Chapter 336 – Current Test: Self-Created Skills

Mu Yuan had indeed heard of the ‘Hall of Knowledge’ Miracle Building before.

During his previous intense internet browsing sessions, he had come across various pieces of information more or less.

Among them, the ‘Hall of Knowledge’, ‘Hero Arena’, ‘Challenge Arena’, and ‘Blessing Shrine’ were all relatively famous Miracle Buildings with high value and versatility, and comparatively less rare.

Elf Tilly was currently on Wolfhead Mountain, communicating with Isloria, who was in charge of diplomatic affairs.

She explained, “The Hall of Knowledge is a very mystical Wilderness Structure. Here, we can learn extremely precious and rare ‘Cultivation Skills’. As long as we possess even one Cultivation Skill, the probability of us Fourth Order commanders breaking through to the Legendary Realm can significantly increase.”

Her words were true.

Cultivation Skills were very special.

They could be seen as Cultivation Methods, but they weren’t related to leveling up. However, if a strong individual mastered and practiced such methods, they could gain additional improvements on top of their original foundation.

Typically, these were basic three-aspect cultivation methods related to physique, mental energy, or energy.

Seventeen had coincidentally created a mental cultivation skill called ‘Heart Imprint Engraving’, but it was relatively rudimentary and less universally applicable than the former.

If a ‘Fourth Order Great Perfection’ expert who already possessed a Limitless Body could further increase their physique, wouldn’t they have a slightly higher chance of breaking through to the next realm?

Tilly had never been able to comprehend a Domain.

When it came to Domains, you either had it or you didn’t, and she still had no ideas about it.

But Tilly thought that if she could cultivate the ‘Nature Concentration Method’ to a high level, and break through her mental energy further on her existing limits, then with the assistance of some Treasures, she might just have a chance to forcibly break through to the Legendary Realm.

“Even if we cultivate Cultivation Skills to a high level, it’s very difficult to teach them to others. However, the ‘Hall of Knowledge’ possesses special rules where we can simply learn skills, with the prerequisite being…”

She paused, “That we pass the assessment of the Hall’s Guardian.”

Isloria naturally also knew about the ‘Hall of Knowledge’ structure. By comparing it with the contents of her own database, she could confirm that Tilly wasn’t lying.

Her understanding of this Wilderness Structure might even be greater than that of Nature’s Garden.

The Hall of Knowledge had a chance to appear in various Great Domains and regions of the Eternal World. Their functions might be similar, but due to different Guardians, the assessments faced by strong individuals encountering this Opportunity, and the skills they obtained, could also differ.

The assessments of the Hall of Knowledge were mostly related to ‘knowledge’, ‘learning ability’, and ‘wisdom’.

Which specific type it was would only become clear upon encountering one.

Regardless, this structure had sufficient value.

It was worth investigating.

“We’ll purchase the coordinates for this structure for Tianyuan Territory.”

…

Two days later.

A luxurious team consisting entirely of Fourth Order members cautiously passed through a narrow canyon and arrived at a secluded place.

Here, bamboo and trees grew densely, with deep shadows from the trees. The area wasn’t large, and there were no traces of any monsters to be seen.Just a short walk in, less than a hundred meters, a building enveloped in a faint, brilliant golden glow came into view. The structure stood about thirteen meters tall, with a stone pedestal half a person’s height at its front, upon which rested a massive open book with its title page displayed.

An aura of antiquity, mystery, and the essence of knowledge washed over them.

“We’re here. This is the Wilderness Structure, the Hall of Knowledge,” Tilly said.

She was their guide.

Beside her stood four other outstanding elves, each a top-tier expert among the Fourth Order and a young powerhouse.

Among them were the two elven monks who had accompanied Tilly that day.

There were no legends in their group.

First, they were all elite warriors capable of swiftly breaking through any ambush by Jackal Fang’s minions.

Second, their human allies had only one legend, who had to remain stationed at Wolfhead Mountain. Thus, the elves saw no need to dispatch a legend of their own.

Third, the few legends from Nature’s Garden had already visited the ‘Hall of Knowledge’ and could no longer access this structure, making an extra trip unnecessary.

For now, the Tianyuan Territory had sent only four generals.

Lu Liu, Xiliu, Bone Two, and… Isloria’s Incarnation.

Many of the Tianyuan Generals were tied up—some were still battling Jackal Fang in the Wilderness Forest, while others were at critical stages of cultivation. Mu Yuan planned to arrange for himself and the next batch of generals to visit after Lu Liu and the others returned.

「Prompt: Your Hero ‘Lu Liu’ has visited the Wilderness Miracle Building ‘Hall of Knowledge’.」

「Prompt:…」

Through the perspectives of several scout falcons, Mu Yuan also glimpsed the interior of the building.

