The next morning.
On the announcement jade walls throughout Jade Pool Immortal Palace, a new "Myriad Phenomena Pagoda Cultivation Regulations" had been posted.
First Floor: Time flow is ten times faster.
Entry Requirement: Disciples from Qi Refinement Stage to Middle Stage Qi Refinement.
Second Floor: Time flow is twenty times faster.
Entry Requirement: late-stage Foundation Establishment and Peak Foundation Establishment Disciples; must pass a basic Dao Heart assessment.
Third Floor: Time flow is thirty times faster.
Entry Requirement: Golden Core Stage Disciples and above, as well as all Elders in the palace.
Supplementary Rule: Disciples must enter in order using their identity tokens; the distribution of cultivation resources will be assessed based on daily performance.
As soon as these regulations were released, every corner of the Immortal Palace instantly erupted in excitement!
Inside the Spirit Cuisine Hall.
Several Disciples who had just finished their cultivation sat around a table, their eyes fixed on the regulation Jade Slips they had copied, their faces a mix of excitement and chagrin.
"Twenty times! Thirty times!"
"My god... if one could Cultivate on the third floor for a year, wouldn't that be equivalent to nearly thirty years of bitter cultivation in the outside world?!"
A round-faced youth's voice cracked slightly with excitement.
"In your dreams! Didn't you see the requirements? The third floor requires at least the Golden Core Stage! We're only at Middle Stage Foundation Establishment; we've still got a long way to go!"
A slightly older Senior Brother beside him slapped the back of his head, his tone full of emotion:
"But even the second floor's twenty-fold speed is terrifying enough... I need to hurry up and break through to late-stage Foundation Establishment!"
"I heard that Dao Heart assessment is personally overseen by Elder Die Wu, and it's not easy to pass..."
"Even if it's hard, we have to pass! If we miss an Opportunity like this, we'll regret it for a lifetime!"
At another table, several female Disciples were also discussing in low voices, their eyes sparkling.
"The Vice Palace Master considers everything so thoroughly, looking not just at cultivation but also at Heart-Nature."
"Yes, it's only fair this way. It prevents people who have cultivation but lack character from bringing shame to the Immortal Palace in the future when they go outside."
"I heard that completing Sect missions or guiding Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters in their cultivation can earn contribution points! Once you have enough contribution points, you can go to the Sect treasury to exchange for treasures."
"My luck is alright; in the future, I can help the Alchemy Pavilion pick more Spirit Medicine, save up some contribution, and then exchange it for a defensive Magical Artifact."
On the Martial Arts Field, amidst the whistling of Sword Qi, discussions about the new rules were also mixed in.
"Thirty times... if I could practice my sword on the third floor for ten years..."
Murong Xue sheathed her sword and stood still, looking toward the Myriad Phenomena Pagoda to the west, a burning desire igniting in her cool eyes.
She was now at Peak Foundation Establishment, just one step away from the Golden Core.
These new rules were the most powerful catalyst for her.
Not far away, Li Zhiwei practiced her sword over and over, her movements meticulous.
Her gaze occasionally swept over the announcement jade wall, her expression calm and rippleless.
To her, no matter which floor she cultivated on, as long as she had a sword in her hand and the Dao in her heart, that was the Foundation.
But thirty times the time meant she could hone her Sword Intent to a purer state faster.
This was undoubtedly what she needed most.
On Yunwu Peak.
Li Hanyi and Yun Yun stood side by side, looking down at the boiling excitement within the Immortal Palace caused by the new rules, their eyes full of gratification.
"The Palace Master's move this time is truly astonishing."
Yun Yun said softly,
"A cultivation acceleration of twenty or thirty times... let alone the Southern Region, even looking at the entire Cangling Continent, one probably couldn't find a second place like it."
Li Hanyi nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the Myriad Phenomena Pagoda:
"Accelerated cultivation is also a test."
"For Disciples with insufficient Heart-Nature, it might actually be counterproductive."
"Grand Elder, rest assured,"
Yun Yun smiled slightly,
"I have already discussed the questions for the Heart-Nature assessment with Elder Die Wu."
"Only those who pass can enjoy such an Opportunity."
"Those who do not pass will sharpen themselves well on the first floor, and we will discuss it again once their Heart-Nature reaches Perfection."
After hearing this, Li Hanyi felt it was very reasonable and said no more.
However, her gaze involuntarily turned toward the Main Hall.
The Palace Master was about to travel far to the Central Province, and the outcome of this trip was unpredictable.
What she could do was to guard this place together with the Vice Palace Master during the Palace Master's absence and wait for her return.
With the announcement of the Myriad Phenomena Pagoda's new rules, the cultivation passion of the Disciples in Jade Pool Immortal Palace reached an unprecedented climax.
However, to enter the second or third floors and enjoy that twenty or thirty-fold time flow...
