The Fourth Level

Due to his status as the eldest young master of the Meng Family, Meng Jingzhou was well-informed about the modern cultivation world—even more so than Lu Yang. When it came to ancient history, however, he was utterly in the dark. Considering the significant discrepancies between what modern cultivators understood of ancient history and the actual truth, there was even less to be said. There was no need to compete; he had advocated simply letting Lu Yang pass directly to the end. Just as he had expected, Lu Yang answered all ten questions correctly and cleared the trial with a perfect score—an unprecedented feat. What Meng Jingzhou hadn't anticipated was that his zero points would land him in second place. Luo Hong cast an admiring look toward Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. "Between the two of you, one achieved the highest score in history, and the other achieved the second highest. Very good." Meng Jingzhou: "..." What Meng Jingzhou didn't know was that everyone who had reached the third level in previous eras was an elite among prodigies. Deeply learned and well-versed in both past and present, once the buzzer-round began, their absolute confidence in their own knowledge drove them to scramble to answer the questions. And they ended up with negative points. Losing once was treated as a fluke, so they kept buzzing in to bring their scores back into the positive. The more they answered, the lower their scores sank. By the time the ten questions concluded, it was just a contest of who had accumulated more negative points. Luo Hong pointed to Meng Jingzhou, Jiang Shishi, and Su Lian'er. "You three, step forward to receive your rewards." Luo Hong snapped her fingers, and a small mountain of treasures appeared, glittering with golden radiance. Every single item was immensely valuable, capable of fetching astronomical prices and sparking mad scrambles. Unlike on the second level, this mound of treasures was of even higher value, containing even long-lost supreme divine abilities like the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. Above each treasure hovered an indicator; most bore the character "One," while a few read "Two" or "Three." The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, for instance, was marked with a "Three." "Su Lian'er, your performance on the first level was mediocre. On the second level, you failed to see through the true nature of my test—lying came to you as pure instinct. On the third level, your performance was also mediocre. You may freely select one item from here." "Thank you, Senior Luo Hong!" Before entering the Ancient Realm of Good Fortune, she had never imagined she would make it this far. This had already far exceeded her expectations. "Jiang Shishi, you obtained two hundred and eighty pieces of soul essence on the first level, setting a historic record—an exceptionally outstanding performance. On the second level, you saw through the subject of my test. On the third level, your performance was mediocre. You may freely select three items from here." "Thank you, Senior Luo Hong." "A word of reminder: most treasures you may choose freely, but certain items are of exceptional value, and selecting one is equivalent to taking two or three." The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms was marked with a "Three," meaning choosing it was equivalent to picking three items. The complete version of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms could defeat the Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor; it was a first-rate supreme divine ability. Even an incomplete version, once mastered, would allow one to walk undefeated among peers of the same cultivation stage. Luo Hong turned her gaze to Meng Jingzhou and summarized: "On the first level, you obtained two hundred and eighty pieces of soul essence, setting a historic record alongside Jiang Shishi—an exceptionally outstanding performance. On the second level, not only did you see through the subject of the test, but you also planted many flowers in the pot. On the third level, you achieved the second-best score in history. "You may freely select five items from here." Selecting five items meant that Meng Jingzhou's cumulative performance ranked second across the entire history of the Ancient Realm of Good Fortune. If not for Lu Yang's score standing ahead of him, he would have been first. Su Lian'er chose a defensive ancient talisman capable of withstanding at most a full-power strike from a Body Integration stage expert. Jiang Shishi chose a Phoenix Visualization Chart. The phoenix in the painting was lifelike and soaring high, looking as though it could fly out of the scroll at any moment. Painted by the hand of a half-immortal, it could calm the mind, concentrate one's spirit, and reconstitute bloodlines, accelerating the bloodline awakening process with infinite mysteries. This scroll was marked with a "Three." When it was Meng Jingzhou's turn to