The Inheritance Stele stood about a hundred feet tall. Over a hundred characters were engraved upon it in vertical columns, suffused with a simple, ancient air.
'So this is the Inheritance Stele… It looks rather ordinary, but I can't recognize a single one of the characters.'
Early in the morning, under the guidance of the Qingfeng Sect's Cultivators, Bai Zichen and a large group of Clan Cultivators arrived on the third floor of the Five Mountains Temple. The first thing they saw was this towering stele.
When the Cave Mansion was first breached, the Qingfeng Sect had initially mistaken the Inheritance Stele for a special Exotic Treasure that could not be refined.
It wasn't until Master Yang consulted numerous ancient texts and made multiple comparisons that he finally confirmed this was the Inheritance Stele of the Naihe Sect.
No one knew how the Five Mountains True Man had obtained it in the first place.
This item was tied to the Naihe Sect's path of succession and was never meant to be circulated. As such, Cultivators from the outside world had very limited knowledge of it.
Master Yang had even made a special trip to Lingzhou for this Inheritance Stele, purchasing a piece of intelligence from a Celestial Secret Pavilion Cultivator. Only then did he learn that the strange script on the stele was the Flower-and-Bird Seal Script from Ancient Times. With the passage of time, it had long fallen out of use in the Cultivation Realm.
The text on the Inheritance Stele itself was merely a piece of Cyan Words used in a ritual to pray to the heavens; it was not a Cultivation Technique.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, once all the Cultivation Families had arrived, another group of young Cultivators strode up, not stopping until they were right at the very front.
'Qingfeng Sect disciples… As expected, they're as arrogant as ever, looking down on everyone.'
Bai Zichen thought to himself. That air of theirs was one of a kind in Black Mountain; not even the scions of the great Noble Families were so haughty.
"Everyone, today, we of the Qingfeng Sect have brought out the Inheritance Stele to share with all of you. We hope to advance hand-in-hand and bring greater prosperity to the Black Mountain Cultivation Realm. This is a kindness bestowed upon us by our two Ancestors. You must all cherish this rare opportunity and not let it go to waste."
The speaker was a middle-aged man with dark skin and rugged features, standing in a position of authority. He was Peng Chong, an Elder from the Qingfeng Sect's Artifact Refining Hall, and he was in charge of the Inheritance Stele event.
"As we've said before, any rewards your Clan's disciples obtain may be brought to the Sect for an exchange. There is no upper limit, and there are no restrictions on what you can trade for."
"Furthermore, according to our Ancestors' judgment, this Inheritance Stele can only be used another five hundred times at most before it crumbles. Therefore, to avoid wasting this hard-won opportunity, the Elder Council has decided to rank the scores from this session. The five families with the lowest scores will not be invited for the next decade. It would be a waste of a precious chance!"
As soon as Elder Peng made the announcement, the representatives of the Cultivation Families below exchanged worried glances, all feeling the pressure.
Eliminating five out of fifteen families was a steep cut.
Losing the chance to comprehend the Inheritance Stele was a double blow. Not only would they miss out on this fortuitous opportunity, but they would also be seen as having been cast out of the circle of top-tier Cultivation Families.
Over time, that perception would solidify in people's minds, and they might actually find themselves cast out for good.
The lead Elder from each Clan hurriedly began instructing their juniors, but no one dared to voice any objection to the new rule.
The Qingfeng Sect was the sky over Black Mountain. Even if they hadn't offered a single spot, what could these Cultivation Families possibly do about it?
"You both heard him. You must place in the top ten! If you do, I'll go back and request five hundred Clan contribution points for each of you!"
Honggu's voice abruptly resounded in the minds of Bai Zichen and Bai Ling. It was the Sound Transmission Secret, a technique that only Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators could master.
The two of them nodded excitedly in agreement.
Five hundred Clan contribution points!
That was no small sum.
