The spring breezes were light as they swept Ou Yangming's long hair behind his back. After the silence, there was an uproar.

Wen Zhou was stupefied. He was the first to regain his senses and exclaimed, "This—is this a white Volcanic Ore?" He questioned because he still did not dare to confirm it. One could imagine how shocked he was.

​​

Ou Yangming nodded with a smile and said, "I was lucky. I took one out of the magma, and it turned out to be a white Volcanic Ore."

"Hiss..." The sound echoed in the air, and the hall was dead silent again.

Ling Yue's eyes were burning, and his body trembled. He was so excited that he could not speak.

Zuo Fengyu looked as if he had seen a ghost, and his eyes lost focus.

Nonetheless, among the people in the hall, Deng Pan was the most furious. He was just about to step on Ou Yangming to gain Gu Gengren's favor, but he was slapped to the ground by reality. He was stunned.

Jian Chengzhe felt lucky. He thought to himself, 'Fortunately, I learned my lesson this time and didn't speak again.'.

He was also afraid. Ever since he met Ou Yangming, he had never been lucky. At the Ultimate Sword Peak, under the arches, the young fellow had fended off the sword from his sword case. Afterward, at the mouth of the volcano, he was also slapped in the face. When he thought that Ou Yangming had been buried in the magma, the fellow miraculously escaped. Now, Jian Chengzhe learned to be smart and would not speak until he saw the final result.

Gu Gengren stared at the white Volcanic Ore, and his eyes revealed a strange expression.

He looked at Ou Yangming a few times, but there was no anger in his eyes. Instead, he appeared calm. He took out his Volcanic Ores and brushed them across his Xueru Stone one by one.

Ou Yangming did not say much. He held the white Volcanic Ore with his finger and gently brushed it across his Xueru Stone. Immediately, a golden light burst out from the stone. With a flash of thought, he sent his mental power into it and saw that his contribution points increased by 10,000.

The white Volcanic Ore had determined the outcome. As soon as he took out the volcanic stone, everything was settled.

After an hour, Gu Gengren looked regretful and said in a low voice, "Congratulations, Brother Yu, for getting the spot."

Ou Yangming waved his long sleeve lightly and replied to him, "Thank you for letting me win!"

Gu Gengren smiled bitterly and walked out.

Although he was proud of himself, he admired those who were truly capable from the bottom of his heart, and he was persistent. Perhaps it was his persistence that allowed him to directly break through and become an Advanced Spiritualist.

Zuo Fengyu cupped his hands and bowed. He expressed softly, "Brother Wen, goodbye.Since the slot to enter the Big Ruins has been assigned, there's no longer any meaning for me to stay here.'

After some time, only Ou Yangming, Wen Zhou, and Ling Yue were left in the hall.

Wen Zhou said softly, "Lil' Friend, let's go to the study for a chat."

"As you wish, elder..." Ou Yangming responded.

Ling Yue looked at them and sighed. 'You left me here just like that.'

In the study, as soon as Ou Yangming entered, a majestic landscape painting appeared in his field of vision. In the painting, the sky was blue, there were no clouds, the water was blue, and the blue waves rippled. A purple Phoenix with a magnanimous aura looked as if it was going to zoom out of the painting. Its eyes were full of purple flames, which looked like they could burn through the painting.

"What would you like to drink?" Wen Zhou asked.

"Liquor!" Ou Yangming said.

"Well, it's better for men to drink liquor. Drinking tea will be too stingy." As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Zhou tapped his interspatial bag and took out 2 pots of treasured Baihua Liquor, handing one of them to Ou Yangming.

As if noticing the confusion on Ou Yangming's face, Wen Zhou explained, "If you want to drink liquor, you have to drink from a pot. That's the only way to get a kick out of it."

With that, they opened their pots at the same time. Instantly, a light fragrance filled the air.

Ou Yangming took a sip and looked at Wen Zhou. He did not believe that the elder had invited him here just for a drink.

Even so, Wen Zhou's Qi cultivation had already reached a certain level, so he did not show any signs at all. After 3 rounds of drinking, he had finished drinking. He pointed at the mounted painting of a purple Phoenix flying in the sky and asked, "I asked Master Bai Qian to draw this painting. What do you see?"

"Bai Qian?" Ou Yangming raised his voice to a higher pitch. He recalled the seemingly immortal old man in the Su family's Chamber of Commerce.

"You know Master Bai Qian?" Wen Zhou was truly surprised. He thought that Bai Qian was an extraordinary person indeed as the elder knew divination, astrology, zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Even though he was not a Venerable One, his temperament and cultivation were probably not inferior to that of the big bamboo rat.

"I was fortunate enough to meet master Bai Qian in Huixun City," Ou Yangming answered.

Wen Zhou looked like he understood what happened, and he took another sip of liquor. "Then what do you see in this painting?"

Ou Yangming focused and looked over. After a while, he responded, "I'm not smart enough to tell."

The joy on Wen Zhou's face became even greater. He chuckled and noted, "The most important thing in life is to know yourself. Those who can suffer losses aren't too bad-hearted. Previously, you only needed to take out a white Volcanic Ore, which will give you 10,000 contribution points, to secure this spot. Despite that, you still took out many green Volcanic Ores and yellow Volcanic Ores. I know you did it to repay the debt of the Xueru Stone but it's incredibly valuable that you did it. I'm also relieved that Ling Yue has interacted with you."

