I have a composite mirror

Chapter 124 Beneath the Questioning Platform

Deep within the imperial palace, in the forbidden garden.

The air here seemed to have frozen, and every inch of space was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.

There are no glittering glazed tiles, nor carved beams and painted rafters in the palace.

There was only a vast expanse of white mist, lingering year-round.

And in the deepest part of the clouds, an ancient and desolate white jade platform rises from the ground, piercing the sky.

This is the legendary Questioning Platform.

"arrive."

The eunuch leading the way had a high-pitched voice that echoed through the mist, sounding particularly cold and eerie.

The twenty young talents who advanced to the third round are now standing solemnly below the stage.

They were either scions of noble families or elites of sects, usually arrogant and haughty, but now, facing this ancient platform that had carried the fortune of the royal family for hundreds of years, they all held their breath and focused their attention.

Gu Shenyan was not among the crowd. As a "specially invited assistant" and "wounded caregiver," he was standing on a high pavilion in the distance.

This tall building, named "Guanlan Pavilion," is the only observation point.

Standing beside Gu Shenyan were several elderly men dressed in purple robes, all of whom were elders of the Imperial Academy.

Among them was Lu Banxian, who seemed unorthodox but was actually unfathomable.

"Buzz"

A strange ripple spread out.

The clouds and mist in front slowly dispersed, revealing the true face of the Questioning Platform.

The platform is divided into nine levels, each level of which is engraved with intricate cloud and thunder patterns that are so complex they can make one dizzy.

At the highest point, there floated an ordinary-looking gray stone.

But Gu Shenyan only glanced at it before the system in his mind started issuing frantic warnings.

[Warning! Extremely high density of mental energy field detected!]

[WARNING! This object contains regular fragments and cannot be viewed directly! It cannot be analyzed!]

Gu Shenyan felt a chill and quickly looked away.

This is the "Quest Stone".

It is said to contain a wisp of the divine will of the first builder, capable of directly touching the heart and reflecting the deepest fears and desires within a cultivator.

see.

"The third round, 'Asking the Heart,' begins."

An elderly man in purple robes spoke softly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every participant.

"First one, take the stage."

As roll call began, one by one, the young cultivators steeled themselves and stepped onto the high platform.

Some people had barely sat down for a few breaths when their faces turned deathly pale, they cried out "There's a ghost!", and then spat out blood as they were flung away by an invisible force.

Some people persisted for half an incense stick's time, their faces shifting between joy and sorrow, but ultimately they walked off the stage with a look of utter dejection, as if they had lost their souls.

Gu Shenyan leaned against the railing, his eyes slightly narrowed.

On his retina, a waterfall of deep blue data flowed across his retina.

[Analyzing the target's mental state —]

[Target: Wang's second son. Heart rate: 180. Mental state: Extreme panic. Hallucination speculation: Family massacre.]

[Target: The eldest disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect. Heart rate: 65. Mental state: Infatuated. Hallucination speculation: Lust for power and sex.]

He's looking for it.

Look for those abnormal fluctuations.

Since "Shadow Banyan" can plant assassins in the rune array battle, it shows that their reach is very far.

These kinds of tests that directly confront the human heart are most likely to expose the dark side of one's soul.

If someone has practiced evil magic, or if their mind has been corrupted by external things, the reaction here will definitely be different from that of ordinary people.

"Next, Tingtao Pavilion, Han Sushuang."

Upon hearing this name, Gu Shenyan straightened his back slightly.

Lu Banxian also stopped spinning the iron bladder in his hand and turned his gaze to the slightly thin figure below.

Han Sushuang was still wearing that blood-stained battle robe. Although her wounds had been treated, her breathing was still somewhat weak.

She took a deep breath and walked step by step up the white jade steps.

With each step she took, her face grew paler.

It was not just physical pain, but also immense pressure on the soul.

Finally, she reached the seventh step and sat down cross-legged.

"boom!"

The moment she sat down, the previously calm Questioning Platform suddenly became incredibly bright.

Even through the water mirror from a great distance, Gu Shenyan could feel the chilling aura emanating from the water.

That was the sound of clashing swords and galloping horses!

In the water mirror, Han Sushuang's brows furrowed instantly, as if she were enduring immense pain.

Around her, countless golden blade phantoms and raging crimson flames faintly appeared.

"The Golden Fire Refines the Heart—"

Lu Banxian murmured something under his breath, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"This girl is also stubborn. Her sword intent is too sharp, too rigid and easily broken. This Heart-Questioning Platform is using her momentum to temper her heart."

Within the illusion.

Han Sushuang felt as if she were in a sea of ​​fire and a mountain of knives.

Countless golden swords pierced her body; the pain wasn't physical, but a tearing sensation that directly affected her soul.

Even more intensely, flames were burning every inch of her meridians.

That was her once proud "Golden Fire Sword Intent," but now it had become a demon that was turning against her.

"It hurts so much!"

Han Sushuang's consciousness began to blur.

The old injury showed signs of recurrence, and the spiritual energy in his body began to surge uncontrollably.

"Give up—"

"Just take a step back, and the pain will disappear —"

A seductive voice echoed in her heart.

That was the whisper of inner demons.

On Guanlan Pavilion, Gu Shenyan's fingers gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Su Shuang, hang in there."

He meditated in his heart.

Just as Han Sushuang was about to lose her composure.

"Buzz—"

A talisman she kept close to her body suddenly emitted a cool and refreshing aura.

That wasn't some high-level defensive talisman; it was just a "Heart-Cleansing Talisman" that Gu Shenyan had casually modified.

However, when drawing this talisman, Gu Shenyan deliberately incorporated a touch of the concept of "water and fire balance".

