225: Clusters of light of various colors

The next day, early morning.

On the white jade paved plaza outside the Pavilion, five figures had already gathered on time.

Aside from Jiang Donghua, who stood at the very front in white robes, possessing a cold and exceptional temperament, the other four individuals also had profound auras and sharp eyes, clearly being the true elites among the Outer Academy Students.

The one with the lowest cultivation was still at the Peak Dou Ling of One-star Dou Ling, while Wang Han and the other three had reached the level of Two-Star Dou Ling.

However, compared to Jiang Donghua, who stood before them and had already reached Peak Dou Ling, a clear gap could still be felt.

That was not merely a difference in star level, but an intangible distance in foundation and presence.

The grand competition had ended and the rankings were set; although the five people were not overly familiar with each other at the moment, the tense, competitive atmosphere had significantly faded.

They exchanged nods, acknowledging each other, and their occasionally meeting gazes carried recognition of each other's strength, along with intense anticipation for the opportunity that was about to arrive.

Everyone's eyes constantly drifted toward the tightly shut doors of the Scripture Pavilion, and the three characters "Scripture Pavilion" on the plaque above, which were written in flowing, vigorous strokes and contained a strange resonance.

Terms like Earth-Rank Cultivation Method and rare Dou Technique were enough to make any cultivator's heart race.

They waited quietly for the person who held the authority to open this place: Dean Lei Tian of the Outer Academy.

When the time arrived, it was almost to the exact second!

Everyone felt the space before their eyes subtly twist, as if an extremely faint electric flash had passed.

The next moment, a robust figure appeared without warning, like a phantom, in front of the tightly closed doors of the Scripture Pavilion.

It was precisely Dean Lei Tian!

He still maintained his air of authority without needing to be angry, his gaze like lightning, sweeping over the five people present, and he nodded slightly, expressing satisfaction with their punctuality.

However, the miraculous way he had just appeared caused all five people, including Jiang Donghua, to involuntarily show a hint of surprise and solemnity in their eyes.

"Tsk tsk, Dean Lei Tian's movement Dou Technique is probably at least earth rank low-tier, right? Truly coming without a shadow and leaving without a trace."

Wang Han lowered his voice and couldn't help but mutter, his tone filled with envy.

Zhao Ming's eyes flickered as he said in a deep voice.

"To cultivate a movement technique to such a realm, the Dean's strength is indeed unfathomable."

Jiang Donghua narrowed his eyes slightly, praising inwardly.

"So fast! It's almost impossible to capture the Dou Qi fluctuation or the movement trajectory; it's as if he directly crossed space. This is definitely not an ordinary movement technique, but likely a profound Di-rank Dou Technique containing a hint of spatial power."

Dean Lei Tian took in the reactions of the few people but said nothing more, only speaking in a deep voice.

"Since everyone is here, prepare to enter the Scripture Pavilion. I will only state the rules once. The Scripture Pavilion contains spatial mysteries; each of you has your own destiny. What kind of cultivation method or Dou Technique you encounter depends entirely on your own perception and fortune."

"Time is limited. Whether you gain anything, and what you gain, is all up to yourselves."

"Furthermore, each person can only bring out one item, and you must not randomly touch the spatial walls inside."

His voice was like a great bell, striking the hearts of the five people.

"Remember, do not be greedy, do not force things, and absolutely do not fight or cause a commotion inside. Violators will be severely punished without mercy!"

After speaking, Dean Lei Tian flipped his palm, and a runic token emitting strange energy fluctuations appeared in his hand.

He pressed it onto the doors of the Scripture Pavilion, which appeared ordinary but were actually covered in invisible restrictions.

Buzz—!

A low hum sounded, and the doors shimmered with flowing light, complex runes lighting up in sequence.

Immediately, the heavy doors slowly opened inward, revealing not the room they had imagined, but a swirling, water-like halo entrance that exuded an ancient and vast aura.

"Go in."

Dean Lei Tian stepped aside to clear the path.

The five people exchanged glances, all seeing immense solemnity and fervor in the other's eyes.

