Chapter 875: I Thought of Someone

Ying Wuji shook his head. "No harm done, but don't act so rashly next time."

This time, it only caused some minor anomalies and no danger, but it might be different next time. Acting impulsively to test things before understanding them fully is very reckless. However, it was precisely this cultivator's action that gave Ying Wuji a clue. He asked, "You must have had your talent tested when you joined the sect. What was the result?"

The cultivator looked a bit ashamed. "Mediocre talent, forty-three leaves..."

Ying Wuji turned to Lu Ye. "Brother Niu!" Lu Ye nodded. "The flower shadows that appeared just now were exactly forty-three."

"So it is!" Ying Wuji seemed to understand something.

"It seems correct."

The two spoke back and forth, seemingly reaching a conclusion, while the Cloud River Realm cultivators were either thoughtful or utterly confused.

A female cultivator asked, "Lord Ying, do you mean that this stone platform is used for testing talent?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps not, but it certainly has the function of testing talent levels," Ying Wuji breathed softly. "This item must be extremely ancient, quite possibly a creation from before this era."

His judgment was based on the fact that the methods used by major sects to test disciples' talent nowadays are different from what this stone platform displayed. Lu Ye himself had once tested his talent in the Evil Moon Valley; during that process, he simply needed to sit in a formation, and a talent-testing cultivator would guide spiritual energy to examine him. He remembered that incident vividly. Since the beginning of this era, the method for testing talent among cultivators in the Nine Provinces has been the one Lu Ye experienced. While there might have been improvements, the general approach remained unchanged. The display of this stone platform was clearly different from the current talent-testing methods in the Nine Provinces.

"Who wants to try?" Ying Wuji asked. The female cultivator who had spoken earlier said, "I will."

With that, she activated her spiritual power and channeled it into the stone platform beneath her. The patterns lit up, the formation activated, and flower shadows once again appeared around the edge of the platform, numbering exactly fifty-three.

The female cultivator remarked, "It really is for testing talent! The number fifty-three matches my talent."

If that were the case, this stone platform wouldn't be of much significant use. However, its material was unusual, and if they could figure out a way to take it back and sell it to the Heavenly Secret Treasury, they might get a good return.

Once it was confirmed that there was no danger, the cultivators grew playful, trying it one after another. All their results confirmed their respective talents.

"Lord Ying, why don't you give it a try?" a female cultivator asked, curious about Ying Wuji's talent.

As the most core disciple of the Samsara Hall of his generation, and having achieved excellent results in the Cloud River Hegemony, Ying Wuji's talent was naturally outstanding. He was willing to display it in front of these Cloud River Realm cultivators and did not refuse, saying, "Alright, I'll try."

Spiritual power activated, the formation hummed. Exclamations rang out.

Everyone looked on, and saw the flower shadows around the platform almost linking together, totaling a full sixty-two!

A cultivator's talent is graded up to sixty-four, which is the highest. To become a core disciple of any top sect, one's talent must be at least sixty leaves. Ying Wuji's sixty-two leaves talent was considered top-tier across the entire Nine Provinces.

Feeling the envious and worshipful gazes around him, Ying Wuji said, "Cultivators' practice, while talent is important, it doesn't determine the limit of one's cultivation. You must remember that your own effort is the most crucial factor. If someone relies on talent and becomes complacent, they will ultimately not achieve much. Conversely, even if talent is insufficient, diligence will be rewarded, and those with ambition can succeed!"

His lecture made the many Cloud River Realm cultivators nod, indicating they had learned something.

However, as he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh aloud.

A female cultivator sweetly asked, "Did Lord Ying think of something amusing?"

"I thought of someone."

Lu Ye looked up at him, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Ying Wuji seemed oblivious and, without waiting for anyone to ask, continued, "Lu Yiye of the Crimson Blood Sect, I'm sure you're all familiar with him."

All of them were in the Cloud River Realm and had fought on the Cloud River Battlefield; who hadn't heard of Lu Yiye's great name? Their expressions immediately turned serious.

"Actually, his real name is Lu Ye, but for some reason, he came to be known as Lu Yiye. Now that he's become famous, that's what he's called. Do you know why he's called Lu Yiye?"

"I haven't heard that before."

"He, well, I heard that when his talent was tested, he only received a one-leaf evaluation, which just happened to match his name. So, some people playfully called him Lu Yiye, and it just spread like that... One-leaf talent, hahaha, don't you think it's hilarious?"

Mid-laughter, Ying Wuji suddenly shivered and turned to look at Lu Ye. For some reason, he again felt as if this person wanted to kill him! He didn't think he had offended Brother Niu anywhere. What was wrong with this person?

He straightened his expression and changed the subject. "I'm telling you this not to make you mock his talent! With such talent, Lu Yiye has still achieved so much. On the Cloud River Battlefield today, who doesn't know his name? So, I say, for cultivators, talent is important, but not the most important."

