"Eh? How did I suddenly emerge?"
Outside the stone door, Ye Tian stood up, a look of bewilderment etched across his face as he surveyed his surroundings.
Not far off, the white-haired elder continued sweeping, while the stone door remained firmly shut.
"Just a moment ago, I seemed to be condensing the eighth Blood Pill... Ah, I remember now!" Suddenly, Ye Tian's pupils contracted, his expression shifting to one of lingering dread.
"My physical body simply couldn't withstand the pressure of condensing the eighth Blood Pill. Fortunately, I don't know what kind of mishap occurred that forced me out; otherwise, I would have truly fallen into madness this time."
Ye Tian took a deep breath, feeling a chill run down his spine—he had narrowly escaped death. Although he hadn't managed to ascend to the Martial Spirit realm in one fell swoop, he had identified his shortcomings, which would greatly aid him in his future advancement.
"What I lack now is a technique for body refinement. With the number of contribution points I possess, I should have enough to exchange for such a technique," Ye Tian thought calmly.
He respectfully bowed slightly to the elder who was sweeping, then turned to leave.
Unbeknownst to him, as he turned away, the white-haired elder, who had been focused on his sweeping, lifted his head and gazed at Ye Tian's retreating figure, his deep eyes revealing a hint of mystery.
"How did this young man manage to take away the Martial Soul Crystal?"
"The old man has suffered a great loss this time!"
"Yet, I wonder if this lad can inherit his legacy!"
The elder murmured softly, watching Ye Tian depart.
At that moment, the residential area was sparsely populated. After inquiring, Ye Tian learned that most people had gone to the Three Great Halls.
The Three Great Halls of the Divine Star Sect are well-known: "Battle Hall," "Heart Hall," and "Treasure Hall."
Within the Battle Hall, all martial arts manuals and combat techniques of the Divine Star Sect are stored.
The Heart Hall primarily contains internal cultivation methods and techniques for calming the mind.
The Treasure Hall features weapons of various ranks, rare materials, elixirs, and other precious treasures.
These three halls are highly esteemed within the Divine Star Sect; many martial artists aspire to join the sect primarily for access to these halls.
With the arena competition just three days away, although many did not dare to hope for a place in the top ten, they still wished to strive earnestly. Thus, they planned to use all the contribution points earned in the assessment to exchange for items that could enhance their strength.
As a result, Ye Tian found himself surrounded by few people at that moment.
"There should be body refinement techniques within the Battle Hall; I hope to find something satisfactory!" Ye Tian decided against returning to the courtyard and made his way directly to the Battle Hall. Along the way, he encountered several "like-minded" outer sect disciples.
"Look! That's the Blood Blade!"
"Such fierce eyes!"
"He's a dark horse; who would have known that such an extraordinary talent would emerge from Nanlin County before the assessment!"
Many recognized Ye Tian and cast their admiring gazes upon him—some filled with awe, others with envy.
Ye Tian cast a cold glance at them, uninterested, and proceeded toward the magnificent Battle Hall before him.
The golden-hued Battle Hall appeared as if it were entirely forged from gold, radiating a faint golden light, exuding an aura of grandeur and splendor.
Inside, a considerable number of martial artists had already gathered, all fellow outer sect disciples of Ye Tian's cohort, eagerly selecting the martial techniques they could exchange for.
Ye Tian surveyed the rows of shelves filled with martial arts manuals.
However, as Ye Tian's cultivation level rose, so too did his standards; he found himself uninterested in any techniques below the Profound level.
The martial techniques on the first floor were all below the Profound level, while the second floor was accessible only to the inner disciples of the Divine Star Sect.
The third floor was reserved solely for the true disciples of the sect.
"Flying Fish Sword Technique, Dragon King's Three Blades, Nine Pulse Spear, Void Punch, Great Dragon Palm, Hundred Shadows Step, Shadowless Kick, Flying Bear Kick..." A dazzling array of martial techniques overwhelmed Ye Tian, yet all were beneath the Profound level.
After wandering for a few rounds, he felt a wave of disappointment wash over him.
It wasn't that there were no body refinement techniques; rather, they were all too rudimentary to meet Ye Tian's standards.
In truth, body refinement techniques were scarce, even within the Divine Star Sect, with the more powerful ones being exceedingly rare.
"Ah? Brother Ye, you're here too!"
Just as Ye Tian was about to continue his search, a familiar voice filled with surprise reached his ears.
"Brother Wu!" Ye Tian turned around, astonished to see a familiar young man—Wu Dao, someone who had left a profound impression on him.
"Brother Ye, it's been a long time!" Wu Dao approached with a smile, his demeanor relaxed, which only deepened Ye Tian's intrigue.
"Brother Wu, why didn't I encounter you during the assessment?" Ye Tian inquired, feeling an air of mystery and admiration toward the young man.
Seventh-level Martial Master!
That was Wu Dao's cultivation level, which had remained unchanged to this day.
Yet, despite such a seemingly low cultivation level during the assessment, Wu Dao had managed to pass, leaving many astonished.
