Jing Jiu and Zhuo Rusui had just fought in that valley. Though they weren't from the same sect, they were nonetheless of the same sect, so they had to fight side by side in the Illusionary Realm of Cloud-Dream.
The Immortal Liu, the Sect Master of Aoyama, agreed to let Jing Jiu represent Shui Yue Nunnery in the tournament. Maybe the two strongest young people in Aoyama could defeat the Center Sect if they fought together.
Zhuo Rusui didn't become the next person to pass the test. When the crowd in the building found that He Zhan's answer was acceptable, they felt more confident and raised their hands in tandem.
Qing 'er looked at someone and asked, "What is the sum of three and sixty?"
That person thought for a while and said, "It's one year."
It was evident that he was very confident in his answer. He looked around proudly.
His answer was the same as He Zhan's; but if he answered three hundred and sixty directly, he would be suspected of copying someone else's answer. So he changed his answer.
There were three hundred and sixty days in a year.
The crowd thought about it and found it was a reasonable idea.
Unexpectedly, Qing 'er said, "No, it should be sixty-three."
It was fine if it was wrong, but it was still the same answer!
The crowd displayed a baffled expression on their faces, and the same thought popped up in their minds again: How could it work this way?
That person was taken aback, and demanded, "Why? You have to give us a reason. "
Qing 'er glanced at him and said, "It's because you are too ugly, and I don't like you. I don't want you to go in. This is the reason."
That person wasn't convinced. He yelled excitedly while waving his arms, protesting the injustice he had suffered.
Standing by the side, Bai Zao didn't pay any attention to him.
A lethal intent flashed in Qing 'er's tender eyes. A thousand arms came out from her back and slapped down forcefully.
The thunderous booms echoed throughout the valley.
That person disappeared from the building, and as he reappeared, he was already in the middle of the Huiyin Valley. He was knocked against the cliff wall and passed out.
The crowd's faces turned pale, feeling fearful.
"Next!" Qing 'er yelled.
By now, the crowd had realized that this mirror spirit of the Green Sky Mirror didn't ask the questions in a regular pattern, and it seemed that the questions were entirely dependent on her mood.
Thinking about the previous contestant's terrible condition, the building was dead silent. No one raised their hand for a long time. Zhuo Rusui's eyelids drooped again.
Tong Yan had already memorized all the participants' habitual movements and clothing details, so she walked out.
The crowd was curious, or alarmed. The Green Sky Mirror was the magic treasure of the Zhongzhou School; would Miss Qing 'er ask him some simple questions?
A chessboard appeared in front of Tong Yan. Was she going to play chess? There was a slight commotion in the crowd. They thought that it was too obvious that they were going to play chess with Tong Yan.
Six black and six white chess pieces appeared on the chessboard. They were not scattered but stacked on top of each other. They trembled slightly in the breeze as if they could collapse at any time.
Qing 'er landed on the chessboard, her small face full of eagerness. "I can't beat you in chess," she said. "Let's play marbles."
Tong Yan was taken aback. He realized that she was the little girl who often came to play with him when he was young.
He thought she was a demon on the Cloud-Dream Mountain back then, and he didn't dare tell his Master and Mistress about it. Unexpectedly, she was the mirror spirit of the Green Sky Mirror.
…
…
As a white chess piece landed, Tong Yan won the game of marbles.
The crowd could tell that this game of marbles was actually quite complicated, even though it looked simple.
The Cultivation practitioners had a better grasp of the strength and accuracy than mortals, so it was very difficult to bounce the stacked chess pieces away one by one.
Moreover, his opponent was the mirror spirit of the Green Sky Mirror.
Squatting on the chessboard, Qing 'er watched Tong Yan's last move attentively. She stood up dejectedly, saying, "Well, you win."
It was a narrow victory for Tong Yan. Even he felt a bit nervous at the end. He turned around and walked to the back of the building after shooting a glance at this little girl.
Zhuo Rusui seized the opportunity and came before the chessboard. "Shall we play marbles as well?" he asked with drooping eyelids.
Qing 'er was a bit disappointed at the moment. Seeing that Jing Jiu looked even more dejected than her, she couldn't help but feel curious, asking, "Why do you look so dispirited?"
"I didn't sleep well last night," said Zhuo Rusui.
Qing 'er thought that Jing Jiu didn't have a bright future if he was so nervous about such a matter. "Well, my question is …" she said.
Zhuo Rusui said dejectedly, "Haven't I already answered your question?"
It was quiet.
Qing 'er understood what he meant after a moment of bewilderment. "Do you mean I asked you why you look so dispirited?" she asked with a surprised expression on her small face.
"Yes," Zhuo Rusui said matter-of-factly.
People couldn't help but sigh, wondering what had happened to the Aoyama Sect all these years.
Qing 'er was speechless, but she found that what he said made sense. Feeling defeated, she said, "You win. Let's go in."
Zhuo Rusui walked slowly to the back of the building.
