Chapter Thirteen: Who Are These Two People?

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The Eighth and Ninth Prisons.

One is the Prison of Heart Demons, the other is the Prison of Chasing Shadows.

The Prison of Heart Demons, as its name suggests, requires one to confront and overcome their inner demons to pass.

Yet Shen Wan simply placed his hands on the foreheads of Lin Bufan and Zhu Qianqing, rendering their consciousnesses impervious to any influence.

Thus, the three leisurely strolled through the trial.

The Prison of Chasing Shadows, however, was more intriguing.

Each person faced two phantasms, one black and one white.

Not only must one avoid being caught by the black phantasm, but also pursue the white phantasm with full force and shatter it.

If caught by the black phantasm before catching the white one, the body would automatically return to the starting point and the test would begin anew.

Only by successfully shattering the white phantasm would one be transported to the next prison.

Of course, Shen Wan paid no heed to the black and white phantasms, seeing as he couldn’t perceive them at all.

He just grabbed hold of both companions; even if they were touched by the black phantasms, they were forcibly kept in place.

Thus, Shen Wan effortlessly led them to the stone gate leading to the Tenth Prison.

He hadn't expected these two trials to be so easy.

When the three finally arrived at the Tenth Prison, their astonishment grew.

The Tenth Prison, the Prison of Barriers.

The entire floor was blocked by ten immense, thick stone walls.

The walls reached the vaulted ceiling and were incomparably hard.

Only by shattering all ten stone walls obstructing the path could one pass the trial.

Lin Bufan tried his best, unleashing a full-force punch at the first wall.

Yet, not only did the wall not crack, it didn’t even bear a single mark.

Instead, his arm was numbed by the rebound force.

Shaking his head, he laughed self-deprecatingly:

“Even if my cultivation reached the ninth level of Mind Condensation, breaking this wall would be nigh impossible.”

Seeing Lin Bufan’s attempt, Zhu Qianqing immediately abandoned her own urge to try.

If someone at the fourth level of Mind Condensation couldn’t make a dent, then she, at the third level, certainly wouldn’t dare embarrass herself.

Shen Wan, unable to see the stone walls before him, surmised their nature from the prison’s name and Lin Bufan’s actions.

He stepped forward.

As his body touched the wall, visible only to the other two, countless cracks instantly appeared.

With a few crisp sounds, the cracks spread rapidly, and with a thunderous crash, the massive wall collapsed.

Lin Bufan and Zhu Qianqing raised their eyebrows.

Their faces wore the expression of, “Well, of course,” too accustomed to such marvels to be even surprised.

One wall, two, three...

With the final wall shattered before their eyes, all three finally breathed a sigh of relief.

What was supposed to be the hardest trio of trials, under Shen Wan’s guidance, was conquered with barely any pressure.

As if strolling in a tranquil garden.

The three had truly accomplished the greatest feat in the millennium-long history of the Qianxuan Sect’s founding.

A perfect clearance of the Ten Prisons Tower.

Inside the council hall, the eight elders stared wide-eyed at the image of the Ten Prisons Tower floating before them.

At this moment, at the very top of the tower in the image, two bright red dots blinked rhythmically.

Silence reigned.

After a long moment, someone finally spoke.

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“Am I seeing things? Have disciples actually cleared the Ten Prisons Tower?”

Elder Zhang Qi’s voice trembled, his face filled with disbelief.

Elder Lian Qiuhan rubbed his eyes vigorously.

“Yes... It seems so...”

For once, Lian Qiuhan did not contradict Zhang Qi, instead offering the same answer.

As the stunned silence was broken, murmurs began to fill the council hall.

“How is this possible? When did the Qianxuan Sect produce such extraordinary disciples? Why didn’t I know?”

“Could it be Yun Shu? She’s the most likely to clear the Ten Prisons Tower.”

“Impossible. Yun Shu is always alone, but the image clearly shows two people reaching the top together.”

“That’s right. It must be someone else.”

“Elder Qu, can we find out which two disciples these are?”

“No, the rankings on the tower only update after the sect competition ends. There are still disciples inside undergoing trials, so the new rankings can’t be displayed yet.”

“This is maddening. Well, it won’t be disciples from my Spirit Talismans Pavilion. Everyone, think about whether your own pavilion has such talent?”

“My Forging Pavilion does have a newly emerged genius. I’d planned to take him as my personal disciple after the competition, but his talent lies solely in forging. It’s unlikely to be him.”

“All right, stop guessing. Since the two disciples haven’t exited the tower, let’s wait outside. Once the competition ends, the truth will come out.”

