97: Chapter 97 Observing Qi

Fei Jingxing's voice spread across the platform, like a stone thrown into a calm lake; the ripples had not yet spread before they were swept away by the sea breeze.

On the platform, only Jiang Hanzhou stood opposite him; the other eighteen were sitting or lying down, still trapped in the aftermath of the "Heart-Questioning Illusion," their postures varied, their expressions dazed.

Jiang Hanzhou steadied himself, suppressing the slight ripple in his heart caused by being the "first to see through it," and bowed to Fei Jingxing again: "This Junior was just lucky."

"Lucky?" Fei Jingxing smiled noncommittally. His gaze lingered on him for a moment, seemingly meaningful, but he said nothing more.

He turned back around, looking at the increasingly close, majestic mountain gate of Dragon Abyss Palace, resuming his previous calm and detached posture, as if the brief appreciation and gentleness just now were merely an illusion.

Time passed second by second.

After about another half-stick of incense, the second figure trembled violently and then opened their eyes.

It was Wu Huo.

His face was pale, fine beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. His chest heaved violently a few times before slowly calming down.

His gaze swept around in a somewhat unfocused manner. Seeing Jiang Hanzhou standing like a pine tree and Fei Jingxing with his back to him, he looked down at his own still cross-legged posture, a flash of realization and relief crossing his eyes.

He struggled to stand up, but felt his legs go weak. It took two attempts to barely rise. He held onto the ship's railing, panting heavily, and cast a complex look at Jiang Hanzhou's back.

Immediately after, the scholar Liu Wenzhou also woke up slowly.

He first looked around in a daze, then gave a wry smile, raised his hand to wipe away the slight moisture that had overflowed from the corners of his eyes at some unknown time, and muttered to himself: "A dream of a yellow millet, reality and illusion are hard to distinguish... What a powerful illusion."

He took a few deep breaths, tidied his slightly disheveled collar, and also stood up. Although his steps were still a bit unsteady, his expression had quickly returned to its usual composure.

Next, the Blue-clothed Woman, Lei Hong, the burly man with a short halberd on his back, the figure shrouded in a black robe... one after another, they struggled to break free from the illusion.

Everyone's reaction was different.

After waking up, the Blue-clothed Woman immediately pulled up her veil again to cover her pale complexion and tear stains, but the eyes she revealed were a bit colder and more desolate than before.

Lei Hong shook his head vigorously, let out a low growl of "Hoh," as if to shake out the remaining distracting thoughts in his brain. He patted his chest and cursed under his breath: "Damn, this crappy illusion, I almost fell for it!" He looked at Jiang Hanzhou, the admiration in his eyes becoming even stronger.

The black-robed figure woke up silently, only the cold aura around his body fluctuated for a moment, and soon returned to dead silence.

Zhao Yuanjing was one of the last to wake up.

His face was extremely ugly. After waking up, he first panted rapidly, his gaze quickly scanning the platform. When he saw Jiang Hanzhou, who had been standing safely for a long time and whose aura hadn't even fluctuated much, his pupils shrank violently, and then he quickly lowered his eyes to cover the surging shock, jealousy, and a trace of undeniable frustration in his eyes.

His three companions behind him also woke up one after another, all with poor complexions. They subconsciously gathered around Zhao Yuanjing, and their gazes toward Jiang Hanzhou and the others who woke up earlier already carried obvious wariness and estrangement.

The atmosphere on the platform became somewhat subtle.

The awakened people spontaneously divided into several groups, keeping some distance from each other, silently adjusting their breathing, digesting the impact brought by the illusion, and secretly observing the state of others.

Fei Jingxing turned a blind eye to this and just waited quietly.

It wasn't until the last Token Holder barely stood firm that nearly half an hour had passed.

Only then did Fei Jingxing slowly turn around, his gaze calmly sweeping over the nineteen people who had stood back up.

His gaze did not linger on Jiang Hanzhou for too long, as if the special treatment just now had never happened.

