Chapter 65: First Entry into the Source Pool? My Trial Begins!

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these seven days, the atmosphere on the white jade plaza was so heavy it felt as if it could drip water. The various factions stood clearly divided, guarding against one another. Small-scale frictions and conflicts occurred from time to time, but they were all kept within a certain range; no one dared to truly start a major battle before the Destiny Hall. Everyone’s focus was tied to the Ten Thousand Dharmas Source Pool that was about to open!

Lin Xuan had not wasted these seven days either. While consolidating his early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation and familiarizing himself with the use of the Star Netherlight, he used his Eye of Truth-Breaking and powerful spiritual sense to collect as much information as possible about his competitors. Ye Chen’s Thunder Dao techniques seemed even more consummate; the Third Imperial Prince had two elderly guards with obscure auras by his side; and the white-clothed youth carrying an ancient sword had once forced back a mid-stage Nascent Soul rogue cultivator with a single sword strike, showing his strength to be quite remarkable.

On the seventh day, when the first rays of the rising morning sun pierced the gray sky of the secret realm and spilled onto the mist-shrouded Destiny Hall at the end of the white jade plaza—

Hum!

The entire white jade plaza gave a slight tremor! In the central area of the plaza, on the incredibly hard white jade floor capable of withstanding Nascent Soul attacks, countless complex and profound runes suddenly lit up! These runes seemed to come alive, rapidly moving and combining, eventually outlining a massive teleportation array that covered a radius of a thousand feet!

The light of the array grew increasingly intense, shooting straight into the clouds and dyeing the clouds above into seven colors!

"The Ten Thousand Dharmas Source Pool has opened!"

"The teleportation array has appeared, enter quickly!"

It was unknown who shouted, but the cultivators who had been waiting for a long time immediately surged like floodwaters released from a gate, turning into streams of light and scrambling to shoot toward the massive teleportation array!

Lin Xuan did not rush to be at the front; he mingled in the crowd and stepped into the array's range neither too early nor too late.

Swish!

A powerful spatial force enveloped his entire body, and the scene before his eyes instantly blurred and twisted. This feeling was similar to entering the secret realm, but much more intense, and it seemed to be mixed with a strange power that cleansed the soul and clarified the Dao heart.

After a few breaths, the feeling of standing on solid ground returned, and the surrounding scene had changed completely.

He appeared in a strange space.

Beneath his feet was not solid ground, but an endless, mirror-calm surface of water. This water was not ordinary water; it was incredibly clear yet bottomless, with specks of spiritual light floating and flickering like stars within it. Looking up, there was no sky, only a chaotic-colored light curtain that emitted a gentle, primordial radiance, illuminating the entire space.

The air was filled with an extremely dense primordial spiritual energy and a profound "Dao rhyme." With every breath, he felt his cultivation base growing slightly, and some of the stagnation from his past cultivation even felt as if it had suddenly cleared.

This was the Ten Thousand Dharmas Source Pool!

At this moment, hundreds of cultivators had already appeared scattered across this endless water surface. Everyone was shocked by the scene and the Dao rhyme of this place, and for a time, no one dared to act rashly.

Lin Xuan could clearly feel the Heavenly Secret Guidance Token in his bosom vibrating slightly, pointing toward the depths of this water region. At the same time, the Chaotic Nascent Soul in his dantian also gave a joyful throb, as if it had returned to the womb, autonomously beginning to slowly inhale and exhale the pure primordial spiritual energy and Dao rhyme of this place.

"It truly is a place of great fortune!" Lin Xuan praised inwardly.

"Look over there!" someone exclaimed.

In the extreme depths of the water region, beneath the chaotic light curtain, a particularly brilliant seven-colored glow was slowly condensing and rising! Within the glow, one could vaguely see a dewdrop forming, looking like liquid jade with ten thousand Dao patterns flowing inside, emitting an intoxicating, majestic vitality and the aura of the Great Dao!

Nascent Soul Fortune Dew!

Everyone’s gaze was instantly drawn, and their breathing became heavy!

However, just as someone could not hold back and wanted to use an escape technique to rush toward the glow—

Hum!

An invisible pressure suddenly descended, enveloping the entire Ten Thousand Dharmas Source Pool! This pressure was not aimed at the physical body, but struck directly at the soul and the Dao heart! It was as if a pair of invisible eyes were scrutinizing the inner heart of every intruder!

Plop! Plop!

Almost instantly, dozens of cultivators who had been rushing at the front fell into the water below like dumplings, splashing water before falling silent; their figures quickly sank and disappeared!

Greed and urgency still lingered on their faces, but their eyes were already hollow!

"It’s the rejection of the Source Pool!"

"Those burdened by karmic debt or with crooked intentions will be directly erased!"

"It is just as the rumors say!"

The surviving cultivators were terrified and stopped in their tracks, not daring to move forward rashly. Those with heavy baleful auras or shifty eyes turned pale, cold sweat streaming down as they subconsciously took a few steps back.

Lin Xuan felt that scrutinizing pressure sweep over him. The Nether Soul-Suppressing Token in his bosom lit up slightly, emitting a clear and peaceful ripple, while his Chaotic Nascent Soul remained calm and composed, as if it were meant to exist in this place of origin. The pressure lingered on him for a moment before passing like a breeze, bringing no discomfort at all.

"It seems this first trial filters for character and karmic debt." Lin Xuan understood. For him, who cultivated the Nine Revolutions Chaos Scripture, had a solid foundation, and held the Soul-Suppressing Token, this was not a difficult hurdle.

After the initial screening, fewer than a hundred cultivators remained standing on the water. These were the ones whose character had relatively passed the test and whose karmic debt was not deep.

But the trial had clearly only just begun.