Qing 'er flew away from the chessboard and flew into the air. Looking at the scene, she felt even worse. She thought that she had to make things difficult for the next person to vent her anger.
Jing Jiu walked over.
Qing 'er looked at his face and was stunned. She forgot to flap her wings and landed on the chessboard.
She came to her senses and blushed. "What … what's your name?" she asked softly.
"Jing Jiu."
"That's a nice name."
Jing Jiu passed the test just like that.
There was an uproar in the building.
Bai Zao smiled helplessly and walked forward.
…
…
Behind the building was the deep end of the cliff wall in the Huiyin Valley. There was a stone cave on the top, looking like a courtyard.
Jing Jiu didn't like this place, but he didn't show it.
The sunlight shone down from the stone cave, illuminating the ground.
There was a bronze formation about one hundred feet in diameter on the ground.
If one ignored the lines and cracks on it, it could be regarded as a large mirror.
The large bronze mirror exuded an indescribable energy. This energy was tens of thousands of times fainter than the faintest perfume, but it could be smelled or perceived accurately. It was exceedingly fresh, as if one's body would feel a bit lighter after inhaling it. It was similar to the energy of Qing 'er when she waved her sleeve.
The amazing thing was that the faintest energy gave off a strong feeling, even better than the thickest milk and hard liquor.
This must be the Green Sky Mirror.
Jing Jiu looked around and found there were twenty-six futons in the cave.
A thin line extended from the bottom of each futon, leading to the inside of the Green Sky Mirror.
If one observed them carefully, they would find that those thin lines were actually the rivers, and there were all kinds of boats on the rivers.
On the boats were boatmen, merchants, young ladies looking at the scenery behind the curtains, and women feeding their breasts. All of them looked like living beings, but they were devoid of life force; it was evident that they were not alive.
Those who had entered the cave before him were all meditating with their eyes closed, so was Zhuo Rusui.
That faint yet strong energy was probably a hint of fairy energy leaked out from the Green Sky Mirror. Cultivating amid the fairy energy was a dream for every Cultivation practitioner.
Jing Jiu glanced at the disciple of the No-Mercy Sect and chose a futon randomly to sit on. He reached out his hand to summon some wind to his face and took a bite, confirming that it was the true fairy energy.
The Green Sky Mirror was a heavenly treasure, also known as the fairy magic treasure; but it had never left this world, so it shouldn't have such an energy.
Was it possible that the Fairy Book of Longevity had been in the Green Sky Mirror all the time, or in the Illusionary Realm of Cloud-Dream?
That was why his Big Brother couldn't find it back then.
Thinking of all this, Jing Jiu had a stronger feeling, but it was still not a good feeling.
The participants came to the cave one after another.
Bai Zao, Que Niang of the Mirror Sect, Scholar Xi of Yimaozhai, and the scholar of the Kunlun Sect had all passed the test.
They were shocked when they saw the Green Sky Mirror, and then they sat down as quickly as possible to cultivate by meditation.
Bai Zao of course didn't do so. It was obvious that Tong Yan had never been to the Green Sky Mirror, but she was quite familiar with this place.
As the beloved daughter of the Immortal Sect Master and Bai Zhenren, she had a special status on the Cloud-Dream Mountain. It seemed that she had a lot of experience cultivating here and even in the Illusionary Realm.
As all twenty-six futons were occupied, Qing 'er flew in and clapped her hands.
A gust of wind rose in the blue sky as her thousand hands moved.
The group woke up from their meditation and looked at each other, the expressions in their eyes more determined and eager than before. It was merely a sliver of fairy energy leaking out from the Green Sky Mirror, but they could sense the difference after cultivating by meditation for a while. If they could obtain the Fairy Book of Longevity, what kind of fortune would it be?
Nobody would give up such an opportunity.
"Later, the Green Sky Mirror will guide you into the Illusionary Realm of Cloud-Dream. It will be a bit dark in the beginning, but don't be afraid."
Qing 'er flew up along with the wind and disappeared from the entrance of the cave.
The group felt a bit relieved, and their gazes started moving.
The Illusionary Realm of Cloud-Dream was not a two-on-one fight like in the arena, but a chaotic fight. As such, they had to consider some issues before entering the Illusionary Realm. Though two disciples of the Zhongzhou School had been eliminated by the spirit of the Green Sky Mirror, there were still some highly achieved swordsmen like Bai Zao and Tong Yan, and Bai Qianjun was even more formidable. If they wanted to make it to the end of this trial, they had to form an alliance to deal with them first.
The Aoyama Sect was the best candidate to form an alliance with. Many gazes fell on Jing Jiu, and then … moved away.
Jing Jiu was very powerful, but he was too lazy. More importantly, the relationship between him and Bai Zao was too complicated.
Those gazes fell on Zhuo Rusui again.
Zhuo Rusui lowered his head, his eyelids drooping.
They couldn't look at each other, so they couldn't communicate with each other.
Those gazes had no choice but to move away again.
The gazes were moving around in the cave; it was soundless, but it was extremely lively.
