Chương 63: Chapter 62 – The Pilgrimage

Ren had a lot on his mind as he flew towards the location of the second challenge. Life didn't center around him and continued whether he was looking or not. His challenges had taken up a life of their own. But beyond how popular the challenges were, it was the possible involvement of elders that concerned him. They would naturally want to know the identity of someone who wielded this much influence in their sect. That led him to consider why it was important for him to keep his identity a secret.

He had never expected accolades when he first started, which is why he didn't include his name in the challenges. The only excuse he could give for his actions then was not wanting to be pestered by others for solutions or requests for more challenges. But now that it had grown so far beyond anything he could have dreamed of, the situation actually reminded him of his lessons from his youth. All those warnings about not standing out and attracting the attention of powerful cultivators were deeply ingrained.

Objectively speaking, he stood to gain much from revealing his identity, but all it would take is for one powerful cultivator to be jealous, and no one would ever discover his miserable fate. The weak are just prey to the strong. If he sought to raise his standing when he was still weak, it was very likely he would run into a wall. But that was only part of the reason. There was another part of Ren, if he was being honest, that liked being the mysterious 'Challenger'.

He could follow his dao on his own terms without any outside influence.

"Yes, it is better for me to bide my time until I gain the strength to protect all that I care about." His resolution came with its own set of problems, but Ren was ready to accept the consequences. He would have to improve his ability to hide himself. More so if he wanted to one day set up challenges in the inner sect. A way to hide from the powerful divine sense of superior cultivators would be no simple feat, but Ren was sure that an answer existed.

Now that he was growing most of the herbs needed to recover from his body cultivation by himself, he would be able to save more money to spend on such techniques in the future. Also, he suspected that the Balanced Yin art would allow him to quickly reach the peak of the 1st realm of body cultivation, the Body Refinement Realm, in 2 or 3 more months. If he broke through to the next realm, the art would lose most of its effectiveness. Then he could sell the medicinal recovery pills for extra income.

Not wanting to think any longer on matters beyond his control, Ren focused his attention back on enjoying his survey of the challenges. He had arrived near the lake where he had built his second challenge and was starting to see a higher than usual number of disciples around. He went to land a short distance away, but as he hopped off his sword, he lost his footing on a loose rock and nearly fell on his face.

Instantly, Ren's mind went back to when he had first noticed the signs of unluckiness he now associated with absorbing sin from a karmic connection. He couldn't help but become paranoid about the smallest accidents now. Each such misfortune could be attributed to once again making a connection with someone of undesirable karmic merit. Or possibly that one senior who was the cause of this extreme vigilance was passing back even more karmic sin.

With no way to get proper answers, Ren could only lament his poor mental state that he was now jumping at shadows. He straightened his appearance and calmed himself down. He took a moment to remind himself that this path of Karma he had chosen for himself would always have such problematic incidents. He had accepted such risks when he had decided to commit to his cultivation manual. If his connections with people allowed him to only parasitically absorb merit, then the heavens would disapprove of the imbalance.

More importantly, it would have gone against his own morals. At his current stage, he just didn't understand how the scales were balanced; he only knew that they were. As he was thinking this, something occurred to Ren that hadn't before. If it was a fact that he would occasionally absorb sin, then he shouldn't ignore it and instead make preparations for it. Saving that thought to meditate on later, Ren started to walk towards the cool mists surrounding the lake.

As he did, he slowly shook off his turbulent thoughts. Once he did, it allowed the pure excitement of a creator learning about his creation's popularity to rise. The first thing he noticed was that the disciples here were markedly different from those heading to the first trial. They had slight builds and possessed a more scholarly demeanor. Like before, he tried to make conversation and learn their thoughts about this challenge that tested perception.

"Greetings, senior. What brings you to the outer sect?" Ren should have expected it from the disciples preparing to attempt this challenge. They truly were very perceptive and noticed his robes marking him as inner sect immediately. Deciding to embrace the flow, he asked them what they thought of the 'Challenger' and his trials.

"The challenger is someone very benevolent and wise. An expert of many arts." The outer sect disciples were wary of him at first, but eventually they responded to his sincere requests for their opinions. They were all eager to attempt the challenge today and had hiked for days to reach here. Their passions would not be long repressed even in front of an inner sect disciple. They shared how the discovery of this challenge had led to the formation of the Trial Seekers.

The message he had left in the first challenge had also played a part: "Here is a challenge for those who seek. May fortune favor you." They had taken it to heart. They praised the Challenger for not being solely a brute and giving value to other types of strength. Training perception was often ignored because disciples learned about developing divine sense in the foundation establishment realm.

The disciples surrounding him were right to point out that not everyone managed to reach that realm and to not slack off on practicing such an important skill. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. There were also debates over the two challenges that were grouped as sensing types.

Some were saying the 2nd challenge was the only true sensing challenge, but others were claiming that the 3rd challenge, where one sensed and dodged tiny stone pellets, was a natural development of sensing. After all, what was the point of sensing something if you couldn't react to it in time?

Through comparing the two challenges and the time in between their discovery, one particularly sharp disciple put forth the theory that the 'Challenger' was also growing alongside them, and that supported the claim of natural development in methods. Even the final prizes for both were discussed. How the winners of the second challenge were now being rewarded by inner sect disciples, but the 3rd challenge had provided a renewable reward.

