novelbin Chapter 1899 - 1900: Shrouded Within
Chapter 1899 - 1900: Shrouded Within
Jiang Wen stopped, so the people following him also stopped.
Jiang Wen said, "Dear seniors, the cave you see on the mountainside is the Wuliang Book Tower."
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this; no one expected the Wuliang Book Tower to be a cave.
The surrounding people were also debating, using their Divine Sense to doubt whether Jiang Wen was deceiving them.
But most people clearly understood that Jiang Wen had no reason to deceive them, as he would gain nothing from it.
Jiang Wen, of course, noticed everyone's doubt and said, "There's no need for suspicion; this is indeed the Wuliang Book Tower. It may look unimpressive from the outside now, but once inside, you'll naturally understand the specifics."
Following Jiang Wen's lead, they headed towards the stairs.
But as soon as Ling Zhenfei ascended the steps, he felt an incredibly powerful Northern Spiritual Energy enveloping him.
Ling Zhenfei's heart shook; being surrounded by someone else's Northern Spiritual Energy truly was not a pleasant feeling.
Especially since this was not the energy of one person, but a combination of countless types of energies.
It was like placing various ingredients, such as large beans and small dates, into a pot and cooking them into a thick porridge.
Ling Zhenfei felt as though he were in such a place and thus felt somewhat uncomfortable.
But it was just discomfort; it posed no threat to him.
Led by Jiang Wen, Ling Zhenfei entered the small cave and, continuing inside, suddenly found himself in a spacious and open area, with a large cavern appearing before him.
The cavern was tall and vast, with a very flat ground. Before him was a towering wall with numerous large and small openings.
It was as if transparent windows had been opened in the wall. On this cliff, the words "Wuliang Book Tower" were carved prominently.
Ling Zhenfei was very surprised, truly unable to comprehend how this marvelous place was constructed.
Initially, the construction of the Wuliang Book Tower within a mountain had already astonished Ling Zhenfei.
Now, seeing such a scene was even more breathtaking.
It seemed the entire mountain had been hollowed out, especially given the vast scale of this place before him, resembling a dense beehive-like structure, whose full size he couldn't fathom.
Disciples of Wuliang Mountain guarded all around this hall, each possessing remarkable strength.
Jiang Wen addressed the group, "This is our Wuliang Book Tower; please wait a moment."
Everyone was curiously looking around, extremely intrigued by everything here.
At that moment, a white-robed woman suddenly emerged from one of the caves on the mountainside. All eyes were instantly drawn to her.
Ling Zhenfei also looked at the white-robed woman, and she was none other than Murong Liuqing, whom they had dined with the day before.
Murong Liuqing descended from the air and landed in front of them.
"I am the custodian of the Wuliang Book Tower, and today, by the master's order, you are permitted to enter the tower. But I'll state the rules once: there are a total of eighty-one openings on the wall before you.
Each cave contains our classics of thousands of years, cultivation techniques, various predecessors' cultivation methods and experiences. You could say that even reading a few pages will greatly benefit you in cultivation."
Murong Liuqing's gaze swept over them, briefly meeting Ling Zhenfei's eyes but quickly passing without any pause.
"Each person can choose one cave, or be chosen by a cave. It's up to you."
Ling Zhenfei was slightly startled, unsure of what the last sentence meant. Choosing a cave, or being chosen by it—what did these twelve words mean?
After Murong Liuqing finished speaking, she moved aside and no longer looked at anyone, seeming like a fairy, cold as ice.
Jiang Wen then said, "Alright, let's not waste anymore time; you can enter now."
When Jiang Wen finished speaking, he also stepped aside, making it very clear they could enter those caves at any time.
However, none of these caves were marked for what type of cultivation technique was stored inside, nor did they know how to choose.
But suddenly, several people flew upwards, aiming for the highest caves.
These people seemed aware that the uppermost caves held the best items and therefore flew towards them.
Yet, those caves were not so easily entered; though several people headed towards them, they were reflexively bounced out before entering.
The people who hadn't gone up were shocked; someone shouted, "What's going on? Weren't we allowed to enter freely among these eighty-one caves?"
"Yeah, why can't we enter the ones at the top?"
"Have you done something with Wuliang Mountain?"
Murong Liuqing snorted and said, "You really overestimate yourselves. Upon your arrival, the caves have already made their choice for you.
If you're strong enough, you can forcefully change the caves' choice, but it comes at a cost. Trying to force it without sufficient strength is essentially blind arrogance."
Ling Zhenfei immediately understood: Murong Liuqing had mentioned during dinner yesterday that the caves have the ability to choose, and apparently it's true.
Only if a cave chooses you can you easily enter it, but if a cave hasn't chosen you, entering would be extremely difficult.
Jiang Wen then explained to them, "Everyone should go along with the Wuliang Book Tower's choice. Of course, if you feel strong enough, you can attempt to choose yourself, but it will come at a certain cost."
Jiang Wen had explained very clearly, and many understood, yet many still wanted to test themselves.
Several people flew upwards toward the upper caves.
The upper caves must have something special, or why would so many try to go up there?
Yet it's not so simple to enter the upper caves; everyone was bounced out by the caves repeatedly.
After several attempts, no one could reach the upper caves, and many ceased to try, instead flying to the lower caves.
Apart from a few who continued to attempt, most conformed to the caves' choices, entering the appropriate caves.
Finally, only Ling Zhenfei remained, and Jiang Wen said to him, "Brother Ling, don't wait any longer; it's just you left."
Ling Zhenfei nodded and then flew towards the caves.
As he approached closely, Ling Zhenfei felt several powerful forces pulling him in, not from one cave but multiple.
These caves were located on different levels, some at the bottom, others in the middle.
Perhaps due to Ling Zhenfei cultivating multiple techniques, several caves seemed to be attracting him.