229: Chapter 227 The Questioning of the Heart Ends, the Kunpeng Appears

By the time Zhang Mu arrived in Su City, the entire city was packed with crowded masses.

Part of the reason was the announcement of the supernatural, and part was because the jade pendant recipients were all gathered here.

Of course, the most important factor was a little trick Zhang Mu had played.

After deciding to "make a big scene," he immediately changed the way people entered the Illusionary Realm.

Originally, it could happen anytime and anywhere, just like the first person; as long as Zhang Mu activated the Core, the target would be immediately dragged into the Magic Circle.

But now, it had to be at a specific location.

Because of this, the Special Investigation Bureau was forced to use helicopters to transport people to the site and bring them back after it was over.

Out of the first nineteen, except for the first person who was at the Municipal Building, the rest were scattered all over the country.

This had caused quite a commotion locally, with residents from neighboring cities flocking to watch the excitement, at one point causing city traffic to come to a standstill.

The location for the twentieth person's assessment was Su City.

He had planned to go straight to the Municipal Building, but while flying high in the sky, he noticed a small park surrounded by a sea of people and decided to go take a look.

Sure enough, the last person was "taking the exam" here.

In an ordinary small park found in the corner of every city, a young man around twenty years old was sitting cross-legged by the lakeshore.

Fifty meters away from him, police officers formed a cordon with their bodies.

Outside the line, men, women, young and old were standing on tiptoe to peek, or squatting down to look through the gaps between the officers' legs.

The latter were quickly pulled up by the officers, who were worried about a stampede.

Zhang Mu put away his old car and hovered over the park, looking down at the swarming heads.

He couldn't quite understand it; since the process of entering the Illusionary Realm was invisible, what were they all running here for?

Just for the phenomenon after a success?

"Look, look!"

Someone pointed at the man sitting by the lake, jumping and shouting.

Zhang Mu turned his head accordingly.

The clear lake water reflected the sunlight, falling on the young man's furrowed brow.

"Buzz—"

A sudden buzzing sound filled the air, and his body immediately emitted light. A moment later, a pillar of light shot straight into the sky, seemingly endless.

"That's the fourth one!"

As the shocking scene appeared, the crowd boiled over. Regardless of whether they knew the person next to them, they started chatting excitedly.

"Are there any more after this?"

"Probably not. That... what was it, the Bureau of Supernatural Abilities? Oh, no, the Special Investigation Bureau."

"The Special Investigation Bureau said this is the last one."

"Let me count, hmm..." After counting on his fingers for a bit, "Holy crap, only four out of twenty passed?"

"That's quite a lot. I thought there would only be one or two."

Hearing their chatter, someone nearby squeezed in: "Did you guys forget someone?"

"Who?"

"Immortal Xu's chosen personal disciple!"

"She's a personal disciple already, does she still need to take the test?"

"Why wouldn't she? When Group Leader Ye was on TV, he specifically answered that everyone has to go through the Heart Inquiry; there are no backdoors!"

"Hiss— In that case, we..."

"The Municipal Building!"

They turned and desperately tried to squeeze out, but the crowd was too dense. After squeezing for a long time, they hadn't moved and were even pushed back a few steps by the flow.

Perhaps getting anxious, they shouted: "The helicopter has already picked her up! Don't block the way here, hurry to the Municipal Building to see Immortal Xu's personal disciple!"

Despite the noisy clamor in the park, his shout still carried through.

As more and more people heard it and passed it along, the people on the outskirts finally turned around and headed for the Municipal Building.

Their eyes were full of excitement, all wanting to know what color light pillar Immortal Xu's personal disciple would produce and if it would be different.

The sea of people split into rivers, following the intersecting asphalt roads of the city, converging toward another location.

Zhang Mu broke a sweat for the police officers, then hurried over to Luo Xiling's side.

...

Municipal Building.

Rooftop terrace.

Luo Xiling had her arms crossed over the parapet wall, her chin resting on her arms, her face full of unhappiness.

"Why aren't you worshipping the moon bright sword today?"

Turning around, Ye Ming and Zhao Qi walked over side by side, smiles on their faces, teasing her.

"The moon bright sword is magnanimous; it doesn't matter if I worship it a bit later," she tried to retort stubbornly.

The two stood on either side of her, and Zhao Qi lightly patted her head: "What are you worrying about? Do you really think Immortal Xu has eliminated you?"

Ye Ming also smiled: "Don't you call yourself Immortal Xu's personal disciple all day long?"

"Why are you still worried about not being selected?"

Her puffed-up cheeks deflated: "It's because... if I had known, I wouldn't have bragged..."

"Hahaha..." They were amused by the girl, laughing uncontrollably.

"Stop laughing, stop laughing!" Clearly, human joys and sorrows are not always shared; Luo Xiling was furious, pinching the soft flesh on their waists with each hand.

"Stop, stop, stop, I'm done joking, let's talk business."

Breaking free from her vicious fingers, Zhao Qi's expression turned serious: "No sensation at all?"

