Chapter 39 I Want to Become an Immortal (Part 8)
Liu Sheng slowly walked out of the mist. Everyone around her involuntarily glanced at her, their eyes filled with vigilance.
These Disciples, dressed in various colored Dao robes, were either nervous or composed. If two came together, they would whisper to each other, but all gazed towards Qingxu Hall, seemingly waiting for something.
So Liu Sheng also stood quietly aside, waiting.
After an unknown period, everyone grew restless, fearing that half a day had passed again, when a clear and resonant bell chime echoed from the jade steps.
Subsequently, the large doors of Qingxu Hall slowly opened, and an old man in a white Dao robe emerged from within. He had white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard. His face was pale, but his eyes were as deep as an abyss, making it impossible to look directly at him.
Upon seeing the old man, the Disciples immediately bowed in unison, collectively saying, “Greetings, Hall Master.”
Liu Sheng quickly imitated their bow.
The old man gently nodded, signaling to everyone that there was no need for further formalities.
His gaze swept over everyone one by one, then he spoke, “The Qingxu Hall Ascension Examination is about to begin. Those who wish to participate, please take out your seven profound token and step onto the steps to stand beside me.” The old man’s voice was deep and powerful, every word seemingly imbued with profound meaning.
“However, I must first make it clear to you all: if you fail the Ascension Examination, your life will not be preserved. You should be prepared and resolute,” the old man added, seeing that many people were already eager to move.
Liu Sheng distantly saw a cruel smile playing on the old man’s lips.
As soon as these words were spoken, some people immediately stopped in their tracks, and even turned to leave.
Liu Sheng naturally had to stay. Since it was an examination, there should be clear rules, and as long as she followed the rules, there was still a chance.
She followed the remaining people, step by step, up the stairs.
With each step, the oppressive feeling in her heart intensified. The air was filled not only with coldness and dampness but also an indescribable evil aura.
Liu Sheng walked until her legs were sore and weak before she finally reached the entrance of Qingxu Hall, unsure how many steps there were on the jade staircase.
She walked quite fast, perhaps because she had eaten her fill.
Most of the others had been hungry for a long time, resting after every section, and by the end, some even resorted to using both hands and feet. By the time they reached the top, they were all weak and exhausted.
Only upon closer inspection did she see that the old man, like the three people she had seen earlier today, was covered in Death Qi, with corpse spots all over his skin, clearly also a weird objects.
“Upper Dormitory Student, step forward first,” the old man called out, but no one responded.
“So that’s how it is. There are no Upper Dormitory Students among you yet. What a pity…” the old man said with regret, but his stiff face remained expressionless.
“Next, Inner Dormitory Students.”
Only a mere four people, holding their seven profound tokens, stepped forward.
Liu Sheng knew that according to the typical three-dormitory system of academies—Outer Dormitory, Inner Dormitory, and Upper Dormitory—she, as a newcomer, definitely belonged to the Outer Dormitory Students, so there was no need for her to step forward prematurely.
Indeed, the old man glanced at the four, then formed a hand seal, and the characters actually appeared on their seven profound tokens.
Only then did Liu Sheng realize that the seven profound token had such a function, but unfortunately, she couldn't clearly see what was written on it.
One of the four, seeing this, turned pale with fright, shrinking back and trying to cover the characters with his hand, trembling like a sieve.
The old man gave a cold laugh, understanding what was happening: “A charlatan, begone.”
Then, with a gentle flick of his sleeve, he flung the person down the jade steps.
The jade steps were so high that the person's bones must have shattered from the fall. From afar, one could see him lying on the ground, limbs twisted, unmoving.
Seeing this, he burst into laughter, then said to the three: “Go in. If you pass this examination, you can become an Upper Dormitory Student.”
The three cupped their hands in agreement and entered through the door in single file.
The moment the door opened, Liu Sheng wanted to see what it looked like inside, but she only saw a black void within the door, nothing at all.
After the three had entered, the large doors closed tightly again.
The old man glanced at the remaining Outer Dormitory Students, and with a wave of his hand, the seven profound tokens in everyone's hands flashed faintly, also revealing characters.
