Chen Zhou stepped over the threshold and entered the Zhaoye Ghost Emperor Mansion.
The mansion doors closed silently behind him.
Before him stood a massive hall.
The vaulted ceiling hung high above, and the four walls were bare, save for a high platform standing in the very center of the hall.
Seated upon the platform was a man clad in black imperial robes. His figure stood nearly three zhang tall, his face was blurred, and he was shrouded in dense death qi.
Golden patterns were embroidered upon the imperial robes; upon closer inspection, they were revealed to be coiled dragon motifs.
The man’s eyes were tightly shut, but the moment Chen Zhou stepped into the hall, his eyelids twitched slightly.
Then, he opened his eyes.
They were eyes as black as ink, with pupils that seemed to contain countless wandering souls. His gaze fell upon Chen Zhou, carrying an air of scrutiny.
“Latecomer.”
“State your name.”
Chen Zhou did not feel any stage fright. After a moment of thought, he gave his real name. “Chen Zhou.”
In the presence of such an existence, there was no point in concealment.
The man in the imperial robes remained silent for a moment, as if chewing over the name, then he shook his head slightly.
“I have never heard of this name.”
Chen Zhou didn't mind. He was a transmigrator who had been in this world for at most a year; it would have been more shocking if the other party had heard of him.
The man in the imperial robes spoke again. “I am Zhaoye, one of the Five Direction Ghost Emperors under the command of the Northern Great Emperor.”
“That you could enter this gate proves you have met the three criteria. Merit, believers, and devotion—all have reached the standard.”
“However, that was merely the entry trial.”
“The true trial begins now.”
As he spoke, he raised his right hand.
A finger extended from within the broad sleeve, pointing at Chen Zhou.
A speck of ghostly light ignited at the fingertip.
The light exploded, turning into a sky full of luminous points that scattered in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the entire hall changed. The walls vanished, the ceiling dissipated, and all that remained was a boundless dark void.
Suspended within the void were countless orbs of light.
Within each light orb was a sealed scene.
Some showed a mortal kneeling on the ground in prayer; some showed a cultivator slaying a demon; some showed an official presiding over a court case; and some showed a mother humming her child to sleep.
The scenes were varied and strange, encompassing everything imaginable.
Chen Zhou’s gaze swept across them. At a rough count, there were at least a million light orbs.
Zhaoye’s voice rang out.
“These are the million believer heart-intents sealed by this seat.”
“Each light orb is the prayer of a believer, an entrustment of faith.”
“Your trial is to select one thousand from these million heart-intents and respond to them.”
“The method of response is for you to decide.”
“It can be a single word, a miracle, or a reward.”
“However, for every heart-intent you respond to, you will consume a portion of divine power.”
“Should your divine power be exhausted, the trial shall be deemed a failure.”
“If you can complete one thousand responses before your divine power is depleted, and if every response satisfies the believer, then the trial is passed.”
“Furthermore, you may select two believers at the level of Devout Believer or higher to assist you in completing the trial.”
“Time limit: Three sticks of incense.”
As his voice fell, three sticks of incense ignited in the void.
The incense burned with a faint glow, and wisps of blue smoke rose.
A line of golden numbers appeared nearby: 1,000/1,000 (Divine Power).
The first stick of incense began to burn.
Chen Zhou looked at the million light orbs, his brow furrowing slightly.
Responding to one thousand out of a million heart-intents.
It sounded easy, but in reality, it was a test that severely challenged one’s vision and judgment.
Each heart-intent represented a believer's prayer. He had to quickly filter the ones worth responding to from the vast sea of wishes and then respond in the most logical way.
If the method of response was wrong and the believer was dissatisfied, the trial would fail.
If too much divine power was consumed and he couldn't last through a thousand responses, the trial would also fail.
This was not just a test of a god's mercy, but also their wisdom and discernment.
Chen Zhou pondered for a moment before scrolling through the believer list on the system panel.
