Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi

Chapter 288 209: Ancient Times Seventh (Part 2)

"Buzz!"

A Qi rope wrapped around a piece of Fengxi Mountain Copper about the size of one and a half fists, binding it tightly.

"Boom..."

After the Three Evils Daoist selected this piece of Fengxi Mountain Copper, he continuously channeled magical power into the quantitative instrument, maneuvering the white Qi rope to slowly retract.

It took half a quarter of an hour, and only after the Three Evils Daoist was sweating on his forehead, did the Fengxi Mountain Copper finally fall into the tray with a clang, its needle spinning rapidly, pointing to a mark on the earlier part of the scale.

"Got another piece."

The Three Evils Daoist smiled, cheerfully picking up the Fengxi Mountain Copper from the tray.

By now, Zhang Yao, Man Tian Sheng, and others, who had prior knowledge, understood that this Fengxi Mountain Copper was some kind of regulated token, specifically used to measure a cultivator's magical power with the quantitative instrument.

"My turn!"

After Three Evils Daoist stepped back, Elder Yuanxu quickly stepped forward and placed his hand on the quantitative instrument.

Numerous Golden Core cultivators stepped forward one after another, with most of their magical power nearly the same, achieving about three to four taels of Fengxi Mountain Copper, yet the Three Evils Daoist still led them all.

Until Zhang Yao waved his sleeve and slowly stepped forward, placing his hand on the quantitative instrument.

"Elder Qingxu is about to make his move!"

Immediately, everyone's eyes were fixated on one side of the quantitative instrument, eager to see just how much magical power this renowned Elder Qingxu of the Southwest actually possessed.

"Boom!"

Massive and unparalleled magical power surged, and a nozzle on another side of the quantitative instrument suddenly spewed out a Qi rope as thick as a thumb.

This obviously thicker Qi rope crossed the space of the left hall, directly ensnaring a piece of Fengxi Mountain Copper the size of a child's head.

"Buzz!"

Under the calm infusion of Zhang Yao's magical power, the white Qi rope methodically pulled back the piece of Fengxi Mountain Copper.

"This... such a big piece, it's about fifteen taels!"

"Yes, just estimating the weight, it's at least fifteen taels, maybe even over seventeen taels!"

Everyone exchanged glances in shock, hardly concealing their amazement.

After the previous two challenges, everyone was mentally prepared for his performance in the third challenge.

But the issue was, while they all knew he possessed tremendous magical power, they had no idea of the extent of Elder Qingxu's magical power!

Now, just from the performance on the quantitative instrument, the conclusions left numerous Golden Core Ancestors perplexed, in disbelief.

Such tremendous magical power, could it even surpass Golden Core Perfection?

"Clang!"

A large piece of Fengxi Mountain Copper fell onto the tray, making a crisp sound.

Zhang Yao picked up the Fengxi Mountain Copper, weighed it briefly, and smiled:

"Not bad, a substantial gain."

This piece of Fengxi Mountain Copper weighed about eighteen taels, nearly two pounds, and its value was immeasurable.

Under normal circumstances, such a large size of copper or iron would weigh dozens or even hundreds of pounds, yet the Fengxi Mountain Copper was so light, weighing less than two pounds.

"I really wonder, where did all these Fengxi Mountain Coppers come from..."

Zhang Yao glanced at the line of Fengxi Mountain Coppers arranged from small to large on the left side of the hall, a glimpse of eagerness in his eyes.

Last time, when the Three Evils Daoist explored, they already took several pieces of Fengxi Mountain Copper, but this time when the Jade Divine Palace reopened, it was replenished again.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu truly possesses astonishing magical power!"

As Zhang Yao withdrew his gaze, he heard the loud admiration of Fairy Xia Guang.

The other Golden Core Ancestors quickly joined in, not withholding praise, except for Man Tian Sheng, who grunted a few times without agreeing, and the cold-faced, silent young swordsman remained silent.

"Fellow Daoists, you flatter me, let's proceed to the next challenge."

Zhang Yao responded with a modest smile.

