Doubt Frost Upon the Ground
Whoosh!
A strong wind arose, blowing away the swirling white frost.
Immediately afterwards, Qiu Yan made a Divine Soul Hand Seals, and the white frost in the sky was moved to spin like flowing water. Suddenly, a bit of Incense Divine Power flew out from his soul.
This divine power was extremely weak, almost imperceptible to others. It drifted aimlessly, but moved with incredible speed, reaching the edge of the Heart Fire in the blink of an eye.
After the Heart Fire exploded, a small flame remained, flickering and threatening to go out at any moment. However, after being touched by this divine power, it quickly fluctuated, and Divine Office that controlled the flame emerged within it, directly imprisoning the Heart Fire!
Immediately following, a fierce wind whipped up white frost and howled in, crashing straight into the Heart Fire!
Condensation!
Frost and wind battered the heart, instantly freezing the Heart Fire, while countless people roared within, demanding one question after another!
But these problems have no beginning and no end, one after another, without end. In just an instant, the enormous amount of information overwhelmed the Incense Divine Power!
At the same time, the remaining flames also exploded!
With a "bang," the flames exploded and disappeared without a trace.
This explosion wasn't caused by the master of the Heart Fire, but rather by being overwhelmed by endless questions and information, which essentially tore apart and annihilated the thoughts and emotions that constituted the Heart Fire!
The direct consequence was that this feeling of tearing and exploding spread rapidly through the connection.
After concealing his Heart Fire, Zhang Qin left immediately, speeding away. He had already entered the forest when suddenly he let out a muffled groan, his entire soul blurred for a moment, and he collapsed!
The next moment, his mind raced, and he forcibly suppressed the discomfort in his soul, barely managing to ascend, but sparks of fire kept erupting from his entire body.
"What happened? The Heart Fire I left behind should have dissipated quickly after exploding, how could it have been forcibly fixed in place? And even infused with Doubt Frost!"
Despite his doubts, Zhang Qin had no time to ponder them, nor dared to. Instead, his thoughts faltered, his mind completely occupied by a barrage of questions that threatened to overwhelm his very Divine Soul!
"I need to find a place to stop and calm my thoughts!"
Tiny specks of light appeared on the surface of Zhang Qin's Divine Soul, condensing into frost!
Qiu Yan blew away the frost in one breath, but he didn't feel relieved. He found that a series of questions were rising from the bottom of his heart!
But strangely, these questions didn't originate from within themselves; rather, they spread from the white frost along with that breath!
Those glistening white frosts were filled with all sorts of questions, some simple, some profound, some that Qiu Yan could answer, and some he had never even heard of!
On the other side, the two scholars who emerged from the Lin Zhong recovered from their initial shock. One of them glanced at Qiu Yan and said, "Thank you for your help, brother. We are deeply grateful. However, this 'Doubt Frost' is ethereal; even a mere breath can be tainted by it. After all, we are now spirits, and even our breath is connected by consciousness. Once we are touched by the Doubt Frost,' it will spread to us!"
The two men were close in age, but the one speaking appeared to be older.
At this moment, another person said, "That's right. It seems that you are already filled with doubts. You must not think about them now, otherwise the doubts will penetrate your mind, grow and expand, and eventually burst your soul!"
As the two were speaking, the surrounding frost had already fallen again, covering the ground.
At the same time, Qiu Yan's soul trembled a few times and became blurry. The surface of his Divine Soul was covered with a layer of crystal-clear white frost, which had appeared out of nowhere.
"This was my oversight. I never expected something like this to happen," Chen Jing said, looking at Qiu Yan with a remorseful expression. "Our predecessors had already recorded this. I should have revealed the matter of Doubt Frost long ago."
Daoist Lu suddenly said, "Benefactor Chen, if you truly feel remorse, it's not too late to explain now."
Chen Jing paused for a moment upon hearing this, then composed himself, nodded, and said, "That's exactly right."
He glanced at Qiu Yan again and saw that although the other's soul was sometimes blurred and covered in white frost, his expression remained unchanged and his eyes were bright.
"The white frost on the ground is not the condensation of water vapor, but rather the questions that have arisen in the hearts of scholars Mortal Realm world, they are merely thoughts, but each one forms a crystal in the Scholar Forest, and when they accumulate, they become this white frost covering the ground."
This answer slightly surprised Qiu Yan, but not astonished her.
"These experiences from the Mortal Realm are probably not of much use in the Scholar Forest."
At this moment, his soul and body appeared to be undergoing changes, and his skin was covered in frost, but this was mostly an act. The questions that flooded his soul, though sudden, were quickly calmed by the Heart Fire, and he began to answer them.
A portion of it also traveled through the Soul Aperture into the Divine Spirit Body, where it was analyzed and categorized by the Incense Faith. However, this analysis was not simply a matter of resolving doubts, but rather an exploration of the structure of the white frost!
"The form in which these white frosts exist is quite unique and has great value for reference. If we can understand them clearly, it will be of some help in controlling the incense offerings of the Divine Path."
Having taken an interest, Qiu Yan didn't want to be distracted, so he pretended to have been tricked and began to explore on his own.
The other side.
As Chen Jing finished speaking, the two added, "Doubts are like frost, crystal clear. Once touched, they will stain the soul, and even the nearby Doubt Frost will carry doubts. There are so many Doubt Frost covering the ground, and the amount of doubts surging over in an instant is enormous. It impacts the Human Soul like a flood hitting a dam. If one cannot withstand it, it will immediately burst!"
