Chapter 89: The Testing Platform

To his surprise, Cao Yi actually spoke up of his own accord to ease the situation for a newcomer and introduce him. A flash of astonishment passed through the elders’ eyes, along with a trace of interest.

Looking at Cao Yi, one of the younger elders said, “Very well. Since you are ready, we can begin.

“The first step is to test your spiritual roots and see what your true aptitude really is. Step onto the testing platform.”

As he spoke, he pointed to the gleaming dais at Lin Hao’s right, where dense spiritual energy coiled and swirled.

Lin Hao had sensed it the moment he arrived and had wondered what it was. Hearing the elder explain it now, understanding dawned in his eyes. So this was the testing platform.

Curious, Lin Hao walked forward and stood upon it.

At once, the platform burst into five beams of brilliant light.

Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Lin Hao possessed all five spiritual roots.

And each of the five colors shone with dazzling radiance, yet not one of them dominated the others. Instead, they complemented one another perfectly, making a display that was strikingly beautiful.

A deep amazement flashed through everyone’s eyes, followed immediately by profound shock. Never before had they seen someone like Lin Hao: five spiritual roots, each accounting for exactly the same proportion.

What did that mean?

It meant Lin Hao would not be burdened by having five spiritual roots. On the contrary, all five could cultivate side by side at the same pace, without suppressing or restraining one another.

It also meant he possessed four times more opportunities for cultivation than ordinary people.

And his combat power would only continue to grow stronger.

Ordinarily, in the world of cultivation, the best spiritual root was a single root, with double roots coming next. More was not better. Five roots usually generated and countered one another, dragging down one’s progress and causing cultivation to stagnate or even regress instead of advancing.

In time, one root would inevitably take the dominant position, interfering with the cultivation of the others and suppressing one’s overall progress.

But in Lin Hao’s case, none of that was happening. He had five spiritual roots, all shining with equal brilliance, all evenly matched, all able to cultivate in parallel.

How could that not be astonishing?

Several elders on the platform unconsciously stepped forward, staring at the five radiant lights around Lin Hao for a long while without speaking.

Even Cao Yi’s eyes flickered with surprise, and for once, some expression other than icy indifference crossed his face.

As for Lin Hao, standing there amid the five colors glowing around him, he saw the elders’ expressions and felt utterly puzzled. He could not understand why they were reacting this way.

In truth, Lin Hao had always known he possessed five spiritual roots, and he had long regarded that as a disappointment. In the past, he had continually suppressed his other roots and focused mainly on cultivating his fire root.

Yet through this experience, he had also discovered that his water and wood roots, and the others as well, were somehow no longer restricted. Even he could not make sense of it.

And now, seeing that the elders were not looking at him with disdain for his five roots, but with shock, and even the faintest trace of envy and jealousy, Lin Hao was left full of confusion. For a moment, standing on the platform, he did not even know whether he ought to step down.

In the end, Cao Yi was the first to recover. He said to Lin Hao, “Lin Hao, you may come down now. Your first trial is complete. Congratulations—you have passed.

“Next comes the second trial: entering the Mystic Illusion Gate. If you can emerge safely from it, you may enter the inner sect.”

The moment Cao Yi said this, the other elders also came back to themselves.

Among them, the elder who had first spoken to Lin Hao looked stunned when he heard that Cao Yi intended to send him into the Mystic Illusion Gate. He opened his mouth as though to object. “Cao Yi, you... this... the Mystic Illusion Gate?!”

But Cao Yi raised a hand in time, and the elder swallowed the rest of his words.

Then Cao Yi said, “Consider this my use of one opportunity. Put it under my name.”

Though the other elders clearly thought this inappropriate and their expressions turned sour, none of them contradicted him.

Standing nearby, Lin Hao also sensed that something was amiss. There was clearly something unusual about this Mystic Illusion Gate. Looking at the unprepared expressions on the elders’ faces, it was obvious this was not the second trial they had originally intended for him.

Lin Hao had no idea why stepping onto the testing platform once had changed everything.

Perhaps Cao Yi had simply acted on impulse.

Still, Lin Hao did not believe Cao Yi meant him harm. He nodded and said, “That’s fine, Senior Brother. I can enter now.”

“Good.” Hearing his answer, Cao Yi said, “Then come with me.”

Without wasting any more words, Cao Yi turned and walked away.

Lin Hao followed just as readily.

The other elders exchanged looks, then ultimately chose to follow as well.

Cao Yi led Lin Hao to a great hall at the mountain summit. Above it were written three large characters: Mystic Illusion Gate.

