A faint pain pricked at Lin Shijin’s fingertips. A low buzzing filled his ears, and the pain dulled his reactions. He braced himself against the ground with his fingers. A moment ago he had been in the inn, yet now he had been transported elsewhere.
This place… should be Wuxiang Mountain.
The formations were scattered at random throughout Wuxiang Mountain, and he had been dropped straight out of mid-air. Even with some preparation, he had still been affected, and had sprained his wrist upon landing.
Lin Shijin rolled across the ground as he fell. He looked around to find himself in a gloomy forest. A sharp, almost fracturing pain shot through his wrist. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand, instinctively searching for Sheng Rufei.
Each person’s token carried a different formation, and their points of teleportation differed as well. However, Sheng Rufei had linked their tokens with forged thread, so he should be somewhere nearby.
Not far.
Leaning against a wall, Lin Shijin drew in a quiet breath of cold air. He rubbed his wrist, where a ring of bruising had already formed.
He felt it himself. With Sheng Rufei not here, he hesitated briefly before wrapping it in gauze.
He had not expected it at all. The fireworks in the city had been a farewell for them. The moment the fireworks died out had marked the opening of Wuxiang Mountain.
“They didn’t even say what the task is.”
Lin Shijin muttered, “What is a Purgatory Field supposed to mean?”
“You don’t understand what a Purgatory Field is?” A cool voice sounded by his ear as Fuheng spoke. “This is a sealed mountain, filled with dangers in every direction, but also accompanied by opportunities.”
“You must find your own way out. If you cannot, then everyone will remain trapped here indefinitely.”
Lin Shijin was momentarily stunned. “There’s no time limit?”
He remembered that the trials in previous years had not been like this.
“There is,” Fuheng replied. “Have you not already signed a life and death contract? When the time comes, if you have not made it out, you can imagine the consequences yourself.”
“It shouldn’t be that serious…” Lin Shijin was somewhat unconvinced. His fingers still pressed against the tree trunk, its bark wrinkling and splitting beneath his touch. He noticed that the locust trees here were towering, growing so tall that their interwoven branches obscured half the clouds and moon.
For now, reuniting with Sheng Rufei was more important. The soul-bond could be of use here. He looked at the red thread at his wrist, intending to follow its direction to find Sheng Rufei.
Lin Shijin moved through the shadowy forest. The temperature on Wuxiang Mountain was low. There seemed to be a city within, though it was an abandoned one. As he remained alert to his surroundings, he asked Fuheng,
“Fuheng, what you said just now… is it true?”
From what he had heard, Wuxiang Mountain was mostly used for competitive trials. He had never heard of anything like this.
“Of course,” Lin Fuheng said. “In previous years, Wuxiang Mountain was far more brutal than you imagine, with a very high elimination rate. This year, the addition of the life and death contract means it will only be even harder to pass.”
“You want to ask whether they care about the lives of you disciples?” Fuheng said indifferently. “You have never set foot on a real battlefield. The wars between the immortal sects and demonic forces are far more brutal than your trials. This place lies closest to the ancient battlefield.”
Lin Shijin asked, “What does that mean?”
“It means you can receive the best possible training here. Wuxiang Mountain has opened early this year,” Fuheng paused slightly, “perhaps because the immortal sects can no longer afford to wait.”
“Wait for what? Is it related to the immortal sects and the demonic forces?”
Fuheng reached out and patted the youth’s head. “You will know soon enough.”
No one could stop the tide of the times.
Lin Shijin did not quite understand. He had no grasp of the grand righteousness of the immortal sects, nor did he harbour any ambition to save all living beings.
He only hoped that his shixiong would live safely and happily, and that the mortal world might have room for insignificant people like them.
“If it really is as you say, will my shixiong have to go to the battlefield?”
“He naturally will,” Lin Fuheng said, his gaze deepening slightly. Now reduced to a mere wisp of a soul, he remembered little, but if his memory served him correctly…
He paused, then gave the youth’s head another pat. “Not only your shixiong. All disciples of the immortal sects will have to step forward. You will go as well.”
“My shixiong too? Wouldn’t that be very dangerous?” Lin Shijin frowned in worry. He did not consider himself at all. He would simply follow the crowd. But when he thought of Sheng Rufei going to the battlefield, he felt uneasy and did not want him to go.
Because Sheng Rufei was capable, and the more capable one was, the more one had to bear.
“Worry less about him and more about yourself. Think first about how you are going to survive in Wuxiang Mountain.”
Lin Shijin gave an “oh”. He had been following the red thread for roughly half an hour, yet had not found Sheng Rufei. Instead, he found himself back where he had first landed.
The marks from where he had rolled were still visible on the ground.
He had circled back again.
Looking out ahead, he saw a vast stretch of shadowed forest that blotted out the sky, with no end in sight.
“Fuheng, is there some kind of illusion here?”
“No,” Fuheng said. “This is a natural formation. Your luck is poor. You have entered one of Wuxiang Mountain’s labyrinthine forests. Getting out will not be easy.”
“There are three hours left before nightfall. At night, poisonous mist will form here. You disciples of the immortal sects can remain within it for at most one hour. Beyond that, the poison will take effect and you will die.”
Lin Shijin scratched his ear, making sure he had heard correctly. “So if I don’t get out before nightfall, I’ll be eliminated?”
“You will die.” When Lin Fuheng had established Wuxiang Mountain, every blade of grass and every tree had been arranged by his hand, so that each generation of disciples would remember history and prepare for danger in advance.
Those who came were almost all prodigies from sects great and small. This little simpleton was an exception. He reached out and pinched the youth’s ear.
