Chapter 58: The Mortal World Trial

Within the opulent Haotian Mansion, Yue Feng sat in a daze on a plush sofa, his gaze fixed on the Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus that Wang Yu had casually tossed to him moments ago.

Frankly, Shi Yang was equally bewildered. This supreme treasure, rarely seen in ten thousand years, had been so nonchalantly handed over by Wang Yu, who merely declared, “I’m going to make some delicious food,” before promptly disappearing.

“Master, is this truly the Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus?” Yue Feng asked, still unable to fully believe his eyes.

“Perhaps,” Shi Yang replied, his tone uncertain. “I’ve only ever heard of it; I’ve never actually seen one.”

‘So what exactly did Yu’er mean by, ‘It’s yours now’?’

Oblivious to Yue Feng’s internal struggle, Wang Yu, adorned with an apron, was excitedly utilizing the modern kitchen facilities to prepare snacks.

Haotian’s residence had been designed as a state-of-the-art smart villa, reminiscent of Earth’s modern architecture. This gave Wang Yu the sensation of a bumpkin entering a grand garden for the first time.

The exquisite color palettes and lighting configurations, coupled with Alice’s meticulous care that kept every room spotless, filled Wang Yu with immense joy. Moreover, the kitchen’s comprehensive array of equipment ignited her inner foodie spirit.

As for why Wang Yu knew how to cook, it was, of course, for the sheer pleasure of eating delicious food! Whenever she saw delectable dishes in videos, despite their ingredients often being inexpensive, restaurants would charge exorbitant prices.

To satisfy her cravings, she had honed her culinary skills. Naturally, this assumed access to proper equipment; after arriving in this foreign world without the right tools, much of her cooking prowess had been rendered useless.

Alice sat by her side, admiring the sight of the virtuous loli in an apron with unblinking eyes, feeling utterly content. Xiaoke, meanwhile, had already scampered off to wait patiently for dinner.

“Master,” Alice suddenly spoke, “are you certain it’s wise to give the Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus to that man? It’s an exceptionally precious item; even here, few things can rival its value.”

Wang Yu, unconcerned, replied, “It’s useless to me anyway. I wouldn’t dare use that thing to extract a fire spirit; it’s simply beyond my control.”

Alice insisted, her tone tinged with reluctance, “But Master could extract it later, couldn’t you? Why give such a boon to that boy?”

Busy with her cooking, Wang Yu explained,

“I’m currently severely lacking offensive capabilities. One of the reasons I came here was to extract a fire spirit for my own use. Paired with a wind spirit, it could provide me with a degree of self-preservation.

Therefore, the Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus is currently like a chicken rib to me—flavorless to eat, yet a pity to discard.”

Alice tilted her head adorably. “Master, have you perhaps fallen for that boy? Generally, even if an item is useless, if it’s exceedingly precious, one wouldn’t give it away so readily.”

Wang Yu paused her movements, falling silent for a moment before speaking. “I don’t know, but it’s probably not that yet. For now, I suppose he’s like family to me.”

“Family?”

“Yes,” Wang Yu affirmed.

“When I first arrived in this world, I was lost. He found me, gave me someone to rely on, and has consistently looked after me and pampered me along the way.

He even once gave me a Wind Spirit Orb and a storage ring. I’ve never had anyone treat me so well, aside from my parents and a few close relatives.”

Alice retorted, unconvinced, “And so Master was ‘conquered’? A Wind Spirit Orb and a storage ring aren’t particularly precious items.”

“I haven’t been ‘conquered’ yet,” Wang Yu said helplessly. “It’s not that easy to conquer me. Besides, he comes from humble origins; what you call ‘not very precious’ is already quite remarkable for him.”

Alice blinked. “So that’s why Master is willing to entrust him with the Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus.”

“Mm.” Wang Yu resumed her cooking. “In my opinion, it’s perfectly normal to give valuable items that I can’t use to my close family and parents, especially when it benefits him so greatly.”

Wang Yu failed to notice the glint in Alice’s eyes.

***

Meanwhile, Yue Feng on the sofa remained deeply conflicted. Logically, since Yu’er had given it to him, and it would greatly benefit him, using it shouldn’t be an issue.

However, the item was too precious, making him hesitant to accept it. He now somewhat understood Wang Yu’s feelings when he had gifted her the Wind Spirit Orb.

“What are you doing?” Alice suddenly appeared beside Yue Feng, sitting on the sofa and propping her chin in her hands as she watched him.

Yue Feng jumped, startled. “Alice, weren’t you with Yu’er?”

“Indeed, I was,” Alice explained. “I am an intelligent celestial supercomputer; I don’t possess a true physical body. This is merely an avatar constructed through technology. As long as it doesn’t exceed my computational capacity, I can effortlessly multitask.”

Yue Feng suddenly understood. “Then, Alice, why are you looking for me?”

Alice smiled. “Let’s make a trade. I’ll tell you the true purpose of the Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus and help you achieve it. In return, you must leave Master and stop pestering her.”

Yue Feng fell silent. “Is that your idea, or…”

“My idea,” Alice continued. “Master actually has a rather good impression of you.”

Yue Feng breathed a sigh of relief. “I refuse.”

Alice raised an eyebrow.

“Why? Do you think the soul entity within your body knows more than I do? While the formidable Shi Yang of yesteryear certainly knew many secrets, he was ultimately a rogue cultivator, far less knowledgeable than I am.

Remember, I was designed by Haotian; I can even devise a perfect cultivation path for you.”

Shi Yang, manifesting his form outside, looked at Alice in astonishment. “As expected of the renowned number one Dao artifact, the Celestial Computing Supercomputer, Alice Megatron.”

(Even as I type this, I feel embarrassed. I somewhat understand why Oriental Alice disliked this name so much.)

