Dual Cultivator with a cultivation system

"These are the lowest-ranked techniques. Of course, Core Disciples wouldn't waste their time here. They must be on the higher floors," Bai Lingxi commented nonchalantly.

"Hmm, the pressure on this floor is already quite intense. Outer Court disciples with weak cultivation wouldn't even last a minute here," Luo Li added, pointing to a few Inner Court disciples drenched in sweat, struggling to resist the pressure while reading the scrolls with on of their knees on the floor, only the ones who had just recently arrived in the floor were doing better but their frowns and sweat forming on their faces signaled they were starting to feel the pressure. They were clearly using their spiritual energy constantly just to stay upright.

"Anyway, let's head upstairs," Wang Ming said, and the others nodded in agreement. He had already examined the scrolls using his Soul Eyes, which displayed their details from a distance—all of them were low-ranked techniques.

Wang Ming and the girls stepped onto the stairs again, but this time they immediately felt a significant change.

"No wonder Inner Court disciples can't climb these stairs. The pressure is much greater now," Bai Lingxi remarked, raising an eyebrow as they ascended. This time was different—on the first floor, they had barely felt anything, but now it was as if an invisible weight was pressing down on their bodies, trying to force them to the ground.

Bai Lingxi frowned when she noticed sweat forming on Min Li's forehead from the pressure.

"Hey, are you alright?" Bai Lingxi asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I'm fine. If I weren't at the 10th stage of Core Formation Realm, I'd be sweating and struggling even more. Unless someone has reached the Core Formation Realm, they wouldn't be able to withstand this pressure," Min Li replied calmly as they approached the large door. As before, the scanning process repeated, and the door slowly opened.

However, the moment Min Li stepped through the gate, she felt the pressure double.

'Heavens… with this level of pressure, I can probably only last here for one to three days at most. Weaker Core Formation cultivators might not even last that long,' Min Li thought, sighing. Originally, she had intended to go to the top floor, but now it seemed this floor was her limit.

"This place feels different from the previous floor," Shi Yu noted as she looked around. This floor was far simpler in appearance than the luxurious one beneath them.

It was only about 40% the size of the previous floor, and the number of shelves was significantly lower. However, this was understandable—the technique scrolls stored here were much rarer and of significantly higher rank. Shi Yu couldn't spot a single Inner Court disciple. There were only a few Core Disciples present, and they could be counted on one hand—all of them female.

Just as they noticed the Core Disciples, those same disciples looked up from their scrolls, surprised to see Wang Ming and the others entering the room.

---

"Hah, I'm starting to get exhausted. I don't think I'll last more than five hours here," said one of the female disciples as she tried to comprehend the technique in the scroll in her hand.

"Yeah, same here. Not everyone is as strong as Senior Sister Shang Tian Wu," said another disciple, her voice filled with reverence.

"After so many decades, she's the first person to be granted permission to access the third floor," added another disciple in awe.

"Hmm?" A female disciple raised an eyebrow and stopped reading her scroll when she noticed the entrance door opening and a few more people entering the room.

"More Core Disciples?" one of the female disciples asked with a frown on her beautiful face.

"I don't recognize them. Which Peak are they from?" said another, narrowing her eyes as she tried to recall their identities. Core Disciples weren't too numerous, so most were at least vaguely familiar with one another. Sometimes someone might be forgotten if they had been in seclusion or if the observer had themselves been in closed-door cultivation but they could easily recall their memories about them if they had met them.

"Same here. Perhaps they're newly promoted," said another disciple as eyed the newcomers.

"That would explain it. Maybe they're Inner Court disciples who got promoted during the recent exams. Good for them," said the disciple with a small smile. After all, many of them had also worked hard for years in the Inner Court before earning their own promotions.

---

Bai Lingxi, Shi Yu, Luo Li, and Min Li began going through some of the techniques on the shelves with excitement. On the other hand, Wang Ming didn't even bother to touch a single scroll, as he had already used his Soul Eyes technique to scan the entire floor. None of the techniques caught his attention.

Most of the scrolls on the shelves were Sky Rank techniques, which were indeed suitable for Core Disciples. Inner Court disciples would likely drool over Sky Rank techniques, but Wang Ming remained unimpressed. He did raise an eyebrow when he spotted a few Heaven Rank techniques—though all of them were combat-oriented.

For most Core Disciples, these would be considered treasures. Heaven Rank techniques were extremely rare in the Black Bamboo Kingdom. However, Wang Ming wasn't interested. All the combat techniques available here were beneath his standards—he would only spare a glance at those above Heaven Rank, as most of his current combat techniques were at the Ancient Rank.

He might have shown interest in a Heaven Rank technique if it had unique utility—like his Soul Eyes—but otherwise, it simply wasn't worth his attention.

"Let's go upstairs. Don't pick any techniques from this floor—the next one will have much better ones," Wang Ming said as he looked at the girls. They nodded in agreement and placed the scrolls back on the shelves.

Wang Ming raised an eyebrow when he noticed the other Core Disciples walking toward them. However, sensing no negative intent from them, he decided to wait and see why they were approaching.