Was there even a need to think about the right candidates?
He first picked out Ku Chan, then after a brief hesitation, he chose Hong Ling.
Two pillars of light ignited in the void.
Ku Chan appeared first. As soon as the old monk landed, he looked around in confusion. Then, seeing Chen Zhou, he immediately plastered a smile on his face as a reflex.
“My Lord! You were looking for this poor monk? Woof woof!”
Just as he finished speaking, he saw the boundless void and the million light orbs, and the smile on his face froze for an instant.
“This... this is?”
Hong Ling appeared immediately after. Upon landing, she first bowed to Chen Zhou, then quickly surveyed her surroundings. Her gaze swept over the million light orbs, her brow twitching slightly.
“My Lord, where is this?”
Chen Zhou briefly explained the rules of the trial.
After listening, Hong Ling nodded without asking further questions and immediately closed her eyes.
The super-perception of her red trait, Linglong Heart, spread out with full force, enveloping the million light orbs. In an instant, a torrent of information flooded her mind.
Prayers, supplications, pleas, gratitude, curses, desires...
A million human hearts, a million heart-intents, all rang out in her mind simultaneously.
Hong Ling’s brow furrowed even tighter.
It was too much.
The amount of information was staggering.
Even with her Linglong Heart, processing the heart-intents of a million people at once was taxing. She could only use her usual slow method of filtering, categorizing, and marking them one by one.
A moment later, Hong Ling opened her eyes.
“My Lord, I have a general understanding now.”
“These million heart-intents can be categorized into several types based on their content.”
“The first is praying for relief from suffering. Illness, famine, war, oppression... this type accounts for sixty percent.”
“The second is praying for power and status. Wanting stronger cultivation, higher positions, more wealth... this type accounts for twenty percent.”
“The third is praying for revenge for grievances. Wanting enemies dead, wanting unfaithful lovers to be punished, wanting those who oppressed them to pay the price... this type accounts for fifteen percent.”
“Then there are those praying for the protection of others. Seeking peace for family, fortune for friends, protection for the clan... this type accounts for five percent.”
“The remaining five percent are various strange prayers, such as wanting a good horse, wanting a beautiful wife, wanting to give birth to a son, and so on.”
After hearing this, Ku Chan nodded and said, “Sixty percent seeking survival, twenty percent seeking prosperity, fifteen percent seeking revenge, five percent seeking protection for others...”
“The desires of the mortal world are truly...”
“However, My Lord, this poor monk suggests directly eliminating the unreasonable parts from the first three categories.”
“For example, those who pray for wealth and status but never put in any effort, those who pray for their enemies to drop dead but won't lift a finger themselves, and those who pray for a god to solve everything for them while lacking even the basic sincerity of faith.”
“Responding to these heart-intents would be a waste of divine power.”
Chen Zhou nodded. “Continue.”
Hong Ling’s perception spread out again as she began to filter and eliminate according to Ku Chan’s standards.
“This one, praying for a god to make him rich overnight, yet he idles away his days wanting something for nothing. Eliminate.”
“This one, praying for a god to kill his enemy's entire family, yet checking the karma reveals he was the one who seized the other's land first, and the other was merely seeking justice. Eliminate.”
“This one, praying for a god to extend his life by a hundred years, yet his lifespan is not yet finished; he is merely greedy for life and afraid of death. Eliminate.”
Hong Ling’s filtering speed was extremely fast. In just a few moments, tens of thousands of light orbs were eliminated by her.
Ku Chan was very satisfied. “My Lord’s divine power is limited and cannot be wasted.”
“These heart-intents are either insatiable greed, reversals of cause and effect, or wanting something for nothing.”
“A god is not a servant, and faith is not a transaction.”
“If every prayer is responded to, it will only breed a group of insatiable parasites.”
It was good to have people working for him; Chen Zhou stood to the side, enjoying the leisure.
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