Chapter 1141: The Fissure Where Time Lingers
Chapter 1141: The Fissure Where Time Lingers
On closer inspection, the specks of light looked like countless miniature windows.
Through each window, fragments of different scenes were refracted.
Innumerable characters swirled through the air, clearly forming the texts of various cultivation techniques.
Beneath the dome, there were no cultivators from the Protection Hall in sight—only streaks of light darting continuously through the space.
The Sun family head, Sun Luyuan, seemed to be reporting to someone. Moments later, a figure descended from the dome and landed before Li Fan and him.
It was an avatar, not a real person, formed entirely of flowing characters.
He studied Li Fan, nodding slightly. "I remember seeing you over a century ago, little one. You were just a Golden Core cultivator then. In the blink of an eye, you've come so far..."
"Follow me," he said.
Li Fan followed Sun Luyuan onto the path of characters. A moment later, his own body seemed to dissolve into innumerable characters, threatening to disperse across the path like a sprawling essay.
A sudden sense of danger pricked at his consciousness.
Li Fan realized that under the influence of the surrounding characters, the memories within his spiritual soul were being drawn out, threatening to spill forth and write the story of his past.
"Is this their way of peering into a visitor's past by sensing the memories of their soul?"
Lost in thought, Li Fan instantly replayed the memories of the first half of Sun Ang's life—the body he had possessed—within his spiritual soul. He then projected them outward, allowing the path of characters to perceive them.
The characters he became bore a unique personal signature, making them clearly distinct from the path beneath him.
Sun Luyuan, on the other hand, seemed to be exempt from this scrutiny.
The path of characters soon came to an end, delivering Li Fan and Sun Luyuan through one of the starlit windows above the dome.
Their forms solidified from characters back into flesh and blood, but Li Fan's experiences had been compiled into a separate scroll.
The cultivator who had led them now stood before them in his true form.
He looked even younger than "Sun Ang," appearing to be a young man of seventeen or eighteen.
His long hair cascaded to his shoulders, and a single vermilion mark rested between his brows. He had a refined and tranquil air.
"This is Elder Nan Gong of the Protection Hall," Sun Luyuan explained to Li Fan.
Nan Gong glanced at the scroll in his hand and nodded slightly. "Everything seems to be in order. You've passed the first trial."
With a casual flick of his wrist, the scroll detailing "Sun Ang's" life transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the distance.
Li Fan, meanwhile, took in his surroundings.
It felt as though he was in the void outside the Xuanhuang Realm itself. Before him floated a colossal sphere of light.
It was identical to the miniature model of the Xuanhuang Realm that Li Fan had once seen within a long-range teleportation array.
"Pass through the Xuanhuang Realm," Nan Gong instructed. "If the sphere of light remains stable, you'll have passed the second trial." With that, he transformed into a streak of escaping light and shot forward.
Without hesitation, Li Fan followed close behind.
A yellow halo enveloped him, ethereal and dreamlike, suffusing him with a strange sense of warmth, like returning to a mother's womb. Unhindered, Li Fan swiftly flew through the sphere of light and emerged on the other side.
As he departed, he even felt a faint pang of reluctance.
Li Fan also keenly perceived that the circulation speed of his Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra had accelerated to several times its normal rate!
"So this is a test to verify if one is a native cultivator of the Xuanhuang Realm?"
A glimmer of understanding sparked in Li Fan's mind.
The third trial was a test to determine if he was affiliated with the Five Elders Council.
In the void, five stone statues with featureless faces were arranged in a circle.
Li Fan had to stand motionless within their circle for an hour.
He would pass the trial only if nothing unusual occurred during that time.
In this lifetime, Li Fan's slate was clean. He had yet to form any connection with the Five Elders Council.
As such, he passed with ease.
"These statues are quite something. They seem to be imbued with a trace of the Five Heavenly Venerates' power to reverse logic..."
As the statues of the Five Elders observed him, Li Fan observed the Five Heavenly Venerates they represented.
He sensed a profound connection. "Even if the Venerates themselves aren't present, this is the next best thing."
"If I had come here after experiencing Senior Sister Zhao's illusion—even if it was only a clone that went through it..."
"...it would have likely triggered a reaction from these statues."
The five statues dissipated, and Li Fan faced the final trial before his induction.
Suddenly, his surroundings dissolved into a void.
Sun Luyuan and Elder Nan Gong, who had been beside him moments ago, vanished without a trace.
Li Fan's brow furrowed slightly as he scanned the emptiness around him.
He detected nothing out of the ordinary.
This was no trap, nor did it feel like a malicious scheme.
It was simply a place of absolute nothingness.
And besides Li Fan, it was empty.
"What are they testing this time?"
Li Fan understood the situation and felt no urgency.
He stood calmly in the void, waiting to see what game the Protection Hall was playing.
In this void, it seemed that even time itself had lost all meaning.
An unknown amount of time passed. Even with Li Fan's immense patience, a seed of irritation began to sprout.
It felt as if the entire world had forgotten him, as if everything in existence, save for himself, had vanished.
Still, there was no sign of Elder Nan Gong.
"They aren't just going to leave me here, are they?"
An innate distrust of others caused the thought to surface in Li Fan's mind.
He even considered revealing his true cultivation level, shattering this construct, and leaving immediately.
But he suppressed the impulse in the very next instant.
Calming his mind, Li Fan opened the [Truth] panel.
The moment he confirmed the anchor point was still set to eight years, all his unease and agitation vanished completely.
He resumed his wait in the void.
After what felt like centuries, or even millennia, a thought suddenly struck Li Fan.
He began to act agitated.
Instead of standing motionless, he began to fly about, exploring the void as if desperately searching for an exit.
Then, Li Fan began to gradually amplify the emotions he was displaying.
He was careful not to seem out of control, merely allowing hints of his negative feelings to show.
And so, after what seemed like another few centuries...
Finally, a glimmer of light returned to the dark void.
Elder Nan Gong and Sun Luyuan reappeared.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, adopting a dazed expression, as if a lifetime had passed. He even scrutinized the two men, as if trying to recall who they were.
"You have passed the final trial as well." A faint smile finally touched Elder Nan Gong's lips.
He looked at Li Fan with approval. "Your mental fortitude is impressive. You spent over two hundred years in the time fissure before showing the faintest signs of losing your composure. And even then, you maintained your reason. Among all who have taken this test, your performance is quite excellent."
Li Fan remained silent for a long moment after hearing this.
He appeared to be processing the information.
Elder Nan Gong continued his explanation. "This trial is designed to test a cultivator's mental stability."
"After all, the one chosen must accompany the Deduction Jade for over three hundred years, with no possibility of leaving for any reason. If they can't withstand the torment and go mad, it would create a rather difficult situation."
Li Fan suddenly spoke up. "Have there ever been any cultivators who remained perfectly calm from beginning to end, without showing the slightest hint of agitation?"
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