This place is fun

Chapter 200 Triple Barrier

At this moment, the spiritual realm was completely silent.

Ancient Banyan Village. Niu Er and Ma San sat at a square table laden with food and wine, looking up at the sky in a daze. They had forgotten to peel the peanuts in their hands and had forgotten to drink the wine that was brought to their lips.

Inside the classroom, Mr. Qi, who was teaching the children to read, stepped out of his room and looked up at the sky. His gaze flickered, its meaning unclear.

A black wind swept by, and the figure of the great demon Fusheng appeared. He opened his mouth as if to ask something, but seeing Mr. Qi's appearance, he asked nothing.

Fu Sheng found a reclining chair in the courtyard, sat down, and saw grapes in a basket next to him. He got up to wash them, brought them back, and ate them while looking up at the sky.

In the teahouse of Xianlai Town, the proprietress carrying hot water and many tea drinkers all came out of the teahouse and stood on the street, looking up at the Gate of Heaven. Every face was filled with astonishment and disbelief.

Just minutes before, this incredible news came from the appearance of the sage.

It was an unprecedented phenomenon, unseen by anyone in the nearly one hundred years since the opening of the Spirit Realm. Everyone was excitedly discussing why the sages had personally come to the Gate of Heaven, and what it meant. This was the first time in the history of the Spirit Realm that such a thing had ever happened.

However, at that moment, a sharp-eyed person noticed that there was an extra person on the second platform of the first level.

The platform on the second level of the first stage originally had the most people. After all, newcomers are fearless. They were all newcomers to the Spirit Realm, and after hearing about the second level, everyone wanted to try it out.

Even if one's talent is truly limited, once you've come into this world, it's hard to give up without trying. Besides, people tend to have wishful thinking; they always feel that if others can't do it, they might be able to.

Maybe I'll be that lucky one.

Therefore, the first platform is always the most crowded when Tiandao Mountain opens. Under normal circumstances, no one cares if there's one extra person. Even if there is, it's hard for people to notice.

After all, people are always climbing the path of enlightenment, and it's normal for someone to reach the second level at any time.

But this time, things are different.

The previous lightning strikes had already drawn everyone's attention to the first level. The subsequent appearance of the sages made people realize that this group of climbers might be different from those before.

While some people turned their attention to the fifth, sixth, or even seventh and eighth floors, speculating whether a powerful Dao Realm expert had attracted the Sage, most people keenly realized that the secret might lie on the first floor.

Then, everyone saw this guy appear.

When he appeared on the platform, more than 90% of the climbers on the first floor had already started their ascent, leaving only a few people on the platform. And the spot where he appeared happened to be in an empty space at the edge of the crowd.

Moreover, at such a critical juncture, it was like a flying insect appearing on the retina of a frog for those present.

At least a third of the people spotted him immediately.

However, at that time, no one took this guy who suddenly appeared seriously. After all, there were many people climbing the mountain, and he was probably just one of the people who happened to have made it to the top.

Besides, to be honest, no one really believed that anyone could withstand that level of lightning.

So everyone watched as this guy also started to try out the second level.

The climbers cannot see each other, but as bystanders at the Gate of Heaven, they can see each other clearly.

Before this guy appeared, the newcomers attempting the second level simply vanished as streaks of white light along the mountain path. Those with only four or five ranks were crushed before they even reached a tenth of the way.

Only those who have tried this test know that it tests the extraordinary talent of a martial artist.

Whether you are a soldier, a scholar, or a craftsman... when you step onto the first step, you will step into the history of your respective profession.

That is your path. That is where you came from. But only with sufficient talent and ability will you be able to shoulder that responsibility in the future.

This is why, even among the geniuses of the Seven Ranks, only a very small percentage can pass through.

The saying goes, "Virtue does not match position." Those who lack the ability to shoulder such responsibilities, yet aspire to such heights, will ultimately suffer greatly.

Therefore, from everyone's perspective, although there are many climbers on the mountain path, it is easy to tell at a glance who are just there to make up the numbers and who are truly likely to pass the second stage.

The Heavenly Gate was only open for a short time this time, less than half an hour in total. Therefore, among the earliest climbers, only one reached the thirtieth step.