"En..."

Hearing her reply, Ye Ming's expression also became solemn: "According to the assessment process of the twenty destined individuals, there are faint signs before entering the Illusionary Realm."

"Usually, it's a feeling of restlessness until the location of the exam venue appears in the mind."

"In your case..."

The two looked at each other and said seriously in unison: "How about trying to worship the moon bright sword a few more times?"

To be honest, this was the only solution they could think of at the moment.

Although they hadn't asked Immortal Xu, based on their past experience, if Immortal Xu didn't want to say something, no one could get it out of him.

However, Luo Xiling, who was usually keen on building rapport with the moon bright sword, didn't move this time.

She leaned her upper body against the wall, looking at the distant pillar of light: "The last time Master came, he didn't even say more than a few words to me."

"Thinking about it carefully, it's probably because I'm too useless."

"After being granted the moon bright sword, I've just been messing around all day and haven't done anything productive. I'm supposedly an official investigator for the Special Investigation Bureau, but I haven't been able to help at all, and I've even been a burden to you all."

Feeling the somber mood of the two beside her, Luo Xiling realized her gloom was affecting them and quickly forced a silly smile:

"It's fine. I was just lucky to meet Master in the first place; it was like a freebie. If it's taken back now, it's not like I lost anything."

Fearing they wouldn't believe her, she straightened her face: "Really!"

Zhao Qi and Ye Ming looked at her in silence.

After a standoff, Luo Xiling's shoulders slumped, and her raised eyebrows flattened: "You guys... don't be like this."

"I'm not lying. I'm indeed very sad that I can't be Master's disciple, but I can't be unhappy just because something I found was lost again, can I? What would that make me?"

"I just..."

Her head was lowered, her face hidden: "The... the Special Investigation Bureau is quite nice."

"When I first came, I was a bit scared. Sister Yue and Xiao Miao pulled me into their bed at night."

"Brother Ye and Brother Zhao guessed I was anxious about being taken as a disciple, so no matter how busy they were, they always found time to chat with me every day."

"The Director is also a really good man. I just mentioned it casually, and he even stole his own father's dining table..."

"This little girl."

A voice came from the rooftop door, and the three instinctively looked over.

The Director walked over with his hands behind his back, his beer belly swaying: "What, if you can't be Immortal Xu's disciple, am I going to kick you out?"

"But..." Luo Xiling's hands, resting on her stomach, fidgeted uneasily, "I don't know how to do anything except climb mountains. All I know is which dish in the Special Investigation Bureau's cafeteria tastes best."

Choked up for a moment, the Director waved his hand in annoyance: "Are you going to eat the Special Investigation Bureau into poverty or something?"

"Director..." Zhao Qi reminded him in a low voice, "She took Immortal Xu's Elixir, and her physical constitution has become stronger, causing her appetite to explode. Yesterday, I saw her with my own eyes eating directly from the large pot used for cooking rice in the cafeteria."

"Three pots!"

After a brief pause in breathing, the Director waved his hand: "Don't worry. I'll go apply for more funding later. I won't let her starve."

Ye Ming said in a deep voice: "Director, I've already reported this more than once. The Center said the taxes paid by the people cannot be used to feed good-for-nothings."

"You guys, stop bullying me!"

Luo Xiling was so moved she was almost in tears, but then she realized the three were teasing her. She both cried and laughed, and accidentally blew a snot bubble.

The three men stared at her with peculiar expressions.

She was too embarrassed to face anyone.

"Hahaha..."

Unable to take it, she covered her face and fled in shame.

Watching her flustered figure disappear through the rooftop door, the unrestrained laughter on the three men's faces slowly faded.

The Director said with a grim face: "Is there any progress on the research?"

Shaking his head, Ye Ming replied: "There are too few samples and a lack of effective intelligence. We can't find the reason at all."

"It's really strange." Zhao Qi crossed his arms: "She was a disciple personally chosen by Immortal Xu. Even if he misjudged her, he wouldn't deny her even the chance for a Heart Inquiry, would he?"

"What exactly is Immortal Xu's deeper meaning?"

"No..."

"Director, come quickly!" Yue Ruo poked her head out of the rooftop door, looking panicked.

Startled, they ran over while asking: "What happened?"

"The moon bright sword! The moon bright sword has gone crazy!"

Without time for details, the four of them rushed all the way to the office.

Inside the room, Luo Xiling stood before the altar, her eyes wide. The moon bright sword, which had been quiet for months, had actually unsheathed itself. The blade overflowed with blue light, and its sharp tip stopped a fist's distance from her chest.

"Why is this happening?!"

Yue Ruo gripped the doorframe nervously: "I also... she ran past me covering her face, and I thought she had been bullied, so I followed her to the office."

"Then I pushed open the door and it was like this."

"Can you control the moon bright sword?"

"No need." Ye Ming's expression relaxed: "The moon bright sword isn't trying to hurt Xiao Luo; it's conducting the Heart Inquiry."

