"Lei Zhan!"
"Lei Zhan..."
"Wake up!"
"Wake up! If you close your eyes, who else will be able to escort this supreme treasure back?"
"Lei Zhan! Lei Zhan!"
"Lei Zhan! I've seen everything you've done. You've performed exceptionally well!"
"You've now successfully passed the three trials in the corridor!"
"I want to take you as my disciple, my one and only disciple! Are you willing?"
"Since you've successfully become my disciple, you're now my eldest disciple!"
"Remember."
"My name is... Juhua..."
Huff!
Huff! Huff!
The sound of ragged breathing echoed through the vast, deep corridor.
Countless overlapping voices rang in Lei Zhan's ears, like demonic whispers pouring into his mind. Time itself seemed to grind to a halt.
Lei Zhan slowly opened his eyes.
Before him lay an extremely long, utterly silent corridor. He was on the ground, unable to feel a thing in his body, as if his soul and flesh had been completely torn apart.
Lei Zhan struggled to move his eyes. In the distance stood a black-haired monster radiating a dense aura of death. It hunched over, its face hidden beneath a thick mass of hair. Yet through those dense black strands, he saw the monster's eyes—and the relief in them.
Lei Zhan understood. His work had been varied and fraught with danger, giving him an exceptionally keen instinct for things. Though he couldn't move at all, at least his eyes still worked. He could carefully observe this utterly unfamiliar world.
It—or rather, the black-haired monster—had completed its mission.
It was free.
"Now that you're free, could you help me out? At least let me die quickly!" Lei Zhan's thoughts churned, but when he tried to speak, all that came out was a string of groans.
He couldn't move at all—not yet.
Time passed slowly. Sensation gradually returned to Lei Zhan's fingers, and a mysterious power coursed through his body. He seemed to be regaining his vitality.
Boom!
In that instant, countless memories deep within his soul surged forth like a tide. The young man's face in the corridor became a tapestry of expressions.
"I am Lei Zhan!"
"I am both Lei Zhan, who struggled on the edge of danger in China, and Lei Zhan, a mortal being fighting to survive on the path of cultivation!"
"And now, I've finally passed Immortal Juhua's three trials!"
"God-Devil Body Refining? The Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Map? Three trials? Immortal Juhua?" Lei Zhan froze as countless memories collided in his mind. In a flash, sparks seemed to fly everywhere.
The countless clues came together, telling him of an absurd truth that had truly come to pass...
"This is..."
"This is the world of Desolate Era!"
A moment later.
Only then did Lei Zhan fully absorb the memories of both his lives. His thoughts raced as the Crimson Bright Divine Power within him, already at the early Purple Mansion stage, surged through his body, repairing every injured spot.
His skin, flesh, and meridians!
The rich Crimson Bright Divine Power seeped into every part of his body, swiftly restoring his damaged divine body!
Lei Zhan stood up, bent down, and picked up the bloodstained spear, thick as his arm. He then put it into his Purple Mansion Space.
He paid the black-haired monster no further attention and turned toward the depths of the corridor.
Cowardice was something he could afford only once.
He was Lei Zhan—and now he was stronger in spirit than ever!
From this day forward,
even death would be a new beginning!
With a determined gaze, Lei Zhan walked along the corridor, which seemed to stretch almost endlessly.
At last, darkness gave way, and light appeared.
Before him stood an incomparably vast hall. Massive pillars, each thousands of zhang tall, rose like supports for the heavens, holding up the mighty dome.
Hundreds of enormous meditation cushions lay scattered across the hall. Lei Zhan's gaze shifted upward, to the gigantic cushion on the dais above. It was a hundred zhang across!
"So this is the Water Mansion!" Lei Zhan had prepared himself for this, and after walking through a corridor hundreds of zhang high, he'd expected the hall to be magnificent. Yet seeing this towering structure, beyond the reach of human hands, still left him awestruck.
Lei Zhan came back to his senses and looked at the only other living being in the hall: a thin-faced old man in a gray Daoist robe, whose very presence radiated a terrifying aura.
