The aura around Song Changsheng suddenly turned chaotic. Zhan Tianxia lifted his eyes and glanced over, frowning slightly, though he made no further move.
"Looks like another one's about to be eliminated. I wonder which family's junior it is," Dai Zichen commented blandly, keeping a close watch on the performance of the Golden Crow Sect disciples within the formation after noticing the fluctuations around Song Changsheng.
Although the Heart-Questioning Formation was meant to temper one's state of mind, the length of time one could endure also served as an indirect reflection of a person's aptitude.
Everyone present was either from a major sect or the direct disciple of a Purple Mansion cultivator. With only a few exceptions, all possessed exceptional talent and had generally managed to overcome the first layer of illusion.
But once the second layer began, the realism and psychological pull of the illusion increased dramatically. If the first layer was nine parts false and one part true, the second layer was practically half real and half illusion. So far, five or six participants had already been forced out.
Dai Zichen observed for a while and, aside from Xia Qingxue, found no one particularly outstanding among the disciples, even those from the Heavenly Vein Sect were merely average in talent.
Of course, that didn't mean Heavenly Vein Sect was inferior to the Golden Crow Sect. Every major power had a few hidden geniuses that never saw the light of day. Even the Song Clan had Song Qingxing in addition to Song Changsheng.
Old sects like Heavenly Vein Sect always held more cards than they revealed. What you saw was only what they wanted you to see; believe otherwise, and you're the fool.
Bai Laogui was also watching the formation, but unlike Dai Zichen, all his attention was on the Golden Crow Sect disciple named Xia Qingxue.
According to Heavenly Vein Sect's intelligence division, it was as if she had materialized out of thin air.
Ten years ago, at the age of ten, she first appeared within the Golden Crow Sect and demonstrated extraordinary talent, immediately being accepted as the personal disciple of a Golden Core elder.
Naturally, Heavenly Vein Sect, as Golden Crow's long-time rival, paid her close attention. After all, anyone qualified to become the direct disciple of a Golden Core cultivator was unlikely to fall short of reaching the Purple Mansion realm. Thus, Heavenly Vein Sect activated its intelligence network to uncover everything about her.
But no matter what methods they used, they couldn't dig up even the slightest information. Instead, several operatives vanished in the process.
Over the past decade, intel about her remained scarce. Her aptitude, spiritual roots, cultivation techniques, and combat style were all complete mysteries, leaving Heavenly Vein Sect's intelligence division utterly humiliated.
The more the Golden Crow Sect tried to conceal, the more determined the Heavenly Vein Sect became to uncover the truth. When word got out that Xia Qingxue would be leaving the mountain this time, Bai Laogui was dispatched to probe her background.
So far, she had proven to be extraordinarily talented, possibly even possessing a Heavenly Spiritual Root or some unique constitution, but nothing definitive could be discerned.
"If only I could find a way to make her reveal her true strength,"
Bai Laogui thought, squinting.
But when he glanced at Dai Zichen, who hovered around her like a shadow, the thought was quickly dismissed. That guy never gave him a single opening.
"If all else fails… We'll have to go with Plan B."
A cold glint flashed in Bai Laogui's eyes as he looked toward Xia Qingxue.
...
Inside the illusion, Song Changsheng's raised fist trembled as he stared at his father's murderer. A voice echoed relentlessly in his mind:
"Don't resist. Otherwise, he'll kill you too. You finally got a second chance at life, are you going to throw it away?"
"He killed my father. This hatred is irreconcilable!"
Song Changsheng's eyes were blood-red as he growled.
But the voice quickly responded:
"He's not your father. You are Chen Feng. Song Changsheng is just a name in this life. Your real parents are back on Blue Star. Don't you want to return to them?"
With a deafening crash, his mind went blank.
Chen Feng hadn't heard that name in more than twenty years. It was his name in a past life.
Back on Blue Star, his greatest wish had been to find his biological parents. Even after arriving in this world, a large part of his motivation to cultivate came from that very desire.
He wanted to become strong enough to return to his homeland.
Now, Song Changsheng wavered. His raised arm slowly lowered, and his clenched fist gradually loosened.
"That's right… Just like that. You need to survive.
Song Luyan was just an irrelevant figure.
Focus on cultivating and return to the world you've longed for."
A seductive voice echoed in Song Changsheng's ears, gradually shaking his Dao Heart.
