40: Chapter 40: The Blood River Ancestor's Re-employment, and the Public Beta Night of "Biochemical Cultivation"
The night at the Heavenly River Sword Sect had never been so anticipated, yet so terrifying.
Ever since Li Mo released the news of the "Nightmare Trial" during the day, the entire Inner Sect had completely boiled over.
Sword Cultivators were mostly stubborn types with innate pride.
Hearing that there was a "Great Terror" in the Scripture Pavilion, instead of being scared off, they were all rubbing their hands together with eyes gleaming.
Especially when rumors spread that "passing the trial grants a mysterious reward for the Divine Soul," that vigorous urge to court death became uncontrollable.
At this moment, on the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
Li Mo was holding a brush dipped in cinnabar, slowly and methodically drawing eerie runes on a constantly vibrating pickle jar.
"Don't move."
Li Mo slapped the jar, and the vibration stopped instantly.
He spoke indifferently: "I'm applying 'special effects makeup' to enhance your character's charm. Don't give blind orders if you don't understand."
"Li Mo! A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!"
A burst of exasperated roaring erupted from the jar, the voice sharp and making the lid buzz, "I am a dignified Soul Transformation Stage Demon Lord! Back then, when the Blood River crossed the land, it left three thousand miles of scorched earth, and my fierce reputation could stop a child's night crying! Now you actually want me to play... play some 'Licker'? And crawl on the ground? I won't do it! Even if you kill me, I won't do it!"
"Oh? You won't?"
Li Mo stopped his brush, his voice as flat as a lake without a ripple.
"According to the 'Labor Law Cultivation Edition' I just made up, employees who refuse to follow job reassignments will be suppressed in a latrine for five hundred years."
He paused and added: "Choose for yourself. Do you want to be a glorious Gatekeeper Boss with a high hourly wage, or go dance with maggots?"
The jar shuddered violently.
After a few breaths, a voice carrying a hint of flattery amidst the humiliation drifted out faintly:
"That... Great One, are there any specifics to the crawling posture? My lumbar disc is a bit herniated. Can I... crawl a bit more elegantly?"
"That's more like it."
The corners of Li Mo's mouth curled up as he uncovered a corner of the jar's Seal.
"Remember your lines. Don't always shout 'I'm going to eat you.' It's too low-end and lacks style."
"Shout 'Return the book,' 'Overdue,' or 'Silence'."
"You need to have a neurotic sense of intellectual pressure, understand?"
"Under... understood."
A wisp of black-red mist drifted out impatiently from the gap.
The mist rolled and gathered in the shadows between the bookshelves, condensing into a twisted humanoid form made of ink, shredded paper, and endless resentment.
It had no facial features; its face was just a terrifyingly large mouth split open to the ears.
In its hand, it dragged a mountain-sized "Borrowing Log" fastened by a rusty iron chain.
"Very good, full marks for the look."
Li Mo snapped his fingers.
"All departments pay attention, actors in position. Lighting technician Xiao Hei, give me some atmosphere."
"Meow—"
Xiao Hei, crouching on a roof beam, let out a lazy cry.
In an instant, the bright moonlight outside seemed to be covered by a shroud, turning into a dismal ghostly green, stretching and twisting the shadows of the bookshelves on the floor into clawing ghost hands.
"Open Beta, begin."
...
First quarter of the Hour of the Rat.
The heavy wooden doors of the Scripture Pavilion opened on their own without wind.
"Creeeak—"
A tooth-aching grinding sound pierced the dead silence of the night.
Outside the door, seven Inner Sect Disciples who had been waiting for a long time perked up.
Leading them was the head Disciple of the Enforcement Hall, Chen Gang.
He was full of righteousness, carrying a heavy sword on his back, and had always despised these rumors of ghosts and gods within the Sect.
"Junior Brothers, today we shall personally expose the fake tricks of this Scripture Pavilion!"
Chen Gang's voice was loud and full of Aura, "What ghost stories, what man-eating? It must be some clever illusion! Follow me in. As long as we keep our hearts steady and our sword hearts clear, what is there to fear?"
"Senior Brother is right! Invincible against all evil!"
The group was suddenly filled with heroic spirit, heads held high and chests out as they strode across the famous "flat-ground-tripping threshold."
Unexpectedly, the threshold was very well-behaved this time.
Because according to the script of a horror movie, the beginning always gives the protagonist group a bit of false hope called "safety."
Inside the pavilion, there was dead silence.
The ghostly green moonlight shone obliquely on the dust of the floor, revealing every detail.
"Look, there's nothing."
Chen Gang looked around and let out a cold laugh.
"That fellow Zhao Tianba must have done too many guilty things in his daily life to be scared by his own..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
Splat.
A drop of cold, viscous liquid landed precisely on the tip of Chen Gang's nose.
He subconsciously reached out to touch it and brought it before his eyes.
It was black, with a strong, pungent stench of ink.
"This is..."
Chen Gang looked up in confusion.
With this look, his pupils suddenly constricted.
He saw countless books hanging upside down on the ceiling, packed tightly together.
They were like sleeping bats, their pages folded.
