Chapter 611: Feelings and Desires, Appearance of Illusions
Chapter 611: Feelings and Desires, Appearance of Illusions
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Under the special conditions of the purple pagoda, everyone was focused. They tried to cope with the pressure brought about by the thick spiritual energy. They could only count on themselves to advance and not anyone else.
In just a matter of time, the gap between everyone was starting to show.
Luo Qingwu, who had the highest Innate Ability, was in front of everyone.
Due to the dispute between Yue Hongyan and Bai Xiqian at Xiling City, Luo Qingwu was also slowly being recognized by people. Her Pure Yin body, which was a perfect body for cultivation, was starting to be learnt by many people.
As they saw Luo Qingwu not struggling as much as the rest and looking around her curiously, many people were thinking in their hearts, "Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. It’s so frustrating to compare."
The group of cultivators in the pagoda started to be divided into different levels. Luo Qingwu was at the front, while Dao Yuting was following behind her closely. She was not much further from Dao Yuting. At times, she would even overtake Luo Qingwu.
Although her Innate Ability was not as exceptional, Dao Yuting was still in the Advanced Stage of the Foundation Establishment Stage. Even if her cultivation was suppressed, objectively speaking, she still had an advantage.
However, following the passing of time, Luo Qingwu started to adapt to the internal environment of the pagoda. The advantage of a Pure Yin body was starting to show. She was getting used to the spiritual energy around her, and even Dao Yuting could not keep up.
The two of them were leading the pack. Following behind them were Li Yuanfang and Zhuge Wanqiu. Their cultivations and their Innate Abilities were also quite high, thus they were also moving quite fast.
The rest of the disciples were lagging behind them. There were also those who were more outstanding, as they kept close to Li Yuanfang and Zhuge Wanqiu.
Whereas for Xu Yunsheng and the rest who came in a little later, they started to catch up with those in front of them.
Xu Yunsheng, Ying Luozha and Zhao Huan, also known as Xiao Huanzi, were the ones who were catching up the most ferociously.
Li Xingfei, Liu Xiafeng and Yan Wuwei were not slow either. They followed closely behind.
As they saw them approaching, the bunch of Foundational Disciples were shocked. Those who were familiar to them asked them hurriedly, "Why are all of you in here?"
Yan Wuwei waved his hand towards them, "The test that Grandmaster set is very rare. We are here to test ourselves, but this will not affect us. The time we take will not matter."
As everyone ascended the pagoda, more and more tests started to show.
In space, streaks and streaks of golden light descended, shining on those who were ascending.
These lights pierced through everyone’s flesh and attacked everyone’s soul. Their purpose was to test the toughness and resilience of their souls.
The thick spiritual energy tested their body quality while these lights tested the quality of their souls. It was an important showing of their Innate Abilities.
The golden light was not very intense and could not disorientate anyone. But it presented an obstacle that was not easy to cross either. Especially since the golden light came streaks after streaks, as if they were unforgiving waves on the ocean.
As they were suppressed by the spiritual energy and attacked by the light, the difficulty of the test did not just go up by one level. The bunch of disciples had to deal with them more carefully.
This was only the start. Following that, the third round of tests came. In front of everyone, the stairs used for ascension of the pagoda started to develop branches of them. There was no longer just a straight path.
Among all the branches of stairs that appeared, only one was the correct way. The disciples under the tests had to eliminate the wrong ones and find the correct path to take.
This was a test of the disciples’ sensitivity towards the vibration of spiritual energy. The more sensitive they were, the more attuned they would be, thus allowing them to be more capable of gathering the external spiritual energy into their bodies for cultivation.
However, not only did they have to deal with the pressure of the spiritual energy and the attack of the golden light, they also had to remain calm to find the correct path to take. It was no longer just a test of their Innate Abilities. It was also a test of their Determination.
For those who were determined, stable and calm, they could find the correct path in such torrid conditions.
Every branch of stairs had Lin Feng’s mana restrictions. Once they were there, even if they might have advanced hand-in-hand with others earlier, they would be isolated at this juncture. At such a juncture, they could only count on themselves.
As the light shone, those behind could not tell the path chosen by the person in front.
The difficulty of the tests kept on increasing. The gap in the disciples were also showing. As time passed and everyone proceeded, the number of groups started to become unclear. The disciples were also starting to straggle.
On Mount Yujing, Xiao Yan and the rest were standing in the Grand Heavens Pavilion. Lin Feng was also sitting in the main seat. Everyone looked at the image in the light figure. The image flipped continuously and presented the situations of all the disciples.
"What will we do if we were dumped inside?" Xiao Yan laughed while asking. Everyone around him also started to laugh.