…
…
Qing 'er flew higher and higher, breaking through the clouds and fog and arriving at a high spot.
There was a stone platform by the cliff's edge. A dozen figures could be vaguely seen amid the thick fog.
The Immortal Tan, the Sect Master of Zhongzhou, the Immortal Liu, the Sect Master of Aoyama, Bu Qiuxiao, the Sect Master of Yimaozhai, the Principal Justice of the Guocheng Temple, the Sect Master of Kunlun, and the Sect Master of Ōzawa were all here.
"A dozen disciples have an unstable Cultivation state and a weak Dao Heart, so they might encounter mishaps in the Green Sky Mirror. So I asked them to stay here."
The transparent wings flapped softly, bringing up the fog and smoke. The face of Qing 'er looked dreamlike, beautiful and enchanting.
"One of them should be a descendant of the Bloody Demon Church. He has joined the sect since he was a child. I left a mark on him. You guys deal with him."
The dull voice of the Immortal Tan broke out in the fog, "Thank you."
Qing 'er nodded slightly and turned around, disappearing into the fog.
A moment later.
She appeared on the top of a peak.
There was no platform on the top of the peak, but there was a railing by the cliff's edge.
Standing by the railing, Bai Zhenren exuded a cold intent all over her body, looking like a snowy mountain.
Qing 'er flew to her back.
Bai Zhenren didn't turn around, asking, "What did you find out?"
"Jing Jiu is not his name," replied Qing 'er.
…
…
The mirror was the mirror.
The Green Sky Mirror was a mirror.
One could adjust one's clothes when looking at the mirror, and one could tell right from wrong.
Nobody could hide their true appearance when looking at the mirror.
The Green Sky Mirror was undoubtedly the most miraculous mirror in the world. Though it couldn't tell who was the most beautiful, it could tell who was lying.
She was the spirit of the Green Sky Mirror, so she would be the first obstacle in the Dao Competition that day. Though the questions she raised seemed to be meaningless, they were actually meaningful.
Zhuo Rusui was very cautious, so he tried his best to evade the questions.
Jing Jiu didn't think of all this, because everybody thought it was natural for her to raise the question based on Qing 'er's demeanor and reaction.
And the question was too simple; what kind of heavenly secret would it reveal?
Jing Jiu was his real name.
"Strangely enough, he didn't lie either. I don't understand what's going on."
Having said that, Qing 'er didn't say anything else.
Bai Zhenren remained silent for a long time.
Looking at her back, Qing 'er felt a bit nervous.
For some reason, she felt the energy on Jing Jiu was familiar. She felt a sense of closeness to him, as if she had found someone of her own kind.
She didn't tell Bai Zhenren about this discovery.
This was the first time she had lied to Bai Zhenren since she was born, or in other words, concealed something from him.
What she didn't know was that she hadn't come to this world until this moment.
"Let's begin then."
Bai Zhenren said.
She reached out her hand to the sky and picked up the Heavenly Retrieval Orb.
The whole of Cloud-Dream Mountain noticed it. The light painting disappeared without a trace. The people outside the valley were engaged in a heated discussion.
The fairy music could be heard faintly in the deep end of the clouds.
The twenty-six participants by the side of the Green Sky Mirror all heard the faint fairy music.
The music sounded distant, but it also seemed to be right by their ears.
They closed their eyes slowly and entered the dark world.
She placed the Heavenly Retrieval Orb in the middle of the Green Sky Mirror with one hand.
The Heavenly Retrieval Orb sank slowly.
It was like the setting sun sinking into the ocean.
…
…
In the sky above Cloud-Dream Mountain, the light screen that had disappeared not long ago reappeared.
The Cultivation practitioners couldn't help but discuss it while looking at the light screen.
Would the light screen show the scenes in the Illusionary Realm of Cloud-Dream?
There was nothing on the light screen at the moment, except darkness.
It looked like a piece of black cloth covering the real sky.
A light speck suddenly appeared in the darkness.
The light speck grew larger and larger, and gradually turned into a circle, exuding a great deal of light and heat.
The sun broke through the invisible barrier and appeared in the sky, illuminating this corner of heaven and earth.
The world woke up.
This world had the grasslands, the mountains, the snowy peaks, and the ocean.
And the fertile fields, the villages, and the cities.
The cattle and sheep in the villages, and the populace in the cities.
The temples in the suburbs, and the eunuchs in the palaces.
Everything was so familiar, no different from the places in Chaotian. … …
The cries could be heard in a royal palace.
The Empress had died in childbirth. The Emperor was so grieved that he was on the verge of passing out from crying.
The royal palace was in a state of chaos. Nobody paid attention to the newborn prince, whose body was still stained with blood.
In the next moment, the infant opened his eyes.
His eyes were like a stretch of ocean. They looked calm and clear, but they were actually very deep, hiding countless storms and waves.
A moment later, all the emotions in his eyes had disappeared, leaving only calmness and a hint of tiredness.
He had the same feeling as when he woke up in the stone cave many years ago.
It was truly annoying.
… …
… …
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