The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

"Intuition?"

"Half of it was a premonition honed through practice, and the other half was an inexplicable 'impulse.' I felt that if I left it like this, something bad would happen, so I had to find out the truth before I could feel at ease," said Lü Wenjun.

It's like smelling the pungent odor of a wild beast near your home. While staying far away will ensure your safety, you always need to find out its true identity to feel at ease.

An alarm bell is ringing in my heart. However, I can't quite pinpoint the source of this sense of crisis. That's precisely why I feel uneasy.

Where is it? And why? At this moment, a sense of crisis still swelled within him. Lü Wenjun lowered his gaze, trying to find something amiss. Ling Gong's voice rang in his ears.

"Could it be because you're too nervous..."

Lu Wenjun suddenly raised his arm, blocking Ling Gong's path with unprecedented force.

“Turn back,” he said. “Back to campus. Quickly.”

Linggong held her breath.

She instantly understood the other person's nervousness. Anyone who saw the scene before them could understand Lü Wenjun's unease.

He didn't swing his arm.

It was merely a piece of wood that had once been a limb.

Chapter 56 The God Beyond the Realm

It was a rapid and unexpected change.

At first, it was just a little brown on the fingertips.

Like a drop of ink falling into clear water, the brown color instantly spreads, staining the water, which is called "body," with its own color.

The skin hardens, becoming a rough, woody shell; fingernails dig into it, leaving only irregular wood grain. Blood becomes fluid, blood vessels become veins, hardened muscles merge into bones as fibers, and unwanted joints become tree knots—

Thus, Lü Wenjun's right hand transformed into a tree.

"arts--"

There was no pain, or rather, no sensation at all. His reaction upon discovering the anomaly was more akin to surprise than panic. Yet reason churned within him, common sense screamed in his heart, and the fundamental change caused extreme nausea, making him feel vomit despite his calm demeanor. The brown color continued to spread, surging up his elbow, up his upper arm, and extending towards his shoulder—

"Wenjun, classmate!"

His thoughts resumed flowing because of the shouts, and when he came to his senses, he was being pulled backward by Ling Gong. His right hand was still in a blocking position, and his mouth was still in the shape of speaking, but more than ten seconds had already passed.

His consciousness had dulled. His body had transformed into a tree, and thus his mind had changed accordingly. Lü Wenjun struggled to regain his consciousness. He activated his transformation, donned a white outfit, picked up Ling Gong, and leaped high into the air, soaring over the treetops!

"Ling Gong, were you affected?!"

“There’s only one problem: I’m afraid we’ve just crossed the ‘boundary’!” Linggong shouted.

Linggong's four fingers also transformed into tree branches, standing upright in front of her palm. Judging from their previous positions, these four fingers were probably the part of Linggong that had "crossed the line."

This might be some kind of rule of a sacred place, or perhaps a widespread curse, but whatever its true nature, Lü Wenjun had no intention of delving into it. Because his right arm was still in a state of petrification, that eerie brown color had even crept onto his white clothes and begun to seep into his shoulder.

The opponent's technique level is too high; they are not opponents they can handle!

"This is truly an eye-opener! If I included this in my homework, even Merdin would have to give me extra points!"

"How can you even think about homework at a time like this?!" Linggong shouted.

The cicadas chirped incessantly in the dense forest, their endless calls seeming like the forest's mockery. Lü Wenjun fled at top speed, but his movements became stiff after running only a kilometer.

The left leg, now brown, slammed into the ground with a piercing crash, startling a flock of birds. The petrification continued. The left leg was also immobile. Dense roots sprouted from the leg and pierced the soil.

The transformation from human to plant is happening so fast that it won't be long before Lü Wenjun becomes a tree!

"Miss Reiyumi, if you're worried about it, just close your eyes..."

"It's alright, let's try using divinity!" Ling Gong nodded.

Lu Wenjun lowered his consciousness, touching the flame sealed within his heart. He hadn't even discovered the enemy's true form; the will-o'-the-wisp meant to draw attention was likely useless. Although he didn't know if divinity would have any effect, at this point, he had to use whatever means were available and fight for his life.

He was still pondering what to do with his divinity when he discovered that the divinity was restless and impatient, flowing through his limbs and bones with the slightest touch.

That impulse. Lü Wenjun suddenly realized the source of his sense of crisis. It was because the divinity within him was reacting that he had the urge to come and investigate. And at this moment, the restless divinity was like a raging fire, surging towards his right arm and left leg, treating the brown power as kindling to burn.

The divine reaction was so strong that it overflowed from Lü Wenjun's body and transformed into a beam of blood-red light!

The light, like a long tongue, swept across Ling Gong's fingertips. In an instant, the petrification of the two vanished completely, and their stiff limbs regained their freedom of movement. Then the blood-red light receded, and their divinity returned to their hearts, leaving only the sound of burning echoing in Lü Wenjun's ears, like the sound of a giant chewing.

"It's working..." Ling Gong murmured.

