Ye Wudao walked towards the corridor and entered the second stone chamber.
The second stone chamber was larger than the first, and the floor was covered with black and white chess pieces, so densely packed that there was almost nowhere to set foot.
There is an old man sitting in the center of the stone room, wearing gray cloth, with a chessboard in front of him, and there is no piece on the chessboard.
The old man looked up at Ye Wudao and asked, "What have you lost and gained along the way?"
Ye Wudao sat down across from the chessboard. He knew that he was asking questions about his heart. This Beginner Pavilion assessment was essentially asking about his heart.
He thought for a while and said, "I gained some strength, but lost some... I don't know if it counts as something lost."
The old man didn't say anything, he just raised his hand and dropped a white piece on the chessboard.
The moment the white stone fell, Ye Wudao felt a slight pain in his palm.
He looked down and found a shallow scar on his left palm, as if he had been scratched by something.
"This is the scar from the first time you were injured." The old man said calmly.
"You learned a lesson and lost your intact skin."
Forgive me, he landed the second white stone.
There is an old mark on Ye Wudao's right arm, which was a sword wound left when Spirit Realm was fighting with someone.
The third white stone fell, and his back felt slightly warm. It was an old wound torn by an animal's claws.
The fourth, fifth, sixth...
Every time a white stone fell, an old scar appeared on his body.
Those are the marks left by him in countless battles, some of which he has long forgotten, and some of which he still remembers clearly.
The old man stopped, looked at Ye Wudao, and said slowly, "Every bit of strength you get was obtained in exchange for these things."
"Blood, flesh, sweat, tears."
"The seventeen scars on your body mean that you have experienced at least seventeen battles of life and death."
"You tell me now - is it worth it?"
Ye Wudao looked down at the old scars that emerged on his body and was silent for a long time.
Then he raised his head, looked at the old man, and said calmly, "Whether it's worth it depends not on what is lost, but what is left behind."
He stretched out his right hand, and Way of Refining and Golden Flame appeared on the palm of his hand. The flame was not strong, but extremely stable.
"These scars leave not only the memory of pain, but also my ability to stand up to now."
"If it weren't for these injuries, I might still be a waste in a corner."
"So... it's worth it."
The old man looked at the ball of Golden Flame and silently took back the white pieces on the chessboard.
Those scars slowly faded away, and he became calm again.
The old man stood up, nodded slightly towards him, and his figure and the chessboard disappeared into the air.
On the wall of the stone chamber, a second golden mark appeared.
Ye Wudao didn't stay too long and continued walking deeper into the corridor.
Two words appeared on the corridor. "Life and Death."
Seeing these two words, he frowned. These two words were not a good sign.
The third stone chamber was empty, with nothing in it.
Ye Wudao stood in the center of the stone chamber and waited for a long time, so long that he almost thought the stone chamber was empty.
Then, he saw a figure coming out of the opposite wall.
The figure was blurry, as if separated by a layer of fog, but the outline was too familiar to him.
That's himself!
To be precise, it was Ye Wudao with a haggard face, gray eyes, and blood all over his body.
That "self" had a broken sword stuck on his back, and a hole as big as a bowl in his chest, as if someone had pierced his chest with a palm.
The "dead him" walked up to him step by step, raised his gray eyes and looked at him without speaking.
But Ye Wudao heard a voice that seemed to come from the chest of the "corpse":
"If the price of leaving is death, will you still leave?"
Ye Wudao looked at that "own body" and was silent for a long time.
He stretched out his hand, brushed away the hair scattered on the corpse's shoulders, and saw the expression on the face clearly.
There was no fear, no regret, no pain on that face.
Instead, there was a faint sense of calm, like the kind of relief you get after walking the path you should take.
Ye Wudao looked at that face and suddenly smiled.
"If getting here means death, then at least..."
"I didn't leave in vain."
He reached out and grasped the hilt of the broken sword on the back of the corpse, and pulled it out with force.
The moment the broken sword left the "corpse", the corpse turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared.
Ye Wudao looked down at the broken sword in his hand. Most of the sword body had been broken off, but the blade was still sharp, and the edge of the sword exuded a cold light.
He held the broken sword and turned around to walk out of the third stone room.
On the wall, the third golden mark lit up.
The three marks are like three stars, arranged in sequence on the stone wall, emitting warm and firm light.
The corridor has come to an end.
There is no fourth copper lamp ahead, only a wooden door.
There were no words or locks on the door, it was just vaguely closed, as if it had been waiting for him to push it open.
Ye Wudao pinned the broken sword to his waist. Although he knew that the sword would probably not bring out the illusion, it felt secure in his hand.
He reached out and pushed open the wooden door, and the light from outside the door came in. It was not a dim light, but a warm white light.
He stepped out and found himself standing at the door of the Beginner Pavilion again.
The attic behind him stood quietly, as if nothing had happened.
But Ye Wudao looked down at his waist. The broken sword was no longer there, but his palms were slightly warm.
When he looked down, he saw a golden mark in the shape of a flame in the lines on his left palm.
At the same time, the gentle voice sounded again:
"You have completed your beginner's studies and your mind is clear."
"Please go to Pavilion of Understanding."
Ye Wudao looked up at the second attic halfway up the mountain.
Then, he looked at the attic of "Beginner Pavilion" and murmured softly, "This level doesn't seem to be that difficult!"
Almost all the levels in the Beginner Pavilion are asking questions, at least he didn't encounter any danger.
From Blue Star to the Spirit Realm, he has experienced too much along the way.
Therefore, he has a firm mind, is not affected by external objects, and has a very firm Martial Path will.
In his opinion, this Beginner Pavilion level has no difficulty.
He couldn't figure it out. No one had ever gone out of this Myriad Worlds Academy, which meant that the level here was very dangerous.
However, from his own experience, he could not see anything dangerous.
He believed that as long as Martial Path is a determined person, there will be almost no problem in passing this test.
So, why are so many people dying in the Myriad Worlds Academy?
Or, if you can't get past Beginner Pavilion, what bad things will happen?
Otherwise, how could so many people die Myriad Worlds Academy?
"Pavilion of Understanding."
He looked at the second attic on the steps, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the stone steps.
Behind him, the wooden door of the Beginner Pavilion closed slowly and quietly.