บท 27: Chapter 27: Immersion

"I am going to be the one personally opening you up, boy."

All the three other applicants could not help but look back and forth between Yun Hao and Hannah, the looks of surprise on their faces could not be hidden. While the three of them were going to have their meridians opened up by random cultivators, Yun Hao was going to have his meridians opened up by proctor Hannah herself.

Of course, it didn't make a difference as the number of meridians being opened will still depend on the person. There were 15 meridians, with 12 relating to each major part of the body, while the remaining three relates to the world.

The 12 meridians of the body will always be opened in the process without any exception, while the meridians that are related to the world will rely on the person's potential and affinity.

Elements, Beasts, and Anatomy.

The Element Meridian, as the name suggests, allows one to control the elements of the world. Be it water, fire, wood, metal, or earth. Once a Cultivator opens up his or her Element Meridian, he would have the chance to master the elements that make the world itself.

The Beast Meridian-- one of the most sought characteristics in modern times as it allows a cultivator to tame and control the magical beasts that now predominantly roam the Earth.

The Anatomy Meridian allows one to fully master one's body. One could change their looks and extend and some other parts of the body that would otherwise be impossible to do-- the limit would only be the perseverance and the imagination of the cultivator.

Of course, with practice, any cultivator could have any of the abilities even if they have not opened a certain meridian. However, it will never be as strong or even half as effective compared to those that have opened up any of the 3 special meridians.

Most open up one of the three, but there are rare cases where one opens up two of them, having the ability to combine the special traits into something unique and unpredictable. There were also hearsays that the Confederation were hiding information about cultivators who have managed to open up 3, but of course, those were just rumors.

But the most common occurrence is not unlocking any of the three. However, it wasn't as simple as the one with the higher number wins. It doesn't mean that those who only have 12 meridians opened will be weaker than those who have 13-- everything will always depend on the person itself. Without practice and dedication, one will never achieve strength.

And right now, the fate of 4 people will be decided as they find themselves on their way to stepping into the world of cultivators-- Yun Hao, Sun Fang, Jia Ning, and Ding Shun.

Although Yun Hao was a bit weirded out with how proctor Hannah worded her phrase, he still nodded at her as he imitated the rest of the applicants who were seated with their legs crossed on the ground.

The other applicants then suddenly took off their shirts, slightly shocking Yun Hao as he looked towards the only female applicant in the test, Jia Ning, who was now only at her brassiere. Yun Hao could not help but notice how smooth her skin was, but most importantly, even with her green hair covering her back, Yun Hao still managed to see the numerous scars that littered her back.

But even almost half-naked, Jia Ning didn't seem to mind. Seeing this, Yun Hao let out a breath as he too finally took off his shirt.

"...Interesting."

"..."

Yun Hao could feel proctor Hannah's fingers crawling across his shoulders. Hannah now had her phone on a tripod, with the camera only focused on her and Yun Hao. Yun Hao had been wondering for a while now, but what kind of authority does Hannah actually have for her to be allowed to do all of these things? Wasn't this a breach of privacy or something? Yun Hao thought.

But alas, he could only let out a complaint in the form of a sigh. Hannah, on the other hand, continued to inspect Yun Hao's body. It wasn't only her, the other cultivators also could not help but look at the chiseled and almost perfect creases that lined up to sculpt Yun Hao's body; it was almost as if he was a statue, carved by the queerest of gods that only aimed for perfection.

"The third test is simple-- You just have to endure long enough to have all of your meridians unlocked. By now, I am sure most of you know the consequences… but sadly, I am obliged to still tell you."

Proctor Hannah started talking while still continuing to check on Yun Hao's body, "If by any chance you are not able to endure the pain of going through Immersion, then your body will go into shock and the possibility of you dying is a hundred percent."

"..." Yun Hao had read all of this before going to the Confederation. But still, hearing it coming out from a real cultivator's mouth truly had a nerve-wracking effect, as if making it more of a possibility.

"Of course, with the advancement of the techniques yada yada, we have reduced the death rates through Immersion to only 32.57%. That's still pretty high, right? Except for the girl, statistically, one of you might die today," Proctor Hannah then lightly patted Yun Hao's shoulder, but although it was a light pat, it was still enough to cause Yun Hao to flinch.

"That's why you still have a chance to back out. You will receive half of the money you already gave us to take the test… because you've already wasted our time for being a pussy. So, I ask this now…

...Does anyone want to back out?"

"..."

5 seconds and the only answer that Hannah received was a slight nervous breath coming from one of the applicants, Ding Shun.

"Well alright," Hannah then nodded to the other 3 cultivators, signaling to them to get ready. Afterward, she placed both her middle fingers on each side of Yun Hao's chest, "This will sting just a little tiny bit. I suggest you take in one deep breath…

...It might be your last."

As soon as Hannah said that, Yun Hao felt a slight tickling sensation coming from his chest, slowly crawling towards the rest of his body.

"!!!"

But then, the tickling sensation suddenly turned into a jolt. Yun Hao could hear a scream, whether or not it was coming from him, he doesn't really know as all he could feel now was a pain he had never felt before.

Even when his lungs almost gave out during his attempted suicide, the most he felt was the feeling of his lungs burning. Was this why it was called Immersion? Because you'll be immersed in pain?

Even with the funny thoughts, Yun Hao could still not ignore the excruciating pain that still grew by the second. Yun Hao wanted to open his eyes, but as he did so, it was as if his eyelids turned into sandpaper, grating his eyes with each minute movement.

In the end, Yun Hao couldn't even grit his teeth, as his own mouth felt like it was filled with broken glass. None of his body was free from the agonizing outrage that was set loose inside him.

When… when was this pain going to end? Yun Hao could feel his whole body shivering on its own, perhaps instinctively trying to cope with the pain on itself as Yun Hao's mind was no longer able to do so. He couldn't help but wonder if this is how the man he killed felt? Unable to even move as Yun Hao smashed his head in.

No… Yun Hao tried to think of something else to occupy his mind. Anything. From his earlier memory-- the memory of losing his parents, to the memory of getting into fights, being accepted into the boxing team, losing his girlfriend… Yun Hao thought of everything he could think of just to ease himself off the pain.

But alas, they did nothing. It came to the point that he no longer knew how long he had been enduring this anguish.

But finally, a single word whispering into his ears caused him to be brought back to sanity-- "Alright."

As soon as proctor Hannah's voice entered his ears, the pain he was feeling instantly died down, as if it was never there. The heavy breaths of Yun Hao and two other applicants mixed in the testing hall as they all tried to regain their calm. However, proctor Hannah's next words completely sedated them once again,

"That's one…

…a lot more to go."