Author's note:
Guys, a family member of mine passed away, so there haven't been any chapters in the past few days.
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In the sky, observing everything, Aotian smiled faintly as he watched the disciples begin to climb the Judgment of Loyalty.
If the first judgment served to filter out those with evil hearts, then logically the second, by name alone, should filter out those with disloyal hearts.
But in truth, that was not the case.
After passing the first judgment, Aotian judged that it would be difficult for anyone to fail the second. So much so that, for all those who reached the 333rd stair, he already considered them, in practice, to belong to the sect.
In a way, the Judgment of Loyalty existed more to teach the disciples, and often did not contain a single correct answer for how to pass the illusion, but rather a profound lesson, meant to guide them so that they would avoid betraying the sect out of mistake or foolishness.
Of course, the fact that it was difficult to fail did not mean it was impossible. If one's loyalty was fragile and volatile, for whatever reason, even if the individual had a good heart, Aotian still would not allow them to enter.
Things like secretly handing sect techniques to family members, for any reason, although in some sense proof of loyalty to one's family, were a clear betrayal of the sect. The sect offered great support and could be generous, but its techniques were an absolute boundary for Aotian and were not meant to be spread.
This was one of the pillars of the sect and should not be violated. He was not generous enough to spread that to the world.
However, as time passed, Aotian was certain that he would find a way to reach all the people of the world. So if they wanted the techniques, they should prove their good hearts and join the sect.
In doing so, he could remain generous, deny benefits to those he disapproved of, and simultaneously strengthen both himself and the sect.
Returning to the present, he continued observing as many people climbed the 334th stair and beyond.
This time, since there were deep lessons on those stairs, the time spent in the illusions was much longer. Because of that, the steps of those climbing were slower, but still steady.
'The Judgment of Loyalty is basically a guaranteed bet. So those who are climbing now can already be considered mine. The only thing that will divide them is the third judgment, separating them between direct members of the sect and members of my subordinate force, the Infinite Dao Empire.'
Aotian reflected, smiling faintly.
He had already laid the foundations of his empire; now he only needed to train his workforce and his generals. Although the sect's disciples could be used, and indeed were, they were still far too few for the current undertaking.
As an empire, it would normally be strange to be a subordinate force rather than an allied one. But since everything belonged to Aotian, and most of his avatars were concentrated in the sect, he would in no way undermine his own authority by separating the two forces, nor would he create distance between them.
While he remained lost in thought, the test continued.
Shen He, who had been leading until then, was suddenly overtaken by an elderly man.
That man had, in fact, begun climbing well after him, yet still managed to surpass him.
The reason could be found in the fluctuations of aura he emitted, proving that he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
With stronger cultivation, his mind was also naturally more robust than that of a Qi Refining cultivator like Shen He. Thus, both in terms of spiritual recovery and the speed at which the illusions unfolded in his mind, he surpassed the boy.
Because of that, his steps were faster.
This also caught Aotian's attention, making him raise an eyebrow.
That was not the first Foundation Establishment cultivator to step onto the staircase. In fact, even a Golden Core cultivator had tried to climb it. But all of them, within just a few steps, had been expelled in the blink of an eye.
The Golden Core had not even passed the first stair, and was now in his cell, waiting to be dealt with.
Aotian was not surprised by these facts. People who managed to attain great power often developed distorted mentalities, as they were usually above everyone else from a young age, with high talent and abundant resources supporting them.
Thus, for them, it was common to step on others' heads and create the idea that they were kings, that they should be obeyed, and that everything belonged to them.
People like Jian Huiyin, with a heart just and straight as a sword, even while standing basically at the top of the food chain, were an extremely rare sight.
Therefore, seeing that old man, at such a high level for the continent, still possess a gentle and firm heart was surprising, making Aotian smile softly.
'We truly should not generalize,' he thought, amused and, in a way, relieved.
Soon, the old man stopped on the enormous stair that marked the end of the second judgment, and his eyes became clear once more as the illusion dissipated.
Shen He arrived shortly after, and the same happened to him.
Both remained standing there, motionless, their thoughts racing as they reflected on what they had experienced.
It did not take long for them to understand the purpose of the test, admiring the sect's foresight in the countless situations in which they had been put to the test.
There had been 333 different scenarios, testing their loyalty—not to an unknown sect, but to a sect to which, through the illusions, they were already loyal.
At the same time, the scenarios guided them to understand that the sect was not cold or heartless, but rather a place they could trust, and that what might be a great problem for them likely meant nothing to the sect.
If it had been another place trying to teach them this lesson, they might have scoffed. But the one doing so was the powerful, mysterious, and, in a way, trustworthy Infinite Dao Sect.
The result was that, in addition to the lesson, this test ended up unconsciously increasing their trust and loyalty toward a sect they had not even officially entered.
