Chapter 455 - 436: We Must Go Back to the Transmission Hall and Thank Miss Su
Outside the stone door, the atmosphere was a little strange, even suffocating.
These undercover agents, who had returned defeated from various parts of the Spirit Beast Garden, were now crowded into the corridor behind the cave’s stone door.
Some of them had been beaten by monkeys, others chased by rhinos, and one even had his face sprayed by a Clouded Leopard... Each and every one of these incidents was a complete and utter humiliation.
When they returned to the Transmission Hall to get a new task or abandon their current one, they were instead strong-armed into this egg-hatching mission that Miss Su claimed was about "feeling the weight of life."
But no matter how absurd this task was, it had to be better than being tormented by those damn animals.
But now, seeing the scene behind the stone door, they hesitated.
The place was already dark and damp, and that Mr. Qian was standing in the shadows like a ghost.
Because the sounds coming from behind the secret chamber were simply too bizarre.
"AHH—! It’s coming! That feeling is back again!"
"Tear me apart! Just tear me apart! Only destruction can bring new life! Long live Miss Su!"
’Is this how a normal person acts during a mission?’
Especially the loudest of the cries—it was clearly filled with extreme excitement and satisfaction. What in the world was going on?
"This..."
One of the undercover agents turned pale and subconsciously took half a step back.
"Everyone, listen to that. Does that sound like something a sane person would say?"
The agent next to him, though thoroughly spooked, tried to save face. "This... maybe it’s some kind of spiritual baptism? After all, Miss Su did say we need to use our hearts to comprehend the weight of life."
"The weight of life?"
Someone sneered but didn’t dare say more, only muttering to himself in his head.
’You call this comprehension? This is clearly all kinds of wrong!’
’How come we were all normal people before we split up for our tasks, but as soon as we accepted this mission and entered this secret chamber, we started acting grateful to that demoness who tormented us?’
As the crowd listened to the miserable, endless screams from within, they each trembled in their hearts.
’This is too damn creepy.’
’Could this secret chamber be hiding some ancient, evil formation that forcibly alters your will the moment you enter, turning you into a masochistic puppet utterly devoted to the sect?’
The thought that they might turn into one of those lunatics inside, capable only of shouting "Awesome!", made many of their legs cramp up.
"Why don’t we... just go back to shoveling shit?" someone suggested in a low voice. "It stinks, but at least it seems better than this."
"Shoveling shit?"
The person next to him immediately glared. "Have you forgotten the look that rhino gave us? It was watching us like we were thieves! If we go back, we’ll probably lose our lives!"
They were caught between a rock and a hard place.
Ahead, a demonic den of mind control; behind, a beast horde of physical destruction.
’This Miss Su really doesn’t leave anyone a way out!’
Just as everyone was agonizing over their decision, one of the stone doors rumbled open with a BOOM.
All eyes immediately focused on it.
A figure was seen leaning against the doorframe, staggering out.
At this moment, Wang’s face was pale, and his disciple robes were tattered.
It was a sign of extreme mental exhaustion.
He took a deep breath of the foul air in the corridor, a look of bliss on his face.
"It’s... so good to be alive."
He muttered to himself, his voice filled with the joy of being reborn.
The crowd outside the door looked at each other, each holding their breath, not daring to make a sound.
’This condition...’
’No matter how you look at it, he seems completely broken!’
"F-Fellow Daoist?" a slightly braver agent ventured forward and asked tentatively. "What... what exactly is going on in there?"
The agent who had just come out froze, then turned to look at the crowd.
’Tell them?’
’What should I say?’
’That there’s a bug that straddles your face, shoves a tube down your throat, lays eggs in your chest cavity, and then bursts out of your chest?’
’Or should I say that although the process is so painful you want to die, if you endure it, you can cleanse your marrow, slightly improve your constitution to better aid your Cultivation, and even comprehend the pleasure that comes from destruction and rebirth?’
𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
’No.’
’I can’t tell them.’
’Especially not the second part.’
He glanced at the group of competitors for the Broken Sword Ridge’s Sword Testing Conference, who were still watching from the sidelines.
’If this bunch found out the mission not only heals injuries but also improves one’s constitution, wouldn’t they rush in like madmen?’
’I might have reached my limit with the pain and really can’t take any more...’
’...but it’s better if they find out later. Delaying them even a little is a good thing.’
’"Better you die than I"—that’s the truth of survival in the Cultivation Realm.’
’Besides, the way I was screaming in there was so... you know. If they knew the truth, what would become of my reputation?’
’I have to make up a story to explain this away, and while I’m at it... I’ll scare these bastards so they don’t dare compete with me!’
As his thoughts raced, the agent’s expression instantly became incredibly grave.
"Everyone..."
His voice trembled as he pointed to the dark secret chamber behind him. "Take my advice. If your Dao heart isn’t firm enough, if you don’t have the resolve to face death for a chance at rebirth... absolutely, do not go in."
"Inside... is a great terror!"
"A great terror?" The crowd gasped. "What do you mean?"
