Chapter 878 Nightmare
"Sister Song!"
Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, young men and women emerged one after another, each holding a wooden plaque, led out by the Yue women.
Song Zhian followed behind Senior Sister Yuan in silence, her pretty face somewhat dazed, as if she had just woken up from a daze and was now returning to reality, with a hint of low spirits.
As soon as she stepped out of the main hall, she heard Yu Xiaoniangzi's excited shouts.
Song Zhian looked up and saw a taciturn man and a short-haired young man standing behind Yu's younger sister.
It's Brother Liu and Brother Sha.
Young Master Lu is not here; he seems to still be inside the palace.
The three of them must have come out ahead of time and were looking towards the entrance of the palace, waiting for her and Young Master Lu.
Song Zhian turned around and glanced at the main hall.
When she had just woken up, Senior Sister Yuan was standing to the side, holding a strange bell in her hand, seemingly tapping it near her ear to wake her up.
Moreover, Song Zhian noticed that the surrounding white mist thinned out with the sound of the bells, as if the mist was afraid of the bells and dispersed.
After she woke up, she obediently followed Senior Sister Yuan out of the main hall.
In addition, Senior Sister Yuan also gave her a wooden plaque with a number on it that was still wet with ink.
Song Zhian touched the wooden plaque at her waist and looked down at it.
Ninety-two steps.
This seems to be the third test, the number of steps taken to penetrate deeper into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
According to calculations, the more steps taken, the better the results.
After leading Song Zhian out of the main hall, Senior Sister Yuan said a few words, then turned back to the main hall, holding a bell in her hand, gently shaking it, and once again entered the white mist, seemingly to find the remaining people.
Song Zhian turned around, vigorously rubbed her stiff little face, and perked up. She approached Ouyang Rong and the other two, and asked gently:
When did you guys come out?
As Song Zhian spoke, she looked around. There were seven people in the open space outside the hall, including herself. There should be three more people inside the hall, including Lu Jinghong.
"We've only been out here for a short time."
Song Zhiruo quickly noticed that each of the three also had a wooden tag with a number on it at their waist. She looked down at it and muttered to herself:
"Could it be the order of grades...?"
Noticing her gaze, Lady Yu immediately raised the wooden plaque and replied with a smile:
"It shouldn't be. Brother Liu just analyzed it and said that it should be the degree of entering the dream. Some people enter the dream deeply, and some shallowly. Senior Sister Yuan should have brought out those who entered the dream shallowly and were easy to wake up first, and then slowly woke up the others who entered the dream deeply. The real test should be the number on the wooden plaque that was given to us."
"Hehe, Sister Song, look, I also have ninety-two steps, just like you. That's right, when I just woke up, you were right next to me, we were standing close together, so our scores should be about the same. But I was in a shallow dream, so Senior Sister Yuan brought me out first."
Upon hearing the words "Ru Meng Qian," Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly.
Is sleepwalking also called shallow dreaming?
If you're a light sleeper, you'll probably sneak a snack while you sleep.
However, Ouyang Rong did not see this world-famous painting he had imagined, which was a slight disappointment at the time.
At this moment, Miss Yu picked up a small pastry, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and said indistinctly:
“I was going to call you, but Sister Song, you have no idea how strange your expression was. You were struggling and twisting, and it looked like you were crying. I was a little scared. Also, Senior Sister Yuan said it’s normal to have nightmares in this hall, so she told me not to disturb you and to go outside and wait.”
Song Zhian nodded slowly, her gaze turning to Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou.
Sha Ergou, unable to shake his blushing reaction when stared at by a pretty young woman, averted his gaze, scratched his head, and said:
"Did Miss Song also have a nightmare? I did too, a very bad dream... Brother Liu woke up the earliest, followed by Miss Yu. But coincidentally, Brother Liu and I had the same score, hehe, it seems we were both pretty good, both 85 steps. Brother Liu also said that when he woke up, I was right next to him."
Mentioning that nightmare, the latter seemed a little downcast, but he has now adjusted, grinned, and gestured to the wooden plaque in his hand.
Ouyang Rong turned his head, looked at Sha Ergou, and replied:
“You were in a deep sleep and shed many tears. Senior Sister Yuan also told me not to call you and to come out and wait first.”
"I see."
Song Zhian nodded slightly, glancing at the wooden plaques on the two of them, which read "Eighty-five steps".
