Duosheng Danyuan

One step, two steps, three steps... the further I walked, the heavier my feet felt.

At first, I could easily pull my feet out of the liquid with just a little effort; but gradually, I had to use all my strength to barely pull my feet out.

"It's not a problem with my exhaustion, it's these liquids! They...are getting viscous?"

What should I do? I'm starting to lose my mind... The road ahead seems endless, and even if I look back, all I see is a vast expanse of mist.

"**, maybe there's no direction at all here!" Faced with a situation that seemed hopeless, I angrily cursed.

There's no information to speak of; it seems like this place is utterly unreasonable. Aside from Elder Jianshan's verbal instructions, I see no other rules here!

"Rules of the Strange, rules of the strange, why don't you just list out the rules here?!" Frustrated, I started looking around, but couldn't see anything. "Have I missed the rules? No, this can't be such an unreasonable place... Change my mind, change my mind..."

My thoughts wandered aimlessly, and I numbly pulled my foot out of the nameless liquid once again.

"Hiss—ho—"

In the vast corridor, I was the only one left, panting heavily. And with each repetition, my physical strength began to crumble.

Finally, after taking countless steps, even though I had released my right hand from under my chin and was desperately pulling my trouser legs up with both hands, I could no longer pull my feet away from this place that resembled a pool, and could only let my body begin to sink.

"Ha, ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha..."

Feeling the heavy pressure of the liquid engulfing my abdomen, my mind went completely blank. Looking at the blankness around me, I laughed out loud without any temper.

I admit, I'm really out of ideas.

Was it bad luck or something I simply overlooked? I don't know; I just feel that my trip to the Shengdan Academy was far too rushed.

"Could this hasty death be my destiny? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous... But I accept it, what can I do..." As my thoughts reached this point, tears welled up in my nostrils, and there was no time to process any more complex emotions, only the excruciating pain of suffocation remained.

After the excruciating pain subsided, consciousness began to fade, just as it had when I first arrived at this place.

"Hmm!"

I woke up with a start, a sudden rush of tingling goosebumps spreading across my body, as if a drug were relentlessly extracting dopamine from my brain. Then, this euphoric sensation, stronger than an electric shock, slowly dissipated, and my limbs began to feel lighter.

"You did very well, Gu Changfeng." Elder Jianshan smiled and said to me.

"Yes."

Instinctively, I responded to Elder Jianshan with a "yes." Coming to my senses, I realized that standing behind the elder were the people who had come with me, including Lin and Su. And around me was the very school we had visited during our tour yesterday! But strangely, the school, which yesterday had ten people per table, now had three tables in a row—two for three people and one for four—perfectly suited to our group arrangement.

Seeing that I was still somewhat dazed, Elder Jianshan appeared exceptionally kind and beckoned me to come to his side to join the others behind him.

I swallowed hard, hesitated for a moment, and then walked towards him.

"Indeed, indeed, a rough gem is a rough gem. How can a pearl be covered in dust?" Elder Jianshan grinned, revealing his withered lips, and then smiled kindly at me. He continued, "There are only two people left. Once they arrive, I will explain everything to you all."

"No need to wait, old man." Before Elder Jianshan finished speaking, a cheerful young voice suddenly rang out from the chaos at the school gate. Immediately afterwards, a red-eyed boy walked out, dragging two people with him.

"Did I just come from here?" I asked in surprise, looking at the imposing red-eyed boy in front of me.

"Tsk, I was still looking forward to the next genius. How come it's you again? Huai Zhen, seeing you really makes me feel unlucky." Upon seeing the red-eyed boy appear, Elder Jian Shan's expression changed instantly, his face full of disgust and contempt.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm just following the rules. If you have to blame someone, blame your poor judgment, haha!" The boy, who was called by his name, ignored the angry Elder Jianshan and simply threw the two people he was dragging in front of all of us.

"Tang Anran, Qian Zhe?" Seeing the two men clearly, I was shocked again. "Why were they thrown out by this red-eyed guy? Did they give in?"

Recalling what had just happened, I could only think of one reason why Tang and Qian were in such a predicament: they had both disobeyed Elder Jianshan's words—by looking down at that unusual swamp in that illusion.

"So, are they dead? No, they're still breathing... Huh? How do I know? Did I hear it?" Looking at the two people on the ground, I was surprised to find that I could hear their breathing from several meters away, and I could even see the faint rise and fall of their chests.

"Where did you order?" Elder Jianshan asked in a deep voice, looking at the two people sprawled on the ground.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I know the rules. I only ordered 'non-poisonous'."