To put it in perspective, Chubby's father, a Steward for the Clan's merchant caravans, earned about fifty Clan contribution points for a single round trip to the Qingfeng Sect Market. It would take him around three years to earn five hundred points.
'First they gave out spots, and now they're starting to take them back. What is the Qingfeng Sect planning…'
While Elder Peng was still speaking, Bai Zichen's mind began to wander as he started to ponder the question.
'It can't be simple charity or a reward for services rendered. Currying favor with the Black Mountain Cultivation Families is surely only a small part of it. This must be about the Naihe Sect's inheritance!'
'The Inheritance Stele has its own scoring system. It guides disciples toward suitable Cultivation paths and gives out different rewards. By gathering all the outstanding disciples from the various Cultivation Families in the first year, they're bound to find some exceptionally talented individuals who will receive special rewards. These can then be used to supplement the Qingfeng Sect's own collection of Cultivation Techniques and Divine Techniques.'
'By the second time they hold this event, it's highly likely they'll start getting duplicate techniques. Naturally, there'd be no reason to waste spots on outsiders anymore.'
'If I'm not mistaken, the number of spots available to outsiders will only shrink with each session, until the Qingfeng Sect reclaims them all.'
The more Bai Zichen thought about it, the more he felt his speculation was close to the truth. He felt a faint sense of relief that he was part of the first session, while spots were still relatively plentiful.
While he was lost in thought, the event to comprehend the Inheritance Stele officially began!
The stele had five faces, allowing five people to attempt to receive an inheritance at once. The first group of five walked nervously to the stele and placed their palms on its surface. Following Elder Peng's instructions, they infused it with their Magical Power and waited for the stele's response.
Bai Zichen stared intently at the five of them, not even blinking.
After about a quarter of an hour, all five were simultaneously flung back by the stele. They started walking back, looking somewhat dazed.
"How did it go? What inheritance did you receive?" the old Cultivator from the Fang Family asked anxiously, grabbing his grandnephew by the arm.
"Ancestor, my mind is a blank. I think… I think I didn't receive anything at all…" the young man stammered timidly. He was on the verge of breaking down from the immense pressure, his eyes welling with tears.
"How is that possible! How could you not receive any inheritance at all?"
The old Fang Family Cultivator roared in disbelief.
The crowd burst into an uproar. From what they understood, anyone who stood before the Inheritance Stele was supposed to receive an inheritance—the only variable was its quality. No one had expected it was possible to come away with nothing at all.
"Did you do something wrong? Or perhaps the inheritance was driven deep into your Sea of Consciousness and just hasn't surfaced yet!"
"Silence! I've already said it: giving a chance to someone with low aptitude is a waste!" Elder Peng snapped when he saw the old Fang Family Cultivator still causing a commotion. "Keep making a racket, and I'll revoke your clan's other spot right now!"
In the first round of comprehension, only the youth from the Fang Family came away empty-handed. The other four all received an inheritance.
Judging by the unconcealable joy on their faces, it was clear their gains had been substantial.
Then, for the second round, another five people stepped forward.
This time, the results were even worse. Two of the five failed to receive an inheritance, and they returned with ashen faces, utterly dejected.
The old Fang Family Cultivator finally recovered some of his composure. The second disciple from the Fang Family lived up to expectations and successfully obtained an inheritance, causing the old man to let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Elder, it's a Body Refining Technique! It has nine layers and can be cultivated all the way to the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment realm. Upon reaching Minor Achievement, it allows you to form an Evil Body, which increases the probability of reaching Foundation Establishment!"
The Fang Family youth shouted in excitement, but he quickly realized it was not the appropriate time or place and promptly shut his mouth.
Even so, his words drew surprised looks from the crowd. A Cultivation Technique that could increase one's chances of reaching Foundation Establishment, no matter by how much, was an extremely coveted prize.
As for the technique ending after the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, that wasn't considered a major issue. One could worry about that if and when they ever reached such a Realm.