“Flattery won’t work,” Alice said, though a triumphant smile played on her lips.

Shi Yang continued, “Why should we interfere in the affairs of the younger generation?”

Alice scoffed. “Do I need you to teach me, junior? Perhaps if it were Zhao Ritian, it might be different.”

Yue Feng gazed at the seemingly perfect young girl before him, astonished that she was, in fact, the premier Dao artifact of the Xuan Sky Continent. He shook his head, replying,

“It has nothing to do with any of that. It’s simply because I like her. If the price of obtaining the Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus is losing her, then I’d rather not have it.”

Alice narrowed her eyes. “Do you know Master’s identity?”

“I do,” Yue Feng nodded. “She comes from ‘home,’ the same place as Haotian Daoist Venerable.”

“Then you must know what coming from there implies.”

Yue Feng stated calmly, “A Dao Venerable’s pass.”

Alice responded with satisfaction, “So, do you believe you are worthy of her? Even if Master herself considers herself ordinary, that is ‘home’—a place we cannot fathom. What is ordinary there is profoundly noble here.”

“Then who else besides me could be worthy of Yu’er, a future Dao Venerable?” Yue Feng chuckled. “I am the man destined to become a Dao Venerable!”

Alice looked at him with disdain. “Can your skin get any thicker? You’re a local, aren’t you? Didn’t your master tell you that locals simply cannot break through to the Dao Venerable realm?”

“That’s just your assertion, isn’t it?” Yue Feng’s smile vanished.

“Before Primordial Daoist Venerable broke through to the Dao Venerable realm, who knew such a realm existed?

To outright deny the possibility of locals breaking through simply because the same methods failed is the act of the incompetent.

The future is forged, not deduced. If the people of Xuan Sky Continent couldn’t break through before, then I will be the pioneer, creating an era that belongs to me!”

Alice fell silent for a moment. Yue Feng’s words reminded her of Haotian, who had also been told it was impossible after countless failed experiments, yet he never gave up. She stubbornly stated, “This is almost a dead end.”

“Heaven never bars all exits,” Yue Feng declared firmly.

“The Dao is walked by people; to remain stagnant is to never see the distant scenery. To give up because of failure, to retreat because of difficulty—that is the true dead end. I believe in my own potential.”

Alice looked into Yue Feng’s eyes, seeing what felt like endless flames within them.

“I am merely a Dao artifact; I don’t understand your beliefs and such. However, I cannot refute your words; Haotian was just like that. But I want to see something more tangible.”

With a flick of her hand, Alice conjured a door.

“This is a virtual VR game Haotian created out of boredom, and I’ve improved it. I will soon place the Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus inside, and its power will transform into a Mortal World Trial.

Each time you complete a task, you will absorb a portion of its power, but the difficulty will steadily increase until you fully absorb it.”

“The Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus possesses immense power,” Shi Yang warned, concerned. “Complete absorption could cause his body to explode.”

“No need to worry. I will specially process its power so that any excess absorbed will be stored within your body, continuously refining your divine sense, body, and soul.

This way, you won’t have to worry about your cultivation realm; the Myriad Flames Earth Core Lotus will constantly strengthen and solidify your realm and power.

It will be tens of thousands of times better than achieving it in one go. Among those at the same realm, few will surpass you in raw strength,” Alice mused, then added, “—assuming you’re not an idiot.”

Yue Feng’s face darkened. “You’re being so kind?”

Alice stated flatly, “Since you’re unwilling to give up Master, then verify the truth of your words. Don’t think there’s no danger.

The endless mortal world will continuously erode your will, flatten your Dao heart, making you unable to distinguish reality from illusion, ultimately causing you to become muddled and lost within it.

Originally, I installed a safety device—Haotian often indulged, though he did so intentionally. But I will turn off the safety. If you truly become immersed in there, you will genuinely die.”

Yue Feng looked at the door and strode purposefully towards it. Just as he was about to step through, Alice called out to him.

“You can still regret it now,” Alice said.

“This is truly incredibly dangerous. Haotian, as a Dao Venerable, claimed he was intentionally relaxing his Dao heart for a sense of immersion.

But even if he deliberately relaxed it, a Dao Venerable’s Dao heart is immensely powerful, yet he still became lost within. However, his power was too great, so it couldn’t truly trap him.”

Shi Yang also worried, “Boy, think about it again.”

Yue Feng pondered. “Will this delay me from tasting Yu’er’s cooking?”

Alice, exasperated, replied, “No! The time inside is not synchronized with external time. Time in the illusion is accelerated, so if you manage to come out alive, it definitely won’t cause any delay.”

“Then, bye-bye.” Yue Feng boldly stepped inside. At this moment, Wang Yu, busy cooking, remained completely unaware.

“Is this truly alright?” Xiaoke suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

Alice glanced at them. “There’s nothing wrong. You didn’t stop them either, did you? Or perhaps, this is exactly what you hoped for.”

“To achieve extraordinary accomplishments, one must employ extraordinary methods,” Xiaoke said, now speaking with utmost seriousness.

“Even without the status from ‘home,’ merely being a direct disciple of the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Palace Institute is a monumental burden.

He must overcome this obstacle, otherwise, his mother serves as the best example: even if they united, mother and son would ultimately be unable to see each other.

He genuinely loves Master, and that is admirable, but it’s far from enough. I hope to help them.”

Yue Feng’s identity could never be hidden from Alice. As Haotian Daoist Venerable’s greatest creation, the premier Dao artifact of the Xuan Sky Continent, she possessed a reputation for omniscience and omnipotence.

Xiaoke, being Alice’s prototype, could also investigate certain matters within limited parameters.

“Grasp your future well, young man.”