Ou Yangming's heart skipped a beat. He saw Ling Yue and Jian Chengzhe bowing at the same time and saying respectfully, "Yes, Master."

Following that, the 2 of them turned around and gestured to the others to invite them inside.

​​

Ou Yangming and the others entered the inner court with different thoughts. A tall middle-aged man was sitting in a pavilion with a smile on his face. When he saw Gu Gengren and Ou Yangming, a strange light flashed in his eyes.

Obviously, he was more interested in the young men who had already become Advanced Spiritualists.

Zuo Fengyu's expression changed slightly, but he immediately put aside all negative emotions. He laughed and cupped his hands, saying, "Brother Wen, it's been a long time."

Without asking, one would know that the middle-aged man was Ling Yue and Zuo Fengyu's master. He was Wen Zhou, who was one of the Seven Stars Sect's elders with real power.

Gently nodding his head, Wen Zhou smiled and responded, "Brother Zuo, it's been a long time. Please take a seat."

After seeing Wen Zhou's attitude toward Zuo Fengyu, Ou Yangming could not help but feel amazed.

He had seen quite a number of powers, dozens of them were top-grade Spiritualists. All the powerful people at this level had a common characteristic, which was that they all had strong pride and dignity.

Even when facing a Venerable Ones, they had their own pride.

If they met an ordinary Spiritualist—even an Advanced Spiritualist—a sense of pride would still seep out from their bones.

This was not only the case for top-grade Spiritualists from sects but also for rogue cultivators.

One only needed to look at Xue Yan and Wu Xiaohuang, who held the power of life and death in their respective clans, to know that their words held great weight.

Nonetheless, Zuo Fengyu deliberately humbled himself in front of Wen Zhou, who was only an Advanced Spiritualist. His flattering greatly surprised Ou Yangming, who could not help but look at Wen Zhou a few more times.

This Seven Stars Sect's elder with real power was surely not an ordinary Advanced Spiritualist.

Deng Pan even went forward and bowed deeply. "Greetings, Elder Wen."

Wen Zhou smiled. "Good, it's good that you're here. Take your seats."

Zuo Fengyu and Deng Pan sat down one after another. Wen Zhou then looked at Ou Yangming and Gu Gengren.

Jian Chengzhe quickly introduced, "Master, this is my good friend, Gu Gengren."

Although Gu Gengren was a reserved and proud person, he was still courteous when facing the Seven Stars Sect's powerhouse. He bowed and greeted, "Greetings, Elder Wen."

Wen Zhou laughed loudly and replied to him, "I've long heard that the God-favored one of this generation from the Tianxuan Sect shocked everyone with a single feat. Now that I see you today, I can tell that you really live up to your reputation." He had clearly become much more cordial.

Zuo Fengyu and Deng Pan's faces darkened slightly. They looked at Gu Gengren with a rather unfriendly gaze. They vaguely sensed that the young man's appearance was not a good thing for them.

Ling Yue also did not want to be outdone. He took a step forward and said, "Master, this is my good friend, Yu Tianrui."

Wen Zhou raised his head and smiled. "Good—a caster who's also an Advanced Spiritualist. Your small test in front of the mountain gate has caused a sensation." He looked at Ou Yangming with admiration and remarked, "Since ancient times, heroes come from the youth!"

Jian Chengzhe's face instantly became as black as the bottom of a pot. The small test in front of the mountain gate was precisely done on him.

Even so, he did not dare to say anything to protest against his master's tease.

Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. 'Wen Zhou's an interesting person.' He cupped his hands and bowed. "Thank you for your praise, senior."

Wen Zhou waved his hand and noted, "Ling Yue told me everything. Since you saved my disciple, I'll naturally repay you."

Ou Yangming chuckled and thought to himself, 'If you want to repay me, simply give me the slot.'

"I'm a straightforward person, and I've always told the truth." Wen Zhou's gaze swept across everyone as he said in a clear voice, "I know why you're here. You all want to obtain the slot to enter the Big Ruins, right?"

Everyone looked at each other and nodded slightly.

At this moment, no one would choose to be humble. Otherwise, they would not have gone through so much trouble to enter the Seven Stars Sect.

Wen Zhou looked around and said with a chuckle, "Brother Zuo, Deng Pan, and I are old acquaintances. Since you've made a request, I can't refuse you."

Zuo Fengyu and Deng Pan's eyes lit up. They knew their hopes were not high, as long as Wen Zhou did not refuse them, they could work hard to fight for the slot.

Wen Zhou cleared his throat and continued, "Everyone knows that I only have a slot with me but many friends are asking for it. Heh, each time the two-way passage of the Big Ruins opens, it'll be the most troublesome time for me."

Everyone laughed in agreement as if they were supporting the event. Zuo Fengyu and Deng Pan did not hide the envy in their eyes at all.

They knew the allocation of the slot would also be a severe test of one's ability, but they very much hoped that they would be troubled like that too.

Wen Zhou let out a long sigh. "This time, I shortlisted you through a selection process and asked you to come here because I want to hand over the spot to one of you."

