Shennong Dao Master-Chapter 1238 - 23: The Debt-ridden Venerable’s Fighting Spirit—Did the Soul Test Bug Out? (11,000) (Part 5)

"Add some more money, buy a medium grade... uh."

Mr. Zhao pondered this and suddenly realized that the existence of the Secondary Life Ring made quite a bit of sense.

"The second trial is called the Earth God Maze." Su Fairy's voice pulled Zhao Xing back to reality. "As long as you can walk out of the Earth God Maze, you'll pass, with a time limit of a hundred years."

As soon as the words fell, Zhao Xing found himself in front of a gray wall.

"The Earth God Maze, also known as the Karma Maze, is infinitely high above and infinitely long to the sides." Zhao Xing immediately thought of death, and only this 'wall' was a nearly insurmountable obstacle. "Only by seeing through cause and effect can one collect the wandering Karma Soul into the Fate Palace."

Zhao Xing passed through the gray wall, discovering countless branches within the maze.

As with the first trial, the method of soul splitting for exploration was useless here.

"The more split souls, the more branches."

Zhao Xing wasted no time and just picked a random entrance to start walking forward.

The walls were gray, but the ground was translucent, with light flowing through it. As Zhao Xing looked down, scenes flowed within the ground.

"From today on, I will give you fifteen Tianyuan Pears every month."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen!"

...

"This Flame Mountain is so bizarre, Zhao Xing, could it be my fate?"

"Old Chen, Long Xiao and I will lead. You stay behind and remember one thing."

"What?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"My fate is in my hands, not in the heavens!"

...

Rumble~ In the Eighteen locust and willow courtyard, houses collapsed as a thunder cloud drifted over from afar.

"Why so unlucky."

"It's a sin, even my Qi Fortune has dropped to diversion one."

"Old Chen, this investment of yours hasn't been a loss. I ate a few pears in Gucheng, and now Ten Days in the Sky is here to carry your fate."

"Ow!"

...

Zhao Xing walked quietly, and the path under his feet was called the Cause and Effect Road.

With every step, the seeds of the past and their fruits appeared clearly in his mind, continuously magnifying.

"Unresolved cause and effect make it easier to get lost here, and even small things might lead you to question if you did something wrong."

"Burdened by cause and effect, you can't move forward on the path."

As Zhao Xing walked, he also found his steps gradually becoming heavy.

At a certain corner, he saw a bare bird.

"Caw!"

A sharp call pierced Zhao Xing's ears.

Zhao Xing stopped in his tracks.

This was the Heavenly Destiny Mysterious Bird from the Dream Palace.

"Zhao Xing, why haven't you come to save me yet?"

"You've already achieved high rank, why not uphold the promise to release me?!"

The Heavenly Destiny Mysterious Bird loudly accused!

"I haven't had the chance yet."

"Liar! Deceiver! I will eat you!"

With that, the Heavenly Destiny Mysterious Bird fluttered over aggressively.

This was the first time Zhao Xing's steps stopped completely.

...

In the Ju Zi Palace, the Luo Hou King and Lu Ying watched the situation in the Earth God Maze.

"He has stopped." Lu Ying said nervously, "Grand Commandant, what's happening to him?"

"I don't know." The Luo Hou King shook his head.

The soul inheritance stage, the second trial was a test of the Karma Soul that Ji Si couldn't detect what was happening.

Once the second trial commenced, there was no way out unless one chose to forfeit.

Choosing to forfeit meant forgetting one's experiences inside.

"Many people stop at a certain corner." At this moment, Ji Si suddenly appeared beside the two, "I guess this signifies points of fate they once experienced, turning points of destiny."

"Look, everyone encounters such corners, almost inevitably, all stopped there and slowed down considerably."

Ji Si pointed to eight others on the screen: "Some stand there weeping bitterly; perhaps they saw something, maybe recalled painful past events."

"Are you saying they encountered illusions?" Lu Ying asked, considering soul trials naturally invoked thoughts of illusion realms.

"Possibly, these illusions might be truths they most wish not to face internally, and if one's soul will isn't firm enough, they might not pass the trial."

After Ji Si answered, Lu Ying was somewhat surprised: "Weren't you unable to calculate before?"

Ji Si snorted: "That was then, this is now. I've had the Star Destiny Strategy for over two years. If there was no progress, wouldn't it waste Zhao Xing's good intentions?"

"Do you know the key to breaking through this stage?" the Luo Hou King asked.

Ji Si pondered: "I've gained some insights; this trial seems related to the Earth Soul, which connects to the Karma Soul."

"With the Heavenly Soul and Earth Soul still wandering outside, and the soul in the body, yet this trial tests the Earth Soul?" the Luo Hou King furrowed his brow, "I reached the Realm of Rules, and my physical Seven Spirits only united with the Life Soul. Is such a trial reasonable?"

The Heavenly Soul and Earth Soul can't be cultivated; how can you test them if they can't be cultivated?

In breaking through to the Realm of Rules, the Luo Hou King merely merged the Life Soul with his Seven Spirits body, a trial like this truly was beyond his comprehension.

"Outer Heaven Visitors can't be judged by common sense." Lu Ying shook his head. "Perhaps in the outer heavens, the Heavenly Soul and Earth Soul can indeed be cultivated."

Ji Si answered the Luo Hou King's initial question: "I guess this trial is examining a person's past experiences."

"The more weighty the debts of cause and effect one owes, the harder it is to move forward in this trial."

"Would someone in their weaker days consider such things?"

"Perhaps just ignored, even missed."

Lu Ying contemplated: "Doesn't that imply this test is about how a person lives? The fewer dark aspects, the less selfish desires, the easier it is to pass?"

Ji Si thought for a moment: "That's possible, though I'm only speculating of course."

"Ji Si, calculate the origin of the black-clothed mysterious person moving fastest inside." The Luo Hou King spoke.

"Can't calculate." Ji Si looked at the screen and the black-clothed person who had walked the farthest, "This person probably has already truly reached the Realm of Rules."