NOVEL NEXT Chapter 75: The cave
6 months later I was on my way to get the 3rd golden finger that was in a cave. I was cheap enough to not give any chances for Wu ChengLiu to get it.
I could have gone earlier but with the baby's arrival, there was the 1 week banquet, the 1 month party and the 100 days whatever that was called. There was also a scheduled meeting for the mine and then another 5 months birthday party for TongTong that his proud parents had to have. His full name would be decided on his first year birthday.
By the time I left for ‘vacation’, it was the end of the winter and I was already 12 years old. This was the easiest winter everyone had. Most people still had the previous heating arrays and everyone got used to stocking more food than usual.
I was close to the peak level of foundation establishment so I was planning to ditch my 10 guards near the cave to do a closed door cultivation for the breakthrough. I could also make level 3 arrays and was planning to make a simpler version than the one I saw at the monk’s cave. It would be working for only a few days but it would definitely stop everyone who killed beasts - or humans - from entering. I added the usual isolation arrays and got deeper into the cave.
It was the same one where I died in my first life. When I got inside, I had that familiar feeling. I knew every crook and cranny by touch. It had the same weird smell. Soon, I saw some blue light on the ground. It came from blue flowers and blue mushrooms, both edible and part of my diet for 5 years. I took one of each and tasted them.
Yep, same bad taste but for me it was bittersweet. I took some extra and sent them to my space bracelet.
I built a shed to farm plants that thrived in the dark and some mushrooms so I was planning to farm a little bit of them. Call it nostalgia.
This time I took the analyzer to identify them:
Mature Night Blue Flower, enhance darkvision
Mature Night Blue Mushroom, enhance darkvision
I laughed, too bad I was blind in my first life or I would have gotten a better night vision after eating so much of them.
Good thing I could try that this time.
I was not pressed by time so I went to the bracelet first and transplanted some of the flowers and mushrooms before going out. I continued walking toward the end of the tunnel.
There was a huge level 8 array. It was an array that limited the age to 75. Another array limited the minimum cultivation to Foundation Establishment mid level and a last array that stopped anyone over the early stage of Core Formation. These limitations were why I could not come before the freezing winter and why master Huo could not join me in my first life1Master Huo was MC master in the first life. In this life, he was known as teacher Huo and was still working in AnNan school. After I went through all the arrays I had to pass 5 tests.
The first time I came here, I struggled to pass them but this time I expected it to be easier. It was master Huo who knew about the location of this cave somehow, and even if he did not know what was in there, we desperately needed spiritual stones at that time.
When I came out, days later, master Huo was heavily bleeding and the scum Wu ChengLiu and his crew were waiting for me. After they took the treasure in exchange for master Huo’s life, they went back on their word and disabled me. One of them - I was not sure who it was as I was blind and in pain at that time - came back and tried to kill me. Master Huo took the blow for me…
Moving on.
There was a door in front of me, the first test was my biggest wish. After opening the door, I found myself in my residence with my family and friends, including my parents, living a good life. I was passing my days peacefully; cultivating, reading books, playing with arrays and alchemy, having nice meals and meeting my friends… Everything was the same as my current life except for my parents’ presence. The test was being able to leave my perfect life to return to reality. That was easy, why stay in a dream when I was already living it in reality? As for my parents, I had 2 lifetimes to mourn them properly. It was time to move on.
The 2rd test was my biggest regret; Li Bo’s death. Now Li Bo was alive and part of my family. This test was useless for me.
I paused before opening the next door. Something was wrong, why did these tests not include my 2nd life? I knew that my biggest regret was my second life's death and its potential effect on my family. My heart broke because I did that to them. I closed my eyes to recall their faces on my deathbed. We all knew that day was coming and I saw their resignation and sadness they tried to hide from me…
Yes, we knew my death was coming and we chose to cherish every moment of our time together. I died in peace knowing that I left them with our memories together. I was sure they knew I would be happy wherever I went and their sadness would fade over time… Maybe this was why it was not a real regret?
The third door was equivalent to a nightmare for some people. Seeing your worst enemy replace you in your biggest wish. I saw Wu TaoShen or should I say Wu ChengLiu having the life I wished for. My friends being his friends, my family being his family. All happier than if they were with me. I had no change in feelings. I never really wished for vengeance. If my friends or even family had a better life with my enemy then so be it. I would move to a different place and start my life again.
With that thought, this vision shattered and door number 4 was in front of me. I took a moment to calm my heart. Those tests so far showed who I really was and how I matured. It was a far cry from the first round and shallow feelings I had at that time. I was satisfied with my growth. I smiled while opening the next door.
The fourth one was a pain test. It was the easiest of them all. Physical pain was not a problem for me, I got used to it in my first life and even forced a smile when it happened in my 2nd life. I had to lie down and endure, this was part of a cultivator’s tribulations. The pain level would go up and down, this was to give the feeling of hope that pain was about to end before shattering it when it shot up again.
Up and down, over and over again.
It felt like eternity but it stopped eventually with my sanity still intact.
It took a while for my tense muscles to relax enough to be able to stand up. I flexed my bloody and broken hands. I clenched them hard enough to break them both. I used my spiritual roots to heal them then clean myself to remove blood and sweat to be ready for the next door.
I frowned
I did not recall what the 5th test in my first life was. With my perfect memory recall, I should have so something must be blocking those memories. I did not like that feeling but I went too far to go back now. Better, get over whatever was waiting for me.
I pushed the fifth door.
