Xu Zhenyun's will flashed brightly and dimly, and he immediately appeared in front of the short, fat bamboo-shaped jade platform in the world of sea of clouds.
After officially entering the boundary, the "light curtain" at the main entrance has indeed dispersed.
Xu Zhenyun took a deep breath and stepped in decisively!
The moment he crossed the main gate, Xu Zhenyun's vision widened.
The space is extremely wide.
There were no windows on the surrounding walls, and there was no obvious light source, but the brightness inside was very high. It was as if I was bathing in the moonlight, and I felt inexplicably comfortable all over.
This spacious and bright place is completely different from the terrifying secret realm Xu Zhenyun imagined.
His heart skipped a beat, and Xu Zhenyun turned around abruptly.
The "portal" behind him has completely disappeared; he is now in a completely enclosed space.
Xu Zhenyun walked slowly, looking at six directions.
The ground is paved with bluestone, neat and tidy, and even the gaps are of average thickness.
In the spacious hall, there are six thick stone pillars on the left and right. The stone pillars are carved with different types of exotic animals, with teeth and claws showing, and they are vivid.
Suddenly, the wind came from the back of Xu Zhenyun's head, fast and fierce!
Xu Zhenyun reacted very quickly, turned sideways to block, and then dodged back three feet.
Turning around and looking, a "guard" covered in golden armor appeared out of nowhere, holding an iron rod two feet long in his hand.
The golden-armored guard was extremely tall, almost unlike a normal person, and was a full head taller than Xu Zhenyun.
Wearing a bronze mask on his face, his appearance cannot be seen clearly.
He missed a single hit and continued to attack, moving the iron rod like the wind.
Xu Zhenyun felt helpless and dodged again and again. He was at a disadvantage for a while and felt aggrieved:
"It's not fair!"
Although the "Liuhe Exquisite Tower" is known as a desperate situation, it is not difficult to see that the "Golden Armored Warrior" is just an appetizer.
With his combat power as "the most powerful contender in martial arts in the national election", it shouldn't be difficult to deal with him.
After receiving a move, Xu Zhenyun thought that his strength and speed were not inferior to those of the golden armored guard.
But now I am in "dream mode" and have no weapons at hand; this greatly affects my performance in actual combat.
Suddenly, Xu Zhenyun had a strange idea.
Following the guidance of his consciousness, Xu Zhenyun reached out and fished it out in the air, and a copper rod appeared in his palm.
Very handy and familiar!
Xu Zhenyun subconsciously glanced at the head of the stick, and sure enough, seven inches from the top, there was a "Xu" character the size of a fingernail engraved on it.
Can even my usual weapons be manifested?
Xu Zhenyun was so energetic that he waved his iron rod and used the "Thirty-six-Way Dog Fighting Stick Technique" from Baishi Martial Arts School to fight against the golden-armored guards!
In the way of martial arts, when it comes to the level of advanced martial arts, it is difficult to distinguish one from another in terms of moves. It is more of a contest of hard power at the level of physical strength and speed.
Although the golden-armored guard was large in size, his basic quality was slightly inferior to that of Xu Zhenyun. In less than fifty rounds, he was killed and retreated steadily.
After another thirty rounds of fierce fighting, Xu Zhenyun completely took the initiative. With a flick of his backhand, he hit the golden-armored guard on the forehead with a stick, knocking off his helmet and the bronze mask at the same time.
Seeing the face of the golden-armored guard, Xu Zhenyun was slightly surprised.
Under the bronze mask, it turned out to be a piece of white, with no facial features, only the outline of the eyes and nose, like a mannequin displaying clothes in a shopping mall.
In the main hall, a boundless, majestic and solemn voice suddenly came:
"Acquired the qualification to accept the assessment."
Xu Zhenyun was not surprised - it was just an appetizer.
But I have to say that the combat effectiveness of the golden armored guards is pretty good.
Being able to persist for nearly a hundred moves before losing, at least he has the strength to be in the top 30 in the martial arts category in the national election.
The bar is really high!
If ascetics in other disciplines such as Wen, Mathematics, Yuan, and Bones are not good at practical combat, will this entrance examination change?
Sudden changes in the palace interrupted Xu Zhenyun's thoughts——
Starting from the center of the hall, it gradually spreads, and the space gradually sinks, forming a huge vortex.
The whirlpool grew larger and deeper, and soon reached Xu Zhenyun's feet.
Xu Zhenyun quickly retreated to the edge of the hall, leaning against the wall no more than ten feet away. If the vortex continued to expand, there would be no place for him to stand.
Fortunately, the changes have stopped here and the surging "whirlpool" has stabilized.
Looking closer, the overall cone-shaped deep pit turbine is vaguely visible, and there is a clear sense of separation.
The seven levels of space overlap and have distinct levels. At the edge of his left hand, a golden staircase spirals down.
Half virtual and half real, it connects the second layer, the third layer... and surrounds it for a total of seven turns.
