"Heart Inquiry Pass, open!"
As Zhang Cheng, the County Captain, let out a low cry, the Official Seal in his hand flared with brilliant golden light once more.
This time, the Law Net didn’t send down Spiritual Light. Instead, it emitted an invisible yet immense ripple that instantly swept across the entire Martial Arts Arena.
Chu Bai felt a BUZZ ring through his mind as the scene before his eyes instantly twisted and collapsed.
He had no time to react, no time even to use Breath Regulation to recover the mental energy he had expended during the Magic Technique Barrier. He simply plunged into a mysterious, profound state.
"Son, dinner’s ready!"
A familiar voice echoed in his ears.
Chu Bai’s eyes flew open. He found himself sitting at a large, round mahogany table laden with a feast of delicacies. The old hen he had once drooled over was now nothing more than an insignificant side dish.
His parents, dressed in fine silks, watched him with rosy-cheeked smiles. Little Manx and his younger brother were no longer sallow and emaciated. Instead, they were plump and fair-skinned, like the cherubic children depicted in good-fortune paintings.
"Dad? Mom?"
Chu Bai was in a daze.
"Silly child, what are you daydreaming about?" Li Qing said with a smile, placing a piece of venison on his plate. "This is the birthday banquet for Eldest Master Chu, the wealthiest man in Anping County. You’re the man of the hour, how can you be so absent-minded?"
"Eldest Master Chu? Me?"
Memories flooded in like a tidal wave.
Yes, he had been accepted into the Daoist School, but later found that Cultivation was too arduous and difficult, so he had turned to business instead. Relying on his clever tactics, he quickly became the wealthiest man in Anping.
「The scene changed.」
His once-caustic second aunt knelt before the gates of his estate, a mess of snot and tears, begging him for a bite to eat.
The scions of wealthy families who once looked down on him now bowed and scraped in his presence.
’This feeling... it’s amazing.’
To have no worries about food or clothing, to have his parents alive and well, to be admired by everyone.
’Isn’t this the life I once dreamed of?’
’Just stay here...’
A voice echoed from the depths of his heart. ’What’s so good about Cultivation? It’s just endless fighting and killing, and you still have to face those terrifying Demon Beasts. Here, you are a king. You are a god.’
Chu Bai’s gaze grew hazy. He raised the wine cup in his hand and then lowered it, as if he wanted to drown himself in this tender trap of wealth and luxury.
「The scene changed again.」
He was clad in a purple robe and golden crown, a subject who had risen to the apex of power.
At his command, countless Cultivators bowed in submission. His every word and deed decided the lives and deaths of tens of millions.
He was even surrounded by peerless beauties, their fragrant company a warm and gentle embrace.
The taste of power and the allure of beauty were like the most potent poisoned wine, eroding his will bit by bit.
’Is this the end?’
Chu Bai was adrift. He lingered in these intensely realistic Illusion Realms, his consciousness growing dimmer and dimmer. He was even beginning to forget who he was and what he had been doing.
Just as he was about to completely surrender, to close his eyes and enjoy it all...
HUMMM—
Deep within his mind, the line of text that had always existed in silence suddenly grew faintly hot.
*Non-stop Rushing, Unceasing Labor*
This phrase, like a clap of thunder, shattered the fog.
This part of his Fate Chart had not appeared from thin air. It was an affirmation of his countless days and nights spent sweating in the fields, burning the midnight oil at the academy, and cultivating tirelessly on the Sanmu Riverbank.
’Something’s wrong...’
Chu Bai’s hand trembled violently. The wine cup slipped from his grasp and shattered on the floor with a sharp CRACK.
’Why did I want to pursue Cultivation?’
’Was it for money? If so, being a Wealthy Training Partner in the Zhao Mansion would have been enough.’
’Was it for power? To earn the respect of my relatives? To make my second aunt kneel and beg for mercy?’
’No... those reasons are too petty.’
Chu Bai rose to his feet. He looked at the surrounding faces, which were slowly freezing in place, and his own gaze grew clearer and sharper by the second.
"My pursuit of Cultivation is not for fame or fortune, nor is it for eternal life."
