Chapter 86 The Inner Demon Traps Me—I Can't Escape This Trial…
Instead of asking him how to satisfy him, I asked him directly what would happen if he were satisfied. So confident? Upon reaching the summit, he declared decisively: "Impossible!"
"What if it were possible?" Ji Mingran asked calmly.
As he reached the summit, he blurted out, "I'll give you a big gift, okay? Wait, something's not right..." He then looked at Ji Mingran suspiciously.
This disciple, whose lineage spans countless generations, is indeed shallow in cultivation; he couldn't be mistaken.
However, this scene and this routine seem somewhat familiar.
Upon reaching the summit, he was suddenly reminded of the countless times he had been humiliated by Ling's tactics. His face had been slapped so hard, and he had suffered so many losses that his mind had become reflexively aware of potential tricks.
Upon reaching the summit, he scrutinized the person before him from head to toe, then cautiously added, "You are only allowed to show one skill, but no magical artifacts." Ling Yi had once slapped him in the face with a magical artifact, and he had learned his lesson well.
This little dark-circled man is his direct disciple, using the formation he passed down. There's no way he could possibly have any moves that would catch his eye, and even if he did, it's impossible for him to be satisfied with just one move.
Anyway, he can say whatever he wants.
When climbing to the summit, one is full of confidence in the constraints one has set for oneself.
Ji Mingran was holding a book in one hand and casually resting the other hand on the books on the bookshelf. Seeing Deng Feng agree, he nodded and said, "Okay."
The pages of the book in her hands turned with a rustling sound.
Hmm? It's strange when climbing the peak. It doesn't seem like we need to use formations or Taoist techniques.
What is she going to do?
A question flashed through her mind as she noticed that not only the book in Ji Mingran's hand, but also the pages of one book after another on the bookshelf beside her were beginning to turn.
Suddenly, the nine-story tower was swept away as if by a whirlwind, and countless book pages fluttered and danced, with lines of ink appearing on the blank pages of each page.
It's as if someone is writing rapidly at the same time, filling every page of every book.
The books seemed to be swept by a whirlwind at the same time, and then returned to calm at the same time.
Just seconds before the pages of the entire pavilion stopped turning, the last sentence of the last page of every book came together with a period, bringing everything to a perfect conclusion.
The pages of the book are closed.
Ji Mingran handed over the book in his hand: "Please have the ancestor examine it."
The 100,000 inherited contents were filled in ten breaths.
"..." When he reached the summit, he was speechless for a long time. He looked up and around. In addition to the books that were originally on the bookshelves, many new inheritances that he had never seen before appeared out of thin air.
"Although the disciples of the Dingsheng Sect throughout the ages have not been talented, they have not been incompetent. The Taoist techniques they have collected and created are all hidden in the Treasure Cave. Ancestor, a thousand years have passed, and the inheritance in the Treasure Cave is not limited to what you left behind."
"Didn't you say it was already gone?" Deng Feng seized on the loophole in Ji Mingran's words, trying to find fault.
“It’s gone,” Ji Mingran said. “But I wrote it down, so I took it back.” The trial was connected to her state of mind, and the memories in her mind could naturally be transformed into this. She knew the treasure cave’s heritage by heart, and effortlessly transferred it into the books without any changes.
“Oh, the Array of Mirrors has stopped,” she added, “but I’ve already repaired it.”
"You?" Deng Feng's eyes widened as he looked at this ordinary, Foundation Establishment-level disciple.
"Ancestor. Dingsheng Sect has stood proudly in the spiritual cultivation world for many years. The disciples of each generation are not as bad as you think. I haven't been in the sect for long, so I'm not very familiar with the former disciples. However, take my boss, oh no, my master Jiang Xiaoyi, for example. She only took the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to draw in Qi into her body. She reached the Foundation Establishment stage at thirteen, the Golden Core stage at fourteen, the Nascent Soul stage at fifteen, and the Great Ascension stage at seventeen. She is an absolute genius."
Boss Jiang would constantly recount his great achievements to her, and Ji Mingran remembered them vividly, able to list them off the top of her head.
"Everyone is doing well," Ji Mingran concluded. "I'm not bad either."
As Ji Mingran spoke, his figure swiftly moved between each floor and each bookshelf, flipping through each book at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people.
The Taoist arts recorded in the books he left behind are exactly the same, especially the Realm Array Technique, which has been supplemented with new annotations to correct its flaws.
The annotator has found a way to completely fix the flaws in the array he deliberately left behind.
In the future, the disciples of Luanfeng will learn the truly complete Realm Array Formation.
He had never seen the Taoist techniques recorded in the newly added books before, but the principles were sound and not made up.
She was telling the truth.
After Ji Mingran finished speaking, Deng Feng had already finished reading and returned to Ji Mingran, staring at her with his narrow phoenix eyes.
"Your master is called Jiang Xiaoyi, so what is your name?"
"Ji Mingran."
"I've got it."
Tai was slapped in the face again. Deng Feng silently took the book from her hands and shoved the wooden dice set into her hand.
“Ancestor,” Ji Mingran grabbed Deng Fengshi’s wrist, “I want to change the reward.” She looked up at Deng Fengshi, “Who was it that the Ancestor mentioned earlier, who showed absolutely no signs of passing the trial?”
As he reached the summit, he looked at her with a strange expression: "According to the rules, I cannot tell you."
Ji Mingran replied without hesitation: "I am willing to exchange this magical artifact for it."