This refreshing feeling, like a clear spring, instantly extinguished the fire of anxiety in her heart.

Han Sushuang suddenly regained her senses.

The familiar voice echoed in my mind once again.

"Water has no constant form; it combines strength and gentleness."

"Su Shuang, your sword is too straight."

"Try to be like water, embrace it, instead of fighting it."

That was something Gu Shenyan had said to her when he was explaining the meaning of talismans at Tingyuxuan.

There were also scenes of Cao Wenjing teaching her "Layered Wave Force".

"Rhythm————"

"The rhythm of breathing, the rhythm of spiritual energy—"

Han Sushuang's previously tense body gradually relaxed.

She no longer tried to use her sword intent to fight against the illusory blades.

Instead, it guides the water-based spiritual energy within the body, like gentle ocean waves, wrapping it layer by layer.

Water is the softest of all, yet it can overcome the hardest.

The originally rampant golden and fiery energy gradually subsided in the face of this gentle yet resilient water energy.

The dagger in the illusion transformed into a stream of light and merged into her body.

The raging fire transformed into the warm sun, nourishing her meridians.

Outside the water mirror, everyone witnessed an astonishing scene.

Han Sushuang, who had been in pain, now looked incredibly peaceful.

All the sharpness around her vanished, replaced by a radiant, jade-like glow.

"good!"

Lu Banxian couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation, his eyes full of admiration.

"Destruction precedes construction, a balance of strength and gentleness—this girl has grasped the essence!"

Time passed second by second.

When Han Sushuang finally opened her eyes, her eyes were clear and bright, without any trace of the previous ferocity.

She slowly rose, bowed deeply to the platform above, and then gracefully withdrew.

Although her face was still pale, everyone could see that her spirit and energy had undergone a qualitative transformation.

Gu Shenyan breathed a sigh of relief, a smile playing on his lips.

The match continued for the remainder of the time.

Gu Shenyan continues to work diligently as his "data recorder".

[Target: The eldest grandson of the Wang family. Abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations.]

[Analysis: The illusion is shrouded in black mist, suggesting the practitioner may have practiced some incomplete Yin spirit technique.]

[Marked as suspicious.]

He memorized each of these names.

Finally, the last contestant finished the test.

By this time, the sun had already begun to set in the west.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the Questioning Platform, gilding the white jade steps with a layer of golden-red light.

The whole scene appeared sacred and solemn.

"it's over."

An elder from the temple was preparing to announce the results.

Just then.

A sudden change occurred.

The half-finished ancient talisman diagram that Gu Shenyan had always kept close to his body suddenly became extremely hot!

"hiss----"

Gu Shenyan gasped, almost crying out.

Before he could react...

The "Abyss" life fire within him seemed to sense a call from one of its kind, and it pulsed uncontrollably.

What's even more terrifying is his "flawless" spiritual core.

Normally it is as quiet as a dead thing, but now it seems to have become a thirsty baby, greedily stretching out its tentacles.

It sensed it.

They sensed the vast and boundless "Daoist charm" on the Questioning Platform, a gathering of the thoughts of countless talisman masters over thousands of years.

It's a yearning for "rules".

"Don't move!"

Gu Shenyan was terrified and desperately tried to suppress the agitation within him.

But the attraction was just too strong.

In that very instant.

His spiritual consciousness inevitably spilled out a trace, gently and cautiously "touching" that Daoist aura.

It's like a drop of water falling into boiling oil.

"BOOM!!!"

A thunderous sound, not from reality but exploding deep within everyone's soul, suddenly erupted.

The Questioning Platform, which had fallen silent, suddenly began to tremble violently.

All the clouds and mist boiled and churned at that moment.

And that "Inquiry Stone," suspended at the highest point, has remained lifeless for hundreds of years.

Bright.

It wasn't a dazzling golden light, nor a soft white light.

Rather, it was an indescribable, chaotic, and strange radiance that seemed to encompass the colors of all things!

That radiance was fleeting.

It was so fast it seemed like an illusion.

But the pressure released in that instant caused all the cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage present to feel their knees buckle and almost kneel down!

"What's going on?!"

On Guanlan Pavilion, several elders in purple robes suddenly stood up, their faces filled with shock.

"The Inquiry Stone is acting strangely?!"

"This is something that hasn't happened in centuries! Could it be that some unparalleled genius has resonated with the ancient sages?!"

With a "crack," the iron gall in Lu Banxian's hand was crushed by his bare hands.

His cloudy old eyes instantly sharpened like an eagle's, and he abruptly turned his head, staring intently at Gu Shenyan beside him.

It wasn't just him.

The gazes of the other elders also turned in unison.

Because in that instant, everyone sensed that the source of the strange phenomenon was right here in Guanlan Pavilion!

Gu Shenyan's heart was pounding in his throat.

The moment the light shone, he knew something bad had happened.

He used almost all his willpower to forcibly sever the connection with that spiritual consciousness and pushed the concealment properties of "Dive" to the extreme, disguising himself as a lifeless stone.

"Dear seniors—"

Gu Shenyan was pale, his forehead was covered with a fine layer of cold sweat, and he looked at everyone with a look of "bewilderment" and "fear".

"Was that an earthquake?"

The air was deathly still.

The elders looked at each other, their doubts still lingering.

Lu Banxian gave Gu Shenyan a deep look, then suddenly laughed, breaking the deadlock.

"It seems that this Questioning Platform has been in disrepair for many years, or perhaps there has been a change in the earth's ley lines."

"Alright, alright, stop making a fuss, you're scaring the younger generation."

As he spoke, he subtly moved half a body in front of Gu Shenyan.

But Gu Shenyan knew.

This hurdle may not be easy to overcome.