The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

"I've heard about it, but I've only heard about it."

Linggong leaned forward and whispered, "The evaluation of this test will be included in the overall academic performance. And... the student with the best performance will be given a 'Copyright Book' as a gift!"

Original text...

Senior Mingxiao just mentioned this term, which sounds like something like a magic book, so he followed that line of thought when he lied. Judging from everyone's reactions at the time, at least in that context, his understanding was correct.

The person who gets first place in the entrance exam gets a magic book as a gift. Does this mean these magicians also study by reading books?

Lu Wenjun had many guesses in his mind. But before he could try to extract more information, two loud claps rang out from the middle of the carriage.

"Okay, everyone, please look over here~ Those of you not in carriage 4, please look at the crystal screen closest to you~"

Senior Mingxiao was standing in the center of everyone's view. She stopped clapping and revealed a large book with a black cover.

"As we all know, the foundation of magic lies in the great scriptures. We acquire knowledge, increase our magical power, and construct spells by analyzing the scriptures, thereby learning the ultimate magic."

"I think the main reason why many students come here to study is because our school has the largest and most extensive library among many hidden gems, which allows them to access knowledge from various cultural fields."

"To ensure everyone clearly understands the power of original texts and to foster a basic respect for knowledge, the school has prepared a small welcome event for all new students..."

The large book trembled slightly, and wisps of black smoke emanated from the gaps between its pages. Lü Wenjun, with his sharp eyes, caught a glimpse of the title.

Amazing Stories! Modern Urban Legends

Mingxiao tossed the large book into the air, her smile malicious.

"The event is limited to half an hour, so please try to calm this rampaging 'alternative' original text!"

The light suddenly disappeared.

It was as if the power had been completely cut off in the dead of night, plunging the carriage into deep darkness. Amidst the tense breathing, he heard Ling Gong's whisper.

"here we go."

Then, a heavy impact rang out.

The sound was like a wild beast ramming into a cage.

The vibration made his legs go numb, and everyone stared intently in the direction the sound came from. It was the connecting door between carriages 4 and 3, and something was persistently ramming against the door, causing the steel doors to gradually twist.

Thump. Thump. Thump. The door, now a wrecked block of iron, was smashed open with a fourth loud thud. The moment the object that rammed the door burst through the air, all the lights inside the carriage came on!

It was a deathly pale face.

A woman's face as large as a doorway.

There was no white in her eyes, only an uneasy, pure black. She squeezed out a giant hand through the distorted door frame and grabbed the nearest student, who screamed.

She gripped the monster tightly and spoke with a bewitching love.

"Boom."

Chapter 3 The Immortal Family's Secret Technique: The Universe in One's Sleeve

The enormous, terrifying, pale woman raised the monster in her hand, making loving "pop" sounds that sent chills down everyone's spines... The monsters felt a chill run down their spines. She raised her other free hand and slapped it haphazardly, and the surrounding new students immediately scattered like birds and beasts, with screams of terror echoing throughout the carriage.

Lu Wenjun's heart pounded. He thought of the title of the book "Original Text" and immediately guessed the pale woman's true identity.

A strange, tall woman with a skirt, black hair, and a "pop" sound—this is undoubtedly the "Eight-Foot Lady" from the popular modern Japanese urban legend who captures children.

but……

"Isn't this a bit too much?" Lü Wenjun sat firmly in his seat, unmoved. "The eight-foot-tall lord I know isn't some kind of giant myth."

Judging from the length of that giant hand, the woman in front of us is at least 10 meters tall, not eight feet, but a super-sized pro version of thirty-six feet. If the protagonist in a weird story really had that height, this ghost story would probably have to be renamed something like "White-Clad Ultrawoman Warrior".

“After all, she’s a phantom spirit, a combination of the story's prototype and the author’s magic. The magician who wrote that book must have had a twisted sense of humor,” Ling Gong said. “Please…”

"Lower your head!"