Ou Yangming nodded slightly, but he still could not figure out what the formidable elder of the Seven Stars Sect was going to say.

Eventually, they finished their pots of liquor.

Wen Zhou asked in a low voice, "What do you think of the conflict between my 2 disciples?"

Ou Yangming's heart clenched a little, and the smell of liquor on his body faded a bit. He had always stayed away from such affairs in clans if he could. After thinking for a while, he answered, "The disciples of the Seven Stars sect are incomparably heroic, and the Ultimate Sword Peak pays particular attention to using a sword case to raise a sword. It's inevitable for the hostility between disciples to be stronger so conflicts are bound to happen between them."

Wen Zhou could tell that he was giving an ingenious response, but he was not angry at all. He stated, "In a few days, the Seven Stars Sect's once-in-a-decade Pill Feast will be held. At that time, given my identity, I'll be able to obtain 2 Soul Condensation Pills and 1 Seven Dazzling Pill. I can raise my cultivation level with the Soul Condensation Pill, but the Seven Dazzling Pill is only effective on cultivators below an Advanced Spiritualist's level."

Ou Yangming understood right away. It turned out that the elder was worried about who he should give the Seven Dazzling Pill to.

Since he had thought it through, it would be easy to handle.

Ou Yangming pondered and suggested, "The Ultimate Sword Peak is known for combat. Why don't you let them fight?"

Wen Zhou sighed again and said, "One's a Rudimentary Spiritualist while one can already carry a sword case. The gap is too big between them. If I do that, Lil' Yue will feel jealous for sure."

Ou Yangming chuckled and remarked, "Being able to get help from an outsider is also a kind of ability."

Wen Zhou looked meaningfully at Ou Yangming, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

At this moment, Wen Zhou slowly stood up and took out a palm-sized peculiar stone that was neither gold nor wood from a drawer under a sandalwood frame. He handed it to Ou Yangming and explained, "This is the qualification to enter the Big Ruins. I hope that you'll have a successful trip."

"Thank you, Elder Wen." Ou Yangming hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed.

Seeing that Wen Zhou was no longer interested in talking, Ou Yangming quickly took his leave. His observation skill made Wen Zhou have a better impression of him.

Ou Yangming touched the peculiar stone through his clothes and thought, 'After such a long time, I finally settled the slot.'

After returning to his courtyard, he entered the states of the integration of Heaven and man and the thoroughly meticulous to improve his cultivation.

Once he entered the Big Ruins, Multi-armed King Kong would not be able to enter. At that time, he would have to rely on himself. Furthermore, that place was a place where even Venerable Ones would be in danger, so did not dare to be careless.

※※※※

At this moment, in an elegant courtyard on the Ultimate Sword Peak.

Peach blossoms, sunlight, and breezes. Gu Gengren sat cross-legged. His fingers moved the zither strings, causing a piece of melodious music to reverberate. This time, not a single butterfly or bee flew to his side, and it even seemed like they were avoiding him.

A black-robed old man slowly walked to his side and sighed. "Young Master, your heart is in a mess."

"Only when your heart is in a mess do you need to calm your heart," Gu Gengren said. His fingers did not stop, and the zither music was still melodious.

He played 6 songs before he stopped.

The old man sighed. "Young Master, let's go! There's more than one spot to enter the Big Ruins. We'll think of a way." As he said this, he seemed to hunch more.

"It's true that there are other slots, but it's won't be easy to get them. Besides, in a few days, the Seven Stars Sect's once-in-a-decade Pill Feast will be held. By then, I'll be able to broaden my horizons," Gu Gengren replied to the old man. Having said that, there was one more thing that he did not say out loud. 'This time, I lost. I must win the next time, and I must do it fair and square.'

This was the first time he had lost since he broke through. Furthermore, he was facing a cultivator of the same level.

While he was broad-minded, he could not help but feel a little uncomfortable.

"Well, since you want to experience it, it'll be good for you to stay, Young Master." The old man nodded.

At this moment, Jian Chengzhe walked up along the winding path.

Gu Gengren released his mental power. He had long sensed the young man's existence, so he put away the zither and said calmly, "Invite him in!"

"Yes!" The old man nodded respectfully.

Soon, Jian Chengzhe ran over with a fawning face.

Gu Gengren went straight to the point. "Brother Jian, why are you here?"

Jian Chengzhe made up his mind and gritted his teeth. "Brother Gu, during this period of time, I've been doing things for you. I haven't contributed much, but I've worked hard. Could you help me get the Seven Dazzling Pill? Once it's done, I'll be eternally grateful!"

Gu Gengren pondered for a moment and asked, "Is the opponent Yu Tianrui?"

"Yes, yes." Jian Chengzhe nodded repeatedly. He had hope again in his heart. Without Gu Gengren's help, he had no confidence in obtaining the Seven Dazzling Pill. After all, the title of caster made him fearful.

Gu Gengren thought for a while before he nodded. "Alright, I'll help you once." He waved his sleeve lightly and added, "You can go back now. Since I've promised you, I'll definitely do it."

Jian Chengzhe was delighted, and his voice trembled.

He quickly responded to Gu Gengren and left the isolated small courtyard.

After Jian Chengzhe left, Gu Gengren uttered in a melancholy voice, "Elder Mu, walk with me on this mountain."