The dimly lit primeval forest, the humid cold wind... Ji Ping'an felt the surrounding environment with a look of interest in his eyes.
"Is this the Tao realm?"
That's right, although he has lived for a thousand years, in the strict sense, he has not truly entered the realm of passage.
The first is lack of ability.
Once you have the strength, you can't enter. It's not that the Taoist leader doesn't want to, but the stronger the person who enters, the greater the pressure on the leader who maintains the Taoist realm.
"According to the previously announced information about Yunqi Dao Realm, I should be on its periphery at the moment."
In Ji Ping'an's mind, what Qin Tianjian explained appeared:
The map of Yunqi Dao Realm is composed of a virgin forest.
The center is a small town. According to normal people's logical thinking, it is impossible to throw it directly into the center.
"When people from outside come in, will they be randomly transported to different locations?"
Ji Ping'an looked around to make sure there was no one in sight, thought for a while, and walked towards the wooden house in front of him.
The wooden house is not big. Judging from the traces, it has been there for a long time. There are even clusters of mushrooms growing under the walls.
Ji Ping'an pushed open the unlocked door and walked in. He had a clear view of the interior.
There was only a wooden bed, a set of tables and chairs, and firewood piled in the corner next to the stove pit.
The only earthen jar had a hole in it, and the top of the head was covered with cobwebs.
It looked like it had been uninhabited for a long time.
The only two things worth noting were a shabby map on the wall and a shabby little book on the bed.
"Is this a map of the Tao realm?"
Ji Ping'an raised his hand, took a picture of the map on the wall, and gently wiped away the cobwebs, his eyes showing surprise.
I saw the outline of the entire realm, the vast jungle, and the town in the center clearly outlined on it. However, the brushwork was rough, the lines were not precise, and the hand-painted marks were serious.
The most eye-catching one is a dotted line, starting from a "wooden house" at the bottom of the map, winding and extending to the town in the center.
There are four evenly distributed marks connected in series, with text written next to them, which are:
Ruoshui River, Pumice Formation, Sword Qi Forest, Zhenyao Pass
Counting the starting "House in the Forest" and the "Yunqi Town" in the center of the map... there are six landmarks in total.
"So, everyone who enters here starts at an independent wooden house, which is the first landmark, and their subsequent task is to follow this path to Yunqi Town in the center?"
Ji Ping'an looked at the map with interest and roughly understood the rules of the game.
He picked up the small book on the bed again, opened it and scanned it, and saw that the first few pages had indeed written the mission content.
It was exactly as he guessed, but there were a few additional notes:
"1. Those who enter the Taoist realm will be expelled from the Taoist realm if they cannot reach the town within three days. Please leave as soon as possible."
"2. Please do not try to bypass the map route. Except for the map route, the rest are dead ends and impassable."
"3. Please carry this book with you. The rankings will be updated every three hours."
"4. If you are injured or want to quit, you can shout "I quit" to the sky and you can escape from the Tao realm."
"5. This forest is not simple. Please cheer up, observe carefully, and be careful of dangers."
Hmm... There is also a reminder to be careful of dangers... I added this specifically because I considered that among the people entering, there were not only practitioners from major sects, but also many reckless monks.
Quite caring.
Ji Ping'an smiled, turned the page, and found that there were indeed pages of lists.
To be precise, it is each name, as well as the sect or place of origin to which it belongs.
He glanced quickly and found that many of the names were extremely unfamiliar. They were obviously people from the world who had paid "tickets" to enter.
All the names are arranged according to the surname, and the words "The House in the Forest" are written in the last position.
This confirmed his guess that everyone was scattered outside the vast forest, which was also the starting point.
"So... the next task is to set off as soon as possible? And try to find companions in the process? According to the nearly a thousand people on this list, the distance between each other is not short, but since it is a grand prize organized for the five major sects, it must not be Will always let everyone solve the problem individually...
"No wonder the route is prescribed. The purpose should be to gradually gather people who are scattered in various places. In other words, the closer to the center, the greater the chance that everyone will meet each other and conflict.
"However, there probably won't be too fierce a conflict in the early stage. The real showdown should be after entering Yunqi Town."
Ji Ping'an stuffed the map and pamphlet into his arms and subconsciously touched the dagger at his waist——
According to the rules of the Grand Prize, the magical instruments carried by the entrant are strictly controlled, and he does not carry his ruler or sachet.
Just when he was about to leave, suddenly, he didn't know when he closed the door of the wooden house on his own, and there was a knock on the door.
In the silent forest, it is particularly clear.