At this pace, I should have no problem passing the final challenge, but I won't be able to get my name on the monument to those who strive to be the best.

Of course, this is enough to make people envious.

As for the people behind him, they are far inferior. To date, not a single one of them has surpassed the tenth rank.

And it was under these circumstances that that guy began climbing the mountain. It was also under these circumstances that the entire Spirit Realm fell into a deathly silence.

At first, only a few people watched him slowly and unsteadily make his way up the stairs. In the real world, his speed would be slower than that of an old man. It took him a full half minute to walk just the first ten steps.

But those short ten steps, those mere half a minute, were enough to draw countless eyes to him and leave them speechless.

They just stared, watching him stroll leisurely uphill, watching him overtake everyone else. They watched him take a little over two minutes to cover half the distance. They watched him take a little over five minutes to reach the summit of the second pass.

Like everyone who climbs to the summit of the Second Pass, when Su Daoshan stepped onto the last step, people heard the sound of zither strings and flutes in the sky. Immediately afterward, a magnificent gate of light appeared from the void and slowly opened.

Two academy instructors, dressed in blue robes with red embroidery on their cuffs, emerged side by side from the gate.

******
"This is..." Su Daoshan stared at the light gate in front of him, his heart racing.

After passing the second trial, a divine message appeared in his mind, revealing that the door that had opened before him was the legendary gate to the academy.

The four academies recruit students in rotation according to the order in which they successfully complete the challenges. Academies cannot recruit students arbitrarily, and students cannot freely choose their academy. Even this seemingly enormous advantage is something that the students themselves cannot refuse.

From the moment you pass the second level, whether you like it or not, you automatically become a formal student of a certain academy.

Although this made Su Daoshan slightly puzzled, he quickly put it aside.

The Eastern Academy favors blue, the Northern Academy favors black, the Western Academy favors white, and the Southern Academy favors red. Therefore, when these two academy instructors with red patterns embroidered on their cuffs appeared, Su Daoshan knew that this meant he had been assigned to the Southern Academy.

While he was pondering, the two instructors had already arrived in front of Su Daoshan.

This was the first time Su Daoshan had seen the academy instructors in the spiritual realm.

He discovered that, just like the figures in the historical illusions he had seen during his previous trials, these two instructors also seemed to have traveled through time and space, projected from the depths of history, their bodies appearing both ethereal and dreamlike.

Here, Su Daoshan was no bookworm. In his previous life, he had extensive experience in flattering mentors and serving clients, and his understanding of human relationships had reached a level of transcendence. Before the two instructors could speak, he quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the ground.

"This student greets the two esteemed elders."

The two instructors in blue robes before him, who had been expressionless, both showed a hint of satisfaction upon seeing Su Daoshan's respectful demeanor, and their expressions became much more amiable.

The two men returned Su Daoshan's greeting respectfully, then nodded to him and stepped aside.

Su Daoshan looked up and forward.

The next second, a warm white ball of light slowly flew out from the majestic light gate, enveloping Su Daoshan completely.

Su Daoshan felt as if he were in a world of pure white light, surrounded by nothing but white snow.

The world was empty and devoid of anything. Yet, within it, Su Daoshan felt a profound sense of knowledge and wisdom, a gentle, captivating power that unconsciously calmed him down.

Then, Su Daoshan felt as if a gaze was watching him.

Su Daoshan kept his eyes down, thinking that since he couldn't see anyone, he wouldn't move unless the enemy moved. He would adapt to the situation and only draw his gun when he saw the Japanese...

Just as I was lost in thought, I heard a sigh filled with complex emotions, as if there were a thousand words to say but no way to express them.

"What do you mean?" Su Daoshan was a little confused.

This feeling is like going on a blind date. The first time you meet, before you've even said a word, the other person sighs. How can that not leave you speechless?
"Now that you have entered this place, take good care of yourself. I hereby name it Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects)."

With a whoosh, Su Daoshan felt a beam of light enter his body, and the next second, he was back in his original spot. The light faded. The two academy instructors and the portal had all vanished.

******
There was silence all around.

After the light faded, it seemed that nothing had changed.

