Six Realms Immortal Emperor

"Not bad, not bad at all. You are indeed a cultivation prodigy. You have mastered this spell in just half a day." The Three Saints of Separation of Souls looked at Xu Jingtian and couldn't help but praise him.

Xu Jingtian felt little joy; his guess had indeed come true. The differences between demonic and immortal cultivation were indeed vast. Anyone practicing this kind of magic would inevitably be affected by it to some extent; it seemed best to use it sparingly in the future.

"What's wrong? Are you tired from cultivation?" The Three Saints of Separation of Souls smiled and comforted him, "That's true. To cultivate such a profound spell usually requires Foundation Establishment cultivation. You're only at the third level of Qi Refining, not even at the mid-stage of Qi Refining yet. To be able to fully unleash this spell is enough to make you proud in the entire cultivation world."

Xu Jingtian had no time to be proud. He had saved his life, but he didn't want to practice this kind of magic any more. He needed to find a way to get away as soon as possible.

He had no choice but to change the subject, saying, "Master, don't forget to teach me the art of alchemy, otherwise, how will I explain it to Elder Ochi?"

The Three Saints of the Soul Separation laughed, "It's been a long time since I've stretched my muscles, what's the rush? Come on, I'll show you something!" With that, they led the way to the lower level of the storage room.

Xu Jingtian, not understanding why, gritted his teeth and followed behind him. The two continued to descend along the surrounding stone walls, twisting and turning, going down several dozen feet.

The further down he went, the darker it became, and the more terrified Xu Jingtian felt. Was he about to end up in that room with the stone statue again?

Finally, in front of the house, the Three Saints of the Soul Separation Sect stopped and said to Xu Jingtian with a smile, "This house houses the stone statue of our Soul Separation Sect's founding ancestor. Now that you've entered the Soul Separation Sect, why don't you go and pay your respects first?"

As the Three Saints of Separation spoke, they opened one palm, and a small yellow flame, several inches long, appeared on it. The flame was small yet bright, about a foot high in the air, condensed and undispersed, illuminating the surroundings. Xu Jingtian thought to himself, impressed by the power of their fire magic, which he considered far superior to Ochi's.

Illuminated by the flames, Xu Jingtian could finally see clearly that the door was tightly closed, and the entire door was made of stone, faintly exuding a chill.

The Three Saints of Separation of Souls extended their other palms and cast a spell on the stone door. With a crisp cracking sound, the stone door slowly opened, revealing the dark space inside, which resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast, waiting for them to enter.

The three saints of the departed soul led the way into the house, and Xu Jingtian had no choice but to follow them cautiously inside.

The square table, candles, incense burner, and stone statue were exactly the same as what Xu Jingtian had seen that day. He stared directly at the stone statue; its jet-black body, illuminated by the flames, made its eyes reflect an evil light, appearing even more ferocious.

If Xu Jingtian hadn't seen it for the first time, he would have gasped in shock. This time, he saw it much more clearly; the stone statue wasn't a human figure at all, but rather a demonic statue, though he couldn't name it.

With a flick of his fingers, the Three Saints of Soul Separation sent a spark flying, which lit the candle on the table before extinguishing the flame in his palm.

"What is this?" Xu Jingtian asked, pointing to the stone statue in the center of the square table. He pretended to be surprised, as if he was seeing the statue for the first time.

The Three Saints of the Soul Separation Sect bowed slightly, showing respect, and said, "This is the statue of our founding patriarch of the Soul Separation Sect. Since you have taken me as your master, you are to become a disciple of the Soul Separation Sect. However, you must first pay homage to the patriarch to be considered a true disciple of the Soul Separation Sect!"

Xu Jingtian didn't notice the hint of joy in the eyes of the Three Soul-Separating Saints.

The stone statue on the table is clearly in the shape of a demon, but the Three Saints of Separation of Souls claim that it is the founding ancestor of the Separation of Souls Sect.