Just then, an intense wave of bitterness surged from under his tongue straight up to his head. It felt like he had swallowed an entire bowl of bile. The overwhelming bitterness jolted him violently, snapping his mind back into brief clarity.
"Chen Feng, stop your defiance. Kneel before him, kiss his shoes, and beg for forgiveness."
The coaxing voice murmured again within his mind.
"Forgive your ass!"
Song Changsheng's eyes snapped open, blazing with fury. Without hesitation, he swung his fist directly into the strange, demonic old man's face, knocking him to the ground.
In a flash, Song Changsheng lunged forward, straddled the man, and began raining down blows like a thunderstorm. He shouted through gritted teeth:
"My name is Song Changsheng. Chen Feng died twenty-five years ago!
This hatred for my father's murderer is irreconcilable
whether in illusion or reality!"
As the eerie old man was beaten to death under Song Changsheng's fists, the scenery around him began to dissolve and change, and his consciousness slipped into a new illusion…
...
"Huh… that brat's aura stabilized again.
He even broke through the second illusion and entered the third.
Looks like I misjudged him."
Dai Zichen was surprised this young man, whom he had mentally written off long ago, had turned out to be a dark horse.
Of the original participants, only twenty-two remained in the formation. Most were still trapped in the second layer of illusion. Only two people had advanced to the third stage: Xia Qingxue and Song Changsheng, which meant that Song Changsheng's aptitude was second only to hers.
This drew Dai Zichen's attention.
Zhan Tianxia was also watching him. Just moments earlier, Song Changsheng had been on the verge of collapse; he had even been preparing to pull himself out of the formation. But unexpectedly, the boy had regained control at the final moment.
"Not bad at all,"
was Zhan Tianxia's internal assessment.
"This kid's talent is exceptional.
Breaking through two illusion layers means his state of mind has reached late Foundation Establishment.
If he can withstand the third, the road to Purple Mansion will be smooth."
thought Bai Laogui, a flicker of scheming crossing his eyes.
...
Time flew by.
Only five participants remained within the Heart-Questioning Formation. The others had all been eliminated. Most failed in the second illusion, and only a few made it to the third before being forced out.
Anyone who broke through the second illusion had effectively raised their mental realm by two small levels. Since most of the participants were in the early to mid stages of Foundation Establishment, that kind of progress was a major gain.
So, failing the third illusion wasn't necessarily a sign of poor talent; it was just that the gap between Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion was enormous.
Unfair as it may seem to mid-stage cultivators, they weren't the ones who set the rules.
Among the remaining five, four were early-stage Foundation Establishment, and only one was at mid-stage. Ironically, that person now had the lowest chance of enduring, because the illusion he faced was meant for Purple Mansion cultivators.
Since the creation of the Heart-Questioning Formation, no Foundation Establishment cultivator had ever achieved the mental realm of Purple Mansion, as the gap was just too vast.
Without the aid of external tools, a Foundation cultivator might lose to someone at the Qi Refinement stage…
But a Purple Mansion cultivator would never lose to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Take Song Xianming, for example: when he defeated a Purple Mansion opponent, it was thanks to third-tier formations, third-tier talismans, and the combined support of all the family's Foundation Establishment cultivators.
If it had been a one-on-one… even three of them wouldn't have been enough.
Still, illusion depth wasn't the deciding factor here; endurance was.
Whoever lasted the longest would win.
As long as one's Dao Heart remained stable, victory was within reach.
But the third illusion was no joke.
The first had been nine parts illusion, one part truth.
The second was half and half.
The third… was far more bizarre and disturbing.
...
Who knew how much time had passed, but just as Song Changsheng's Dao Heart was on the verge of collapse, he managed to hold out and survive the third illusion until Zhan Tianxia finally pulled him out.
Song Changsheng slowly opened his heavy eyelids, licking his parched lips. A deep, bitter taste shot through his soul. He recognized it immediately: the taste of Kuxin Vine juice.
"Good thing I was prepared… I nearly lost myself in that illusion."
He muttered softly, silently proud of his foresight.
Looking around, he saw that he was now the only person left within the Heart-Questioning Formation. The others had all been moved outside, and their auras were visibly weakened.
It was clear to him that their Dao Hearts had suffered damage; those people would need ten days to half a month of rest to recover.
"Can't believe you were the last one standing."