The seven profound token in Liu Sheng's hand read:
Name: Yao Sujin
Age: Nineteen
Identity: Seven Profound Academy Outer Dormitory Student
Time of Entry: Tianhe Twenty-Third Year
Courtyard: Xichun Dormitory Ugly Twelve
Bone Structure: Unknown
Comprehension Ability: Unknown
Cultivation: None
Liu Sheng deliberately stood neither too far forward nor too far back. As she passed the old man, she proactively asked, “Excuse me, Hall Master, how long will the examination take once we enter, and will we have enough time to return to our Courtyard?”
The old man was surprised by the question and looked at Liu Sheng meaningfully as he replied, “Once you enter Qingxu Hall, it is another realm, where time is calculated differently and does not consume the time outside.”
This sentence contained a lot of information. Liu Sheng thanked the old man and followed the group into Qingxu Hall.
The scene inside Qingxu Hall was vastly different from the ancient lecture hall she had imagined. There were no rows of tables and chairs, no ink fragrance of scrolls, only dim, cold flickering lights illuminating strange faces.
Six Instructors sat one by one on black high-backed grandmaster chairs on the high platform, like towering black shadows.
Liu Sheng recognized the three she had seen not long ago among them.
Their faces were as pale as paper, their expressions ferocious and twisted, like the restless souls that had crawled out of the River of Death, sending shivers down one's spine.
In front of the high platform was a large blood pool, bubbling and gurgling, with an extremely heavy smell of blood. It seemed as if limbs and heads were floating within it.
The Disciples of the Outer Dormitory, being here for the first time, turned pale upon seeing such a sight, their eyes filled with deep fear.
The woman who had once exposed Liu Sheng's identity looked at Liu Sheng with interest, then said loudly, “Everyone, go in.”
Everyone exchanged glances, clearly thinking that this blood pool was not a good thing, hesitating and not wanting to be the first to enter.
A male Disciple trembled and raised his hand, asking, “May I ask, Instructor, is this the Ascension Examination for the Outer Dormitory? Will there be nothing else?”
This was a very clever question. The female weird objects also did not want to make things difficult for everyone here, so she nodded and said, “Yes, the Outer Dormitory tests bone structure. If you can pass, it means you have the potential for Immortal Ascension.”
Although the scene was extremely eerie, the temptation of “Immortal Ascension” was irresistible. Some people were already eager to try, taking a deep breath and gathering their courage to step into it.
As soon as the person stepped into the blood pool, they instantly let out a tragic howl, then fell into the blood pool.
As soon as he immersed himself in the pool, his flesh instantly rotted away, turning into a skeleton that slowly sank to the bottom of the pool.
Everyone was horrified, not expecting that this first person would pay such a terrible price.
“This, you didn't say it would be so dangerous!” Another Disciple had also wanted to follow that person in, but was just a step too late, though he secretly rejoiced at being late.
The Instructors on the high platform immediately burst into sneering laughter, as if what this person said was utterly ridiculous.
Liu Sheng recalled that the old man had just warned that failure meant death, so it was naturally dangerous.
A male Instructor spoke up, “I think you are too foolish, there’s no need to test your bone structure. Someone so foolish certainly can’t cultivate to Immortality.”
Then he reached out his hand into the Void Realm, and that Disciple was clutched in mid-air by him, squeezed tighter and tighter, until finally, with a “bang,” he turned into a cloud of blood mist.
The others, seeing two people lost just like that, couldn't help but feel a chill. They also realized that there was no other choice now.
Moreover, everyone who came to Qingxu Hall had already considered that cultivating Immortality might be the key to surviving, or even escaping, this weird objects disaster, so they could only grit their teeth and continue.
Thus, everyone, filled with dread, successively walked into the blood pool. One after another, they let out cries of pain. Some quickly rotted away and died like the previous one, while others, though their skin and flesh were torn, managed to endure.
Liu Sheng seemed oblivious to the hellish scene before her, her entire body tensed, as she too stepped into the blood pool.