Lu Wenjun felt a heavy weight in his heart, a feeling of fullness and distension, like after a hearty meal. His divinity had actually increased, as if he had absorbed the power that caused the petrification and strengthened himself.

But there was no time to delve into it now; he grabbed Ling Gong and turned around: "Hurry now—"

The cicadas suddenly burst into song, their chirping echoing through the deep forest!

It was a chilling, rapid resonance. Each note was faster than the last, each sound more urgent than the last, as if a thousand zithers were playing in unison, the musicians risking broken knuckles to express the chilling intent of an ambush from all sides. The musicians were the omnipresent cicadas, the beasts of the forest, the birds on the leaves; countless tiny sounds converged into a grand chorus, each musician giving their all, the music not merely a labor of love, but a pouring out of their very being!

The sounds are varied yet orderly, like raindrops flowing into a river. Numerous tiny noises converge into a single melody, within which a single sound stands out.

【long】

The ruler said.

【long】

Facing those two tiny creatures.

They invaded the divine realm, they violated taboos, they offended authority. Therefore, a will must be conveyed, in order to give a proper definition, in order to announce the existence of "me."

[May it last forever, may it last forever, may it last forever, may it last forever, may it last forever, may it last forever]

The forest began to stir. Guided by the music, and commanded by the power of words, the trees bent like humans, revealing birds and beasts perched atop their leaves. The roots of ancient trees were uprooted from the earth, multiplying into thousands of tentacles with the music. These tentacle-like tendrils spread in the shadows, blocking the way, while countless eyes opened from the darkness, casting cold gazes upon the intruders.

They were short, humanoid figures shaped like mushrooms, savages with green leaves growing on their bodies, hybrids with animal bodies and human faces, ancient beings isolated from modern society, standing silently like a herd of beasts waiting for the hunt to begin.

"Do you think it's too late for us to start writing our wills now?" Lü Wenjun asked in a low voice.

Ling Gong whispered, "My first sentence was going to be, 'I'm so sorry that Lu Wenjun and I died together...'"

"How about we discuss how to surrender gracefully? Perhaps this lord will take us in as his disciples if he sees us as kind faces. That would be a great fortune."

"I really admire your optimism!"

Lu Wenjun lowered his knees to gather strength, while simultaneously raising his hands and shouting to the demons and monsters, "I surrender! I dedicate myself! I'll negotiate any surrender method, please, Your Excellency, spare my life!!"

"You're really surrendering?!"

Hundreds of ancient tree roots instantly rose up and cleaved down towards him!

Lu Wenjun's heart sank. He had prepared in advance, but he hadn't expected his opponent to be so decisive. The root attacks were extremely dense, leaving him no chance to escape, let alone with Ling Gong.

He leaped into the air, preparing for a final desperate attempt. At that moment, a deafening sound ripped through the air, tearing apart the cicadas' chirping!

The forest-splitting chorus was shattered by a long whip that lashed out from the shadows. The whip lashed viciously against the ancient tree roots, the explosion accompanied by a chilling hiss.

It was a snake whip. Hundreds of rattlesnakes, head to tail, were intertwined to form this uniquely long whip. With a single lash, all the thousands of roots were severed. The whip, encircling the two men, stood with its head held high and glaring angrily, like a snake king surveying its territory!

Everyone was stunned, staring in the direction from which the snake whip had come.

A small fire was lit in the dark, and the flames brought out wisps of smoke.

"It's so hot, so hot," said the rabbit. "The weather is dry, be careful with fire."

“Didn’t they start this messing around first?” the cowboy said. “Then we don’t need to be polite.”

Two figures, one tall and one short, were drawn out by the firelight. Breeze still had that sly grin on his face, while Bill casually looked around, a cigarette still dangling from his fingers.

The snake whip turned and crawled over, shrinking into an inconspicuous lasso hanging from his belt. Bill stood in front of the two men, saying nothing, quietly smoking.

He smoked in a peculiar way, letting the cigarette burn slowly at first, then suddenly taking a deep drag, causing it to burn intensely and forming a long trail of ash. The ash fell piece by piece to Bill's feet, and he slowly exhaled the smoke, the deep smoke spreading in the night like swirling mist.

Smoke drifted through the woods, past the roots, and past the mouths and noses of the aliens. Hundreds of eyes stared at Pex Bill, who stepped on the ashes.

“The Greater Rift is a forgiving place,” he said. “No matter who you are or where you come from, as long as you are willing to follow the rules, there will always be a place for you here.”

The man gazed into the depths of the forest, his eyes revealing a murderous intent as cold as steel.

"But if you attempt to harm the students, we will be your enemy."

The standoff lasted for several seconds, perhaps tens of seconds. Then the cicadas' chirping gradually subsided, and the aliens quietly retreated.

Bill turned and snapped his fingers at the two of them. The chilling murderous aura vanished, and he reverted to his unconventional rookie teacher self.

"Time to go back to sleep, guys."

