This final thread of enlightenment had trapped Chen Jiuge for thirty long years, but fortunately, he eventually overcame it.
"Finally, I’ve finally succeeded."
The ordinary-looking ball of soil in his hand presented an entirely different scene to Chen Jiuge. Countless blades of grass broke through the soil. The surface teemed with crawling insects, numerous herbivores freely roamed and played upon it, and in the distance, hunters hid in the bushes, preparing to hunt.
"So, this is nurturing," Chen Jiuge said, filled with emotion.
"Congratulations, you’ve finally passed the first trial," the clay doll applauded enthusiastically.
"Thank you, thank you." Chen Jiuge was in high spirits.
"Then let’s start the second trial," the clay doll said, somewhat eagerly.
「The Second Trial: Whack-a-Mole」
Looking at something that seemed remarkably similar to the Whack-a-Mole game from his previous life, Chen Jiuge felt a sense of dissonance and asked, "What is this contraption?"
"This is the second trial, and also the final one: the Earth Enlightenment Machine. We specially developed it," the clay doll said with evident pride.
"The rules are very simple. I will appear at random in these nine holes, and all you need to do is use this hammer to hit me. If you hit me, you pass," the clay doll explained, seeming very enthusiastic about the game.
Is it that simple? Chen Jiuge was skeptical.
Even the hammer in his hand—resized and inscribed with three Earth Law characteristics—was anything but simple. So how could the game be?
"You’ll know once you try. Remember, you have to use the Earth Law characteristics you just comprehended to differentiate, otherwise you won’t be able to lift it," the clay doll said before sliding into the Whack-a-Mole machine.
Chen Jiuge gripped the hammer handle. He applied a little force—no movement. He increased his strength—still no movement. He struck with all his might, yet it remained immobile.
Let’s try the Earth Law characteristics then, he thought.
He channeled one of the characteristics he had just comprehended and tried to lift the hammer. Still no movement. Even with all his might, it barely wobbled.
"What’s going on?" Chen Jiuge muttered, baffled.
The clay doll’s head popped out of one of the machine’s holes. "You’re so dense!" it teased. "You need all three, all three together!"
Chen Jiuge was stunned. All three together? But I don’t know how to do that!
Seeing the motionless Human Clan member before it, the clay doll probably realized he didn’t know how. With a tinge of pity, it said, "I hope you can hang in there."
After speaking, its little head retracted into the hole.
A yellow hammer materialized in the void and struck Chen Jiuge squarely on the head. A vast surge of Earth Law enlightenment, accompanied by intense pain, overwhelmed him.
Chen Jiuge couldn’t describe his current feelings. He was happy, undeniably so, as this was like being handed Earth Law enlightenment on a silver platter. Yet, he was also incredibly sad, for the hammer’s blow was agonizingly painful.
"Keep at it, young man! Once this starts, it’s out of my control," the clay doll encouraged, appearing again.
Every time its head emerged, the clay doll would encourage Chen Jiuge. Although it seemed of little use, Chen Jiuge appreciated the sentiment.
Chen Jiuge never thought he’d one day be distressed by having too much enlightenment to assimilate quickly enough. He also never imagined he’d be brought to tears by a game.
The hammer’s blows were excruciating. Mentally, Chen Jiuge could barely endure, but his body couldn’t take it anymore. Tears of pain streamed down his face involuntarily.
A starkly different sound startled Chen Jiuge. What was that?
Peeking out from a hole in the machine, the clay doll remarked, "Human, your skull has cracked. You’re not going to give up after just a few hits, are you?"
A powerful surge of Vitality burst forth from within him, and the cracked skull healed instantly. Fresh chapters posted on novel~fire~net
"Looks like you can endure for quite a while. That’s good, otherwise, I’d be embarrassed, since I accepted something in return for this," the clay doll said with a look of relief.
Chen Jiuge’s mood, however, was far from joyous. His wound healed quickly, but at his current pace of assimilation, it would take at least several hundred years to digest the enlightenment swirling in his mind. And my body and the Life Force within it can only last for a hundred years at most. Could it be that I’ll die playing this Whack-a-Mole game?
