[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-treasure-immortal-basin":3,"chapter-the-treasure-immortal-basin-the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-204":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Treasure Immortal Basin",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2355387,4608,"Chapter 204: Nine Dragon Mirror","the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-204",204,"\u003Cp>The first day, no tests began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the city lord’s cultivators had divided the vast square into two sections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One section lay before a massive hall, the other behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, the tests began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city lord’s guard organized everyone methodically, grouping thirty people into each small team, sending one team at a time into the huge hall for testing; after the test, these people exited from the back of the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were then immediately expelled from the city lord’s mansion and forbidden to reenter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly are they testing?” Bai Long asked, baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one else knew what the test was either!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because those who had taken the test were immediately expelled from the city lord’s mansion; those who had tested and those who had not never met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But everyone knew that, reportedly, this test related to comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the number of participants was so enormous, He Pingsheng did not get his turn on the first day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was finally called on at noon the second day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Wang Dun, He Pingsheng, Zi Xian, Zi Lan, and Bai Long were all in the same small team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Follow me!” A city lord’s disciple dressed in standardized Daoist robes led He Pingsheng and the others to the front of the massive golden hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t rush—take turns one by one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After the test, those who pass will receive a black token; this token is your pass to Divine General Mountain. In half a month, you may board a flying vessel here at the city lord’s mansion with this token to travel to Divine General Mountain!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Inside, don’t speak out of turn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Answer only what they ask you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city lord’s disciple looked at them all, stern-faced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone rose and replied: “Understood!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!” he said. “First one in…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each cultivator who entered took only a dozen breaths to complete the test.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dun stood ahead of He Pingsheng and entered before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng silently counted the time in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dun’s time was about one-third longer than that of the other cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, someone at the entrance called: “Next!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng took a deep breath and walked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he entered, he continued silently counting the time in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall was empty, save for nine tables placed side by side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind each table sat a cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng dared not casually scan their cultivation levels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he knew instinctively: anyone qualified to test them must be beyond Foundation Establishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh…” Before He Pingsheng even reached the nine, a woman’s voice said: “What’s this? Both these kids used disguise talismans!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are they trying to hide?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng’s heart jolted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did this mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dun’s disguise talisman had been seen through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own disguise talisman had been seen through too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, aside from that woman’s remark, no one else cared why he used a disguise talisman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Foundation Establishment second layer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A bit weak!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultivator behind the first table said: “Come here, boy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng walked forward respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man looked at him and asked: “What kind of spiritual root?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng dared not lie: “Five-element spiritual root.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five-element spiritual root was no taboo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, spiritual roots were countless; though rare, five-element roots were not unheard of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least in Dingxiang City alone, there were surely hundreds or even thousands of cultivators with five-element roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was that common.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh…” The first cultivator sneered: “So you’re a medicine bottle… come here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out a bronze mirror slightly larger than a palm and placed it before He Pingsheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Calm your mind, focus closely…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you see anything inside the mirror, tell me what it is!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng gazed at the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A miraculous sight occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plain mirror suddenly revealed a pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It flashed once and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you see?” the tester asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng realized: since they asked what he saw, it meant they had not seen it themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he answered truthfully: “A dragon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man asked: “Color?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng said: “Red.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.” The tester nodded. “Go to the next one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng walked to the second person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was the female cultivator who had just remarked on his disguise talisman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pulled out a mirror nearly identical to the first and said: “Look. Tell me what you see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng’s gaze fell again on the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another dragon—this time orange…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, He Pingsheng began to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the cultivation world, different colors represented different ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple—generally, the later the color, the higher its prestige.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, thunder: legend said purple lightning was the strongest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By that logic, the third mirror should show a yellow dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then green, cyan, blue, purple…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng stood before the third person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third cultivator was a middle-aged man with two streaks of white hair at his temples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng stared at the third mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he looked, he froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not yellow!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shouldn’t it be yellow?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was the third one a purple dragon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you staring at?” The white-haired man waved his hand. “Don’t waste time. Not seeing anything is normal—move on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man assumed He Pingsheng was stunned because he saw nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment the white-haired man spoke, He Pingsheng jolted violently, as if pierced by a needle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not seeing it is normal?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did that mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant ordinary cultivators truly could not see this purple dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then if they couldn’t see it, why place it third? Shouldn’t it be placed further back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why deliberately scramble the order?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I get it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought of a possibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, if the mirrors were arranged in red-orange-yellow-green-cyan-blue-purple order, cautious cultivators might see something but dare not speak it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by suddenly scrambling the order, they forced you to speak what you saw without preparation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This test… is terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, a thousand thoughts surged through He Pingsheng’s mind; his back hairs stood on end—but outwardly, he still feigned fearful humility as he approached the fourth table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fourth table, the mirror showed a Golden Dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This gold…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not among red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, or purple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good heavens…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng dared not breathe loudly, only shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, the fifth person’s face showed a bland expression, waving his hand: “Next!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fifth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng finally saw the dragon he had been seeking: a yellow dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a yellow dragon!” he blurted out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe…” the fifth person chuckled: “Good. Next!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1094,"2026-06-21T04:09:00.242Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3ae220873c75cebbed0b51aa303d175334067aefcb8bf2c3e93d0199c59f7c9f","the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-205","the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-203",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-treasure-immortal-basin-cover.jpg"]