This is... an inverted "tower" shape!
It turns out that the name "Liuhe Linglong Pagoda" comes from this.
Xu Zhenyun did not hesitate, went down the golden stairs, and after circling for a week, reached the "underground level".
The entrance to the second underground floor is on the opposite side, but it is blocked by a "light curtain" similar to the door.
It is not difficult to draw the conclusion: Only by passing this level of test can you be qualified to continue downwards.
Looking around, the architectural style of this "underground floor" is roughly the same as the main hall above, except that the scale is smaller and it is an octagonal space.
There are twelve pillars missing, but there are two more things:
One is a stone tablet that is as tall as a person but only about a foot wide, standing at the entrance; the other is a lifelike stone lion statue lying in the center of this floor.
Xu Zhenyun came to the stone tablet first.
The top of the stele is cast in the shape of a lotus, and the inscription is short and clear:
"On the first floor of the Liuhe Linglong Tower, there are 11,864 participants and 11,864 passers-by."
Everyone passed? Xu Zhenyun felt relieved.
But then I felt awe in my heart. This abnormal pass rate just showed that there was a hidden murderous intention in the subsequent assessment.
"Trialist, come here."
Xu Zhenyun suddenly raised his head!
This sound is obviously not the Tianyin of the main hall, but has a clear source.
Sure enough, the lying stone lion in the center of the first floor seemed to come to life. He slowly stretched out his fat right paw to wave, like a lucky cat, and repeated: "Trialist, come here. Trialist, come here."
, Trialist, passed..."
Thinking of the 100% success rate of passing the first level, Xu Zhenyun felt no pressure and went directly to the stone lion.
The stone lion slowly turned its head, like a clockwork machine. There was no trace of emotion in its huge purple pupils, and it spoke at an even pace: "In the first level, there is no danger. It just asks three questions to all the testers.
"
"Are you ready?"
Xu Zhenyun cheered up and said in a deep voice: "Ready!"
Shishi nodded slightly and asked unhurriedly: "First question."
“When faced with a decision, would you choose the ‘ideal’ way or the ‘rational’ way?”
Xu Zhenyun looked confused and blurted out: "What the hell?"
The stone lion made a "hu" sound, shook its head heavily, and the tone of its speech also showed a little more vicissitudes and emotion:
"It turns out that he is illiterate again... After thousands of years, the level of cultural theory in this world does not seem to have improved."
But its purple eyes changed in light and dark, and it still patiently explained:
"The so-called 'idealism' means that everything respects the original heart, intuitively follows the direction, and makes decisions with one thought; what I believe in my heart is the truth."
“The so-called ‘rationalism’ means respecting the rules of operation of the universe and all things, assessing the situation clearly, and making decisions before taking action.”
Xu Zhenyun felt relieved, which is not difficult to understand; in the novels I have read, there are many more advanced settings...
But you started talking about "idealism and rationality". Who knows what happened, but you actually said that I was illiterate...
The stone lion lay on the ground with both feet, posing like a kitten holding hands, and said quietly: "Choose, young man."
Xu Zhenyun thought for a moment, frowned, and said, "Do I have to choose?"
"If I have enough time, of course I can choose to 'assess the situation clearly, make a decision and act'; but if the matter is urgent, such as someone sneaking up on me from behind, then I will definitely react based on intuition..."
Xu Zhenyun said plausibly.
The stone lion was stunned, tilting its big head to look at Xu Zhenyun, and sprayed white mist from its nostrils.
Xu Zhenyun suddenly felt guilty.
He doesn't like to argue, but as a time traveler, the consciousness of "I want them all" is deeply rooted in his bones, so his first reaction is not to make a choice in a formal way; instead, he carefully examines the topic to see if it can take both things into consideration.
The stone lion was petrified for three minutes, and suddenly an angry expression appeared on its face, shouting: "Lazy boy!"
Like lightning, he stretched out his right palm and struck Xu Zhenyun three times on the head with a sandbag-sized lion fist.
I just heard the stone lion grunting: "Forget it, I'll see for myself."
Its purple eyes suddenly brightened, and it met Xu Zhenyun's eyes.
Xu Zhenyun was in a trance for a while, feeling that there was a wonderful power that "pointed directly to his heart" guiding him, making him speak the true answer very naturally.
But just when Xu Zhenyun wanted to say, "Evaluate the situation, make a decision and act," his mouth got ahead of him and said without thinking: "I choose 'idealism'! What I believe in my heart is the truth."
"ah?"
The unexpected change completely stunned Xu Zhenyun.
After being stunned for a while, Xu Zhenyun finally figured out the reason.
After time travel, the souls and emotions of Xu Zhenyun and the original owner had been completely integrated, and they were like one person.
But regarding this issue, Xu Zhenyun and the original owner have different ideas.
And the wonderful characteristic of "directly pointing to the heart" exuded in the purple eyes of the stone lion can split the two merged personalities in an instant and extract one of the only answers.