Lei Zhan hurried forward.
"Your disciple Lei Zhan pays his respects to Immortal Juhua!"
The lean old man in the Daoist robe looked at Lei Zhan and smiled, nodding. "Lei Zhan, I saw everything you did during the trials. You're an exceptionally gifted young man!"
"You flatter me, Immortal," Lei Zhan replied respectfully.
"I'm not flattering you. At your level, I was no match for you." Immortal Juhua shook his head with a smile. "Lei Zhan, you're quite something!"
"You've now successfully passed the three trials in the corridor! I want to take you as my disciple, my one and only disciple!"
"Are you willing?"
On the path of cultivation, a master might carefully choose a disciple, but a disciple could also decide whether to accept a cultivator as their master.
Taking a master was a matter of mutual consent—a bond that had to go both ways. After all, cultivators lived long lives, and a master and disciple might spend countless years together. Naturally, the decision had to be made with care.
"Lei Zhan is willing!" he said with utmost respect. He had crossed the vast reaches of the Great Xia World, endured countless hardships, and narrowly escaped death time and again to pass Immortal Juhua's three trials.
He had done it all to become the disciple of a Loose Immortal who could rival a Celestial Immortal and had lived for millions of years. Now that he was on the verge of achieving that goal, he was more than willing.
"Good! I've never taken a disciple in my life. All I've ever sought on the path of cultivation was freedom and joy. Though I failed to overcome the tribulation, taking a disciple before my time runs out is one of life's great joys!" Immortal Juhua burst into laughter, clearly delighted.
"Since you're willing to become my disciple, what are you waiting for?"
"My time runs out?" Lei Zhan was taken aback, but he immediately understood. He then knelt down and kowtowed respectfully.
"Master, please accept this bow from your disciple!"
"Good!" Immortal Juhua nodded with a smile, then explained, "I've been a Loose Immortal for so long that I can scarcely remember how long it's been. But the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations grow more powerful the longer I live! For the past few centuries, I've clearly sensed that my time is almost up..."
"Master..." Lei Zhan was at a loss for words.
"Enough. Today is a day for celebration. Let's not speak of such ill-omened things." Immortal Juhua shook his head with a wry smile. As he spoke, he took a dark gray talisman token from his storage treasure and handed it to Lei Zhan.
"This is the Message Talisman for my Immortal Mansion. Refine it, and you'll become the fourth master of this Immortal Mansion!"
Lei Zhan had yet to overcome the Heavenly Tribulation and formally take charge of Star-Plucking Mansion, so it was referred to as the Water Mansion for now.
In fact, the name "Water Mansion" came about because Ji Ning mistakenly thought Star-Plucking Mansion was an immortal's relic beneath the waters of Winged Serpent Lake, and named it the Water Mansion.
Whether it was called the Immortal Mansion or the Water Mansion, it was the same place. But most people were probably more used to calling it the Water Mansion.
A new book was setting sail, so I'll shamelessly ask for monthly votes, recommendations, and readers to follow along!
This is my second time writing a book, so I've gained a little experience. Before it goes premium, I'll try to get into the groove and build up a stockpile of chapters.
Here's the plan: if you think the book is worth supporting, dear readers, please give it a boost!
Here are some modest goals:
If it gets onto the first round of recommendations, I'll release one extra chapter when it goes premium.
If it gets onto the second round, I'll release two extra chapters when it goes premium.
If it gets onto the third round, I'll release three extra chapters when it goes premium.
For the fourth round, I'll add four chapters.
The bonuses will stack!
Of course, this may be a bit ambitious. But there's no harm in dreaming! If you all get me onto the fourth round of recommendations, I'll owe you ten chapters right away.
I hope you'll support the book!
As for my old book, Ji Clan Prodigy, it has its share of problems, but I still hope to find a chance to pick it back up and continue updating it. At least there are so many readers who've supported it. Though the numbers are even more dismal after such a long hiatus, if you still enjoy it, I'll find the time to slowly update it!
Once again, thank you all for your support! Thank you!