Although Li Fan had never seen the middle-aged cultivator delivering the passionate speech in Wei Qizheng's memories, for some reason, the man's demeanor, gestures, and the way he spoke gave him a faint sense of familiarity.
In particular, the cold glint that occasionally flashed in his eyes made Li Fan certain that he must have crossed paths with this person in one of his lifetimes.
Watching the scene unfold, Li Fan searched among the figures recorded within the Dao Transformation Stone for someone similar.
"The Alliance and the Five Elders Association have confronted each other for millennia, trading victories and defeats. Xuanhuang's cultivators have been caught in the crossfire of war, suffering unspeakable misery.
"To bring an absolute end to this situation, countless predecessors exhausted their minds and efforts, and finally devised an ingenious plan."
As the middle-aged cultivator spoke, miniatures of the various provinces of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals materialized before the youths.
"As everyone knows, within every floating Heavenly City of our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals stands a stone statue of the Heavenly Venerable. The vast majority of the world believes they were erected to commemorate the Heavenly Venerable's magnificent deeds. But have you ever considered that these stone statues might actually serve another purpose?"
At these words, expressions of wonder surfaced in the eyes of all the youths.
"When you entered the Alliance headquarters, you must have all sensed that wisp of lingering aura left behind by the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable.
"Erecting these stone statues was likewise done at the behest of the Venerable himself.
"Even the location of every floating city was designated in advance by Him.
"Within each statue lingers a remnant will of the Heavenly Venerable. If triggered, it can unleash power equivalent to a single glance from the Heavenly Venerable..."
Here, the middle-aged cultivator deliberately slowed his cadence.
And just as expected, the youths took the bait—hearing it was merely "a glance from the Heavenly Venerable," they could not help but feel somewhat unimpressed.
No matter how formidable the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable was, what could a mere glance accomplish?
Seeing the youths' expressions, the middle-aged cultivator smiled as if he had anticipated this reaction.
Then his expression turned solemn, and he spoke with ringing force: "A single glance from the Heavenly Venerable is enough to withstand the full-powered strike of an ordinary Longevity realm cultivator!"
His voice echoed incessantly, and the eyes of all thirty-three cultivators present slowly widened in shock.
"How is that possible?" one young cultivator blurted out in objection on the spot.
"No matter how powerful the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable was, he was still only in the Longevity realm. Fellow Longevity realm cultivators—how could there be such an immense disparity?
"If the Venerable was truly that strong, why didn't he just unite Xuanhuang back then? Why leave behind such a mess instead?"
The hall instantly erupted into an uproar.
Disregarding the middle-aged cultivator's authority, the youths began arguing vehemently.
The middle-aged cultivator swept his gaze across them, and under that familiar chilly glint recognized by Li Fan, the youths were forced to quiet down one by one.
"How could we fathom the Heavenly Venerable's intentions? There were naturally reasons why he did not unite the Xuanhuang Realm back then. But times have changed, and we have now received clear instructions from the Heavenly Venerable.
"It is time for the Xuanhuang Realm to speak with only one voice,"
the middle-aged cultivator said with murder in his voice.
"And you are the key to achieving this grand objective."
With a flick of the middle-aged cultivator's finger, the projection before them shifted once more.
The terrain of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' territory gradually faded away, leaving behind nearly a thousand gleaming points of light representing the Heavenly Cities.
Then, silver threads of light linked these bright points together.
"Do you see anything?" the middle-aged cultivator asked.
Wei Qizheng was the first to speak up, blurting out, "This... this looks just like human meridians?!"
The other youths turned to Wei Qizheng, then stared intently at the increasingly clear pattern of interconnected points and lines before them.
Enlightenment dawned on all of them.
"Could it be..."
An unbelievable thought surged unbidden into their minds.
The middle-aged cultivator spoke, confirming their suspicions: "The Heavenly Venerable's remnant wills are distributed across the Alliance's land following the specific pathways of human meridians. If triggered with a secret art, a dharma manifestation modeled after the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable can be summoned from the void.
"The Heavenly Venerable's remnant wills serve as the power source driving the dharma manifestation.
"If all of them can be mobilized..."
The middle-aged cultivator took a deep breath. "The Five Elders Association can be wiped out in no time!"
All thirty-three youths froze on the spot.
"And you are the keys to unlocking this formidable power..."
As the middle-aged cultivator spoke, the youths were utterly captivated, their eyes brimming with longing and eager excitement.
The power of the Heavenly Venerable's remnant wills was simply too immense; relying on a single cultivator, it was impossible to mobilize and shoulder it entirely.
It could only be divided into thirty-three domains.
Each domain required a peerless prodigy to preside over it.
When these thirty-three Immortal Chosen could achieve complete unity of mind and thought,
and continually familiarize themselves with the Heavenly Venerable's remnant wills, they could collectively act as a fulcrum to unleash that power!
"The first time the Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation is summoned, it certainly will not last long.
"You must seize this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with and comprehend the profound mysteries within.
"Furthermore, throughout this process, not a single one of you can afford the slightest distraction. You must realize that at that moment, it will be equivalent to the thirty-three of you jointly piloting the dharma manifestation.
"If any division arises among you, it will very likely cause the manifestation to collapse."
The middle-aged cultivator thoroughly explained every detail concerning the Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation to the youths.
Every one of these thirty-three cultivators was a spirited, brilliant young talent. Each possessed their own pride.
How difficult would it be to make them act with a single mind?
Therefore, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had prepared a series of training exercises for them.
Within a transparent sphere filled with silvery-white radiance, countless distinct, rapidly evolving worlds seemed to be laid out.
The divine senses of the thirty-three were cast into these worlds to undergo all manner of trials and tribulations.
There were chaotic mortal times and the secular jianghu.
There were miraculous encounters in the ancient cultivation world, and possible scenarios of the future.
Yet without exception, the thirty-three of them were forcibly bound together by fate, brought together by various circumstances.
Only when they achieved true unanimity, reaching a state of functioning as one, could they finally be freed from the cycle.
And if even a single person among them harbored discordant thoughts, the cycle would begin anew.
Even with the Alliance's deliberate guidance, this was an extraordinarily long period.
No one knew how many years had passed in the simulation, but when these "youths" finally broke free,
all greenness on their faces had vanished.
Their eyes were filled with the vicissitudes of time.
Looking around, their expressions carried hints of vigilance and bewilderment.
Clap, clap, clap...
To the steady clapping of the middle-aged cultivator, their former, suppressed memories finally resurfaced.
"Very good. Now, we begin the second lesson," the middle-aged cultivator said, paying not the slightest heed to the youths' feelings.
...
Next, Wei Qizheng and the others endured even more brutal training.
Stripped completely naked, they were locked inside enclosed spaces of endless darkness.
Within the space, there was nothing besides a simulated aura of the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable.
They could neither see nor hear.
Chapter 932