Xu Jingtian couldn't help but wonder if the founder of the Soul Separation Sect was a demon? This pretense of becoming an apprentice might turn into a real one, which would be a huge loss.

Seeing Xu Jingtian's hesitant expression, the Three Saints of the Soul Separation Sect continued, "Paying homage to the Ancestral Master is an essential step in joining our Soul Separation Sect. It tests whether a disciple is sincere and willing. Becoming a disciple of the Soul Separation Sect requires the slightest rebellious intention. Next, I will ask a question, and you will answer it. If you are not sincere, the Ancestral Master's image will immediately know and manifest itself. Hmph, do you know where Yuezhi's former apprentices went?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingtian felt a chill run down his spine. Recalling the black energy he had seen erupting from the stone statue earlier, he wondered if those disciples had all been swallowed up by it.

"Over the past few decades, Ochi has selected quite a few disciples, and their foundations are all quite good, but they are far from meeting my requirements. It's not easy to find a disciple as suitable as you, and I don't want any unpleasant things to happen." The Three Saints of the Soul Separation looked at him, their tone full of threat.

"Hmph!" The Three Saints of Soul Separation sneered and slowly uttered the most important sentence to him: "At that time, without even the Ancestral Master lifting a finger, I would have taken your life with a single palm strike. Therefore, when you offer your worship, you must be sincere!" Then, without blinking, he stared intently at Xu Jingtian, waiting to see how he would answer.

Xu Jingtian then realized that the Three Saints of Soul Separation weren't entirely at ease with him; they were testing him. He refused to believe that a stone statue could see through his true thoughts. Besides, he had already witnessed the statue transforming into black mist, which his prayer beads had absorbed. If the statue could truly emit black mist again, he would have no choice but to summon the prayer beads once more.

"Yes, Master. Please ask whatever you want, and I will answer truthfully." Xu Jingtian glanced at the stone statue, then bowed down and kowtowed three times on the ground.

The Three Saints of the Separated Souls were quite satisfied with Xu Jingtian's performance. "Good. You've reached the third level of Qi Refining in just one year since joining the Brahma Sect. Now, if you have another year, are you confident you can reach the sixth level of Qi Refining?"

"Sixth level of Qi Refining? Master, you really overestimate me. Besides, I don't even know if I can achieve that in a year." Xu Jingtian hadn't expected the first question to be this. He didn't know anything about the art of the future, so he could only answer truthfully. Reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining in two years—that's incredible speed! Even a disciple who has been in the sect for ten years might not achieve that.

The Three Saints of the Separated Souls seemed unconvinced. Their eyebrows shot up, radiating a murderous aura. "Hmph, others may not be able to, but you are a genius disciple, you must have this ability. If you are not, you are not qualified to be my closed-door disciple. Think it over carefully before you answer. If you speak against your conscience, be careful that the Ancestral Master will appear." As he spoke, he seemed to be angered, and a strange look appeared in his eyes, no longer displaying his usual indifference.

Xu Jingtian was well aware that this matter concerned his life. Without the help of the prayer beads, he would never have been able to reach the sixth level of Qi Refining in two years. However, the matter of the prayer beads was an absolute secret, and no one could possibly know about it. If the Three Saints of Soul Separation had discovered it, they would have already taken it.

"Master, you should know very well that I cannot give you a definite answer. If I were to give a definitive answer, it would be to deceive you." After careful consideration, Xu Jingtian still insisted on his original statement.

The three saints who had separated their souls watched intently from the side, and after a while, no abnormal phenomena occurred in the stone statue.

The three saints of the departed souls gradually softened their expressions, and a hint of appreciation appeared in their eyes, as if they were quite satisfied with Xu Jingtian's answer.

"You're a smart man. I don't need to waste any more words on the next question. You should answer me without hesitation, lest you offend the patriarch and lose your life."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingtian knew he had passed a hurdle and immediately relaxed. As long as he didn't give himself away, it seemed that the stone statue wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the real and fake statues.