Chapter 234: 234
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Lunch was a silent affair and highly uncomfortable for everyone. Ruth returned in time to help Mitchnew cook but Hua Tuo couldn't get his apprentice to cheer up. Zero seemed to have retreated into a shell and Mitchnew was worried.
Ruth didn't feel comfortable looking at Zero's meek behaviour. He felt as if he'd done something horrible and couldn't help but blame himself for it. He did a lot of reflecting inside the forest while he roamed around with no destination in mind. The words he coldly threw at the teen before he left bothered him a lot. Seeing how much it actually affected Zero made the vampire lose interest in food. He ate mechanically, not able to enjoy the taste of Mitchnew's special spice mix.
The meal was completed in silence and Ruth tried to escape the gloomy atmosphere by volunteering for dishes duty. Mitchnew was smart enough to leave as well. Hua Tuo looked like he wanted to talk to Zero alone and the ex-assassin decided that it might be a good idea for someone else to try the soft approach.
Zero wasn't very responsive when the dishes were cleared. He continued to stare at the polished wooden table in silence and Hua Tuo decided that enough was enough.
Without another word, Hua Tuo told Zero to follow him. The teenager did so without protest but his eyes still looked dead as his feet shuffled along. Hua Tuo didn't comment on it and brought them to the most secluded place on Endow Hill that he knew.
Zero didn't really take notice of where he was going until he heard the rush of water. When he looked up, they were at a very beautiful lake with a huge waterfall at least twenty metres tall. Zero looked at his mini-map and blinked. There wasn't any forest in the vicinity apart from the one they were in. Something felt off about this place and he quickly snapped out of his brooding mood.
Hua Tuo waited for the realisation to settle down and was amused that it took Zero a good three minutes to realise they were no longer in the same dimension. He led Zero right through Sleepy Cave and to a different dimension that Hua Tuo discovered. This could be said to be Sleepy Cave's greatest mystery because it didn't matter what other paths Hua Tuo took. If he followed this path, he would never fail to arrive at this lake and waterfall.
Zero blinked at the lake where the waterfall was connected to. It was strange.
"Shifu... why does the lake not move?"
Hua Tuo wasn't disappointed at the keen observation. Indeed, it was no ordinary lake and waterfall. He brought his apprentice here for one purpose. While Zero was strong and powerful, it didn't mean that there were no weaknesses. Hua Tuo discovered this place on accident and luckily, he had Buddha's talisman to protect him the first time he was lured into the water.
Zero inspected the lake and blinked. "Lake of Reflection?"
Nothing more was said and Zero wondered if there was something wrong with Mind's Eye because usually, he would be seeing a short description of the place. Right now, Zero was having difficulty working out the translated script that was disfigured by Mind's Eye system. There was something preventing him from knowing the mysteries of this place and that made Zero more curious.
"The lake surface is not disturbed even though the waterfall is very violent... shifu, I think there's something wrong with this place. It's not on Endow Hill either. Where are we? What are we doing here?"
The physician expected just as much. Zero as a teen was still as inquisitive as his younger self. It was nice to know that something won't change easily. The physician didn't say much and walked calmly to right behind his apprentice.
With a mighty shove, he spent the unsuspecting Zero down into the lake and watched as his student panicked. Zero hasn't really learnt how to swim and struggled vigorously to stay afloat. Although he wouldn't drown and die, Zero felt that he was in danger if he didn't get out of the water. The lake was strange and screamed suspicious even before Zero fell into it. Now that he was in it, Mii and the system kept prompting him to activate emergency measures because they detected threats to Zero's mind.
For some unknown reason, Zero couldn't take his eyes away from his teacher who looked very calm on the dry land, watching him struggle. Zero trusted Hua Tuo but right now, he couldn't understand why the physician would do this to him. There were no traces of amusement or malice. Hua Tuo was calm, like the surface of the lake and there was a serious look in his eyes.
Hua Tuo needed Zero to sink to the bottom of this lake so he silently cast calming magic on the brunet who didn't suspect a thing. He also added a sleeping spell gently to let Zero stop struggling. Slowly but surely, he watched as his disciple started to sink a little before floating on the surface of the lake like a balloon.