Everyone's eyes gleamed. Even Ou Yangming was moved.

In fact, everyone understood that those who could enter this courtyard were competitors. Having said that, how they would compete would depend on Wen Zhou's decision.

Wen Zhou pondered for a moment before he sighed again. "You either have an old relationship with me, or I owe you a favor. I can't decide. Now, I want to ask you something."

Everyone immediately perked up. They knew that the real show was about to begin.

Wen Zhou uttered in a deep voice, "Since you want to go to the Big Ruins, then you should know about the two-way passage."

Ou Yangming and the others nodded one after another. This was no longer a secret, so there was naturally nothing to hide.

Wen Zhou chuckled and said, "The formation map can penetrate through the interspatial disturbance and maintain the two-way passage. It's not always open, but it's still an amazing feat." His eyes were full of vigor as he explained proudly, "In the past, countless powerhouses in Zhangzhou worked together and completed the passage under the guidance of formation masters from Rebirth in Paradise. It was considered a world-shaking event."

"The demeanor of our seniors is fascinating," Gu Gengren suddenly commented.

This undoubtedly touched Wen Zhou's itch. He laughed and said, "Yes, the demeanor of our seniors makes us feel excited even when we think about it now. Ah, I wish I could've been born a few thousand years earlier and work side by side with all of them. A good man who doesn't let down his life ought to be like that."

Everyone praised him endlessly, but they still wondered.

If Wen Zhou lived through that period of time, would he have been qualified to participate in the matter?

It was worth noting that he would at least have to be a Venerable One to get involved...

Of course, at this moment, no one would spoil the mood by saying that.

Wen Zhou sighed for a moment then suddenly changed the topic. "While the great formation has been set up smoothly and is operating successfully, as the saying goes, it's easy to expand a territory but difficult to defend it." His gaze turned cold and solemn as he continued, "If you want to maintain the operation of the big formation, you'll need to expend a huge amount of energy."

Zuo Fengyu hurriedly said, "Brother Wen, don't worry. As long as I'm qualified to enter, I won't let you down even if I have to go bankrupt."

Deng Pan also stood up and expressed, "Elder Wen, I already made preparations, and I won't make things difficult for you."

Ou Yangming frowned slightly and looked at Ling Yue. However, he noticed that the young man was calm. He was slightly moved, and he immediately felt relieved as he knew something else was going on.

As expected, Wen Zhou laughed. "You've misunderstood me." The smile on his face was amiable as he asked, "Do you know what's the most consumed item in the formation map?"

Zuo Fengyu's eyes lit up slightly as he answered, "Peculiar stones."

"That's right, peculiar stones. In fact, they're unique Volcanic Peculiar Stones." Wen Zhou sighed softly and said, "The place where the bizarre stones can be found has an incredibly harsh natural environment. Even I can't obtain them easily."

The corners of Ou Yangming's mouth curled slightly as he instantly guessed the elder's intention.

No wonder Ling Yue looked indifferent. It turned out that Wen Zhou had come up with a test. Even if Zuo Fengyu and the others were prepared, it was probably a waste of effort.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Zuo Fengyu and Deng Pan's expressions became a little strange.

However, Wen Zhou acted as if he did not notice them. Hee smiled and continued, "The slot that you're asking for is a difficult decision for me. Since that's the case, why don't we set a limit of half a month where each of you will head to the volcano? After that, whoever submits the most peculiar stones to me will get the slot." The elder smiled deeply. He seemed to be discussing with everyone, but his tone was firm and unquestionable.

Zuo Fengyu gritted his teeth and looked at the others. "Alright, since you've come up with a test, Brother Wen, I'll make the trip. After half a month, I won't let you down for sure..."

Regardless of whether the others were willing or not, they could only agree to it.

Wen Zhou chuckled and nodded slightly at the crowd. After exchanging pleasantries for a moment, he took his leave.

After he left, Zuo Fengyu glanced at Ou Yangming and Gu Gengren. He snorted and said, "I'll make a move first. Let's see who can obtain the final victory." With that, he spread his sleeves and left.

Deng Pan stood up silently, nodded to everyone, and also fluttered away.

Gu Gengren and Jian Chengzhe stood up and looked at Ou Yangming and Ling Yue. The four of them did not speak to each other, but their thoughts were clearly expressed in their eyes.

"Hmph!" Jian Chengzhe sneered and said, "Volcano and peculiar stones—we'll see."

Ling Yue smiled and said, "Okay, we'll see."

Jian Chengzhe turned around and left with Gu Gengren. After a while, only Ling Yue and Ou Yangming were left in the courtyard.

Ling Yue calmed down and assured Ou Yangming. "Brother Yu, don't worry, I'll bring you to the volcano. Heh, this time, we'll join hands to kill their prestige and let them know who's the true hero."

Ou Yangming nodded without batting an eyelid, but he shook his head internally.

He had tried his best to be careful, but he was still caught up in the dispute.

This was perhaps the only way he could obtain a spot to enter the Big Ruins.