But on the cover of every book, there was a pale, bloodshot single eye protruding.
At this moment, these hundreds and thousands of eyes were all staring fixedly and motionlessly at the seven people below.
Dead silence.
A kind of dead silence that could drive a person mad.
"Gulp..."
Someone, it was unclear who, swallowed hard.
This nearly imperceptible sound was like pulling a trigger.
"Swoosh—!!!"
All the "Book Bats" on the ceiling instantly exploded into action!
They snapped open their pages, revealing fangs made of countless sharp characters inside, and let out ear-piercing shrieks as they dived down, blotting out the sky!
"Enemy attack! Form the array!"
Chen Gang reacted fastest, his heavy sword unsheathed with a roar, bringing forth a brilliant Sword Qi that slashed through the darkness!
However, in the next instant, the confidence on his face froze.
That sharp Sword Qi, enough to split mountain rocks, struck the books and was like a clay ox entering the sea, dissipating directly into ink dots.
Even more terrifyingly, those broken pages turned into countless black characters, like a swarm of bloodthirsty ants, flowing up against the Sword Qi and instantly covering his sword blade!
[Gravity Spell]!
[Slowness]!
[Silence]!
[Confusion]!
Every character was a malicious minor curse!
"What... what kind of ghostly thing is this?!"
Chen Gang felt the heavy sword in his hand become as heavy as a mountain, and the Meridians through which his internal spiritual power flowed felt as if they were filled with sludge.
"Ah! Senior Brother, save me!"
A Disciple nearby let out a shrill scream.
He was tightly entangled by a copy of "Basic Grappling Techniques." The book was like a soft and tough octopus, strangling his neck. As the pages flipped, dark blue "Lock" characters were branded into his skin.
"Don't panic! Use fire! Books are all afraid of fire!"
Another Disciple had a sudden brainwave and whipped out a Blazing Fire Talisman, throwing it out!
Boom!
The flames exploded.
But instead of igniting any books, the fire was instantly extinguished by the ink gushing from the pages.
The ink seemed to have a life of its own, gathering and wriggling on the floor, slowly rising to form three ink figures wearing long robes with blurred faces.
They held no swords or sabers, only rulers.
They approached step by step, their mouths emitting cold, mechanical synthesized voices:
"It's late... silence... is mandatory..."
"Those who are noisy... will have their palms struck..."
Slap!
A Disciple couldn't dodge in time and was struck hard on the buttocks by a ruler.
That Disciple was a dignified Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a tough Physical Body, but at this moment, he was in so much pain that tears flew, and he jumped three feet high while clutching his rear.
"My spiritual power shield is useless! This thing... it strikes directly at the Soul!"
Behind the second-floor railing, the invisible Li Mo contentedly tossed a melon seed into his mouth.
"Not bad. Immune to Physics attacks, double Soul damage. This is the essence of a 'ghost story'."
He leaned over and whispered to Xiao Hei beside him: "Take a note. That Disciple who used fire to burn books has ideas, but his IQ doesn't quite match. Later, arrange a 'water torture' package for him specifically to let him cool down."
In the battlefield, the situation was already completely one-sided.
These Sword Cultivator Geniuses, accustomed to real swords and spears and spiritual power clashes, were beaten into a sorry state, scurrying like rats before these completely unreasonable "rule-based monsters."
"Retreat! Quickly, retreat!"
Chen Gang's eyes were nearly splitting as he tried to cover his Junior Brothers' retreat.
But when they looked back, bone-chilling despair appeared on everyone's faces.
The door they came in through... was gone.
In its place was a wall made of countless book spines, so high its top couldn't be seen.
Right in the center of the wall, that familiar pickle jar was embedded.
The mouth of the jar flickered with red light, letting out a sinister cackle:
"You came in... and you still want to leave?"
"Did you get a library card? Did you pay the deposit? Did you do the reading comprehension?"
As the voice fell, the ink on the ground boiled frantically.
Played by the Old Ancestor of the Blood River, the giant "Librarian Boss" slowly rose amidst a nauseating smell of blood and ink.
It was three meters tall, the giant iron chain in its hand clattering, reflecting a cold glint of death under the ghostly green light.
"Today's homework... everyone recite the 'Sect Regulations' a hundred times..."
The BOSS opened its mouth, which split to its ears, and black saliva dripped from the corners.
"Recite one word wrong... and I'll eat... one leg..."
"Mama!!"
A Disciple with the weakest psychological fortitude finally broke down. He dropped his Flying Sword and crouched on the ground, head in hands, wailing loudly.
"I'll recite! I'll recite, okay?! First rule... love the Sect and be dedicated, be honest and trustworthy... waaaa..."
Chen Gang's face was also as pale as paper.
Facing such a monster that completely overturned his cognition and could not be understood, his rock-solid sword heart finally developed a crack.
This wasn't a trial...
This was clearly... a one-sided massacre...
Just as despair was about to completely consume everyone's sanity.
A cold, ethereal voice, as if coming from beyond the Nine Heavens, clearly entered everyone's minds.
"In this world, fear is their only food."
