Chapter 82: Courage’s Trial

It was indeed the corpse of Jiao Xiuyuan. Now, three months later, unusual characteristics were gradually becoming apparent. Instead of normal flesh and blood, it resembled withered wood, displaying a dry, yellowish hue. Li Fan nudged it with his foot; the sound was identical to kicking wood.

Just then, a voice came from behind Li Fan. "This is merely a puppet, not his true body. It's Jiao Xiuyuan's usual trick; no need for surprise, fellow Daoist."

Li Fan turned his head to see that the speaker was also a Qi Refining cultivator. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the advice, fellow Daoist. Are you also a member of the Myriad Immortals Alliance?"

The man nodded, "Indeed. My name is Chen An, and I've been with the Myriad Immortals Alliance for over thirty years."

"My name is Li Fan. From your words, it seems you're quite familiar with Jiao Xiuyuan?"

Chen An smiled, "Familiarity is perhaps too strong a word. But having lived on this island for so long, one naturally picks up certain pieces of information."

"Take Jiao Xiuyuan, for example. He runs a general store called 'Thousand Mile Hall' on the island, selling all sorts of things. It's said he has official connections within the Myriad Immortals Alliance, allowing him to occasionally acquire good items."

"Besides that, he often engages in intelligence trading. However, this fellow never puts himself in harm's way; he always uses puppets to lead the way."

Upon hearing this, Li Fan slowly nodded, "Greedy for wealth and afraid of death, I see."

Chen An burst into laughter, "Fellow Daoist, your summary is spot on! 'Greedy for wealth and afraid of death' perfectly describes Jiao Xiuyuan!"

After his laughter subsided, Chen An suddenly said, "When I was transcribing cultivation techniques in the scripture pavilion, I noticed everyone else would copy for a while, then rest when tired, resuming only after recuperating. Only you, fellow Daoist, worked for three months without pause. I truly admire that!"

"However, I wonder, what was the deeper meaning behind your actions? If purely judging by transcription speed, you must have been slower than those who rested regularly due to physical and mental fatigue."

"Would you enlighten me, fellow Daoist?" Chen An asked, bowing slightly.

Li Fan pondered for a moment before replying, "I wouldn't claim any profound meaning; it was merely an intuition."

"The first trial mentioned by Qin Tang was 'focus'."

"'Focus' means having an undivided mind. To be truly focused, one must not be disturbed by any external factors. Is physical and mental fatigue not also an external disturbance? If one stops because of it, does one cease to be 'focused'?"

"Just a humble opinion, fellow Daoist; take it as you will." Li Fan said humbly.

Chen An listened, deep in thought.

Li Fan said nothing more and returned to his room to rest.

The next day, Qin Tang indeed did not appear again. No one dared to wander off; they simply waited patiently inside the building.

Early on the third day, Qin Tang staggered before them, drinking wine. "Good wine, excellent wine!"

He burped loudly, then squinted, surveying the cultivators. "Today, we begin the second trial!"

"This time, I will test your courage!"

"The path of immortality is long and arduous, fraught with countless hardships. Do you possess the courage to face each one?"

Qin Tang smiled faintly. Everyone felt a blur before their eyes, and in an instant, they had left the pavilion and appeared by the sea. Their cultivation and spiritual power were sealed, making them no different from mortals.

Qin Tang, however, was nowhere to be seen. Only his voice echoed from afar. "I await you on the opposite shore. Use your courage to cross this ocean!"

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.

A bold individual walked to the water's edge and stepped forward. The seawater instantly froze into ice, supporting the person steadily. The person was overjoyed and kept walking forward, quickly disappearing from sight. Seeing that someone had gone ahead, the remaining people eagerly stepped into the sea as well.

Li Fan noticed that Baili Chen also followed suit, entering the sea. However, Sikong Yi remained by the shore, hesitant to move. Li Fan paid him no further mind. He composed himself and slowly stepped onto the sea surface. Water solidified into ice beneath his feet, but the others had vanished from his sight. In an instant, he was utterly alone on the vast ocean.

Li Fan's expression remained calm as he walked forward, one step at a time. The sun rose and set above him, and he lost track of time. Yet, the scenery Li Fan witnessed remained unchanged. This ocean seemed to have no end. Even though Li Fan already knew the answer, a sense of powerlessness and hesitation involuntarily arose within him.

At this point, Li Fan could feel the thickness of the ice beneath his feet gradually decreasing. Taking a deep breath, Li Fan banished the doubt and fear from his mind. He continued to walk forward resolutely. The ice beneath his feet became thick again.

This second trial tested "courage." It didn't just test the courage to face external factors, but more importantly, the courage to confront one's own inner self. On the vast ocean, after walking for a long time, no opposite shore was visible. Would you become doubtful, wondering if you had lost your way? Would anxiety creep in, questioning whether this ocean truly had an end? Would fear arise, causing you to lose the courage to press on? Or would you give up in despair, ceasing to move forward?

Li Fan walked step by step, questioning his own heart. Even after hundreds of years of reincarnation, he had never experienced anything quite like this. Temporarily setting aside all worldly matters, he simply pondered as he continuously walked. This crossing of the sea by freezing the water was just like the path of immortality. The road ahead was vast and indistinct, with no end in sight. Halfway through, looking around, one couldn't even be certain if they had lost their way. From beginning to end, he was utterly alone, with nothing to rely on. Time passed, seemingly forever, as he continued walking. Endlessly. Even so, could one still uphold their conviction and never lose the courage to move forward?

Even knowing that this trial would eventually end, Li Fan himself had wavered internally. Because this journey across the sea had truly been too long. One year, two years... Decades passed. Li Fan's hair turned white, and his body became hunched, yet he never ceased his forward progress. Until his body, too old to move, could no longer walk. He then fell helplessly onto the sea surface. His vision blurred, and before his consciousness faded, Li Fan seemed to see it. On the nearby shore ahead, Qin Tang stood solitarily in white robes. Raising his wine gourd towards Li Fan in a gesture, Qin Tang smiled and took a gulp.

Opening his eyes, Li Fan found himself and the other cultivators still within the building. However, much time had passed according to their memories, and many wore expressions of bewilderment. After a long while, their minds cleared.

"It is easy to cross the River of Nine Netherworlds, but difficult to cross the sea of one's own heart."

"This second trial, the trial of courage, has concluded."

"The morning after tomorrow, we will conduct the final trial."

With that, Qin Tang, shaking his head and carrying his ever-present wine gourd, departed.