Chương 65: Chapter 64 – Beeware Imprisonment

As he looked down at the completed formation, Ren wondered if he was being cruel. This trial that he had created would be the cause of much pain and despair. On the other hand, just the experience would be as much of a benefit as the reward he had placed at the end.

"I've included a rescue array so it can't be all that terrible." Ren justified his creation to himself. This time, instead of a single aspect of cultivation like endurance or perception, he had come up with a different concept. While he pondered on his observations from his brief pilgrimage, on his successes and failures, Ren realized what was missing from the challenges. A lesson he wanted to impart.

He had managed to capture a bit of it in the 5th challenge, when only those who pushed their limits would succeed, possibly why it had more dedicated trial takers. Ren wasn't pretending to be an expert or that he was superior to others. But the challenges were his, and it was up to him if he wanted to convey a message. Basing the message on his experiences was the best way to convey his sincerity. So the concept he had come up with for the 7th challenge was escape.

The 6th challenge would be reserved for a simpler trial that he had previously planned. This approach also mirrored the stages of qi gathering, where the 7th layer and beyond represent the late stages, and thus more challenging. Ren still vividly remembered the frantic rush to escape from the subspace of the inheritance trial. How all his fellow disciples had to band together to fight through crazed beasts and difficult terrain to exit the subspace before it sealed up once again.

How many had fallen behind and had to be abandoned. Even his own narrow escape from a treacherous disciple with a grudge. What Ren wanted to convey through this challenge was the dangers of life as a cultivator when it came to encountering an unbeatable foe. By giving them a sample of such a harrowing experience, the trial takers would be better prepared for such a circumstance in real life. Hopefully they would learn from Ren's regrets.

The challenge itself was centered around the blue bees he decided to call "Sonorous Bees". At least until he found out their true names. He had studied the bees carefully and even used the information his Intermediate Insect Control technique gave him to craft a suitable challenge. He deemed their attack impossible for qi gathering disciples to defend against for long. If he protected and hid the bees from the disciples, they would have no way to suppress the building hum that was their attack.

Even plugging one's ears wouldn't work for long, as the attack was transmitted through qi. This way, the bees would remain safe and the trial wouldn't be destroyed by repeated attempts. With a concept in mind, Ren then grappled with how to maintain control over the bees when he wasn't around. The technique he used to force the bees to obey him would weaken and fade over time. Would the insects then follow his directions and spare the lives of failed trial takers?

As he was contemplating this problem, the words of the elder Jiao Yue, who had given a lecture on arrays and formations, came to mind.

"A formation is a natural flow of qi." The words inspired Ren to attempt something new. Extending his senses beyond the hive in front of him, he tried to feel the flows of qi around the hidden alcove he found himself in. The flowers the bees must feed from, the paths the bees followed to and from the hive, and all the lifeforms that depended on the actions of the hive. Ren sat there for nearly an entire day until his head hurt from repeatedly using his divine sense for such a long period of time.

But by the end, Ren felt he had grasped hold of a pattern. His eyes alight with excitement, Ren left to begin his work. He labored for another half day, exhaustion completely forgotten. Or perhaps his strengthened body allowed him to push himself harder. Either way, he finished his initial layout soon enough. He then moved the hive into the center of his formation. Yes, formation. Once the bees were in place, he watched them explore their new surroundings.

Knowing he needed to wait a while before continuing, Ren finally rested. All the fatigue from the past day or so caught up to him, and he fell into a deep sleep. When he woke, it was the middle of the night, and the stars shone through the canopy of trees far above him. The large trees all around him were small, self-contained worlds of organisms that lived on and within them, and their qi reflected it. This particular region was also devoid of any large predators or powerful peak qi gathering realm beasts.

It was why he had decided on this forest as the location of the next challenge. Not too many existing disruptive qi flows. Ren had moved many of the qi gathering plants and some of his own stock of flowers into specific places to mimic the flows of qi he had observed around the hive. At the same time, he had subtly manipulated them to include other contained arrays. Arrays to conceal the flowers and the bees that would instinctively try to protect their food source.

Arrays to allow the trial takers to concede and be rescued. Arrays to disorient and confuse. Arrays to allocate rewards and even hidden arrays to allow a volley of bees to fly out and attack with their venomous stingers on occasion. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Many of the arrays weren't even designed for the purposes he had used them for, but Ren had decided not to curb his innovative side.

He had implemented all he knew to adapt the arrays to the natural flow of qi that was developing even now. As the bees discovered the flowers and began to settle into their new home, the natural formation was gathering power. There were a few places that Ren needed to correct and untangle the flows of qi, but for the most part, his creation was working! Ren was almost bouncing on his feet with exhilaration as he watched the very first natural formation he designed stabilize.

