234: Before asking oneself, a gathering of heroes

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Yao Chen arrived at the guest house again, he keenly sensed that Li Ao seemed to have undergone some indescribable change.

His aura was still profound and restrained, but standing there, he seemed more attuned to the surrounding space and the rhythm of this world.

He lacked the slight "sharpness" from before, replaced by a profound sense of depth, as calm as an abyss.

Especially his eyes, beneath their tranquility, seemed to contain the absolute power to crush everything.

"Young friend, it seems your gains over these three days were considerable."

Yao Chen smiled and cupped his hands, his tone carrying more meaning of treating him as an equal than before.

The methods Li Ao displayed that day, coupled with the rumors of him silently eliminating four Dou Venerate assassins last night, had made Yao Chen completely understand that this young man could not be judged by common sense.

"I gained a little."

Li Ao slightly nodded. "I trouble Elder to lead the way."

"Please follow me."

Yao Chen said no more.

With a wave of his sleeve, a spatial gate slowly formed in front of the guest house.

He stepped in first, followed closely by Li Ao and Medusa.

As the space shifted, the scene before their eyes changed once more.

They appeared on a massive bluestone platform.

The platform floated in the Void Realm, and ahead was a vast area shrouded in Chaos mist, the interior of which was obscured.

The aura emanating from it was ancient and majestic, containing infinite vitality yet also concealing a heart-palpitating sense of decline and nirvana—it was the entrance to the Ancestral Shrine Secret Realm.

At this moment, dozens of figures had already gathered on the platform.

These people stood distinctly divided into several groups.

The largest group consisted of high-spirited young disciples of the Medicine Clan.

They wore Alchemist badges on their chests, none of low rank.

Their gazes toward Li Ao, an outsider, were a mix of curiosity, scrutiny, and disdain.

Yao Tian was notably among them, standing behind his father, Yao Wanhuo, and he swept his eyes over Li Ao with a gloomy look.

Yao Wanhuo's face was still somewhat unpleasant, but he did not provoke him again; he merely snorted coldly and turned his head away.

The mysterious disappearance of the four assassins had brought his apprehension toward Li Ao to its peak.

Besides the native Medicine Clan disciples, there were also a few outsiders on the platform.

Among them were Cao Ying and Dan Chen.

When the two women saw Li Ao, their beautiful eyes lit up, and they actively nodded in greeting.

The fact that they stood here clearly indicated they had passed some external assessment of the Medicine Clan and gained the qualification to participate in the Medicine Stone Heart Inquiry.

Standing beside them was an impressive young man in a green shirt whose Soul fluctuations were extremely powerful—he was another Genius from the Pill Tower, Qiu Hao.

When Qiu Hao saw Li Ao, a trace of intense Battle Intent flashed in his eyes, but after sensing the opponent's unfathomable aura, he quickly suppressed the Battle Intent, which transformed into intense solemnity.

Aside from the three from the Pill Tower, there was also an old man standing alone in the corner, clad in a black robe, his face shrouded in shadow, and his aura chillingly cold.

His body exuded a sinister Death Qi that was incompatible with the Medicine World, drawing attention.

Yao Chen transmitted a quiet message to Li Ao: "That is the Netherworld Poison Sage, a Loose Cultivator Alchemist who is neither wholly good nor evil.

His mastery of poison techniques has reached the pinnacle.

I didn't expect he also came."

Li Ao scanned the entire area, taking in everyone's reactions, and understood.

This Medicine Stone Heart Inquiry was indeed not just for him, an outsider; the Medicine Clan seemed to want to use this opportunity to observe and even recruit some Geniuses from the outside world.

As for the Netherworld Poison Sage, his aura always felt somewhat familiar to Li Ao, similar to the sinister coldness of the Hall of Souls, yet not entirely the same.

Just then, the Chaos mist in front of the platform violently churned, and an ancient yet peaceful voice emerged from the depths of the Secret Realm, clearly resounding in everyone's ears:

"The time has come.

Those wishing to participate in the Medicine Stone Heart Inquiry, hold your medicine spirit token and enter the Secret Realm!"

As the voice faded, more than ten glowing portals, each just large enough for one person to pass through, slowly emerged from the Chaos mist.

The Medicine Clan disciples were clearly familiar with the procedure.

They all took out their medicine spirit tokens.

The jade tokens emitted a soft glow, resonating with the portals, and they immediately filed in.

Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Qiu Hao, and the Netherworld Poison Sage also took out their respective medicine spirit tokens, selected a portal, and stepped in.

"Young friend Li Ao, please."

Yao Chen gestured.

Li Ao and Medusa exchanged a glance.

Medusa nodded slightly, signaling him to be careful.

According to the rules, the Medicine Stone Heart Inquiry could only be entered by the participant alone.

Li Ao hesitated no longer and took out the emerald green medicine spirit token.

The moment the jade token appeared, it generated a strong resonance with one of the portals.

He took a step forward, and his figure vanished into the glowing portal.

Not long after Li Ao entered, the Void Realm above the platform subtly fluctuated, and two blurry figures quietly emerged, unnoticed by anyone.

One figure was the linen-robed Elder who had awakened in the great hall that day.

The other was a middle-aged man wearing luxurious Alchemist robes, his face majestic, and his aura as deep as an abyss or sea—the current Clan Chief of the Medicine Clan, Yao Dan!

"Clan Chief, this is Li Ao."

The linen-robed Elder whispered.

Yao Dan's gaze was profound as he looked at the portal where Li Ao had vanished, slowly saying, "Bearing the intent of returning to the ruins, carrying the nirvana ancient talisman...

Qian Mu's recommendation letter also speaks highly of him.

Wanhuo's probing a few days ago and his little actions last night allowed us to better gauge this child's depth."

"The Qi and blood power on him just now, which subtly resonated with the Secret Realm, is quite peculiar.

It seems he has Cultivated his Physical Body to an extremely high Realm, and it complements his Dao of Nirvana," the linen-robed Elder added.

Yao Dan nodded.

"Let's see how he performs in the Medicine Stone Heart Inquiry.

If he can truly incite a resonance from 'that stone,' perhaps... the mission our Medicine Clan has guarded for ten thousand years is truly reaching the time for handover."

The figures of the two slowly dissipated, as if they had never appeared.

Meanwhile, Li Ao, having stepped into the Secret Realm portal, felt his body wrapped in a strange power.

The scene before his eyes changed constantly, as if he were traversing time and space.

The fragment of the nirvana ancient talisman in his hand warmed slightly at this moment, transmitting a complex mixture of desire and vigilance.

He knew that the true trial had only just begun.

This Medicine Stone Heart Inquiry was certainly not a simple Aptitude test.

The secrets of the Medicine Clan Ancestral Shrine, the hope of resurrecting Xiao Yi Xian, and even the opportunity for his Nirvana Hegemon Body to reach final Perfection, might all be hidden within this mysterious Secret Realm.