Within the Pavilion of Reincarnation stood countless ancient trees of towering height, their dense foliage spreading wide, trunks thick enough that several people could barely wrap their arms around them. Wisps of white, mist-like essence drifted lazily through the grove, and stepping into it gave one the peculiar sensation of having wandered into a dream.
Yang Kai walked silently through the forest, making no sound.
From each towering tree hung thousands of slender branches, swaying gently in the absence of any wind, as though welcoming the guests who entered.
Most of the ancient trees had their trunks closed up tight, but a few had open hollows carved into them, forming tree cavities large enough for a person to fit inside.
These ancient trees came in two kinds, corresponding to the distinction between men and women. Setting aside those with closed trunks for the moment, some of the open hollows were located at the base of the trunk, while others sat at waist height.
Every Disciple who entered this place needed to step into one of those hollows and reside within the tree, drawing upon the mysterious power of this grove — only then could they enter the true Pavilion of Reincarnation, to undergo trials of reincarnation and temper their state of mind.
The specifics of the Pavilion of Reincarnation had already been explained to Yang Kai in detail by Yu Xiangdie three days prior.
He therefore knew that hollows positioned at waist height were for female Disciples, while those at the base of the trunk were for male Disciples.
The two looked no different on the surface, but there were distinctions between them, and choosing the wrong one would make it impossible to enter the true Pavilion of Reincarnation.
For the female Disciples of Yin-Yang Heaven, the difficulty of the mental barriers they could set upon entering this place was also related to the position of the ancient tree they occupied — the deeper one went, the higher the difficulty of the mental barriers that could be imposed.
Those who set their barriers to three lives and three deaths could simply find any ancient tree out here on the periphery; there was no need to venture deeper.
But Qu Huashang would certainly have set her mental barriers far beyond three lives and three deaths, so Yang Kai figured he ought to head deeper to be safe.
For male Disciples entering this place, how far deep one went didn't make much of a difference, but he still wanted to be closer to where Qu Huashang might be.
Even though he had no idea which particular ancient tree she was hiding in.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai arrived deep within the dense grove. A towering ancient tree blocked his path ahead, and at its roots lay a hollow forming a cavity large enough to fit a person. The hanging branches danced ceaselessly. Yang Kai was about to press further in when he suddenly paused mid-step and turned his head to look at his shoulder.
A slender branch hanging above had curled around like a tiny hand, hooking onto his sleeve.
Yang Kai abandoned his advance and turned instead toward the tree cavity to his side.
The Pavilion of Reincarnation was a place for tempering the heart, and what it valued most was one's true intention. Yu Xiangdie had previously admonished him to let everything proceed naturally, and Yang Kai intended to do just that.
Stepping into the tree cavity, Yang Kai sat cross-legged.
The space inside was quite generous — sitting within it, he didn't feel the least bit cramped. After he calmed his mind and focused his spirit for a short while, the cavity itself began to slowly shift, gradually closing in until it had sealed completely, enveloping Yang Kai entirely within.
From the outside, the ancient tree now bore no trace that a hollow had ever existed there.
His thoughts drifted, but Yang Kai guarded his mind firmly, offering no resistance.
In a single instant, his entire spiritual soul seemed to slip free of its shell, passing through a vibrant, multicolored passageway that led toward some distant, unknown destination.
Everything was exactly as Yu Xiangdie had described, so Yang Kai waited in quiet patience.
He couldn't tell how much time had passed — it might have been the span of a single heartbeat, or perhaps millions of years — when ahead in the multicolored corridor, a sudden flash of light appeared.
The light rapidly expanded before his eyes until it filled his entire field of vision.
At the same moment, Yang Kai discovered that his wandering soul had found a place to land, once again possessing a physical body.
The clang of clashing blades and swords reached his ears, ringing out ceaselessly in a lively din, while all around came shouts of encouragement and cheering.
Yang Kai raised his eyes and looked around, only to find himself standing at the base of an arena stage. The surrounding area was packed shoulder to shoulder with people, and upon the stage, two figures darted and twisted around each other, locked in fierce combat.
After watching for a moment, Yang Kai noticed that while the techniques the two were using appeared quite refined, they seemed to be merely empty forms — there was very little true power behind them.
He furrowed his brow slightly and quietly assessed himself. Within his body, a peculiar force flowed through his meridians. It wasn't spiritual energy, but bore a rough resemblance to it.
What left Yang Kai somewhat dissatisfied was that this force was extremely feeble — it was roughly equivalent to that of a third-layer Kaiyuan Realm martial artist.
Before he could familiarize himself further with his current situation, the clamorous noise of the crowd surged over him once more as the two fighters on the stage had reached a conclusion.
The match apparently hadn't been a life-or-death struggle. One of them had proven slightly superior, while the other had fallen short by a single move. He cupped his fists and conceded, admitting his skills were inferior, to which his opponent replied with a modest gesture of courtesy. On the surface, both exchanged pleasantries.
This was the true Pavilion of Reincarnation — or perhaps more accurately, a Reincarnation World.
The Pavilion of Reincarnation contained countless Reincarnation Worlds, and each person who entered might find themselves in a different one. Only those whose hearts were connected by some invisible bond would enter the same Reincarnation World to undergo the trials of reincarnation.