"You're smart to know what's good for you." Hearing the red-eyed youth say this, Elder Jianshan's expression softened noticeably. He then faced us and said, "Those of you who just came out of the 'Heart Refining Pool' are all Foundation Establishment disciples. Perhaps you can feel it, perhaps you can't, but your physical bodies are indeed fundamentally different from mortals, and the effects of your spiritual roots have begun to manifest in your abilities. Elder Huaizhen will explain more to you."

After saying that, Elder Jianshan didn't give us a chance to wonder. He transformed into that familiar wisp of black mist and disappeared into the Refining Heart Hall.

"He left so fast, that old codger." Muttering to himself, the red-eyed youth glanced at the chaotic area by the door, seemingly to confirm whether Elder Jianshan had gone far.

Then, he closed the door of the Refining Heart Hall and kicked Qian Zhe and Tang Anran in the buttocks twice each.

"Huh!" "Ugh!" The two who were kicked awake were clearly not in a good mood. Their faces were panicked and distorted, as if they were still experiencing the torment of the "Heart-Refining Pool".

"Get up quickly, class is starting. Find your roommates in the Quiet Abode and sit down together. Oh right, you too, hurry up and sit down." After speaking to Tang and Qian, Elder Huaizhen looked at us, who were still standing in front of the table, and said.

The ten of us looked at each other, then quickly sat down. Although Tang and Qian didn't quite understand what was going on, seeing our familiar faces reassured them somewhat, and their fear subsided.

Seeing that we had all taken our seats, Elder Huaizhen nodded in satisfaction, walked to the podium, faced us, and said, "I know you have many questions. But that's alright, a teacher's duty is to impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts."

So, before the class officially begins, feel free to ask me anything about what just happened in the 'Heart-Refining Pool,' and I'll answer to the best of my ability. However, I dislike disciples who ask a million questions, so please only ask one question each, and don't ask a whole bunch of questions.

A friendly reminder: I'm referring to one question per person. Those who try to be clever will bear the consequences themselves.

One more thing: keep quiet.

"..."

After a long silence, Chen Yu raised his hand first, and Huai Zhen nodded to signal him to speak.

"What does 'Purifying Pool of the Mind' mean?"

"Literally, a medicinal pool for cleansing the body and purifying the mind."

"..."

After a moment of silence, seeing that Elder Huaizhen had no intention of continuing to answer, Chen Yu paused, sat back down, and dared not utter a sound.

Huaizhen made it very clear: one question per person. From the most rigorous perspective, any question expressing surprise or any doubt about confirming an answer could be categorized as a new question. This is impossible to verify, but we cannot afford to gamble on it.

Chen Yu's behavior set a good example; after he asked his question, others followed suit and began to ask their own questions.

"What exactly is this 'Heart-Refining Purification Pool'?" Wang Hao asked.

"As I just said, it's just a medicinal pool," Huai Zhen said calmly, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"What..." Wang Hao was about to speak when Chen Yu grabbed his arm and forcibly pulled him back to his seat.

Wang Hao was very annoyed by Huai Zhen's repetitive remarks, but after Chen Yu's reminder, he came to his senses and realized that his question just now had almost violated Elder Huai Zhen's rules.

"Hmph, next." Huai Zhen was clearly displeased as he looked at Wang Hao, who was being held back by Chen Yu. He snorted and glanced at us.

"Have I... have I passed the test of the 'Heart-Refining Pool'?" Qian Zhe asked, trembling as he stood up.

"Hehe," Huai Zhen said with a mocking smile, looking at Qian Zhe who was so frightened. "Don't worry, all the disciples who have passed through the 'Heart Refining Pool' are Foundation Establishment stage disciples. There are no disciples who have failed the test of the 'Heart Refining Pool'."

Feeling slightly relieved, Qian Zhe wanted to sit down.

"Hmm? Thank you? I cleared up your doubts, and you didn't even say thank you?" Elder Huaizhen said in a deep voice in front of the podium. Before Qian Zhe could respond, his neck suddenly stretched out to Qian Zhe at an impossible length, almost forehead to forehead.

"Ugh!" Qian Zhe covered his mouth, desperately trying to suppress the urge to scream.

"Hiss—" Seeing Elder Huaizhen's strange posture in the back row, many girls gasped, including Su Wanqing next to me.

"Huh? Are you mute?!" Elder Huaizhen roared, pressing his forehead firmly against Qian Zhe.

"Thank you, thank you..." Qian Zhe said, his face contorted with tears, almost on the verge of sobbing.

"That's a good disciple." Hearing Qian Zhe say thank you, Elder Huaizhen finally straightened his long neck and said kindly.

"This Qian Zhe is definitely a jinx!" I thought to myself, trying hard to keep a straight face.