"I just want... to move forward!"
He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the luxurious ceiling and look toward the endless sky beyond.
"I want to see what the view is like at Foundation Establishment, the realm beyond Qi Cultivation."
"I want to know what lies beyond the Celestial Court, high above our heads."
"I want to know where the ends of this world are, and where the Great Dao ultimately leads."
"As long as I haven’t stopped walking, as long as there is a path before me, I must keep going!"
That pure, unadulterated will to seek the Dao now burned fiercely in his chest.
"This wealth, this power—they are but fleeting clouds. Only the Dao is eternal, always moving forward!"
Chu Bai let out a low cry, his voice resonating like a great bell.
"Break!"
CRACK—
The vast mortal world before his eyes instantly shattered like a mirror, dissolving into countless motes of light.
「On the Martial Arts Arena.」
Chu Bai’s eyes snapped open. His gaze was as clear as water, as if washed clean of all worldly grime.
He glanced around and discovered that most of the other candidates still had their eyes closed. Some wore enraptured smiles, while others were pale with fear, drenched in cold sweat. All of them were clearly still trapped in the Illusion Realm, unable to extricate themselves.
Even Li Han and Wang Teng had their brows tightly furrowed, their bodies trembling slightly. They were obviously undergoing intense internal struggles.
Chu Bai looked up toward the high platform.
There, an incense stick used for timing had only burned down by a small fraction.
’So, a lifetime in the Illusion Realm is but a single moment in reality.’
Chu Bai took a deep breath. He felt his Divine Sense was more condensed than ever before, and his Dao Heart was incredibly clear. Although his Cultivation had not increased, he felt as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from him, and his entire being had ascended to a new level.
「On the high platform.」
The three examiners—Zhang Cheng, Li Wenyuan, and Zhao Wu—were currently staring at the first youth to awaken on the field as if they had just seen a ghost.
"He’s... awake already?" Zhao Wu swallowed hard. "How long has it been? Not even the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, has it?"
"The Heart Inquiry Pass involves no physical combat, but it is the most perilous trial. Countless prodigies of stunning talent have fallen to their Heart Demons," Li Wenyuan said, a strange light glinting in his eyes. "This boy not only woke up quickly, but his gaze is perfectly clear. He obviously saw through the illusion completely, rather than just forcing his way out."
"Such a firm Dao Heart is rare indeed."
As time went on, more candidates gradually awoke.
Some looked lost and bewildered, some were drenched in sweat, and some even broke down crying on the spot.
When the last wisp of the incense stick burned to ash, the Law Net dissipated.
The three trials of the examination were finally over.
Chu Bai stood amidst the crowd, feeling neither joy nor sorrow.
As the light of the Law Net slowly faded, the great gates of the Anping Examination Hall swung open once more.
The afterglow of the setting sun washed over the bluestone road, trimming the solemn Examination Hall in a layer of gold.
The candidates filed out. Some looked dazed, clearly not yet free from the lingering effects of the Illusion Realm; some wore happy expressions, feeling they had performed well; but even more of them were sighing, their faces filled with regret.
Chu Bai stood at the gate and took a deep breath of the slightly clamorous air from outside, feeling every pore in his body open up in relief.
"Brother Chu!"
A familiar voice called out.
Gu Qinghe strode over. Though his face was still a little pale, his eyes were exceptionally bright.
"Brother Gu." Chu Bai smiled and walked to meet him. They locked eyes, and each saw the same look of relief in the other’s gaze.
"It’s over," Gu Qinghe said with a long sigh, his voice a mixture of relief and trepidation for the unknown.
"Yeah. We’ve done our best; the rest is up to fate," Chu Bai said, patting him on the shoulder. "Come on, let’s go to the Drunken Immortal Inn. It’s my treat today. First, to unwind a bit, and second... to celebrate your breakthrough to Qi Cultivation!"
"Alright! Then I won’t stand on ceremony! I’ve been pinching pennies for months; my mouth has practically forgotten what flavor is!"
The two of them looked at each other and burst into laughter. With their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, they disappeared into the bustling crowd, just like two ordinary boys on their way home from school.

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