Blood splattered; the wound healed.
Chen Jiuge had now given up trying to lift the hammer. Instead, he focused all his efforts on hastening the assimilation of the enlightenment in his mind.
The clay doll popped in and out of a hole, and an idea formed in its little head: It seems I’ve really put this human in a terrible spot.
Hmm, I can’t be an untrustworthy clay doll. Let me see who can help him!
Aha! After lengthy contemplation, the clay doll finally thought of another being within the Original Land.
An ancient, resonant voice emanated from the clay doll’s mouth. Shortly after, a languid black snake appeared beside the Whack-a-Mole machine.
"Clay doll? What do you want from me?" the black snake asked weakly.
"Why did only you come?" the clay doll asked, somewhat dissatisfied.
"Isn’t it obvious you’re asking us to help this human hasten his comprehension of the Earth Law? Although we’re all fated to die eventually, who would want to die prematurely?" the black snake said, its voice laden with resignation.
The clay doll felt a bit embarrassed, but then it remembered these beings could resurrect. So, it said confidently, "You’ll all be reborn anyway, so it’s no big deal."
"But it will lower our chances of rebirth," the black snake retorted, disgruntled.
"It’s hardly a concern. None of you have been successfully reborn for many years now," the clay doll said disdainfully.
The black snake was speechless. Isn’t that precisely why I agreed to come? Because I’d grown weary of the hopelessness?
"Alright, alright. So, it’s about helping this human, correct?" The black snake didn’t want to waste any more words.
"Yes, that’s him," the clay doll nodded.
Hearing this, the black snake didn’t delay. It regurgitated an earthy-yellow core from its mouth, saying sorrowfully, "It seems there’s not even a shred of hope left. In a few more years, the Snake-man Clan will likely be gone."
The clay doll’s expression also turned grim. If the Snake-man Clan disappeared, the Original Land would gradually fall into ruin, and the clay dolls, whose existence was tied to it, would vanish as well.
A dense stream of Earth Law, the color of yellow earth, shot out from the earthy-yellow core and flew into the space between Chen Jiuge’s eyebrows.
Chen Jiuge, completely immersed in his comprehension, suddenly felt as if an accelerator had been switched on; his understanding of the Earth Law surged.
What’s happening? Never mind, I need to focus on comprehending to survive, he thought. Though puzzled, Chen Jiuge didn’t investigate further.
Under the relentless pounding of the large hammer, and with the aid of the Black Snake Core, Chen Jiuge’s understanding of the Earth Law began to deepen.
In just a few short years, he had fully integrated the Three Law Characteristics and decided to try lifting the hammer again.
What’s this? Opening his eyes, Chen Jiuge saw the earthy-yellow core hovering before him, still connected to a black snake.
"This is the primal form of the Snake-man Clan, equivalent to a human fetus, I suppose. I called it here to help you accelerate your comprehension," the clay doll explained.
"I’d like to try now," Chen Jiuge said, lifting the hammer with ease this time.
"Alright then," the clay doll replied.
Three misses, and his skull cracked three times.
"Why is it still not working?" Chen Jiuge mumbled, feeling dizzy and disoriented.
"You need to comprehend your own Earth Dao to lock onto me," the clay doll said with a sigh. At this rate, the black snake will be drained dry, it thought.
"Understood," Chen Jiuge replied, promptly resuming his comprehension.
This period of comprehension lasted for a full sixty years.
So, it’s all about nurturing life! Chen Jiuge suddenly had an epiphany. The Earth nurtures new Vitality. How was that different from when he had reintroduced the Jade Clan to the world, or when he used his Golden Finger to create new Spiritual Beast species?
A tenacious streak of green emerged on his profound Earth Dao; he had successfully comprehended the principle of nurturing.
With that successful strike, the Whack-a-Mole game finally ended.
Watching the Whack-a-Mole machine dissolve, Chen Jiuge sighed in relief. Without the black snake’s help, I’d probably still be struggling to unify the Three Law Characteristics. In a few more decades, I would likely have died.