Finally, Grand Elder Wei Zhen spoke.

The other seven elders voiced their agreement.

Casting one last look at the red dots on the image, they vanished from their seats, one by one.

In the blink of an eye, the council hall was empty.

Perhaps the two red dots atop the tower were so conspicuous that, even as Yun Shu entered the Ninth Prison, no one noticed.

Meanwhile,

As Shen Wan and his companions pushed open the last stone gate, they found themselves not in the vast, towering chamber they’d expected, but in a modest room.

The room was tidy and bright.

A bed, a desk, two folding screens, three book stands, two wooden chairs, four oil lamps.

Simple, yet not crude.

Suddenly, transported from a grand space to such a normal-sized room, even Shen Wan felt a bit out of place.

“This... is this really the tower’s summit?” Lin Bufan asked in curiosity.

He felt the scene before him was far removed from what he’d imagined for the tower’s top.

Though he didn’t know exactly what he’d expected, it certainly wasn’t a room like this.

Zhu Qianqing, however, was not so perturbed; the simplicity of the place made her feel very comfortable.

Shen Wan rolled his eyes.

He recalled visiting an old history professor’s home in high school.

The professor’s study was identical to this scene, full of ancient charm.

“Seems the owner of this tower must be a cultured sort,” he muttered, nodding in agreement with his own analysis.

He shamelessly gave himself a mental thumbs-up.

Just then, as the trio examined the furnishings, an old man appeared silently before them.

“Ah, after hundreds of years, disciples finally stand before me in the sect I founded with my own hands. I am deeply gratified.”

The three jumped in surprise.

“Damn! Who the hell are you?!!”

Shen Wan’s outburst left the old man momentarily stunned.

Who am I?

My statue has stood in the sect for over a thousand years, and you ask who I am?

Lin Bufan and Zhu Qianqing, seeing the elder’s sudden appearance, were astonished and immediately knelt.

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“Disciple Lin Bufan.”

“Disciple Zhu Qianqing.”

“We pay our respects to the Ancestor!”

The old man, seeing their gesture, finally felt a touch of gratification, and waved his hand with a smile:

“All right, rise. To see two such outstanding young disciples in Qianxuan Sect, my original intention in founding the sect is not in vain.”

As he spoke, his eyes flicked toward the oblivious Shen Wan.

Shen Wan glanced at the old man in white, then at his kneeling companions, finally reacting.

He hastily imitated them, flopping to the ground and shouting loudly:

“Ancestor, accept my humble obeisance!”

Damn, this is the founder of a sect in the Immortal Realm—only someone truly formidable would dare establish a sect.

Think of the legendary Zhang Tianshi of Wudang.

If one such as him appeared before me, I’d probably not even be worthy to kneel and grovel.

Finally, the old man in white smiled kindly.

“All right, all right, rise.”

With a flick of his sleeve, Lin Bufan and Zhu Qianqing felt a gentle buoyancy, and involuntarily stood up.

The movement was so smooth and natural.

Meanwhile, Shen Wan remained prostrate, unmoving.

“Hm?” The old man in white was momentarily puzzled, flicked his sleeve again, increasing the spiritual force.

Yet Shen Wan was still as motionless as ever.

At last, the old man's brow twitched imperceptibly.

He turned to face Shen Wan, and with two sharp flicks of his sleeve, spiritual power surged.

Shen Wan, still lost in thoughts of legendary figures, finally noticed the old man’s words and pushed himself up.

He habitually brushed off his clothes.

Seeing the other two already standing, he obediently took his place beside them.

The old man's sleeve halted in midair, and for an instant, the air seemed to pause.

Shen Wan stood quietly, like a well-behaved child.

The old man could only cough awkwardly and hurriedly clasped his hands behind his back.

“Hmm... Come with me.”

He had waited a thousand years, rehearsing countless grandiose opening lines.

But in that moment, he forgot them all.

No choice but to skip straight to the next step.

Of course, the three noticed nothing amiss.

Looking in the direction the Ancestor indicated, where golden light seemed to gleam, each was filled with anticipation of great fortune.

The old man walked slowly, yet his figure appeared to blur and multiply, and with just a couple of flashes, he had opened a gap between himself and the three.

Shen Wan jumped.

He felt as if the old man’s body had glitched, suddenly appearing three meters ahead.

It was like playing an online game when the server overloads and your cheap computer is struggling, and the screen freezes into a slideshow.

Yes, just like that.

Seeing the old man already far ahead, Shen Wan quickly roused his excited companions.

The three quickened their pace, hastening to catch up with the Ancestor.