"I excel at concealing my aura, so naturally, you wouldn't have noticed me. With this skill, I was able to take advantage of those who were evenly matched, reaping the benefits! Haha!" Wu Dao winked and chuckled.
Ye Tian shook his head; although Wu Dao spoke lightly, he could sense the challenges behind such a feat.
Indeed, many participants in the assessment were evenly matched, resulting in mutual harm, but to capitalize on that required genuine skill.
Wu Dao must have some secret!
However, since it was his secret, Ye Tian chose not to pry.
"Brother Ye, are you seeking a body refinement technique?" Wu Dao glanced at the "Bull Strength Technique" in Ye Tian's hand and shook his head. "That technique is too crude, merely common fare; cultivating it would be of no benefit to you and would only waste your time."
"Alas, finding a good body refinement technique on the first floor is a challenge!" Ye Tian sighed, having wandered around with nothing to show for it.
"Who says there are no good body refinement techniques on the first floor?" Wu Dao raised an eyebrow.
Ye Tian's heart stirred at his words, and he looked at him expectantly. "Brother Wu, what do you mean?"
"Follow me!" Wu Dao discreetly surveyed the surroundings, gestured for silence, and then beckoned Ye Tian to follow him toward a nearby bookshelf.
"Huh? I've already checked that area; there's nothing worthwhile for body refinement techniques there," Ye Tian replied, puzzled, yet he followed Wu Dao toward the bookshelf ahead.
This was an ordinary shelf, similar to the others, but the only distinction was that it was covered in a thick layer of dust, suggesting it had been neglected for quite some time.
Ye Tian watched as Wu Dao, looking like a thief, cautiously scanned the vicinity. Once he confirmed that no one was watching, he knelt down and retrieved a dusty, ancient book from beneath the shelf.
"What is this?" Ye Tian asked, astonished; he had not anticipated that there would be a manual hidden beneath this shelf, wondering which scoundrel had concealed it.
However, it was noteworthy that it had been hidden so well yet discovered by Wu Dao.
"Take a look for yourself!" Wu Dao grinned with satisfaction, tossing the dusty book to Ye Tian, then crossing his arms with a mysterious smile.
"Don't play tricks on me!"
Ye Tian shot him a wary glance and blew forcefully to clear the dust from the book. Four robust characters then emerged before his eyes:
"Nine Transformations of the Battle Body!"
Ye Tian read each character slowly, a glimmer of inexplicable excitement shining in his eyes.
"The title is impressive; I wonder how the content measures up?" Ye Tian flipped it open with anticipation, revealing a dense array of text. After reading, he felt both surprise and disappointment.
The surprise stemmed from the fact that this was indeed a formidable body refinement technique.
The disappointment arose from the realization that it was incomplete, containing only the first layer.
Seeing Ye Tian's expression, Wu Dao immediately guessed his thoughts and chuckled, "Brother Ye, although this technique contains only the first layer, if you can cultivate it to perfection, your physical body will be strong enough to rival a Martial Spirit!"
"Indeed, once I master this technique, I could contend with a Martial Spirit relying solely on my physical strength," Ye Tian nodded, then sighed, "I just lament that this technique is incomplete!"
"If it weren't incomplete, do you think you would find it here?" Wu Dao teased.
Ye Tian paused, realizing the truth in his words. If this technique were complete, it would undoubtedly be a Profound-level technique or even an Earth-level one.
Such a precious technique would not be accessible to an outer disciple like him.
Reflecting on this, Ye Tian's sense of regret dissipated, and he smiled, nodding, "Brother Wu is right; if this technique were complete, I wouldn't have had the chance to obtain it."
"Exactly! One must adopt such a mindset; not everything can be forced. Perhaps in the future, you may even acquire the second layer of the 'Nine Transformations of the Battle Body.' Opportunities are unpredictable; this body refinement technique may very well be fated for you," Wu Dao laughed heartily.
"Indeed!" Ye Tian nodded, then straightened his expression and clasped his fists, saying, "Thank you, Brother Wu. Without your assistance, I might have missed out on this technique."
"Hehe, once you master it, just treat me to a drink," Wu Dao replied with a smile.
"There's no time like the present; let's go have that drink now!" Ye Tian laughed heartily at his words.
"Alright!" Wu Dao nodded, grinning.
With the "Nine Transformations of the Battle Body" in hand, Ye Tian approached the elder guarding the Battle Hall to register it.
"Ah! The 'Nine Transformations of the Battle Body?'" The elder furrowed his brow in surprise and said, "Young one, where did you find this? This body refinement technique has been lost for over a century; we have searched countless times without success, yet you managed to uncover it."
"Is that so? I must be quite fortunate!" Ye Tian replied with a smile, secretly thinking that hidden in that place, it was no wonder they couldn't find it.
"Kid, don't celebrate too soon. This body refinement technique is indeed remarkable, even regarded as the premier body refinement technique of the Divine Continent. However, its cultivation requirements are exceedingly high; without sufficient talent, you will find it impossible to succeed. In the history of our Divine Star Sect, only a handful have managed to cultivate it to the first layer."
The elder guarding the Battle Hall remarked with a slight hum.