They had some awareness of this, but it did not diminish in the slightest the admiration they felt for the sect in their hearts.
Once again, they sat there, recovering from spiritual fatigue, to be in the best possible condition before continuing the ascent.
Slowly, more and more people arrived at that step, awakening from the illusions with equally impressed expressions.
This time, the recovery period was a bit longer than before, until the cultivators once again felt at their best.
Shen He opened his eyes, a glint passing through them as he felt his spirit completely restored.
He then rose to his feet and walked to where the next step began.
Raising his head, he saw a figure several steps above, advancing with difficulty at every step, as if an entire mountain were pressing down on him.
It was the old man who had overtaken him earlier.
Seeing the situation he was in up there, Shen He knew that the test this time would be different.
'Judgment of Will…'
He recalled the name of the next 333 steps.
After feeling prepared, he lifted his foot and stepped firmly onto the next step.
The instant he did so, an enormous pressure fell upon him, startling him and nearly making him lose his balance.
Steadying himself quickly, he took a deep breath and finished climbing the step.
After a few moments adapting to the pressure and understanding what this test consisted of, he composed himself.
Taking a deep breath, he took the next step, and the pressure increased once more.
With each step he climbed, the pressure grew continuously, and the higher he ascended, the more it felt as if an entire mountain were compressing his body.
On some steps, he had to stop, adapt to the pressure, and only then continue the ascent.
Watching more and more people climb those steps, Aotian, who observed everything from above, merely blinked, curious.
The Judgment of Will was the true watershed, based on the old trope of enduring immense pressure while climbing.
For Aotian, having a good heart was essential, but his manpower was limited, and accepting too many disciples would inevitably cause his administration and care for them to fall short.
After all, he didn't just need to provide resources to each member, but also instruction, in addition to expanding testing locations to accommodate everyone, such as the Hundred Thousand Beasts Tower. Thus, if he accepted disciples in excess, he would have to expand everything too much, risking not having sufficient resources or manpower for an undertaking of that magnitude.
Because of this, he decided to accept into the sect only good-hearted elites, while those who possessed a good heart but a not-so-strong will would be sent to the Infinite Dao Empire. There, they could demonstrate their talents and even be promoted, becoming full members of the sect in the future.
In this way, Aotian not only managed the sect better, but also cultivated talents within the Infinite Dao Empire.
As for the members who had already been accepted into the sect, they didn't have many problems with this test when they took it a month ago under the elders' encouragement.
This wasn't so surprising, considering they were recruited at a time when the sect was still an unknown, and, in a way, could be considered quite desperate and endowed with a firm will to venture into something so uncertain.
Of course, one couldn't rule out that the time spent within the sect had also further sharpened their wills.
While thinking about this, Aotian was suddenly roused by a voice beside him.
"Tian'er. How many members do you think we'll gain this time?"
It was his beautiful wife, asking as she curiously watched the people below.
Unable to resist the beautiful and gentle face before him, Aotian suddenly kissed her cheek, making her smile as she turned her lovely blue eyes toward him.
"Well, I'm not sure."
He shrugged, gently holding his wife's hand, and continued:
"In the Bamboo Sword Sect's domain, which was relatively peaceful under a ruler who was just, upright, and devoted to a pure path of the sword, we managed to recruit more than thirteen thousand disciples, even though the minimum requirement was high-quality roots."
"If we consider that this time the recruitment involves all twenty-six regions of the continent, and that the requirements for roots are much lower now, the number will be countless times greater."
"It would be even greater if we weren't limited by the transportation we can currently offer, having gathered only about one and a half billion people to participate."
"So, let's see. Hmm… I'd guess that one to two million should pass. Among them, only about a hundred thousand should actually enter the sect, with the rest going to the Empire. After all, the 999th step imposes pressure at the limit of what each individual challenger can endure. Without a strong will, it will be easy to be eliminated at that stage."
He explained his conclusions while scratching his chin, thoughtful.
But Rihai disagreed.
"Well, I think more people will pass all the tests," she declared, smiling at him.
"Oh! Your faith in humanity is that strong?" he teased, looking at her with curiosity.
"It's not that." She gently shook her head. "It's that the sect's reputation precedes it. And with the requirements of having a good heart being widely publicized, along with the sect's hatred of evil already having been proven, many who are aware of their own malice wouldn't dare come. So I think that, among these people, a larger number will pass, simply because much of the evil has already been filtered out even before the recruitment began."
Rihai explained, smiling.
Aotian blinked, surprised. He found what she said reasonable and nodded uncertainly.
Then his gaze lowered to all those struggling to climb the stairway, curiosity growing.
"Then, please…"
He murmured softly, not speaking to anyone in particular, as a smile spread across his face.
"…surprise me."