Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1494 - 808: The Ninth Life Begins, Three Extremes Zhao Family (Part 2)

With the flow of time, greater numbers of boys and girls succumbed to the mind-piercing demon sound, collapsing in heaps while unconscious.

By the late hours of the morning, scarcely ten individuals managed to remain upright in the square.

The plump elderly man abruptly ceased his speech, his gaze sweeping over the handful of people who were just barely holding on, lingering for a short instant on a boy who had passed out before shifting elsewhere.

"You few have passed, follow me," the obese old man declared, giving a pat to the spirit beast beneath him.

The blue toad let out a resounding croak, then vaulted upward in a sudden bound, hopping away from the square.

The boys and girls who had held out until the finish lit up with delight, summoning their leftover energy to stumble along in his wake.

Right then, scores of men dressed in blue garments entered the square in succession, each halting in front of an unconscious boy to slip a crimson elixir pill into his mouth before proceeding to the next.

As noon drew close, the sun burned fiercely overhead.

Within the square, the boys and girls began to stir and awaken bit by bit, moaning while they rose from the dirt, adeptly clearing the blood from their faces, and leaning on one another as they exited the square toward the dining hall.

Zhao Sheng blended into the throng, his face deep in contemplation, as his cluster of roommates trailed him with twisted expressions of discomfort.

Before long, the vast dining hall brimmed with occupants.

Zhao Sheng and his companions claimed a lengthy table, observing the attendants carry in platter after platter of fine foods.

The surface brimmed with fowl, waterfowl, fish, and cuts of meat, every dish tempting in sight and scent.

Furthermore, a bowl of herbal porridge sat before each person, its rice grains translucent like gems and releasing a potent scent of healing herbs.

The spiteful youth, Chen Polu, rose with keen anticipation, ladling a heaping scoop of the medicinal porridge from every bowl and pouring it into a wide basin, setting it before the head of their group.

"Boss, here’s your porridge," Zhao Sheng remarked, inhaling the aroma of the medicinal porridge and swiftly pinpointing over a dozen ingredients for bolstering qi and spirit, each probably aged more than a hundred years.

It suited his weak frame perfectly, something it craved without delay.

Zhao Sheng gave a pleased nod, grasping the bowl and swallowing the hot medicinal porridge in big gulps.

While consuming it, his belly swelled and shrank in steady rhythm, softly producing low rumbles akin to a golden toad devouring the moon.

Once the porridge was gone, a tremendous wave of warmth erupted from his belly, flooding into his arms and legs, his form soaking up the plentiful medicinal essence like dry soil drinking rain.

...

"Three months!"

"You only have three months!"

Inside the lecture hall, a severe middle-aged instructor positioned himself at the front, eyeing the close to hundred boys seated below, his voice icy and firm.

"After three months, those unable to reach Qi Refining First Level will lose their status and drop to slave ranks, with no path to climb back up."

Upon hearing the instructor's words, the faces of all present shifted in an instant.

Zhao Sheng kept his composure, perched straight in his spot, though his mind had already slipped into a meditative state.

The spiritual energy of nature flowed like a river, pouring steadily into the Dantian Qi Sea, swiftly condensing into threads of spiritual force that shaped a tiny vortex of energy.

In under a single day, he attained Qi Refining First Level!

The enormous reserves from his prior eight lives proved so solid that Zhao Sheng required no supreme technique or secret art; a simple analysis allowed him to craft a cultivation path tailored exactly to his needs.

The Five Elements Spirit Root carried a key benefit—it welcomed any type of spiritual energy without bias, embracing Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth in equal measure.

"Today, I will teach you a hundred spiritual texts. Listen carefully. If you can’t learn and remember them all, the consequences are your own. Turn to the first page..." the teacher’s attitude was utterly detached.

The moment the words ended, a flurry of page-turning sounds filled the air as everyone opened their books, furrowing brows at the cryptic and challenging symbols filling the sheets.

The teacher continued, "I’ll recite it once: ’Within the Taiyi Domains, the stars are arranged...’ "

All strained to listen, eyes fixed on their books, desperately trying to commit the teacher’s recitation to memory.

Zhao Sheng skimmed the page in his book, grasping the truth within, "So I was reborn into the Taiyi Spirit Realm this time. Not bad, not bad!"

Still, he had no intention of rushing back to the Wolong Mountain Range right away; instead, he aimed to settle in for dozens of years, at minimum until he advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm before departing.