However, everyone knew that this was a sight that could only be seen after successfully passing through the second level. Some people who happened to be at the foot of Tiandao Mountain and understood its mysteries quickly withdrew from the Tiandao Gate and rushed towards the "Stele of Names of the First to Contestants" to look up.

On the stone tablet, the red inscription began to change. After a moment, a new inscription was generated. The first row of records at the top was clearly visible.

[In the ninety-sixth year of the Yuanqi era, during the Awakening of Insects, a student of the Literary School ascended the first level of the Heavenly Ladder on Mount Tiandao, broke through the second barrier, and completed the task in one word, earning a score of A, ranking first among the top three.]

Meanwhile, the Crimson Lion, who had dominated the top spot for thirty years, has fallen to second place in the top three.

boom!
It wasn't until this moment that people were completely in an uproar.

"Jingzhe! He entered the Southern Academy and his name is Jingzhe!"

"Good heavens. It took him two minutes per word... He just passed the second level, which should have taken him a little over five minutes. So, he must have taken a little over a minute to pass the first level?"

"A little over a minute... I remember the previous lightning also lasted about a minute... This guy appeared after the lightning again... Could it be..."

When the information on the stone tablet swept across the Spirit Realm like a shockwave from an explosion, everyone who heard it was stunned, and some even felt their hair stand on end!

There was utter silence on Eagle's Beak Rock.

“Awakening of Insects…” Wei Qikong murmured the name, finding it utterly unbelievable.

"So, this guy is the one whose Dao heart was unstable and who suffered the Heavenly Punishment for his Dao heart?" Ji Fanqu asked. "And then, despite the heavenly lightning, he passed the first level in just one minute, and then passed the second level in five minutes?"

He was met with only silence.

After a long silence, Zheng Fugui said solemnly, "If I'm not mistaken, that should be the case. Otherwise, where would so many coincidences come from?"

Wei Qikong nodded and said, "Only in this way can we explain why we did not hear the sound of the Dao Heart breaking under the heavenly thunder; why the heavenly punishment of the Dao Heart lasts for one minute, and he also takes one minute to ascend a level..." Zheng Fugui added, "And after the heavenly punishment, the sage arrives. If he did not come for him, I cannot imagine who else could he have come for."

Everything is crystal clear.

After another period of silence, Wei Qikong finally let out a long breath, as if waking up from a dream.

"Spring thunder roars, and all things revive. Isn't this the guy who crawled out from below after the thunder just now? That name is quite fitting!"

He murmured to himself, then turned to the two of them and said, "We both passed the second level back then... On the surface, it's just the inheritance of the Heavenly Dao since ancient times; you just have to walk through those ancient illusions. But in reality, it's fraught with danger at every step, and extremely difficult. What were you doing five minutes back then?"

"I, a mere sixth-rank official, was sent out in five minutes," Ji Fanqu chuckled. "The beginning was alright; the craft workshops just ignored me. But later, those ancient master craftsmen gave me the cold shoulder. I remember when I passed a porcelain workshop, one of the master craftsmen stopped me, pointed to a large blue-and-white porcelain jar with a dragon and cloud pattern, and told me to fire it. If I could fire it, I could pass; if I couldn't, he'd burn me..."

Although still in shock, Wei Qikong and Zheng Fugui couldn't help but laugh out loud when Ji Fanqu told them about it.

Wei Qikong said, "These two trials seem trivial, but in reality, you are following their ancient path. If you can live up to their path, they will respect you; if you cannot, then there is no need for politeness."

Zheng Fugui nodded and said, "They only respect those who are capable. The higher the rank of your Dao seed, the more gentle their attitude will be, the more pleasing they will be to you, and the less likely they will make things difficult for you."

Wei Qikong narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "However, over the years, even an Eighth Grade Dao Seed has only been barely recognized. The Crimson Lion's fifty-minute breakthrough was already the limit. This Jingzhe breakthrough, which took seven minutes before and after, was probably due to being treated with great courtesy along the way. What do you think his Dao Seed Grade will be?"

Zheng Fugui and Ji Fanqu both subconsciously turned their gazes toward the figure of the sage in the clouds above.

