Chapter 8

"Damn, this road... is really fucking long."

In the narrow valley, both master and servant were somewhat out of breath.

Wang Lu wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Sigh, I can't feel the abundant assistance from the Golden Bridge anymore... it's as if the luggage has become heavier."

The book boy sighed: "What assistance, Master? You must be confused..."

"Yes, I'm so tired I'm confused, so you carry the luggage."

"Uh..."

As he spoke, Wang Lu suddenly became excited and pointed ahead: "Look, the fog around us is getting thicker again. This is clearly a sign that we're entering a new map!"

The book boy, as usual, was at a loss: "What do you mean by entering a new map?"

Wang Lu explained: "You can't possibly think that the path to immortality is just a simple straight line, right? There will definitely be many checkpoints designed to test a person's various qualities. If it's about physical constitution or knowledge, it's fine, a Golden Bridge or a test paper can measure the depth. But how do you test a person's temperament or their connection to immortality? A written test? A multiple-choice test? A personality test? The Spirit Sword Sect wants to thoroughly test new members, so they design complex scenarios on the path to immortality. These scenarios can be ordinary scenes or independent planes like dungeons, and the fog around us is likely the buffer zone for switching maps."

"Master, I don't understand what you're saying at all..."

But Wang Lu didn't seem to care whether the book boy understood. He continued to explain: "The Spirit Sword Sect is a famous ancient sect, and they are very strict in selecting disciples. Given their small number, the elders usually go down the mountain themselves to find disciples, so the sect isn't suitable for mass immortality ceremonies. That's why this grand opening of the sect has attracted so many people. But an ancient sect is an ancient sect; even a mass ceremony won't be perfunctory. The necessary procedures will definitely be there, and they will be more complex than people imagine..."

At this point, the book boy couldn't help but ask: "Master, how do you know so much about the Spirit Sword Sect?"

The master had only arrived in Lingxi Town a day early and spent the whole week holed up in the house. Where did he get all this information? Was he really a star of literature, born with knowledge?

"Of course, it's from the quest chain... Do you think I was just running errands in town that day? I listened carefully to the quest descriptions at every quest point. Many players are impatient and don't care about the text beyond the quest objectives and rewards, but the truly valuable information is in the quest descriptions! For example, when I completed the final stage, the old man at the gate said that the Spirit Sword Sect hasn't held an immortality ceremony in a hundred years, so they have no experience. But because they have no experience, they will invest a lot of effort, even rehiring a retired old man to guard the town... The amount of intelligence in that statement is quite astonishing. But who can hear it? Those young masters might want to know, but they don't even do the quests, so why would anyone give them the information? Just because they have money? In a town where five hundred taels of silver can't buy a radish, money is nothing..."

The book boy couldn't understand Master's musings, but the disdain in his tone was evident. This strong confidence was something he had seen many times in Wang Family Village, and it was surprising that it remained unchanged even on the path to immortality.

Master is Master, you can't help but admire him.

According to Wang Lu's theory, the fog on both sides of the valley is a buffer for switching maps. Behind the fog, there will be new tests, which will determine whether one can enter the inner gate of the Spirit Sword Sect, the Ethereal Peak.

Although the book boy didn't truly understand the difference between the Free and Ethereal Peaks, Master seemed to take it very seriously... so it must be important.

——

The fog was much wider than expected.

Initially, they thought it was just a brief buffer, but after wandering in the fog for a long time without finding a way forward, even Wang Lu began to hesitate.

"Master, are we on the wrong path?"

"Rubbish, there's only one path from start to finish. Tell me where we went wrong?"

"Uh..."

The book boy wiped the sweat from his forehead, speechless.

Wang Lu, carrying the luggage, was more tired despite his consistent exercise. Though his confidence remained, he slowed down and began to look around.

The effective visibility in the fog was less than three meters, and beyond that, nothing could be seen. Wang Lu only remembered that before entering the fog, they were in a valley less than ten meters wide, and then they went straight ahead...

"Wang Zhong, let's turn right."

"Ah? That's a cliff."

"Maybe not."

The book boy hesitated for a moment, then followed Wang Lu to the right. He thought they would hit a mountain in a few steps...

"Huh, how... strange, I remember the valley was long on both sides before we entered this fog, but now..."

"We're no longer in the valley. The map transition happened without us noticing... I thought the fog was just a buffer, but it seems to be part of the map."

Wang Lu said, bending down and picking up some dust with his fingers.

"Master, is there something wrong with this soil?"

"How would I know? I'm not a geologist." Wang Lu said, brushing off the dust from his hands, "I thought I might find some clues in the soil, but it seems not."

Wang Zhong became anxious: "Master, is there any danger?"

Once Wang Lu lost his focus, the book boy felt the fog around him become menacing, as if it could swallow him at any moment. This path to immortality was not meant for a small book boy from Wang Family Village.

"There's no danger, but there are no clues."

"Ah!? Then aren't we going to be trapped here?"

"Of course not. The lack of clues itself is the biggest clue. I said before, the path to immortality tests a person's comprehensive qualities, and luck, or rather, the connection to immortality, is also an important part. I had this experience during the quest chain. Cultivators place great importance on fate."

"Uh, so..."