Somehow even the arrays were acting as part of the formation, and their effectiveness was boosted. He looked over the entire trial one final time. The trial taker would be taken into the center of the 'prison' maze, and then the trial would begin. The bees would begin their droning hum, which would build in power until they either escaped or fell unconscious.

They would have to find one of the three escape routes Ren had provided, and if they found the most optimal route of the three, then they would be granted a small portion of honey refined by the Sonorous Bees. The qi-rich honey had a number of uses that made it quite valuable by Ren's estimate. The other routes provided lesser rewards. The challenge allowed for a lot more freedom in how the disciples could attempt it.

Rather than focusing on one attribute, it would be better for the disciples to be skilled in multiple techniques. There would be sections where the trial takers wouldn't have much time to make a decision, and that may even hone their intuition. By challenging the cultivators with a scenario instead of just a single attribute like reaction time or endurance, Ren hoped they would be better prepared if they encountered a real threat they needed to flee from.

The rest of the work was the usual warning restricting the challenge to the 9th layer of the qi gathering realm and the rock to record the victors' names. By the time he was done, the sun had risen high. Before returning to the inner sect, Ren decided to lay out the 6th trial he had delayed. He flew towards the outer sect's southern regions. The beast tides had decimated the populations there, so it would be the perfect place for this trial. This trial's concept was simple. Speed.

He essentially created a race with checkpoints, and all those who beat the best times would be allowed to engrave their names. In this case he utilized the same reward model as the 5th challenge. Part of him wanted to know if its success was replicable and not a lucky coincidence. At the same time Ren didn't want to simply repeat his past challenges. So this time he created two categories of victors, those below the 6th layer and those of the 6th layer and above.

He set up two separate rocks to mark the best performers' names. While conceptually simple, the race would be challenging for all. Those who specialized in speed would have an inherent advantage, but even they would find certain sections challenging. He had covered a range of terrain from cliffs to rivers to swamps. They might even have to flee from the occasional beast.

Each checkpoint they reached would point them to the next and mark them with a fragment of qi to confirm they weren't cheating by taking a shortcut or using a flying sword. If Ren were being honest with himself, he was a little creatively drained at the moment, and the simple challenge made it easier for him to focus on the details of the familiar arrays he used. By spacing the checkpoints out over a vast distance, he needed to ensure the chain of arrays wasn't broken.

So, he tried his best to account for all kinds of problems, such as migrating beast herds, which might trample his checkpoint arrays, or disastrous natural occurrences like storms. When he was finished, Ren was satisfied with the result. There wasn't much of a lesson he imparted here other than being able to traverse a variety of terrain. A useful skill for all cultivators. A simple message that would hopefully sink in well.

Although Ren had another challenge planned, he felt rather drained and decided to leave it for another time. This close to the outer sect, Ren considered visiting his friends in the outer sect but decided to put it off for later as well. He didn't even have any proper gifts to offer them after a long separation as courtesy demanded! Ren jumped onto his flying sword and flew back to the inner sect.

He had to briefly change his route when a large flying beast crossed his path, and it took him closer to Mei Ling's mountain. Impulsively, he decided to visit and see if she was free. He had stopped by on occasion after he had forged his flying sword, but she hadn't been home. He wasn't worried, as it likely meant she was training under her new master.

She had surely impressed her master by succeeding in the challenge given to her, as even from a distance, Mei Ling's mountain gave off an eerie and dangerous sensation. On closer observation, one would see the great number of poisonous and venomous creatures that made it their home. If the plants and flowers weren't poisonous before, the environment had started to change their attributes anyway. He idly wondered what terrifying methods or resources Mei Ling had used to bring about such changes.

This time when he sent the request through the array flags guarding her mountain, he received a response! He landed and hiked up the mountain on foot. The safe path was indicated to him, and Ren didn't dare to step off it. He carried basic antidotes, but nothing about this mountain was basic. He had read about scorpions the size of one's nail that were so deadly, they could kill peak foundation realm cultivators in an instant. He doubted they were present here but had no desire to find out.

As he neared the top, he felt the anticipation of meeting his friend build. It had been so long since they had all seen each other. Everyone had their own lives to live, but he missed those days when he just had to walk a short distance to share a relaxing evening with friends.

"Zhao Ren, welcome! I'm so glad you've come to visit!" He was greeted warmly by Mei Ling. When he looked in her direction, Ren was forced to immediately swallow the first three things he wanted to blurt out!