The two men simultaneously issued a warning. A small, metallic flying saucer, resembling a child's toy, hurtled towards them, a beam of orange-yellow light flashing from its underside, aimed directly at Lü Wenjun's face.

Just as Ling Gong was about to help, she saw Lü Wenjun flash by like a ghost and suddenly appear behind the flying saucer. He grabbed the flying saucer with one hand and swiftly pulled it down, causing it to land immediately. The saucer was pinned down by Lü Wenjun's hands and could not move.

The orange-yellow beam of light missed its target and landed on the seat. The seat, illuminated by the light, rapidly shrank and drifted into the interior of the flying saucer.

Lu Wenjun pressed his right hand on the flying saucer, paused for a moment for some reason, and then said, "Amazing, even a UFO has come."

UFOs that cause disappearances with mysterious beams of light are arguably one of the most famous urban legends of modern times. However, Ling Gong was not interested in following up on this topic. She exclaimed, "Wen Jun, was that... martial arts? Internal energy cultivation?"

"How could that be? I've only had some specialized training before," Lü Wenjun said dismissively. "More importantly, watch out behind us. The second one is coming."

Another flying saucer rushed over, seemingly to rescue its companion. Lü Wenjun paused, wanting to observe how the air fox would respond, but saw her lightly touch her right index finger and thumb, making a gesture representing a fox.

A small fox spirit then emerged.

It was only the size of a fist, covered in translucent golden fur, like a fluffy, plump chestnut. The fox spirit leaped towards the flying saucer and, as if by illusion, half of it "merged" into it.

Ling Gong gazed at the flying saucer and said softly, "We're all introverted students, and it's not very interesting for us to talk. Why don't we go play with other classmates?"

The UFO lingered for a moment, somewhat bewildered, then hesitantly turned and flew away. A few seconds later, they saw another orange-yellow beam of light, which pulled the unfortunate Gorgon classmate into the air.

Lu Wenjun held the flying saucer still: "Impressive, Miss Linggong. Was that 'Fox Spirit' technique?"

"Very perceptive, considering I even specially adjusted the shape of the technique."

Fox Possession, also known as fox possession, is a specialty of "wild foxes," which are two levels below "empty foxes."

Ancient people believed that those possessed by fox spirits would be capricious, talk nonsense, and even become mentally unstable. Previously, Ling Gong relied on the little fox to possess her and used words to induce UFOs, which is exactly the key point in the story of fox spirit possession.

“However, this is just a non-destructive ‘assimilation technique,’ so there’s probably little hope of winning with it.” Ling Gong looked at him expectantly. “So, Wen Jun, you…”

Lu Wenjun had no idea what assimilation meant, so he could only say, "Let's see how things go first."

The two turned their heads simultaneously, looking towards the back of the carriage occupied by the eight-foot-tall giant. The creaking of the deformed threshold continued unabated as the enormous monster slowly squeezed into the carriage, while the tree spirit she held looked pitiful like a chick.

In those brief seconds, the tree spirit's form underwent a horrifying transformation: a layer of asphalt-like, unidentified substance surged from Hachisuke's hands, completely engulfing the tree spirit. After several unsettling screams, the unidentified substance silently dissipated, and the tree spirit had become…

A terrifying humanoid life form with a salmon head and wearing a one-piece swimsuit!

"What the heck is this?!" Miss Linggong exclaimed in her native accent, overwhelmed with shock.

The former tree spirit, now a fish-headed woman, landed dazedly, a layer of seaweed still atop her head, marking her identity. A line of large, girlish pink bubbles appeared above her head:

[Rank 128, Miss Tia: When faced with trouble, just sit and wait to die!]

Lu Wenjun turned his head stiffly and discovered that his classmate, the Gorgon who had been captured by the UFO, had also mutated. She shrank and transformed in the light, becoming…

Another terrifying humanoid life form with an eel-like head and wearing a bikini swimsuit.