…
…
outside world.
When the Tao realm is opened, a lush forest of light and shadow is projected in the sky.
The rain that had been accumulating all night was pouring down, but no one left. Instead, they stared at the scene with wide eyes and talked about it.
Beside the Hun River, on the third floor of a building supported by red-painted wooden pillars, raindrops fell along the black tile eaves and hit the observation deck.
Indoors, a group of important figures in the capital were seated dispersedly, laughing and chatting in low voices.
"Although this is not the first time, every time I see it, I have to admire Master Xin's magical methods." Duke Lu sighed with a smile, raised his hand to stroke the beard under his chin, and spoke in admiration.
No one refuted.
Because this is indeed a fact. Among many inheritances, if the methods are rich and magical, Taoism claims to be second, and no one dares to claim first.
Master Xueting, who was born in Buddhism, even praised this method of opening up a space and formulating rules, let alone others.
"Huh, it's just this picture all the time. There's nothing interesting to see. Why don't you see anyone?"
Luan Yu, who has bright and majestic features, has her arms folded, and the peaks and mountains are like gatherings, and the waves are like angry waves.
At this moment, he said coldly.
Gao Mingjing and Zhang Fuzi looked at her enviously, saying that it would be good to have strong people as their backing.
Qingpao Taoist Chen Daoling explained:
"There are so many participants, and it's just started now. Why should Elder Luan be so impatient? Later, the Taoist Sutra will appear and it will cycle through several checkpoints. However, no one has arrived yet, so there is no need to switch to the past."
At the Qintian Prison's seat, Xu Xiurong, who was sitting in a mahogany armchair like a beautiful lady, was flipping through a book with both hands.
It was a small book that told the rules. After hearing this, he raised his head and cast his beautiful eyes at the old Taoist:
"Speaking of which, what exactly are the rankings based on every three hours? Is it the progress from the central town?"
Chen Daoling said: "That's not the case."
He raised his slightly thin hand, lightly clicked on the picture outside the building, and sighed:
"Everyone, please see, the terrain of this realm is not perfectly round and uniform. Everyone is randomly in different directions and has different routes. Even if there are no obstacles at all, the steps to reach the town are not consistent, not to mention the different boundaries along the way, and there are many obstacles. No. Our sect does this deliberately, but there is no completely fair start in the world.
"According to the former National Preceptor, luck is also a part of strength... However, if there is a ranking to distinguish high and low, it must be as fair as possible. Therefore, this ranking even calculates the speed of each person passing these five levels. , whoever takes the shortest time from trying to breaking through is the best.”
Li Guofeng narrowed his eyes and said:
"Five levels of pass? So, every landmark is a test? As far as I know, this Dao realm test is not only about the martial arts, but also about the mind. Any difficulty in the pass has more than one kind of breakthrough. Ways to close.”
Chen Daoling smiled and nodded:
"What the prisoner said is true. You can pass through many of these levels with your cultivation. After all, you can defeat all methods with one force. As long as your cultivation is strong enough, there is no need to use your brain.
"Similarly, even if you are weak in cultivation, if you are alert enough, you can try to find other ways... Of course, the clues of this latter method are often buried deep, so although it can be easier to pass, it will also consume a lot of effort. .”
The five supervisors breathed a sigh of relief at the same time:
Just be able to pass the level without using your brain, otherwise Luo Huaizhu will be in trouble...
Xu Xiurong said:
"Then how to pass the first level, the house in the forest?"
The old Taoist in green shirt stroked his beard and said calmly:
"This first level is not difficult. At least for your disciples, there is almost no obstacle. All you have to do is force your way out. The only trouble is to identify the direction.
"On the contrary, it is a bit difficult for those warriors who are not very strong but are full of great luck. Oh, time in the Tao realm is different from the outside world. Please wait for a while, and someone will surely break free."
After hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, began to drink tea and eat fruits, and watched patiently.
…
…
"Tuk! Tuk!"
As soon as there was a knock on the door, Ji Pingan turned around and narrowed his eyes slightly.
According to his understanding, he shouldn't have met other people so soon. Could it be possible that multiple people would be thrown next to the same wooden house? Fighting for the map?
Ji Ping'an thought with interest, and with a gentle squeeze of his hand, invisible force opened the wooden door.
Standing outside was a middle-aged man dressed as a hunter. His appearance was not unusual, he was the kind of man who would be inconspicuous among the crowd.
Wearing common common clothes among ordinary people, with a tiger skin skirt around his waist, a hatchet hanging on his back, and a pair of homemade bows and arrows slung behind his back, he was looking at him with a slightly wary look.