Mii stopped panicking and monitored the status effects closely. She also took the chance to materialise and glared at the Sage God.
"What have you done?!" the strawcherry fairy screamed.
Hua Tuo's gaze was cold as he contemplated turning that annoying fairy into strawcherry milkshake. Was she trying to dispel his hard work? The trial had only just started.
"If you're not going to be quiet I'm going to call the Great Gods to seal you up for a while. Zero's going through a trial right now. His combat training is not progressing lately and if Truen wants to push his plans ahead, we need Zero to catch up."
Mii didn't comment. It was true that everyone was worried if Zero could complete his medical training with Hua Tuo on time and earlier because Truen was almost done with his magic training. In all honesty, Truen didn't really need to study under Hua Tuo because his job was to become a bodyguard and Zero's guardian on their travels. However, Zero doesn't know that. While Zero trains with Merlin, Truen would be making preparations by setting up his business and expanding his connections. They were running out of time if they wanted Zero to complete his training phase here on Earth quickly.
Satisfied that the strawcherry fairy wasn't yelling at him any longer, Hua Tuo sat down cross-legged and meditated. The Lake of Reflection was a very good place to analyse oneself and see the inner world as it is. Even though he attained Godhood, Hua Tuo was still unable to master his cultivation as skillfully as Buddha. The first time he chanced upon the Lake of Reflection as Zero dubbed it, the physician almost lost his sanity.
The Lake was a cesspool of thoughts from the souls amassed over the years. If there was one accurate way to describe this inner dimension, it would be like the mind of Sleepy Cave.
From what Hua Tuo understood, the waterfall was the continuous flow of mana used in the cave. The waterfall's flow and personality depended heavily on the will of this Lake of Reflection. On some days, the thoughts are peaceful but on other days, it is tumultuous. These thoughts often led curious adventurers astray and lured them to take a bath in the lake. Many adventurers would join Sleepy Cave's messed up life form at the bottom of this lake and become part of it. The Lake of Reflection read into the deepest fears and desires of a person's soul before trying to brainwash them into giving up on life to join them in this eternal form of 'immortality'.
Humans were afraid of dying and as an ex-human, Hua Tuo could understand. Still, dying was not the only fear humans had. Hua Tuo learnt that the hard way. He was afraid of failure and the guilt of not being able to stop the war plagued him even after becoming a God. he imagined that it would be much worse for Zero whose greatest fear should be being abandoned and not being good enough after seeing what his past self had accomplished.
Mii could only watch helplessly and hope that Zero would not lose to his fears after hearing Hua Tuo's monotonous explanation of this place. The physician only reassured her that if he sees the Cave trying to devour Zero, he will get them out of there immediately.
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Lunch was a silent affair and highly uncomfortable for everyone. Ruth returned in time to help Mitchnew cook but Hua Tuo couldn't get his apprentice to cheer up. Zero seemed to have retreated into a shell and Mitchnew was worried.
Ruth didn't feel comfortable looking at Zero's meek behaviour. He felt as if he'd done something horrible and couldn't help but blame himself for it. He did a lot of reflecting inside the forest while he roamed around with no destination in mind. The words he coldly threw at the teen before he left bothered him a lot. Seeing how much it actually affected Zero made the vampire lose interest in food. He ate mechanically, not able to enjoy the taste of Mitchnew's special spice mix.
The meal was completed in silence and Ruth tried to escape the gloomy atmosphere by volunteering for dishes duty. Mitchnew was smart enough to leave as well. Hua Tuo looked like he wanted to talk to Zero alone and the ex-assassin decided that it might be a good idea for someone else to try the soft approach.
Zero wasn't very responsive when the dishes were cleared. He continued to stare at the polished wooden table in silence and Hua Tuo decided that enough was enough.
Without another word, Hua Tuo told Zero to follow him. The teenager did so without protest but his eyes still looked dead as his feet shuffled along. Hua Tuo didn't comment on it and brought them to the most secluded place on Endow Hill that he knew.
