Fear Is Needed Too

The island in the middle couldn't be said to be the center of the city, it was quieter than the other islands, but it was much bigger, there were even some forests and mountains that separated the island into several areas. Most of the people living here are city troops.

And not all places are open to the public.

The six green clouds came from a wide courtyard surrounded by a small river full of rocks.

It was on the outskirts of the island.

Right in the middle of the courtyard was a large green pond, several young-looking people emerged from the pool. One youth looked more conspicuous than the others so people stared at him. He was tall and wore a blue robe with long hair that partially covered his face.

What was amazing was the green light that radiated from the pool onto his body.

At the same time, the six clouds in the sky shrank before descending on him and surrounding him and then entering his body.

"This is Mu Tiandi of the Mu Clan, apparently he is the one who caused the phenomenon of the six clouds."

"Not surprising, he's the only genius who's been quite conspicuous lately."

*Bang*

Then explosions resounded from within his body before one dark blue colored energy ball after another shot out from his body.

Their number reached 80.

"Wow, 80 Spiritual Essences with the Eighth Stage Cultivation, that means on average each of his cultivation stages has twice as much Spiritual Essence, in some stages it might have three times as much or reach the limit."

"Hasn't it only been three years since his debut? His age should only have reached 19---his cultivation has actually increased very quickly. In terms of speed, he is on par with Yun Mengyi and Luo Tian."

"Hey, I don't mind comparing with Yun Mengyi, but I don't think it's suitable to compare with Luo Tian unless he can solve his cultivation problem."

"That's right, there's no point in talking about him when he can't increase his cultivation anymore."

"..."

Yi Yun did not expect that the seemingly very kind-hearted Luo Tian was actually so famous, knowing his past achievements made him feel truly sorry for him.

'The world of cultivation is cruel, indeed,' he thought.

The pool made him even more curious.

Asking was quite difficult since he was wearing a mask, so he approached a group consisting of an old man and several young people. The old man explained about the pool to the young people.

He listened with them.

It turned out to be something that the founder of Green Cloud City got from his master.

Only people under the age of 25 can enter and this will test those who enter and then score them. It starts with one cloud which is the lowest score and eight clouds which is the highest score.

So far, six clouds is the highest score that people have managed to break. And that alone produces phenomena. Below it is like five or four clouds, there is no phenomenon at all. They just get small clouds that have no other function than telling their score.

Many believed that a person with six clouds had the possibility to become a Sage as long as the person did not die and continued to cultivate. Even if not, reaching the Spiritual Transformation Realm can be ascertained.

Its validity is quite recognized. Even people from other regions came to try. Some of the major sects would even send out invitations to those who managed to get a good score.

Unfortunately, up until now, only those who caused the phenomenon of the six clouds had gotten the reward. And what the reward will be, no one knows for sure because those who score six clouds say nothing.

Some rumors said that it was some kind of instrument that the big sects used to search for talent outside their territory.

Of course, even without the prize, there is no problem at all because through the pool, people can know their strengths and weaknesses so that they can maximize their potential. There were many people who were originally mediocre who became even more talented after entering the Green Cloud Pool several times.

"Yi Yun, let's go to the pool," Xia Xinghe suggested.

"I'm also interested. But before that, I need to prepare myself so that I can leave undetected," Yi Yun replied.

He wasn't sure of his abilities, but Xia Xinghe gave him the advice, obviously wanting to help him. The results with her help would surely be quite surprising.

"You're being too careful," Xia Xinghe said.

"It can't be helped, Luo Tian is an example of how cruel the people here are, I don't want to be the next victim."

After that, Yi Yun left the area.

If he wanted to dodge people it was actually pretty easy, he just needed to take off his disguise, but he needed something so people wouldn't see him doing that.

"Creating smoke with a Smoke Bomb for an instant should be enough, but ordinary smoke can't block Spiritual Sense, only smoke tier two and above. Xinghe, what is the strongest cultivation of those who are watching now?"

"Only Core Formation, I don't sense the presence of a Nascent Soul cultivator nearby. Given the limitations of Spiritual Sense, I think a Tier Three Smoke Bomb is sufficient. As long as it can block a Core Formation cultivator's Spiritual Sense."

"Mm…" Yi Yun nodded.

He returned to the Alchemy Association's territory in search of the Smoke Bomb.

This is actually a rare item, not because it's difficult to make, but because it's not so important that people rarely buy it. This was because cultivators could cause strong winds with a wave of their hands, smoke that had barely any weight could be easily swept away. At most, only Houtian Realm cultivators would use it to fight.

Yi Yun visited a few shops, but he couldn't find one that sold tier three.

The level one is also not too much.

Since he thought he would also need Tier One Smoke Bombs later, he ended up buying several packs of ingredients to refine them.

After several questions, he finally got a shop recommendation.

It's at the end of a narrow alley which is a bit dirty as along the alley are bars. Basically, this was already outside the boundaries of the Alchemy Association's territory.

The shop in question is as bad as the alley. If someone accidentally bumped into it, it might collapse.

Yi Yun was slightly surprised because he found several people exiting the shop the moment he arrived. They were cultivators but their bodies were extremely thin and their clothes looked as if they had been taken from a trash can.

Their faces, on the other hand, looked extremely gloomy as if they held a grudge against the world.

"This shop sells dirty things," Xia Xinghe said.

Yi Yun agreed, but this was also a world without rules.

