With a flash before his eyes, Li Xuan instantly found the surrounding scene transformed.
"Brother Li, the first level of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is extremely simple. Besides a few bookshelves, there are only stone tablets containing the life experiences of our ancestors. Let's proceed to the third level first and strive to enter the fourth or even higher levels as soon as possible," Li Mingkai said, looking at Li Xuan as he walked towards a bookshelf. As someone who had entered the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion before, Li Mingkai was relatively familiar with its interior.
"Mm, alright. But Brother Li, why have those people disappeared?" Li Xuan nodded slightly and asked, surveying the surroundings.
Nangong Xuerui chuckled upon hearing this, "Brother Li, of the fifty-six individuals who have entered the top fifty-six ranks, almost half are disciples from our ten major families. The other powerhouses also come from various prominent forces. As for a peerless genius like yourself, Brother Li, who has not aligned with any faction, there are likely no more than five such individuals. And as he mentioned, the first level of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is not worth lingering in. By now, they are likely all heading to the third level."
"I see. Brother Li, you and Miss Xue Rui go ahead. I'm rather interested in these stone tablets. I'll catch up after I finish watching them," Li Xuan nodded slightly and said to Li Mingkai and Nangong Xuerui.
"This... alright, since Brother Li is interested in these stone tablets, you can examine them first. Fortunately, there are only ten stone tablets on the first level, so it shouldn't take too long," Li Mingkai was taken aback but nodded when he saw the calm expression in Li Xuan's eyes.
"Brother Li, we will be heading up now." Although Nangong Xuerui was puzzled as to why Li Xuan would choose to stay in the first level after learning about it, she spoke to Li Xuan as Li Mingkai had.
Li Xuan nodded slightly. As Li Mingkai and Nangong Xuerui vanished up the stairs, he walked towards the nearest stone tablet. With a wave of his hand, a projection appeared from the stone tablet. An old man materialized within the light screen. Li Xuan's gaze followed the elder.
"The Heavenly Mystery Disk, the cycle of karma. Qian above, Kun below, separation and union..." the old man spoke calmly, like an immortal from beyond the mortal realm, expounding on the state of mind for cultivating the Dao. Li Xuan felt a flicker of enlightenment and moved to the second stone tablet.
Time passed gradually. By the time Li Xuan had finished watching all ten stone tablets, a quarter of an hour had elapsed. This action drew a hint of surprise in Li Tieyi's eyes as he observed Li Xuan from outside the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.
"The other contestants rushed towards the higher levels as soon as they entered the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, yet this Li Xuan chose to linger on the first level. Interesting, very interesting." Li Tieyi smiled slightly and waved his hand, changing the image on the screen. He revealed a look of satisfaction as he watched Li Mingkai and Nangong Xuerui entering the fourth level.
Within the first level of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.
"I never expected the insights of the ancestors of the Six Great Families and Four Hidden Sects to be so profound. These words, though seemingly simple, are incredibly difficult to achieve. Perhaps this is why these stone tablets are kept here," Li Xuan retracted his gaze, musing deeply after digesting his findings. After watching the instructional projections from the ancestors of the Six Great Families and Four Hidden Sects, Li Xuan found that the bottleneck in his heart had loosened. Such lectures were far more valuable than any reward he had received before.
"The spiritual energy here is quite abundant. According to Brother Li, the cultivation speed on the fourth level and above of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion will be even faster. Perhaps they have already reached the fourth or even fifth level by now," Li Xuan thought and then walked towards the stairs. Among these fifty-nine individuals, there were bound to be powerhouses who had reached the fourth and fifth levels. As for the sixth level, Li Mingkai had mentioned that only the patriarchs of the ten major families could enter it. This required the patriarchs to use the ancestral Patriarch's Token, illustrating how difficult it was to cultivate on the sixth level of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.
Within the sixth level of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion were the final resting places of the patriarchs of the Six Great Families and Four Hidden Sects after their demise. Combined with the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's design, their lifelong insights were integrated into the very fabric of the place. To meditate in such an environment was a great blessing for a spiritual master. Of course, even the patriarchs of the ten major families could only remain in such a place for one month using the Patriarch's Token.
Buzz.
With a hum, Li Xuan found himself on the second level of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. At a glance, there was no one in sight. Clearly, those who entered the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion possessed superior strength and talent, and were unwilling to settle for the second level. Even Li Xuan, after a brief look, continued towards the third level.
On the third level, six contestants remained. Upon Li Xuan's arrival, the six individuals looked up at him. The strength of these six was, for the most part, at the late stage of the Heavenly End Realm. The reason they remained on the third level was likely due to their failure to break into the fourth level. When the six saw Li Xuan walking leisurely towards them, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes. After all, they had all entered the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion together, and Li Xuan had only just come up from below.
"It's somewhat unexpected that Li Xuan is only coming up now. Could something down there have attracted his attention?" a white-robed man said after Li Xuan disappeared up the stairs.
"This person defeated Gu Yang. How can we possibly speculate about him? The barrier on the fourth level is something none of us six could break, yet he ascended without any effort. The difference is clear," the man next to the white-robed man said with a wry smile.
"Let's just focus on cultivating during this time. Although the third level is not as good as the upper levels, its spiritual energy is incomparable to that outside. Otherwise, the gap will only widen," a black-robed man said, looking at the disappearing Li Xuan, a hint of determination in his eyes. The other five nodded and then focused their minds, beginning their cultivation.
On the fourth level, upon entering, Li Xuan found that Li Mingkai and Nangong Xuerui were not present. Without hesitation, he proceeded to the fifth level.
"Brother Li, you've arrived." When Li Xuan appeared on the fifth level of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, Li Mingkai, who had already chosen a spot and was sitting cross-legged, stood up and greeted him. Nangong Xuerui also stood up and gave Li Xuan a slight nod.
Li Xuan nodded, then glanced around at the others before looking at Li Mingkai and smiling, "Brother Li, Miss Xue Rui, are you not continuing?"
Li Mingkai chuckled and shook his head, "Brother Li, the sixth level is not easily ascended. Even the fifth level took us considerable effort to reach."
"Brother Li, although the sixth level offers the fastest cultivation speed and the best spiritual energy, the difficulty is also immense. The sixth level is indeed not easy to climb. Just now, a few of them attempted to ascend," Nangong Xuerui paused and added, "But now, they are all injured. It's likely that half the remaining time will be spent on healing."
Li Xuan nodded slightly. Cultivation speed and spiritual energy were not lacking for him. No matter how extraordinary, it would likely not surpass his Prison Suppressing Ring. Li Xuan's insistence on the sixth level was more out of curiosity. A place that even the patriarchs needed the Patriarch's Token to enter must be extraordinary.
"Um, Brother Li, you're not thinking of trying it too, are you?" After a long pause, Li Mingkai guessed as he saw Li Xuan's gaze still fixed.
"Brother Li, you guessed correctly. I do indeed want to try the sixth level." As soon as Li Mingkai finished speaking, Li Xuan's determined voice rang out. Li Mingkai and Nangong Xuerui exchanged a shocked glance. The next moment, Li Xuan slowly walked towards the entrance.