Chapter 106 The Origin of the Water Lily, The Abyss Pact

["Kid, aren't you climbing a bit too slowly?"]

[This voice, thick with disdain, echoed in your mind, vibrating your Sea of Consciousness and making it tremble slightly.]

[This was the second time you had heard Han Ming's emotional transmission so clearly.]

[The last time was in that toxic-miasma-filled Sunset Canyon.]

[Because He discovered that you possessed the Origin aura of two 'heavenly river water lotuses', He hadn't just exclaimed 'interesting'.]

[He had also directly and forcibly pulled you into that massive pillar of purple light.]

[Right now, although your body was still pinned to the ground in an extremely awkward position with your head pressed against someone's boot sole,]

[your heart burned with intense anticipation because of the appearance of this voice.]

[Since this 'Sermon Master Officer' had the desire to speak with you and would even complain, it meant there was room for conversation!]

[As long as communication was possible, perhaps you could fish out a way to break this bizarre heavy pressure.]

[Perhaps you could even... learn more secret information about this Grotto-heaven, or even this entire world.]

["Heh..."]

[However, just as the thought arose, that lazy voice rang out in your mind again, carrying a hint of playfulness.]

["Kid, what are you expecting?"]

["Stop dreaming; I won't help you solve the 'Chen Yue' pressure weighing on you."]

["This is the entry threshold for the sixth stage; it's your own mission. Whether you can withstand it depends entirely on whether your bones are hard enough."]

["The only reason I'm speaking is that I've been nailed here for too long and I'm bored out of my mind. I just wanted to find someone to chat with to pass the time."]

[Hearing this, your heart stirred slightly.]

[You keenly captured a key piece of information.]

[He knew you were expecting something, but he didn't know specifically what you were thinking.]

["It seems that although this god 'Han Ming' has an extremely high status, under these layers of restraints,"]

["he does not have the ability to use overbearing methods like Soul Searching or Mind Reading on the examinees."]

["At most, he can only rely on his superior Realm to sense the emotional fluctuations I'm currently displaying."]

[Having confirmed this, your tense nerves relaxed slightly.]

[You moved your lips with difficulty and said in a raspy, respectful voice:]

["Since it is Senior's elegant interest, this Junior shall naturally accompany you."]

["I wonder what Senior wishes to discuss? This Junior will tell all he knows without reservation."]

["At least you're sensible, kid."]

[Han Ming's voice seemed somewhat satisfied. Then, his tone suddenly shifted, becoming sharp and probing.]

["Before coming into this hellhole, why did you have the Origin of two 'heavenly river water lotuses' on you?"]

["Where did the first one come from?"]

["Did that kid 'Li Qingshan' give it to you?"]

[Hearing the name 'Li Qingshan', your heart jolted.]

[Wasn't that the current Martial Saint known as the 'Lighthouse of Human Martial Arts'?]

[Before you could answer, Han Ming seemed to fall into a sort of self-muttering contemplation, his tone becoming complex.]

["That kid still has a bit of a conscience; looks like helping him before wasn't in vain."]

["But... how strange."]

[The voice in your mind suddenly became puzzled.]

["How is the 'heavenly river water lotus' you originally had so clean?"]

["It hasn't touched a single thread of Li Qingshan's Karma line?"]

["This doesn't make sense."]

[At this moment, although you were pinned to the ground and unable to move, cold sweat instantly soaked your back.]

[Hearing those words, you immediately understood many things.]

[Why Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian Zongtian, who specifically practiced Karma Divine Abilities, had developed suspicion and distance toward you.]

[Because in the eyes of those powerhouses who could manipulate Karma,]

[even if a person was just born, they would be entangled with the Karma lines of their parents, Family, and even the world.]

[As long as an action was taken, it would leave a mark.]

[But your original 'heavenly river water lotus' was produced by the 'Life Simulator'!]

[What level of existence was the Simulator? It was a supreme Divine Artifact capable of reversing time and space and reshaping fate!]

[The things it provided had their Karma thoroughly bleached and were perfectly clean.]

[It was as if it had popped out of a crack in a rock; its Origin was impossible to trace.]

[Although you had now absorbed many other dimensional secret treasures and were tainted with various miscellaneous Karma,]

[in front of Han Ming, the 'owner of the place of Origin', this cleanliness was as obvious as a louse on a bald man's head—too conspicuous!]

[After all, every 'heavenly river water lotus' in this world was personally cultivated one by one by Han Ming back then, after he took orders from a mighty being.]

[He used the status of the Grotto-heaven and an abundance of Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme to nurture them.]

[He was familiar with every wisp of spiritual rhyme and every trace of fluctuation within them down to his very bones.]

[This was like a swordsmith seeing a sword he personally forged in someone else's hands,]

[only to find that the unique secret marks he left on the blade had been wiped completely clean, with not even a speck of residue left.]

[How could that not be strange?]

[Of course, you currently knew nothing of this inside information.]

[You only knew that you seemed to have encountered a huge, unexplainable problem.]

[You were racking your brains, trying to think of what kind of reason you could fabricate to smooth this over.]

