Chapter 532: Chapter 28: The Grand Ceremony of Heavenly Inquiry

Although Zhang Xuan was not part of the Qingqiu Mountain lineage, his understanding of the Fox Charm Destiny had already reached the Sixth Level, far surpassing his own. If his blood contained this strength, perhaps it could successfully manifest six fox tails.

Anyway, time was about to run out. If the six-tailed silhouette didn’t appear, he would have to leave in disappointment. Success or failure hinged on this.

With a decision in mind, Fu Yingying stopped wasting words. Her spirit moved, and the blood essence she absorbed immediately floated near the Source Pool, starting to dissolve as strength washed over it.

Zhang Xuan’s blood was pure and powerful. As soon as it entered Fu Yingying’s blood, her aura rose sharply, and in an instant, a tail slowly appeared behind the five-tailed silhouette.

“Six tails now…”

“Is the bloodline becoming more and more pure? How is this possible!”

“Indeed, it’s so strange!”

A wave of astonishment arose around them.

Everyone looked at each other, unable to believe it.

Whether a bloodline is pure is determined at birth. If it’s five tails, then it’s five; if six, then six. This was the first time anyone had seen tails slowly increase from five to six, overturning all previous understandings.

“Wait, it seems… it’s still increasing. Is that the silhouette of the seventh tail?”

A tense voice echoed.

The crowd looked again, indeed seeing a very vague shadow beside the six silhouettes, initially resembling a phantom reflection, blurry at first but gradually becoming clearer with time. In just over a hundred breaths, it became identical to the other six, without any difference.

“This clan leader of the Starfall Branch can actually manifest a seven-tailed silhouette… This must be one of the most talented people in centuries!”

“Indeed! I thought they’d be finished after leaving Qingqiu Mountain, but unexpectedly they brought such a great surprise upon their return…”

“Am I seeing things? Why does it feel like there’s also an eighth silhouette?”

Someone exclaimed again.

“You’re not seeing things; I think I can see it too… although very faint!”

Someone else spoke up.

Zhang Xuan also looked over, and at this moment, Fu Yingying had her eyes tightly shut, striving to forge her own blood essence. Behind her, seven fox tails swayed in the wind like a reedy dance, and beside the seventh tail, a silhouette slowly emerged, almost ready to reveal its form.

“Time is up!”

Just when he wanted to see clearly, the nine-tailed fox silhouette in the air announced clearly.

Whoosh!

Light dispersed, all the fox tail shadows behind the crowd shattered simultaneously, turning into stars and disappearing in the air.

The nine-tail tracing had a time limit, but Fu Yingying managed to pass the assessment.

“What a pity… If I hadn’t rested last night and directly refined this drop of blood essence, not only would my strength have increased, but this nine-tail tracing could have brilliantly manifested the eighth or even ninth tail silhouette! If that were the case, there’d be no need to continue with the subsequent trials…”

Fu Yingying was full of regret.

Last night, she shouldn’t have listened to Elder Fu Qinghan’s advice to sleep early. If she had directly refined Zhang Xuan’s drop of blood essence, she could have at least illuminated eight tails today, outshining all the geniuses present.

However, regrets were futile; once the time was missed, there was no chance again.

Still, reacting promptly helped, otherwise she might not have even had the chance to participate in the second round.

She realized this, and the crowd also reacted, all speculating how Fu Yingying could slowly increase the number of fox tails.

“Twenty-one have passed the assessment, now those who didn’t pass please leave the plaza!”

Ignoring the crowd’s discussions, the nine-tailed fox in the air continued, “Now proceeding with the second round of assessment: Thousand-faced Enchanting Heart!”

“The Thousand-faced Enchanting Heart is an illusion test, with a total of nine dans.”

“The first dan is Hundred Flowers Bloom, simultaneously charming nine cultivators with steadfast minds within the illusion.”

“The second dan is the Color Phase Tribulation, casting charms while maintaining identical appearances, the shorter the time, the higher the score.”

“The third dan is the Form of All Beings, transforming into various identities to complete specified enchanting tasks!”

…

“The ninth dan is Formless Heaven, constructing a Charm Domain with pure soul energy… Nine realms of illusion, nine levels of testing, the first to break through the illusion and exit will be the best, and the top three will advance to the next stage.”

Soon, the nine-tailed fox silhouette explained the rules thoroughly.

“It’s an illusion test after all…”

Zhang Xuan frowned slightly.

Illusions have significant challenges on a cultivator’s mind, soul energy, reaction speed, intelligence, and more, and concern themselves, so outsiders can’t offer any help.

However, if this stage doesn’t rank in the top three, even gaining the legacy won’t enable better forging, and it’d be pointless to continue.

An hour later, the assessment concluded.

Fu Yingying didn’t do too badly, finishing third with her results, though two surpassed her, she managed not to be eliminated.

“Congratulations to the three, now proceeding with the third and final assessment!”

The nine-tailed fox stated indifferently, “The Celestial Question Ceremony!”

“It’s over, I’m afraid all three will struggle to pass now…”

“What is the Celestial Question Ceremony?”

“I read about it in books. It’s when the forefathers use power to deduce the destiny of Fox Charm, during the assessment the challenger will be in the River of Destiny, enduring celestial jealousy, the longer one withstands, the more destiny they can endure, having a greater chance to inherit the forefather’s legacy.”

“Then… what is celestial jealousy?”

“Whether a cultivator or ordinary person, wanting to become stronger inevitably incurs various envies, even from the heavens! Celestial jealousy stems from heavens becoming envious, akin to lightning tribulation, and being in the River of Destiny is already hard to bear, further assaulted by such, even with great talent, one struggles to withstand for long…”

“I see…”

Zhang Xuan quickly grasped the situation.

A family’s destiny is indeed not easily inherited, neither the Thousand-faced Enchanting Heart nor the Celestial Question Ceremony is less challenging than imagined.

No wonder Qingqiu’s lineage hasn’t successfully comprehended the central Soul Quintessence of Fox Charm Destiny in thousands of years.

“The Celestial Question Ceremony lasts for a quarter of an hour, those who persevere till the end will become the contemporary elder of Qingqiu’s lineage, inheriting my core legacy! If no one can succeed… the legacy shall be deferred.”

The voice of the nine-tailed fox continued to echo.

“A quarter of an hour? That’s too difficult!”

“Three hundred years ago, a genius seemed to have participated in the Celestial Question Ceremony, only endured for half a tea’s duration, dubbed the strongest in a millennium!”

“Half a tea’s duration, merely one-third of a quarter-hour, looks like entering our core legacy will once again be out of reach…”

“Indeed, without the appearance of the core legacy, our Qingqiu lineage can only remain hidden, not daring to return to the Source World, nor enchant the Kings to command the world.”

Sighs echoed around, and everyone present showed a hint of dejection.