
After inquiring within the ancient tower, Lu Jiuzhang entered the thirty-first level.
Surprisingly, this level was not a battle but rather a wooden board with a line of writing: “Today, there are pheasants and rabbits in the same cage. There are thirty-five heads above and ninety-four feet below. How many pheasants and rabbits are there respectively?”
Damn!
Lu Jiuzhang was stunned. Why ask this question?
Wasn’t this the classic pheasants and rabbits problem?
This was far too simple!
Since crossing over, Lu Jiuzhang had been suppressed constantly; now, he finally found some footing.
Unexpectedly, the further he went, the easier the levels became!
“This question is one of the foundations of arcane arts. Although arcane arts bear little relation to martial cultivation, on the path of martial arts, if one can accurately calculate an opponent’s strength and the trajectory of their techniques, one can greatly reduce one’s own losses, using less spiritual energy to evade or even severely wound the enemy.”
“Trial participants, please solve this question within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea!”
A cup of tea?
Was this a joke?
Did they really need so much time?
In the world before he crossed over, this problem was a simple system of two linear equations.
It was quite easy to solve—probably even elementary school students could do it!
“Twenty-three pheasants, twelve rabbits!” Lu Jiuzhang answered.
“Pass!”
The thirty-second level was again an arithmetic problem, an advanced version of the pheasants and rabbits: “There are beasts with six heads and four feet; birds with four heads and two feet; together there are seventy-six heads above and forty-six feet below.”
This problem looked simple but contained much complexity, such as differing numbers of heads and feet, making it hard to calculate.
Lu Jiuzhang pondered for a moment; he had encountered this problem before.
“If you multiply the feet by a certain factor and subtract the heads, then halve the remainder, you get the number of beasts; multiply the number of beasts by four, subtract the feet, then halve the remainder, you get the number of birds.”
Simply put, it was a system of two linear equations. Although somewhat difficult, it was still easily solvable.
“Eight beasts, seven birds!” Lu Jiuzhang said.
Level thirty-two was easily cleared.
Level thirty-three tested musical theory, thirty-four painting, thirty-five…
The following levels were not difficult for Lu Jiuzhang.
They were all various other paths!
By analogy and extension, understanding other paths could actually help in cultivating martial arts.
That must have been the purpose of the ancient tower.
To some extent, knowing these external paths and understanding the enemy’s methods could also help better kill the enemy or survive their pursuit.
In this light, the ancient tower was quite reliable.
By the time he reached level forty, Lu Jiuzhang had gained many rewards and was promoted to a true disciple.
True disciples also had rankings!
Lu Jiuzhang continued progressing, and at level forty-one, he was required to comprehend cultivation methods.
This level was rather special!
Numerous cultivation methods were laid before Lu Jiuzhang. Utilizing the power of the Kui Star Tower, he kept moving forward, constantly observing and comprehending the methods, sometimes even practicing alongside them.
In this way, he passed through to level forty-nine.
It consumed a great deal of mental energy, even the Kui Star Tower dimmed and became obscure.
Lu Jiuzhang saw this for the first time; apparently, the Kui Star Tower could not be used excessively, or it would not endure.
From levels forty to forty-nine, Lu Jiuzhang had at least studied hundreds of cultivation methods.
Most were top-tier techniques.
In the ancient tower’s words, he was “collecting the strengths of many to select the path most fitting for himself.”
While reading and cultivating, Lu Jiuzhang spent a vast amount of time, but at the same time, he felt he was on the verge of breaking through to the eighth rank of martial arts.
The power within his body was no longer suppressible.
The spiritual crystals rewarded by the ancient tower were crystallizations of spirit stones; only a few crystals could be found in a vast vein of spirit stones.
After multiple rewards, Lu Jiuzhang had accumulated quite a few spiritual crystals.
Even so, the crystals were all used up, and the cultivation methods were still not fully grasped.
“Congratulations to the trial participant for clearing the level and becoming a true disciple. You may become a direct disciple of the sect master.”
A direct disciple of the sect master?
This title held great significance; there was a chance to become the next sect master.
“Rewarding the host with Ape Mind State [able to withstand one strike from a super first-rank cultivator, or three attacks from a first-rank martial artist], a White Feather Spear [activates in critical moments, such as a full-power strike from a super first-rank cultivator], fifty spiritual crystals, and access to the ninth floor of the library pavilion…”
The later rewards mostly involved internal conveniences within the sect.
But with the Pathbreaking Sect destroyed, these were useless.
Finally, there was an identity token proving one as a true disciple of the Pathbreaking Sect, a direct disciple of the sect master.
The moment Lu Jiuzhang held the token, he received a flood of information.
Ninety-nine percent of the sect grounds were now open to him; the incomplete formation arrays in the ruins were no problem.
With this token, Lu Jiuzhang could freely traverse the ruins.
It seemed that level forty-nine was the final level!
Forty-nine made sense—it corresponded to the cosmic order: the fifty great paths, the ninety-nine transformations, the one that escapes.
“Ding… Trial participant has cleared the level. Please proceed to the fiftieth level!”
The mechanical voice sounded the next moment.
Damn!
That was a slap in the face!
He had thought there were no more levels, but there was still another?
Through his journey, Lu Jiuzhang had noticed a pattern.
The first twenty levels tested the trial participant’s combat ability.
Levels twenty to thirty assessed the disciple’s talent through self-created cultivation methods.
From thirty to forty, it was about analogy and understanding other paths.
From forty to forty-nine, it was about gathering the strengths of many to find one’s own path.
Truly worthy of being a trial tower!
But Lu Jiuzhang had been cheating all along; this trial tower had little effect on him.
If a disciple could reach this point without cheating, how extraordinary would that be?
Were there really any who had cleared it?
Lu Jiuzhang was skeptical.
The ancient tower asked the host to proceed to level fifty but did not directly teleport him. What, then, was level fifty?
Before him appeared an ancient, battered stone gate.
The stone gate slowly opened, revealing a white mist inside, nothing visible.
Having come this far, what was there to fear in taking another step?
Lu Jiuzhang stepped forward and entered the fiftieth level!
He was determined to see what sort of tricks awaited within!