"Let's check the rooms first." Lu Zhi knew that upon entering the cage, everyone's potential would be stimulated, granting them special abilities, which was considered 'fair'.
For ordinary people to outwit and fight against the strange phenomena would be like hitting a rock with an egg. Only after awakening special abilities would they possess the strength to confront the strange phenomena on equal footing, thus gaining a chance at survival in the trial.
The wooden door was a single one, appearing somewhat aged. Lu Zhi observed his surroundings and realized they had reached a dead end. He estimated the time they had entered, which was only about a minute and a half. Therefore, the depth of this shrine was likely within a hundred meters.
"Should we push the door open and take a look?" Li Chaoyang asked cautiously.
The female student, Su Yunyan, said worriedly, "What if... what if there's danger inside?"
Lu Zhi couldn't be sure either, as the door was completely sealed. Unless they opened it, they couldn't see what was inside.
He pondered for a moment and then asked them, "Quietly sense it. What feeling do you both get from behind this door?"
Although the two didn't fully understand Lu Zhi's intention, they tried their best to comply.
After a while, Li Chaoyang scratched his head, "I don't know. I don't feel anything. There shouldn't be any danger inside, right?"
Su Yunyan seemed thoughtful, a hint of confusion in her eyes. After a long pause, she said, "I... I feel a sense of calm from this door."
Lu Zhi nodded, "Then let's open it."
The two were surprised by Lu Zhi's decisive trust in their words and immediately became nervous.
Lu Zhi took a deep breath, but his heart was not as calm as he appeared. His palms, gripping the torch stick, were already sweating, while his other hand gently pushed the door open.
The flame of the torch suddenly flickered, startling the three of them. They instinctively wanted to turn and run.
"Wait, it's the wind." Lu Zhi extended the torch into the room, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open fully. Their shadows fell diagonally onto the floor of the room and the simple wooden bed.
Lu Zhi quickly surveyed the room's furnishings and his gaze fell upon the only small window. Several wooden bars blocked it, allowing only a view of darkness and a faint breeze blowing in.
"One, two, three, four... exactly twelve beds," Li Chaoyang mumbled. "Are we going to sleep here for these three days?"
Su Yunyan asked, puzzled, "Brother Lu, is there an oil lamp over there?"
Lu Zhi also noticed. Beside each bed, there was a nightstand with an oil lamp on it. Apart from these, the only other item was a wooden cabinet against the wall, nearly three meters high and two meters wide.
"Aren't we going in?" Li Chaoyang asked.
Lu Zhi subtly touched his chest, hesitated, and said, "No, let's go back and find others to come with us."
The two didn't object and followed Lu Zhi back to the main hall of the shrine.
As the three of them left, the torchlight gradually receded, and darkness enveloped them once more. The half-open room door seemed to be gently closed by the wind.
Lu Zhi returned to the brightly lit hall and found that many people had already changed their clothes, but three individuals remained in their original attire, looking out of place.
Lu Zhi had a slight impression of these three. When they were first rescued by the villagers, these three had exchanged glances, indicating they knew each other.
Why hadn't they changed their clothes? Did they know something?
Lu Zhi speculated inwardly.
"Why did you take so long? Did you find anything?" The person asking was the talkative middle-aged man, who had changed into a white outfit, making his protruding beer belly look particularly... ugly.
Lu Zhi didn't conceal anything and directly replied, "We found rooms inside. There are twelve beds, which should be where we sleep for the next three days."
"Did you find any food?" The middle-aged man's stomach rumbled with hunger.
Lu Zhi shook his head, "I only found the rooms and came back. I didn't dare to go to other places."
"Damn it, are they trying to starve us by not providing anything to eat?" The middle-aged man cursed violently and angrily reached out to Lu Zhi, "What are you afraid of, a grown man? Give me the torch, I'll go find it myself."
Lu Zhi good-naturedly handed him the torch and smiled, "The rooms are at the far left, just keep going to the end."
(This chapter is not finished)