"You mean..." Ji Fanqu came to his senses and said with some surprise, "The Dao seed of this Jingzhe might be of a grade exceeding eight?"

Wei Qikong chuckled and turned to look at Zheng Fugui.

Zheng Fugui paused for a moment before speaking to Ji Fan: "This Jingzhe may not be the first to break through to the eighth rank. It is said that a ninth rank has already appeared in the world, but it has been hidden away and kept secret."

Ji Fanqu's mouth dropped open.

He knew that, given Zheng Fugui's status and access to information, what he said was certainly not unfounded.

“However, this Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) should be more than nine-pointed,” Zheng Fugui said, “perhaps even ten-pointed.”

"A Ten-Bell Rank..." Ji Fanqu stammered, "A Ten-Bell Rank whose Dao Heart is unstable?"

Zheng Fugui and Wei Qikong exchanged a glance, also finding it unbelievable.

The extraordinary talent of a tenth-rank official is perhaps understandable. After all, the Spirit Realm has been open for nearly a hundred years, and generation after generation of geniuses have emerged. Humanity's extraordinary professions have come a long way, and they are unlikely to go backwards.

But this guy's Dao heart is truly incomprehensible.

However, an unstable Dao heart makes one utterly unacceptable in this spiritual world where one strives to ascend to the Heavenly Dao. No matter how high his talent, how far can he go?
Just then, the clamor within the Gate of Heaven suddenly fell silent. People saw that Jingzhe had already stepped onto the starting point of the Three Gates.

******
"Southern Academy, Awakening of Insects..."

As Su Daoshan looked up at the three mountain passes before him, he was mentally processing everything that had just happened.

Especially that sigh filled with uncertainty.

"What do you mean, 'Since you're here, you'd better behave yourself'?" Su Daoshan thought, somewhat annoyed. Was that even human language? A warning the very first meeting.

Su Daoshan's mind raced, and he frowned... "Is it because of my Dao heart?"

In fact, even he himself, when recalling the experience of surviving the Heavenly Punishment of the Dao Heart, only felt a vague sense of unease and lingering fear. Now, this sigh from the Southern Academy has only added to his confusion and disarray.

He could hardly imagine what would happen when he climbed the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry and encountered another test of his Dao heart, given the twelve levels of the Heavenly Dao.

"Whatever." Su Daoshan banished the distractions from his mind and focused on the three-tiered staircase before him. He would climb as high as he could now; he didn't have much time to waste.

Su Daoshan steeled his resolve and stepped onto the first step of the three-tiered barrier. The next second, the environment before him suddenly changed.

******
"Do you think he can pass?" Ji Fanqu asked curiously, looking up at the Gate of Heaven on the Eagle Beak Rock.

“I don’t think he can pass,” Zheng Fugui said after a moment’s hesitation, shaking his head.

"Oh?" Ji Fanqu asked, "Why?"

“Because his Dao heart is not firm,” Zheng Fugui said. “The test of the three trials is actually an enhanced version of the Dao heart. If the first trial is about the Dao seed you have planted, and you only need to answer it with enough determination, then the three trials test your nature, your choices, your determination, and your flexibility…”

As he spoke, he looked at Ji Fanqu: "A person whose Daoist heart is not firm is like a rootless duckweed. Without a firm foundation and without standards of judgment, how can he make choices, how can he remain steadfast, and how can he know how to adapt?"

Ji Fanqu turned to look at Wei Qikong.

Wei Qikong said, "Fu Gui is right. It is said that the test of the third trial is extremely contradictory. You will have to make some very difficult choices. You are good, you are evil, you are god, you are demon. Moreover, each test points directly to your true heart, and you cannot pass it by going against your conscience."

"This is why, to date, no one has been able to pass the triple trial. And the trouble is, the illusions of the triple trial have a very deep impact on the soul. If the soul isn't strong enough, it's very difficult to wake up once trapped in the illusion. Many who challenge the triple trial end up suffering severe injuries and needing a long time to recover..."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "However..."

"But what?" Ji Fanqu asked.

