Star Trace Gate

Under the bright sunshine, Ren Ye and the other two stared at Xiao Yuan blankly. Their brains suddenly froze, their expressions were filled with shock, and a thousand question marks popped up in their minds.

He... isn't he dead?

How come he suddenly appeared in the Taoist temple?

What is going on? !

Outside the temple, the three people were stunned, their thoughts in confusion. Even Ren Ye, who was very good at reasoning, was unable to explain the scene in his mind for a moment.

"This...what's going on?" Fat Tan looked at Ren Ye instinctively.

Ren Ye turned his head stiffly and asked, "Are you using me as Xiaodu? How the hell should I know what's going on?"

"Please, three donors."

Inside the door, Xiao Yuan politely made a please gesture and made way.

Ren also listened to his words, instinctively radiated perception, and discovered Xiao Yuan's abnormality: "He...he doesn't have any breath fluctuations, and he is not alive."

Fat Tan frowned as he looked at Xiao Yuan and whispered, "That's right, he only smells like corpse spots and rotting flesh."

"he died."

Yin Hu stared at Xiao Yuan expressionlessly: "What we see is just a talking zombie. This is the body of Xiao Yuan that was lost in the Kanzi room."

Ren Ye immediately sent a voice message: "Are you sure?"

"The smell coming from the corpse is Xiao Yuan's smell. You can tell it with one sniff." Yin Hu said decisively, "I won't be wrong."

Ren Ye fell silent upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "That is to say, if the murderer was the remnant spirit of 'Song Mingzhe', then after he killed Xiao Yuan last night, he transported the other's body to the Taoist temple. Shit, then this is where he disposed of the body? Well, the proprietress of the two-surname store said that Song Mingzhe and the Taoist priests of Changsheng Temple were in the same boat... So, this guess should be reliable."

"Alas, before seeing the body, everyone may have thought that Xiao Yuan still had a chance of survival. But now that we meet in this way, it means... Brother Yuan is as bad as it can be. Moreover, he cannot rest in peace even after death. The body was even placed at the front desk of the Taoist temple for reception... This is very hard, Brother Yuan."

"It's so tragic." The little King Huai had a very rich inner drama.

"When he was alive, I didn't care about him. Now that he's dead, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Yinhu glanced at Xiao Yuan coldly, stepped forward very calmly, and was the first to enter the Taoist temple.

After Ren Ye and Tan Pang looked at each other, they followed decisively.

As soon as the three of them entered the Taoist temple, the two ancient doors slowly closed by themselves and were locked tightly.

Under the scorching sun, Xiao Yuan stood on the flat bluestone ground and bowed slightly, saying, "The three donors should be masters who have been recommended by the higher-ups to join the temple and take the examination for the inner courtyard disciples, right?"

The three of them were stunned when they heard this, and Fatty Tan nodded along with the conversation: "Yes."

"Since you have been recommended, you must have obtained Master's permission to enter the sect. I would like to meet you three brothers." Xiao Yuan stared at the three of them, his eyes dull. "However, my Changsheng Temple has three academies, namely the Alchemy Academy, the Martial Arts Academy, and the Wisdom Academy. I wonder which academy's inner disciple you three brothers would like to take the exam for?"

"You came here before us, but why do you call us senior brothers?" Ren Ye asked curiously.

After hearing this, Xiao Yuan was stunned for at least two seconds before he replied with a stiff expression: "Brother, I just came here last night..."

"...!"

The three of them were speechless.

"You three must have been admitted by the master before me, so you should call me senior brother." Xiao Yuan bowed slightly.

"Oh."

Ren Ye looked at him carefully and found that there were a lot of corpse spots and ulcers on Xiao Yuan's body, which looked really miserable.

"Can the three of us take the entrance exam to the same academy?" Yin Hu asked calmly.

"No, there can only be one person per courtyard." Xiao Yuan shook his head.

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them heard the reminder from the Heavenly Dao at the same time.

【Twelve years ago, the endless flames of war spread, and the smoke of war had spread all over the migration area. The corrupt justice organization was defeated step by step, and the law enforcers occupied most of the major cities, and they might be on the verge of becoming the supreme ruler and controlling the power here. I don’t know whether it was lucky or unfortunate, in this year... Fulai County had not been captured by the group of bald heads.】

[This year, a Taoist priest named Lu Wentian came to Fulai County. With the help of his good friend Song Mingzhe, he got to know the "superiors" and obtained resources. He then established a temple and recruited many believers.]

【When a country prospers, its people suffer; when a country perishes, its people suffer. In the turbulent years, countless refugees were like stray dogs, eager to flee their war-torn hometowns, but when they looked around, they could not find a piece of pure land.】

[It is said by outsiders that Master Lu of Changsheng Temple is the reincarnation of the God of Heaven, with unfathomable supernatural powers, good intentions, and the ability to save the troubled times. When the people heard about this, they all admired and respected him. And those refugees who had no relatives, after hearing about this, also knocked on the door and petitioned, saying that they were willing to become a believer in Changsheng Temple and find a place to stay. ]

[Twelve years have passed, and the glory of Changsheng Temple is long gone, with mottled and desolate scenes everywhere. However, under the dust here, many secrets are buried...]

[Today, the three of you will revisit the Changsheng Temple twelve years ago as "recommended disciples" and experience everything that happened here.]

