35: Chapter 35 The Idea of ​​the Great Void

After putting down your luggage and feeding Xiao Wang a piece of jerky, you left the house and headed straight for Zhou Shouzheng's residence.

Zhou Shouzheng was brewing tea. When he saw you appear at the doorway, he almost dropped his teacup.

"It's only been an incense stick's worth of time..."

"Elder Zhou, how do I get to the Scripture Pavilion?"

Zhou Shouzheng froze for a moment, then laughed, his laughter hearty and free.

"Good, good! I like this spirit of yours." He put down his teacup and stood up. "Let's go, I will take you there myself."

The Scripture Pavilion is located at the summit of the main peak of Cangyun Sect. It is a seven-story stone tower, guarded by Elders all year round, and outsiders cannot approach it.

A thin, withered old man sat in front of the tower gate, eyes closed in meditation, with a pot of wine and a plate of peanuts in front of him.

"Old Chen," Zhou Shouzheng called out.

The thin old man opened one eye. "Here again? You still haven't returned the 'Thirteen Moves of Mountain Breaking' you borrowed last time."

"I'm not here to borrow books today, but to bring a newcomer to choose a Cultivation Technique." Zhou Shouzheng pushed you forward. "Fourth place in the Martial Arts Tournament, Xiantian Peak, twenty-five years old."

The thin old man, Scripture Pavilion Elder Chen Wuya, opened both eyes and looked you up and down.

"Twenty-five, Xiantian Peak?" He took a swig of wine. "Not bad. Come in."

The three of you entered the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

The Grandmaster Cultivation Techniques were stored here, each scroll sealed in a jade box with the name and a brief introduction of the technique carved on it.

Zhou Shouzheng began to introduce them: "There are five Grandmaster Cultivation Techniques in the Cangyun Sect—"

He pointed to the first jade box: "The 'Cangyun Visualization Method', the easiest to master. It involves visualizing the image of the Cangyun clouds covering the sky, and it can be practiced by anyone with a gentle temperament. Seventy percent of the Grandmasters in the sect practice this."

The second: "The 'Iron Wall Visualization Method', focused on defense. It involves visualizing an indestructible iron wall, suitable for those with a strong Physique."

The third: "The 'Wind Splitting Visualization Method', focused on speed. It involves visualizing a gale splitting the sky, and it complements movement techniques."

The fourth: "The 'Cold Abyss Visualization Method', medium-to-high difficulty. It involves visualizing a deep, cold pool, which is yin-soft and introverted, making it best suited for a female Physique. Currently, a Senior Brother is contemplating it, but—" He glanced at you. "I can ask him to step aside for you."

The fifth jade box was placed in the innermost part, covered in a thin layer of dust.

"The 'Taixu Visualization Method'." Zhou Shouzheng's tone changed. "This has been the sect's foundational Cultivation Technique for the three hundred years since the Cangyun Sect was established. It involves visualizing the image of the Taixu Chaos. It is the most powerful, but—"

He paused.

"The difficulty of mastering it is extremely high. When practicing, the visualization image exerts immense pressure on the mind. At best, it causes splitting headaches; at worst, it leads to Qi Deviation and mental collapse. In three hundred years, no fewer than a hundred Disciples have attempted to practice this method, and those who successfully mastered it... were four."

Your gaze fell on that dusty jade box.

"I choose this one."

Zhou Shouzheng's smile froze on his face.

A peanut fell from Chen Wuya's hand.

"What did you say?" Zhou Shouzheng thought he had misheard.

"The Taixu Visualization Method." You repeated it, your tone calm.

Zhou Shouzheng took a deep breath, his smile fading, replaced by a serious expression.

"Senior Sister Lin Shuang, I know you are exceptionally talented, but the Taixu Visualization Method cannot be forced through by talent alone. That thing exerts pressure on the spirit, which has nothing to do with martial cultivation. In three hundred years, four people have mastered it, and two of them went insane afterwards."

You did not speak.

Chen Wuya put down his wine pot and looked at you with rare seriousness. "Girl, I have guarded this Scripture Pavilion for forty years and have seen many conceited Geniuses come to pick this book. The most recent one was twelve years ago—the recognized top Genius in the sect at the time, with a Grandmaster Middle Stage cultivation. He contemplated it for three months, and when he came out, his hair had turned completely white. From then on, his martial arts journey stopped, and he never made another inch of progress."

His tone was not heavy, but every word felt like a nail.

"The 'Cold Abyss Visualization Method' is also very strong, compatible with your Physique, and the difficulty of mastering it is controllable," Zhou Shouzheng advised. "There's no need to take this risk."

You looked at the dusty jade box and were silent for a few breaths.

Then, you spoke.

"I understand the kindness of the two Elders, but I only have one standard for choosing a Cultivation Technique—the strongest."

Zhou Shouzheng opened his mouth, wanting to say something more.

You continued: "I have walked to this day not by choosing the easy path."

This sentence was very light, but Zhou Shouzheng and Chen Wuya were both silenced.

Twenty-five years old, Xiantian Peak, no sect or affiliation, self-taught, fourth place in the Martial Arts Tournament.

This resume itself is the best proof.

Chen Wuya stared at you for a long time, finally sighed, and pulled a key from his robes.

"Fine, I won't stop you." He walked to the jade box and wiped off the dust. "But let's get the ugly words out of the way first—two years. If you cannot master it within two years, you must give it up and switch to another Cultivation Technique. That is the rule."

"Agreed."

Chen Wuya opened the jade box; there was no scroll inside, only a token.

"The visualization image for the Taixu Visualization Method is carved on the wall of the underground secret room; it is too big to move out." He handed the token to you. "Take this, go to the secret door under the seventh floor, and go in yourself."

You took the token.

Zhou Shouzheng was on the side, wanting to say something but holding back. Finally, he only said one sentence: "If you feel something is wrong, stop immediately. Don't force it."

You nodded and turned to go upstairs.

At the end of the seventh floor, there was a thin crack on a seemingly ordinary stone wall. When you pressed the token against it, the stone wall slid open silently, revealing a stone staircase leading downwards.

You walked down.

The secret room was not large, with empty walls, except for a huge pattern carved on the wall directly opposite.

You looked up.

The first glance—

A headache.

It was as if an iron nail had been driven into the center of your forehead, piercing straight through to the back of your head. Your body instinctively took a step back, and your vision went black.

That image... you couldn't even describe what it depicted. Chaos, void, endless depth; it felt as if something in the image was watching you, wanting to devour your spirit.

You closed your eyes and steadied your breathing.

When you opened your eyes again, you did not look at the image, but first sat cross-legged in the center of the secret room.

Adjusting your breath, calming down, then, slowly lifting your eyelids, you used your peripheral vision to touch the edge of the image.

Pain.

But it was lighter than before.

You began your first formal visualization.

Taking the lines from the image into your mind bit by bit, you constructed that scene of Chaos and void in your spirit.

With every bit you constructed, the headache intensified by a point.

An incense stick's worth of time later, a nosebleed started flowing.

Two incense sticks' worth of time later, your ears began to ring, and the secret room in front of you distorted.

Three incense sticks' worth of time later—

A huge sense of frustration welled up from the bottom of your heart.

It was not brought on by the pain, but by the Visualization Method itself.

The image was alive; it was eroding your will. The more you looked at it, the more you felt small, incompetent, and unworthy. A voice echoed repeatedly in your mind: "Give up. You can't do it. You will never be able to."

Your hands began to tremble.

Your eyes felt sore, and a sense of powerlessness you had never felt before enveloped you. You wanted to stand up, to escape this secret room, to never look at that image again—