“This person’s talent is extraordinary, and his sudden emergence is truly difficult to fathom with common sense,” Wei Qikong said fairly. “However, things are not so absolute.”

“That’s what I think too,” Ji Fan said. “Although this guy’s Dao heart is unstable, if you think about it carefully, the heavenly lightning that struck him for a minute couldn’t break his Dao heart, and he passed two trials in just seven minutes. He’s so talented, it wouldn’t be surprising if he passed three trials.”

He chuckled and asked, "If this guy really breaks through all three levels, have you thought about what might happen?"

Upon hearing this question, Zheng Fugui and Wei Qikong's expressions suddenly turned serious, and they both turned their gazes toward the ninth level of Tiandao Mountain.

That place is a height that only Dao Realm experts can reach. It is a position that ordinary people can only look up to, like a god's abode. Every person who reaches there leaves behind piles of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

“If he truly breaks through all three barriers,” Wei Qikong said, his eyes half-closed, emphasizing each word, “I fear the world will be drastically changed…”

“Why wait until he breaks through the three barriers?” Zheng Fugui suddenly said. “Do you think anyone can sit still now?”

******
"If we get over this mountain, we can escape, right?"

Su Daoshan was holding a wooden stick, his blue robe was dirty and tattered, his face was streaked with black and white, and his body was covered with wounds.

Some were scratched by thorns, others had bruises and welts from falls...

Having been chased by bandits and robbed by mountain bandits all the way, escaping to this place, for a scholar who is powerless to even kill a chicken, both physically and mentally, he has reached his limit.

"Yes, young master," someone answered in his ear. Su Daoshan didn't remember who it was. But he felt it was only natural that such a person existed.

However, after turning around the mountain forest, an endless abyss lay ahead.

Caught off guard, Su Daoshan stumbled and nearly sprinted to the edge of the cliff before finally stopping. An overwhelming sense of despair washed over him at that moment.

Everything around them disappeared at that moment.

He stared intently at the abyss below the cliff. There was nothing there but endless, absolute darkness. So dark it seemed not a single ray of light could penetrate.

After despair comes immense fear, like a storm.

It was a fear of being pursued from behind, with no way forward. It was the fear of death. It was the fear of feeling utterly insignificant in comparison to the abyss. And even more so…

Su Daoshan suddenly turned his head to look, only to find that he was all alone. There was no one around him. He was the only person left in the whole world.

The person who pulled me along, supported me, encouraged me, and was someone I could rely on has disappeared. It's as if they never existed.

Just a second ago, he was still talking to himself.

And so, my heart was suddenly gripped by a claw called loneliness and helplessness.

In an instant, every fear deep in my heart—physiological, psychological, about the present, about the future—was stirred up and then exploded like dynamite.

Su Daoshan felt like he couldn't even breathe.

Just then, he faintly heard the sound of a bell ringing in the sky.

The bell tolled one after another, and after twelve tolls, Su Daoshan's eyes regained some clarity. Then, he felt his soul leave his body and see the stubborn young man in the blue robe again.

“It’s just a little delusion,” the boy said without hesitation, stepping forward. “Now that I’ve seen through it, I’ll just leave.”

Su Daoshan couldn't stop him, and the boy had already stepped into the void outside the cliff.

However, he did not fall into the abyss. Instead, he walked across as if he were on solid ground, his sleeves billowing as he strode confidently forward, as if the abyss beneath his feet did not exist at all.

Only at this moment did Su Daoshan fully regain his senses. Before him, the boy had vanished. The abyss had vanished too.

But only Su Daoshan knew that the abyss was real.

That is the abyss of the human heart.

If you see it, then it's there. You can't cross the abyss if you can't cross your own heart. When you take the next step, you'll only fall into endless darkness.

Su Daoshan asked himself honestly, if it were him, he wouldn't be able to get over it. But no one knew that a secret was hidden within his soul.

Although the original soul had dissipated, it remained in some way when he established that Dao heart.

"Establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the living and the people, carry forward the unique teachings of the past saints, and create peace for all generations!"

The Daoist heart is immortal, and the divine soul is immortal.

Just then, the world before him suddenly changed again. This time, Su Daoshan appeared in a prison cell.

(End of this chapter)