A few days have passed since the meeting at the True Dragon Inn. Wang Wei spent most of the time visiting the main city of the Academy and attending different lectures from different professors; he greatly enjoyed the courses regarding Alchemy, Array, Talisman, and Weapon Refinement.
Of course during those few days, he also spent a lot of time talking with Wu Hong. After the end of the meeting, they exchanged communication talismans and have spent days talking to each other nonstop.
However, two days before the start of the Heaven Chosen Selection Trial, something happened.
Wang Wei was visiting the city when he decided to visit a special place on a whim. This place was where the Heavenly Dao Protection Book was located or displayed for people to see.
The book was located on an open plaza where people could see it. There was a formation that acted like a see through glass protecting the book.
As for the book itself, it was a very thick golden book that kept flipping on its own. Each time a page was flipped, Wang Wei saw a list with 30 names on them ranked from highest to lowest.
On the last two pages, Wang Wei saw all his family's name on the book. His grandfather and father were both ranked first on their own pages. His grandfather Yu Zhuang ranked 9th while his grandmother ranked 13th. The two of them were on the same page as his grandfather Wang Chang.
As for his mother, Yu Yan, she was ranked fifth on the same list as Wang Wei's father. He even saw that Great Elder Yan Mei of the Punishing Hall was ranked sixth, right after his mother.
After the book flipped through all the previous records since the Middle Emperor Era, it turned to a blank page with no names on them, just the ranking.
Wang Wei knew that this was the page that this generation of candidates would place their names in. And he was very confident in placing his name on the first spot, just like his father and grandfather before him did.
After acquiring that spot, Wang Wei will gain access to the 3000 Dao Tablets and comprehend a cultivation scripture that is perfect for his Fate Puppeteer Physique.
While Wang Wei was staring at the Heavenly Dao Protection Book, he suddenly frowned quite deeply. An intense warning of danger once again overcame him, warning him of an incoming danger.
Wang Wei then looked around to see if something was wrong, but he could not find anything. More importantly, what kind of danger would come to him with True Monarch Yan Chen around him.
After pondering for he a second, he thought to himself:
'Could it be that the reason that I feel a sense of danger is because of the idea of putting my name on that book?'
As soon as those thoughts entered Wang Weis mind, his intuition once again activated and the warning intensified. So, he knew that he was right.
However, here came the problem: He did not know what was wrong with that list? Could it be a plot of the Academy?
Knowing that he would not find the answer here, Wang Wei decided to leave here and return to his residence. After entering his own room, he said:
"Supreme Elder, please use your power to isolate the entire room!"
"Yes, young master," replied Yan Chen. Then, a mysterious power enveloped the entire room that Wang Wei was in, essentially separating this room from outside spying eyes and ears.
Immediately following this, Wang Wei took out a bunch of formation flags and set up an array; a communication array to be precise.
Countless circles with strange runes at the center appeared in front of Wang Wei. Then, under his arrangement, they formed a pattern by combining together. Once the set up was completed, he activated the formation.
"Wei'er, is something wrong?" said a holographic image of Wang Wei's father, Wang Tian.
"As a matter of fact, yes. I just had a premonition of grave danger, and it came from putting my name on the Heavenly Dao Protection Book. Do you have any information on the book?"
Wang Tian had a frown on his face after hearing this. He knew how accurate his son's intuition was. So, he did not doubt his words.
"From what we know, the book was refined personally by Emperor Kong himself and only the Academy knows how he did it, and it is also one of their Emperor Artifacts and Luck Condensing Artifacts, suppressing the Qi Luck of the entire Academy.
"Every time a Heaven Chosen Selection Trial takes place, a little Qi Luck of these geniuses is taken in exchange for the protection of Heavenly Dao. My name and your grandfather's were in that book. Even your great-grandfather was in that book. As a matter of fact, for countless generations, our Wang Clan had many people placing their names on that book and nothing ever happened to them--at least there was no direct correlation between the ones that had an accident and the book."
Wang Wei's frown became deeper after hearing this and he crossed his hand in front of him. "Well, do you have any idea on the reason for this happening?"
Wang Tian shook his head, "Wait for a few minutes!" He then disappeared from the range of the formation. A few minutes later, Sect Master Wang Tian came back with all the upper echelons of the sect and his father, Wang Chang. Even the other True Monarchs were listening to the conversation through their Divine Senses.
After explaining the overall situation, everybody had a pensive look on their faces as they tried to figure out the possible reason for such a situation.
The first to give a possible theory was Great Elder Yan Mei.
"The Heavenly Dao Protection Book is directly connected to Heavenly Dao itself. Given the conflict that you had with it after you broke through the 13th layer barrier, it is not impossible that it does not like you."
"Although what you said makes sense," replied Li Jun's father, Li Jiang. "However, Heavenly Dao has rules and regulations. Even if it does not like the young master, it cannot hurt and harm him for no reason. After he survived the Divine Punishment Thunder, his slate was wiped clean and it should not attack him again unless provoked. Young Master, did you do something to anger Heavenly Dao again in the past few years?"
"Huh?" replied Wang Wei--who was a little caught by surprise by the question. He thought about it deeply to make sure.
"I don't think so. Besides cultivating and traveling, I have done nothing out of the ordinary."
Everyone nodded, however they still could not think of a solution.
"Could this have to do with the Nine Emperor Curse of our Sect?" suddenly asked one person.
This was indeed a possibility, however Wang Chang shut down this theory.
"It is possible, but not likely. Wei'er 's True Will ability has basically nullified the curse on him. And every time he increased the power of his True Will, the power of the curse kept decreasing."
Now, everything seemed to go back to zero again.
'Well," said Great Elder Yan Mei. "It does not truly matter the reason behind such an anomaly as long as the young master does not place his name on the book.
"The real issue now is what are you going to do, young master? Without participating in the trial and getting your name on that book, you will not gain access to the 3000 Dao Tablets and create a scripture that is best suited for yourself. Although with your comprehension, the sect's resources and the Merit you still have left over from the Qi Luck Trial, you could still create a technique of your own, but I can guarantee you it will not be the same.
"You have seen your father's [Absolute Sword Cut Sutra], without his understanding of these tablets, no matter how heaven defying his talent in the sword was, he would never be able to create a sutra of that level."
"She is right, Wei'er." added Wang Tian, and even Wang Chang. The only reason that these people were able to create such powerful scriptures was due to their enlightening of these tablets.
Wang Wei had a pondering look on his face after hearing Great Elder Yan Mei's words. He also understood the significance of these tablets to him and his future path, so he must get access to him.
Not to mention that if his other competitors got access to these tablet and he did not, this might negate all the advantage he had over them in the past century.
Especially when it comes to that guy Di Tian. In the past few days, Wang Wei has been reviewing any information about him. Although the information was very little; little to the point of being abnormal, Wang Wei had a feeling that this guy would be his greatest obstacle towards the Path of Emperor.