choose, he found himself in a dilemma. Most of the items here were of no use to him; if he truly wanted something comparable, the Dao Seeking Sect had it all. "Hm? What cultivation art is this? What a strange name... Chaos One Qi, Two Forms, Three Talents, Four Images, Five Elements, Six Harmonies, Seven Luminaries, Eight Desolations, Nine Lands, Ten Heavens Solely Revered Immortal Art?" "Such a long name?" "I don't understand it at all." Meng Jingzhou flipped through the technique manual; it had already been translated into the contemporary script. The manual was marked with a "Five," making it the most valuable among all the treasures. "It costs this much and it's only half a manual?" Meng Jingzhou complained. The manual covered cultivation only from the Qi Refinement stage to the Soul Formation stage—merely the first half. "The Numeric Immortal Art?!" The moment Lu Yang heard the name, his eyes widened abruptly. They even have this thing?! This was Immortal Jiuchong's cultivation art! "You've heard of it?" Lu Yang nodded. This was an absolute treasure. "Don't exchange for it just yet. Let me ask first." Lu Yang turned his consciousness into his spiritual space. "Fairy, do you know the contents of the Numeric Immortal Art?" If the fairy had it memorized, there would be no need to get the manual. The Immortal Fairy wore a disdainful expression. "Isn't it enough that this immortal remembered the name of Jiuchong's cultivation art? Why would I bother memorizing the contents?" "Then this half-manual for Old Meng..." "Exchange for it. It's quite a good art. Jiuchong showed it off in front of me back then, claiming that different people reading it would gain different insights. It helps one comprehend their own unique divine abilities, aids in grasping other abilities, and... whatever else, this immortal can't clearly recall." Having received an affirmative answer, Lu Yang exited his spiritual space, nodded firmly, and uttered a single word: "Take it." Trusting him without a doubt, Meng Jingzhou exchanged his points for the half-manual of the immortal art. Luo Hong waved her hand. "The three of you may leave." Before they even had the chance to speak with Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou and the two women were teleported out of the ancient realm. In the vast expanse, only Lu Yang and Luo Hong remained. "Senior Luo Hong, you..." Luo Hong circled Lu Yang with keen interest, clicking her tongue in amazement. "I've seen a few lucky ones who guessed a single question right, but someone like you who answered all ten correctly? That has never happened before. "I always thought no one would ever answer all ten questions." Luo Hong snapped her fingers, and the dim third level instantly brightened. The third level was actually a bustling city filled with flowing carriages and bustling crowds, where great demons strolled about, and demons and humans coexisted in harmony—a magnificent scene of a flourishing age. "Don't look so surprised. This is an illusion realm where I usually live. Over three hundred thousand years, I couldn't just spend every day planting flowers and rolling around with demon beasts. Where you are going is the fourth level." "The fourth level?" In the realm model provided upon first entering the ancient realm, there had been no mention of a fourth level. Luo Hong smiled without answering and gestured for Lu Yang to look up toward the sky. As they spoke, a beam of light broke through the sky, coalescing into a golden ladder that linked the third and fourth levels. The beings throughout the city halted in their tracks and gazed upward, pointing at the golden heavenly ladder in a mix of terror and wonder. "My creator told me that if anyone cleared the secret realm, they should be sent to the fourth level. "The fourth level lies beyond my authority. Even I don't know what is inside." "Who was it that created you, Senior?" "Once you come down from the fourth level, I'll tell you," Luo Hong replied with a genial smile. Lu Yang understood well enough: until he went up to the fourth level, Senior Luo Hong wouldn't utter another word. Not that it mattered; he intended to go to the fourth level anyway. "Then I shall take my leave of Senior for now." Lu Yang cupped his fists. "Go on, go on. I'll be waiting for your return." Lu Yang stepped onto the golden heavenly ladder. As his feet touched it, a warm current coursed through his body, filling him from head to toe with immense vitality. Soon after, Lu Yang vanished into the fourth level. The golden heavenly ladder collapsed, dissolving into a shower of golden rain that fell across the city. ... The fourth level's style was entirely different from the previous three. It resembled a young woman's boudoir, with delicate touches evident in every detail; the room's owner was clearly a meticulous person. "This room looks familiar." With no one else around, the Immortal Fairy popped out from the spiritual space, her attire as wild and untamed as ever.