Zero didn't really take notice of where he was going until he heard the rush of water. When he looked up, they were at a very beautiful lake with a huge waterfall at least twenty metres tall. Zero looked at his mini-map and blinked. There wasn't any forest in the vicinity apart from the one they were in. Something felt off about this place and he quickly snapped out of his brooding mood.
Hua Tuo waited for the realisation to settle down and was amused that it took Zero a good three minutes to realise they were no longer in the same dimension. He led Zero right through Sleepy Cave and to a different dimension that Hua Tuo discovered. This could be said to be Sleepy Cave's greatest mystery because it didn't matter what other paths Hua Tuo took. If he followed this path, he would never fail to arrive at this lake and waterfall.
Zero blinked at the lake where the waterfall was connected to. It was strange.
"Shifu... why does the lake not move?"
Hua Tuo wasn't disappointed at the keen observation. Indeed, it was no ordinary lake and waterfall. He brought his apprentice here for one purpose. While Zero was strong and powerful, it didn't mean that there were no weaknesses. Hua Tuo discovered this place on accident and luckily, he had Buddha's talisman to protect him the first time he was lured into the water.
Zero inspected the lake and blinked. "Lake of Reflection?"
Nothing more was said and Zero wondered if there was something wrong with Mind's Eye because usually, he would be seeing a short description of the place. Right now, Zero was having difficulty working out the translated script that was disfigured by Mind's Eye system. There was something preventing him from knowing the mysteries of this place and that made Zero more curious.
"The lake surface is not disturbed even though the waterfall is very violent... shifu, I think there's something wrong with this place. It's not on Endow Hill either. Where are we? What are we doing here?"
The physician expected just as much. Zero as a teen was still as inquisitive as his younger self. It was nice to know that something won't change easily. The physician didn't say much and walked calmly to right behind his apprentice.
With a mighty shove, he spent the unsuspecting Zero down into the lake and watched as his student panicked. Zero hasn't really learnt how to swim and struggled vigorously to stay afloat. Although he wouldn't drown and die, Zero felt that he was in danger if he didn't get out of the water. The lake was strange and screamed suspicious even before Zero fell into it. Now that he was in it, Mii and the system kept prompting him to activate emergency measures because they detected threats to Zero's mind.
For some unknown reason, Zero couldn't take his eyes away from his teacher who looked very calm on the dry land, watching him struggle. Zero trusted Hua Tuo but right now, he couldn't understand why the physician would do this to him. There were no traces of amusement or malice. Hua Tuo was calm, like the surface of the lake and there was a serious look in his eyes.
Hua Tuo needed Zero to sink to the bottom of this lake so he silently cast calming magic on the brunet who didn't suspect a thing. He also added a sleeping spell gently to let Zero stop struggling. Slowly but surely, he watched as his disciple started to sink a little before floating on the surface of the lake like a balloon.
Mii stopped panicking and monitored the status effects closely. She also took the chance to materialise and glared at the Sage God.
"What have you done?!" the strawcherry fairy screamed.
Hua Tuo's gaze was cold as he contemplated turning that annoying fairy into strawcherry milkshake. Was she trying to dispel his hard work? The trial had only just started.
"If you're not going to be quiet I'm going to call the Great Gods to seal you up for a while. Zero's going through a trial right now. His combat training is not progressing lately and if Truen wants to push his plans ahead, we need Zero to catch up."
Mii didn't comment. It was true that everyone was worried if Zero could complete his medical training with Hua Tuo on time and earlier because Truen was almost done with his magic training. In all honesty, Truen didn't really need to study under Hua Tuo because his job was to become a bodyguard and Zero's guardian on their travels. However, Zero doesn't know that. While Zero trains with Merlin, Truen would be making preparations by setting up his business and expanding his connections. They were running out of time if they wanted Zero to complete his training phase here on Earth quickly.
Satisfied that the strawcherry fairy wasn't yelling at him any longer, Hua Tuo sat down cross-legged and meditated. The Lake of Reflection was a very good place to analyse oneself and see the inner world as it is. Even though he attained Godhood, Hua Tuo was still unable to master his cultivation as skillfully as Buddha. The first time he chanced upon the Lake of Reflection as Zero dubbed it, the physician almost lost his sanity.