"The Heart-Questioning Illusion tests whether your will is firm, whether your Dao Heart is clear, and whether you have any obsessive attachments or flaws that are hard to let go of." Fei Jingxing explained in a flat voice, "This is the first test for entering the Sect, formless and qualityless, yet it is the most critical. Those with weak will or flaws in their Dao Heart, even if they have talent, will find it difficult to climb to the peak, and it may even backfire on themselves, harming the Sect. Since you have passed the test, you are qualified to continue participating in the subsequent assessments."

Hearing this, everyone felt awestruck and secretly rejoiced at the same time.

Recalling the various scenes in the illusion, it was indeed extremely dangerous. If one was not careful, one could sink into it, or even trigger a Heart Demon.

The looks they cast at the people around them also carried a bit more scrutiny.

Just then—

"Roar!!!"

A shrill, painful roar, full of unwillingness and madness, suddenly came from not far away from the white jade tower ship without any warning!

This roaring sound was not a human voice; it carried a kind of inhuman distortion, like the last wail of a trapped beast, instantly piercing the silence of the deck and stabbing fiercely into everyone's eardrums!

"What sound is that?!"

Everyone was shocked, their just-calmed minds tightened again, and they all looked in the direction from which the roar came, with expressions of suspicion and uncertainty on their faces.

A few who reacted quickly had already subconsciously assumed a defensive posture.

Only Fei Jingxing had no change in his complexion, not even a flicker in his eyes.

He just glanced at it lightly, the corners of his mouth hooked into a cold arc, as if he had expected it, his voice carrying a hint of faint mockery and disdain:

"After so many years, there are still some idiots who overestimate themselves, thinking that by relying on some petty tricks, they can sneak into my Dragon Abyss Palace."

He didn't explain what it was, nor did he say any details.

But the meaning in his words was clear enough.

Sneaking in... discovered.

The roaring sound only lasted for a few short breaths before it stopped abruptly, as if it had been instantly extinguished by an invisible hand.

The number of people for this assessment would have to be reduced by one more.

Everyone looked at each other, their eyes flickering.

There was astonishment, realization, and indifference.

Who among those who could come here and hold a summoning token hadn't gone through layers of screening, or perhaps even experienced fighting and contention?

Their Heart-Nature had long been tempered far beyond their peers.

For this kind of "cleansing" behavior, they might be vigilant and take it as a warning, but they would not have much extra sympathy or waves of emotion.

The path of Cultivate is inherently cruel.

In the eyes of many, the infiltrator being ferreted out and cleared away was justified, even a matter of course.

Jiang Hanzhou's eyes moved slightly, thoughts turning in his heart.

It seems that Dragon Abyss Palace attaches great importance to the purity and safety of the Sect. This Heart-Questioning Illusion is probably not just a test of will, but also has the effect of identifying identity and detecting anomalies.

That infiltrator probably couldn't withstand the screening of the illusion and showed flaws.

Fei Jingxing did not mention this again, as if he had just dealt with a trivial matter.

He raised his hand and pointed forward: "Look, we have arrived."

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed.

They saw that the white jade tower ship had already sailed into the group of star-studded islands and was slowly approaching one of the larger islands.

This island was different from the "Star Islands" they had seen before, which had obvious traces of manual planning.

On the side of the island facing the sea, there actually stood a town of considerable size!

Blue bricks and gray tiles, orderly houses, crisscrossing streets, and a busy wharf.

Although it was not as prosperous as the big cities in the interior, it was thriving with popularity, cooking smoke curling up, and one could even vaguely see figures moving in the market and hear some noise drifting with the wind.

Some houses looked like they had been there for some years, full of ancient charm, blending with the lush forests and undulating mountains around them, revealing an atmosphere of peace and contentment.

"This is..." someone couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

Fei Jingxing's gaze swept over the town, his tone rarely carrying a hint of faint gentleness: "This is 'Maple Leaf City', and some similar towns around it, all formed by the families and relatives of the previous generations of Disciples, deacons, and even some Elders of our Dragon Abyss Palace. As time went on, branches spread, and it formed such a scale. There are still many such towns on the outer Star Islands of Dragon Abyss Palace."

