15 Is it powerful?
Above the Ghost Pond, He Wenzhou looked at the new disciples who were either nervous or expectant, and slowly said,
"Today is your second round of introductory trials. I am He Wenzhou, the senior brother of Huatang Peak. I will introduce the rules of this trial to you."
He pointed to the huge pool of black air beneath his feet and said, "This pool is called the Ghost Pool. There's a thin demonic energy floating in it, which will suppress the spiritual energy in your bodies. In addition, there are several Wanguang Lotuses and several Annihilation Beasts hidden in the Ghost Pool."
"The Annihilation Beast sleeps in various locations underwater and is easily disturbed by fighting. Once awake, it will roam the pool following any movement. Anyone it bites will be eliminated."
"And your mission is to obtain the Wanguang Lotus and return to shore."
After hearing the rules, everyone began to ponder. Suddenly, one person asked, "Brother He, can we snatch the Wanguang Lotus picked by others?"
When they heard this question, many people raised their heads.
He Wenzhou glanced at their faces, each with their own thoughts.
"As long as you can grab it, of course you can."
Everyone immediately started whispering.
During these few days of getting along, many people have become familiar with each other and even become friends.
Everyone found their own small groups and discussed,
"Once we enter the ghost pond, we will join forces to pick the Wanguang Lotus and then divide it up when we get out."
"In my opinion, why don't we just squat on the shore and snatch the Wanguang Lotus that others have picked."
"But if a fight breaks out, what if the Annihilation Beast wakes up?"
"With so many of us, are you still worried that we can't kill this Annihilation Beast?"
Among this group of people, two people stood out in particular. They both stood on their own sides and did not talk to anyone.
He Wenzhou looked at them a few more times and was shocked by their appearance.
One of them looked as if he was covered in frost and snow, with an extremely cold temperament. The other had his eyes covered with a white cloth, and the lower half of his face was gorgeous in a completely different way from the plain white cloth.
He Wenzhou wondered in his heart: What's going on in this class? There are two such good-looking people all of a sudden.
He looked away and cleared his throat to interrupt the others who were talking:
"Oh, there's one more thing I need to remind you."
"Once each Wanguang Lotus is picked, it will wither within a moment. And if the number of awakened Annihilation Beasts in the pond exceeds the number of Wanguang Lotuses, then all the Wanguang Lotuses in the Ghost Pond will wither together and never bloom again."
Everyone froze.
What kind of weird rule is this?!
The people who had been huddled together before involuntarily took a step aside and distanced themselves from others.
No one has the time to care about others. Everyone just wants to pick a Wanguang lotus and get ashore quickly.
After all, the lotus is becoming less and less. If we delay for a while, not only will the lotus wither, but if the number of awakened Annihilation Beasts unknowingly exceeds that of the Wanguang Lotus, then all our efforts will be wasted.
"Okay, now that I've explained the rules to you clearly." He Wenzhou didn't have time to care about their little thoughts, he clapped his hands.
"Then, the trial begins—"
As soon as the words fell, the mirror stands under everyone's feet shattered, and a feeling of weightlessness came over them. These people fell into the ghost pool one after another like dumplings.
“Crash—”
Xie Hanjing fell steadily into the pool.
He raised his hand to wipe away the water droplets that splashed on his face. There was a faint demonic aura all around him, and the visible range was only a few feet.
The freezing cold water in the pool reached up to the waist. Although it was called a pool, it was actually more like a huge lake. The bottom of the lake was of varying depths and was rugged and difficult to walk on.
Xie Hanjing randomly chose a direction and walked forward for a while. Soon, a faint white light that was about to merge with the black fog appeared before his eyes.
It was a quietly blooming Wanguang lotus.
*
Seeing that they had finally reached the Ghost Pond, Hua Lang breathed a sigh of relief and said,
"Master Wu, the Ghost Pond ahead is where we will take the entrance exam for Qinglai. Why don't we rest here for a while?"
Wu Tingque sat in a wheelchair and glanced up calmly. The friendly smile on his face faded a little, and his tiredness could no longer be concealed. "Ahem... Junior Sister, you can make the arrangements."