"Heart Inquiry?!" Zhao Qi said in astonishment, "Heart Inquiries always involve the consciousness entering an Illusionary Realm while the body falls into a deep sleep. She..."

"Look."

Ye Ming pointed at Luo Xiling's eyes: "Her eyes don't have their usual stu... er, wisdom."

Looking where he pointed, sure enough, her eyes were filled with calmness, or rather, dead silence, like a soulless doll.

Confirming she was safe, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and crowded at the door, waiting for the result.

About an hour later, Zhao Qi rubbed his sore eyes and lowered his voice: "The shortest Heart Inquiry lasts three days, and the longest can be over ten days. It's not a solution for us to just wait here."

"Yue Ruo, Ye Ming, you guys go eat first. Come back and relieve the Director and me after you're done."

"It's better to keep an eye on her." Ye Ming took out his phone and dialed Lin Miao's number, also speaking quietly: "Xiao Miao, have the cafeteria send four meals to the Director's office."

"Follow them and keep watch. Tell them to walk quietly when they get close."

Ten minutes later.

Lin Miao was followed by two ladies in aprons, the three of them walking on tiptoe like thieves.

Carefully placing several plastic lunch boxes on the floor, she waved for the ladies to leave.

Several of them squatted down and each opened a lunch box. Ye Ming asked in a hushed voice: "Have you eaten?"

Seeing him speak, Lin Miao finally opened her mouth: "Is Xiao Luo... in a Heart Inquiry?"

"En."

"That's gre—" She almost shouted in joy before realizing and quickly covered her mouth, glancing into the room.

Everything was normal, and her panicked expression softened: "That's great."

"Xiao Luo has had a weight on her heart lately; she can't sleep or eat well. A few days ago, I saw her only eat three pots of rice for lunch."

"If this continued, she would have starved herself thin."

Zhao Qi, who was busy eating, paused with his bamboo chopsticks and looked up: "I thought that was already her limit."

"How could it be? Xiao Luo's record is eight pots! The cafeteria ladies were counting!"

The Director, who rarely went to the cafeteria, looked shocked: "Even a pig wouldn't eat that much."

"It's the effect of the Elixir," Ye Ming said while holding his lunch box. "As the physical constitution strengthens, energy consumption increases, which manifests as a terrifying appetite."

Zhao Qi put his lunch box on the floor: "Xiao Luo's body hasn't even exceeded the limits of an ordinary person yet, and she can already eat like this. What do you think Immortal Xu usually eats?"

"Food with extremely high energy."

"That's obvious. I mean, it probably isn't rice, right?"

"Immortal rice?" Lin Miao squatted, arms around her legs, blinking her eyes.

Ye Ming smiled and rubbed her head: "Does everything an immortal uses just have 'immortal' added to it?"

"Hehe."

Retracting his hand, Ye Ming explained: "Immortal, including Cultivator—I suspect these aren't the true titles used by the people of the Mountain Gate."

"Brother Zhao, you remember, right? When we first met Immortal Xu, he said he called it 'cultivation' just to make it easier for us to understand."

"En, indeed."

"So, don't use our common sense to guess the living environment of the Mountain Gate. Once we enter the Mountain Gate, everything will naturally come to ligh—"

"Xiao Luo is awake!"

Yue Ruo cried out. Everyone sprang up and looked into the room together.

Luo Xiling's eyes had regained their liveliness, but she didn't pay any attention to the Director and the others. Instead, she grabbed the blade with both hands and suddenly thrust it toward her chest.

"Xiao Luo!"

They were horrified and rushed into the room.

But after just a few steps, the sharp tip of the moon bright sword was stopped by a slender finger.

"Are you awake?"

Slowly, a bit of wisdom returned to her pupils.

Xu chuckled: "Not bad."

"Though you almost lost yourself, you've managed to break through the realm."

"Immortal Xu!" Recovering his senses, the Director walked forward first. "Xiao Luo, she..."

"The Heart Inquiry of the moon bright sword's spirit is naturally different from others. It's normal for it to be more difficult."

"I passed?" Luo Xiling was still a bit dazed.

"Then can I..." Her cheeks flushed with excitement, "Am I qualified to call you Master now?!"

"Naturally."

"Master!"

"En."

After responding, Xu scanned the crowd: "The Heart Inquiry is over. The Mountain Gate is open; it's time to move."

Hearing this, they understood that they could go to the Mountain Gate.

"Immortal Xu, give me the address, and I'll send a helicopter to take them there."

The Director strode to the desk and picked up the phone on the left.

"A helicopter cannot reach the Mountain Gate."

Xu waved his right hand lightly. Everyone looked around but saw no movement.

Just as they were about to ask, they suddenly felt the surroundings grow dark, like an eclipse.

But an eclipse wouldn't happen this fast, would it?

They seemed to realize something and rushed to the window together, poking their heads out.

In the blue, cloudless sky floated a Kunpeng, its fins flapping up and down.