Chapter 53: The Techniques in Luyang Court Are All Worthless

Whoosh!

Gu Yi first used a spirit-infused pebble to probe the path ahead. As he sped through, things turned out just as he expected—nothing unusual happened! Hexian was encouraged by this.

Neither of them were ordinary people; even though Hexian wasn’t particularly powerful, she possessed some martial prowess. She didn’t climb in an awkward manner but moved cleverly, nimbly dodging and weaving, the hem of her skirt fluttering as she avoided the lines on the ground. Not even a corner of her clothing brushed against them.

Gu Yi was even more graceful. With a few light touches of his toes, crouching, bending, or spinning with his face up, he passed through and in the blink of an eye, appeared at Hexian’s side.

As they continued forward, the path seemed to end. Before them stood dozens of stone steps leading upward.

They exchanged a glance, both understanding. From the moment they entered the lake, they’d been underground. Now, ascending meant they were nearing the Method Hall.

Tap. Tap.

Footsteps! Above them!

“Shh!” Gu Yi slowed his pace, listened closely. “It sounds like only one person.”

But this puzzled him. He’d heard those two chatty girls earlier—every student had been called away by Shule to look for him. So who would be inside the Method Hall?

Bang!

Another sound echoed.

“That’s not footsteps,” Gu Yi climbed to the top of the stone steps, pressing his ear to the wall. “It sounds like fighting.”

Whatever it was, it didn’t concern them.

“Hexian, remember what that senior said? ‘Avoid people when you meet them.’”

“I remember. But who would dare start a fight here?”

Gu Yi wasn’t interested. Now was a rare opportunity—Shule had dispatched everyone, making things easier for him.

“Later, we’ll sneak in,” Gu Yi whispered into her ear, “I’m unfamiliar with the place. Lead me to the right spot, I’ll grab a few ordinary methods, and we’ll retrace our steps—silent and unseen. We’ll be safe, and maybe we’ll save that senior.”

Hexian felt as if she were about to perform some earth-shaking deed, her expression solemn. “Alright!”

And so, the two finally emerged from the underground, passed through a door, and saw the room glowing with plenty of light. Upright wooden cabinets stood within, each wide and tall, holding what seemed to be many cultivation methods.

The room had three semicircular openings, which Gu Yi assumed were passageways.

The sounds of fighting they’d heard earlier now seemed farther away, but the location was clear—coming from the passage to the left.

Hexian explained, “The Method Hall has five branches. We’re in the Wood Hall; to the left is the Metal Hall, ahead is the Earth Hall, to the right is the Water Hall, and straight ahead is the exit.”

Having a guide was a boon.

Gu Yi closed his eyes and felt the spiritual energy around him, then relaxed. “Indeed, only the left has spiritual energy fluctuations. Come, stand up. There’s no one here.”

Hexian lifted her skirt and ran straight ahead, pulling at the door and peeking outside. “No one out there, either.”

She was so delighted, she could hardly believe it. “We actually made it inside!”

Yes, this place was truly difficult to enter. That blocking talisman, if not for Gu Yi, was indeed a perfect ‘sensor.’

And that other path beneath Hexian Lake—who would have thought of it?

Of course, entering here was only the first step.

Gu Yi carefully sensed the movement on the left, and to be safe, said, “Let’s not alert anyone. We’ll stay a bit farther away.”

To the Earth Hall.

He’d thought only the wooden cabinets held methods, but as he channeled spiritual energy to hurry, the air suddenly lit up, startling him.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

At first, just a few sounds. Soon, like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, cultivation methods appeared out of thin air, hovering all around them, surrounding the two.

The sounds grew more frequent, almost as if—like being added to a new chat group and everyone starts messaging madly.

Hexian was astonished. In the empty hall, methods of various colors flashed, buzzing and glowing, eager to be chosen.

“What is this…” Gu Yi, though it was his first time seeing this, began to understand.

“Amazing! They all like you!” Hexian shook his arm, genuinely happy for him. “I’ve never seen anyone achieve this!”

Seeing Gu Yi’s calm expression, she assumed he didn’t understand. “Gu Yi, look! These are all methods. In the Luyang Institute’s Method Hall, it’s never the person who picks the method, but the method that picks the person. They know you’re here, they’re welcoming you—look!”

In front of them, several particularly lively methods spun around them. And more, in the passageways, were stirring.

Gu Yi quickly stopped channeling spiritual energy.

There was still someone nearby.

Strangely, as soon as he stopped, the colored spots in the air vanished as if they’d never been there, and the methods on the wooden cabinets remained perfectly still.

Gu Yi smiled faintly. The world’s foremost—truly marvelous.

What’s placed in plain sight is nothing; real value lies in the unseen.

“Gu Yi, what are you waiting for? Grab a few and let’s go!”

Hexian saw him pacing, looking around, doing nothing. He seemed lost in thought.

He was indeed thinking.

Thinking of the second thing left by Xiao Yiyi.

But suddenly, Gu Yi’s ears twitched. “Don’t make a sound—someone’s coming.”

“Who?” Hexian saw his serious expression.

Someone very strong!

Extremely strong!