Everyone realized. So that was it.

The Sect has continued for thousands of years, with countless Disciples and Sect members, and their relatives naturally need to be settled.

Over time, it is reasonable to form such town communities that rely on the Sect.

This Dragon Abyss Palace is not only a Holy Land for cultivation but has virtually become a huge social system of its own.

However, the white jade tower ship did not stop at the town's wharf, but followed the island's coastline and circled to the other side of the island.

This side was completely different from the peace and bustle of the town.

The terrain gradually rose, the cliffs were steep, the forests were deeper and denser, and few people visited.

Only a narrow waterway hidden between reefs and trees could barely allow the tower ship to sail in.

The Azure Water Flood Dragon gave a low moan, pulling the tower ship to turn flexibly into the waterway, and finally stopped in a small natural harbor surrounded by towering cliffs.

The water in the harbor was calm, unusually quiet, as if it were two worlds from the vast sea outside.

On the shore, a rough stone staircase wound upwards, leading to the high cliffs.

"Get off the ship, follow me."

Fei Jingxing was concise and comprehensive, taking the lead to step on the invisible stairs, floating down from the bow of the ship, and standing firmly in front of the stone stairs.

Everyone dared not be slow, and one after another, they displayed their movement techniques, following behind Fei Jingxing and climbing up the stone stairs.

The stone stairs were steep, slippery, and covered with moss, obviously rarely visited by anyone.

Surrounded by ancient trees, vines hanging down, the air was filled with the damp smell of vegetation and a faint salty sea breeze.

After climbing for about a stick of incense, the view suddenly opened up.

At the end of the stone steps was a relatively flat open space on the mountainside.

On the side of the open space against the mountain, leaning against the steep cliff, was a courtyard covering a fairly large area.

The courtyard was built with grayish-white boulders, the walls were high and thick, the style was rough and simple, very different from the exquisiteness of the town at the foot of the mountain, and it revealed a sense of solidity and secrecy.

Two heavy iron-clad wooden doors were tightly closed, with no plaque on the doors, only simple cloud patterns for decoration.

Fei Jingxing walked to the door, and without seeing how he moved, the gate opened silently inward.

"Go in." He turned aside to signal.

Everyone walked in one by one.

The courtyard was more spacious than imagined, the ground paved with flat bluestone slabs, swept clean.

In front was a tall main hall, and on both sides were two rows of side rooms neatly arranged, counting roughly, exactly twenty rooms.

In the courtyard, there were also ancient wells, stone tables and stone stools, and even a few clusters of bamboo planted in the corners, adding a bit of Life Qi.

"For the next three days, you will stay here temporarily." Fei Jingxing stood in the courtyard and announced in a calm voice, "This place is secluded and no one will disturb you. The rooms are equipped with basic rice, grain, oil, and salt, which you can take and use yourself. Adjust your breathing well and conserve your energy. After three days, someone will come to pick you up and go to the real assessment place."

His gaze swept over the crowd and added: "Before the assessment, do not go down the mountain at will, and do not stir up trouble or fight. Violators will bear the consequences."

After saying these things, Fei Jingxing did not stay any longer, turned around and left, his figure quickly disappearing at the end of the stone steps he came from, as if leaving everyone completely in this isolated cliff courtyard.

The heavy courtyard gate did not close, but everyone knew that the invisible rules had already been set.

The courtyard fell into a brief silence.

Everyone looked at each other, their gazes sweeping over the twenty almost identical side rooms.

There was nothing to pick, every room looked about the same.

After a brief silence, everyone began to spontaneously walk toward different side rooms. Between them, there was no conversation, only footsteps echoing on the bluestone slabs.

Zhao Yuanjing took his three companions and chose four adjacent rooms.

Wu Huo walked alone to a room in the corner.

The Blue-clothed Woman chose one on the inside of the other side.

Liu Wenzhou nodded to Jiang Hanzhou and chose one in the middle.

Lei Hong scratched his head and pushed open a door nearby.

The black-robed figure disappeared silently behind a room.