Soon:

Everyone reached the third challenge's ancient green jade gate, as usual, four silver-white clusters of mist drifted out, injected into the souls of Zhang Yao, Man Tian Sheng, and others.

"Swoosh!"

The Golden Core in the dantian trembled slightly, emitting layers of golden light.

The surrounding magical power swelled significantly under the constant absorption and release of the Golden Core, equivalent to accumulating three to four decades of diligent cultivation.

"This is truly a treasure trove!"

Zhang Yao couldn't help but marvel in his heart.

And just at this moment, something unexpected happened that shocked everyone.

"Buzz!"

The Jade Order in Zhang Yao's bosom suddenly flew out, radiating a green beam that directly hit a transparent jade pendant on the side.

In an instant:

The golden light on the transparent jade pendant flowed like water, with the positions ranked seventh onwards uniformly shifting back by one place, and the tenth position directly squeezed out.

The seventh position was left empty, as the Jade Order shot over, falling into Zhang Yao's hand, conveying an enigmatic message.

"Name inscribed on the ranking?"

Zhang Yao was momentarily startled, then revealed a faint smile.

"He actually made it to the ancient ranking list!"

"Indeed, it seems Elder Qingxu's magical power is exceptionally rare even in the ancient era!"

"Incredible, truly incredible!"

"No wonder a cultivator of the Path of Array Refining and Body Integration can secure a place on the ancient ranking list, even amidst countless prodigies and mighty figures!"

The numerous Golden Core cultivators were filled with admiration, and discussions erupted.

Zhang Yao, holding the Jade Order, lightly tapped on the transparent jade pendant.

"Buzz!"

Among the many ancient characters on the ranking list, the two extremely striking characters—Qingxu—were added.

Even after retrieving the Jade Order, Zhang Yao couldn't help but feel a trace of doubt in his heart:

"Were the cultivators of the ancient era all this extraordinarily powerful?"

The Path of Array Refining and Body Integration originated from some super sect in the ancient era, but it became a system of its own only after the Great Destruction.

This path is extremely difficult to enter, and is most famous for its formidable magical power, employing the grand array inscribed within the body to harness the power of heaven and earth, overwhelming many other sects in several areas.

Yet, even with Zhang Yao's mighty magical power, he was only ranked seventh on the list; those ahead, especially the top three, must be extraordinary prodigies!

"Let's continue."

After a few congratulations, the group proceeded along the ancient green jade gate to the fourth challenge.

The setup of the fourth challenge was even simpler, in the five-zhang square hall, only a quaint copper basin was placed at the center.

In the copper basin, a black-and-white fish continuously swam in the crystal-clear water, and thick spiritual light permeated above the basin, evidently interwoven with powerful array restrictions.

The fourth challenge tested mastery, specifically the intricate finesse in manipulating divine thought perception and magical power.

The rules were simple:

By solely relying on a thread of divine thought and a strand of magical power, capture the fish amidst numerous restrictions and hindrances, with a shorter time indicating a better performance.

In this challenge, Zhang Yao no longer had an overwhelming advantage.

Though he excelled in this area, everyone present was highly skilled, clearly making this particular test not his domain to shine.

The final ranking placed the silent young swordsman first, Bai Hong Sword Immortal second, Three Evils Daoist third, with Zhang Yao placed fourth.

"Damn it."

Man Tian Sheng cursed, feeling somewhat frustrated.

Aside from performing well in the second challenge, second only to Zhang Yao, he ranked at the bottom in the first, third, and fourth challenges.

But ultimately, with gains come sacrifices; there is no flawlessness in the world. Even the seemingly perfect path of Array Refining and Body Integration has entry challenges, with greater hidden risks in the future.

The reward for the fourth challenge was an elixir pill encased in a crystal cube, with its size varying according to one's performance.

After receiving the rewards, Zhang Yao and the others filed through the ancient green jade gate and arrived at the fifth challenge.

"..."

While everyone examined the fifth hall, Fairy Xia Guang dared not recklessly use divine thought and subtly gestured.

Beside her, Fairy Feiyin understood, giving a barely perceptible nod.