"But Lord, with one-leaf talent, cultivation efficiency must be extremely low. How could Lu Yiye's cultivation speed be so fast? Is it a false rumor deliberately spread by the Haotian Alliance?"

"Perhaps he has more than one-leaf talent, but his talent certainly wouldn't be very high. As for false rumors... the Haotian Alliance is a large organization; they wouldn't deliberately spread false rumors for the sake of one cultivator. As for why he cultivates so fast, he must have gained many fortuitous encounters. I was fortunate enough to work with him for a period; although our factional stances were different, I must say, this person certainly has some abilities."

Some cultivators were unconvinced. "Relying solely on fortuitous encounters won't get one too far."

Immediately, others chimed in, praising Ying Wuji. "Lord Ying's talent is unparalleled; his future achievements will surely surpass Lu Yiye's."

"Let's hope so." Ying Wuji turned to Lu Ye. "Brother Niu, would you like to give it a try?"

Lu Ye was about to refuse. Testing talent seemed meaningless; he had the Spirit Gathering Funnel, so talent levels didn't mean much to him. But then he reconsidered. Since obtaining the fragmented origin of the Dragon Ascent Realm, his talent seemed to have undergone a drastic change. Before, he couldn't absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth at all, as if there was a barrier in his body blocking the influx of spiritual energy. Only the Spirit Gathering Funnel could break through this barrier. But now, even without constructing a Spirit Gathering Funnel, Lu Ye could cultivate like a normal cultivator. He just rarely did so, as in terms of efficiency, his original method was still superior. It might be worth testing to see what his current talent truly was.

Thinking this, he activated his spiritual power and channeled it into the stone platform beneath him. The patterns quickly lit up, the grand formation activated, and the floral patterns around the platform glowed. Above each pattern, a flower shadow floated into existence.

In an instant, flower shadows linked one after another, covering the entire perimeter of the stone platform!

The group watched, dumbfounded.

Ying Wuji nearly popped his eyes out!

Lu Ye was also a little surprised. He knew his current talent was good, but he hadn't expected it to be *this* good. All sixty-four flower shadows appeared, two more than Ying Wuji's, corresponding to a sixty-four-leaf talent! This was true innate genius. In fact, his talent might even exceed sixty-four leaves, but that was the detection limit here.

"Brother Niu... are you truly a rogue cultivator?" Ying Wuji finally regained his composure. Could there be such a rogue cultivator in this world?

Initially, when Lu Ye claimed to be a rogue cultivator with no sect or faction, Ying Wuji hadn't paid much attention. Rogue cultivators usually didn't have very high talent, because if they truly had good talent, they would have joined a major sect long ago. But now he realized he had misjudged. With sixty-four leaves of talent, he could join any top sect within the Nine Provinces. How could such a person be a rogue cultivator?

Ying Wuji was utterly perplexed. Lu Ye had already withdrawn his spiritual power. When others withdrew their spiritual power, the flower shadows would dissipate, but when he withdrew his, the flower shadows remained, and their light grew increasingly brighter. This anomaly put everyone on alert, unsure of what was happening.

As everyone watched, filled with doubt, the sixty-four flower shadows suddenly drifted towards the center of the stone platform in unison. Petals drifted and danced above the flower shadows, quickly merging into one larger flower shadow. The surrounding fire energy was frantically devoured by the stone platform, even stirring up strong winds. The intensely hot environment surprisingly gained a hint of coolness.

Under everyone's gaze, the flower shadow at the center of the stone platform seemed to have absorbed enough energy, slowly unfurling like a real flower bud. Cracking sounds followed. By the time the flower shadow fully bloomed, a pit-like entrance had appeared in the center of the stone platform, precisely where the pistil would be.

Only then did the various anomalies of the stone platform cease, and the giant flower shadow slowly dissipated.

Silence filled the air.

All eyes were fixed on the suddenly appeared entrance, having never imagined such a change would occur. And judging by the current situation, this stone platform clearly not only had the function of testing talent but was also a hidden portal leading underground. As for what lay beneath, that remained unclear. To open this portal, one would have to find a way to activate sixty-four flower shadows. Simply relying on talent to activate it was probably not the only method; the ancient creators of this stone platform likely had other ways. Lu Ye's success this time was probably just a fortuitous coincidence, using this method to open the hidden portal of the stone platform.

Now that the portal had appeared and the path ahead was unknown, everyone's minds became active. In the Nine Provinces, opportunities were everywhere; whether one encountered them depended on their fortune. An ancient stone platform, a portal leading to an unknown destination—was it danger or opportunity ahead? But cultivators never lacked an adventurous spirit. Faced with such a situation, anyone would want to enter and explore.

Ying Wuji turned to Lu Ye. "Brother Niu?" Lu Ye nodded slightly.

Ying Wuji understood.