The scene before their eyes seed like a divine miracle.
Bolts of lightning tore through the sky, crashing onto the Golden Hall, then transforming into rolling balls of thunder fire, energetic and wild.
Not only that, the entire rooftop of the Golden Hall appeared to be coated with a layer of gold foil. The ridge of the hall and the ridge beasts, such as dragons, phoenixes, horses, fish, and lions, shone brilliantly, as if light bulbs had been turned on.
Even Wang Daoxuan widened his eyes, let alone Li Yan.
"Don’t wait, hurry!"
The Daoist leading the way beca anxious, "There’s no telling when the thunderstorm will stop. If you miss this chance, you’ll have to wait at least another ten or more days."
Autumn had set in, and significant thunderstorms were indeed rare.
Li Yan and his companion dared not delay any longer. They quickened their pace, following the Daoist through two corridors to the outside of the Golden Hall.
This Golden Hall was located at the highest point of Wudang Mountain, facing east, and was not very large, roughly the size of a large pavilion. It was a wholly gilded bronze hall with a multi-eaved, wudian style roof.
Outside the hall’s body were copper-cast partitions, with large and small fra beams cast on them. The upper eaves featured nurous bracket sets supporting the eaves rafters, while the lower eaves used single-bracket sets, exquisitely gilded.
Under the lightning’s illumination, the Golden Hall radiated fiery light, as if the treasure palace of the Thunder God in the sky had descended to the human world.
Outside the Golden Hall, several Daoists were already in waiting.
Among them, an elderly Daoist stood beneath the opposite hall’s eaves. With a flick of his horsetail whisk, he said blandly, "Everyone is here. The opportunities within the Thunder Fire Refining Hall are limited. Each person has only one chance."
"Daring to enter the hall and remain undisturbed by the Gang Thunder Fire, only then can one ditate and have the chance for enlightennt."
"Whether it succeeds or not depends on everyone..."
Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, another massive bolt of lightning struck down.
Suddenly, the Golden Hall shone so brightly that no one could keep their eyes open. When the white light faded, lightning crackled on the brass columns.
In addition to Li Yan and his companion, there were other Daoists from different Taoist Temples on Wudang Mountain, but their numbers were relatively few. Including Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan, there were only five in total.
"I’ll go first!"
One Daoist stepped forward first.
He was tall, with a beard covering his face. Handing his long sword to soone else, he strode boldly towards the Golden Hall.
Entering the Golden Hall for training had its taboos, including not bringing any tal objects. Li Yan left all the tal Magic Artifacts, such as the Duan Chen Blade, at the Purple Cloud Palace, and replaced the Lotus Lamps used for setting up the altar with ceramic lamps.
Another point was choosing the right timing.
One had to enter during the gaps between the lightning strikes.
This Daoist was evidently a bit impatient. Just as he reached halfway, his ssy hair suddenly stood on end, and his face changed. He hurriedly retreated.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning descended, and the Golden Hall flickered once more with thunder fire.
"Next!"
The old Daoist’s expression remained unchanged, and he coldly said.
The tall Daoist looked regretful, retreating to the side.
Since it was an opportunity, it was not to be taken lightly.
Having retreated halfway, he had already missed his chance and could only continue to accumulate rit, waiting for another opportunity to apply.
With a precedent, the other two Daoists were more cautious, rushing in imdiately after the Golden Hall flickered with lightning.
One of them sat cross-legged, trying to ditate, but the roaring thunder fire thwarted several attempts to reach the state of ditation. His Divine Soul was almost injured, and he left reluctantly.
Seeing this, the old Daoist shook his head and admonished, "Lack of solid foundation and a stable Daoist Heart cannot withstand the refining of thunder fire. Don’t aim too high."
"You are right, Master Uncle."
The young Daoist looked embarrassed, retreating to the side.
The remaining Daoist was visibly older, with his Dao reaching the third level. Calm by nature, he managed to ditate shortly after entering the Golden Hall.
ditating within this Golden Hall was notably more challenging.
Sitting cross-legged amidst the crackling lightning, his face soon turned contorted with cold sweat on his forehead.
Persisting for less than half an incense stick, he suddenly spat out blood and stumbled out of the Golden Hall.
The old Daoist consoled him, "Not bad, far better than last ti. Next ti, you’ll surely succeed."
"Thank you, Master Uncle."
The Daoist, pale-faced, retreated to the side.
Witnessing this, Li Yan was sowhat startled.
Wang Jingxiu had already told him about the difficulty of the Thunder Fire Refining Hall, considered the toughest among the three Mystical Realms. Very few succeeded in gaining enlightennt.
If it failed, he’d return to the Purple Cloud Palace to construct a tower.
Li Yan had always heard about this Thunder Fire Refining Hall because many geniuses from Wudang Mountain were his acquaintances, creating an illusion.
In this Mystical Realm, the failure rate was even higher than imagined.
Beside him, Wang Daoxuan shook his head directly and said, "Brother Yan, it seems this Thunder Fire Refining Hall might harm the Divine Soul. Since I’ve just constructed a tower, it’s not wise to take risks. Better not disperse my Dao, you go."
Wang Daoxuan’s choice was not wrong. Even the nearby old Daoist frowned and shook his head, "Utter nonsense, didn’t anyone tell you about this, wasting an opportunity in vain."
Ordinary people didn’t have Li Yan’s Daluo Dharma Body. Martial Artists cherished their bodies, and Cultivators treasured their Storing God similarly. Once injured, it took a long ti to recover.
Boom!
Another rolling thunder descended with a terrifying montum. Although the Golden Hall absorbed all the thunder fire, the resulting explosive roar made the surrounding halls buzz, with dust falling.
The old Daoist glanced at the sky with a frown and said, "You’re unlucky. Today’s thunderstorm is too fierce."
"Hurry up, or soon you might not be able to enter."
Li Yan did not waste words and strode out with his bags, leaping twice to land within the Golden Hall.
He looked up to see within the hall a statue of Ancestor Zhenwu being Tribute, a Golden Boy holding a book on the left and a Jade Maiden with a seal on the right, with the water and fire generals holding flags and drawing swords.
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