Duosheng Danyuan

Chen Yu's experience was not complicated in general; in fact, it was so ordinary that it was almost mundane.

He got up at eight o'clock as usual and then met his fellow veteran who lived with him. According to him, although he joined the army at the age of eighteen, his father died early and his mother also passed away before his discharge. For this reason, he never got married or had children. After his eight-year military service was over, he and his fellow veterans returned home and opened a "Veteran Barbecue" restaurant in a town not far from their hometown with their discharge pay.

So, before he came into this world, he had been sharing an apartment with his comrade-in-arms. His comrade-in-arms was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a happy family, but he didn't want his parents to nag him about getting married, so he started a business with him outside, wanting to make a few more years of adventure.

Getting back to the main point. When Chen Yu encountered his comrades from the real world, he initially couldn't believe he had returned. However, neither the scenery outside nor the items displayed in the Quiet Abode from yesterday's memories existed in this world, so he reluctantly left the room. After leaving the room, he even drove with his comrades to the very edge of the town, a place he would never normally go, to buy groceries and supplies, just to verify whether he had returned to the real world.

Needless to say, the Jingxilu environment perfectly replicates the real world.

"Didn't you hear the alarm clock?" Zeng Yixi asked.

"No. I don't know the specific reason, but it may be related to the time I set. Because the rules of Jingxilu stipulate that we must get up before nine o'clock, in order to make sure I am not late, I set my alarm clock to six o'clock, which is the time when the reveille usually sounds. Although I have retired, it has only been half a year, and during these six months, I still habitually get up around six o'clock."

"What time do you usually go to bed?" Zeng Yixi asked again.

"Ten o'clock."

"Then why are you up at eight o'clock?" Zeng Yixi frowned in confusion. Clearly, she also realized that our sleep schedule might be linked to the fifth rule of the Quiet Retreat.

"Stand guard." At this moment, Zhang Muyun, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"Standing guard?" Zeng Yixi repeated Zhang Muyun's words.

"Yes, guard duty. Our soldiers are required to stand guard for two hours during their rest period from 10:00 to 6:00," Zhang Muyun nodded and said.

"That's not surprising," Tang Anran said, suddenly realizing something, standing next to Zhang Muyun.

"Zhang Muyun is right, this is also the situation that Qian Zhe analyzed for us," Wang Hao nodded.

"So, as long as we wake up after the alarm clock, we won't hear it?" Xie Qinghan, standing next to Zeng Yixi, also tried to explain.

"I don't know, my alarm clock went off."

"Mine too."

"Me too."

"Mine didn't ring." After everyone had spoken, I raised my hand, agreeing with Xie Qinghan's conclusion. "Xie Qinghan is probably right. I woke up at 8:10 and set my alarm for 8:00, but I didn't hear it ring until I left the illusion."

"Then how did you get out of the illusion?" Qian Zhe asked.

"It came out directly."

"What do you mean by 'came out directly'? Explain yourself clearly."

"Haha..." I leaned against the sofa, laughing and shaking my head.

"Let's continue. What happened after nine o'clock?" Lin Xu asked. This was the key to Chen Yu's intelligence: was the thunder and lightning after nine o'clock related to Chen Yu's oversleeping? This was what we were all most concerned about.

"Okay, I'll continue..." Then, Chen Yu began to tell us everything that happened at that time.

—The following paragraphs describe the events from Chen Yu's perspective—

"Hey, why are you buying groceries here today? Sure, the meat is cheaper here, but it takes too long to go back and forth, it's not really worth it for us," said Xiao Cui, the comrade in the passenger seat of the van, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. Besides, I always get my supplies from the same supplier, so I don't know if the market has changed." Chen Yu, driving from the driver's seat, casually made up an excuse to appease Xiao Cui.

"Is that so? Then I'll be more careful next time. It's not that I have to buy from Old Wang, it's just that he seems honest, so I often patronize him."

"It's nothing, I just said it casually, I mainly wanted to go for a drive."

"Haha, going for a drive is great, just don't suddenly have a meltdown..."

"What?" Chen Yu smiled and turned his head, only to find the passenger seat empty. "What!?"

He turned around abruptly, and the once bustling street before him became deserted again.

"What exactly is this...?"

"Hmph!" Before Chen Yu could react, a deep, angry snort rang in his mind. The voice sounded strangely familiar. "Elder Jianshan?"

"You actually remember me?"

When Chen Yu called out Elder Jianshan's name, the originally desolate street completely turned into a blank space, and he was no longer in the driver's seat of the bread, but in a vast white space.

"What exactly is this...?"

"This is an illusion created for you by the Tranquil Abode, just like the sugar frosting secreted by a pitcher plant to attract mosquitoes. Fool, how could you be so easily disturbed by such a low-level illusion?" Elder Jianshan walked out from the white mist, his face full of displeasure.

"..." Chen Yu swallowed hard, not daring to say a word.

"What? How long do you plan to stay in this illusion? A day, a month, a year, or do you intend to stay here forever?"

"I don't..."

"You'd better not have," Elder Jianshan's expression softened slightly when he heard Chen Yu speak, but he still looked serious and said in a deep voice, "It's fortunate that I discovered it in time. If it had been any later, your seedling would have been completely ruined and could only become medicinal dregs, not even qualifying as an auxiliary ingredient."

"yes..."

"Now, come out with me. You probably don't want to stay here anymore, right?"

"yes..."

"Very good." Upon hearing Chen Yu's words, Elder Jianshan's displeased expression finally disappeared, replaced by a complex expression that was not one of satisfaction.