Inside, it was dozens, if not hundreds, of times more spacious than it appeared from the outside.

The hall was vast and empty—even if dozens of Sarios or a few Tree Spirit Grandmas were tossed in, it wouldn’t feel crowded. Several pillars, so thick it would take over ten people to encircle them, seemed to hold up the very sky.

「Prompt: You have three attempts to pass the trial. Succeeding will grant you a baptism of rules and allow you to learn a special skill.」

「Prompt: The strength of the skill you learn may vary based on your performance in the trial. If you fail to pass after using all three attempts, you will have to leave regretfully.」

「Prompt:…」

Hero units like Lu Liu and Xiliu heard the prompts in their ears.

Though the others didn’t hear the rule prompts, they had already figured out the rules along the way.

As the prompts sounded, a strand of golden light bloomed from the depths of the hall, transforming into a figure clad in a robe. At first glance, it appeared human, except for a head several sizes larger.

“I am the Omniscient Divine Venerable Gabuyu. Young elves, you’ve returned. Oh, and this time, there are a few new faces, I see.”

“Interesting, interesting. It seems you’ve come prepared. Let this Divine Venerable see how many of you can pass the trial today. Don’t you dare flee at the last moment.”

At the mention of fleeing, the two elven monks blushed.

No, how could a strategic retreat be called fleeing?

They had attempted the trial twice before.

The first time was to familiarize themselves with the format; the second time, they made a formal attempt but fell just short. They felt their accumulation wasn’t sufficient and didn’t dare to rashly use their last chance.

And so, after a year and a half, they had returned to take on the Challenge again.

This time, they were quite confident.

“I’ll go first, to familiarize everyone with the process,” said the elven monk with a shiny bald head and a simple, honest face.Guardian Gabu Yu snapped his fingers lightly.

“The theme of this trial is ‘Creation’.”

“Within the stipulated time, you must independently create at least one skill to pass my trial and prove you possess sufficient wisdom and knowledge.”

“The time limit is 30 minutes. Of course, during this period, you will receive buffs such as ‘Clarity’, ‘Illumination’, ‘Heightened Comprehension Ability’, and ‘Inspiration Surge’.”

With a sweep of his hand, three formation platforms materialized in the hall.

“Those who wish to take the trial may step onto them. Once you enter the formation, the trial begins.”

“After the countdown ends, I will evaluate you based on the sophistication of the skills you create and their similarity to ‘skills you previously possessed’.”

“In other words, you may modify your existing skills, but if the newly created skill bears too high a resemblance, I will not go easy on you.”

As the Divine Venerable of Myriad Knowledge, Gabu Yu possessed exceptionally broad insight during his lifetime, enabling him to recognize numerous obscure skills, rare high-tier skills, and even many Epic Skills.

Naturally, no matter how extensive his knowledge, he couldn’t determine at a glance whether a skill presented by an examinee was newly created or pre-existing.

This touched upon the realm of rules.

Coincidentally, as the guardian of this place, Gabu Yu had been granted rule-bestowed abilities.

He could identify at a glance and discern the degree of similarity between a skill and old ones. He was essentially a human plagiarism detector—there was absolutely no hiding copied work from his eyes.

“It’s a skill creation test!”

Tilly thought to herself.

She had visited this place many times and witnessed numerous trials faced by her companions.

‘Wisdom Lock’, ‘Hexahedron Puzzle’, ‘Dream Labyrinth’, ‘Celestial Scroll Transcription’, and so on.

The ‘Skill Creation’ trial was moderately difficult among the various tests, but it came with an additional benefit—one’s Comprehension Ability would be enhanced during the assessment!

Even for Fourth-Order Experts like them, acquiring one or several ordinary skills wouldn’t significantly boost combat prowess, but…

Such opportunities to consolidate one’s knowledge, systematize their framework, and create new skills were exceedingly rare.

They held great benefits for the future.

Moreover…

They couldn’t just flee when faced with a challenging trial, could they? That would offend the guardian of this place. Even though the guardian had to abide by the rules, the elves dared not provoke him lightly. What if, in future visits, the guardian always randomized the most difficult trials for them and gave them lower ratings?

It was said that such guardians were all top-tier experts in their past lives.

They didn’t dare gamble on how much authority the guardian possessed.

An unnamed elf monk stepped into the formation.

An hourglass appeared, beginning a tense countdown.

The elf monk had already closed his eyes, practicing his fist techniques with intense focus and self-forgetfulness.

“Can he pass the trial?”

“How many from Tianyuan Territory can pass the trial?”

Tilly pondered.

