[Chapter 165]
The Illusory Fish Pond was located on a small mountain to the south of the Blue Cloud Sect.
Compared to the mountains to the north of the Blue Cloud Sect, this small mountain was inconspicuous.
However, the scenery here was surprisingly good. The Blue Cloud Sect had built a neat path that led directly to this hill. Along the way, it was neatly paved with six feet wide blue stone slabs.
After arriving at this small mountain, Luo Zheng saw a deacon in a brown robe waiting here.
After greeting him, Luo Zheng asked about the Illusory Fish Pond.
The deacon sized up Luo Zheng. When he saw the white robe Luo Zheng was wearing, his face showed a trace of confusion.
Generally speaking, the white robes of the Blue Cloud Sect did not have many points. Moreover, cultivating in the Illusory Fish Pond required a certain level of strength.
If a cultivator's strength had not entered the Xiantian Secret Realm, not only would they not gain any benefits in the Illusory Fish Pond, they might even be injured.
"I would like to apply to cultivate in the Illusory Fish Pond," Luo Zheng said to the deacon.
The deacon thought for a moment before saying, "Did the mentors of your mountain ask you to come?"
Under normal circumstances, it was the mentors who suggested the disciples of their mountain to cultivate in the Illusory Fish Pond at the appropriate time.
Luo Zheng nodded. He had indeed learned of the Blue Cloud Sect's secret cultivation grounds under Su Lingyun's reminder.
The deacon extended his hand to Luo Zheng and said, "Show me your disciple token first."
After checking Luo Zheng's disciple tag, the deacon confirmed that there were a lot of points inside. Based on the deacon's experience, it was impossible for an outer sect disciple to have so many points unless he bought them with square crystals.
"Seeing that he's wearing the outer sect disciple robe, he shouldn't be from a landowning household. He should be from a well-off family," the deacon analyzed in his mind.
Then the deacon said to Luo Zheng, "You can't cultivate in the Illusory Fish Pond yet."
"Why is that?" Luo Zheng asked curiously.
"At the moment, there are other people cultivating in the fantasy fish pool, but that person has already been in for half an hour. I set him two hours. You see." The deacon pointed to the sundial next to him and said, "That person went in at noon to cultivate for two hours. He will come out at the end of the day. Now half of the time has passed. You only need to wait for another half an hour."
Luo Zheng looked in the direction where the deacon was pointing. On the sundial, a long shadow was projected between noon and midnight. Just as he said, it seemed that they had to wait here for half an hour.
Luo Zheng nodded and sat down on a stone stool nearby.
He originally thought that he would have to wait for half an hour, but Luo Zheng didn't expect that just after sitting for a while, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he saw a person coming out from the end of the well-paved path. His whole body was drenched in sweat and he was trembling from head to toe. His lips were pale and his eyes were staring blankly. He was out of breath.
The deacon quickly greeted him and supported him, "I told you that you're at the Xiantian fifth stage and you're barely able to cultivate in the Illusory Fish Pond. The cultivation of martial arts is about gradual progress. For someone at the Xiantian fifth stage like you, you can only stay in the Illusory Fish Pond for half an hour at most. But you want to stay in the Illusory Fish Pond for two hours, isn't this just looking for trouble?"
The deacon helped the disciple sit down on a stone stool nearby. The disciple panted and rested for a while before his complexion gradually recovered. When he recovered, he saw Luo Zheng next to him and suddenly called out, "Luo Zheng, you also came to the Illusory Fish Pond?"
Luo Zheng smiled and nodded. He had already recognized this person. It was Meng Changjun, a disciple of the Meng family whom he had met when he was killing Blade Insects in the south.
"Meng Changjun, long time no see." Luo Zheng reached out and cupped his hands towards Meng Changjun.
Speaking of which, the Family Zhuge had sent people to the south to kill Luo Zheng. Thanks to Meng Changjun's help, Luo Zheng still owed him a favor.
Meng Changjun looked at Luo Zheng and said, "No, ordinary outer disciples can't enter the Illusory Fish Pond. Brother Luo Zheng, have you entered the Xiantian Secret Realm?"
Luo Zheng nodded and smiled, "I just entered the Xiantian Secret Realm not long ago!"
"You've just stepped into the Xiantian Secret Realm. I'm afraid this Illusory Fish Pond is not suitable for you to cultivate." Meng Changjun shook his head. As he spoke, he took out a cowhide and tied his wet and messy hair together.