"If you have no fear in your heart, they are nothing but a pile of waste paper."
It was Li Mo's voice.
Processed to sound profound and mysterious, like the voice of the Great Dao.
Chen Gang's body jolled violently.
No fear in his heart?
He looked at the ink monster swinging the giant iron chain down, and it was as if a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind.
Yes!
This is a trial!
A trial the Sect opened to all Disciples; it could never be a certain-death situation!
All this horror, all this despair... it's all a test for the state of mind!
"So... it was all a lie!"
Chen Gang let out a roar, slammed his eyes shut, and forcibly suppressed the churning fear in his heart!
He no longer looked at those hideous monsters, no longer listened to those ear-piercing shrieks.
He visualized in his mind.
Visualized the sword in his hand.
Only the sword was real.
Whoosh—
A gust of bloody wind hit his face; it was the terrifying wind pressure of the BOSS's claws about to shred his skull.
The Junior Brothers behind him had already let out terrified screams.
But Chen Gang remained motionless.
He was gambling.
Gambling that the voice was right.
Just a second before those claws covered in cursed characters touched his skin.
That bone-chilling sensation that felt like it would tear his Soul apart... vanished.
In its place was the feeling of a light piece of paper landing on his face.
Chen Gang suddenly opened his eyes.
The entire world before him was fading like a receding tide.
The giant blood-colored monster crumbled into a pile of scattered waste paper and ink stains, and the claw that wanted to shred him was nothing more than a red exam paper with "Fail" written on it.
Those "Book Bats" chasing his Junior Brothers also lost their power, falling to the ground with splats and turning back into ordinary ancient books.
"Huff... huff..."
Chen Gang panted heavily, his whole body already soaked in cold sweat as if he had just been fished out of water.
He looked around and found that the other Junior Brothers were still immersed in the illusion.
Some were frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy to the air, while others were hugging pillars and weeping, crying that they wanted to go home to their mothers.
"Wake up!"
Chen Gang gave a thunderous shout, his voice infused with all his mental energy from having survived the disaster.
Like a blow to the head!
Everyone shuddered, the fear in their eyes rapidly receding, and the Scripture Pavilion returned to its usual calm.
Although it was still eerie, that fatal pressure that could crush one's mind had vanished into thin air.
[Ding!]
[The first batch of testers has passed the "Newbie Tutorial".]
[Fear Value Settlement: 280 points.]
[Evaluation: Courage is commendable, but IQ is worrying.]
Li Mo curled his lip and casually closed the System panel.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Crisp applause came from the second floor.
Li Mo's figure slowly emerged behind the railing (of course, still in that disguised, profound Saint persona).
"Congratulations, you survived."
He looked down at the seven bedraggled people and waved his hand.
Seven faint golden lights flew out like fireflies and merged into their foreheads.
That was a temporary buff simulated with the [Mental Fortitude (Weak)] trait.
Chen Gang and the others only felt a coolness in their minds, like drinking from an ice spring in the middle of summer. Their Divine Souls, originally damaged and stinging from extreme fright, actually healed in an instant!
It was even... more condensed and resilient than before!
"This... this is..."
Chen Gang carefully felt the changes in his Divine Soul, his eyes bursting with unbelievable ecstasy.
How difficult was Divine Soul cultivation! Usually, taking precious Medicinal Pills would only yield minute progress.
But tonight, just by being "scared" here, the benefits he gained actually rivaled three whole years of hard cultivation?!
Thud!
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Gang knelt heavily on the ground, bowing respectfully to the figure on the second floor with his forehead to the floor.
"Thank you, Senior, for granting this Opportunity! This Disciple was dull and almost wasted Senior's painstaking efforts!"
The other six Disciples came to their senses and followed suit, kneeling and bowing. There was no longer any hint of the previous contempt or disdain in their eyes.
In its place was reverence and fanaticism from the depths of their Souls.
"Go."
Li Mo waved his hand indifferently, his voice ethereal.
"Remember, do not speak of tonight's events to outsiders. Only by personally experiencing Great Terror can one... survive when the Great Calamity arrives."
"Yes!"
The seven kowtowed heavily again before respectfully retreating.
Watching their backs, which were trembling with excitement, Li Mo knew that tomorrow, the Heavenly River Sword Sect's Scripture Pavilion would be completely packed.
"Cousin, your last sentence was so cool!"
Chu Linger, who had been hiding behind watching the show, ran out, her little face red with excitement and her eyes full of admiring little stars.
"Cool?"
Li Mo smiled, but his gaze pierced through the Scripture Pavilion window, looking toward the distant southern sky.
There, deep in the originally brilliant starry sky, a mass of gray mist that was extremely hard to detect with the naked eye was slowly spreading and expanding.
That was the crack where the reality dimension was being eroded.
It was the vanguard of the "Eerie Tide."
"Little girl, this time it's not a drill."
Li Mo whispered to himself, his fingers gently stroking the cover of the ancient dragon vein heavenly book on the desk.
"Xiao Hei, get ready."
"These rookies have just cleared the newbie village."
"The real 'Zombie Siege'... is already on the way."