Chapter 969: Three Trials and Nine Difficulties
Legend had it that during the Ancient Age, the Creation Pool had gathered the Power of Creation of Heaven and Earth, meaning it could be used continuously to cultivate geniuses. It was the foundation of a large sect.
During that time, the Creation Pool was built to cultivate the disciples of the younger generation. It was used precisely so that the Ancient Age Creation Sect would be full of strong and talented practitioners. The might of the Creation Sect back then was equivalent to that of an entire realm now.
The Path of Creation mentioned by the Huatian Palace was actually a place that the Creation Sect had built to assess their disciples. Once the disciples completed the challenges, they would be able to enter the Creation Pool and receive enlightenment from it.
However, since the Huatian Palace took over the place, very few people had been able to enter the Creation Pool. After all, the number of talented people in the Source World had fallen drastically and was far inferior to that of other worlds. It was too challenging for practitioners at the Primordial Soul Realm or below to be able to reach the Creation Pool.
In the past, there had been countless ancient cultivators who had been able to enter the Creation Pool. However, it had been a thousand years since someone had entered it.
Mo Qingge was uncertain whether Mo Wen could make it to the Creation Pool. However, nobody would know how things would end until they came to it.
…
The sun was like a furnace, and its light blazed with a terrifyingly high temperature. The sunlight lit up the desert. It was as though the ground was covered with gold.
Mo Wen walked through the desert with uneven steps. He kept moving forward in the same direction. It was as though he was a man trapped in the desert who was trying to reach the end of this sea of sand.
In his hands, he held a jade inscription. He was reading it carefully.
The detailed information regarding the Path of Creation was recorded on the jade inscription. There were many generations of people from the Huatian Palace who had ventured through the Path of Creation, so the Huatian Palace had a rather comprehensive understanding of the place. However, this did not make the journey easier. The Path of Creation was the holy land used by the Ancient Age Creation Sect to assess its disciples. No one would be able to pass it simply through a combination of luck and the right intel.
“There are a total of three trials and nine difficulties along the Path of Creation. Once I pass them all, I will be able to reach the Creation Pool.”
Mo Wen put the jade inscription away and gazed into the distance. There were three trials and nine difficulties, with each test harder than the previous one. Mo Wen wondered how many trials the four freaks from the Huatian Palace had passed and whether he could catch up with them.
Right now, he was experiencing the first test. It was the first difficulty: Hard is the Way of the World. There were no dangers or life-threatening tasks in this test. It mainly tested one’s will.
The Ancient Age Creation Sect placed a high value on the will of the young disciples. They would not accept anyone who was not strong-willed.
Cultivating was a difficult task. If one did was not strong-willed, they would be unlikely to achieve highly in the future, even if they were talented.
“When I entered here, my cultivation was completely sealed. I am no different from a common man. Strangely enough, my strong body has also been stripped away. My current body is no different from an ordinary person’s.”
Mo Wen walked through the desert. The blazing sun loomed high in the sky, and he was drenched in sweat. Right now, he was like an ordinary person. Walking on the dunes, his feet seemed to be laced with lead; every step he took was rather difficult.
“I can pass the first test by making it out of this desert?”
Mo Wen shook his head and laughed bitterly. This desert appeared endless. Only heaven knew how long it would take for him to escape from it and whether he could walk out of it alive.
The most despairing part was he only needed to think about giving up inside and he would be able to escape the desert and be spared of his misery. This was not a last resort but was instead a comfortable choice to escape this misery.
Humans would persevere as long as there was hope. On the other hand, despair would rapidly strike down a person. It was very easy to develop a sense of despair in an environment such as this desert. Once one despaired, they would choose to give up eighty to ninety percent of the time.
Mo Wen walked forward silently. He had lived two lifetimes and had experienced all sorts of difficulties. His will was naturally strong, and his willpower would not be weaker than others just because he was young.
From the information that Mo Qingge gave him, the first test, Hard is the Way of the World, was the easiest to pass of the three trials and nine difficulties. However, it was also the easiest test to stumble in. There had been many young and powerful geniuses who had fallen in this first trial. There were also unknown youths who shone brilliantly at it.
Strangely enough, the information did not specifically state how to get past the first test. There was only one line: persevere, persevere to the end.
Persevere to the end?
Mo Wen shook his head. This line gave people the impression that there would not be an end and that one had to keep moving forward. Wouldn’t that make anyone despair?
Fortunately, Mo Wen’s will surpassed that of ordinary people. Since it was just a trial, and it was the very first one, it was impossible for him to fail.
He persevered and continued moving forward. One day, two days, three days…
In the desert, the weather was rather extreme. During the day, it was blazingly hot, as though he was being grilled over a fire; at night, the temperature dropped rapidly, and Mo Wen was as cold as if he had fallen into a freezer.
Along the way, there was no food and water.
Three days seemed to be the limits of the human body. An ordinary person would most likely have already died by now. However, Mo Wen persevered in the desert for more than ten days, always moving forward. He had felt himself burning out a long time ago. He felt that if he did not drink or eat, he would die. But strangely enough, as long as he persevered and did not give up, he knew he would not die.