Right after Xia Xinghe spoke, an old man suddenly came out of the shop.

"Mmm..."

Yi Yun was shocked and the old man was also shocked when their gazes met.

"You again, what do you want to buy in my shop?" asked the old man.

He was the old man he had met in the Alchemy Miracle Shop.

Behind his mask, Yi Yun's mouth was slightly open, but because he needed to show a deep impression of character, he immediately said his wish. "I want to buy a Tier Three Smoke Bomb, do you have it?"

"Smoke Bomb?" This time it was the old man who opened his mouth.

Worried that he was trying to make small talk, Yi Yun quickly added, "Others said you sold it."

"Oh."

Hearing his words, his hand suddenly moved, then something appeared the size of an egg, white in color, appearing to be made of clay.

"One Middle Grade Spiritual Stone," he said.

This was the product of a Core Formation, one Middle Grade Spiritual Stone was the lowest price, Yi Yun paid without a second thought.

"I've made this many times, so the quality is unquestionable, it can even block the view of someone who is only half a step away from Nascent Soul. Just smash it to blow it up," said the old man.

Yi Yun nodded and turned around before walking away.

The old man, on the other hand, followed closely behind him. He said, "I want to see what you want to do with it."

Where he wanted to go, Yi Yun couldn't manage, so he didn't say anything, he acted as if he didn't exist.

But there was one thing he wanted to be sure of. "Xinghe, can this block the old man's Spiritual Sense?"

"The creator always has the advantage, but don't worry, making slight changes to this Smoke Bomb isn't difficult for me. But I need to use your several hundred low-grade Spiritual Stones."

"It doesn't matter as long as it's safer."

When they finally arrived at the Green Cloud Pool, the old man opened his mouth with an understanding expression.

"Boy, did you think you would cause something big, hahaha, how big is it that you even need this kind of preparation." He chuckled and looked doubtful.

Yi Yun naturally did not answer, he simply continued to walk towards the pool, still with his mask on.

Several tens of minutes have passed since he left, but there are still many people here, even more so, Mu Tiandi has not left either.

When Yi Yun looked around for a bit, he saw several disciples of the Holy Light Sect watching from a corner, including Qin Tian, Yuan Shao, and even Ji Rong. They all didn't look like they wanted to get into the pool.

After he finished observing them, he finally arrived in front of the pool.

He first touched the green water in the pool with his toes.

It turned out to be warm and refreshing with a pure aura flowing within it.

Xia Xinghe said there was no danger in this pool, so he stepped into it without any worries.

Although there were many people who entered the pond, they disappeared from his sight the moment he was in it, he only saw green water that seemed boundless. Surprisingly, he can breathe in there.

"Erm..."

His gaze swiftly fixed forward as what looked like mist condensed into two enormous green eyes.

Those eyes somehow suddenly became sharp with time. They emitted a piercing light and felt extremely dangerous even at great distances.

Yi Yun found his heart thumping, and it became extremely fast in no time. Even his body began to sweat and tremble.

"It tests your courage, in other words, tests your Dao Heart, as well as an opportunity to dispel your fears," Xia Xinghe said.

"So like this."

How brave he was would be judged on how far he dared to advance before those giant eyes.

There were different types of exams here, basically, they were things that one could rely on to cultivate.

The Dao Heart is something that is believed to be able to push one forward even if they are without talent and have little luck in their life.

It might sound funny, but there were too many peak experts and even Monarchs who reached their level solely by relying on their Dao Hearts.

"I saw you run away several times while you were being bullied. Now let's see if you can overcome your fear in the face of this terrifying creature?"

"I ran away because there was no point in fighting back, the result was certain at that time. I wonder if this thing needs to be changed?"

"It's a rational choice, it doesn't need to be changed, but behind rationality, sometimes there is also fear. There is a difference between true rationality and rationality mixed with fear."

"You're right, there is indeed fear in my heart."

"It needs to be removed so you don't experience the thing called Inner Demon or in your world called Trauma. Like people driving cars, it's natural for people to be careful because they are afraid of accidents. However, that fear can sometimes cause them not to dare to drive again after they have an accident. The case is the same with victims of bullying who will always be afraid of their bully."

"I understand." Yi Yun nodded.

However, instead of taking a step forward, he remained standing where he was so that Xia Xinghe who was watching from within the Heavenly Garden was stunned.

If a person feels unskilled in the area of ​​the exam, it is enough to remain silent as a surrender statement and the person will be sent to the next exam.

"You?"

"Staying rational without fear, that's amazing indeed, but is it even possible. I mean, sometimes there are situations where our rationality disappears. Who can avoid that? Shouldn't we need some fear when that happens? As for things like Inner Demon, heh, it's not like I've never experienced them. Being intimidated by a person so that you're scared just by looking at that person does feel really bad. However, the world is so vast, I can still thrive in other places. And even if I'm afraid to get in a car, there are plenty of other vehicles to use. Even if I can't walk, I can still get into a wheelchair."

Xia Xinghe, "..."

Her mouth opened slightly, but then she smiled.

"I didn't expect you to think that far. I was just about to tell you that and make you choose," she said.

"Is this a good thought?" Yi Yun asked.

"The important thing is that you are aware of what you want, know your strengths and weaknesses, and can use them to help you, that's the point because what is called a strong heart is a heart that doesn't stop you from moving forward. People are afraid of Inner Demon because it can interfere with cultivation, but if you can ignore it, it's naturally a good thing."