A deep, booming voice suddenly rang in his ears.
Song Changsheng frowned slightly and turned to see Zhan Tianxia standing beside him with arms crossed, watching him with interest.
Song Changsheng stood up and calmly replied,
"Apologies…
Sorry to disappoint you."
"Heh, kid, I'll admit you surprised me a little. But don't get too cocky you still won't escape my grasp."
Zhan Tianxia tossed a porcelain vial into Song Changsheng's arms. After putting away the formation flags, he turned and left the hall.
Dai Zichen and Bai Laogui exchanged a glance; both could see the surprise in the other's eyes.
"So that's why Zhan Tianxia changed the rules at the last minute? Because of this kid? What's so special about him?"
Bai Laogui's eyes turned thoughtfully. He walked up to Song Changsheng and asked,
"Young friend, may I ask under which elder's tutelage you've studied?"
Song Changsheng didn't dare to be impolite and respectfully replied:
"Junior is from the Wangyue Song Clan."
"The Wangyue Song Clan? I didn't expect such a talent to emerge from that family in this generation."
Bai Laogui stroked his beard and offered a tempting proposal:
"Would you be interested in joining my Heavenly Vein Sect? With your talent, you'd surely become the direct disciple of one of our Purple Mansion Elders.
You might even catch the eye of our Grand Elder. What do you say, would you consider it?"
Song Changsheng's heart skipped a beat. This was a Golden Core sect. With his aptitude, once admitted, his cultivation path would be smooth sailing, and forming a Golden Core might no longer be a dream.
Still, he suppressed the temptation and responded with a tactful refusal:
"Senior, this is a major decision. I would need to seek counsel from my clan elders first."
Bai Laogui sighed slightly and said:
"Very well. The doors of Heavenly Vein Sect will always be open to you."
Seeing this, Dai Zichen quickly added:
"The same goes for my Golden Crow Sect."
Being courted by two Golden Core sects at once left Song Changsheng feeling both flattered and overwhelmed. He was tempted to choose one on the spot, but the deep bond with his clan ultimately restrained him.
Holding the jade bottle containing the Azure Sky White Jade Pill, Song Changsheng felt an urgent desire to return home and deliver the pill to his grandfather as soon as possible.
He moved quickly through the crowd, but just as he was about to step across the threshold, he suddenly stopped.
"Fair to say Fellow Daoist Zhuang likely went to seek help on my behalf. No matter what, I should wait for her return and thank her properly."
With that thought, he retracted the leg he had stepped out with and returned to his original seat, sitting cross-legged to meditate while he waited.
But as soon as he sat down, he noticed something was wrong.
At some point, a greasy-looking fat man had appeared beside him.
This was the same man who had previously tried to swap seats with him. After Zhuang Yuechan had left, this guy had chased after her, too. So why was he back now, looking all weak and weary?
Once doubt crept into his mind, it was like a floodgate had burst. Song Changsheng couldn't stop thinking about it. He scanned his surroundings. Everything looked the same, but something still felt off.
Then, like a flash of lightning, realization struck him: Zhan Tianxia's attitude and tone.
A powerhouse of Zhan Tianxia's fame would act openly and boldly, even when making things difficult. Why would he speak so strangely to Song Changsheng?
"And… wasn't I awakened by Zhan Tianxia? That breaks the rules!"
The thought hit him like a hammer.
"This is still an illusion, I'm still in the illusion!"
Song Changsheng's eyes widened with clarity.
Without hesitation, he threw the jade bottle to the ground. As it shattered, the surrounding environment began to distort violently, and his consciousness once again blurred…
...
"That kid broke through the third illusion?"
Dai Zichen nearly bit his tongue in disbelief. Right now, only two people remained in the Heart-Questioning Formation: Xia Qingxue and Song Changsheng, but Xia Qingxue still hadn't broken the third illusion.
"No big deal… no big deal,"
Dai Zichen tried to reassure himself.
"The trial is about endurance. Even if you break through the illusion, if you wake up too early, you still lose."
He couldn't help feeling anxious. Xia Qingxue was the personal disciple of his sect's Grand Elder. If she lost to some no-name nobody, it would be a blow to the sect's prestige.
Time continued to pass rapidly.
About a quarter-hour later, Xia Qingxue's aura, which had remained steady until now, suddenly began to show signs of violent disturbance, and once again, Dai Zichen's heart tightened.
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