In his previous life, he met an early end midway due to rash actions. Thus, in this existence, prudence would take priority.

"Hiding until the end ensures you have everything," as the saying goes.

The ancients were not wrong!

...

When evening fell, the group returned to their sleeping quarters.

However, it wasn't long before the head from a neighboring dormitory stormed into the Geng Ninth Room with his followers, aiming to overpower the residents.

With a minor effort, Zhao Sheng overpowered the intruder and sent the lot packing.

If he hadn't aimed to avoid excess notice, handling a bunch of youngsters would have been effortless with his skills.

Shortly after, folks from various other dorms filtered into the Geng Ninth Room—some to build alliances, others to enlist members, and a few to flex their influence in an attempt to seize control.

Growing weary of these intrusions, Zhao Sheng directed the vicious youth, Chen Polu, to manage them, telling him to confront whoever showed up.

Come morning, more than a thousand boys and girls assembled anew at the White Stone Square, where the rotund old man remained astride the toad, chanting the Jieye Moke Scripture aloud once again.

Within merely an hour, the overwhelming majority blacked out, but four managed to last until the conclusion.

On this occasion, Zhao Sheng refrained from restraining himself, standing as one of the four who "persisted" right through.

"You few have passed, follow me!" the obese old man issued the identical command before mounting the toad and departing.

Zhao Sheng along with the remaining three dashed from the square, hurrying to keep pace behind him.

They traversed multiple winding streets and crossed through various gates until they reached the base of a towering nine-level stone pagoda.

A pale barrier shrouded the stone tower, flanked by two bronze puppets taller than a zhang, each gripping massive blades, positioned at the doorway.

The obese old man stepped down from the toad, waving his hand to toss four wooden plaques into their hands, while announcing, "This is the Scripture Storage Tower, you have three chances to enter, each time only for an hour. Today, who among you wishes to enter?"

No sooner had he spoken than a youth with a clear complexion advanced, declaring resolutely, "I wish to enter."

The obese old man appraised the girl with keen curiosity for a beat, then inclined his head, "Good!"

"What about the three of you?" the old man inquired once more.

Zhao Sheng pondered briefly and gradually shook his head. The other pair mirrored his action.

Lacking familiarity with all the characters, they hesitated to squander a valuable opportunity.

"Alright, you can go back. Come with the wooden token when you wish to enter. Don’t lose the token, or bear the consequences yourself," the obese old man sent the three away and guided the girl inside the Scripture Storage Tower.

The remaining two youths observed the scene and felt a pang of regret, aware they had let a chance slip by.

Zhao Sheng pivoted and departed, showing no trace of hesitation.

...

As the days flowed on, Zhao Sheng’s cultivation progressed swiftly, and he steadily grew accustomed to the local surroundings.

This expansive courtyard complex sheltered more than thirteen hundred individuals, their ages spanning from barely past twenty down to as young as six or seven.

Yet, the bulk displayed mediocre talent, mostly bearing Five Spirit Roots, with merely a handful holding Four Spirit Roots, and those possessing three spirit roots proving exceptionally scarce, all beyond twenty years old.

From a servant, he discovered that the courtyard he occupied fell under the Lower Six Courtyards, labeled Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, and Ren.

The Upper Three Courtyards consisted of Jia, Yi, and Bing, boasting superior size, finer facilities, and esteemed instructors.

That stemmed from the fact that occupants of the Upper Three Courtyards possessed cultivations tied to over three spirit roots. Class A Courtyard contained solely prodigies with Single Spirit Root and spiritual physiques.

Notably, although the Upper Three and Lower Six Courtyards formed part of the Three Extremes Zhao Family, the inhabitants were not blood kin of the Zhao Clan but gathered via diverse methods.

During these months, Zhao Sheng acquired a basic grasp of the Three Extremes Zhao Family. Though neither vast nor minor, whispers spoke of a Nascent Soul Ancestor within the family, unseen for hundreds of years.

Additionally, the Three Extremes Zhao Family boasted three Golden Core Masters in plain view, no fewer than thirty Foundation Establishment experts, and innumerous Qi Refinement practitioners.

Regarding any connection between the Three Extremes Zhao Family and the Divine Artisan Zhao Clan as kin, Zhao Sheng harbored suspicions, figuring it stemmed from some obscure offshoot.