Chapter 94

What is the Dan Identification?

The old man in the blue robe looked at the twenty disciples in front of him with a blank expression and coldly said, "First, congratulations to all of you for entering the second stage. You are the best among the hundreds of people who came before."

Everyone looked at the old man, and no one spoke, knowing it couldn't be that simple.

Sure enough.

The old man in the blue robe suddenly changed the subject and said with a sinister smile, "But this is just the beginning! The second stage is the main event. I believe that among all of you, if a quarter can remain, it would be quite good. If only one-fifth or even one-tenth remain, I wouldn't be surprised at all."

"Alright, now, in front of each of you are three pill bottles. Two of them contain various types of poisonous pills. Once ingested, the lighter cases will suffer mental trauma, and the more severe cases will die on the spot."

"The only normal pill is hidden among them. Your task is to find the normal pill and take it. If you unfortunately ingest a poisonous pill, then I'm sorry, the task is a failure, and you might even lose your life!"

"Identify the normal pill, take it, and if there is no effect after an hour, write down the properties of the pill, and you can proceed to the third stage!"

The old man in the blue robe looked at everyone, his gaze sweeping over each face, and then he said coldly, "Before this, I need to clarify that this stage tests courage, so there is no room for any侥幸 (侥幸 means侥幸, but in this context, it means '侥幸' or '侥幸'). Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, and life and death are not to be taken lightly."

"As a pill master, you often need the courage that ordinary people do not have. You might ask, why not test the pills on others?"

"Indeed, we can often test the pills on others. But more often, only a pill master's personal experience can most clearly and accurately describe what life and death mean, what success and failure are."

"You can refuse, you can give up, but the one thing you cannot do is to gain without effort. If you want to enter the third stage, very well, pick one and take it. Those who can survive and walk out of this courtyard are the winners!"

"Now, the time starts!"

As he finished speaking, the old man in the blue robe waved his hand, and a long-necked hourglass suddenly appeared in front of him.

The hourglass ticked, and time passed. In the crowd, the faces of the twenty disciples turned pale, and they looked at each other.

Life and death—

This stage tests life and death!

No one expected that the trial of the Apricot Grove Manor would be so difficult. This is only the second stage. Do they really have to test it?

Looking at the three identical pill bottles in front of them, everyone's face turned ashen, and a chorus of gasps echoed through the crowd.

Finally, someone gritted their teeth. They had come this far, so they had to take the risk!

He didn't believe that the Apricot Grove Manor would really let people die!

Immediately, he strode forward, took out his three pill bottles, opened them, and poured out the three pills, placing them in front of him and carefully examining them.

The three pills were the same color, size, smell, and shape... all black, round, and occasionally emitting a thin green gas with a faint, pungent odor.

Just one look was enough to know that these were the most poisonous pills. Were these pills really just for testing?

The disciple who had mustered the courage to try, his heart instantly rose to his throat, and his previous confidence vanished.

The old man in the blue robe watched him with a cold smile, not stopping him.

After a long time, the disciple finally gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, picked up the one on the left, and swallowed it.

In the next moment, with a "thud," he convulsed and fell to the ground, his face turning green and white, then blue and purple, and a light smoke rose from his body, and he foamed at the mouth.

After three or four minutes, he stopped convulsing, and it was clear that he was barely breathing.

All the onlookers turned pale. At this moment, the old man in the blue robe finally waved his hand and said, "Carry him away and treat him!"

"Yes."

Immediately, two guards from the Apricot Grove Manor, who had been waiting, came forward and carried the first disciple away, quickly disappearing around the corner.

"You, who else wants to try? Time is limited. After an hour, those who have not swallowed the pill will be automatically eliminated!"

"I..."

In the crowd, several disciples immediately became timid, quietly stepping back a few steps, their faces turning green and white.

As everyone had expected, the Apricot Grove Manor would not let people really die, but there was no doubt that the impact of these poisonous pills on everyone was too great.

Even if they were saved later, their lives would be safe, but they might suffer from other aftereffects.

In the field, at least four or five of the remaining nineteen disciples immediately withdrew from the competition. Joining the Apricot Grove Manor was a great honor, but this second stage was so difficult, and the next three stages were unknown.

Dying here now would be too much of a waste.

The old man in the blue robe did not stop them. He waved his hand, and someone led the four or five disciples away. The remaining ten or fifteen people, after looking at each other for a while, finally, someone, unwilling to give up, opened the pill bottle, took out a pill, and swallowed it.

Then, the same situation occurred, and he was carried away. The faces of the remaining disciples turned even darker, and their hearts grew colder.

In the end, after four or five people tried and failed, no one tried again. Another four or five people quietly stepped back.

In the field, only three people remained, standing in place, neither picking up the poisonous pills nor leaving.

These three people were Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the blue-robed, rough-looking disciple who had been questioned by the alchemist Qi Baiyun.

Time passed minute by minute, and finally, the hourglass was nearly empty.

The old man in the blue robe finally became impatient and said to the three people in front of him, "There are only three minutes left. Will you take the pill or not? If not, leave now to save my time. If you take it, you still have a last chance."

"Either seize the opportunity or give up. What are you standing there for? Do you think you can pass the test just by standing there?"

Beside them, several disciples who had not been carried away also looked at the three people with sneers. They were too afraid to try and did not want anyone to pass. If everyone was the same, they would all be on the same starting line.

Of course, some were gloating, wanting to see what it would look like when they took the poisonous pills. If that happened, everyone would feel even better, but they were afraid that someone might get lucky and pick the non-poisonous pill.

But, would that really happen?

Tang Gu's face showed a slight smile, and Shui Xue's face showed a hint of hesitation, but neither spoke.

It was the blue-robed, rough-looking young man who, after hearing the old man's scolding, hesitated, seemed to want to step forward, looked at Tang Gu and Shui Xue, and finally closed his mouth, standing silently in place.

The old man in the blue robe chuckled coldly, "I'll see how long you can hold out. Fine, I'll wait with you. Once the time is up, whether you take the pill or not, you will all be eliminated!"

Hearing this, the other young men who were about to leave suddenly stopped, preparing to see the final result.

Sorry, to be continued. (To be continued. Please search for Piaotian Literature for faster updates and better quality!)