Chapter 1823 — Chapter 1823 Bamboo Garden(2)

"Then I'll see you tomorrow," Lan Yingying said with a light smile before heading toward the women's living quarters.

Yuan nodded briefly and didn't linger either. He made his way to the men's side, his steps deliberate as he passed by every living quarter, including numerous empty ones. He continued without pause until he reached building 423—the same building Tian Yang had lived in for three years before becoming an official disciple of the Immortal Monastery.

Standing before the door, he took a moment to glance at the familiar structure, memories stirring within him. Coincidentally, building 423 was still unoccupied, so Yuan decided to claim it. He quickly wrote his name on the door as instructed and acquired its keys before stepping inside.

The interior was small and unadorned, consisting of only a single bed with no other furniture. The plain walls and sparse space gave the room a minimalist feel, yet it served its purpose as a resting place.

After a brief glance around the sparse interior, Yuan's eyes landed on the manual resting neatly on the bed. The manual's cover was worn and simple, with no ornate designs or embellishments, yet it exuded an air of subtle importance.

A slight smile appeared on his face after picking it up and reading the title.

"As I thought, it's the Basic Qi Gathering Technique," he mumbled.

He wasted no time and immediately began reading through its contents. Sure enough, the cultivation technique was exactly the same as he remembered.

'Since the cultivation technique is the same, there's no reason why I shouldn't start cultivating now. Moreover, there's something I want to confirm…'

Yuan placed the cultivation technique back on the bed and sat down cross-legged, settling into the lotus position. Closing his eyes, he began reciting the contents of the manual in his mind.

Since he had already cultivated and mastered the Basic Qi Gathering Technique in the past, it required almost no effort, and everything felt as natural as breathing.

His breathing perfectly synced with the rhythm of the technique, and he effortlessly entered a trance-like state. Within moments, the spiritual energy around Yuan began converging toward his body, entering through his pores and gathering inside his Dantian.

However, he quickly noticed a problem. While the spiritual energy was gathering as expected, the speed was unbearably slow. What's more, his capacity to contain the energy seemed drastically limited, and he could only retain a minuscule amount of the spiritual energy he managed to draw in.

Compared to his usual cultivation speed, his current progress was abysmally slow—worse than trash, bordering on crippled. This confirmed his theory that the body he was using wasn't his real one but a temporary construct specifically designed for the trial. Its severe limitations were likely a deliberate part of the challenge, forcing participants to cultivate from the ground up under the harshest conditions imaginable.

Despite this realization, Yuan remained calm and continued to cultivate as normal.

Meanwhile, the other participants were still struggling with the first step—memorizing the cultivation technique. Unlike Yuan, who had already memorized the cultivation technique before entering the Hidden Domain, they were encountering an entirely different issue.

Despite their experience and powerful memorization as cultivators, they found it unnaturally difficult to retain the contents of the technique. The words seemed to slip from their minds as soon as they read them, and the more they tried to focus, the harder it became to comprehend.

"What the fuck is going on? This cultivation technique should only be a Mortal-rank technique—Earth-rank at best. Why am I having trouble memorizing it when I can memorize and comprehend Divine-rank techniques with ease?"

"This must be the Hidden Domain's doing! I knew the trial seemed too easy at a glance! Fuck!"

As time went on, more and more participants began to grasp the reality of their situation—that this trial was far more complex than it initially seemed.

Many found themselves growing frustrated and even embarrassed as they struggled to memorize a mere Mortal-rank cultivation technique—something they would typically consider beneath them.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the night gave way to dawn.

Despite spending the entire night trying, not a single one of the thousand participants in the Bamboo Garden had managed to become a cultivator. Out of the entire group, only Yuan comprehended the cultivation technique well enough to even begin the process of cultivation.

The participants, many of whom had initially dismissed the trial as overly simple, now found themselves humbled and increasingly frustrated. The harsh reality of the challenge was beginning to set in, and the atmosphere within the Bamboo Forest grew heavier.

As the first light of sunrise illuminated the Bamboo Garden, the participants gathered at the appointed area. The atmosphere was tense, with many looking weary and frustrated from the night's struggles.

Senior Zhou stood waiting for them, his posture relaxed but his sharp gaze sweeping over the group, taking note of their expressions and demeanor.

He smiled and let out a chuckle, his tone laced with amusement.

"Judging by your expressions, it's clear you're all struggling with the cultivation technique. Did you think becoming a cultivator would be easy? What a naive and foolish notion. Don't worry, you have plenty of time—four years to be exact."

"In any case," Senior Zhou continued in a serious tone, "it's time to begin your quotas. Since you're all new, we'll start small. Consider it an adjustment period. As you spend more time in this place, your quotas will increase, so it would be in your best interest to leave this place as soon as possible."

"For this week, everyone will be required to chop down 20 bamboo stalks and fill two water pots. You'll find the tools you need at the toolshed near the training hall."

He glanced over the group before continuing, "How you fulfill your quota is entirely up to you. You can spread it out over the course of the week or complete everything in a single day. The only thing that matters is that your quota is fulfilled by the end of the week."

"Those who fail to fulfill their quotas will be punished. I won't go into the details, but if you wish to know, you can find out by missing your quota."