While everyone waited for Lu Jinghong, Yu Xiaoniangzi tapped her chin with her finger, leaned forward, and whispered to the three of them:
"I just asked Senior Sister Yuan and found out that the Hall of Mental Cultivation is roughly divided into an outer hall and an inner hall, as well as the central hub at the deepest part... The area within a hundred steps is the outer hall area, and after a hundred steps is the inner hall area. As for the central hub, I don't know how many steps it takes to get there, but it doesn't matter. No one can possibly get there. That's where the Queen Dowager, who presides over the assessment, stays. I've heard that even the Queen Dowager dreams of being deep within the Hall of Mental Cultivation..."
"Senior Sister Yuan revealed that under normal circumstances, we can only stop at the outer hall. The standard for the third test is that 90 to 100 steps is outstanding, 80 to 90 steps is excellent, 70 to 80 steps is average... and below 60 steps is unqualified. Unless you win the first two tests or get a divine-grade embryo bottle, you will be directly eliminated regardless of your previous performance."
"Furthermore, those who can enter the inner palace after walking more than a hundred paces will be judged to have exceptional willpower and resilience, which is also a prerequisite for the Queen to accept disciples..."
Song Zhian looked thoughtful:
"We both took ninety-two steps... But... but I remember that not long after I rushed into the white mist, I felt sleepy, and that dream came over me, and I couldn't stop it. It seems like I didn't even take many steps..."
She gradually stopped talking; being naturally cautious, she didn't say much in front of Sister Yu, Brother Liu, and the other two.
In fact, just before Song Zhian entered the dream not long ago, she had a bad feeling about her score in the third round.
A joyful voice came from the side:
“Miss Song and Miss Yu have reached the top level. Brother Liu and I are also quite good. Haha, that’s great.”
Ouyang Rong glanced at the three people who all breathed a sigh of relief.
If I remember correctly, before he lent a hand and adjusted the positions of the four people, Song Zhian had only walked about seventy steps... which is below average according to convention.
Sha Ergou and Yu Xiaoniangzi both took more than eighty steps, but Ouyang Rong made a slight adjustment, increasing their steps a bit...
At this moment, everyone expected a good result, and the atmosphere on the field became somewhat festive. No one noticed that the taciturn man lowered his eyes slightly.
Song Zhian also smiled.
Yu Xiaoniangzi happily ate her snacks and replied to Sha Ergou:
"Of course, Sister Song is definitely amazing. Hmm, I'm not bad either. I really didn't expect it at first. It turns out that the third challenge is to make us dream. I'm familiar with that. I love sleeping the most, and I'm good at dreaming too."
She confessed quietly:
"Moreover, I have had a special talent since I was a child, which few people mention: I can have lucid dreams."
“I can be aware that I’m dreaming, so I’m not afraid of any dreams anymore. I know it’s a dream, I know it’s fake. And if I’m a light sleeper, half-asleep, I can even do some daring things in my dreams… When I used to tell my mother about this, she would always scold me, saying what’s the use of dreaming? Now I wonder if she still has the nerve to scold me.”
Lady Yu clapped her hands, looked up at the sky, and sighed:
"As expected, there is no such thing as a useless talent. It's just that we haven't met a discerning immortal who can recognize its value. This Yunmeng Sword Marsh is really good. It even tests this. It can be said that my talent, Yu Mili, has not been buried."
Ouyang Rong: ...
Song Zhian and Sha Ergou: ...
The three of them tacitly avoided responding to her words.
Ouyang Rong clasped his hands in a fist salute to Song Zhian:
"Thank you for the extra leaf, Miss Song."
Sha Ergou also said gratefully:
"Yes, yes, those butterfly leaves are really bitter, but they work. Otherwise, Brother Liu and I might not have achieved such good results."
Yu Xiaoniang nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "That's right, that's right. It would be even better if it were sweet and sour, it would also help to sober people up."
Just then, two more figures emerged from the main hall not far away.
Everyone fell silent for a moment, then looked in unison toward the entrance of the main hall.
But they discovered that it was Senior Sister Yuan and a young girl who was taking the test.
It wasn't Lu Jinghong.
Sha Ergou muttered:
"Brother Lu, why are you so slow?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at the main hall:
"Perhaps it's because I'm more deeply immersed in the dream."
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes. Not long ago, when he was quietly adjusting the four people's steps in the white mist inside the hall, he had observed the expressions of the four people as they entered the dream.
He discovered that Lu Jinghong's reaction to the dream was the most intense.
If we were to describe Sha Ergou's expression as one of sorrow and grief.
Song Zhian's expression was one of struggle and pain.
Lu Jinghong's expression was one of utter fear and panic.
Even the muscles in his face trembled slightly, and he was covered in sweat... It was a fear that had penetrated to the bone.
It was like a terrifying moment between life and death.
Those who understand know he's dreaming, while those who don't might think Lu Jinghong has encountered a ghost.
As for Lady Yu...
