Chapter 56

The four doors were identical, with no distinguishing features.

The four doors were all open, allowing a view of the scenery inside.

The scenery inside was none other than the pavilion from before.

The first door on the left was tightly closed.

The second door was open, and Shen Lian hesitated for a moment before walking in.

The scene before him suddenly became clear, revealing the pavilion from before.

In the pavilion, a person was sitting cross-legged, with stubble on his face, yet he seemed vaguely familiar.

Shen Lian was suddenly startled; this was the face of his own body, but it had changed from a young man to a youth.

The youth opened his eyes and, upon seeing Shen Lian, was not at all surprised. He slowly said, "I haven't spoken to anyone for ten years. I didn't expect that the first person I would speak to would be myself."

Shen Lian gazed at the bright moon in the sky, feeling the wind and the rustling of the grass, and smiled faintly. "So, I have never left this courtyard."

"We indeed have not left."

"Since you are me, why do you deceive yourself?" Shen Lian said calmly.

"Have you not noticed that the moon in the sky does not move, and the direction of the wind changes with each place? The direction of the wind and the position of the moon now do not match your initial assumptions when you first saw the four doors," the youth said, looking intently at Shen Lian, his eyes filled with complexity and sorrow.

"Then why am I not dead after ten years?"

"Because here, one only feels hunger and thirst but does not truly die," the youth replied.

"These flowers and trees can actually be eaten, and there is a stream nearby. How can one feel hunger and thirst?" Shen Lian replied slowly.

The youth picked up a pebble and threw it into the garden. It whistled through the air, passing through the flower beds without a single petal falling.

Shen Lian saw the pebble pass through the petals and branches without any obstruction, landing in the flowing water without causing a ripple.

It was as if the three-dimensional image was unaffected by any impact.

"Are these all illusions?"

"I am real. Do you know what I am about to do?" the youth said.

"Since you are very hungry, you must want to eat something."

"But everything here is an illusion," the youth said seriously to Shen Lian.

"I am real. Eat me, then," Shen Lian suddenly laughed. If the youth was himself ten years in the future, then the current him would be eaten by his future self.

This was a paradox.

Eating a person was already cruel, let alone eating oneself.

The youth moved, rising from his cross-legged position to a flying strike, transitioning naturally.

His hands formed the shape of claws, with an invisible current in his palms.

Shen Lian felt the wind pulling at his clothes, as if he were about to be caught by the youth's claws.

He seemed stunned, or perhaps he had no way to defend against the flying strike.

The air made a sizzling sound, faintly visible in a pale red hue, the result of the speed and the friction between his flesh and the air.

In a flash, the claw struck Shen Lian's chest.

A bloody hole appeared in his chest, and a pulsating heart was pulled out.

The youth looked at it as if it were the most delicious thing in the world, while Shen Lian's eyes remained open, as if he were watching someone else's heart.

The youth held the heart as if it were a fresh red peach, took a bite, and the juice dripped out.

He said, "It is truly delicious."

"Pretending to eat something delicious must be difficult for you," Shen Lian's lips curved slightly, filled with sarcasm.

The youth gradually dissipated, turning into a puddle of water.

A white light flashed, and the moonlight remained the same. Shen Lian was still in the same courtyard.

The ground was clean, with no trace of water.

Shen Lian looked up, and the position of the moon in the sky was exactly the same as when he decided to leave.

Even the direction of the wind was the same.

It was as if he had never left.

Perhaps what he had just experienced was just an illusion.

The master suddenly appeared beside Shen Lian, smiling. "Do you not think any of this is real?"

"I guessed that the first door tested courage, and since I have already proven my courage, the first door was closed. The second door tested wisdom," Shen Lian said. Being able to discern the truth was itself a form of wisdom.

"It seems you now have a different perspective," the master said with an interesting expression. This boy was too smart, and his intelligence surprised him.

"I suddenly realized how foolish I was. Why should I believe everything you say? You told me the second test was to leave this courtyard, but 'originally there is nothing,' so why should I leave? Since I know it is all an illusion, I do not need to leave," Shen Lian explained, not with a decisive tone, but with deep confidence.

The master clapped his hands and waved them, and the courtyard disappeared. There was no flowing water nearby, just a drainage ditch, with only moonlight and nothing else.

"You have courage and can distinguish reality from illusion. You are qualified to learn my sword technique. Of course, this is your good fortune," the master said with a smile.

Shen Lian did not act pretentiously and bowed. "Thank you for your guidance." He did not think the master was arrogant. Although he could distinguish reality from illusion, it would take many years of effort to achieve what the master could.

The wise are teachers, and he was fortunate to learn from such a great master.

"You know my surname is Su, you can call me Mr. Su," Mr. Su said with a smile, but he did not reveal his full name.

"Alright."

"Have you received any systematic training before?" Mr. Su's smile faded, and he became more serious.

"I have learned some methods for focusing the mind and some qi cultivation techniques," he said, but he did not mention the "Shangqing Lingbao Natural Lock Heart and Stabilize Spirit True Explanation," only referring to it as "focusing the mind."

"I could see that your spirit is much stronger than an ordinary person, making you a good candidate for cultivation. Although the qi cultivation techniques you learned at the beginning are not particularly profound, your foundation is extremely solid, and they seem to be from the Qingxuan tradition. Qingxuan is the orthodox school of qi cultivation, so it seems you have some good fortune," Mr. Su said.

"The qi cultivation techniques I practice do indeed have some connection to Qingxuan," Shen Lian said honestly.

"Heh heh, although Qingxuan is good, that was many years ago. Besides, everything in the world can be cultivated. In my eyes, only the Way of the Sword is supreme," Mr. Su said proudly, with a demeanor that looked down on all things.

Seeing that Shen Lian was not convinced, Mr. Su continued, "Do you think I am exaggerating?"

"I dare not."

"I assume you are a smart person. You might think that everything can lead to the Way, with no distinction between high and low. But even ordinary villagers know that 'all things are inferior, only reading is supreme.' The Way of the Sword being supreme is not an exaggeration," Mr. Su said with a stern expression, the moonlight casting sharp angles on his face.