Originally, Xu Zhenyun, as a time traveler, is the leader of consciousness, and he should prevail.
But this power of "directly pointing to the heart" is very wonderful. Whichever will in the body is more determined will be "extracted" faster.
Xu Zhenyun oscillates slightly between "idealism" and "rationalism", but he prefers "rationalism".
But the original owner is a person who believes in intuition very much, so the original owner’s consciousness took over first and completed the answer!
Unexpected changes...
Is it a blessing or a curse?
It won't make me the first person ever to fail at the first level, right?
Xu Zhenyun felt uneasy.
Shi Shi ignored it and continued to ask: "Second question, please make a choice: 'Follow the trend' or 'Follow the trend'?"
Since it was already known that Xu Zhenyun was illiterate, Shi Shishi explained directly:
"The so-called 'following the trend' means having no attachment, being flexible, being able to bend and stretch, and being able to advance and retreat."
"The so-called 'no advance' means that the edge of the sword points to the point of advancing without retreating; fight until you have no regrets, and fight until death!"
But the stone lion seemed to be infected by what he said. It suddenly became excited, raised its front legs, spun around in a gorgeous circle, and then lay down again.
Xu Zhenyun hesitated slightly.
He is definitely more inclined to "follow the trend" - before time travel, Xu Zhenyun was keen on Internet writing, and talked about the novel "Gou Daoliu". A man is a man who can bend and stretch. He can fight when he can be beaten and run away when he can't... He definitely shouldn't be a dazed young man.
But he also has a passionate dream in his heart: thousands of armies can attack the enemy, and be invincible, which is very fascinating.
Moreover, looking at the stone lion's very excited appearance, it is obvious that it is more inclined to "unprecedented". Is this answer a better choice?
Seeing Xu Zhenyun's delay in answering, Shishi's eyes widened like bells, and he opened his mouth wide: "I see... You kid is thinking about how to argue with me again... Hum, I won't give you a chance! I
See for yourself.”
The purple eyes are shining again!
Xu Zhenyun's spirit immediately fell into a state of elegance and trance, and he replied: "I have no ambitions, and I will fight until I have no regrets, and I will fight until death!"
This sentence was spoken fluently, and the reaction was faster than the first question!
…
Xu Zhenyun was caught off guard again.
It was the original owner’s subconscious answer that took the lead again!
Xu Zhenyun pondered for a long time, and finally decided to respect his heart and choose the way of "following the trend" - being able to bend and stretch, advance and retreat.
But I didn’t expect that the original owner was very obsessed with this issue.
In fact, the original owner was relatively easy-going in family life, and sometimes a little funny; but in fact, he was aloof and arrogant in his heart, which can be seen from the self-portraits accumulated in his childhood.
"Wherever the sword points, there is no retreat"; this is the motto in his heart.
In the process of answering, the consciousness of the original owner was still stronger and "emerged" directly.
The stone lion had no expression on his face and continued to ask:
"The last question - 'ruthless' or 'sentient'?"
"The so-called 'ruthless' person is one whose heart is unmoved by the eight winds and is like iron. No matter how many winds and clouds arise, I look at the world with a cold eye."
"The so-called 'sentimental' person is one who easily gets drunk by picking up flowers, hurts his mood by falling leaves, and rises and falls thousands of times. I laugh at myself and face all living beings."
In fact, "ruthless" and "affectionate" do not need to be explained. They are the simplest concepts.
After the explanation, Shishi was too lazy to talk nonsense, and his two big purple eyes directly discharged!
Xu Zhenyun sighed inexplicably, looked into the distance, and said leisurely: "The road is ruthless."
"ah……"
After coming back to his senses, Xu Zhenyun was speechless!
Different from the slight hesitation in the first two questions, Xu Zhenyun's answer to this question is relatively clear.
His previous experience on earth was full of colors and unrestrained emotions, so it was natural for him to choose the path of "sentiment".
But there is still no competition against the original owner.
In Xinyuan Continent, when you embark on the path of Taoism, no matter what kind of literature, martial arts, or mathematics, the first lesson of the Tao Heart Course is about "the Tao is ruthless."
Although the meaning of "the ruthless road" is profound, it is not to turn everyone into a piece of wood without emotion, but to pay attention to "the depth of love turns into ruthlessness"; but the final footing is after all the four "the ruthless road"
Character.
In the consciousness of the original owner, "ruthlessness" is the first meaning, and "affectionate" is the second meaning. This is natural.
Suddenly, Xu Zhenyun was surprised to discover:
After the three questions were disturbed by the stone lion's power of "directly pointing to the heart", the original owner's soul gave the answer, and the answer was different from the answer in his own heart!
The stone lion knocked its huge head lightly, then returned to a steady tone and said: "Huhu... the first level of the assessment is over."
"Remember - the three questions in the first level are the key outlines for the next six levels; don't forget your answers!"
"Get out of here."
As soon as he finished speaking, at the entrance leading to the second floor opposite, light curtains scattered in all directions.