Hua Lang successfully led him to sit on the ghost pool, and a disciple leaned over to introduce the trial rules to Wu Tingque.
Hua Lang couldn't wait to look into the pond.
In the pool, a faint demonic energy surged, and it was pitch black. Nothing could be seen clearly, and only the area near the shore could be seen clearly.
Coincidentally, Hua Lang saw Yan Rong tightly guarding a Wanguang Lotus. He closed his eyes, his whole body was wet, and he was wading through the pool water and walking towards the poolside.
Hua Lang was a little nervous because she saw someone lying in ambush in front of Yan Rong. If Yan Rong continued to walk in this direction, he would definitely bump into that person.
She didn't know how much Yan Rong's eyes had recovered, but he was poisoned, so even if he could see, he couldn't beat others.
Wu Tingque suddenly spoke up, "This man is an acquaintance of Junior Sister's. I noticed that Junior Sister seemed to have been watching him for a long time."
Hua Lang retracted his gaze and smiled awkwardly, "Really? I just saw him pick the lotus and reach the shore first. Maybe he can get a good ranking in the trial."
Wu Tingque frowned, and although his expression was extremely gentle, Hua Lang could still see a hint of indifference.
He said with regret, "What a pity... This person is very stubborn and his mind is hard to understand. Even if he gets a good ranking and enters the immortal path, I'm afraid it won't have any good results."
Hua Lang sensed a hidden meaning in his words, and spoke slowly and cautiously, "...Cultivating immortals requires both character and talent, but luck is also an indispensable element. Who knows what opportunities he will encounter in the future. Look, how many people who have successfully obtained the Wanguang Lotus like him can reach this shore?"
Sure enough, there was constant fighting within the visible area of the pool.
Those who had previously been hesitant for fear of waking up the Annihilation Beast gradually joined in the scramble.
Wu Tingque did not look at Guichi, but looked at Hua Lang instead, gently fiddling with the ring on his index finger, as if thinking about something.
"There are few people in the world as open-minded as Junior Sister. When I saw her, I remembered my own shortcomings and the many difficulties I encountered on my path to becoming an immortal. Junior Sister's words gave me a lot of guidance. It was I who was narrow-minded."
Hua Lang smiled politely, "Mr. Wu is extremely talented, and he shouldn't feel sorry for himself."
From a distance, it seemed that the two were talking and laughing, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Hua Lang turned and looked into the pool again.
As if to prove what Hua Lang said about her "good luck", Yan Rong changed direction without knowing when, and while stumbling, she accidentally avoided the ambush ahead.
While the others were working hard to find the Wanguang Lotus and fight the Yan Beast, Yan Rong was the first to reach the pool. After the whole trip, only his clothes were wet by the pool water.
Hua Lang couldn't help but applaud him, and the people following him also joined in the applause.
Yan Rong handed the Wan Guanglian to He Wenzhou who was guarding the pool.
He Wenzhou took the lotus and looked at him in surprise. He thought that his eyes had not healed yet and he would definitely not pass the test. Unexpectedly, he not only passed it easily, but also won first place.
Above the formation behind him, there was a huge blank jade slip. When Yan Rong handed it to Wan Guanglian, the words "Yan Rong" were slowly engraved on the top of the jade slip.
First, Yan Rong.
Hua Lang was like seeing a child get a perfect score on the test, he quickly pulled out 001 and showed off,
"001, look, Yan Rong also got first place, isn't that impressive!"
001 took a look, 001 was confused, 001 screamed!
[Ahhh host, are you kidding me?!]
001 pulled out the system page, and the main task on it was bright red: Guichi Liandong's bloodline began to show, and he took the lead and became a disciple of Qinglai.
001 pointed at the huge word "First" and questioned Hua Lang: [First place is Xie Hanjing's ranking!]
Hua Lang's smile froze.
...Yeah, where's Xie Hanjing? !
She hurriedly searched for Xie Hanjing's figure in the ghost pool, but the pool was filled with demonic energy, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see clearly, let alone find Xie Hanjing's trace.
