Light Barrier - Chapter 55: Transcendent Trials

Night fell.

On the second-floor terrace of a narrow alley, steam rose from a hot pot as tripe and beef rolled in the spicy broth.

“Cheers!”

Ting!

The clink of wine glasses sounded.

Gu Shen finished the entire glass of wine.

He felt like all of this was like a dream. When he left the orphanage, he had wondered what his future life would be like. But no matter what he did, it would probably be lonely. So every time he passed by an alley late at night and saw people toasting and drinking at a food stall, he never imagined himself in such a role.

Perhaps I’m not that lonely. It’s just no one has ever raised a glass to me. And now, people have.

“Three consecutive Dream Deciphers… Those damn assessors are really a piece of work!”

After hearing about the assessment process during the day, Zhong Wei slapped the table. “If anything happened to our Little Gu, could they bear the responsibility?”

“That’s right!” Mr. Tree puffed his cigar, leaned back slightly, and said righteously, “They’re too much!”

“So,” Zhong Wei continued, “Teacher, can you tolerate this? They haven’t left Azure River yet. It’s still not too late to take action!”

“Ahem!” Mr. Tree choked on a large mouthful of smoke.

“Alright.” Luo Er could tell that Zhong Wei had ‘ulterior motives’ and quickly helped their teacher out. She smiled and said, “Let’s just drink and scold them behind their backs. Those officials were just doing their duty. Moreover, Little Gu ripped the Cage of Ghosts. It’s fortunate that Grand Magistrate Tang didn’t find trouble with us.”

Gu Shen scratched his head awkwardly. “The Cage of Ghosts…”

Nan Jin took a small sip of wine and said softly, “I can still understand the Dream Deciphers of the Blue Cube and the Sands of Time as… your talent being good enough. But how did you slay the ghosts in a minute in the Cage of Ghosts?”

It took time for the Cage of Ghosts to manifest evil thoughts.

And the third Dream Decipher only took one minute.

In other words… just as the evil thoughts formed, Gu Shen had instantly killed them!

“It’s related to my transcendental ability.” Gu Shen pondered for a moment and said, “My transcendental power… seems to have been unexpectedly released in that dream.”

“It can’t be controlled at will in reality, but it can be fully displayed in specific dreams.” Mr. Tree sat back lazily. “The keywords of the assessment team’s evaluation of Little Gu’s ability characteristics are Blazing Light and Tear. This is likely a power not recorded in the current Transcendental Spectrum Chart.”

“Blazing Light and Tear,” Nan Jin murmured. “It fits.”

This was how the two transcendents involved in the fire case had died.

“He still needs to explore his ability,” Senior Sister Luo said. “But after passing the assessment, Gu Shen will have permission to enter the Deep Waters and participate in the Transcendent Trials.”

“Deep Waters? Transcendent Trials?”

“Since you already know about the existence of transcendents, it’s not difficult to guess. Deep Sea connects the Five Continents, and it’s not just as simple as connecting all citizens,” Luo Er said softly. “Beyond the virtual network you use every day, Deep Sea has also established a vast mental network. Humans with transcendental mental power can connect deeply to it through chips and network technology.

“The Deep Sea we normally use is a network in the Shallow Waters. This network covers the daily lives, entertainment, and leisure activities of five billion humans.”

“But beneath the Shallow Waters… Deep Sea still has a vast unexplored mental sea. This is called the Deep Waters. Some people call it the Transcendental Sea.” Zhong Wei’s expression was solemn as he raised a finger. “Entering the Transcendental Sea requires powerful mental power. It is a place that ordinary people can’t peer into at all.”

“After the development of the Deep Sea computer, it has created too many miracles. As for what potential it has, the Parliament is still studying it,” Luo Er said. “It clearly doesn’t have life, but it seems to possess intelligence and established this mental network with transcendents on its own. Every transcendent connected to Deep Sea will contribute computational power through their mental cultivation in the sea. In turn, it will open different permissions to us.”

“This…” Gu Shen had never imagined the Deep Sea he was familiar with was actually such a machine. “It seems… it wants the help of transcendents?”

“That’s right. It’s indeed help, and it’s mutual help.” Mr. Tree finally spoke. He shook the ashes of his cigar and said softly, “Transcendents and Deep Sea have formed a delicate balance. It requires the powerful minds of transcendents to assist in calculations, and transcendents need Deep Sea to provide connections to stabilize themselves.

“Among the transcendents within the Parliament, there are clear differences in strength based on the depth their minds have reached into the Transcendental Sea.” Luo Er looked at Gu Shen. “Currently, the Deep Waters have mostly been explored. The sea has a total of twelve levels.”

“So, is this the Transcendent Trials?” Gu Shen processed Senior Sister Luo’s information and frowned. “In that case, won’t mental-type transcendents have an advantage in exploring the Transcendental Sea?”

“Yes and no.” Senior Sister Luo smiled. “You’ve comprehended Jingzhe, so you should understand that the body and mind progress synchronously in transcendental cultivation. Once the balance is disrupted, there’s a possibility of losing control. In the Transcendent Trials in the Deep Waters of Deep Sea, mental-type transcendents may explore faster, but it will take relatively longer for them to digest and advance after completion. This is because the body of mental-type transcendents can’t keep pace with the development of their mind.”

Gu Shen understood a little.

If a transcendent with extremely strong mental power completed the trial of a certain level of the Transcendental Sea, but their body was not strong enough, then exploring the next level of the sea… might cause them to lose control.

“When Deep Sea and transcendents first connected, and the Transcendental Spectrum Chart was just in its infancy, many people with transcendent power only displayed fragmentary characteristics. But as the exploration of the twelve levels of the Deep Sea progressed, they gradually understood their transcendental characteristics and eventually mastered them,” Luo Er said. “Of course, these twelve levels of the sea are not as simple as you think. Completing the exploration of the first three levels of the mental sea is considered to understand the essence of one’s transcendental ability. But just the first three levels… have trapped nearly ninety percent of the awakened transcendents. It will take them a long time to complete the basic exploration.”

The first three levels of the sea have stumped ninety percent of transcendents? What about Senior Sister and Teacher? Gu Shen looked at Senior Sister Luo and then at Mr. Tree. His curiosity urged him to speak, but his rationality told him… there was no point in asking this question.

Their expressions… were full of invincibility.

“If people can complete all twelve levels of the Transcendent Trials, then the East Continent Parliament will bestow them unique titles and treat them as distinguished guests. Such transcendents are extremely rare and are capable of running amuck across the Five Continents.” Zhong Wei suddenly smiled, leaned forward, and said meaningfully, “By the way, the reason why Teacher is called Mr. Tree… is that his title is the Heaven-Reaching Tree!”

Sure enough. Needless to say, Mr. Tree was an absolute powerhouse who had passed the twelfth level of the trials.

But Gu Shen let out a long sigh.

He found it really difficult to associate the old man beside him with a Heaven-Reaching Tree.

“Little Gu, it’s time to think about your title. I have high hopes for you.” Senior Brother Zhong laughed. “In the future, when I can’t beat someone and run away, I’ll report your name.”