Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation-Chapter 98 - 12: Refining Divine Sense

Compared to the enlightenment test, Li Ji’an was confident.

Although he had not reached the stage where he could understand the principles of heaven and earth out of thin air, many things required a sufficient resource library to unravel, trace back to the source, and thereby realize the fundamentals, and then optimize and improve on the foundation of predecessors.

But this was already commendable, after all, given the over six thousand years of history and the inheritance unearthed from ancient times in this realm, the development was relatively mature, and being able to innovate was not easy.

However, from the two preliminary tests of the Biyun Sect, as well as the heart nature test, it seemed that the Biyun Sect’s entrance trial was not the absolute truth, but more likely it was based on experience and speculation.

Those who passed the test were not necessarily superior, and those who did not were not necessarily inferior.

At least in the second heart nature test, if he were to take it again, and hypnotize himself in advance, implanting the corresponding ideas in his subconscious, he would undoubtedly perform better.

Li Ji’an entered the pavilion with the flow. Inside, there were ten water screens formed by magical power, each with diagrams and explanations.

"Three days are the limit. The more insights, the higher the enlightenment. Cheating and any kind of malpractice are prohibited, as is taking any auxiliary spirit soul-type pills," Zhao Qi’s voice echoed in the pavilion.

Only thirty-seven people remained in the third exam.

They all stepped forward to carefully study the diagrams and texts on the water screens.

"This seems to be a late-stage Qi cultivation joint of a Water Attribute Technique."

"Pill, Artifact, Talisman, Array, and Puppetry."

"This one is for Body Cultivation!"

"This is a Magic technique."

"There’s even a Divine Soul Technique!"

"This also seems related to the Divine Soul, could it be some kind of Divine Soul Secret Technique?"

Those who came to participate in the trial had at least a Middle Grade or higher Spirit Root, and most were from reputable backgrounds, either family side branches, Immortal City merchants, or elite offspring from various industries. At the very least, their parents were exceptional among Loose Cultivators.

They had some knowledge.

Before long, the categories on the magical water screens were clear.

Li Ji’an nodded secretly, "Indeed, Biyun Sect’s enlightenment test can only rely on this method of solving problems to speculate."

Enlightenment was related to the Divine Soul, and the Divine Soul was hidden in the Sea of Consciousness. According to Li Ji’an’s understanding over the years, even a Core Formation True Man’s Divine Sense couldn’t penetrate another’s Sea of Consciousness.

Unless with some Soul Searching Secret Technique.

However, once the soul is searched, the Sea of Consciousness will collapse, leaving one either dead or a living dead.

Understanding Biyun Sect’s testing method, Li Ji’an was slightly disappointed. After all, this testing method had significant flaws and couldn’t truly measure a person’s enlightenment.

Everyone has their unique talent points, and using what they’re not good at to evaluate them is clearly inappropriate.

Moreover, this method of testing still made it easy to cheat or prepare in advance.

However, Li Ji’an didn’t mind. This method, on the contrary, had its advantages for him, since he was best at tracing back to the origins. Knowing one method, then ten thousand methods.

Moreover, initially, participating in the Sect trial was an accident, successful or not, he didn’t mind. Being able to experience it and be mentally prepared was already satisfying.

At worst, he could try again in the next life.

Then he’d directly be tri-talented, gaining the position of an Inner Sect Core Disciple, or even have personal guidance from the Sect Leader, which would certainly be much better than just becoming a regular Inner Sect Disciple now.

Afterward, he began comprehending from the first water screen.

In his past life, he was in the middle stage of Qi Cultivation, and he somewhat understood the essence of magical power condensing from a thin gaseous state to a thin mist form in the transition from early to middle stage. At present, this question was a deduction of a small detail of magical power operation from the middle to the late stage of Qi cultivation.

Just moments later, Li Ji’an stepped forward and picked up paper and brush, drawing the operation of magical power on a human meridian diagram.

Then the second screen.

It happened to be about his thirty years of in-depth study of Alchemy Skill in his previous life.

With a casual glance, the standard answer to this question was already clear.

He even thought that if he were to set the question, he would do it differently, which would better reflect the test taker’s enlightenment strength or weakness.

But that was only in the Alchemy Dao.

Third screen, Artifact Refining.

This question cost Li Ji’an nearly two hours.

After all, in both his past and present life, he had never touched Artifact Refining, with no foundational reserve.

Fortunately, this question was just about one crucial deduction point, and it was related to Pill Fire. Several possible combinations kind of allowed him to find the correct answer reluctantly.

It’s just that the method of gaining the correct answer like this, if truly applied to Artifact Refining, couldn’t be said to be utterly useless; it simply would have no utility!

Fourth screen, Talisman.

Once again, it turned out to be his strength.

Grand Elder Yan Kongyi, although himself not possessing high Talisman Dao talent, was quite good at teaching entry-level Talisman Dao.

Resolved in three breaths.

...

...

Like this, until noon on the third day, Li Ji’an took another Fasting Pill and finally felt too worn out and sat down. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

It must be said, the Array and Puppetry were indeed too esoteric and hard to understand, the questions perhaps weren’t difficult, but for a complete novice like him, with zero basic skills or experience, they were utterly incomprehensible, and eventually, he had to give up.

As for Body Cultivation and Magic, they were as expected.

However, it wasn’t until now that he realized, the most incomprehensible was the Divine Soul-type Techniques and Secret Techniques.

An entire day and night went by staring at the incomplete sections of the soul cultivation-type technique on the ninth water screen, yet he couldn’t understand a thing.

Soul cultivation, compared to the body cultivation and dharma cultivation he knew, was a completely different path with no reference, no cognition.

The last screen’s Divine Soul Secret Technique was just the same.

This further led him to not endorse this method of enlightenment assessment.