At one point, a dense fog rolled towards him, clouding his vision. Shadows flickered at the edges of his sight, and the whispers grew louder around him.
Shen Yuan remained unfazed. He sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes to focus. “Let’s try other senses if my sight can’t see through the illusions.”
He activated his spiritual sense, releasing it outwards, mapping out the entire surroundings beyond the physical barrier.
His superior cultivation base allowed him to detect the true layer of the maze, bypassing all the illusions and traps.
After a few moments, he stood up and continued his journey, moving ahead calmly.
[What a show-off. You could have cleared the floor with your vision alone if you focused qi into your eyes.]
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“Meh, it’s no fun. I’m doing this to entertain myself, don’t ruin my fun now.” He smirked slightly and replied to her.
The maze seemed to have felt his growing pace as it started to change more aggressively, but Shen Yuan didn’t stop and continued relentlessly.
Outside, the disciples watched the Maze Pagoda intently. Disciples murmured among themselves, discussing how much time Shen Yuan would take.
“He should already be halfway through.” Wan Ling exclaimed, eyes flashing with excitement.
Ling Mei arched an eyebrow. “Impossible. Most take hours to reach that point, and some never do.”
Back inside, Shen Yuan faced the final trial of the maze—a vast chamber with countless doors, each identical to the next. In the center stood a stone pedestal with an inscription:
“Only the one who has an iron will can find the true door.”
He looked at the words for a moment, “Truly impressive, they intermixed all the Pagoda floors into one to make a giant labyrinth. Looks like they didn’t waste the legacy of their ancestors.”
He soon shook his head to rid of the distracting thoughts and contemplated the meaning of the words.
“Do I only need a strong will to pass? I can see how this can be a tough trial for a sect such as Radiant Sacred Lotus Sect whose main focus is on the gentle qi. But for someone like me—”
He looked at the countless doors again, but all of a sudden, all the doors started evaporating and only a single wooden door remained.
Shen Yuan smiled and walked towards that door, vanishing into light particles as he emerged outside the Maze Pagoda.
A bell chimed in, signaling the completion of the challenge.
‘They started ringing bells as well?’ He thought to himself in amusement.
“That was fast!” someone whispered.
Wan Ling rushed forward. “Senior Brother, you did it!”
Shen Yuan gave a soft smile. “It was an intriguing experience. They have improvised the maze to be more suited for the disciples of this sect.”
Ling Mei approached, her expression a mix of respect and curiosity. “You once again completed the Pagoda in a record time. Perhaps the last time was not a fluke as most Inner Sect disciples doubted.”
Shen Yuan nodded toward her, “Thanks for your praise, Ling Mei. Let’s spar when I join the Inner Sect in some time.”
She chuckled softly, “Are you looking for a chance to beat me up? Hehe~ anyways, are you going to challenge the Spiritual Reflection Pagoda next”
“That’s the plan,” he replied. “Might as well finish all of them today.”
The Spiritual Reflection Pagoda was known for creating a spiritual clone of the challenger, matching them in strength and techniques. To succeed, one had to use various tactics or surpass their current self in the middle of the battle.
A true test of one’s mastery and adaptability.
As Shen Yuan made his way to the next pagoda, the crowd murmured and followed him from the back.
He only shook his head at his sight as he expected this to happen today, but this was exactly what he wanted. To make a solid image inside of the sect so the disciples can accept him more easily.
He stood beneath the entrance of the Spiritual Reflection Pagoda, ‘I hope the clone won’t be as disappointing as the previous one.’
Even though he thought of this, he knew it was next to impossible for him to fight his clone in this mortal world.
But he still went forward, stepping into the pagoda to awe the disciples and elders alike.
Looking around, he saw a vast, empty space. The air was still, and a faint mist covered the ground. He looked at it for a second, but suddenly, the mist coalesced into a figure—an exact replica of himself.
The clone opened his eyes, revealing the same calm smile that Shen Yuan possessed. Without warning, it launched forward, striking with a palm technique that Shen Yuan recognized, it was his own ‘Wind Breaker Palm’.
He blocked the attack with one hand, “So, this is how feeling the attack of oneself feels like.”
The clone didn’t relent as he swiftly kicked the side of him, but Shen Yuan took a step back and easily dodged the attack.
“How easy.” He looked at the clone with lazy eyes, sprinting behind it before the clone could react.
Shen Yuan slapped the back of the clone’s head and sent it flying through the empty space. He dusted his hand as he saw the clone standing up again, “Let’s end this now.”
He took out a sword and utilized the Radiant Qi from his second dantian, sending a slash of Qi infused with his Sword Intent toward the clone.
The clone tried to copy him but he couldn’t muster any Radiant Qi from his dantian, and before he could focus on using his normal Qi, the slash arrived and cleaved the clone in half before dissipating into mist.
Outside, the disciples watched as the bell chimed again, much sooner than the previous one.
“Unbelievable! He defeated his spiritual clone so quickly!”
“Is he a monster?”
Ling Mei’s eyes flashed with shock, she muttered, “He continues to surprise us.”
Shen Yuan soon emerged from the pagoda with a slight smile. Not even a drop of sweat formed on his head as people doubted whether he fought inside or not.
Wan Ling approached him eagerly. “Senior Brother, that was amazing! How did you finish so fast?”
Shen Yuan’s eyes twitched as he looked at Wan Ling seriously for a second, “Speak properly, Little Ling. Ask how you completed the level so soon instead.”
Wan Ling looked at him in confusion, while Ling Mei stifled her laugh.
Shen Yuan shook his head, “It’s easy, just practice and you will be able to do that as well.”
Ling Mei stopped laughing and stepped forward. “Your techniques are impressive. You must have trained for decades.”
Shen Yuan met her gaze. “How old do you even think I am? I’m not even two decades old yet.”
Ling Mei’s eyes opened in shock, “Wait, are you saying you are in your teens?”
“Well not exactly that, but my age has yet to hit the 20th mark.”
“Absurd,” she murmured as she doubted herself.
Wan Ling didn’t think much of the deeper implications, “Wow, Senior Brother, you are actually younger than me.”
Shen Yuan patted her head, “Not exactly but yeah let’s just go with this for now.”