Of course, this did not mean that the pain he endured was lessened. As time passed, the pain kept increasing. Along the way, he had already passed out a few times. However, he kept getting back to his feet and continued walking ahead. Apart from the fact that he was still alive and moving, he was no different from a dying man.
Unknowingly, Mo Wen had walked in the desert for a month. He could not stop, because once he stopped while conscious for more than fifteen minutes, he would automatically be considered as having surrendered. Only by fainting naturally could he stop in his tracks. A month ago, he had been in a normal condition, but now he was a pile of skin and bones, like a shriveled human-shaped corpse. Along the way, there had been countless times when he believed he would not be able to persevere. However, when he recalled Mo Qingge’s words, he ground his teeth and kept going.
Many times, he doubted whether he would be able to get back up when he stumbled again.
Hard is the Way of the World. This truly was hard!
Mo Wen laughed bitterly, stumbled and passed out once again.
…
When Mo Wen opened his eyes, he discovered that he was no longer in the desert, but in an ancient grand palace hall. Mo Wen could not describe its architectural style. It was somewhat similar to a castle from the Middle Age. It was constructed from dark black stone and appeared solemn and cold.
In the middle of the hall was a large pool of water. There was a dragon head at each of the four corners of the pool. Clear water kept flowing from the mouths of the dragon heads.
Beside the pool was an ancient inscription written on a tablet. Mo Wen did not recognize the script, but he understood the meaning of it.
Rejuvenation!
So this was the Pool of Rejuvenation!
Mo Wen finally understood why he had appeared here. He also understood the Hard is the Way of the World test better.
His arrival here meant that he had already passed the first test, Hard is the Way of the World.
Hard is the Way of the World had quantitative criteria. One did not need to keep persevering in the desert. They just needed to walk in the desert for a certain amount of time, and they would pass this test. Usually, one only needed to last five days in Hard is the Way of the World and then retire to pass the first test. They could then enter the next test.
Mo Wen had reached Hard is the Way of the World’s highest standard and was automatically retired.
“Rumor has it that the Pool of Rejuvenation is connected with the legendary Creation Pool. I never imagined that I would actually have the opportunity to enter this pool.”
Mo Wen’s eyes flickered with excitement. Only by reaching the highest standard of the Hard is the Way of the World test could one enter this Pool of Rejuvenation. There was no reward for passing the test with the lowest standard. No wonder Mo Qingge had asked him to keep going. If he had given up along the way, he would have not been able to enter this Pool of Rejuvenation.
Mo Wen waded excitedly into the Pool of Rejuvenation. When he appeared in this hall, he discovered that his cultivation and power had already returned. His body was also strong enough that all the previous torment no seemed like nothing.
Once he entered the Pool of Rejuvenation, a miraculous power slowly and immediately entered his body. The icy cold energy kept circulating in his body along his meridians. He felt that his body was like a dead thousand-year-old tree that was once again coming alive and was filled with huge vigor.
His body had been raised to an entirely different level, causing Mo Wen to be immersed totally in the pool. Time passed without him noticing. When Mo Wen opened his eyes again, he had absorbed all the power in the Pool of Rejuvenation.
When Mo Wen walked out of the pool, his body was no longer shriveled and had returned to its muscular and powerful state. His skin was like gemstones, enveloped by a fizzy halo.
“Such magical power! I can sense that my body has become much more powerful. My Yin Yang Qi which had stopped increasing has gone up by fifty percent!”
Mo Wen could not put what he was experiencing into words. His only feeling was he had been transformed from head to toe. His entire being seemed to have gone through a 360-degree change.
In short, if Mo Wen encountered the Blood Evil Temple Temple Leader Xue Chu again now, he would surely not be as pathetic as he was last time.
Before this, Mo Wen’s Yin Yang Qi had reached a plateau. It was like a bottle that had been filled to the brim. Unless Mo Wen broke through to the Primordial Soul Realm, his cultivation could not be increased anymore. However, his Yin Yang Qi had now increased significantly. The total amount of Yin Yang Qi that Mo Wen had was most likely on par with that of an intermediate stage Primordial Soul Realm cultivator.
Moreover, that was just the changes in terms of Mo Wen’s Yin Yang Qi. His greatest reward this time was the transformation of his body.
As Mo Wen examined his body, the inscriptions on the stone tablet beside the pool suddenly released a beam of light. The beam transformed into a streak of moving light and went straight into Mo Wen’s palm. Then, an ancient rune coalesced on his hand. Before Mo Wen could process everything that had happened, he was enveloped by a force and disappeared instantly from the hall.
…
When Mo Wen reappeared once again, he realized that he was in the sky. 18 stone pillars stood among the clouds, and Mo Wen was standing on one of the stone pillars.
The second test of the three trials and nine difficulties: Nothing Exists beyond the Mind.
The second test was designed to assess one’s mind and aptitude. The Creation Sect had gone back to basics when it came to choosing disciples. So, their first two tests did not assess the martial arts ability of the candidates. Even if a commoner came for the tests, they would have a chance of passing the assessments.
“Nothing Exists beyond the Mind!”
Mo Wen put on a faint smile. As a cultivator, he understood the importance of nothing existing beyond the mind. If a person was overwhelmed with distracting thoughts and had no peace in their mind, how could the person comprehend the Heavenly Path and set foot on the Way of Immortals?