Chapter 135: Ryan’s mental strength test (Part-1)

Murong Liu led everyone to the front of the massive statue and pointed to the grooves at its base. “First, we test your spiritual power. Place your hands here. Let me see how many layers of spiritual cultivation you possess.”

Ryan did as instructed, placing his hands into the grooves.

A few seconds passed. Then, as if responding to his touch, the statue trembled slightly. Suddenly, a white light lit up above it.

Buzz—

Countless mysterious Brahma-like sounds echoed out of nowhere, resonating directly within everyone’s minds. The sound was neither harsh nor irritating. Instead, it was soothing, as though it washed over the soul, leaving the body light and relaxed.

For Ryan, the sensation was even stronger. The sound seemed to ring directly within his consciousness, pulling him into an extremely tranquil state, like floating in a warm ocean. Every trace of tension melted away.

The sound lasted only three seconds before fading. Immediately after, a hazy white light enveloped Ryan completely, obscuring his figure from view.

Murong Liu folded his hands behind his back and watched with interest. “Let’s see how many layers of spiritual power this kid has.”

In truth, Murong Liu had been skeptical from the start. In his view, Ryan was likely using some hidden treasure to mask his cultivation. At such a young age, even if he had practiced spiritual power, it would probably amount to no more than one or two layers. Perhaps exceptionally talented candidates might reach three or four layers, but anything beyond that was unlikely.

And with only four layers of spiritual power, one couldn’t even use the basic mental techniques of Dui Palace.

Buzz—

The Brahma sound rang out once more. The hazy white light surrounding Ryan suddenly dispersed, revealing him clearly once again.

Under normal circumstances, this was the moment when the result of the spiritual test would be revealed.

However, Ryan’s mental strength test did not produce a result as expected.

Normally, once the test began, the statue’s mouth would open and release translucent rings of energy, petal-like and beautiful. One ring represented one layer of spiritual cultivation, two rings represented two layers, and so on. The number of rings directly reflected the tester’s level of spiritual power.

Yet now, the massive and eerie statue stood there in silence, its mouth tightly shut, as if something had gone wrong. Not a single ring emerged.

As if that were not strange enough, the Sanskrit-like humming sounded again. The white light that had just faded suddenly surged back, wrapping around Ryan once more. After a few seconds, the humming stopped, the white light vanished, and then, moments later, both returned again.

The process repeated itself over and over. The Brahma sound rose, the white light disappeared. The sound ceased, the white light returned. It cycled endlessly, without any sign of stopping.

“This… is this really a mental strength test?” Mu Xianling frowned deeply. She didn’t fully understand how spiritual tests worked, but even to her eyes, something felt seriously wrong.

“Of course not,” Wang Bi’er said quickly, shaking her head. Her face had already gone pale. She turned to Murong Liu in a panic and asked, “Sixth Grandpa, what’s happening? Why is there no result?”

Wang Bi’er was far more anxious than she appeared. What was happening now was completely different from any mental strength test she had ever seen. She could not help worrying that something dangerous might be happening to Ryan.

Murong Liu frowned as well, his expression grave. “I don’t know. Something is indeed wrong.” He had tested countless disciples and candidates over the years, yet he had never seen anything like this.

“What?” Mu Xianling’s heart jumped. “Does that mean Li Wei is in danger?”

Her voice trembled despite herself.

She did not know when her feelings for Ryan had become so complicated.

Sometimes she hated him for being strong, for forcing her into bets, for humiliating her, and even spanking her. She disliked how he casually teased women and stirred up trouble everywhere, which always left her feeling irritated and resentful.

Yet at other times, she was deeply grateful to him. Grateful that he stepped forward when she was in danger, that he stood in front of her like an unshakable wall, shielding her from harm.

Love and hatred were tangled together in her heart. But now, as soon as Ryan’s safety was threatened, she suddenly realized that worry outweighed resentment. By far.

“For now, there’s no immediate danger,” Murong Liu said slowly, hesitating. “But—”

“But what?” Mu Xianling blurted out, her chest tightening.

“Sister Xianling, don’t panic. Let Grandpa Liu finish,” Wang Bi’er said softly, though her own hands were trembling.

“How can I not panic?” Mu Xianling snapped, turning on Wang Bi’er. “You were the one who insisted on this mental test, on opening some Six Spirit Gate. If something happens to Li Wei, I… I—hmph!”