Wang Lu smiled: "So, there's no wrong path. Each direction symbolizes a person's opportunity... in other words, as long as you choose a direction and walk far enough, a new map will appear."

"Master, why are you so sure?"

"Remember what the two blue and white figures said? Every blade of grass and every tree is a connection, which means you can go any way. More importantly, if I were to design it, I would do it this way... I felt the Spirit Sword Sect's immortality ceremony designer was quite professional, so they shouldn't disappoint."

As he spoke, Wang Lu suddenly looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the fog to see the mountain peak standing in the clouds.

Spirit Sword Sect, I'm coming for you~

——

At the same time, high above the valley fog, the Ethereal Peak was in chaos.

"Damn, why is the Elder of Punishment here?"

"Quick, tell Master and Uncle Zhou Ming to pack up!"

"You, the black and white one, go find the Elder of Punishment to buy time!"

"Ha!? Senior Brother, you're a True Disciple, you should go!"

"Come on, the Elder of Punishment is stricter with True Disciples! If I go, I'll be locked up until I reach the Nascent Soul stage!"

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, you'll soon become a Nascent Soul monster!"

"Congratulations to your father! I'm not even at the Void Core stage, and I won't be out of solitary confinement for a hundred or two hundred years! Stop talking nonsense and go stop the Elder of Punishment!"

"Who's going to stop me?"

"Ah!"

——

"...Senior Brother Liu Xian, Junior Brother Zhou Ming, what are you doing?"

"Ah! Who is it! Who is impersonating Junior Brother Fang He! What a bold move, daring to impersonate the Elder of Punishment, I'll report this to the Sect Master and have you punished! Stay there and don't run!"

"...Senior Brother Liu Xian, are you done yet? And Junior Brother Zhou Ming, don't think about escaping with the Light Splitting Sword. The Starlight Curtain has already been set up, you can't escape."

"...Senior Brother Fang He, the Sect Master taught you the Starlight Sword Canon, not to use it against fellow disciples!"

"As the Elder of Punishment, should I use the law on the townspeople of Lingxi Town? You... are all esteemed elders of the Heavenly Sword Hall, responsible for supervising the important immortality ceremony today, yet you are so negligent and openly violate the sect's gambling rules. According to the sect rules, you won't be allowed out of the mountains for a hundred years."

"Damn, really!? Which version of the sect rules is this?"

On the Ethereal Peak, the senior elders were arguing fiercely when a sword light suddenly pierced through the clouds, transforming into a black and white disciple who landed on the peak platform.

The disciple's face was solemn, as if he didn't see the overturned mahjong table or the red-faced elders, and said coldly: "Report to the Elder, someone has already come out of the Cloud Wave Map."

"What? So fast!?"

The master of the Ethereal Peak, who had been arguing with the Elder of Punishment, was startled and walked to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the ever-changing cloud layer, his expression even more surprised.

"It's those two..."

The master of the Bright Peak, Zhou Ming, tore off the white strip on his face and came over: "What about these two? Do you know them? Their performance is quite good, they came out of the Cloud Wave Map in just two hours... wait, just two hours!?"

At this moment, even the usually stern Elder of Punishment, Fang He, raised an eyebrow: "Two hours? They must have walked through the maze without any confusion. In the Cloud Wave Map, not only are the five senses blocked by the great array, but the deepest flaws in one's heart are also magnified. Unless one has absolute confidence, they will inevitably be lost for a long time. Two hours, that's almost a straight path with no twists, what an extreme temperament!"

Liu Xian was stunned: "When was the last time we saw such speed?"

Zhou Ming shook his head: "I've never seen it."

Fang He said softly: "Never seen? Junior Brother Zhou Ming, your memory is getting worse. We've all seen it. The last person to come out of the Cloud Wave Map in two hours..."

"Seen? I remember the best performance in this stage was the Sect Master, who took more than four hours, faster than him...?" Zhou Ming frowned, then suddenly paused, "Senior Brother Fang He, do you mean..."

"...Could it be anyone else?"

Several figures flashed in their minds, and they all sighed.

After a while, Liu Xian said: "No wonder the Sect Master also recognized this talent. Their potential is probably between third and fourth grade, but their temperament is likely first grade."

Fang He shook his head: "It's too early to make such a judgment. The Cloud Wave Map is just an initial test. The results are influenced not only by temperament but also by fate. Let's see where they go next... Hey, Senior Brother, when did you design this stage on the Ethereal Peak?"

At this moment, the fog changed again. Besides the small cloud figures reflecting the master and servant, dozens of building-shaped protrusions rose, forming a small village.

Fang He became even more puzzled: "After the Cloud Wave Map... it should connect to one of the Red Spine Mountain, Ice Wind Valley, Green Cloud Gorge, or Netherworld Path, based on the performance of the trial participants. If they can walk all the way to the end, they have the qualifications to enter the Ethereal Peak. But I don't remember this stage. Could it be that you've improved the immortality ceremony, Senior Brother?"

Liu Xian was also puzzled: "You know me, Junior Brother. How could I change the sect rules at will?"

Fang He glanced at the overturned mahjong table and said nothing. Although his senior brother was sometimes careless, he was not the type to act on his own, which means...

"Fifth Junior Sister, what are you up to?"