Chapter 93 The Realm of the Vast Ocean, Searching for Pearls in the Deep Sea

[Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, you offer a faint smile.]

[Straightening your clothes, you stride toward the White Jade Celestial Ladder leading to the clouds.]

[*Clack.*]

[The moment your foot touches the first step, the scene before you instantly shifts.]

[Your vision blurs as the surrounding space feels as though it has been swapped by a pair of giant, invisible hands.]

[The noisy crowd, Chen Chen's expectations, and the gazes of the Wild Hunters all vanish in an instant.]

[The stars shift and the world is transformed.]

[When you regain your bearings, you find yourself in a completely foreign and strange space.]

[Above, there is no boundary, only a chaotic void.]

[Below, it meets a vast sea of clouds, making it feel as if you are standing atop the Nine Heavens.]

[Beneath your feet is a massive white jade disc floating above the sea of clouds.]

[The disc is immense, spanning thousands of square meters. At its edge stand 36 giant, water-blue jade pillars.]

[Complex and obscure water-pattern totems are carved into each pillar, emitting a soft and mysterious glow.]

[Together, they form a magnificent formation.]

[Surrounded by the 36 jade pillars grows a massive azure tree that blots out the sky.]

[Its appearance resembles an ancient giant banyan, but its branches and leaves are no ordinary wood.]

[They are condensed from pure water-element crystals.]

[The entire tree is crystal clear, shimmering with flowing light.]

[Thousands of glowing vines hang from the branches, swaying gently in the breeze.]

[Every sway creates visible ripples of Spiritual Qi.]

[You are currently standing outside the circle of blue jade pillars.]

[At your feet is a single path paved with exquisite green bricks, winding toward the central tree.]

["So this is what it looks like inside the celestial ladder?"]

[You aren't dazed by this immortal-like grandeur, nor are you in a hurry to move forward.]

[As an old hunter who has struggled on the edge of life and death, you know well that 'the more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it is.']

[The tragic sight of that young man who disappeared and eventually fell out as a corpse...]

[...is still fresh in your mind.]

[You haven't forgotten it.]

["Careful sailing keeps the ship afloat for ten thousand years."]

[You stand your ground, not yet stepping onto the path.]

[You slowly close your eyes, activating the 'Canglan Divine Sense' in your Sea of Consciousness, combined with the superhuman perception of the Origin Opening Realm.]

[You begin to scan the area inch by inch.]

[Are there traps on the ground? Toxins in the air? Any killing intent between those jade pillars?]

[Minutes pass, one by one.]

[You spend nearly ten minutes investigating from your spot.]

[However, aside from the outrageously abundant water vapor, you find no obvious danger.]

[This place is like a courtyard meticulously prepared to welcome a guest.]

[Quiet and peaceful, yet pervaded by an eerie, deathly silence.]

[Just as you are hesitating whether to throw a stone to test the path...]

[*Splash—*]

[The azure tree in the center seems to have grown impatient.]

[The thousands of vines hanging around it suddenly move without wind, making a sound like rushing water.]

[Then, one of the thickest vines, shimmering with light, suddenly stands upright.]

[Under your gaze, the end of the vine curls flexibly a few times.]

[It actually makes an extremely human-like 'beckoning' gesture toward you, then points to the path at your feet.]

[The meaning is more than clear:]

["Stop looking, kid! Get over here already!"]

["Otherwise, I can't start the process! Why aren't you following the script?"]

[Looking at this tree that seems to have attained sentience, your mouth twitches slightly.]

["It seems I have no choice but to go in."]

[Since the host is rushing you and doesn't seem to mean any harm, you stop being over-cautious.]

[You grip your long saber tightly, muscles tensed, ready to explode into action at any moment.]

[Step by step, you set foot on the green brick path.]

[The moment you pass through the blockade of the thirty-six white jade pillars and step onto the central white jade disc...]

[*Hum!*]

[A grand yet indifferent stream of information instantly pours into your mind:]

["First Stage: Cangming Realm."]

["Take a wisp of Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme, enter cangming, and seek the Jiaozhu."]

[Before the words even fade...]

[The vine that had beckoned you earlier suddenly shoots out with lightning speed.]

[Before you can react, it gently taps the center of your brow.]

[*Whoosh!*]

[There is no offensive force, only an azure, spiritually-charged aura that flows through your brow into your body.]

[This is a wisp of pure 'Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme.']

[It is like a key, a 'pass' to clear the stage.]

[As the spiritual rhyme enters your body, it quickly forms an extremely thin film of blue light over your skin.]

[Immediately after...]

[The white jade disc beneath your feet suddenly transforms into a massive blue vortex.]

[An irresistible, immense suction pulls you in instantly.]

[A strong sense of weightlessness hits you; the surroundings spin and stretch wildly, and your consciousness falls into a brief blur.]

[...]

[*Gurgle...*]

[When the weightlessness vanishes and sensation returns to your body...]

[You feel as if a great mountain has been slammed onto you.]

[Before your eyes is a pitch-black darkness where you cannot see your own hand.]

