Refining medicine can't save Doupo!

Chapter 700: The Test of Divine Essence! A True Test of Wisdom!

Often, when others oppose you, it's not because they have a grudge against you, but because you don't give them a way out.

Of course, there will be no compromise on certain issues involving fundamental interests, such as the right to rule.
The problem is that the 'Emperor Creation Plan' does not involve the fundamental interests of other imperial clans. Unless the Soul Emperor makes it clear that he will kill all imperial clans after becoming emperor, most imperial clans will accept the offer as long as you provide them with enough benefits.

The Soul Clan's current situation has not reached the worst possible life-or-death situation. It's just that other imperial clans don't think of the Soul Clan that way. In particular, the Soul Clan's ruthless methods to achieve their goals have deepened the other imperial clans' distrust of the Soul Emperor.
However, although the other imperial clans distrusted the Soul Emperor, the existence of the Soul Craftsmen revealed the complex inner thoughts of the other imperial clans.

Just as Jiang Lin had predicted, the Soul Craftsmen had good relationships with the other imperial clans. Jiang Lin had even considered using the Soul Craftsmen's connections to establish a new community of interests, thereby protecting himself in the face of a new crisis.

The Thunder Clan, Flame Clan, and other imperial clans both feared and hesitated regarding the Soul Clan. They feared the Soul Clan's overwhelming power, and the lack of communication between the two sides over the years made them fear being sacrificed by the Soul Clan. But why the hesitation? Because the Soul Clan was powerful enough, and everyone knew that Gu Yuan, that spineless good-for-nothing, had no chance whatsoever. In other words, with the support of the Spirit Clan and learning from Xiao Xuan's example, the Soul Emperor truly had a chance to succeed.

Those imperial clans wanted to align themselves with the Soul Clan, but they were also worried that the Soul Clan was too powerful. And because the Soul Clan was so powerful, they wanted to align themselves with the Soul Clan even more. At the same time, their distrust would grow as the Soul Clan became stronger.
The Soul Craftsman originally had the opportunity to become the middleman for the various imperial clans, which is why the imperial clans were willing to cooperate with the Soul Craftsman but not with the Soul Clan.

However, there are always problems. While Soul Crafters are indeed qualified to become intermediaries for the Imperial Clan, their attributes are too strong, which would also make other Imperial Clan members feel insecure.

On the contrary, Jiang Lin
The people in the void were deeply shaken by the magnificent and awe-inspiring scene of the divine essence and Dharma image outside, protected by heaven and earth. How could these old fogies not have considered the questions that even the Soul Emperor could think of? Jiang Lin was completely unfazed by the Soul Clan.
In particular, when everyone realized that Jiang Lin had established a Holy Soul Hall in the Black Corner Region, it made them understand how different Jiang Lin was from the Soul Clan.

For some reason, Soul Emperor, Lei Ying, Gu Yuan, Yao Dan, and the others all fell into an eerie silence because at this moment, they all thought of the same thing.

Soul Craftsman is a normal Soul Clan member, but his normality is relative to other abnormal Soul Clan members. Compared to other ordinary people, Soul Craftsman is actually quite abnormal. This is why Soul Craftsman has never had any plans to reform the Soul Palace; because in Soul Craftsman's subconscious, the Soul Palace should be as it is.
On the contrary, Jiang Lin, a member of the Soul Clan with an extremely special identity, has a completely different set of values ​​from the other members of the Soul Clan. Judging from his actions in the Black Corner Region, he is a person who upholds order.

Those who uphold order respect rules and abide by agreements. And this trait resonates with others.

However, at this moment, no one dared to speak first; everyone remained silent. What if someone spoke first and the others disagreed? That would mean the conflict would be brought to the forefront. Everyone preferred a safer approach.

If the Soul Emperor were to raise the issue at this moment, and the other clan leaders were to object, then the superficial peace between the clans would be broken, and vice versa. Therefore, no one spoke up, but waited for Jiang Lin's subsequent actions. If Jiang Lin was truly the kind of person who could shoulder the responsibility, then no one would be so stubborn as to defy the trend of becoming an emperor.

While the Soul Emperor and the others remained silent, Jiang Lin, the Divine Aura Dharma Image on Lotus Weapon Mountain outside, had finished explaining his assessment requirements and then said:

"From now on, I will explain the first theory of our sect, 'The Theory of Spiritual Energy.' All spirits may attempt to climb the Nine-Tiered Lotus Platform. On the Nine-Tiered Lotus Platform, your souls will undergo the tempering of spiritual fire, and at the same time, I will test your skills in crafting. If you can pass the test, you will be able to proceed to the next level of the lotus platform."