[It is rumored that only inner disciples who have successfully passed the three-institute test are worthy of knowing all the secrets here. So...if you are ready, please start this adventure.]

After the cold voices dissipated in their ears, all three of them came back to their senses.

Fatty Tan frowned and said, "This is obviously a door within a door. It even has its own background and storyline."

"Yes." Ren also agreed, and then took the initiative to ask Xiao Yuan: "The tests of the three academies must start at the same time?"

Xiao Yuan replied stiffly: "Only one person per courtyard, and undergo the assessment."

Ren also retracted his gaze and turned to look at the two of them: "It's obvious that the assessment does not allow help. The three of us may have to go separately."

"Let's draw lots and let luck decide who goes to which hospital." Fat Tan suggested.

"I won't smoke." Yin Hu refused bluntly: "There are three academies, namely Dan, Wu, and Hui. Just by listening to the names, you can tell the direction of the assessment. We should choose what we are good at and not arrange it randomly."

"That makes sense." Fat Tan nodded.

Yin Hu thought for a moment, looked at the two of them proudly and said, "Excuse me, but if we talk about fighting power, the two of you combined should be able to touch my heels. I choose the martial arts academy."

"Why are you so crazy?" Ren was speechless.

"Hehe, do you know what a tiger is?" Brother Tiger asked back in a still arrogant tone.

"I know, the lecher is just carrying a broken stick every day, but he can't poke anywhere." After being ridiculed for no reason, Fat Tan felt a little dissatisfied.

"Since Brother Hu is confident, let him go." Ren also thought about it and said, "Give him a chance to show himself."

"Okay." Fatty Tan nodded: "Then how do we divide it between the two of us?"

"Do you have any ideas?" Ren Ye asked tentatively.

Fatty Tan thought for a moment and said, "Excuse me, but in terms of personal wisdom, the two of you combined are only as smart as one of my butt hairs. I'm going to Huiyuan."

"Heh." Yin Hu sneered.

Ren also fell into thought: "The Hui Room and the Wu Room, just looking at the literal meaning, they are easy to guess. But what is the test of this Dan Room?"

"The unknown is challenging." Fatty Tan patted him on the shoulder and praised him, "Among these eight people, I think you can make it."

"Haha, you are really good at judging people. Excuse me for being blunt, you are good at both civil and martial arts, but I am good at both." Ren Ye made up his mind and said through gritted teeth, "Okay, I will come to this alchemy room."

"Ah."

After the three of them finished discussing, they told Xiao Yuan where they wanted to go.

"This way please, I'll take you there."

Xiao Yuan made way and walked towards the depths of the Taoist temple.

The three of them followed behind him, walking on the smooth bluestone road and turning their heads to look around.

The evolution of the Way of Heaven, the most magnificent scenery of Changsheng Temple, appeared vividly in front of the three people.

The scene inside the temple was far more magnificent and lively than they had imagined. There was an endless stream of pilgrims at the gates of each courtyard, but their clothes were very shabby, just like the image of refugees.

The eyes of these people were extremely complicated, with a contradictory feeling of both despair and piety.

Perhaps, what they despair about is this era; and what is devout is that they pray that those cold statues of gods can bring a little warmth to this world.

Not far away, there were a few young Taoist priests with kind faces, who were setting up a dining tent outside the kitchen to serve meals and dishes to the penniless pilgrims.

Diagonally opposite, in the main hall of the Heavenly Monarch, a Taoist priest with an immortal look, wearing a Taoist hat and a bright yellow robe, was distributing pills to several children.

He sat on the armchair and said with compassion: "In these troubled times, these children have suffered..."

Ren also looked up at the Tianjun Palace, wanting to take a closer look at the Taoist priest in yellow robe with an immortal look, but found that he could not see his face clearly.

In front, at the door of the kitchen, a young Taoist priest asked a middle-aged woman, "Donor, where are you from?"

"From Binhai...it was captured and my husband died." The woman was leaning against the wall of the kitchen, her hair disheveled and her skinny as a stick.

"Eat, and I'll beat you again after you finish eating." The little Taoist replied kindly.

"Thank you. Can I stay here for a long time? I can also be a female Taoist priest as long as I can be fed." The woman looked up and asked, her eyes full of pleading.

"I can't make the decision on this matter. You should ask the abbot. You eat first. Eat first." The young Taoist threw down this sentence and turned to leave.

When Ren Ye and the other two saw this scene, they felt a little dazed for a moment.

Fat Tan looked at the lively scene around him and said softly, "If you look at it this way, this Taoist temple has saved a lot of people."

"The smell here is very normal, it doesn't feel like there's anything evil." Yin Hu also commented.

Ren just looked around but didn't judge.

Soon, the three of them passed through the left area of ​​the Taoist temple and walked up the steps to the entrance of the martial arts academy.

Xiao Yuan stopped and said with a dull look in his eyes: "Those who are going to take the assessment at the Martial Academy may knock on the door. Everyone else, continue to follow me."

Yin Hu looked at the towering gate of the martial arts academy and walked up without any hesitation.

As soon as he approached, a cool breeze blew in his face.

Fat Tan looked at his back and shouted, "Be careful, friend!"

Yinhu turned around and looked back.

Ren also said, "Brother, please take care of yourself. I will take you to visit the female dormitory of Hulin Garden in my hometown later."

When Brother Hu heard this, he was slightly stunned: "It's a deal."