CHAPTER 104: 7) PROGRESS.

Boom!

Fathom the unfathomable, break the unbreakable, the life is an illusion and karma is a lie. May soul be eternal, may peace be filled with silence.

[ Welcome fellow Daoist... I am guide 004 ]

The guide was a small male fairy with a sinister grin, a dustless face, and skin free from all impurity.

He had around 32 wings and they looked compact as if one was on top of another.

[ You stand at the edge where the known dissolves into the unknown ]

He whispered, voice like the rustling of ancient silk. The melody is like the rhythm of do but the mouth didn’t move a single Yeunget.

( Yeunget; The smallest particle of unfathomable reality, exactly 108 times smaller than electrons)

[ Here, the truths you clutch so dearly must be shattered, and the illusions you fear must be embraced. Are you ready to fathom the unfathomable?]

The air shimmered around him, and the labyrinthine path before Zhao Fan twisted and rippled like water disturbed by a stone.

[ Step forward or leave... the choice is yours to make ]

Zhao Fan thought for a moment if it is truly a correct path, well not metaphorically but physically...

The guide has already hinted that what’s unthinkable is thinkable and what’s thinkable is unthinkable. Better to be cautious than be a fool.

Before he could ask something...

[ The guide dare not reveal, the guide dare not discuss noticeable matters. The guide shall merely watch ]

Quite interesting... It means this place is truly where all the truths and lies are the same.

A place where one can’t fathom what is reality and what is not.

Zhao Fan took a step forward, and instantly, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast, empty void.

[ To reach the next floor, you must reach the other side ]

The voice of the guide echoed through the void, barely audible over the rushing wind... But how can the void have wind!?

Think the unthinkable.

[ But be warned, the path ahead is filled with challenges that will test your very sanity. Only those who are truly determined and focused will succeed. ]

Zhao Fan looked around, trying to get his bearings. There was nothing to see, no landmarks or features to guide him.

.

He took a step back... He was back on the path and after he took a step, he was back at the void.

It seems each step changes the reality, how miraculous.

All he could do was keep moving forward and hope he reached the other side.

[ You may use your abilities and weapons to overcome the challenges you will face. ]

The guide continued.

Hearing this, Zhao Fan did what anyone with vast intelligence would do, he focused his senses, trying to detect any dangers that might be lurking in this reality.

But all he could feel was a strange energy pulsing through the air, like ripples on a pond.

The spring winds carries no tears, the summer land carries no joy.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him gave way, and he found himself falling through the darkness. He tried to conjure his sword, but it wouldn’t materialize.

[ Remember, in this place, nothing is as it seems. Your perceptions are your greatest weapon and your greatest enemy. ]

The guide’s voice was hearable but he wasn’t visible. Which means the guide is still there it’s just blocked by layers of reality.

He tried to use his spiritual energy to slow his fall, but it was like trying to swim through tar. The more he struggled, the faster he fell.

[ Your fear is your downfall. Let go and embrace the unknown. ]

The guide’s voice echoed in his mind. Quite annoying, the truth be revealed.

Zhao Fan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He forced himself to relax, to let go of his fear and doubts... He didn’t have any fears or doubts, maybe he did, perhaps he didn’t want to fail like last life.

The path of Dao is way mysterious and vast than one can imagine. The mortal mind is simply incapable of bringing itself to comprehend the Dao.

Suddenly, he felt a jolt, and he stopped falling. He opened his eyes to find himself standing on solid ground.

But something was different. The sky was a deep crimson, and the stars were twisted and distorted.

[ Welcome to the realm of the mind. Here, your thoughts and emotions are your reality. ]

Zhao Fan realized that he was now inside his own mind. He had to confront his deepest fears and desires in order to escape.

Could it be heart breeding demon!?

He started walking, and soon, he came across a figure in the distance. As he got closer, he realized it was himself.

"Who are you?" Zhao Fan asked.

"I am you," the other Zhao Fan replied.

"What do you want?"

"I want to show you the truth."

Zhao Fan was confused. He didn’t understand what the other ’him’ meant, but the words spoken were highly meaningless.

If you know the truth yet you want to spread it then it means you have seen no truth, you have learned no truth, it’s merely an illusion.

A mundane life, a mundane thought... Zhan Fan raised his hands, and the dazzling runes instantly took the shape of a dragon.

Needless to say, it was a dragon-themed spiritual art technique.

Woosh!

The dragon surged forward opening its mouth wide to devour the fake as a whole... Woosh... As the dust settled the fake had vanished.

[ Quite interesting... Tch, Tch, Tch, you have destroyed the only clue you had ]

But, why should Zhao Fan believe this guide!? The guide is merely a distraction, spouting nonsense at any given time.

He continued walking, and soon, he found another figure.

It was an old man with long white hair and a beard. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, and his eyes were closed.

He had an unparalleled aura and unquestionable grace. Zhao Fan grabbed that man and used soul soul-searching technique.

Alas, it wasn’t a real grown human but a fake one, which was created for this floor. There was no memory or anything.

Zhao Fan simply killed that man, unable to fathom what’s the play here.

Have anyone even reach this place!? That’s highly impossible.

If it was place for inheritance of mere gods then why is it so hard.

Am I missing something!?

May unthinkable be thinkable and thinkable be unthinkable

Fathom the unfathomable and place where unknown dissolves into unknown.

Sounds like a riddle which brings the wise mind to seek ones’ own answer.

May Buddha have mercy on this mortal.

May Buddha see. May Buddha laugh.

* * *

And, as it happens, when Zhao Fan walked forward, the path begins to appear. The path is filled with twists and turns, like a maze.

But Zhao Fan was determined to reach the end. He used his spiritual sense to navigate the path, avoiding the illusions and traps that eas thwre that could erase the soul.

Soon, he found himself at a dead end. But instead of giving up, he used his spiritual energy to blast through the wall, creating a new path.

He continued onward, facing many challenges and obstacles along the way like shadow beast, wild beast and few enemy but Zhao Fan killed them.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he saw a glimmer of light in the distance. It was the exit.

Zhao Fan quickened his pace, eager to escape the labyrinth.

Woosh!

He turned isnto the brust if light and recahed the escape.

He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was standing in a vast, open plain. There were no obstacles or dangers in sight.

Zhao Fan smiled, proud of himself for completing the trial. He looked up at the sky and saw a beam of light descending from above.

[ Congratulations, you have completed the trial. You may now ascend to the next floor. ]

The mechanical voice echoed, signaling his victory.

How strange.

Zhao Fan showed no emotions on his dustless face but he was satisfied with his sucess. He waited patiently for the light to envelop him.

Wooosh~

He ascended.

* * *

[ Floor 46: The Trial of Illusions ]

The air was filled with a thick, impenetrable fog. Zhao Fan couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of him, making it difficult to navigate.

Suddenly, he heard a faint whispering in his ear. It was hard to make out what the voices were saying, but they seemed to be coming from all directions.

[ The Trial of Illusions begins. ]

The voice echoed in the air.

Zhao Fan tried to ignore the whispers, but they only grew louder and more urgent.

From the shouts of little girl asking for help to a seductive voice talking about Yin-Yang harmony.

But, he focused on his breathing, using a meditation technique to clear his mind. It helped to block out the whispers, but he knew he couldn’t keep it up for long.

As he walked, the fog began to clear slightly. He saw shadowy figures moving in the distance, but he couldn’t tell if they were real or just illusions.

Suddenly, one of the figures stepped forward.

It was a woman with long, flowing hair and piercing green eyes. She reached out a hand towards Zhao Fan, beckoning him to come closer.

"You look handsome... Let’s cultivate the poetry of harmony."