"The techniques and methods available at each lotus platform become increasingly profound. If one can traverse all nine lotus platforms, one will see one's true self and receive my true teachings." Jiang Lin did not directly impart all his insights and understandings. Rather, he would teach the basics, but he would set tests to test the more profound aspects. Only those who met Jiang Lin's assessment standards could obtain the more advanced content.

“Even saints can take the stage, as long as they follow the rules,” Jiang Lin added at the end.

Jiang Lin's rules were simple: you had to walk up step by step, without using any fighting techniques or energy.

Jiang Lin's statement that even a Saint could ascend the stage shocked the crowd below. However, few people objected, because the divine aura that seemed to be sitting cross-legged between heaven and earth, protected by heaven and earth, was astonishing. Even a Dou Sheng powerhouse might not be able to create such a grand spectacle.

"Brothers, charge!" Seeing the divine aura unleash its suppressive power, the crowd below immediately began climbing the mountain.

In fact, Lotus Weapon Mountain is not high, less than a thousand meters. For those Dou Zun and Dou Zong, it's usually just a step or an instant. However, since the spirit craftsman said that Dou Techniques and Dou Qi could not be used, everyone obeyed the rules and began to climb the mountain.

However, the expressions of the people who stepped into the Lotus Weapon Mountain range changed instantly, because they felt a wave of fire sweep over them. Then, they found that they were gradually losing their sense of battle qi and even their physical bodies!

At the same time, when they looked up at the mountain peak, which was only a few hundred meters high, they were astonished to find that the mountain was growing! Thousands of meters! Ten thousand meters! Hundreds of thousands of meters! There was no end in sight!

"This?! Something's not right! The closer I get inside, the less sensitive I become to battle qi! And the less sensitive I become to my physical body!" A peak Dou Zun from the Lei Clan immediately realized something was wrong. Because he was powerful enough, the influence of the Divine Essence Spirit Fire on him was slightly weaker. However, when he walked towards the magnificent Dharma Image on the mountaintop, he was astonished to find that after only a few steps, the dullness in his physical body and battle qi continued to intensify!
"This is an array?! Something's wrong with the space here!" The first group of hundreds of powerful figures from Central Continent who entered the Lotus Weapon Mountain area immediately realized something was amiss. They exchanged information and quickly analyzed the unique environment of Lotus Weapon Mountain. "The scale of space here is expanding, and our perception is becoming dull. If it weren't for him being a Spirit Craftsman, we would have left long ago." A Dou Zun looked at the incomparably majestic divine essence dharma image on the mountain peak and couldn't help but sigh before continuing to walk up the mountain. Originally, he wanted to take advantage of the fact that his Dou Qi hadn't been completely exhausted to quickly fly up, but now it seemed that it might not be that simple.

At the same time, these people also began to notice that deep within his soul, a lot of information seemed to be being transmitted little by little.
"I see." A look of understanding flashed across some faces as they realized a wealth of information was accumulating in their minds, before they resumed their ascent. Soon, more and more people discovered the truth, and everyone began to climb the mountain with shocked expressions.

However, their behavior aroused some suspicion among the other forces in Zhongzhou who were still on the outskirts of Lotus Artifact Mountain. The people who entered Lotus Artifact Mountain moved slowly, step by step, like sloths on that not-so-high mountain, which was very strange.

"It seems that the interior of Lotus Weapon Mountain is not simple. It will be quite difficult to reach the top." In the ancient clan's group, Gu Xun'er looked at the Dou Zun and Dou Zong who were moving at a snail's pace on Lotus Weapon Mountain, and her eyes flickered slightly.

"No? Look! That young man who looks like he's not even a Dou Wang is climbing faster than a Dou Zun!" Soon, someone was surprised to find that on the Lotus Mountain, a young man brought by his clan elders was moving with incredible speed, surpassing all the Dou Zun in no time, and only stopped when he was about to climb to the first lotus platform.

"It seems this isn't a test of strength, but rather something related to wisdom." Gu Xun'er looked at the young man, raising an eyebrow slightly. She recognized him; he was a member of the Stone Clan named Shi Tian. She'd heard his bloodline used to be very powerful, but it had been stolen more than twenty years ago.
“Uncle Xiao, let’s go too. Even if we can’t get our hands on the Spirit Craftsman’s things, we can still learn a lot just by listening to them.” Gu Xun’er smiled slightly at Xiao Zhan beside her, having gained some insight, and then led everyone to Lotus Artifact Mountain.