Standing at the entrance, Cao Yi pointed at it and said, “Inside is an illusion realm. It is called the Mystic Illusion Gate because the space within is vast; it serves as a trial ground for inner sect disciples.

“Every year, each inner sect disciple has one chance to enter. Every time, the trial inside is different, and what you experience will certainly differ from what others face.

“No one can know in advance what they will encounter. But only by overcoming the challenge can you walk out safely. Every year, many disciples are gravely injured, and some never emerge at all.

“I can give you one chance now to withdraw. If you choose not to enter, we can select another test.”

“There’s no need. I can go in.” With that, Lin Hao lifted his foot and walked straight inside.

The elders behind him looked at one another after hearing this exchange between him and Cao Yi.

Cao Yi himself had not expected Lin Hao to agree so readily and enter without hesitation. He raised a brow, stood there for a moment, then turned and left.

Once Cao Yi was gone, the elders muttered to one another in low voices before also departing.

As for Lin Hao—

The moment he stepped inside, he felt as though he had passed through some kind of barrier, very much like what he had experienced at Feathered Heaven Mountain before.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a grand hall.

That hall felt strangely familiar.

It looked very much like the main hall of the Clear Wind Sect.

At the sight of it, shock surged through Lin Hao’s eyes.

Then he saw someone emerge from behind the hall.

The instant he recognized that person, disbelief filled his face, and suspicion flashed in his eyes.

“Zhou Yichen?!”

He had actually spoken the name aloud.

The man across from him walked toward him step by step and said, “That’s right. It’s me. Surprised to see me?”

Lin Hao frowned. “No. Zhou Yichen is dead by my hand. Who exactly are you?”

“I am Zhou Yichen. Killed me? By you? It won’t be that easy.” The man grinned savagely as he spoke to Lin Hao.

As he said this, he drew out a steel whip and lashed it straight at him.

Lin Hao raised his hand, intending to catch the whip and dodge aside.

Even if the man before him truly was Zhou Yichen, Lin Hao was not afraid in the least. At most, he was curious.

To Lin Hao now, killing Zhou Yichen should have been as easy as crushing an ant.

He was only baffled. He had clearly killed him—so why was he seeing him again?

But that confusion did not stop him from reaching out to intercept the flying whip.

Lin Hao was full of confidence, certain that dealing with Zhou Yichen would be effortless.

But reality was nothing of the sort.

He failed to catch the whip.

It cracked across his body, and in an instant he was sent flying.

With a heavy bang, he smashed into the doors of the hall and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.

At once, shock flooded his face, and a surge of fear rose in his heart.

His strength was gone.

He had somehow reverted to the weak state he had once been in at the Clear Wind Sect, when he had been bullied and humiliated, when he could barely gather even a little spiritual energy.

And now Zhou Yichen had sent him flying with a single lash.

He had been struck down in one blow and could not even get back to his feet.

Trying to circulate spiritual energy, Lin Hao was horrified to find that his internal organs felt displaced, his whole body in agony. He could not rise at all.

The sensation filled him with terror. His first instinct was to contact the system.

Inwardly, he cried out, “System!”

But there was no response.

Not the usual kind of silence, where it simply ignored him. This time, it felt as though the connection had been severed entirely. He could no longer sense the system’s presence within him at all.

Lin Hao had no idea what was happening, but this was the first time he had ever felt such a thing since obtaining the system. Panic overwhelmed him, and his chest felt so tight it was as if it might explode.

His fury surged upward. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

Staring at Zhou Yichen with hatred in his eyes, he demanded, “What have you done to me?”

“What could I possibly do to lowly trash like you? I could crush you with a single finger.” Zhou Yichen looked down at him with utter contempt, his words unbearably arrogant.

The instant Lin Hao heard that, fear and rage ignited together within him. His eyes turned blood-red as he glared at Zhou Yichen with killing intent.

Grinding his teeth, he forced himself up and charged at him.

His right hand swept out by habit, expecting strange fire to erupt—

but what flew forward was only his own fist.

There was no strange fire.

The Cloud-Swallowing Sword was nowhere to be seen either.

Shock filled Lin Hao’s eyes. By the time he tried to pull back his fist, it was already too late.

Zhou Yichen raised the steel whip and brought it down in one savage strike onto Lin Hao’s fist and arm.

A sharp crack rang out—the sound of bone shattering.

“Ah!”

Lin Hao screamed. The pain was so intense he nearly lost consciousness on the spot.

As he fell, the last thing he saw was Zhou Yichen’s smug, exultant laughter, triumphant beyond measure.

And then he could only watch helplessly as Zhou Yichen swaggered before him in arrogant display, before his body gave way once more and he crashed back to the ground.