Zhu Yi opened his mouth first, "Right now, we still have to test their Innate Abilities meticulously. Previously, Master had only set a single criterion for them to achieve. But now, this is an all-rounded test."
Shi Tianhao laughed, "All these are only just the foundation. After this, they will really be experiencing the real things, won’t they?"
Lin Feng laughed but did not speak. Right now, the image in the light figure changed.
The disciples who were ascending the stairs were confused. Only Li Yuanfang and a few of them were still clear of what route to take.
This was an addition of feelings and desires into the foundation that had been laid earlier. As everyone was placed in a quiet environment, their feelings and desires would slowly creep into their minds and break their defense. This will cause them to be confused and descend into an illusory realm where they would find it difficult to escape from.
For the Purple Cloud Stairs, Lin Feng had only shaken their souls and unearth the inner demons within them.
In this illusory realm, their inner demons were not provoked. Rather, what was provoked were the more positive emotions. For example, a yearning for one’s relatives, romantic love for another person, pursuit of dreams as well as many others.
In this test, with the feelings and desires as the ‘weapon’, they ‘attacked’ the minds of the disciples within the quiet environment. This caused their self-defense to be torn apart, confusing their souls and descending into the illusory realm where they would find it difficult to escape.
Feelings and desires were all natural to humans. With the personalities and cultivations of the disciples in the pagoda, none of them could remove feelings and desires from themselves.
For those whose soul was resilient and who was a determined person, he would not be easily affected by external stuff. He was more discerning of the truth and was less likely to be violated from unwanted images.
This round was used to test the disciples’ personality and determination. Cultivation time was very long. During this period, there would be countless emotions and feelings. Whether they were positive or negative, they could be a barrier to one’s cultivation. Only those who were determined could survive.
The barriers to entry to the Celestial Sect of Wonders was not low. It could even be said to be very high. To be accepted by the Celestial Sect of Wonders, one could be considered a talent.
In general, those who participated in the test were around 15 or 16 years old. They might even be younger than that age. It is especially when one was young that it was more difficult to remain determined and unaffected by unwanted thoughts.
As a result, the movement of the disciples started to slow down. As they faced the illusory realm, although they kept telling themselves that this was a test targeted at them, they could not help but waver.
They could be anywhere, depending on their feelings and desires.
Everything seemed like an illusion, but they were derived from the innermost desires of each and every disciple undergoing the test. As the various senses were stirred, the disciples who were being tested felt like everything was real.
This test was very miraculous and unpredictable. In an instant, it caused everyone to be stuck in their own minds.
The light figure in the Grand Heavens Pavilion kept on switching the images. Not only was it presenting the image of reality, it was also flashing the illusions of each and everyone being tested.
The image stopped changing suddenly. Xiao Yan and the rest stared at the image and shook their heads, "This person knows that he will be seen through, but to avoid suspicion, he still tried to take the test. But if he enters the pagoda, he will expose himself inevitably."
"You have been exposed already."
From the first batch of disciples, there was someone who stirred trouble. Lin Feng had already told the few of them. As for the detailed target, they were already aware in their hearts. But it’s just that even though they saw it now, they still felt a little pity. After all, he was a talent among the second-generation disciples.
"Master, we can tell this. But why can’t we track any movements from this person?" Shi Tianhao turned his head and asked curiously. Lin Feng laughed, "The Great Void Sect is cleverer than the Great Zhou Empire. This pawn that they sent may not even know his own mission."
"They have not ‘brought him to life’. But there must be a method they are using. They will only make a move at the key moment."
Lin Feng laughed, "But a few clues will allow me to tell a person’s background. Don’t worry. It’s sufficient if the few of you know it in your hearts."
Shi Tianhao asked, "Then, during the second Sect-Opening Ceremony, was there anyone like this guy too?"
Lin Feng laughed, "Yes, there was. But I have gotten rid of them already. For such people, we can keep a couple of them. But too many of them will be too frustrating."
Shi Tianhao and the rest nodded their heads and they stopped talking. They put their attention on the test.
After this third round of test was initiated, the effect on the disciples was obvious.
Many of them started to proceed very slowly. As they resisted the illusion, they inched forward slowly.
The leading one was Luo Qingwu. Her speed fell gradually. The rest were also affected to some extent. Only Li Yuanfang remained very stable.
As everyone’s speed dropped, Li Yuanfang’s speed seemed to increase relative to them. Firstly, Zhuge Wanqiu lagged behind him by a lot. Following that, Dao Yuting was almost caught by him.
As the few of them were affected by the illusions, countless images floated in their minds.