Alright then, soaking in a hot spring requires signing a life-or-death waiver?
I really want to see if this Heart-Questioning Pool is as mysterious as they say!
Miao Miaomiao waved her hand grandly and signed her name with flair.
"Since everyone has made up their minds, please follow me." The White-Bearded Old Man led the way. After walking for over half an hour, a pool spanning a thousand square meters, shrouded in mist, appeared before them.
"One last reminder: the Heart-Devouring Pain caused by the water of the Heart-Questioning Pool is unbearable for ordinary people. If you cannot persist, leave quickly; do not try to be brave, lest you lose your life. Do you have any other questions?"
"Me!" Miao Miaomiao raised her hand.
"Speak."
Miao Miaomiao pointed behind her: "With so many people together, both male and female, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
"How is it inappropriate?"
"Think about it, with all this mist, you can't see anything clearly. What if someone takes the opportunity to act like a hooligan..."
The Elder was immediately amused by her: "I think *you* are the hooligan!"
She looks like such a proper young Girl, what kind of messy junk is stuffed inside her head?
In the Heart-Questioning Pool, one is barely able to resist the Heart-Devouring Pain; who would have the mind for such sordid matters?
"I was just saying 'what if'; why are you pinning it on me? I am a decent person!"
"There is no 'what if'! Since the Luoyun Sect was established, we have never had such a scandal." The Elder grew impatient. "If such a thing truly happens, they will be severely punished without mercy!"
"How severely punished?"
"Death by a thousand cuts, grind bones to dust! Are you satisfied? Do you have anything else to say!"
"Nothing, nothing." Seeing that he was getting agitated, Miao Miaomiao quickly shut her mouth.
"Then let's begin!"
Following the White-Bearded Old Man's command, the examinees entered the Heart-Questioning Pool one after another.
Miao Miaomiao also chose an Auspicious Spot near a corner and slowly waded into the pool.
The pool water was mild, like a hot spring, very comfortable.
Miao Miaomiao frowned and muttered to herself, "Where is the promised Heart-Devouring Pain? I don't feel anything! Could they be lying?"
"Ah!!!" Just as her voice fell, a chilling scream suddenly echoed in her ears.
This was immediately followed by a second, then a third... continuous screams, as if she had arrived at the castration room of the Eastern Depot. Each sound was more piercing than the last, making one's scalp tingle.
Miao Miaomiao's expression changed: "Damn it! Is there something unclean in the water?"
She dove straight down but found nothing.
Curiously, she swam over to a man nearby who was shivering and rolling his eyes, and kindly asked, "Big Brother, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing her relaxed demeanor, the other person spoke haltingly, "You... doesn't your heart... hurt? Ah~~ No, I can't take it anymore! I'm getting out! *Ptooey*~"
The fellow spat blood as he spoke, looking quite terrifying.
"My heart..." Mid-sentence, Miao Miaomiao suddenly remembered something!
Right! The water of the Heart-Questioning Pool brings Heart-Devouring Pain, but my heart isn't even here, so how could it hurt?
So, I accidentally slipped through a loophole?
Perfect, I can happily slack off then. Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, doggy paddle... I'll play however I like.
The Elder in charge of the assessment on the cloud level also noticed her, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes: "This Girl is quite interesting..."
"Ah!!!"
"*Ptooey*~~~"
The examinees were screaming or spitting blood. The number of people in the pool gradually decreased until only a few were still holding on.
The water temperature was just right, and soaking felt exceptionally comfortable. Unconsciously, a wave of drowsiness washed over her. Miao Miaomiao's eyelids grew heavy, and she fell asleep, her body floating lightly.
Just like a dead person, she floated peacefully on the water's surface...
*
Compared to her ease, another person presented a stark contrast.
He was the Male Protagonist, Ye Han, far away at the Tianji Sect.
He had been cultivating well when suddenly, waves of Heart-Devouring Pain struck him without warning.
"Ah!!! It hurts... I hurt so much! What... what is going on?"
It felt as if ten thousand ants were frantically gnawing at his heart, and the pain intensified. Ye Han clutched his chest and rolled on the ground. In just a short while, sweat had soaked through his clothes.
His screams quickly alerted his Master, Ku Chenzi, who rushed to the scene immediately.
Seeing his miserable state, Ku Chenzi quickly stepped forward to comfort him: "Disciple, what is wrong?"
Ye Han bit his pale lips, his eyes constantly rolling back: "I... I don't know what's happening! My heart inexplicably started hurting! It hurts... I hurt so much... Master, save... save me quickly... Ah!!!"
"Disciple, don't panic, your Master will find a way." Ku Chenzi hurriedly picked him up but found his hands were wet, and a faint foul odor drifted in the air. He immediately frowned, "Did you... soil yourself?"
"It hurts... it hurts!" Ye Han was both ashamed and angry, wishing he could find an Earth Cave to crawl into.
As a decent adult, he didn't want this to happen either. The key was that under the added pressure of the pain, he simply couldn't control himself! He involuntarily let out a 'splish-splash' right in his pants.
"It's fine." After all, this was his beloved disciple, so Ku Chenzi didn't say much, forming a Dharma Seal to clean him up.
He then immediately circulated his energy, trying to alleviate the suffering.
"Heh heh hah heh~"
After a series of actions as fierce as a tiger, he asked with a benevolent expression, "Disciple, how do you feel?"
"Not... not good..." Ye Han's face was ashen, snot and drool streaming down, his face contorted in a grimace, looking exactly like a thousand-year-old zombie that had just crawled out of a grave.
He tightly clutched his chest and managed to say with difficulty, "Hiss~~ It hurts... it's getting more and more painful! Ah!!!"
"This... how could this be?" Watching him writhe on the ground like a maggot, soiling himself again and again, Ku Chenzi felt both heartache and disgust.
"Could it be that something is wrong with that Exquisite Immortal Heart?" Ku Chenzi's eyebrows furrowed tightly. "But didn't you say it merged perfectly? How could it turn out like this?"
"It... it shouldn't be the Exquisite Immortal Heart's fault. Specifically... I, I don't know! Ugh... *Ptooey*!!"
Ye Han spat out a mouthful of blood toward the sky and happily fainted.
"Alas!" Ku Chenzi sighed helplessly. "Perhaps fainting is a good thing for you right now..."
Unfortunately, just as his words fell, Ye Han suddenly sprang up as if he had been resurrected, continuing to scream and roll around.
He was painfully jolted awake!
He kept waking up and fainting, fainting and waking up, repeatedly tormented. The only thing Ku Chenzi could do was clean the Filth off his body.
*
The sun set in the west.
At this time, in the Heart-Questioning Pool of the Luoyun Sect, Miao Miaomiao floated peacefully in the pool with a smile, holding her hands over her chest in a posture reminiscent of Xi Shi holding her heart.
At this moment, she was the only one left in the vast Heart-Questioning Pool. Seeing that she was motionless, the Elder in charge of the assessment immediately instructed a female disciple beside him: "Go, fish her out."
"Yes." The female disciple jumped into the pool and dragged the sleeping Miao Miaomiao ashore.
"No breath, no heartbeat..." After checking, she stated with certainty, "Elder, she has kicked the bucket."