Translator: CinderTL
Xu Sanyan's eyes were vacant, his steps stiff and jerky as he shuffled deeper into Great Solitary Mountain like a puppet.
A rope snaked through the air, quickly reaching Xu Sanyan's feet and binding him tightly. The man's face lit up with a triumphant grin. He thought to himself, "Great Solitary Mountain isn't as terrifying as the rumors claim. If we find the right approach, perhaps we can explore it after all."
The other two also relaxed slightly. The woman spoke, "Elder Brother, pull him out quickly. We can ask him what happened inside. Great Solitary Mountain has always piqued my curiosity."
"Right." The man tightened his grip on the rope, which suddenly snapped taut. Xu Sanyan stumbled, halting his advance.
The man clutched the rope with all his might, his face turning crimson. "Help me! He's too heavy! I can't pull him!"
The other two immediately rushed forward, grabbing the rope and pulling with all their strength.
Xu Sanyan's eyes remained vacant, his head turning slowly. His hollow gaze locked onto the three figures.
Whoosh...
A gust of icy wind swept past, instantly draining the color from their faces. They realized they were somehow stuck to the rope, unable to break free.
"Elder Brother, quickly retract your magic artifact!" the woman shrieked, her face contorted with terror.
The young man was also terrified. "I... I can't control it anymore."
Xu Sanyan continued deeper into the mountain. The three of them were dragged along, step by step, until they were completely within the boundaries of Great Solitary Mountain. At that moment, their expressions became blank. They released the rope and followed Xu Sanyan's footsteps, entering the mountain...
"The Sage said, 'Guard your virtuous heart, dispel false thoughts...'"
Their figures reappeared at the schoolhouse entrance. The reading stopped once more. Xu Sanyan's gaze swept across them, and a moment of clarity flickered through his mind.
"Panel!!" Xu Sanyan roared inwardly. A light curtain immediately appeared in his eyes.
Countless chaotic thoughts flooded his mind, but the light curtain blocked them all, like a vast tide crashing against a solitary island. The light curtain guarded the last patch of pure land within him.
"Hah... hah..."
Xu Sanyan gasped, struggling to regain his composure. He felt a surge of excitement within him. It worked!
This was his only option, born out of utter desperation.
Because during brief moments of clarity he'd experienced earlier, he'd realized he'd lost his Spiritual Power.
He wanted to change his Dao body, but couldn't mobilize even a trace of Spiritual Power within him. It was as if he had instantly reverted to the moment he first arrived in this Martial World.
Fortunately, the panel appeared, preventing his mind from becoming completely muddled. The power of his cheat successfully stopped him from falling into an abyss of eternal damnation.
Where is this?
Xu Sanyan's expression remained unchanged as he pondered inwardly. He remembered being pursued by those three people, fleeing to a Black Mountain, and then suddenly appearing here.
What a strange place.
"Ah!" A scream snapped Xu Sanyan back to reality. He saw the three people at the door being caned, the cry coming from the woman.
Xu Sanyan's eyes narrowed. He noticed that with each strike of the cane, the woman's height visibly shrank. After ten strikes, she had gone from roughly six feet to five feet.
During her screams, the woman seemed to regain her senses, instinctively trying to resist. But before she could react, her eyes glazed over again, her expression blank.
"Take your seats," the Old Teacher said. The woman walked straight to an empty seat.
The two men followed the same procedure.
Xu Sanyan's peripheral vision swept across the classroom, revealing only children. Some looked barely three years old, their tender faces expressionless like porcelain dolls.
Xu Sanyan lowered his gaze to his own hands. They were delicate, fair, and completely different from before, making him wonder if they were truly his.
He instinctively wiggled his fingers.
Swish!
Suddenly, the Old Teacher turned sharply, his gaze fixed on Xu Sanyan. "Fidgeting without permission is disrespectful to your elders. Five strokes with the ruler."
Xu Sanyan's heart clenched. He had only moved his fingers—how could such a subtle movement have been noticed?
But the pressing question now was whether to step forward and accept the punishment himself or wait for the Old Teacher to come down and administer it.
Choosing wrong could lead to unforeseen consequences.
Xu Sanyan's mind raced. He recalled that the Old Teacher had always come down to punish him and the other three students. With a surge of resolve, he obediently raised his palm and stood still.
As expected, the Old Teacher approached with the ruler, delivering five merciless strokes: thwack, thwack, thwack...
Xu Sanyan gritted his teeth, fighting to suppress any cry of pain.
He couldn't understand why such a small ruler could be so powerful. Normally, even if a sharp blade pierced his abdomen, he wouldn't flinch, yet now, a mere ruler strike to his hand left him barely able to endure the pain.
"Take your seats," Old Teacher said after finishing his punishment, turning back to continue the lesson.
Xu Sanyan stared at his hands, noticing they had shrunk considerably. Moreover... his perspective was off.
Before, he could look straight ahead without tilting his head, but now he had to crane his neck slightly. Had he... shrunk?
A surge of panic welled up inside Xu Sanyan. He finally understood what had happened to the three- and four-year-old children around him. It was all because of that ruler.
Each strike made him shrink a little more. If he didn't find a solution, it wouldn't be long before he turned into a tadpole and completely vanished from the world.
Half an hour later, Old Teacher flipped his book upside down. "Dismissed. Today's homework: memorize the Lying Ox Classic. Tomorrow, I'll check your recitation. Those who fail will receive three ruler strikes."
With that, Old Teacher packed his things and left. Seeing no one in the classroom move, Xu Sanyan dared not stir either. Only after the first person walked out did the others gradually rise and leave.
Their limbs remained stiff and their minds blank.
Xu Sanyan casually picked up a book from the table and followed them to the bamboo hut on the left side of the classroom.
This was the dormitory. Identical bamboo beds filled the room, lined up one after another. The students lay down one by one, like puppets controlled by invisible strings, their faces devoid of expression.
Xu Sanyan took a deep breath. They clearly had no intention of reciting the Lying Ox Classic, or rather, they weren't even aware they were supposed to.
Lying on his bed, Xu Sanyan turned his head to look at the woman from the Yue Clan, who lay rigidly beside him.
A flicker of awareness crossed the woman's face, a brief spark of color returning to her eyes. She suddenly turned her head to Xu Sanyan, her expression filled with terror. "Great Solitary Mountain..."
Before she could finish, her gaze glazed over again. Her voice seemed to have startled something, for the Old Teacher appeared at the dormitory door as if he had teleported.
"Disturbing your classmates, three strikes with the ruler."
Xu Sanyan glanced sideways and immediately feigned sleep, lying motionless on his bed with his book stuffed under his clothes.
Strangely, as his body shrank, his clothes also shrank to fit him perfectly.
Fortunately, Old Teacher hadn't noticed him. He was still focused on the Yue Clan woman, raising his ruler to strike her three times.
After a long while, Xu Sanyan dared to peek open his eyes slightly. Less than a foot away, he saw a hunched figure in a gray robe.
He could make out the intricate array points woven into the robe and the black lining beneath it.
Luckily, Old Teacher had his back turned, his hunched form pressed close to the Yue Clan woman's face as if he were examining something.
Xu Sanyan quickly closed his eyes. For a moment, his breathing became erratic, but his strong mental fortitude allowed him to regain control instantly.
(End of the Chapter)
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