"Why are they all fishmen?!" Even he couldn't handle it this time.

[Rank 119, Miss Ariel: Never looks up when she walks]

Just then, Mingxiao's laughter echoed throughout the flying train: "Additional explanation~ Students who are judged to be 'incapable of fighting' in the quiz will enjoy a half-hour period of malicious transformation and a comment from me. Every embarrassing moment you've made will be recorded and become important material for next year's April Fool's Day event, so please rest assured."

"I can't relax at all! Knowing that I'll be publicly executed has raised the level of terror in another sense!!" roared a blond guy in the back.

"By the way, those who have been transformed can move around freely, which means..."

The two fish-headed women slowly stood up, their eyes gleaming with a cold light.

"It's no problem to drag the students next door down with us. The original story is in carriage 8, so let's all do our best!"

The two fish-headed girls leaped into the air, stretching out their arms like zombies, and bravely grabbed at the nearest classmate: "Fish! Fish! Fish!!"

"Damn it, I don't want to turn into a fish!"

"If you want to talk this out, don't come any closer!"

"I got touched by a fish! No—!"

The new monster students scattered in terror! Another unlucky fellow was caught by Yasakani while trying to escape the Fish Head Sisters and turned into a new fish-man warrior! The current chaos in Carriage 4 is like a nightmare for an overworked sushi chef with a high fever!

Ling Gong's face turned pale: "I may have underestimated the intensity of the entrance exam."

"I'd rather be captured by a real monster than lose this test!" Lu Wenjun roared. "Who else knows magic? Step forward and fight our way out!"

None of the monsters running around in the frenzy responded. A burly, red-faced monster whispered, "We haven't even started school yet, how could we possibly know magic..."

“It’s different from people like you from wealthy families,” another blue-faced guy chimed in sourly.

Lu Wenjun now understood why Ling Gong had come to him for cooperation. It turned out that Ling Gong, who had mastered the Fox Spirit Technique, was considered one of the top students among these monsters, while most of the novices didn't even know a single spell.

He held onto the flying saucer tightly, shouting, "Even if you don't have magic, you can still use your muscles! You two, first control the fish-head sisters and prevent them from becoming more vulnerable. The rest of you, stay away from the flying saucer; they won't turn into fish anytime soon!"

The two ghosts, Red and Blue, were already in a panic. Upon hearing the order, they did as they were told without thinking, earning them glares from the fish-head girls with perverted looks. At this moment, Lü Wenjun could no longer give orders. He pressed down hard on the flying saucer and silently looked back.

A young girl in red shoes appeared in the aisle, smiling at him sinisterly.

"Let's dance," said the woman in red shoes.

The girl's eyes were two dark holes from which filthy blood seeped. She tapped her heels lightly and began to tap dance in the train. Her steps were distinctly light, yet to Lü Wenjun they sounded extremely heavy, so heavy that even his heart trembled slightly. He couldn't help but look at those red dancing shoes, a powerful urge rising within him.

He wanted to dance... he had to dance with them...

And once that dance begins, it will continue indefinitely!

"Wow, this is the worst possible draw right off the bat." Ling Gong pushed up her glasses. "This is probably the 'Red Shoes That Will Make You Die from Dancing'."

There are many ghost stories involving red dancing shoes, most of which feature the protagonist being "bewitched by the shoes and starting to dance." In these stories, the protagonist often ends up dying from jumping after putting on the shoes.

This ghost in red dancing shoes is even more powerful than the original ghost story. She doesn't even need to go through the shoe-wearing procedure; once she starts dancing, you have to follow along!

"Do you need any help?" Ling Gong asked with a slight smile.

Lu Wenjun shook his head and smiled, saying it wasn't necessary. He knew he absolutely couldn't agree at this moment, because Ling Gong was also observing him.