Ren had left a smokeroot herb and given the option of taking the paltry reward of leaves for the chance to engrave their names. Watching their lively debate, Ren's heart felt warm. Although he hadn't intended for his challenges to become this popular, in a sense, this scenery was precisely what he had dreamed of seeing. Encouraging the spirit of competition. Nurturing growth and showing a path for those who couldn't find their way. Raising the future generations to be better.

It was further demonstrated by their claim that every single disciple who had passed the 3rd challenge had chosen to leave behind the smokeroot herb for others! Many of them weren't ready to attempt it yet, but that didn't stop them from finding out all they could about the challenge in advance. In his eyes, the second challenge, like the first, appeared full of flaws and extremely inefficient. But he wouldn't change them now as they showed how far he had progressed on the path of formations in just a year.

Ren watched all their attempts at the challenge, and whether they succeeded or not, he praised their efforts. Ren felt a pure joy as he witnessed the positive change his efforts were having on so many lives. As he flew to the 3rd challenge, Ren noticed that his qi was moving strangely rapidly through his meridians. He checked, but he wasn't breaking through just yet, although it might be soon.

When he arrived, he saw far fewer disciples, as it was located in the western regions of the outer sect where the stronger beasts resided. At the cliffs, some who were beyond the recommended 7th layer of qi gathering realm were attempting the challenge. Ren didn't mind because when he got closer, he could see that the stronger ones were choosing not to leave behind their names on the rock, recording the victors and their timings, demonstrating a sense of honor.

Nobody wanted to lose face publicly by using brute force to win a challenge deemed below them. The newer challenge was a marked improvement from the prior two, and with how efficiently it was working, it would function for a long time. Whereas the prior two would need some spirit stones and maintenance to keep working. Naturally, Ren was going to leave that to the inner sect disciples who had taken responsibility for managing it. After staying to watch a few attempts, Ren continued on his journey.

The 4th challenge tested stealth, where disciples had to avoid being detected by alarm arrays. He also hadn't left behind a prize at the end instead asking for the trial takers to leave behind something that they didn't need. What one may not need, another might. He had hoped that people would be able to connect through the items left behind. And through these indirect connections, he might form a large but very frail web of connections. But it hadn't worked.

For the first time, a challenge had failed to bring about his desired result. Part of it was Ren's fault. He had failed to clarify the value of objects left behind. He also hadn't been clear about the rules allowing others to take away something they might need. The disciples for the most part had left behind trash items. Broken daggers and burnt pills. There was a small hill of such worthless items, left untouched by all. Another part he had failed to consider well was the nature of the trial.

Stealth was largely associated with illicit acts of theft and assassination. To ask those who walk such a solitary and insatiable path to leave behind something? Utter foolishness! Without a suitable reward, their only motive was glory and to learn from the challenge itself. By creating the rules of this trial while colored by his own preconceptions, he had failed to understand the human element. Ren took this lesson very seriously.

It was inevitable that he would make mistakes, but it was crucial that he learn from them. Ren was walking a path of thorns. He was going against the flow of the world he lived in to continue on his path of leaving a legacy. To create a better world and to change the firmly rooted ideology that pervaded society, and to actually give away his wealth and treasures, his path would likely be a lonely one. So he couldn't afford to miss a single opportunity to learn and improve himself.

The qi flowed even faster through his meridians as he headed towards the 5th and final challenge. Ren wasn't oblivious. There were lessons on ego, legacy, and karma all around. This journey to survey the challenges had turned into something of a pilgrimage through the challenges as well as into his own thoughts. Ren fully intended to grasp this chance that had presented itself to him.

When he arrived at the mud pit that held the final challenge, he was surprised to see a large crowd for somewhere so difficult to reach. There was a mud-splattered figure in the midst of the pit who was being loudly cheered by the onlookers. Ren watched as they heaved and strained bulging muscles as the earth tried to swallow them whole. They struggled to advance through the treacherous footing, but the earth's hold on them only increased the further they got.

Surprisingly, not a single one of the onlookers was mocking their efforts. Ren asked around and got a straight-faced reply.

"Why would we mock someone doing their best? Everyone here knows just how difficult this challenge is." The answer shocked Ren. It was a level of comradery that he hadn't seen anywhere other than on a battlefield. The figure resembling a golem of mud finally reached the end but failed to best the current time. There were commiserating groans and plenty of applause for the valiant attempt. Without a reward to show for their effort, the figure crawled out and into a nearby formation that Ren hadn't set up.

A small deluge of water washed the figure clean, revealing a maiden with a powerful physique. Ren hadn't expected that, but everyone around him continued to praise the maiden. She gave a tired smile and sat down to meditate and recover. Another disciple took her place to challenge the trial. Ren looked around to see the prize that was currently on offer. It was a beautiful red fruit that emanated a tantalizing aroma and qi.

According to the victor's rankings, the person who currently held the top record had left behind this powerful body-nurturing treasure called a Profound Blood Apple. The apple had been unclaimed for close to a month now. Ren got the feeling that some of the onlookers were watching over the prize, which is why they stayed close. The longer Ren observed, the more he realized he had found an excellent balance of factors in this challenge.

A good challenge, the secure formations he had built it on, teasing the ego of the winners, and all without offering a reward. But somehow, Ren still felt connected to the current winner, Xian Tu. His thoughts were racing as he tried to examine that curious sensation when he noticed that the moment had arrived. His qi, which had been acting strangely, was now flowing through his meridians like a rushing river, and his dantian was giving off the faint fluctuations indicating he was about to break through!