Chapter 50: The Spirit-Stamping Monument Explodes

He saw the very complicated, tangled expression on Li Mu's face.

The Dao‑robed elder adjusted his beard, and his eyes, rarely, showed a hint of smugness.

Even the teenager who could remain unflinching when faced with his own imposing aura now, after hearing about this divine technique, finally became uneasy, didn't he?

But, thinking about it, that's understandable...

This is a matter that decides a cultivator's whole life's fate; if it were anyone else, who could remain calm?

He recalled himself from over a hundred years ago.

When repeatedly trying to awaken his divine technique with the Spirit‑Stamping Monument, he performed even more poorly than the Li Mu before him.

It truly made him toss and turn, sleepless through the night!

"Alright!"

"I'll stop talking about the divine technique with you, youngster, for now!"

"Now, the assessment I have for you begins!"

Having said that,

The Dao‑robed elder, without any idle words, waved his hand grandly, and the dazzling golden light at his feet reappeared.

From that golden light, a stone monument steeped in a desolate ancient aura slowly materialized!

Watching the stone monument rise slowly before him,

Li Mu couldn't help but cast a curious glance at it.

It stood about ten meters tall, its whole body a deep black like dark iron, and the desolate ancient aura grew ever denser and stronger.

So that the surrounding flora, the blue sky and white clouds seemed to turn into a black‑and‑white silent film.

It was as if heaven and earth had lost their colors!

Li Mu lifted his neck and first examined the cryptic symbols on the ancient stone monument.

In the center were the characters "Yellow", "Xuan", and "Earth" engraved, each separated by ten grooves.

Then, Li Mu looked at the Dao‑robed elder with a puzzled intensity.

He truly couldn't understand why the old man went to such lengths—what was his purpose?

"The treasure before you is called the Spirit‑Stamping Monument!"

"It was forged in ancient times by a Golden Body Realm great being using supreme divine technique!"

"To forge this monument, that Golden Body Realm great being spent an incalculable amount of Heavenly Treasure, solely to create a treasure that can test a cultivator's divine talent!"

"Oh..."

"It sounds like the Spirit‑Stamping Monument has quite a pedigree!"

"A treasure crafted by a Golden Body Realm great being at such great cost must be extremely valuable."

Li Mu stroked his chin, circled the monument once, then looked at the Dao‑robed elder, speaking uncertainly.

"So, senior, your upcoming assessment of me is linked to this Spirit‑Stamping Monument?"

The Dao‑robed elder nodded without comment, "Exactly!"

"Young man, I know the divine technique you awakened is a ball of golden flame."

"Next, you only need to channel that golden flame into the Spirit‑Stamping Monument!"

"Moreover, the highest limit the monument can test for a divine technique is Earth Tier Ten!"

"If the monument judges that your golden flame awakens a Xuan Tier divine technique, I will reward you with ten thousand Second‑Grade Qi‑Blood Pills!"

"If you awaken a divine technique below Earth Tier Five, I will reward you with a treasure!"

"If you awaken a divine technique above Earth Tier Five, I will let you choose any two treasures!"

Having said that,

The mysterious elder paused slightly, and said,

"If you can fully illuminate the monument, achieving Earth Tier Ten, I will accept you as a closed‑door disciple."

After the Dao‑robed elder finished speaking, a long while passed with Li Mu showing no reaction at all.

He merely rested his chin, occasionally glancing at the monument, evidently hesitating about something.

Seeing this scene,

The Dao‑robed elder couldn't help but laugh silently; looking at Li Mu now, he saw his younger self.

At the same time,

He also began to secretly doubt whether the requirements he just set for Li Mu were too harsh.

He had set the reward threshold at Xuan Tier, which obviously placed too much psychological pressure on Li Mu.

However...

According to the Five Elders of Inner Peak, Li Mu's awakening could trigger celestial phenomena of that magnitude.

If nothing goes wrong, even his weakest awakening would still be at least Earth Tier One, right?

But just as the Dao‑robed elder was about to say a few words to comfort Li Mu,

When he tried to tell him not to create too much pressure, Li Mu's next sentence almost made the elder burst into a tirade!

"Senior!"

"I have no doubts about the test you set; I'm ready to begin at any moment."

"But before we start, I have a question; I hope you can clarify it for me."

Seeing Li Mu ask proactively, the Dao‑robed elder nodded, indicating him to continue.

Li Mu pointed at the monument, asking uncertainly, "You just mentioned the monument can test up to Earth Tier Ten."

"But if it later detects a divine technique beyond Earth Tier Ten, what will happen?"

"Will it..."

"Explode?"

"If it were to explode, you probably wouldn't demand compensation from someone like me, a junior…"

"…right?"

"Impossible!"

This really can't be blamed on Li Mu for being overly cautious.

Rather, some things must be clarified in advance.

If left until afterward, it would become truly tangled and unclear.

One's own family knows one's own affairs.

Just this Samadhi True Fire that I have awakened!

Don't even think about using a Dimensionality Reduction Strike in front of these natives.

If we talk solely about killing power and destructive force,

That would be a divine fire that even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong would retreat three houses from, and the East Sea Dragon King could not extinguish!

Moreover, the Dao Robe Elder plainly stated that the highest divine ability this Seal Spirit Monument can detect is only the Earth Tier, tenth grade.

Furthermore, this Seal Spirit Monument has a grand origin: it was forged in ancient times by a Golden Body Realm great being who spent countless Heavenly Treasures and effort to create it.

If such a precious item were burned away by my own fire,

Then Li Mu would truly be afraid that this old man's sudden fury would cause him to turn hostile with me on the spot!

Facing a Nascent Soul Realm great cultivator.

One slap from them would be enough to make me die ten thousand times over!

Even if I had countless sacrificial bodies, they couldn't endure such a drain!