Lu Wenjun and Ling Gong were almost moved to tears, and cheered in unison, "Bill!" "Teacher Bill!!"

Breeze Rabbit protested, "What about me?! What about me?!"

"You did nothing but open your mouth..."

"You heartless brat, it was me who delivered the message!"

Breeze Rabbit kicked Lu Wenjun's shin, and Bill laughed, "If you want to thank someone, thank your dad. If it hadn't told the rabbit, you would be trees by now."

A giant shadow swayed in the forest, and Great Lacey appeared silently behind Bill, raising his horned head. Lu Wenjun clasped his hands together and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Father Lacey, for appearing before us! You are the true guardian deity of the forest!"

"Ouch!"

Big Lacey called out in response, then turned and walked into the woods. Bill lit another cigarette for light and led the two toward the edge of the forest.

They thanked them repeatedly, then fell silent, and the rest of the way back was spent in silence. It wasn't until they reached the outer road that Bill spoke.

"So you're scared now, you little geniuses?"

"I chickened out." Lü Wenjun chuckled awkwardly. "There are always people better than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. I really can't beat this thing."

"What would happen to us if you hadn't made it?" Reiko asked.

“Of course, you won’t die. This is Trista’s Great Secret Realm, and the rules dictate that no one can truly kill his students,” the rabbit Breeze chuckled. “But you just won’t die; it will turn you into trees. You’ll feel that detached, stiff sensation, from your heels all the way to the top of your head. Then you’ll be stuck in a pit, basking in the sunlight, breathing the air. You might scream in your head, but the sound won’t travel—because you’re trees, and trees don’t have mouths!”

It laughed even louder, seemingly quite pleased with the lame joke. Bill continued, "Then, in the early hours of the morning, or tomorrow morning, some teacher who noticed the anomaly will break the curse. Your bodies will be mostly intact, but your minds may not be so healthy. Because one night is enough to leave you with a lifelong fear."

Lu Wenjun imagined the developments that Bill hadn't made, imagining himself as a tree, standing alone in a dark forest, his cries echoing in his heart again and again. He would be terrified, because he didn't know how long it would be before anyone discovered the tree's abnormality...

"My God." He shuddered. "Bill, what is it?"

“It’s a concept you’ll only formally encounter in your junior year,” Bill said. “It’s something most of you will never deal with in your entire lives. And I really hope you stay away from it. Frankly, I don’t want you to ask any more questions; knowing these concepts too early isn’t a good thing.”

“Mr. Bill, Wenjun almost turned to stone,” Linggong insisted. “He…at least has the right to know, right?”

Bill leaned against a big tree, flicking cigarette ash with his fingertips.

“Always so stubborn,” he muttered. “Well, do you guys even know the word ‘outside the realm of civilization’?”

"Um... in our area it refers to a place without civilization." Lü Wenjun was puzzled.

Ancient people believed that the key difference between humans and wild beasts lay in civilization. Social activities such as government decrees, education, and trade laid the foundation for a mutually beneficial and symbiotic society. The process of spreading civilization to one's "savage" compatriots was what is known as "enlightenment."

Places where civilization does not exist and where education has not been implemented are considered "uncivilized" places where communication is impossible.

“So what is the opposite of civilization?” Bill said. “Violence? Paganism? Ignorance? Different cultures?”

“I think it’s… an inability to communicate,” Ling Gong said softly. “Even if people have different languages, races, or factions, they can still communicate with each other. If they can communicate, they can negotiate and communicate. But if they can’t even communicate, there’s no way for them to integrate into a civilization.”

“That’s right, the key is communication.” Bill nodded. “Money and weapons are also means of communication, and war can be seen as an extension of politics. If you can communicate, you can understand each other, and if you can understand each other, there is a possibility of coexistence. This logic applies to humans and monsters, and it also applies to nature. And the key to communicating with nature is ‘God’.”

"God accepts sacrifices and faith. He bestows favors upon the devout and severely punishes the disrespectful, because God has a personality."

"If you maintain a good relationship with the god of wind and rain, you will receive signs before a storm arrives. If you communicate more with the god of the earth, you will have a chance to escape before an earthquake. Communication between humans and gods makes nature understandable, and life can continue in nature."

Then.

Bill spoke.

"If a deity loses its personality, can it still be understood?"

"This……"

Of course not.

Can humans communicate with clouds? With the atmosphere? With flames?

Without personality, there is no character, no likes or dislikes. In this case, God is merely nature with a physical form, a beast with power.

Like a sudden downpour, a prolonged drought, or a raging fire burning a forest.

Even offerings and prayers will not stop, even heart-wrenching pleas will not cease. For it is a "phenomenon" that cannot be communicated, cannot be understood, and has no connection to human actions.

This is where civilization falls short.

"There are gods in this world who have lost their personalities."

"Wisdom is gone, personality is lost, but power and strength survive, gathering in the broken body. Driven by obsession, they wander and become a natural disaster that ravages the world with their own power."