After looking up and down for a moment, he frowned and spoke first: "A foreigner?"
Not a "contestant"? ...Ji Ping'an blinked, not thinking that any Jianghu person would dress up like this, and the word "outsider" also indicated the other person's identity to a certain extent.
NPC?
Ji Ping'an's eyes became strange, and he remembered that a long time ago, when he was chatting and drinking with the previous Taoist master, he did suggest that the Taoist realm was too monotonous, so he could create an NPC or something...
He thought for a while, nodded first, and then asked:
"Who are you……"
Orion was obviously relieved, a smile appeared on his slightly rough face, and he said:
"I am a hunter in the town. I just saw someone here in the distance, so I came over to take a look. Look at your thin skin and tender meat. Are you from the city? You are also looking for immortality in our Yunqi Town, right?"
While talking, he walked into the house naturally.
There was even a background setting... Ji Ping'an was amazed.
Therefore, this realm is not just a thin and empty map with many tests, but a complete "background setting".
These "townspeople" also have a complete explanation for the arrival of these practitioners.
Looking for immortality... Is this the "main mission" of this grand prize after entering the town?
Ji Ping'an thought for a moment, then asked instead:
"Are people like me common? Also, you were obviously relieved after listening to me. Why?"
Orion stretched out his big hand, grabbed a rag and wiped the chair, then Damajinda sat down and motioned for Ji Ping'an to sit down too.
First he picked up the water bag on his waist and took a sip, then sighed:
"Why is it not common? Since the immortal appeared in our town many years ago, many people have come here every once in a while. But you guys in the city don't even think about it. If we really have the fate to be immortal, we will Can't you see it? Can outsiders like you find it?"
Hmm... I only asked one question and told so many background stories. It was indeed NPC style... Ji Ping'an laughed dumbly.
Just listen to Orion continue:
"As for why you are relieved... Hey, you don't even know this, yet you dare to go into the mountains alone? There are a lot of monsters in this mountain. Who hunts all year round doesn't know that tigers are not scary, they can really kill people. Is it a goblin? Who knows if you are transformed into a monster, but monsters have no shadows and their speech is different from that of normal people, so it is easy to tell."
The settings are quite rich... So, the "forest is dangerous" written in the small book refers to those spirits?
...Ji Ping'an pretended to have a sudden realization and said sincerely:
"Then can you take me to Yunqi Town? I can pay."
Orion was a little embarrassed, but after thinking about it, he still had to do it:
"Okay, then you come with me."
With that said, he stood up, held the hatchet on his waist, and motioned for Ji Ping'an to follow him out.
However, the young man sitting opposite did not move and just smiled.
The dagger in his hand was unsheathed at some point and pierced Orion's chest.
"Ho ho..."
Orion's eyes widened, and his body fell down with a thud. Black hair came out of his skin, and his whole body "distorted" and turned into a dying black orangutan.
His eyes seemed to be asking:
"How did you find out..."
Ji Ping'an looked at the monster with a smile, sighed softly, and said:
"If I say that I once told an old friend that if I were to design a Tao realm, I would give the 'players' a little shock at the beginning, would you believe it?"
The "Orion" on the ground looked confused and confused, struggled hard for a while, and then lost all hope.
It didn't even know before it died that apart from this cheating reason why Ji Ping'an took action, there was another more simple analysis:
It was the fifth article in that little book that clearly reminded attention to the danger in the forest, and the appearance of this hunter was too timely.
If someone really believes it and follows the other person, the probability of being attacked unpreparedly or being abducted by the other party to go to the monster den is extremely high.
"It's still too simple after all."
Ji Ping'an shook his head, stood up, stepped over the other party's body, and walked out of the hut.
Then by observing the growth of trees and plants, I judged the approximate direction and walked out along the path marked on the map.
In the process, he suffered two attacks from birds, three attacks from ferocious beasts, and four sneak attacks from ghost hands that suddenly emerged from the ground covered with dead branches and leaves.
However, these dangers, which are alarming to ordinary martial artists, are no hindrance to him, as Chen Daoling said:
This level is not meant to stop these big sect disciples.
"This kind of difficulty is completely meaningless to practitioners of the five sects."
Ji Ping'an thought as he walked to the edge of the slightly dark forest.
However, just when he was about to step out and leave the first level, his steps suddenly stopped and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
"Wait, I seem...to have overlooked something."
…
ps: Old classmates come over during the day, so there will be less time today.
(End of chapter)