[A cold, bone-chilling frost hits you from all directions, seeping into your marrow.]

[It's the deep sea!]

[At this moment, you are suspended in a deep sea of unknown depth and location!]

[This is 'cangming'!]

[Terrifying water pressure squeezes every inch of your skin from all sides.]

[Your eardrums buzz, and your internal organs feel as if they are about to be crushed by this pressure.]

["I see..."]

[Realization dawns in your heart instantly.]

["No wonder the corpses of the failures were that eerie blue-purple color with bulging eyes..."]

["They didn't simply drown."]

["They died from mental collapse in extreme darkness and suffocation!"]

["They were squeezed to death by this terrifying high pressure of the deep sea."]

[For an ordinary Martial Artist without a water-element ability, the wisp of 'Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme' granted by the tree...]

[...merely functions as a simple 'water-warding ability.']

[It allows them to barely open their eyes underwater and slightly resist the water pressure.]

[And gives them a limited amount of time to breathe underwater.]

[But in an extreme environment thousands of meters deep, this bit of protection is like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.]

["This is a screening process."]

["Only candidates who truly adapt to and control water are qualified to survive."]

[But for you...]

["This is basically like returning to my happy home."]

[You activate the Profound Water Spirit Body, and the 'heavenly river water lotus' Origin in your body begins to circulate frantically.]

[The layer of essence and 'Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme' covering your body fuses perfectly, automatically adjusting the pressure balance between inside and out.]

[If you were just an ordinary awakened, you might still find this difficult.]

[But you are different.]

[You have the Profound Water Spirit Body.]

[You have absorbed two heavenly river water lotuses.]

[You have absorbed the illusory water lily.]

[You have absorbed the biyuan water orchid.]

[You have even swallowed hundreds of drops of sweet dew containing strange power.]

[With all these layers stacked, your Water-elemental Ability is close to the 'Fifth Awakening' level!]

[You are practically a humanoid sea beast!]

[The water pressure that is lethal to an ordinary Martial Artist feels like a gentle massage to you.]

[You open your mouth, and the cold seawater pours in without any pain of suffocation.]

[Your ability helps you automatically filter oxygen into your blood.]

["Phew..."]

[You exhale a string of bubbles in the water, feeling unprecedentedly comfortable and relaxed.]

[The terrifying darkness around you even begins to feel friendly to your senses.]

[However, a sliver of doubt rises in your heart.]

["That young man who died, although his strength was lacking, he still lasted for an hour."]

["If everyone's trial difficulty was the same as mine, in this depth of water..."]

["Forget an hour, an ordinary Qi and Blood Realm Martial Artist wouldn't last five minutes."]

["Does the difficulty vary from person to person? Or did he have some special life-saving trump card?"]

[You shake your head, thinking no more of it.]

["Whatever, I'll just deal with whatever comes."]

[As you activate the 'heavenly river water lotus' Origin that has been strengthened multiple times...]

[...a faint ghostly blue halo radiates from your body, illuminating the surrounding space for several meters.]

[At this moment, you can move freely in this deep-water zone, even more flexibly than on land.]

[Just then, the specific trial information for the first stage comes to your mind:]

["Hold the Spiritual Rhyme, swim through cangming."]

["Find thirty-six 'water-repelling jiaozhu', or survive for enough time, and you may enter the next stage."]

[A blue-glowing countdown hourglass appears in the top right corner of your vision.]

["Deep sea survival and a treasure hunt?"]

[You think to yourself, "Isn't this just Dave the Diver?"]

[But this deep sea is boundless. Where are you supposed to find those thirty-six pearls?]

[You quickly realize:]

["The rules didn't mention how to find the Jiaozhu."]

["The only clue is this wisp of 'Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme' that the big tree gave me."]

["It seems this is not just a protective charm for the test-taker, but also a treasure-hunting compass!"]

[You close your eyes, no longer using your sight, but instead employing all your senses along with your powerful Divine Thought.]

[You begin to carefully sense the fluctuations of the 'Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme' on your body.]

[Sure enough!]

[When you fully immerse your perception into the spiritual rhyme, you feel a faint but clear resonance.]

[In your mental map, dozens of faint light points vaguely light up in the surrounding dark deep sea.]

[They emit an aura similar to the spiritual rhyme.]

["Found them!"]

[You kick your legs, and your water ability erupts.]

[You become like a vigorous blue fish, instantly cutting through the heavy currents.]

[You speed toward the nearest point of light.]

[You move so fast that you leave a long white trail in the water behind you.]

[A few minutes later.]

[You arrive before a massive cluster of underwater reefs.]

[In a crevice of the reef, a pearl the size of a fist, emitting a soft white light, lies quietly.]

[A water-repelling jiaozhu!]

[You are overjoyed and reach out to take it.]

[Suddenly!]

[*Boom—*]

[A powerful, tyrannical aura erupts without warning from the dark abyss ahead!]

[The surrounding water shakes violently, as if some gargantuan creature is approaching at high speed.]

[Two crimson eyes, huge as lanterns, suddenly light up in the darkness.]