Jiang Hanzhou did not hesitate and chose the first room on the right side of the main hall.

Pushing open the door, the furnishings in the room were extremely simple.

A bed, a table, a chair, and a simple wardrobe.

The bed was covered with clean coarse cloth bedding. On the table was an oil lamp, a coarse pottery teapot, and a few pottery bowls.

In the corner of the wall was a small cloth bag, which contained rice and grain, and there was also an earthenware jar, which seemed to be oil and salt.

That was all.

But for Jiang Hanzhou, it was enough.

He closed the door behind him and bolted it.

He didn't move the rice and grain, didn't even sit down to rest.

He walked straight to the center of the room, brushed away the non-existent dust on the bed, and sat cross-legged on it.

Time is precious, every second counts.

Although the Heart-Questioning Illusion was passed, the consumption of Divine Soul was real.

There is an unknown assessment coming up, so he must adjust his state to the best as soon as possible.

The "Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill" operated silently, the crimson gold blood pill in his Dantian rotated steadily, and began to slowly absorb the spiritual energy in the surrounding world, which was far richer than the outside world.

The dao bone glowed with colorful light, nourishing his slightly tired Divine Soul.

He soon entered a deep state of meditation, forgetting both himself and the world.

It wasn't just him.

In the courtyard, the twenty side rooms, shortly after the doors were closed, fell into silence one after another.

No one went visiting, no one tried to communicate, and no one was in the mood to make a fire and cook.

Everyone made the same choice as Jiang Hanzhou.

Seize these precious three days, fully Cultivate, adjust their state, to deal with the upcoming, fate-determining formal assessment.

The mountain wind passed through the courtyard walls, brushed over the bamboo, and made a rustling sound.

The entire cliff courtyard seemed to have been forgotten in a corner of time, quiet enough that only the sounds of nature remained.

However, what no one knew was that just as they were each immersed in Cultivate and adjusting their breathing, above the roof of each side room, in the invisible Void Realm, wisps and threads of "Qi" of different colors and faint light quietly appeared.

These "Qi" were extremely thin, and if there were no special means, they would be impossible to detect.

Some appeared crimson, like leaping flames.

Some were azure, like flowing water.

Some were pale gold, carrying a sharp intent.

Some were gray-white, appearing heavy and condensed.

Some were verdant, full of vitality.

Some were mysterious black, deep and unfathomable... there were even a few wisps showing rare silver.

The color, brightness, degree of condensation, and even the posture of flow were all different.

They seemed to be pulled by some invisible force, rising in wisps, penetrating the thin mist above the cliff, crossing an unknown distance in space...

In the end, every wisp and thread flowed into the center of Dragon Abyss Palace, deep into that majestic and magnificent Ancestral Dragon Island, inside an unadorned ancient hall at the top of a peak surrounded by clouds and mist.

In the center of the hall, a bronze ancient mirror, about three feet square, with stars and cloud dragon patterns carved on the edges, was floating quietly in mid-air.

The mirror surface did not reflect the scene in the hall, but a hazy light of Chaos.

At this moment, those nineteen wisps of "Qi" of different colors were silently sinking into the mirror surface.

In an instant, the calm mirror surface of Chaos, like a lake surface into which a stone had been thrown, rippled with circles of fine ripples.

Within the ripples, light and shadow changed, and nineteen miniature scenes quickly emerged clearly.

It was exactly that cliff courtyard and the roof perspective of the nineteen side rooms. Above each scene, it corresponded to that unique wisp of "Qi", like a label.

In front of the mirror, several figures were sitting or standing.

Their auras were as deep as the sea, their clothing styles were simple and ancient, some had crane hair and child faces, some had middle-aged faces, but every pair of eyes opened and closed, as if there were sun, moon, and stars being born and dying, and the Dao rhyme flowed naturally.

They were the several powerful Elders on the Ancestral Dragon Island of Dragon Abyss Palace.

Their gazes, at this moment, were all cast with great interest on the scenes and "Qi" phenomena presented by the bronze ancient mirror.