Just like when he wanted to see Ling Gong's abilities during the UFO attack, Miss Kong Hu also wanted to see the "descendant of the immortals'" skills. This lie concerned his personal safety, and he couldn't afford to arouse even the slightest suspicion!

Tap. Tap. The dancing girl kept approaching, and Lü Wenjun silently lowered his gaze, the flying saucer in his hand still struggling.

There was a reason he kept pressing on that thing. The moment his right hand touched the flying saucer, a line of black text appeared out of thin air in his eyes.

[parse? (Cost 1)]

The woman's voice said he had two chances, and this might be his first chance.

If this were a role-playing game, a prominent selection box would likely pop up in front of him at this moment: Are you sure you want to use the mysterious one-eyed monster? Yes/No. If you choose yes, the game will also kindly remind you that this is a very difficult resource to obtain; are you sure you want to use it now?

Yes. Absolutely. Of course, it's "yes." Reality isn't a game where you can reload saves; the crisis of having your identity exposed is imminent, there's no room for hesitation!

"Yes," Lü Wenjun answered in his mind.

The single eye on the back of his right hand snapped open, and Lü Wenjun felt as if he had gained a third eye. That eye watched as the silver disc streaked across the sky, casting beams of light across the wheat and farmland, and cows, farmers, and houses rose in the light. Many eerie images flashed by, finally settling on that beam of light.

[Original Text Analysis, Technique Generation]

[Other Theories: Manifestation, Extraterrestrial Illusory Light]

Lu Wenjun released the flying saucer and stood up, feeling his heart pounding faster than his dance steps. The woman in red shoes danced swiftly, her mouth chuckling sinisterly, "Dance, dance...dance until your legs break, dance until your bones shatter, dance until the last drop of blood drains from your wounds!"

Lu Wenjun faced the woman in red shoes, his hand loosely clenched in a fist.

"Come!" he shouted.

With a thought, the spell was activated. A beam of extremely pale light shot out from his palm, and the woman in red shoes was lifted off the ground by the light, her slender neck stopping right in front of his palm!

The pull was stubborn and unyielding, as resolute as a magnet attracting metal. The dance steps abruptly ceased, the toes wobbling frantically off the ground. Without the support of the earth, even the cursed dancing shoes were useless.

Lu Wenjun slowly tightened his grip on her neck, and said gently, "Want to keep jumping?"

The woman in red shoes stood frozen, shaking her head frantically, her teeth chattering with fear. Ling Gong, standing nearby, wore a knowing look and asked, "What kind of spell is this?"

Lu Wenjun put one hand behind his back and asked, "Linggong, have you ever heard of the Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain?"

"In my memory, this is the setting for the Ginseng Fruit episode in Journey to the West..." Ling Gong exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be?!"

Lu Wenjun remained calm and composed, saying, "That's right, my supernatural power comes from Zhen Yuanzi, the Earth Immortal of Wuzhuang Temple. It is an orthodox immortal skill called 'Universe in the Sleeve'!"

Chapter 4 I am a kind-hearted person

After speaking, Lü Wenjun immediately turned around and, quite unlike a hermit, kicked the useless flying saucer behind him away. The flying saucer seemed to sense the bad luck and quickly flew away, wobbling and swaying as it went to bother the others in the back.

Upon hearing this, Linggong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why doesn't your 'Hidden Universe in a Sleeve' have sleeves?"

“I’m not a real Earth Immortal, so how could I use my original supernatural powers?” Lu Wenjun shrugged and said in a similar tone, “It’s just a degraded reproduction using ‘alternative level’ power.”

He's always had a good mental fortitude, and having lied all this way, he can spout nonsense without any pressure. After listening to this rambling, Linggong actually started to believe him.

“Using the method of disassembling the prototype to achieve cross-level analysis, as expected of an immortal from an ancient country…” Ling Gong nodded repeatedly, “Sorry, I was a little doubtful just now so I didn’t act in time, but now it seems that Wen Jun is indeed the real deal.”

Great! In short, I got away with it!