The Lake was a cesspool of thoughts from the souls amassed over the years. If there was one accurate way to describe this inner dimension, it would be like the mind of Sleepy Cave.
From what Hua Tuo understood, the waterfall was the continuous flow of mana used in the cave. The waterfall's flow and personality depended heavily on the will of this Lake of Reflection. On some days, the thoughts are peaceful but on other days, it is tumultuous. These thoughts often led curious adventurers astray and lured them to take a bath in the lake. Many adventurers would join Sleepy Cave's messed up life form at the bottom of this lake and become part of it. The Lake of Reflection read into the deepest fears and desires of a person's soul before trying to brainwash them into giving up on life to join them in this eternal form of 'immortality'.
Humans were afraid of dying and as an ex-human, Hua Tuo could understand. Still, dying was not the only fear humans had. Hua Tuo learnt that the hard way. He was afraid of failure and the guilt of not being able to stop the war plagued him even after becoming a God. he imagined that it would be much worse for Zero whose greatest fear should be being abandoned and not being good enough after seeing what his past self had accomplished.
Mii could only watch helplessly and hope that Zero would not lose to his fears after hearing Hua Tuo's monotonous explanation of this place. The physician only reassured her that if he sees the Cave trying to devour Zero, he will get them out of there immediately.
>> This is a sponsored line break announcement. If you are not reading on Webnovel then the content is stolen. Support the creator - Destiny Aitsuji - on Webnovel and check out their other works.
Lunch was a silent affair and highly uncomfortable for everyone. Ruth returned in time to help Mitchnew cook but Hua Tuo couldn't get his apprentice to cheer up. Zero seemed to have retreated into a shell and Mitchnew was worried. Ruth didn't feel comfortable looking at Zero's meek behaviour. He felt as if he'd done something horrible and couldn't help but blame himself for it. He did a lot of reflecting inside the forest while he roamed around with no destination in mind. The words he coldly threw at the teen before he left bothered him a lot. Seeing how much it actually affected Zero made the vampire lose interest in food. He ate mechanically, not able to enjoy the taste of Mitchnew's special spice mix. The meal was completed in silence and Ruth tried to escape the gloomy atmosphere by volunteering for dishes duty. Mitchnew was smart enough to leave as well. Hua Tuo looked like he wanted to talk to Zero alone and the ex-assassin decided that it might be a good idea for someone else to try the soft approach. Zero wasn't very responsive when the dishes were cleared. He continued to stare at the polished wooden table in silence and Hua Tuo decided that enough was enough. Without another word, Hua Tuo told Zero to follow him. The teenager did so without protest but his eyes still looked dead as his feet shuffled along. Hua Tuo didn't comment on it and brought them to the most secluded place on Endow Hill that he knew. Zero didn't really take notice of where he was going until he heard the rush of water. When he looked up, they were at a very beautiful lake with a huge waterfall at least twenty metres tall. Zero looked at his mini-map and blinked. There wasn't any forest in the vicinity apart from the one they were in. Something felt off about this place and he quickly snapped out of his brooding mood. Hua Tuo waited for the realisation to settle down and was amused that it took Zero a good three minutes to realise they were no longer in the same dimension. He led Zero right through Sleepy Cave and to a different dimension that Hua Tuo discovered. This could be said to be Sleepy Cave's greatest mystery because it didn't matter what other paths Hua Tuo took. If he followed this path, he would never fail to arrive at this lake and waterfall. Zero blinked at the lake where the waterfall was connected to. It was strange. "Shifu... why does the lake not move?" Hua Tuo wasn't disappointed at the keen observation. Indeed, it was no ordinary lake and waterfall. He brought his apprentice here for one purpose. While Zero was strong and powerful, it didn't mean that there were no weaknesses. Hua Tuo discovered this place on accident and luckily, he had Buddha's talisman to protect him the first time he was lured into the water. Zero inspected the lake and blinked. "Lake of Reflection?" Nothing more was said and Zero wondered if there was something wrong with Mind's Eye because usually, he would be seeing a short description of the place. Right now, Zero was having difficulty working out the translated script that was disfigured by Mind's Eye system. There was something preventing him from knowing the mysteries of this place and that made Zero more curious. "The lake surface is not disturbed even