In addition to meeting the cultivation standards, one also had to pass the "Dao Heart Assessment" personally overseen by Elder Die Wu.
How this assessment would be conducted was not explicitly stated in the regulations; it only informed them that it would take place collectively at the Immortal Palace Martial Arts Field in two days.
Mystery and the unknown are often the most heart-tugging things.
During these two days, what the Disciples discussed most was this "Heart-Nature Assessment."
"How do you think Elder Die Wu will test us? It couldn't be a martial arts competition, could it?"
"How is that possible! They said it's a Dao Heart assessment, so it definitely won't be that kind of fighting and killing."
"Although Elder Die Wu is very beautiful and gentle, I always feel like her eyes can see through people's hearts..."
"Nonsense, Elder Die Wu's true form is the Great Ascension Stage Seven-Colored Illusionary Butterfly Queen; how could she not be beautiful? And she is most skilled in illusions!"
"illusions?! Does that mean the assessment is to have us fall into an illusory realm?"
"Very likely! An illusory realm can best test a person's true heart and will..."
Discussions and speculations continued, and many Disciples were both expectant and apprehensive.
The expectation was that if they passed the assessment, they could enter the second floor to Cultivate.
The apprehension was that no one knew if there were weaknesses hidden deep in their hearts that they hadn't even noticed, which would be infinitely magnified in an illusory realm.
Two days passed quietly amidst the anticipation and slight unease of many Disciples.
The day of the assessment.
On the Immortal Palace's Martial Arts Field, over seventy Disciples whose cultivation had reached late-stage Foundation Establishment or above had gathered.
Liu Ruyan, Gu Luoli, and Ye Ling'er stood at the very front.
Liu Ruyan's expression was gentle and peaceful, Gu Luoli's gaze was firm, and Ye Ling'er pursed her lips, a trace of undetectable tension in her eyes.
Ah Yao was also among them; she had been specially permitted to participate in the assessment.
The little one was wearing a small-sized True Disciple uniform today, her little face tense, her big eyes looking around curiously.
Behind Core Disciples like Li Zhiwei, Murong Xue, Xiao Ya, Zhao Ling'er, Wang Zhaojun, and Wang Teng were even more Disciples who had reached the requirements through hard cultivation.
Everyone held their breath and focused, their gazes all turning toward the high platform at the very front of the Martial Arts Field.
On the high platform was Elder Die Wu, who was responsible for the assessment today.
Today, she wore a seven-colored floor-length dress, the hem fluttering slightly with the morning breeze.
Vibrant butterfly wing patterns seemed to loom on it, reflecting a blurry and dreamlike luster under the morning light.
Her face was extremely beautiful, different from Empress Qingxuan's languid elegance and also different from Empress Ling Shuang's cool brilliance.
Instead, it was an ethereal and dreamlike beauty, her eyes as gentle as water, with a faint smile playing on her lips.
The most striking feature was her eyes, like the finest seven-colored colored glaze, swirling with a hazy halo.
Just by being lightly swept by her gaze, many Disciples felt as if they were about to fall into a dream.
"Disciples,"
Elder Die Wu spoke, her voice soft and pleasant, instantly pulling back the Disciples' focus.
"Today's Dao Heart assessment focuses on clarifying the heart and seeing one's nature, perceiving the true self."
"In the way of cultivation, cultivation level is the branches and leaves, while Heart-Nature is the Foundation."
"If the Heart-Nature is unstable, no matter how high the cultivation, it is easy to get lost in it."
Her gaze slowly swept over every young face below, the brilliance in her seven-colored pupils flowing:
"You only need to keep a point of clarity in your mind, face your true heart in the illusory realm, and make choices that follow your heart."
She paused, her voice still gentle, but now carrying a trace of unquestionable authority:
"Now, let the assessment begin."
The moment the words fell—
Elder Die Wu raised her right hand, her slender and fair fingertip pointing lightly toward the center of the Martial Arts Field.
*Buzz...*
A point of seven-colored halo bloomed from her fingertip, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, quickly rippling outward.
Wherever the ripples passed, the solid ground of the Martial Arts Field, the surrounding buildings, and even the drifting clouds in the sky began to become blurred and distorted.
The Disciples only felt the light and shadows shifting before their eyes; the figures of their fellow Disciples and the Elders on the high platform all began to become hazy and unclear.
A gentle but irresistible force quietly enveloped their Divine Sense.
"Close your eyes, relax your mind, and do not resist."
Elder Die Wu's soft voice seemed to ring directly in everyone's heart.
The Disciples closed their eyes as told and relaxed their tense minds.
In the next instant, the world spun, and light and shadow shattered and reorganized.
When everyone "saw" their surroundings clearly again, they were already in a completely unfamiliar world.
Before them was a boundless ocean churning with golden mist.
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