An Tong was a little stunned.
When the Young Master had taken on her master's trial and inherited her legacy, she had only been at the Golden Core stage?
So now, this Nascent Soul cultivation was the result of a breakthrough afterward?
And that Tian Po Sword—why was it so dramatic with its words? Did it not know how to be polite?
An Tong choked for a long moment before finally muttering in confusion, "Nascent Soul stage, and just entered at that. But Jin Yu is already at the peak of Divine Transformation. He's also the strongest among sword cultivators when it comes to combat... Is there really any chance to win this?"
His master had set up this final chamber so that the successor would have to defeat the most powerful young cultivators from the Four Holy Lands, proving their strength.
But now…
Yes, the Young Master was astonishingly gifted.
But wasn't she perhaps too gifted?
Anyone else wouldn't have been able to pass the trial at the Golden Core stage at all. Given the current situation, it seemed likely the treasure in this final chamber would be lost.
The treasure itself wasn't the main concern.
It was just that if they lost to someone from the Four Holy Lands, it would feel like the Wushuang Sect was being overshadowed by them.
An Tong couldn't help feeling a little disheartened.
But the Tian Po Sword looked completely baffled. "An Tong, what are you getting anxious about? I remember when the master set up these combat formations, he always fixed the cultivation level. This one, if nothing's changed, should fix everyone's level to the peak of Divine Transformation. So even if the Young Master's real realm is Nascent Soul, she'll also be bumped up to Divine Transformation inside the boundary."
An Tong looked even more discouraged. "That only increases spiritual power. If she's never experienced or controlled the Divine Transformation stage before, even with the cultivation forcibly elevated in the battle array, her techniques won't evolve. Neither will her comprehension of intent. In this case, going up against someone like Jin Yu, who's a true top-tier Divine Transformation cultivator, I'm afraid she doesn't stand a chance."
Yun Jin, however, smiled as she listened.
So the battle array raised both fighters' cultivation to the peak of Divine Transformation?
Then what was there to fear?
An Tong noticed Yun Jin smiling and was briefly puzzled.
The Tian Po Sword chuckled. "Why do you think the Young Master was able to pass the master's trial while still at the Golden Core stage? Don't worry. In this fight, she'll definitely win."
An Tong blinked, and for a moment, even he began to look forward to it.
The treasure wasn't the key issue. The ten treasures had been laid out to give the disciples of the Four Holy Lands a taste of reward anyway.
What really mattered was what kind of person the successor chosen by the master would turn out to be—the future sect leader of Wushuang Sect.
At its peak, the Wushuang Sect had stood firmly above the Four Holy Lands. It had been destroyed a thousand years ago, and only now was the process of rebuilding beginning again. Whether the new Wushuang Sect could rise to the same heights as before, An Tong didn't know.
But deep in his heart, a faint sliver of hope took root.
Maybe...
Just maybe, the Young Master would surprise him.
"Young Master, the treasures in these ten chambers are all quite good. Feel free to explore and have fun," An Tong said with a smile.
Yun Jin nodded.
She headed to the final room first and imprinted her spiritual mark on it.
Jin Yu smiled as well and said, "Junior Sister Yun, I won't be able to hold back during this battle."
Yun Jin returned the smile. "Senior Brother Jin, the array will elevate me to the peak of Divine Transformation too. It's not like I have no chance."
Jin Yu didn't seem concerned. "Then let's see how it turns out."
The Four Holy Lands had similar battle arrays, most of which worked in the same way.
However...
When someone with higher cultivation was suppressed to a lower stage, it didn't affect them much.
But when someone with lower cultivation was raised, they usually couldn't control the surge in power. Even if Yun Jin's cultivation was artificially bumped to Divine Transformation, all it really meant was that her spiritual energy increased. Everything else—her understanding, her technique—would still be at the Nascent Soul level. It wouldn't change the outcome.
Besides Yun Jin and Jin Yu, most of the others also marked their spiritual imprint.
Everyone generally agreed Jin Yu would be the last one standing. But... what if?
There was no harm in trying.
Except for that final room, nearly everyone chose a chamber to mark.
The Beastmaster Sect disciples naturally headed for the beast-taming chamber.
The Xuandan Gate disciples prioritized the alchemy chamber.
The disciples from Kunlun Sword Sect mostly chose artifact control. After all, swords were the foremost among all weapons, and sword control and artifact control were closely linked.
Qingxiao Pavilion's disciples mainly chose the soul refining room. They specialized in various mystical arts, which were often deeply tied to the soul. Their techniques in soul refining were often quite unique.
These genius disciples from the Four Holy Lands, aside from their main specializations, usually had side professions as well.
For example—
Most sword cultivators also dabbled in crafting or array techniques.
Alchemy practitioners often studied planting or spiritual cuisine.
Beastmasters, since their strength largely lay in their spirit beasts, often practiced talisman crafting as a means of self-defense.
Among the nine rooms, each person chose one or two areas of expertise.
Yue Zhao stood before the nine rooms, utterly lost.
He... didn't seem to be good at anything?
"Senior Brother, why don't you try the soul refining room?" Yun Jin suddenly said.
"Soul refining?" Yue Zhao looked bewildered.
Yun Jin smiled. "That chamber evaluates both the current strength of one's soul and its potential. I think you've got talent there. Just give it a try."
Trying wouldn't hurt.
Still confused, Yue Zhao agreed.
When Duan Yiwei saw Yue Zhao mark the soul refining room, he simply sneered. The disciples of Qingxiao Pavilion specialized in mystical arts, and their soul power far surpassed the average cultivator.
Duan Yiwei himself practiced the Insight Eye technique, which further boosted his soul. That treasure in the chamber? He was absolutely going to take it.
If others wanted to embarrass themselves, he didn't mind.
In the end, Yue Zhao chose the artifact control and soul refining chambers. He didn't have much hope for either, but it was the participation that counted.
Si Wanning scratched her head and marked the artifact control and spiritual cuisine rooms.
Yu Songnian also chose artifact control, and then added talisman crafting.
His cultivation had stagnated in recent years, so during his idle time, he had dabbled in talisman work.
Duan Yiwei unhesitatingly chose the array chamber.
Feng Linglong, being a sword cultivator, naturally prioritized artifact control, and added weapon crafting as well—a standard pairing for sword cultivators.
Yun Jin quietly took in all of this and understood.
Other than her senior brother, who might surprise them in the soul refining room due to his twin soul trait, the rest of their team still lagged far behind the Four Holy Lands' disciples.
This new Wushuang Sect still lacked the foundation it once had.
"Junior Sister Yun, aren't you going to pick a few rooms?" Cheng Su asked with a teasing smile.
"Then I'll just randomly pick a few." Yun Jin stepped up, looking sheepish.
She marked alchemy, arrays, weapon crafting, planting, beastmastery, and artifact control—six rooms in total, in one go.
Even Cheng Su, who had only been joking at first, was stunned.
Out of nine disciplines, she picked six?
Noticing Cheng Su's look of shock, Yun Jin gave an embarrassed smile. "Since there's no limit, I'll just try them out for fun."