The calm water ahead began to ripple. The ripples spread, outlining blurred tunnel entrances made of water patterns on the surface. Behind the entrances, the scenes varied: some were seas of raging flames, some were forests of thunder, and some were winding, tortuous labyrinth paths...

"They are illusionary tunnels!"

"The Source Pool derives different trials based on each person's Dao heart and cultivation techniques!"

"Only by passing through one's corresponding tunnel can one approach the Fortune Dew!"

Everyone realized this and began searching for tunnel entrances that matched their own auras.

Thunder light flashed around Ye Chen, and he stepped into a thunder-filled tunnel without hesitation.

The Third Imperial Prince Li Daoyi, bearing the Imperial Dragon Aura, chose a golden avenue.

Saintess Yun Yao drifted into a path formed of ice crystals.

The white-clothed youth carrying an ancient sword walked toward a portal filled with endless sword Qi.

The woman in the seven-colored glow-garment jumped happily into an illusion of blooming flowers.

The fat cultivator fiddled with his abacus and stepped onto a road paved with countless gold and silver treasures...

Lin Xuan stood in place, his Eye of Truth-Breaking sweeping over the tunnel entrances. He discovered that most tunnels corresponded to single-attribute trials, but his Chaotic Nascent Soul felt a faint resonance with almost all of them, yet none were particularly strong.

"Chaos encompasses all dharmas; is there no exclusive tunnel?" His thoughts stirred, and he tried to actively draw out the aura of his Chaotic Nascent Soul.

The moment he released his aura, the water beneath his feet suddenly fluctuated violently! It did not form a tunnel; instead, the entire water surface began to rotate slowly with him at the center, forming a massive vortex!

Within the vortex, it was no longer clear pool water, but evolved into earth, water, fire, wind, mountains, rivers, sun, moon, stars, and even the myriad states of living beings! It was like a miniature, constantly evolving and decaying chaotic world!

A suction force, far more grand, ancient, and profound than any previous tunnel, came forth, attempting to pull Lin Xuan into it!

"This is... a Chaos trial?!" Lin Xuan was shocked, but instead of resisting, he let go of his body and mind, allowing the vortex to swallow him!

Swish!

His figure disappeared into the vortex on the water.

This scene was seen by several nearby cultivators who had not yet chosen a tunnel, immediately causing a stir of exclamation.

"That person... was swallowed by the Source Pool?"

"What is going on? Where is his trial tunnel?"

"What a strange underwater vortex... did he anger the spirit of the Source Pool?"

The crowd was suspicious and uneasy, but no one dared to approach the slowly calming vortex. Only a few cultivators who possessed the Heavenly Secret Guidance, such as Ye Chen (already entered), the woman in the seven-colored glow-garment (already entered), and the fat cultivator (already entered), glanced in the direction where Lin Xuan had disappeared with a sense of realization, a strange look flashing in their eyes.

Lin Xuan felt as if he had fallen into a tunnel composed of countless fragments of laws and spacetime turbulence. The surroundings were bizarre and kaleidoscopic, the scenes changing unpredictably; at times he was in a lava hell, at times drifting in the Nine Heavens Gale, and at times sinking into a boundless illusion.

But these external assaults, upon contacting the chaotic air current enveloping his body, melted like ice and snow, being easily assimilated and absorbed, instead becoming nourishment for his Chaotic Nascent Soul.

His consciousness was incredibly clear, his Eye of Truth-Breaking seeing through the illusions and pointing directly to the source. This was not a simple environmental trial, but a simulation of the process of the world's creation and the evolution of laws! It was the ultimate interrogation of one's comprehension and understanding of the essence of the Great Dao!

After an unknown amount of time, a point of light appeared ahead.

He took a step forward, as if crossing a boundary, and the chaotic scenes around him suddenly vanished.

He appeared on the peak of a solitary mountain.

The summit was flat, with only an ancient bluestone altar. Suspended above the altar were three things:

On the left was a golden scroll, neither silk nor gold, emitting a majestic, righteous aura that was supremely Yang and firm.

On the right was a broken blade, pitch-black and wrapped in ominous death energy.

And in the very center was a small jade bottle, its mouth wreathed in seven-colored glow; inside was that very drop of Nascent Soul Fortune Dew!

The three items were within reach!

However, the altar was shrouded in an invisible barrier that emitted an indestructible aura. On the barrier, a line of ancient characters appeared:

"The choice of the Dao: take one, abandon two. Only by gaining my recognition can you obtain the treasure."

At the same time, three distinct intentions rushed into Lin Xuan’s sea of consciousness like a torrent!

One was a grand and righteous intention to protect all living beings!

One was a domineering killing intent of slaughter and destruction, acknowledging only oneself!

The last one was a neutral, peaceful Chaotic Dao rhyme containing infinite possibilities and tolerance!

The three intentions collided fiercely in his sea of consciousness, attempting to influence his judgment and make him choose!

Choosing the golden scroll would grant the supreme righteous inheritance, but one would have to make a grand vow to protect all living beings, henceforth standing in irreconcilable opposition to Nether evil spirits, which might even affect his use of the Nether Soul-Suppressing Token!

Choosing the pitch-black broken blade would grant a heaven-shaking slaughter secret art, causing his strength to skyrocket, but his character would likely be eroded by slaughter, causing him to fall into the demonic path!

Choosing the Nascent Soul Fortune Dew was the most direct goal, but it seemed... too plain? And how was one to obtain "recognition"?

This was not a test of strength, but a choice of Dao heart and future path!

Lin Xuan stood on the summit, his Chaotic Nascent Soul solemn and dignified in his dantian, his eyes reflecting the collision of the three intentions outside as they opened and closed. His gaze was as calm as an ancient well.

(End of Chapter 65)