That was a Half Talisman Painting.
The painting depicted only a woman in a long dress, who seed to be nestled in soone’s arms, while the other half had been cut away, lost to sight.
"Congratulations, it’s a fragnted ancient painting," Mu Lanxin said. "Cultivator, what a pity. This painting is useless, and carrying it will only increase your burden while traveling through the Cloud Sea."
"Of course, if you can find the other half that this painting connects with, it may be of use. However, finding another ancient painting in this vast Cloud Sea is as difficult as Ascension."
"Do you want to take it?"
Wang Mu picked up the ancient painting, glanced at Mu Lanxin, and said with a touch of speechlessness, "Naturally."
The woman in the painting... was Mo Xilan in her youth.
Wang Mu continued on, moving forward one more square.
The scenery around him changed.
The Cloud Sea vanished, and a new scene manifested: two Fierce Cloud Lions were fighting in midair.
One appeared lethargic, like an old man nearing the end of his life, while the other was full of vitality, robust and vigorous.
There was also a lioness nearby, howling as if calling out for the two Fierce Cloud Lions to stop fighting.
Both Fierce Cloud Lions were at the Late-stage Golden Core. As Spirit Beasts, they were born able to ride the clouds and command the fog, their strength imnse.
In the center, there was a shining golden rune.
That was a Spirit Talisman, the key item needed for the Immortal Cloud Competition.
"Cultivator, if you want to get the Spirit Talisman, you must first help one of them," Mu Lanxin advised, looking at the two lions. "The old lion, dim as twilight, and the vigorous young lion—which one will you choose to assist? They are both fighting for a mate. Such a pity."
"If I were the lioness, I would definitely choose the vigorous young lion."
"Yet, the one who has been with the lioness for a longer ti should be the old twilight lion, right?"
Mu Lanxin looked at Wang Mu. "If it were you, Cultivator, how would you choose? Do you think it’s better to go for the young one, or the one who has accompanied you for a long ti?"
"Neither is good."
Wang Mu casually took out a Flying Sword and channeled Spiritual Power. He executed his Sword Control Technique; with two swift flashes of his blade, he cowed the two old lions. Then, he leaped onto the lioness and patted her body.
The imnse pressure instantly rendered the Fierce Cloud Lioness immobile, trembling violently.
With the current strength of Wang Mu’s body, his sitting on her was like a mountain collapsing. The enhancent from his two Golden Cores made his Sword Control Technique powerful enough to easily cut down various Fierce Beasts of the sa realm.
If he were to use the twelve Flying Swords from the Wine Sword Gourd, even battling Nascent Soul Fierce Beasts would be comparatively easy.
At a tap from Wang Mu’s Flying Sword, the lioness leaped into the air. Wang Mu then seized the Spirit Talisman floating there, successfully obtaining it.
Mu Lanxin was speechless.
"With enough strength, everything else is a paper tiger," Wang Mu declared.
Wang Mu stepped down from the lioness and continued forward.
The first Spirit Talisman, easily acquired.
His Spiritual Power was hardly consud.
Stepping into the next cloud, the surrounding scenery disappeared once again. In the cloudy void, scattered points of light erged.
Four humanoid statues appeared before him.
Three of the statues were female, gazing into the distance, standing on mountain peaks, like three ’Waiting-for-Husband Stones.’
The first female statue had eyes full of deep affection; the second held a long sword pointing forward; and the third, though possessing a seductive face, was filled with indifference.
The fourth statue was male, yet he stood with his back to the three female statues, a great distance separating them.
"This is the trial of the chanism statues," Mu Lanxin explained. "Use your Spiritual Power to rotate the statues. Analyze and confirm through them, and comprehend the relationships among them."
"Only by rotating them correctly can you leave. Otherwise, you’ll have to keep consuming Spiritual Power. Once your Spiritual Power is exhausted, you will be eliminated."
The rules were very simple.
Rotating a statue once consud one-tenth of your Spiritual Power.
A few mistakes would be equivalent to wasting multiple opportunities to advance.
Wang Mu was silent.
"You see, the first statue is full of deep affection," Mu Lanxin continued. "This indicates that she and the male statue are Taoist couples. Rotate the male statue to face the first female statue. According to my calculations, the probability of this being correct is over ninety percent."
"No," Wang Mu shook his head. "If this trial were so simple, then the Immortal Cloud Competition Plane would be far too trivial. This is a Big Formation set up by Ascension Realm powerhouses, and these trials are designed to probe a person’s True Heart."
"In my opinion..."
Wang Mu pointed to the latter two statues. "If they are truly Taoist couples, when they gaze at each other, one must observe not only the female statues but also the male statue. Look, the male statue is expressionless. This clearly ans his relationship with these three statues isn’t as simple as it appears."
"Then what do you an, Cultivator?"
Wang Mu walked over to the first female statue and smashed it, extracting the eyes filled with deep affection. He then moved to the second statue, dismantled its sword-holding arm, and installed it on the third statue.
Thus, a statue ca into being: its eyes held deep affection, its surface was cold and indifferent, and it brandished a long sword as if ready to strike.
Afterward, Wang Mu rotated the male statue to face this modified one.
"You see, this explains the complex emotional changes between them," Wang Mu said, pointing at the statues. "Their great distance indicates they haven’t seen each other for many years. After such a long separation, the female statue is angry and resentful, making her want to strike, yet she holds back. She cannot forget their past Romantic Destiny, which explains the affectionate eyes. Ultimately, she can only maintain an indifferent exterior. All these aspects rge into one; this is a natural emotional transformation."
Mu Lanxin was speechless again.
At that mont, a Spirit Talisman appeared within the male statue, right at its heart.
"It seems your understanding was correct," Mu Lanxin said. "Cultivator, you truly have an ingenious mind. According to my information, when many cultivators encounter this trial, ninety percent of them rotate the male statue to face the first female statue."
User Comments
0 comments from readers