As she sleepwalked in the mist, her expression shifted between unhappiness and silly grin, making Ouyang Rong chuckle.
As the four were talking, two people slowly walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
It was Senior Sister Yuan and Lu Jinghong.
Ten people entered the hall for assessment in this batch, and Lu Jinghong was the last one to be brought out.
Lu Jinghong was somewhat bewildered and stunned. He took the wooden plaque from Senior Sister Yuan, looked around, saw the four people, and walked over.
His voice was hoarse and tired as he asked:
"You...you all came out so quickly?"
Song Zhian nodded gently:
"Yes, Young Master Lu should be the last one."
Lu Jinghong suddenly asked:
"Did you guys have nightmares too?"
Song Zhian replied:
“That’s right, Senior Sister Yuan said it’s normal, but the depth of each person’s dream is different, and the nightmares are also different.”
“Different shades…” Lu Jinghong looked down at the ground and murmured wearily, “It really does look just like the real thing.”
He swallowed hard, as if recalling something.
"What's wrong with Young Master Lu?"
Song Zhian noticed that something was wrong with him and asked him with concern.
"N-nothing..."
Lu Jinghong forced a smile, slightly composed himself, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Song Zhian:
"Thank you for the leaves, Miss Song. They are very useful and helped me stay awake several times, allowing me to walk a few extra steps."
After saying that, he couldn't help but glance at the wooden plaques on the waists of the four men.
Then she smoothly looked away.
Lu Jinghong silently put the wooden plaque in his hand into his pocket.
This time, he didn't immediately inquire about other people's grades.
Overnight, they became much more polite.
But when you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water can cause problems; what you fear most is what happens... A curious voice came from the side:
"How many steps did Young Master Lu take? Sister Song and I took ninety-two steps, which is considered outstanding. Brother Liu and Brother Sha took eighty-five steps... anything above eighty is considered excellent."
Yu Xiaoniangzi was very considerate and told them everything at once, afraid that Young Master Lu would be too embarrassed to ask them.
Upon hearing this, Lu Jinghong's expression changed slightly.
Especially after hearing Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou's number of steps in the third level, his eyes turned away slightly.
"Hmm, I've made a fool of myself, but I'm barely passable..."
Lu Jinghong seemed reluctant to discuss this topic further, so she changed the subject and forced a smile:
"Haha, by the way, what kind of dreams did everyone have? My dream was really strange; I had a nightmare about eating people..."
Lady Yu, however, made no attempt to be polite. She stepped forward, casually snatched the wooden plaque from his arms, and examined it closely:
"Hmm, only eighty steps? That's barely considered excellent."
Lu Jinghong's forehead creased with annoyance.
Are you polite?
With an expression that seemed both encouraging and subtly satisfied, Madam Yu stuffed the wooden plaque back into her hands. She shook her head and sighed.
“Hey, Young Master Lu, I’ve outdone you again.”
Lu Jinghong's eyes widened slightly:
"You...you..."
You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?
At this moment, he didn't know if Yu Xiaoniangzi was good at accounting, but she was definitely good at holding grudges.
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
He had actually moved Lu Jinghong's position forward, but only a few steps behind Sha Ergou and him; he hadn't calculated it that clearly at the time.
In reality, Lu Jinghong's actual number of steps wasn't much more than Song Zhian's, which he had expected; both of them were at the very bottom of the pack...
This is rather intriguing.
Ouyang Rong smiled inwardly.
Senior Sister Yuan put away the bell, exchanged a few words with the Yue maiden holding the pen, and returned the way she came, calling out to the others:
“Return to the Dripping Water Cave at the foot of the cliff.”
Once all ten people were present, they descended the cliff and returned via the same route.
When they returned to the original cave.
Inside the cave's main hall, most of the girls had already gathered.
They were all people who had completed the Yangxin Hall assessment. Now they were just waiting for the last batch of teenagers, including Ouyang Rong, to finish the assessment.
Sha Ergou kept his head down the whole way, looking somewhat absent-minded.
After experiencing the nightmare, Song Zhiruo and Lu Jinghong remained silent.
Having experienced the Hall of Mental Cultivation before, Ouyang Rong had a deep understanding of this hall. Although today's assessment was only being conducted in the outer hall and the white mist wasn't very thick, he roughly understood everyone's bewildered state. Therefore, he remained quiet and didn't disturb the atmosphere, waiting for them to calm down on their own...
As soon as the five entered the Dripping Water Cave, Ouyang Rong's eyes began to search left and right, looking for a certain figure.
Just then, he heard Lu Jinghong's voice from behind:
"So, what did you all dream about...?"
(End of this chapter)
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