Nature’s Garden and humanity were allies, but… that didn’t mean there was no competition. In such settings, Tilly naturally cheered for her companions internally, striving to outperform the human experts.

Nature’s Garden possessed a long history, profound heritage, and exceptional Legacy.They have learned many things and possess a rich accumulation of knowledge, which naturally gives them an advantage in creating skills.

Once you grasp one thing, you can infer the rest!

Only with powerful comprehension ability and a wealth of accumulated knowledge can one pass the Guardian’s trial.

Thus, cultivation-type skills are precious, yet the vast majority of beings—even Third- and Fourth-Order Experts—lack the capability to obtain such a skill.

“Lord, what are your thoughts?”

In the Hero channel, Mu Yuan, Isloria, Lu Liu, and Xiliu were conversing.

Indeed.

Limited by factors such as “age of birth” and “time,” Lu Liu and the other generals still lack sufficient experience and accumulated knowledge.

Tianyuan Territory has only a “long” history of less than a year.

However, Tianyuan Territory has never been short on learning materials.

Under the leadership of Lord Mu, the territory has fostered a very strong learning atmosphere, with everyone eager to learn and seek knowledge—except for certain Slimes who prefer to remain anonymous.

As for comprehension ability?

Bone Two is a bit simple-minded. Xiliu is a bit simple-minded. Lu Liu is also inflexible.

But it doesn’t matter, the Epic Bloodline will step in… right?

After all, Mu Yuan hasn’t personally attempted the trial, so it’s hard for him to say for sure. Fortunately, everyone has three chances to try. If they can’t pass after three attempts, they might as well give up.

Inside the arena,

The Elf Monk was still fiercely practicing his punches, an invisible aura rippling around him—he had already cultivated his Concept to the Major Achievement stage.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, which gleamed with a brilliant golden light.

“I’ve succeeded!”

“I’ve succeeded, hahahaha!!”

The countdown quickly reached zero.

The Monk stood before the Guardian and meticulously executed the skill he had just created, though it was still not very proficient.

A faint golden light emerged on his fists.

His shiny bald head seemed to glow with radiance.

“It’s the skill Golden Light Fist—not bad, quite advanced among basic skills.”

Gabu Yu nodded slightly, then took another look, his eyes flickering with the glow of rules.

“Similarity: 34.5%.”

“Not bad, you pass.”

The splendor of heaven and earth descended upon the shiny-headed Elf Monk.

Soon, he awoke from his immersed state and directly stated that he had obtained a body-refining cultivation method.

It suited him perfectly!

Awesome!

After he stepped down, another Elf Monk covered in scars strode confidently onto the stage.

The others watched intently.

“I’m not waiting anymore.”

“Such a trivial creation trial can’t possibly stump your Bone Two, Master.”

Although observing and preparing a bit more would increase the chances of success, patiently waiting clearly wasn’t in Bone Two’s nature.

Preparation? Thinking? Planning? None of that is necessary—your Bone Two, Master, can bulldoze through everything.

It strode forward and stepped onto another platform.

‘By the way, what type of skill was I supposed to create again?’

…

“You… your undead companion, is he always this reckless?”

Tilly noticed that Bone Two, who had stepped onto the platform, wasn’t sinking into a state of epiphany but was instead scratching its head and muttering to itself.

It seemed to have rushed up without any mental preparation at all.

“It’s always been this reckless.”

Isloria facepalmed.

But she knew she couldn’t talk sense into this fool, so she didn’t bother speaking up. After all, there were three chances—trial and error wouldn’t hurt.

On the stage,

The Elf Monk was meditating with closed eyes, while Bone Two also began to immerse itself in a selfless state.

Time passed slowly.

Guardian Gabu Yu directed his power toward the two.

Suddenly, he nodded slightly.A faint golden light flashed over the elf monk’s body, immediately followed by the emergence of a pale golden shield.

This was the “Golden Light Shield” created based on the skill “Guardian,” possessing enhanced self-protection capabilities.

After all, those present were Fourth-Order Experts with keen insight. After a moment’s contemplation, they understood what kind of skill the monk had developed.

Suddenly—

Boom—

A violent surge of black Qi erupted, striking the formation’s light barrier and sending ripples cascading like water waves.

Bone Two, enveloped in shadow energy, transformed into a dark streak of light, relentlessly charging back and forth like a wild boar.

「Prompt: Your unit ‘Bone Two’ has experienced an Epiphany through an Opportunity, upgrading the skill ‘Charge’ to ‘Shadow Fearless Charge (named by Bone Two).’」

“If I’m not mistaken, that seems to be… an Advanced skill?”

“One venue, half an hour, one Advanced skill.”

“My goodness!”

(End of Chapter)