though the waterfall is very violent... shifu, I think there's something wrong with this place. It's not on Endow Hill either. Where are we? What are we doing here?" The physician expected just as much. Zero as a teen was still as inquisitive as his younger self. It was nice to know that something won't change easily. The physician didn't say much and walked calmly to right behind his apprentice. With a mighty shove, he spent the unsuspecting Zero down into the lake and watched as his student panicked. Zero hasn't really learnt how to swim and struggled vigorously to stay afloat. Although he wouldn't drown and die, Zero felt that he was in danger if he didn't get out of the water. The lake was strange and screamed suspicious even before Zero fell into it. Now that he was in it, Mii and the system kept prompting him to activate emergency measures because they detected threats to Zero's mind. For some unknown reason, Zero couldn't take his eyes away from his teacher who looked very calm on the dry land, watching him struggle. Zero trusted Hua Tuo but right now, he couldn't understand why the physician would do this to him. There were no traces of amusement or malice. Hua Tuo was calm, like the surface of the lake and there was a serious look in his eyes. Hua Tuo needed Zero to sink to the bottom of this lake so he silently cast calming magic on the brunet who didn't suspect a thing. He also added a sleeping spell gently to let Zero stop struggling. Slowly but surely, he watched as his disciple started to sink a little before floating on the surface of the lake like a balloon. Mii stopped panicking and monitored the status effects closely. She also took the chance to materialise and glared at the Sage God. "What have you done?!" the strawcherry fairy screamed. Hua Tuo's gaze was cold as he contemplated turning that annoying fairy into strawcherry milkshake. Was she trying to dispel his hard work? The trial had only just started. "If you're not going to be quiet I'm going to call the Great Gods to seal you up for a while. Zero's going through a trial right now. His combat training is not progressing lately and if Truen wants to push his plans ahead, we need Zero to catch up." Mii didn't comment. It was true that everyone was worried if Zero could complete his medical training with Hua Tuo on time and earlier because Truen was almost done with his magic training. In all honesty, Truen didn't really need to study under Hua Tuo because his job was to become a bodyguard and Zero's guardian on their travels. However, Zero doesn't know that. While Zero trains with Merlin, Truen would be making preparations by setting up his business and expanding his connections. They were running out of time if they wanted Zero to complete his training phase here on Earth quickly. Satisfied that the strawcherry fairy wasn't yelling at him any longer, Hua Tuo sat down cross-legged and meditated. The Lake of Reflection was a very good place to analyse oneself and see the inner world as it is. Even though he attained Godhood, Hua Tuo was still unable to master his cultivation as skillfully as Buddha. The first time he chanced upon the Lake of Reflection as Zero dubbed it, the physician almost lost his sanity. The Lake was a cesspool of thoughts from the souls amassed over the years. If there was one accurate way to describe this inner dimension, it would be like the mind of Sleepy Cave. From what Hua Tuo understood, the waterfall was the continuous flow of mana used in the cave. The waterfall's flow and personality depended heavily on the will of this Lake of Reflection. On some days, the thoughts are peaceful but on other days, it is tumultuous. These thoughts often led curious adventurers astray and lured them to take a bath in the lake. Many adventurers would join Sleepy Cave's messed up life form at the bottom of this lake and become part of it. The Lake of Reflection read into the deepest fears and desires of a person's soul before trying to brainwash them into giving up on life to join them in this eternal form of 'immortality'. Humans were afraid of dying and as an ex-human, Hua Tuo could understand. Still, dying was not the only fear humans had. Hua Tuo learnt that the hard way. He was afraid of failure and the guilt of not being able to stop the war plagued him even after becoming a God. he imagined that it would be much worse for Zero whose greatest fear should be being abandoned and not being good enough after seeing what his past self had accomplished. Mii could only watch helplessly and hope that Zero would not lose to his fears after hearing Hua Tuo's monotonous explanation of this place. The physician only reassured her that if he sees the Cave trying to devour Zero, he will get them out of there immediately. This is a sponsored line break announcement. If you are not reading on Webnovel then the content is stolen. Support the creator - Destiny Aitsuji - on Webnovel and check out their other works.