He glanced at Qiu Yan: "We saw what happened just now. It was a setup beforehand. If it weren't for this brother's intervention, we would all have been in trouble. This is a favor, and we won't stand by and watch someone die."
The other person said, "We should act quickly. If we delay, doubts will take hold and it will be difficult to cure him. Let's take him to see Mr. Bei now."
Chen Jing's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Could you two please explain things more clearly?"
The older man replied, "Judging from your appearance, you are also Confucian scholars who entered the monastery ahead of time. Your purpose in coming here must be to take advantage of the opportunity of the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse to explore the Scholar Forest before returning safely. In that case, we share the same stance..."
At this point, the man introduced himself. According to him, his name was Zhan Cheng, and the man next to him was Zhan Zhen, his brother. Both of them were scholars from Jiangnan Circuit.
"That's quite a coincidence, we're also from Great Rui." Chen Jing introduced himself and Qiu Yan and the others.
"It's not a coincidence. We people from Great Rui have all had our own experiences, but we're all bound to stay in this area." The younger Zhan Zhen shook his head. "The Scholar Forest is dangerous, full of crises. It's impossible for just a few people to gain a foothold. Since you're here, come with us to see Mr. Bei. That way, we can look after each other in the future."
Upon hearing the name for the second time, Chen Jing roughly understood the situation and asked, "This Mr. Bei, could he be from the Bei Household of Hebei Circuit?"
Zhan Cheng nodded and said, "That's right. Mr. Bei is a rising star of the Bei Household. This time, he shook the Sage Worthies Clay Statues and entered the forest ahead of schedule. He also brought a few people with him to join us in exploring this place."
"Judging from what Brother Zhan said, it seems you didn't come in with that Mr. Bei?" Chen Jing gleaned some clues from the other party's words.
The Zhan brothers made no attempt to hide anything, answering directly, "Our Zhan Household and the Sun Household of Jiangnan are old friends. We came here with the young Sun Household."
"The Sun Household of Jiangnan? They are a wealthy family, but not known for their literary achievements." Chen Jing knew that those who could enter the Scholar Forest ahead of time were not necessarily paved the way by those Literary Path Creation. If he hadn't met Qiu Yan, he would have had other ways to enter early, but the chances of success were extremely small, the risks were much greater, and the effort and resources required would be ten times greater.
Daoist Lu then said, "Now that we have found out, let's go with them. In my opinion, Qiu's matter should not be delayed any longer." With that, he waved his hand, and his Divine Sense flew, guiding Qiu Yan forward.
Qiu Yan glanced at Daoist Lu but said nothing. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on solving the Doubt Frost.
"Alright." Chen Jing agreed, and the Zhan brothers, without further ado, led the way.
The group drifted into the forest.
As they walked, Zhan Zhen suddenly asked, "By the way, how did you get to Scholar Forest?" He glanced at the group, "Did you use some kind of trick?"
"Not at all," Chen Jing laughed, "We owe our existence to this Brother Qiu. His Literary Path Creation has shaken the Sage Worthies Clay Statues, opened our Heart Path, and led us here."
"The Literary Path Creation?" Zhan Cheng and Zhan Zhen were taken aback, their expressions showing surprise. They looked at Qiu Yan again, each frowning. "Forgive our ignorance, but we have never heard of Brother Qiu before. May we ask which academy you studied at?"
It was clear that they didn't believe Chen Jing's words.
"Brother Qiu has not joined any academy." Chen Jing seemed oblivious to their expressions, continuing on his own, "However, a few days ago he debated the Dao at Heavenly Principle Academy and won, which alarmed my teacher, Junior Chen."
"Junior Chen? He Shuchang?"
Upon hearing these two names, Zhan Cheng and Zhan Zhen's expressions changed slightly, showing a mixture of disbelief and skepticism. The reputation of Junior Chen was undeniable, and He Shuchang was a renowned scholar from Jiangnan, famous throughout the region.
After thinking for a moment, Zhan Zhen said, "If that's really the case, then Mr. Bei will surely be delighted to see Brother Qiu. A few days ago, Bai Zhaoyuan from Prosperity Capital passed by here and exchanged skills with Mr. Bei. Afterwards, Mr. Bei praised Bai Zhaoyuan, saying that his reputation was well-deserved."
Zhan Cheng also said, "Mr. Bei and Bai Zhaoyuan's contest to resolve doubts dispelled a great deal of Doubt Frost, finally giving us a place to rest."
The two exchanged pleasantries, seemingly polite, but their words subtly questioned Chen Jing's claims.
The two men's meaning was clear: Mr. Bei and Bai Zhaoyuan were both Literary Path Creation figures who had shaken the Sage Worthies Clay Statues. When faced with the Doubt Frost, they were not only not corrupted, but they also dispelled it. In contrast, Qiu Yan was corrupted by the Doubt Frost after just one breath and was unable to move. The difference in their abilities was obvious.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, smiled without saying a word.
As they spoke, the view ahead suddenly opened up. The dense forest disappeared, replaced by a high mountain. This mountain soared into the clouds, but it was not dangerous at all. Instead, it exuded a scholarly atmosphere.
"We've arrived. Mr. Bei is currently overseeing things at the foot of the mountain."
P. S.: Thanks to "Volcano1889" for the donation!