The deacon also nodded, "Although the rules of the Illusory Fish Pond state that all Xiantian lifeforms who have entered the Xiantian Secret Realm can enter the pond to cultivate, I generally don't recommend people below the Xiantian second stage to enter. Even if they have broken through the Xiantian second stage, the cultivation time should not be too long."
"Yes, last time, one of my younger brothers had just entered the Xiantian first stage and was in a hurry to enter the Illusory Fish Pond to cultivate. In the end, not only did his cultivation not increase, but he was also seriously injured because of the reverse flow of his Zhen Yuan," Meng Changjun also advised from the side.
Luo Zheng smiled slightly, "Thank you for your reminder, Meng Changjun, but this time I have already made up my mind. No matter what the situation is, I will enter the Illusory Fish Pond and cultivate."
Seeing Luo Zheng's resolute face, the deacon and Meng Changjun also understood that they would not be able to persuade him, so they did not say anything more.
"Well, since Meng Changjun has come out of the pond, can it be my turn now?" Luo Zheng asked the deacon.
The deacon nodded, "How long do you want to cultivate for your first time?"
"What is the shortest time?" Luo Zheng asked.
"Cultivating in the Illusory Fish Pond is measured in one hour. If you must try, I suggest you choose one hour." In the deacon's view, Luo Zheng should be a person who had a certain degree of confidence in his own strength.
However, he had seen too many people who could not persist in their cultivation, including some Xiantian seventh and eighth stage disciples.
No matter how he looked at it, the Xiantian first stage boy in front of him was still too weak.
Although the deacon was in the Blue Cloud Sect and deeply understood that one's cultivation level was not equal to one's strength, but there was no doubt that one's cultivation level was often linked to one's strength.
"If that's the case, then I'll choose two hours." Luo Zheng stood up from the stone bench after saying that.
"One hour?" The deacon and Meng Changjun were startled.
Finally, the deacon smiled and thought that it was good. People often understood the immensity of heaven and earth after experiencing it for themselves. After this boy entered the Illusory Fish Pond to cultivate, he would understand the horror of the Illusory Fish Pond.
Immediately, the deacon took away Luo Zheng's disciple card and temporarily detained it, then he let Luo Zheng go.
Luo Zheng followed the steps paved with large bluestone and walked up step by step. After about thirty steps, he reached the end of the path.
When Luo Zheng just stepped down from the bluestone steps, he heard a burst of fierce sound of a waterfall.
"Well, this design is a bit strange." Luo Zheng was curious and once again stepped down from the steps. At this moment, Luo Zheng was standing on the steps and the sound of the waterfall disappeared completely. When Luo Zheng just stepped down from the steps, the sound of flowing water once again roared in his ears.
"Interesting, this must be the illusion of a sound barrier set up by the senior of the Blue Cloud Sect. It is only one step away, but the sound entering my ears is completely different." After trying several times, Luo Zheng stepped down from the steps and continued to walk forward.
In front of him was a platform and in front of him was a waterfall flowing straight down.
The waterfall was not high, only about thirty to forty feet high. Compared to the waterfalls of the famous mountains and rivers in the Eastern Region, the waterfall in front of him was too small. But what was unusual was that the sound of the water falling from the waterfall into the deep pool was extremely loud.
The sound of the water hitting the surface of the water could be described as earth-shattering. Standing in front of the waterfall, it was as if there were thousands of soldiers and horses roaring at him.
Being able to become the Secret Practice Place of the Blue Cloud Sect, it really had its merits.
Luo Zheng walked to the side of the deep pool and stretched out his hand to touch the clear water on the edge of the pool. Suddenly, he understood why the water was making such a loud sound.
Although the water looked clear and transparent, the feeling was completely different when he touched it.
When he stretched out his fingers to touch it, he felt that it contained layers of coldness, as if it wanted to freeze Luo Zheng's fingers.
"Zi …"
A stream of True Essence circulated in Luo Zheng's arm and immediately expelled the coldness from his hand.
Not only was the water bone-chilling, but when Luo Zheng cupped a handful of water, he suddenly found that the water was surprisingly heavy!
"Rumor has it that the water in the depths of an extremely cold place is about ten times heavier than ordinary water. That kind of water is called 'heavy water'. Could the water in the Illusory Fish Deep Pool be heavy water?"
Such heavy water would certainly produce extremely heavy water pressure. Coupled with the strong coldness in the heavy water, it would be very difficult to cultivate.
It could be imagined that entering this deep pool would bring a heavy burden to the cultivator.
Luo Zheng did not waste too much time at the edge of the deep pool.
Two hours was worth two hundred points, which was four hundred square crystals. It could really be described as an inch of gold.