["Should I say I just picked it up?"]

[Just as you were preparing to bite the bullet and explain,]

[unexpectedly, Han Ming actually completed the logical loop himself!]

["Heh..."]

[A chuckle filled with a hint of emotion came from your mind.]

["It seems that kid Li Qingshan did indeed do quite well for himself later on."]

["To be able to erase the Karma lines so cleanly, and even refine the Origin aura back to its original simplicity..."]

["Such methods—if he didn't borrow someone else's status,"]

["then it means he has at least stepped into... the Martial Saint Realm, right?"]

[At this moment, Han Ming seemed to have completely fallen into reminiscence of the past.]

[There was even a hint of gratification in his tone.]

[You listened, completely dazed.]

[Although you didn't quite understand the love-hate relationship between him and Li Qingshan, you knew that this wave was safe!]

[Since the big boss had brainstormed a reasonable explanation himself, you only needed to stay silent and acquiesce; that was the best response.]

["Forget it, why am I telling a silly kid like you about these old stories."]

[Han Ming quickly snapped out of his memories, his tone becoming playful again.]

["Looking at your foolish expression, you probably don't know any of the inside details."]

["I'll just be blunt with you."]

["Regardless of how you obtained this 'heavenly river water lotus', and regardless of whether Li Qingshan gave it to you or you stole it,"]

["since you took this thing, you must accept this Karma."]

["Although I don't know what methods he used to erase the mark I left on it, this debt cannot be settled just like that."]

["Since you've come here and crawled to my feet, you should be the one to fulfill the contract for that kid Li Qingshan."]

["Kid, listen well."]

[The voice suddenly became solemn, even carrying a hint of Divine Might that made your Soul tremble.]

["I cannot help you with the matter of reaching the top of the Heavenly Ladder."]

["I am the examiner here, and also a prisoner."]

["Restricted by the rules, I cannot help you; you can only rely on your own struggle."]

["But! There is one thing—a pact you must complete!"]

["It is also the price you must pay for taking so many 'heavenly river water lotuses'!"]

[At this point, Han Ming's voice suddenly became intermittent.]

[It was as if it were suffering from some strong interference, sounding like an old radio with an unstable signal emitting broken sounds.]

["You... must... take the mark... I left on your brow..."]

["Go to... the Abyss..."]

["Do you understand?... Go to the Abyss..."]

["Take the mark... go to the Abyss to find..."]

["Zzzzzzt—"]

[After a burst of ear-piercing static, the voice stopped abruptly.]

[It was as if it had been forcibly cut off by some invisible giant hand.]

["Senior? Senior?!"]

[You called out anxiously in your heart several times, but within that empty Sea of Consciousness, there was no longer any response.]

[Only the water-blue mark on your brow was still slightly hot, reminding you that everything that just happened was not an illusion.]

["Abyss..."]

[You chewed on the word, your heart filled with shock and confusion.]

[This fragmented speech contained an astonishing amount of information, yet left behind a massive mystery.]

[Firstly, the 'heavenly river water lotus' on you definitely had nothing to do with Martial Saint Li Qingshan; it was given by the Simulator.]

[But this instead made you even more curious—what kind of deal was there between Li Qingshan and Han Ming? What was the so-called 'contract'?]

[And that 'Abyss', what kind of place did it refer to? Was it the place where Liu Xiyue's parents encountered danger?]

[Most importantly, who did Han Ming want you to find in the end? Or what object?]

[Although your head was full of question marks, as a veteran artist, you knew the art of 'taking the cue'.]

[Since the big boss had already issued a mission, whether you heard it all or not, your attitude must be correct first!]

[This was a commission from a god. Whether you could handle it was another matter, but you had to cling to this powerful leg first!]

["Alright, Senior!"]

[Forced by your current awkward position pinned to the ground, you could only answer loudly and firmly in your heart.]

["This Junior has remembered!"]

["As long as I can make it out alive, I will definitely take the mark to the 'Abyss'!"]

["No matter if there are mountains of blades or seas of fire ahead, this Junior will not fail your trust!"]

[Your voice echoed in your heart, sounding exceptionally righteous.]

[Although no one responded, you believed that statue would surely be able to hear you.]

[After making this empty promise, you felt the mark on your brow become slightly cooler.]

[The heavy pressure that almost crushed your bones was still there, but that stinging sensation targeting your Soul seemed to have lessened quite a bit.]

["Whew..."]

[You let out a long breath.]

["It seems I've managed to bluff my way through."]

["As for how to get to the Abyss and what to do... whatever, I'll worry about that after I get out alive."]

[You refocused your attention on your current predicament.]

["Since the statue is Han Ming, could the test of this sixth stage simply be this pure heavy pressure?"]

["This is somewhat similar to the Heavy Water Abyss from the first stage."]

["However, it definitely won't be that simple."]

[You tried once more to mobilize the information stream in your Sea of Consciousness that you had just obtained from the statue and hadn't had time to analyze.]

[Since Han Ming said he 'couldn't help you', then the method to break the situation must be hidden within this information!]