The next moment, led by Jiang Donghua, the five figures transformed into streaks of light and shot into the halo entrance one after another without hesitation, disappearing from view.

The search for fortune within the Scripture Pavilion had officially begun!

Meanwhile, Jiang Donghua's fingertip lightly rubbed against his storage ring; the cool jade slip inside was quietly waiting to give its guidance.

As the five people stepped into the halo entrance, they felt their bodies lighten, as if they had passed through a layer of cool water curtain, and the scenery before their eyes abruptly shifted.

They were not in the towering, bookshelf-lined pavilion they had imagined, but had entered a strange, small dimension.

This space was not very large—its blurred boundary seemed visible at a glance—and the boundary was not solid.

Instead, it was constantly flowing with spatial power, like water waves and mist, making the entire space appear somewhat hazy and distorted.

Nor was it too small, being large enough to accommodate hundreds of people moving around without feeling crowded.

What was most eye-catching was not the space itself, but the countless light clusters flying and weaving within it.

These light clusters varied in color and size, resembling living fireflies or bubbles exhaled from the boundary flowing with spatial power.

They slowly drifted and floated within this strange space.

Scarlet, deep blue, emerald green, earthy yellow, silver-white, dark purple—all colors were present, emitting energy fluctuations of varying strengths and distinct attributes.

"So this is the inside of the Scripture Pavilion? It truly holds a universe within!"

Wang Han widened his eyes, curiously looking around.

"We can only roughly sense the energy attributes,"

Zhao Ming attempted to extend his Soul Power perception, but found that the exterior of the light clusters seemed to have a strange isolating force preventing deeper examination.

"Fire Attribute, Ice Attribute, Wood Attribute, but it's impossible to determine the specific cultivation method or its rank."

Lin Xiu also nodded with a solemn expression.

"It seems we truly have to rely on luck and that faint, mysterious sense."

Just then, a petite figure already took action.

It was Bai Ling, a girl known in the Outer Academy for her straightforward, even slightly fiery, personality, and she was now displaying her style to the fullest.

She seemed to have no intention of engaging in that profound and mysterious sensing; her bright eyes quickly scanned several light clusters floating near her, locking onto one emitting a sharp golden glow and another flowing with wave-like blue light.

Swish! Swish!

She struck like lightning, a faint layer of Dou Qi covering her fair hands, directly penetrating the outer glow of the light clusters and precisely grabbing the items inside!

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn over.

They saw that what she pulled out of the golden cluster with her left hand was a seemingly sharp golden scroll, and what she grabbed from the blue cluster with her right hand was a deep blue jade slip.

However, Bai Ling only allowed her Soul Power to quickly permeate the items for less than three breaths before her delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly, and a clear look of dissatisfaction and disdain appeared on her face.

"Hmph! Trash! Just a profound rank mid-level Dou Technique, and a fragmented volume at that!"

She pouted and released her grip without any reluctance.

The moment she let go, the golden scroll and the blue jade slip seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, instantly wrapped in a dense layer of light, transforming back into two light clusters.

With a "whoosh," they merged into the surrounding flowing spatial boundary and vanished, but after only a few seconds, they were expelled from another part of the spatial boundary, rejoining the floating multitude.

"Oh?"

Jiang Donghua stood slightly further away, quietly watching this scene, a hint of understanding and amusement flashing in his stern eyes.

"So that's how it works. Grab, investigate, and if dissatisfied, one can abandon it, and the item will automatically return, waiting for the next destined person. This mechanism of the Scripture Pavilion is quite interesting."

Although Bai Ling's decisive, almost rough, attempt didn't yield anything good, it instantly made the rest of the group understand the rules here.

Waiting and sensing were necessary, but sometimes, proactively reaching out to test was perhaps also a strategy.

In this space where light and shadow intertwined, the atmosphere quietly became more active.

Everyone began to observe the flying light clusters more intently, trying to find their own piece of fortune within them.

And Jiang Donghua quietly injected a trace of Dou Qi into his storage ring; the cool jade slip began to warm up slightly.