Elder Jianshan strolled towards Chen Yu, placed his right hand directly on Chen Yu's shoulder, and to Chen Yu's astonishment, suddenly struck Chen Yu's chest with his left hand.

"cough!"

The attack came suddenly and with great force. Chen Yu felt like he could hardly breathe. As he coughed, a line of blood flowed down the corner of his mouth.

"You're still in a dream, so you can't see this injury from the outside. I'll just tell you this is a punishment; you'll find out the details when you go to the Refining Heart Hall." Withdrawing his fist, Elder Jianshan used his left hand to lift Chen Yu's head and drag him into a white light.

Then, Chen Yu woke up and went to the entrance of Jingxi Lodge with Qian and Wang.

——Divider——

"Is this the little punishment Elder Huaizhen mentioned in the Refining Heart Hall?" Lin Xu asked.

"Mm," Chen Yu nodded in response.

"What exactly is it like?" Zeng Yixi asked.

"What do you mean, how?" Chen Yu asked back.

"What specific changes have occurred in your body? Tang Anran told me about her feelings, but I think the difference between you two is quite significant, as one involves changes to your three souls and seven spirits, while the other involves changes to your internal organs. Besides, you were vomiting blood and almost fainted, while Tang Anran was completely calm. The difference between you two is quite intriguing," Zeng Yixi said.

"this..."

"That's the price," Qian Zhe interrupted Chen Yu and said to Zeng Yixi, "We've already shared some information about Jingxi Lodge as agreed, now it's your turn."

"Hmph," Zeng Yixi snorted coldly, crossed her arms, and said disdainfully, "What do you want to know? Brother Gu Changfeng is right, you're so confident in exchanging information because you must have figured out that I know things you don't, right? Fine, tell me, what do you want to know from me?"

"Tch," Qian Zhe rolled his eyes at Zeng Yixi with disdain, curled his lip, and said, "I really don't know what you know. Don't let your arrogance fool you. Wang Hao and I dared to leave the Quiet Retreat to inform you about Chen Yu, Gu Changfeng and Lin Xu dared to explore the Ancient Pill Scripture Tower, and what about you four? You're just cowards who abide by these rules and regulations. To be honest, I really want to ask you, do you really know anything?"

"hehe."

"Gu Changfeng and I shared our information. Big sister, you're so impressive, you must have some information that ordinary people can't find, right? Of course, if you don't want to tell me, I don't care. Anyway, we've exchanged information, so I won't stop you from breaking the agreement now."

As he spoke, Qian Zhe spread his hands, grinning in an annoying way.

"Don't try to make your incompetence sound so noble. With a son like you, you're trying to use the tactics of sowing discord, praising to kill, and isolating? Those four tricks are far more effective than any of the disgusting students at my old school."

"So, you're willing to share information?" Wang Hao asked immediately.

"Of course I'm willing. I just don't like this idiot, not all of you," Zeng Yixi said, then smiled at me, "To verify that someone is indeed an incompetent moron, let me ask you, do you know what I've been doing these past two days?"

"Haha." I pursed my lips and smiled at Zeng Yixi without saying a word.

"Well, it seems you know that." Zeng Yixi spread her hands and teased, "That's why some people are just stupid without realizing it."

"Stop talking nonsense. What do you know? Just say it already!" Qian Zhe said impatiently.

"Hmph~" Zeng Yixi snorted softly and finally put down his legs, which had been crossed since he sat down. He said seriously, "My discovery is not complicated. First, I found that the 'Cultivation Rules for Disciples of Shengdan Academy' is empty; second, I found that this Shengdan Academy has a big problem with cultivation."

"As expected." My eyes narrowed instantly upon hearing Zeng Yixi's words. Today at the Refining Heart Hall, everyone's questions were about their own safety and some matters concerning the Refining Heart Hall, or something about the 'Refining Heart Purification Pool'.

Zeng Yixi's question was the only one that seemed abrupt. Admittedly, in the world of cultivation, inquiring about one's cultivation level is not unusual. However, this was clearly not a simple world of cultivation. In fact, cultivation was merely a backdrop here; strange rules and legends dominated, as evidenced by the fact that the "Cultivation Rules for Disciples of the Shengdan Academy" were blank.

If that's the case, why would Zeng Yixi give up the opportunity to test the rules and her own safety to ask such a trivial question? There's only one answer: she needs the answer to this question to prove the information she has obtained, just like when I forcibly stayed at the Ancient Elixir Pavilion.

Actually, I didn't know exactly what Zeng Yixi knew, but since it was far more worthwhile to curry favor with her than with Qian Zhe, I cooperated with her to let Qian Zhe continue to suffer setbacks. However, there's a saying, "It's better to offend a gentleman than a petty person." I offended this petty person, Qian Zhe, as the price I paid for leaving a good impression on Zeng Yixi.

No matter what, there's still Lin Xu. He's an approachable person and hasn't made any offensive remarks about Qian Zhe. If things really come to the point where we have no choice but to cooperate with Qian Zhe, it's always appropriate to have Lin Xu step in.

"It really is empty!" Taking the rules out of his sleeve, Wang Hao belatedly flipped through them and found that, just as Zeng Yixi had said, they were completely empty.

"Why would I lie to you?" Zeng Yixi shrugged and said.

"No, I'm just shocked..." Wang Hao said embarrassedly, scratching the back of his head to cover up his awkwardness.

"So, what does it mean that 'the Shengdan Academy has major problems with cultivation'?" Chen Yu put down the rules in his hand and asked.

"Well..." Zeng Yixi smiled faintly, took out the "Secret Method of Longevity Elixir" from his robe, and flipped to the first chapter. "The problem lies here."