"It cannot be spoken of, it cannot be spoken of..."
"The pain is not merely physical. It strikes deep into your very soul. It will tear your dignity and pride to shreds, trample them underfoot, and then force you to admit your own insignificance."
"I... I almost didn’t make it through."
As he spoke, he clutched his chest for effect, putting on an expression of lingering fear.
These words left the agents outside the secret chamber completely stunned.
’Tear your dignity to shreds?’
’Trample it underfoot?’
’It’s confirmed! This is a mind-control trap!’
Just then, several other stone doors opened one after another.
The other agents who had endured several rounds also walked out.
Their condition was identical to the first man’s: their steps were unsteady and their faces were pale. It was mainly because the pain was just too much!
’They really needed a break. Even if it was a good thing, their minds couldn’t take much more of it.’
The few who had benefited exchanged a look, seeing a tacit understanding in each other’s eyes.
’We’re all old foxes; no need to play innocent.’
No one wanted more people coming to get a piece of the pie; the fewer, the better.
So, when the newcomers crowded around to ask for information, this group’s story was surprisingly consistent.
"It was horrible, truly horrible."
"I feel like I’ve died ten thousand times."
"Don’t ask. If you have to ask, the answer is hell."
"Miss Su’s methods... tsk tsk, we’re still too naive."
They spoke in ambiguous terms, all while giving the newcomers a "you wouldn’t understand" look, doing their best to ramp up the mysterious and terrifying atmosphere to the extreme.
The agents outside turned green in the face as they listened.
’They had been thinking about whether to risk it, but now... it was better to forget it.’
’But how were they going to explain this to Miss Su?!’
’What a dilemma!’
Meanwhile, the ones who had come out glanced at each other.
’Wait, it seems like one person is missing. Who’s so tough that they can keep enduring the pain?’
’That’s right! That Lu Ping... has he not come out yet?’
The agents who had survived this ordeal all looked over.
Sure enough, the stone door to Lu Ping’s secret chamber was still tightly shut.
’How long has it been? We couldn’t take it anymore and came out, but he’s still in there?’
Wang swallowed, the awe in his eyes deepening.
Everyone knew exactly what he was experiencing inside.
That kind of pain was enough to make a person break down after just one time. Four or five times was the absolute limit.
’But this Lu Ping... he still hasn’t come out?’
’What kind of willpower is that?’
’What kind of Dao heart is that?’
’No wonder he’s the senior brother who reached the eightieth step...’
’In any case, I’m planning to come back tomorrow after I’ve recovered to experience the weight of life again!’
And when these few who had survived the ordeal thought of Miss Su, they all showed looks of guilt.
’It seems our previous misunderstanding of Miss Su ran too deep.’
’Miss Su must have set up this trial to screen for people with tenacious minds like Mr. Lu. Although we made it through, we’re still far behind him. But Miss Su still allowed us, who passed the initial screening, to obtain this opportunity.’
’Sigh, it seems the Spirit Stones that were confiscated before weren’t taken for nothing. For this alone, it was worth it!’
"Let’s go."
Wang took a deep breath and straightened his back. Although his legs were still trembling, his aura was completely different.
"We need to go back to the Transmission Hall and thank Miss Su."
’After all, she gave us such a great fortune. We can just consider the Spirit Stones from before as tuition fees!’
"Indeed! Let’s go together!"
And so, the few who had just experienced agony left, leaving the group of agents who hadn’t entered the secret chambers standing there, utterly bewildered.
’Huh?’
’Thank her?’
’You just said you suffered so much, and now you’re going to thank her?’
’You guys... you’ve really been brainwashed by this mission!’
...
Inside the secret chamber.
The tragic scene imagined by the outside world had existed, but only in the past.
Right now, Lu Ping was sprawled out on his back on the stone bed, hands behind his head. He even had one leg crossed over the other, his foot dangling and swinging idly in the air.
His posture made it look as if he were sunbathing at a resort.
And inside his chest cavity, the alien larva that should have been violently tearing through his flesh was now moving at a ridiculously slow pace, having inherited a part of its host.
If this were anyone else’s alien, it would have been going berserk by now, as if pumped full of stimulants, tearing and biting frantically, eager to burst out of the chest in a second to greet the new world.
But Lu Ping’s...
It was acting like a sloth that hadn’t fully woken up, its claws scraping gently once before stopping for a rest.
Another little scrape, then another little rest.
Even the way it chewed on his flesh had a certain elegance to it, like someone savoring a fine meal.
Part of the reason for this change was the marvelous Great Dream Leisure Scripture inside Lu Ping’s body.
After multiple parasitizations, this Spiritual Energy alien had inherited this trait along with its host’s abilities.
Its originally violent instincts had actually calmed down.
As a result, the intense, chest-bursting pain was stretched out infinitely, transforming into a dull, swollen sensation.
Although it was still a bit uncomfortable, it was completely within Lu Ping’s tolerance. At the very least, this situation would allow him to do the mission a few more times.