Upon entering Lotus Weapon Mountain, a glint of light flashed in Gu Xun'er's eyes. She instantly understood everything, and immediately mobilized the remaining Dou Zun power to transmit her voice to the Gu clan members and Xiao Zhan and the others beside her: "This is a power that works on the soul. Lower your guard, guard your mind, and you will see the truth!"

Then, Gu Xun'er disregarded whether others were listening to her or not, and decisively chose to release her soul defense, allowing the divine spiritual fire to cover her.

'The entire Lotus Weapon Mountain is actually the spiritual domain of a spirit craftsman. That's incredible,' Gu Xun'er murmured to herself. Then she closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she found that the path beneath her feet had become a normal mountain path. At the same time, a large amount of basic knowledge about weapon crafting had appeared in her mind.
Gu Xun'er glanced at the others around her and understood that this kind of test was necessary, so she ignored them and climbed the mountain alone.

“The entire process of climbing the mountain is a process of getting closer to the Divine Essence Spiritual Fire. As a spiritual fire, the Divine Essence Spiritual Fire allows people to gradually absorb various basic knowledge of weapon crafting during the mountain climbing process. The weaker their understanding ability, the farther away the mountain appears to them. Is the purpose of doing this for safety?” Gu Xun’er walked quickly while silently reasoning in her mind.

Gu Xun'er quickly arrived near the first lotus platform. At this point, she noticed there were quite a few people there. Besides Shi Tian, ​​there was a person in white, a little girl, and a person with long, straight black hair.
Many of them were acquaintances.
However, Gu Xun'er didn't pay attention to those acquaintances. Instead, she glanced at Shi Tian, ​​who was sitting cross-legged on the ground deep in thought. Soon, Shi Tian's brows relaxed, and he got up and climbed towards the higher lotus platform.

"This stone man, who knows where he came from, is so smart? I would call him the smartest stone man!" The little girl was quite surprised to see that Shi Tian quickly passed the first trial and then entered the next trial.

"Xun'er greets the two seniors?" Gu Xun'er bowed to Lan Honghun, Ke'er, and Lei Dong upon hearing this.

Lei Dong frowned slightly as he looked at Gu Xun'er's face, but said nothing. He simply took a step forward, sat down cross-legged, and after a short while, opened his eyes and continued climbing the mountain. How many people who become Dou Sheng are fools?

"Let's go up. We just want to see what level we can reach in the Spirit Craftsman's talent assessment." Lan Hong smiled slightly at Gu Xun'er, and then pulled Hun Ke'er to face the first test.

Gu Xun'er felt a little curious, so she stepped forward to see what the entrance exam was.
"Huh? Do some practice questions???" Gu Xun'er was completely dumbfounded when she saw a set of test papers covering various knowledge appear in her mind.
However, Gu Xun'er quickly calmed down and thought about it carefully. She realized that the test paper in her mind wasn't difficult; all the content was knowledge that the divine fire had imparted to her during the climb. It was just that there were some logic-based math problems, and without some comprehension, it would be easy to make mistakes.

While Gu Xun'er and the others were working on the questions deep within their souls, the voice of Jiang Lin, the Divine Manifestation Dharma Image, accompanied by bursts of sacred chants, rang out as he began to explain the definition and content of the "Theory of Spiritual Qi" to the entire Central Continent.

However, Jiang Lin's voice would not reach the ears of those trial participants, because with each step they took, they could hear the resonance of the divine essence and spiritual fire deep within their souls, thus gradually gaining a deeper understanding of Jiang Lin's theory of spiritual energy.

Jiang Lin lectured on the theory of Reiki for three whole days, explaining it slowly and meticulously. After finishing the theory of Reiki, Jiang Lin began to discuss the theory of Destiny Vessels.
During this process, the people within Lotus Weapon Mountain were gradually divided into layers, with most concentrated on the fifth and sixth layers. This was because those who could come here were all quite strong and intelligent. However, the higher one went, the more knowledge one gained, but the more difficult the exams became.

Lan Hong and the others were ultimately stopped at the ninth level, which was very frustrating, but they knew that this was the limit. Or rather, the limit for a normal Dou Sheng. Those above that level were all strange and unorthodox geniuses!

The ninth test leading to the top is simply not something a normal person can pass!
When Jiang Lin finished explaining the "Theory of Destiny and Vessels," only seven people ascended to the highest level of the Divine Lotus Platform and knelt respectfully before Jiang Lin.

(End of this chapter)