"Exchange? Do you know what this is?" Deng Feng pointed to the wooden sieve in her hand: "This is a spiritual artifact that Yi Yi made herself. It's the main body of the Mysterious Treasure Pavilion for this competition. In the entire spiritual cultivation world, you'll find it very difficult to find another spiritual artifact like this!"
“My partner can also make magical artifacts,” Ji Mingran said. “One day, he will be able to make them too, there’s no rush.” She handed the wooden dice set back to Deng Fengshi. “I need to make sure that all the disciples of my sect who are participating in the competition pass the test and win first place.”
She hadn't forgotten why she was participating in the spiritual competition.
Upon reaching the summit, he suddenly became enraged, reaching out to shove Ji Mingran: "You idiot who doesn't know how to appreciate treasures! Go away! Don't get in my way!"
With a strong push, Ji Mingran fell backward uncontrollably and crashed into the bookshelf.
But her figure then passed through layers of bookshelves, fell into the air above the pavilion, and vanished as a phantom.
"Yi Yi, as you wish, I understand." As he gazed in the direction where she disappeared, he sighed deeply and retreated to the depths of the bookshelf. "I admit, the younger generation has some talent. Your efforts in establishing the sect have not been in vain. It is time for me to return to my original body."
......
On the observation platform, the cultivators watching the test paid close attention to the Qiankun Mystery Challenge.
They paid the most attention to the disciples who were dragged into the trial of inner demons.
These disciples, who were participating in the test, had been standing on the stone steps of the torch for more than a day.
Everyone had a blank expression and empty eyes. After standing there for a while, some people started to move, but their movements were extremely slow, as they slowly and haltingly climbed the steps, only to stop again after a while.
Some people, however, have not moved an inch to this day.
Observers cannot see the specific inner demons experienced by each participating disciple through the projection stone. Inner demons arise in the individual's heart. The projection stone only connects the scenes of each competition venue and cannot project the individual's state of mind.
They could only judge the progress of their disciples by the number of steps each disciple who had been dragged into the trial of inner demons had taken.
"Those that can move have most likely gained the upper hand in their battle with their inner demons, but they haven't completely broken free yet, so they struggle and struggle and then stop."
"Ji Xiaozuzong of Dingsheng Sect is quite impressive. She was almost running at full speed and was about to reach the top. But why did she suddenly stop and not move at all? Now she is about to be overtaken by the people behind her."
"The other two from Dingsheng Sect are not bad either, following closely behind. But what's wrong with Zhu Shibai? He's been standing still without moving, which is not the behavior expected of a disciple of this level."
"Trials of inner demons cannot be judged solely by the depth of one's cultivation. The human mind is always incredibly complex."
......
Ji Mingran was suddenly pushed and fell to the ground, his buttocks hurting.
Something was poking her.
It was pitch black. Ji Mingran grinned as he got up, reached down and picked up the thing that was stuck under his buttocks.
Upon closer inspection, isn't this Old Deng's wooden dice set?
Should he still give it to her? Sure enough, no rule can bind him if he wants to.
Ji Mingran haphazardly stuffed the tools into the brocade pouch and began to grope his way through the passageway.
The passageway is narrow; if you're not careful, you might bump into the stone wall.
Ji Mingran did not intend to use magic to illuminate the path ahead.
Others' inner demons won't cause her any real harm. She should just walk forward carefully and conserve her spiritual energy as much as possible.
The passageway is long and winding, with only one direction, but as you go deeper into it, the path becomes wider and wider.
Along the way, he kicked and knocked over quite a few things. Ji Mingran seemed to be deep in thought, already having a vague idea of who he would encounter.
Sure enough, when they reached the widest part of the passageway, they saw the back of the person hiding in the dark cave.
If she hadn't come by, she would have completely overlooked this person hiding in the dark corner.
He conjured a fire incantation, and rows of torches hanging on the stone wall instantly ignited, illuminating the entire cave.
Ji Mingran walked behind the person facing the wall.
"Get up, Zhu Shibai," Ji Mingran said. "You have to take me out of here."
The sudden flash of light caught Zhu Shibai's eye, which had been accustomed to darkness for so long. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.
Turning around and seeing who it was, Zhu Shibai's bright eyes became misty: "Grandma Ming? What are you doing here?"
He didn't seem to believe that the person standing in front of him was real, and then asked and answered himself, "Could it be that you were projected because you've been here before?"
“It’s me, Real Person. I’ve passed my trial, but I heard you couldn’t get out, so I came here.” Ji Mingran looked around the cave. “I didn’t expect it to be here. I don’t know the way either, so I can only rely on you to lead me out.”
"This..." Ji Mingran's explanation made Zhu Shibai pause for a moment, then he said, "Getting out is not difficult. Just walk straight along the passage. I have set up a mechanism in the cave. If someone else enters, the passage will keep changing, but as long as I have set up the path, it will not change. Just walk straight."
Once he sets it up, he can walk straight out. Ji Mingran pondered these words.
So when Zhu Shibai led her through the winding tunnels in circles, it was all a smokescreen.
This was to prevent her from entering the area again.
However, Ji Mingran was not interested in this cave, and after accidentally entering it, he never came back.
Now that he knew how to get there, Ji Mingran had already lifted his toes, but seeing that Zhu Shibai didn't move, he stopped again: "Aren't you coming?"
“Grandma, the fact that you were able to find me means you also know that this is a trial of inner demons.” Zhu Shibai smiled bitterly.
"I can't get out of this trial."
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