“Hexian, wait for me at the entrance to the underground.”

“What about you?! Let’s just take two methods and leave together.”

Gu Yi needed to wait. He didn't have time to explain. Spiritual energy flashed in his hand as he gently sent her flying, landing safely far away.

“Gu Yi!”

Hexian couldn’t respond to the sudden change. She’d just confirmed there was no one; how could someone appear suddenly!

Boom!

She wanted to approach, but Gu Yi stepped right, stood tall, and crossed his hands downward, releasing a surge of spiritual energy!

He’d intended to browse carefully, avoid alerting the person on the left, but now time was short. The newcomer’s speed was rapid, clearly targeting him.

So he had to quickly trigger the spiritual energy wave, filtering through the methods—not looking at their contents, but seeing if they all responded to his spiritual energy, like eager followers!

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The previous scene repeated; methods appeared, shaking joyfully!

Hexian watched anxiously, unable to help, so she jumped up and grabbed a few methods herself, helping him that way.

...

Not long before, Shule requested an audience with the Hall Master.

The future Tower Lord was not yet in that position. Even as Tower Lord, the Hall Master was also the Fourth Princess of the royal family, so Shule had to show great respect.

“Shule admits her incompetence, apologizes for disturbing the Hall Master’s cultivation. The person brought by the Talent Officer was refused by the Hall Master, but he has not left the institute and is currently hiding within.”

“Such matters should not trouble me, should they?”

Shule lowered her arm even further. “Forgive me, Hall Master. He coerced Hexian as a guide, making his movements hard to track. Earlier, a classmate reported that Gu Xiaoyao dragged Hexian into Hexian Lake. Others thought he left via the waterway, but I do not believe it…”

“…I’ve only met Gu Xiaoyao once, but the students are certain—his aim is surely the Method Hall. It’s not that the Hall Master lacks authority, but that he is stubborn beyond reason.”

Her words were perfectly phrased, protecting Hexian by saying she was coerced, and blaming Gu Yi for breaking into the Method Hall—not the Hall Master’s failure to control him.

Shule heard the curtain lift; it seemed the Hall Master had stood up.

“You say he forced Hexian to enter the lake bottom? If you saw them, why did you not kill that reckless fool?”

“I was not there at the time. Gu Xiaoyao has some skill, and those searching for him followed him into the lake, but he vanished.”

“He vanished after entering the lake?” The green-robed figure before Shule paused, then her expression changed dramatically as she shouted in rage, “What did you say?!”

With a rush, the Hall Master’s spiritual energy exploded around her!

Whoosh!

Before Shule could answer, the Hall Master shot straight for the Method Hall.

Her force was so overwhelming that Shule was knocked to the ground, not daring to delay. She hurried after, her heart sinking: Something terrible had happened—the troublemaker had caused a disaster!

...

Luyang Institute, Method Hall, Wood Hall.

In the left passage, a girl in purple chased after two thin sheets of paper. The methods in the air were all active, a spectacle never seen before—even the method she favored pursued that person.

“My Luyang Institute has produced another genius—what fortune for the nation!”

Gu Yi’s ears caught a clear, bell-like girl’s voice—gentle and soothing, far lovelier than the Hall Master’s.

He saw a young woman in purple, her hairstyle exquisite, a strand of black hair draped over her shoulder, twined around her finger.

Her silk attire revealed a pair of pale, delicate hands; her waist and abdomen were smooth, her purple skirt beautiful below, and above, her dark pupils were luminous.

She wore no makeup nor jewelry, but her noble aura was pure as a lotus, inspiring reverence.

“What is your name?” she asked, smiling—naturally speaking to Gu Yi, whose robe floated around him, his body enveloped in white spiritual energy.

The two thin sheets of paper before him unfolded of their own accord, standing upright.

“Amazing! So it acknowledges you as its master?”

Yet Gu Yi frowned, unable to hide his confusion and disappointment. “Originally, there were eight pages. Where are the other six?”

“What did you say?” The girl in purple approached, puzzled. “This unnamed double-page method—there are three more sets?”

This was the ancient tome Xiao Yiyi had spoken of.

If Gu Yi had come to the Method Hall to prove his ‘the world is covered by a veil’ hypothesis, now he had succeeded.

Indeed, everything here was trash.

But there was a more crucial step: Why does the world have this veil?

That secret was recorded in the ancient tome.

He had found it, but it was incomplete.

Gu Yi responded to her question; though they were strangers, they began to converse.

“There are eight pages. Have you seen the other six?” She used ‘set’ to describe it,

but he insisted on ‘page.’

Unfortunately, before she could answer, outside Wood Hall, the approaching spiritual energy was already close at hand.

“Fourth Sister?” The girl in purple was puzzled, murmuring, “What’s happening…”

Fourth Sister? The Fourth Princess?

Gu Yi exhaled deeply. She had arrived too quickly. He and Hexian had come so secretly, it should have been impossible to be discovered.

Now, there was no time to run. He couldn’t help but feel nervous, for by all accounts and from his brief encounter, this was a violent, unreasonable woman.

Boom!

Powerful spiritual energy surged straight toward him!