Chapter 81 – The Trial of Focus

A single thought arose simultaneously in the minds of every cultivator present.

They had struck it rich this time.

Just looking at this first floor alone, there were well over ten thousand cultivation methods! Taking even a handful of them out would be worth more than a dozen years of hard work.

Waves of covetous desire surged up from the cultivators’ hearts.

Though these cultivators were already eyeing the techniques on the shelves with burning envy, none dared make any rash moves, still cowed by Qin Tang’s earlier display of power.

Qin Tang, for his part, seemed oblivious to the cultivators’ agitation.

He gazed at row after row of bookshelves, a look of nostalgia surfacing in his eyes, and spoke slowly: “The Dao of the heart lies in focus, in courage, and in perseverance.”

“This first trial tests the depth of your focus.”

“There are thirty-six thousand, five hundred and forty-one cultivation methods here. For the coming period, you will remain in this place and transcribe these techniques. The time limit is three months.”

“After three months, I will evaluate you based on both the quantity and quality of your transcriptions.”

Every cultivator present erupted with unbridled joy upon hearing Qin Tang’s words.

So many cultivation methods, and they were being given free rein to transcribe them?

If they could just memorize a few techniques, even if they gained nothing else afterward, this adventure would have been more than worth it.

Paying no mind to the cultivators’ reactions, Qin Tang pointed casually, and over a hundred sets of desks and chairs rose from the floor of the pavilion.

On each desk sat brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

“Now then, you may begin. I hope you won’t disappoint me.” Qin Tang produced a wine gourd from somewhere and took another gurgling sip.

Then he leaned against the wall at an angle, motionless, as if he had fallen asleep.

Seeing that Qin Tang had given the word, the cultivators could no longer contain themselves.

They dashed to the bookshelves, snatched up cultivation methods, and pored over them.

Moments later, the pavilion erupted into a cacophony of noise.

“This is—how is this possible?”

“《Golden Blaze Inferno Art》—a fire-attribute cultivation method that can be practiced all the way to the Nascent Soul realm?”

“This one, this one, and this one too—they’re all Nascent Soul cultivation methods?”

“Haha, we’re rich! We’ve absolutely struck gold this time!”

……

Watching the crowd of cultivators acting as though they had lost their minds, Li Fan couldn’t help but let out a cold, inward laugh.

He casually picked up a cultivation method, chose a desk, sat down, and began transcribing.

He made no attempt to study the content of the technique—just copied it patiently, word by word, line by line.

Because he knew that all of these cultivation methods were illusions.

In his previous life, cultivators who had explored this place countless times had long since reached a conclusion about the techniques that appeared in this trial.

No matter what method was used to record the cultivation methods during the trial, the moment one left the Cloud-Water Celestial Palace, every last record would vanish.

As if they had never existed at all.

These ten thousand tantalizing volumes of techniques were nothing more than flowers reflected in a mirror, the moon reflected in water—tools designed to beguile the mind.

Among the cultivators present, a few could vaguely guess at the truth.

But…

With true Nascent Soul arts laid out before them, how many could resist the temptation to read further? Some had even become so engrossed in the profound mysteries of the techniques that they hadn’t begun transcribing at all.

Even when reminded by others and snapped back to their senses, they would write fitfully, stopping again and again, unable to resist going back to read more.

Those like Li Fan—pen racing across the page like dragons and serpents, heedless of everything else, copying without pause—were exceedingly rare.

The paper and ink were inexhaustible, and before long, Li Fan had finished transcribing the volume in his hands.

He returned it to the shelf and selected a new one.

Li Fan’s complete lack of attachment drew the attention of several others.

After a moment of reflection, they too abandoned their earlier attempts at memorization and focused solely on transcribing.

As for those still lost in the cultivation methods, no one bothered to offer them a kind reminder.

……

Days passed, one after another.

Endless transcription was, after all, a tedious and grueling task.

Having learned their lesson from before, no one dared use spiritual power to cut corners.

Soon enough, some began to falter.

Unable to resist, they stopped to rest.

Some closed their eyes briefly to recover, then immediately resumed transcribing.

Others took a thorough rest before rallying themselves to continue.

Li Fan, however, did not rest for a single moment.

There were two or three others who, like Li Fan, seemed tireless.

They appeared to practice cultivation methods that granted them exceptional endurance and mental fortitude.

Even after going without sleep or rest for long stretches, they showed no signs of fatigue.

Li Fan, on the other hand, was purely forcing himself through by sheer willpower.

Because he knew that Qin Tang’s evaluation of this trial depended not only on the number of techniques transcribed and the number of errors made.

There was another crucial criterion: the total duration of unbroken focus, measured from the moment one picked up the brush to the moment one set it down.

Just as Qin Tang had said, this trial tested focus.

Once you began transcribing, stopping for any reason whatsoever counted as your “focus” being broken.

Li Fan cleared his mind of all distractions and immersed himself in the transcription.

Every ounce of physical and mental exhaustion was forcibly suppressed by his iron will.

He had no idea how much time had passed.

“Ahh, what a fine nap that was!” Qin Tang’s voice suddenly rang out beside him.

He stretched lazily, and the paper and brush before Li Fan vanished into thin air.

“Time’s up. Let me see how you all performed.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk—worse every year.” His eyes narrowed slightly, as though inspecting something, and Qin Tang shook his head repeatedly.

“Oh, wait…”

“Now that’s interesting.”

As if he had noticed something, he glanced in Li Fan’s direction, a trace of a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

But Qin Tang said nothing more and quickly withdrew his gaze.

“The first trial is now concluded. Tomorrow, everyone rests for a day. The day after, the second trial begins.”

He clapped his hands, and Li Fan felt the world before his eyes shift and blur.

In the blink of an eye, he was back inside the tall building where they had slept before.

Qin Tang’s figure did not follow them out.

The cultivators finally relaxed.

Their expressions were animated as they eagerly exchanged stories.

“What incredible fortune this is! I memorized techniques while I copied—managed to commit a full fifteen to memory. Most were Golden Core methods, with a few Nascent Soul ones mixed in.”

“I memorized quite a few myself.”

“What good is memorizing so many? Worry about getting out of here alive first.”

“That’s not how I see it. With my level of ability, barring some miracle, I’ll likely never advance beyond Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. To have had the fortune of glimpsing the mysteries of core formation—even if I die tomorrow, I’ll have no regrets!”

“Well said, fellow Daoist. You speak my heart.”

“Good advice falls on deaf ears when the fool is set on dying. Hmph!”

……

Beyond the arguments, some cultivators had also set their sights on the belongings of those who had perished earlier.

Unfortunately, after searching around, every one of them wore a look of disappointment.

Li Fan even overheard someone nearby sneer coldly: “Don’t bother. I already checked that night. After Qin Tang killed them, their storage rings, magical artifacts—everything vanished. Not a single thing was left.”

Li Fan shook his head at this, and was about to head back for a proper rest when his gaze inadvertently fell upon a corpse, and he froze.