239: Bodhi Secret Realm, Water of the Five Elements

“Is this… the Water Trial?”

Looking at the scene before him, Jiang Lan’s eyes held a hint of surprise.

This Water Trial was a bit different from what he had imagined.

He had thought it would involve swimming, with demons and monsters chasing him.

But now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

The surroundings were vast and empty, with nothing in sight.

Except for the ice.

Moreover, there was no clear end point.

The previous two trials, though difficult, at least made it clear how to pass them as soon as he entered.

But now, the entire world seemed like a fixed, repeating pattern, with no clear objective.

Jiang Lan didn’t act rashly; instead, he stayed put and observed for a long while.

But after studying it for half a day, he still couldn’t figure out how to pass this trial.

He couldn't just sit here, could he?

After a moment of thought, Jiang Lan simply started walking forward in one direction.

He gently tore off a corner of his clothes and dropped it on the ground.

There were no reference points here at all.

And in such an environment, people would lose their sense of direction.

It was even possible to walk in a circle and return to the starting point.

To avoid this, he had to leave markers along the way, so he wouldn't get lost without realizing it.

So, Jiang Lan walked, tearing off bits of his clothing fabric and placing them on the ground as markers.

As a Soul Transformation Cultivator, Jiang Lan had long been immune to heat and cold, but in the Secret Realm, it was completely useless.

Although there wasn't even a wisp of wind in this place, Jiang Lan could still feel a bone-chilling cold, as if it could freeze one’s Soul.

Jiang Lan looked up ahead, then exhaled a breath.

What a torment.

If it weren't for Cultivation Techniques, Martial Skills, and the unknown lifespan he might gain, he wouldn't come to this dreadful place.

If he had to go through all Five Elements Trials, even if his body could endure it, his willpower probably couldn't.

This suffering was simply inhuman.

This was only Jiang Lan.

If it were someone with a weaker will, in this environment, let alone finding a way to pass, just walking would be a problem.

A cold sensation constantly enveloped Jiang Lan.

He didn't know how long he walked; his mind was a bit muddled.

Jiang Lan only remembered that the sun had risen and set once.

By now, his clothes were significantly shorter.

All the missing fabric had been used as markers.

Ahead, there was still an endless expanse of solid ice, its far end seemingly merging with the sky.

There was no danger, just pure torment.

Jiang Lan's steps had become somewhat mechanical; he only knew to keep moving forward.

Just then, there was finally a slight change in the sky.

Tiny snowflakes drifted down.

Jiang Lan froze, looking up, feeling the snowflakes land on his skin. Only then did he awaken as if from a dream.

Had he walked for a whole day?

By now, he no longer felt the cold, only numbness.

It was as if Jiang Lan’s Soul was about to be frozen stiff.

As the snowflakes fell, he finally came to his senses a little.

The icy pain once again swept into Jiang Lan’s mind.

With the snow, he only felt that the surrounding environment seemed even colder than before.

After waiting for a long while, Jiang Lan was disappointed to find that, apart from the snow falling from the sky and it being colder than before, there was nothing else unusual.

However, snow also had its benefits.

At the very least, he no longer needed to leave markers.

Footprints were markers.

The snow wasn't heavy now; a footprint would take at least two quarters of an hour to be completely covered by snow.

That was enough time for Jiang Lan to walk in a straight line in this place.

Shaking his head, Jiang Lan forced himself to gather his spirits and continued walking forward.

The sun rose again, then set.

Another day passed, and Jiang Lan still hadn't found the exit.

“Whoosh!”

A gust of strong wind suddenly rose.

Jiang Lan shivered.

This place had been windless before.

Along with the howling wind, the snow grew heavier.

If the previous day had only been continuous light snow,

Then now, it was a blizzard.

The snow on the ice beneath Jiang Lan’s feet was accumulating at a visibly rapid rate.

In just a quarter of an hour, it had already reached above Jiang Lan’s knees.

Fortunately, the snow was quite hard; after pulling his leg out, he could still stand on the higher snow surface without sinking.

Feeling the surrounding environment grow even colder, Jiang Lan couldn't help but shiver.

For a moment, a sense of despair actually arose in his heart.

He wouldn't die in such a trivial manner in this place, would he?

How exactly was he supposed to pass?

There shouldn't be absolutely no hints.

Had he missed something?

The instinct for survival made Jiang Lan’s mind once again start working furiously.

But after thinking for a long time, he was disappointed.

Nothing.

He could confirm that he hadn't missed any details when he was at the starting point.

But the current situation was clearly problematic.

No matter how far the distance of this trial was, it shouldn't be impossible to get out after walking for two days, right?

Jiang Lan forced himself to calm down.

Observe calmly.

He looked around again.

As a Cultivator, after subtle physical transformations, Jiang Lan’s five senses were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

To exaggerate, if a mosquito flew a hundred meters away, he could tell if it was male or female.

After watching for a while, Jiang Lan lowered his head and stared at his sleeve.

Due to the heavy wind and snow, in such a short time, Jiang Lan’s sleeve was already covered with a layer of white snow.

As if noticing something, Jiang Lan directly reached out and grabbed a handful of snowflakes from his sleeve.

His eyes first showed confusion, then surprise, and finally ecstasy.

Jiang Lan understood.

In the outside world, every snowflake was unique.

But in this place, the snowflakes were completely identical.

It wasn't just two that looked alike; all the snowflakes in this place were the exact same shape.

At the very least, Jiang Lan couldn't find a single difference.

If his eyesight couldn't find it, then even a microscope would probably be useless.

Jiang Lan understood.

This trial wasn't about him finding an end point at all; it was simply about waiting.

The seemingly endless ice domain was actually just as he had initially thought: it was a repeated, stacked, and pieced-together material.

There was no end point at all, so how could he possibly find it?

Since it wasn't about finding an end point, then how to pass the trial became obvious.

Just one word.

Wait.

As long as he endured for a fixed amount of time, he should be able to pass the trial.

From the calm of the first day, to the light snow of the second day, and now the blizzard, Jiang Lan’s conjecture was already being confirmed.

As for how long this time specifically was, Jiang Lan didn't know.

Perhaps three days, perhaps five days, or even ten days to half a month.

In any case, it was purely designed to torment people.

But it didn't matter.

What kind of storms hadn't Jiang Lan seen?