"Just you?"

"The yellow‑mouth child is laughable, laughable…"

The Dao Robe Elder gave Li Mu a sideways glance and sneered disdainfully.

"Cultivation should be grounded, without harboring any illusion."

"Even in my youth, I could not even remotely reach the limit of this Seal Spirit Monument!"

"Of course!"

"If, in the upcoming test, you truly manage to damage this Seal Spirit Monument,"

"Then I will not only refuse any compensation, but also personally teach you a secret technique!"

"Rest assured!"

"My secret technique is far more precious than any elixir or treasure I previously promised you!"

"This is absolutely the greatest fortune for you, a youngster, in this lifetime!"

After saying that, the Dao Robe Elder felt no inner disturbance, and even seemed inclined to laugh.

Because he never really took Li Mu's earlier words to heart?

Hilarious!

I've lived several hundred years, and this is the first time I've seen a youngster worry that his own divine technique might blow up the Seal Spirit Monument!

Regardless of what the Dao Robe Elder was thinking, after Li Mu received the other's affirmative reply, he finally exhaled a breath of relief and said,

"Since that's the case, I will accept the senior's terms!"

Seeing the other had spoken so plainly, Li Mu spread his hands and strode directly toward the Seal Spirit Monument.

"Boom!"

In an instant, Li Mu's right palm was enveloped by the golden flames of Samadhi True Fire.

Then, he gently pressed it onto the Seal Spirit Monument.

Yet this seemingly insignificant action caused the massive, solemn Seal Spirit Monument to tremble violently, as if it had been fiercely scorched.

The Seal Spirit Monument radiated brilliant golden light!

The golden light instantly illuminated the "Huang" character on the monument, then, like a hot knife through butter, lit the "Xuan" character as well.

The light continued to climb upward slot by slot, approaching the "Di" character!

With each slot the golden light advanced, the monument's brilliance grew even more dazzling!

It seemed that beneath this dazzling golden light lay a pressure of the Dao's great power, as if a celestial immortal had descended!

Seeing this, the Dao Robe Elder clenched his fists, his sleeves fluttering, and said satisfied, "Not bad!"

"So quickly, already reaching the Earth Tier?"

"According to the agreement, I will reward you with a treasure!"

Saying that, the Dao Robe Elder gave Li Mu another casual glance, his brows full of mockery.

Is this as far as you can go?

What a yellow‑mouth child, still far from reaching the rank I had in my youth, yet already worrying about blowing up the Seal Spirit Monument?

It's sheer fantasy, a wild, impossible dream!

But before the Dao Robe Elder could even utter two words of yin and yang to Li Mu, a sudden anomaly erupted!

One could see that this desolate, ancient Seal Spirit Monument, as if stimulated, began to tremble with increasing amplitude and frequency!

It seemed that within the monument, a terrifying, colossal storm was continuously brewing.

To the point that the monument now seemed somewhat overwhelmed!

This sudden change made the Dao Robe Elder's complexion shift slightly, and he stammered, "This…"

"What is this?!"

And then…

That dazzling, eye‑catching golden light, after illuminating the character "Earth," continued unabated, sweeping forward like autumn wind scattering leaves, lighting all ten grooves ahead, and reached the very top of the stone tablet.

The Tao‑robe elder, seeing the scene, couldn't help but exclaim, "Earth Step Ten Grade!"

"My heavens!"

"That kid actually awakened the Earth Step Ten Grade divine art form!"

But before the Tao‑robe elder could finish speaking.

Immediately, another astonishing scene unfolded!

"Crack, crack, crack…"

The golden light, upon reaching the very top of the Seal Spirit Monument, still surged unabated, repeatedly striking the monument's apex!

Accompanied by the sound of the stone tablet cracking, the Tao‑robe elder clearly saw fissure‑like cracks beginning to appear at the monument's summit.

These fissures, like spider webs, spread continuously downward from above the monument's mouth!

Beams of golden light suddenly burst from the cracks in the stone tablet!

The Seal Spirit Monument was like a High‑Pressure Pot that had been tampered with; its internal pressure could not vent, and as cracks spread across the entire tablet…

Then, a "Boom!" rang out.

In front of Li Mu and the Tao‑robe elder, the Seal Spirit Monument suddenly exploded into countless shards, spraying in all directions as billowing smoke surged skyward!

Seeing this, the Tao‑robe elder no longer retained his previously ethereal demeanor.

His eyes bulged like copper bells, and his chin nearly slammed into the ground!

He looked utterly dazed, foolish, and stupefied!

In contrast, the Tao‑robe elder, already disheveled by the wind, …

Li Mu simply spread his hands and wore an innocent expression.

Ba Jiu Profound Skill, as the Chan Sect's top protective divine technique, is itself a Dimensionality Reduction Strike for these natives!

Moreover, Li Mu's awakened Samadhi True Fire can continuously raise its level, evolving and transforming.

When Samadhi True Fire reaches perfection, even Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, retreats three steps, unwilling to contend.

Even the East Sea Dragon King cannot extinguish this divine fire!

Yet the Tao‑robe elder produced a Seal Spirit Monument whose maximum capacity is Earth Step Ten Grade, hoping to gauge the limit of Samadhi True Fire?

That is truly a fool's fantasy, wildly imaginative!

Li Mu glanced over, still looking as wooden‑stupid as a chicken, as if the soul‑less Tao‑robe elder, his old face flushed.

This Tao‑robe elder apparently intends to teach his own secret art, bestowing creation upon himself.

In the end, he treated the Tao‑robe elder as a treasure, and the highly significant Seal Spirit Monument he blew up himself.

Thus, Li Mu let out two embarrassed snickers.

"Senior, I truly apologize."

"I momentarily lost control and couldn't contain the force, shattering your precious thing…"