After Yan Rong, more and more people arrived at the shallow water, but none of them was Xie Hanjing.
Hua Lang was a little panicked. What was going on?
"001, where is the male lead? Why is he gone?"
001 was also frantic: [Host, the person you should have been looking for from the beginning was Xie Hanjing, not Yan Rong. Look, now you've lost the male lead!]
Hua Lang felt guilty and anxious, so he quickly turned to Wu Tingque and said, "I can't see the trial clearly from here. I'll go to the pool and take a look."
Wu Tingque seemed unable to read her expression. "Then I'll go with you, Junior Sister."
Hua Lang quickly dissuaded him, "The poolside is muddy and wet. Master Wu, why don't you just stay in the stands? If you need anything, just tell the disciples nearby."
Hua Lang had no intention of playing Tai Chi with him. He told the others to "take good care of Mr. Wu" and flew down to land by the pool.
This ghost pool is so small, Hua Lang doesn’t believe that Xie Hanjing can disappear out of thin air.
But when one disciple after another came ashore and one white light lotus after another withered, Hua Lang still did not see Xie Hanjing.
After an unknown amount of time, He Wenzhou came over and asked Hua Lang for instructions.
"Junior Master, all the disciples who passed the test have arrived. Please move aside and preside over the seal-conferring ceremony."
Hua Lang was startled and asked, "How come they all came ashore? Xie..." Hua Lang swallowed Xie Hanjing's name and said, "Aren't there still people in the pool?"
He Wenzhou: "Replying to Junior Master, although the number of Annihilation Beasts and Wanguang Lotus is currently equal, there is a Wanguang Lotus by the pond that was lost during the fight. This lotus is about to wither."
When this Wanguang Lotus withered, the number of Yan Beasts was greater than that of the Wanguang Lotus.
"How long will it take for it to wither?"
He Wenzhou closed his eyes and used his spiritual energy to connect with the formations set up everywhere. After a moment, he replied, "Replying to Junior Master, there is still about half an incense stick of time."
Half an incense stick of time?
There was still no one within the visible range of the ghost pool.
"Junior Master, do you think we should move on to the seal-granting ceremony?"
Hua Lang looked back and saw that those standing in the distance were all people who had passed the trial.
The faces of the several people who were soaked with sweat had expressions of joy that they could not hide. They talked to each other and occasionally raised their heads to look in the direction of Hua Lang, their eyes filled with desire and awe.
Yan Rong stood in the crowd, thinking that as a disciple of Qinglai, everyone would compliment him to varying degrees.
"Brother Yan, I didn't expect you to be so powerful."
"Today, Junior Master-Uncle is personally bestowing the seal. Brother Yan, since you are ranked first and you are so handsome, maybe she will choose you as her disciple."
"Yes, yes. This junior uncle hasn't become the peak master yet. If she takes a fancy to him, after a while, he will become the eldest senior brother. How impressive!"
Yan Rong was indifferent to these compliments. He closed his eyes and turned his head accurately to face Hua Lang.
These young men were now in a state of pride and arrogance. Seeing that he did not respond, they were unwilling to pay any attention to Yan Rong and gradually excluded him.
It was just luck that it was actually installed.
After a moment of glory, Yan Rong returned to being alone.
Hua Lang was extremely anxious and naturally had no intention of presiding over the ceremony. She glanced at Yan Rong with heartache, forced herself to turn back, and said to He Wenzhou, "Wait a little longer."
She really could only wait on the shore.
Wu Tingque, who was on the high platform, could see it clearly. He chuckled and took the teacup handed to him by the servant.
His gaze was fixed on the lotus that was gradually losing its luster in the dark evil aura in the pond.
"Um?"
Wu Tingque put down his teacup.
In the pond, the broken lotus floating on the water surface suddenly broke through the water layer. The layers of petals were unable to bear it and rolled down water droplets in a line.
A cold, white, slender hand was holding the lotus stem, breaking out of the water with it.
Then a shadowy face appeared. Just as it was about to surface, the demonic energy suddenly became thicker.
It just happened to block Wu Tingque's inquiring gaze...
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