“So you must get out before nightfall. If you cannot, forget about finding your shixiong. You may lose your life first.”
Lin Shijin was still somewhat dazed, not even reacting to having his ear pinched. “Then what about my shixiong?”
“Worry less about him. He understands far more than you. Nothing will happen to him.”
Lin Shijin felt somewhat reassured. He scratched his cheek and looked again at the densely shadowed forest ahead. How was he supposed to get out?
“A maze?” Lin Shijin knew he could not rely on the red thread at his wrist now. His understanding of formations was limited. He considered relying on instinct, but his instincts were not always reliable.
Even if nine times out of ten they were correct, there would still be one failure. He could not gamble carelessly.
“Fuheng, how can I get out?”
Lin Fuheng showed a little more patience. The youth had already tried his patience many times along the way, and now that he was willing to ask, he felt a faint, peculiar satisfaction.
“A maze formation is all illusion. What appears the same is, in fact, not the same. You must observe carefully.”
Lin Shijin looked around. Indeed, every blade of grass and every tree seemed identical to him. He could not discern any obvious difference.
“Look at the direction of the grass beneath the trees. Can you see any difference?”
Lin Shijin stared for quite some time, then slowly shook his head. “I can’t.”
Lin Fuheng was about to continue when the youth stepped forward, crouched beside a tree, and reached out to touch the tips of the grass. After feeling one cluster, he moved on to the next.
Though the two clumps of grass looked the same, they felt entirely different.
“Fuheng, I can feel the difference,” Lin Shijin said. Using this clumsy method, he felt them one by one. The grass seemed to be arranged according to some pattern, each blade placed with purpose.
But what use was that? Was he meant to find his way out by feeling each blade of grass one at a time?
“Under normal circumstances, someone with higher cultivation could see these differences with the naked eye,” Lin Fuheng said. “If you can only feel them but cannot see them, it is easy to become lost. You cannot rely on your eyes to detect subtle fluctuations in spiritual energy.”
“Then should I feel my way along the grass?” Lin Shijin pressed his lips together, casually tugging up a handful of grass tips and tossing them aside.
Clearly unrealistic.
“Observe the changes in their spiritual energy.” Knowing the youth was slow to grasp things, Fuheng considered for a moment before rephrasing. “If you can master the observation of subtle fluctuations in spiritual energy, you will be able to break this maze and easily find your shixiong.”
Lin Shijin paused slightly. “Really?”
“Yes. In future, it will be far easier for you to find him. Not only spiritual plants possess such fluctuations, people do as well. Every blade of grass and every tree in this world carries a different pattern of spiritual energy.”
“If you can master a deeper level of perceiving these fluctuations, no matter what form your shixiong takes, you will be able to recognise him. If one day he runs off, you will have no trouble catching him.”
Lin Shijin grew interested. With his hands tucked in, he stared at the grass before him. “Then what should I do?”
A technique that could bring his shixiong back was something he very much wanted to learn.
“Calm your mind and observe the changes in their spiritual energy. While the overall fluctuations of spiritual plants appear similar, in truth, each type and each individual plant differs.”
Lin Shijin focused, closing his eyes in imitation. He thought to himself that once he learned this, he would be able to catch his shixiong. Once he learned it, his shixiong would not be able to run. Even if one day his shixiong did not want him anymore, he still would not be able to escape.
The more he thought about it, the happier he became. With his hands tucked in, he opened his eyes again.
At that moment, the air itself seemed to grow still. Upon the plants before him, he saw faint strands of silver.
The threads swayed with the tips of the grass, shimmering brightly in the sunlight.
“Fuheng, is it those thread-like silver strands?” Lin Shijin’s eyes lit up as he looked at the plants, a note of delight in his voice. He felt he must be right.
“Yes,” Lin Fuheng said, having discovered a new way to teach the youth. He rubbed the tip of his ear. “Look carefully at what is different, and commit the changes in their spiritual energy to memory.”
Lin Shijin gave an “oh” and followed his instructions. In truth, he was not sure whether he had remembered anything properly, but when he examined other plants, they were indeed not quite the same.
“Choose a path. Remember the differences in the spiritual energy of the plants. Do not look at their appearance. If you encounter something the same, avoid it.”
Lin Shijin did as he was told. Whenever he came across something familiar, he avoided it. Gradually, his field of vision widened, and he could clearly sense that he was no longer in the same place as before.
He had come out of it.
Yet the shadowy forest remained deep and vast, and there was no telling when he might reach its edge.
“Fuheng, when will I be able to get out?”
Lin Shijin glanced at the sky. It seemed somewhat darker than before. He did not know whether he would make it out before nightfall.
“What if I can’t get out?”
His ear was tugged again, and Fuheng said, “Use your brain.”
Lin Shijin was still thinking when he heard movement in the distance. He stopped at once, a trace of wariness rising within him, and slipped behind a locust tree.
“What did you say… you came in to find your fiancée?”
“Ah, fine, do as you like. It’s only a temporary partnership anyway.”
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, carrying a hint of lazy indifference. He cautiously poked his head out to look, and spotted two familiar figures not far away.
Xue Dangui and… Cui Haoxue.
His eyes widened slightly. He could not understand why those two were together, and immediately withdrew his gaze, remaining perfectly still. For some reason, the two of them also fell silent at the same time.
Lin Shijin had no intention of getting involved with them. He waited quietly where he was, keeping a covert watch on their movements, intending to take the opposite direction once they left.
After a long while with no movement, he turned his head as though sensing something, only to be met with a face suddenly close and enlarged before him.
Xue Dangui raised a brow slightly, looking at him with a half-smile.
Lin Shijin’s heart jolted, and three words flashed through his mind.
This is bad.
