Chapter 475 - 244: Xuanji Lock Moon Array: Array Trial_2

The initiation ceremony for the Inner Sect disciples was quite elaborate, and it took Liou Yuan half a day to complete it under the guidance of Ya Kuan.

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere within the ancestral hall, Liou Yuan did not feel it was a waste of time.

At the same time, he understood why the sect arranged such a series of initiation ceremonies for disciples entering the Inner Sect.

"The Outer Sect disciples do not need to go through such elaborate rituals, nor do they have the chance to see the many martyrs inside the ancestral hall."

"Five Extremes Mountain uses this method to distinguish between the Inner and Outer Sect disciples."

"To tell the disciples entering the Inner Sect that they are the core disciples of Five Extremes Mountain."

At the same time, it is also a warning.

The methods of the Outer Sect might not apply within the Inner Sect.

As expected, after the initiation ceremony, Ya Kuan sternly read out the rules of the Inner Sect.

"Although the Outer Sect is the foundation of the sect, it is by no means a warm nest. Observe the myriad spirits of the world, lions and tigers pursue the deer with sharp claws and teeth, eagles hunt rabbits with keen eyes, and so should be the way of cultivators. Thus, disciples are allowed to compete, not to indulge their malice, but to hone their edge and sharpen their resolve."

"The Outer Sect is like a furnace, refining their bones and blood; the Inner Sect is like fine jade, carving their Divine Soul. Those who can enter this gate have already survived hundreds of battles, sharpening their teeth like a sword just drawn from its sheath, its edge just emerging. But a sword has a double edge, it can slay demons but also harm fellow disciples; thus, the first rule of the Inner Sect is to forbid ’brotherly conflict’."

"I understand," Liou Yuan nodded heavily.

At this point, the initiation ceremony concluded.

Liou Yuan left his Life Mirror in the sect’s ancestral hall so that the sect could check whether inner sect disciples are still alive based on it.

Unlike the Outer Sect disciples, every death of an Inner Sect disciple is investigated by the Disciplinary Hall.

Liou Yuan’s black iron waist token of the Outer Sect disciple was replaced with the silver waist token of an Inner Sect disciple.

Additionally, Liou Yuan’s token from the Disciplinary Hall was replaced with a White Bone Token.

Having completed all these procedures, Ya Kuan then led Liou Yuan out of the ancestral hall, leaving Short Mountain.

Leaving behind Tuoba Xin.

"Junior Brother Liou Yuan, I am here on behalf of our sect to take you to choose a cave residence." Ya Kuan had left, and Tuoba Xin, like a wild horse released from its reins, raised his voice quite a bit as he spoke.

Luckily, Liou Yuan and Tuoba Xin were old acquaintances and was already accustomed to his nature. He smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Tuoba."

"Oh, Elder Ya Kuan has already left, you don’t have to be so restrained, what’s with the formalities?" Tuoba Xin shook his head.

However, after grumbling a bit, he quickly brushed it aside, soared into the wind, and waved back at Liou Yuan, "Don’t just stand there, come with me. The cave residences in the Inner Sect also vary in quality."

"I know a good place that is still vacant. I’ll take you there."

Before departing, Liou Zhen had mentioned the matter of cave residences and had specifically advised Liou Yuan on several well-positioned caves.

Hearing Tuoba Xin’s words, Liou Yuan’s eyes lit up.

"I wonder if the cave Mr. Tuoba mentioned is one of the caves my brother advised me about."

With this thought, Liou Yuan followed Tuoba Xin into the air, heading toward the cave he mentioned.

In the evening, the mist over the Inner Sect’s Profound Lake rolled like a light veil, slowly swirling over the lake’s surface.

Liou Yuan followed Tuoba Xin down to the foot of a mountain near this side of Profound Lake.

Large swathes of wisteria hung down the mountain, like curtains draping over much of the mountain body.

Parting the curtains, a doorway to the cave suddenly became visible, hidden in a recess of the mountain wall.

To the left of the cave, a pool of Spiritual Spring bubbled and flowed, with a few twin-petaled red lotuses floating on the water, their petals glistening with dewdrops reflecting the light of the sunset.

Liou Yuan and Tuoba Xin paused in front of the cave, their eyes instantly shining brightly, unable to help but praise, "What a place!"

The cave that Tuoba Xin brought him to, close to the Profound Lake, was indeed one of the caves with lingering Spiritual Qi that Liou Zhen had advised Liou Yuan about before he departed.

Even just standing outside the cave, Liou Yuan could feel the Spiritual Qi seeping out from the stone door nestled in the mountain recess.

The twin-petaled red lotuses floating on the Spiritual Spring thrived due to the nourishment of the Spiritual Qi, appearing so tender and lustrous.

But Liou Yuan was not happy for long; his eyes, which were fixed on the cave, began to narrow.

Then his gaze swept over the rock walls around the cave, the ground, and the stream of the Spiritual Spring flowing down from the mountain and through in front of the cave.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, Liou Yuan’s improvements were not just in his own strength.

His Array Cultivation naturally advanced along with the growth of his Divine Sense, reaching the level of a Foundation Establishment Array Master.

He immediately noticed the hidden intricacies outside the cave.

"Foundation Establishment Array," Liou Yuan’s lips curled into a smile as he looked at Tuoba Xin beside him, his expression somewhere between a smile and a frown.

Indeed, outside this cave lay a concealed Foundation Establishment Array, and the array was so skillfully integrated into the environment that one might easily step into it and become mired within.

However, for a cave that was supposedly unoccupied, why was there an array set up?

The answer was obvious.

"Mr. Tuoba, are you testing me?"

"What do you mean? I brought you here because I believe in your proficiency with arrays," Tuoba Xin, not embarrassed at Liou Yuan’s direct confrontation of his true intentions, defended righteously, "Over the years, I’ve thought you should become a true Foundation Establishment Array Master, and this little array shouldn’t be a problem for you."

"Let me tell you, this cave is quite the place, and the reason it remains unoccupied is that the newly initiated Inner Sect disciples cannot break through this array."

"It’s a test from above for the Inner Sect disciples; as long as you break this array, the cave is yours."

Liou Yuan didn’t buy Tuoba Xin’s story at all.

Among so many cave residences, Tuoba Xin just happened to bring him to this one with a Foundation Establishment Array, clearly with an ulterior motive.