She turned her head angrily, unable to find words strong enough to vent her fear and frustration. Even she knew Wang Bi’er had meant well, but at this moment, reason was completely overwhelmed by anxiety.

“I… I…” Wang Bi’er’s eyes reddened. Tears welled up and finally spilled over. She covered her face and began to cry softly. In her heart, guilt surged uncontrollably. If she hadn’t brought Ryan here, if she hadn’t insisted on this test, none of this would be happening. If Ryan was harmed, she would never forgive herself.

“You silly girls,” Murong Liu said with a sigh. “Why are you blaming Bi’er? She didn’t know this would happen either. And that kid doesn’t look to be in danger right now. What I meant to say is that his mental strength test won’t end anytime soon. He probably won’t wake up for a while.”

Li Shu hurried forward, trying to comfort Wang Bi’er. “Sister Bi’er, don’t cry. You meant well. Brother Li has always been blessed with good fortune. He’ll be fine.”

Li Wujie nodded firmly, his eyes full of confidence. “That’s right. Brother Wei has created miracles again and again. This might not even be a crisis, but an opportunity. If the palace lord says there’s no danger, then there’s no danger.”

Hearing their words, Mu Xianling bit her lip and said nothing more. She simply fixed her gaze on Ryan, unwilling to look away for even a moment.

Wang Bi’er wiped her tears and asked softly, “Sixth Grandpa… since this might take a long time, can we interrupt the test?”

“No,” Murong Liu said firmly, shaking his head. “Absolutely not. Forcibly interrupting it would cause irreversible damage to his spirit, and he might even die on the spot.”

Those words made everyone fall silent.

“Then… we can only wait for Brother Li to wake up on his own,” Wang Bi’er said weakly, her voice filled with helplessness and remorse.

No one spoke after that. All eyes were fixed on Ryan, watching him anxiously.

Meanwhile, within Ryan’s consciousness, he stood in an endless sea of starlight. Countless stars drifted toward him, one after another, converging into his spiritual sea.

One star. Two stars. Three stars.

The light grew brighter and denser, as if the entire night sky were pouring itself into his mind.

The spiritual world was always mysterious and unpredictable. No one truly knew what they would encounter within it, nor what kind of changes it might bring.

Ryan was living proof of that at this very moment.

The instant he placed his hands into the grooves at the foot of the statue, an invisible pressure descended upon him.

His body stiffened slightly, and his consciousness was forcibly pulled inward, sinking deep into his own inner world. Everything happening outside vanished from his perception. The anxious gazes, the worried whispers, even the strange abnormalities of the test itself were completely unknown to him.

To Ryan, this was simply how a mental strength test worked.

Within his consciousness, countless points of starlight appeared. They seemed drawn to him by some irresistible force, drifting closer and closer before pouring directly into his mind.

At first, each strand of starlight brought a refreshing chill. It felt soothing, almost intoxicating, like cool water flowing through his thoughts. Ryan found himself enjoying the sensation, relaxed and immersed in it.

But as time passed, the starlight did not stop.

More and more streams poured in, filling his entire mind. The pleasant coolness gradually turned into pressure, then into swelling pain. The starlight crowded every corner of his consciousness, compressing it without mercy.

“This… whatever these things are… won’t they burst me apart?”

A sense of dread rose in Ryan’s heart. He had no way to stop it. No matter how uncomfortable he felt, the starlight continued to surge toward him, unstoppable and overwhelming.

Minutes passed.

The swelling pain intensified until it felt as though it were drilling into the depths of his soul. Ryan could no longer endure it and let out a hoarse scream within his consciousness. His mental world felt like an overfilled balloon, trembling on the verge of rupture.

Outside, if anyone could see him clearly, they would notice his body trembling uncontrollably. Cold sweat poured down his face, soaking his clothes completely.

Wang Bi’er and the others saw this and grew frantic with worry. They could tell Ryan was enduring immense pain, yet there was nothing they could do except watch helplessly.

“What are these things? Am I really going to die here?” Ryan clenched his teeth, forcing himself to endure. The pain was unbearable, as though his head might explode at any moment.

Just then, the same mysterious cyan energy that had once protected him from Mo Ran’s mental attack appeared again.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep