Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Into Battle

The third trial questioned the Dao heart. Once Fang Du Nian cast his spell and sent the cultivators into meditation, the best result went to whoever broke through their mental barrier first and woke.

In Fang Du Nian’s hand was the Mirage Pearl, a treasure so rare it was nearly legendary. Only in the endless sands of Western Domain could a Mirage Clam be found, and even then it took 1,000 years to form a single pearl. It could project illusions directly into the heart and was often used to temper the mind.

No one outside could see what was happening. On the platform, those seated cultivators suddenly felt their minds grow heavy—while their bodies became light as clouds. They rose as if drifting and found themselves in a blazing, radiant world. Because every person’s karmic ties were different, that world reshaped itself into different scenes in every heart.

Some, within the illusion, finally repaid oceans of blood-debt; lifelong knots unraveled, and they could not tell whether to feel joy or grief.

Some ascended and wandered carefree, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Others sank into endless greed, anger, and delusion, trapped and unable to break free.

A few soft sounds of surprise rose from the crowd—mostly disciples who had never witnessed this before. The elders remained perfectly calm, showing not a shred of astonishment.

The first person to clear the third trial was not one of the earlier standouts.

On the contrary, he had been unremarkable, buried among the 200 for most of the day.

When he realized he had taken first, he looked genuinely stunned. After forcing himself to calm down, he summoned a Mist Skiff and returned to his seat.

He was from a minor sect. For him, it was an unexpected blessing. Other disciples congratulated him repeatedly, but he did not grow arrogant.

His elder nodded and warned him quietly, “Of the Three Trials, this one cares least about cultivation. It’s meant to temper the heart in the mortal world. We have fewer entanglements than disciples of major sects, so we can sometimes stand out.

“Taking first is good, but don’t let it make you proud. You still must cultivate diligently.”

The disciple clasped his hands and agreed, his mind already clear.

The elder was pleased. With such a Dao heart, and if he continued without slackening, he might truly become a great talent.

After that, several more cleared the trial—mostly people with no reputation. Only at 19th did a Windsea Tower disciple awaken. Liu Xuan awoke at 32nd. Combined with her earlier results, she was still among the best.

The Chi Shou Sect disciple struggled and broke free at 68th, his gaze dazed when he returned to himself.

The two Rong Qing Mountain disciples fared poorly: one placed in the 90s, and the other beyond 100. Their elder could only sigh, helpless.

Once the 200 Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators finished all Three Trials, their results were recorded—but the final rankings were not announced immediately. They would only be released after every Foundation Establishment Stage group completed the trials.

Each round took a long time. Those at Foundation Establishment Stage and above had long since learned to go without food. But the Qi Refining Stage disciples suffered and had to rely on Fasting Pills to stave off hunger and exhaustion.

No one knew what high-grade artifact the Zhi Yue Sect used to cover the entire Tun Qi Pool grounds, but it made day and night indistinguishable, as if the world were locked in perpetual morning.

After several more rounds, Du Fan Zhi’s results came in: 9th in the first trial, 18th in the second, and 85th in the third. Li Shu was satisfied. With Liu Xuan’s brilliance before him, Du Fan Zhi did not look as dazzling as he might have, but those results still brought honor to the Ling Zhen Sect.

Jiang Yun’s performance was even stronger: 4th in the first trial, 7th in the second, and 31st in the third.

Unlike Liu Xuan and Du Fan Zhi, he had climbed step by step from the Outer Sect. Sword-obsessed and single-minded, he had earned today’s glory through nothing but relentless effort.

The three Essence Condensation Stage elders present were delighted. To gain a disciple like that was a true fortune for the sect.

Among the Ling Zhen Sect’s ten Foundation Establishment Stage disciples, three were comparable to the top disciples of the three great sects. The other seven far surpassed the level of minor-sect disciples. It was nothing like last time. Other sects could only sigh—this long-declining sect had actually shown signs of revival.

No wonder people looked twice.

A sect could fall from glory to ruin easily. Rising again was as hard as climbing to heaven.

Cultivators longed for major sects and flocked to grotto-heavens and blessed lands. Over time, the great sects became ever more entrenched, hoarding resources without end. Only when a great sect declined and crumbled—when resources were forced to flow outward again—could others find an opening to rise.

There was only one other kind of exception: the birth of an unparalleled genius. If such a genius survived and grew, they could suppress generations of cultivators, and their sect would rise with them.

The Zhi Yue Sect was a perfect example.

Back when the Ling Zhen Sect still led the Southern Domain, the Zhi Yue Sect barely ranked within the top ten. Then heaven favored them and produced a peerless genius—so powerful he could sweep through Heng Yun itself and make all four domains bow. After he was guided away to the Upper Realm, the blessings he left behind continued to nourish the Zhi Yue Sect for 1,000 years, all the way to the present.

A genius was sheltered by the sect; once grown, their fortune fed back into it.

After the Ling Zhen Sect’s twelve Profound Division Stage experts all departed for the Upper Realm, the Zhi Yue Sect rose again and again, seizing the seat of leadership.

Now, with heroes rising in every direction, one of the two most dazzling figures still belonged to the Zhi Yue Sect—as if the Heavenly Dao itself favored them.

Li Shu never expected the Ling Zhen Sect to reclaim its former glory in a single generation. Still, he was more than satisfied with this Hundred Sects Assembly. Only through generations of careful work could they ever glimpse the old splendor again.

In the end, the three great sects shone brightest.

Xie Yan Shu of the Zhi Yue Sect, Ning Fu of Rong Qing Mountain, and Sheng Xue Ting of Windsea Tower—each the foremost among their sect’s ten best Foundation Establishment Stage disciples—stood above the rest. In their respective groups, each of them took first place in two of the trials, and their results in the Dao heart trial were excellent as well.

Even the other Foundation Establishment Stage disciples of those sects showed the poise and ability of true geniuses.

That alone proved the depth of a great sect’s foundation.

Elders from the three great sects and the Dan Cheng Sect judged together and finalized the top 100. Those 100 received entry into the Fortune-Seizing Battle to contend for additional fortune.

Xie Yan Shu claimed first without dispute. Ning Fu and Sheng Xue Ting took second and third.

The top 20 were mostly disciples of the three great sects—but Liu Xuan ranked 12th, and Jiang Yun ranked 19th. For a time, the Ling Zhen Sect basked in rare glory.

Du Fan Zhi did not enter the top 20, but he still placed 48th. Li Shu nodded with a pleased smile.

Even better, another Foundation Establishment Stage disciple—Huang Li—landed exactly at 100th, slipping into the Fortune-Seizing Battle roster at the last moment.

Four out of ten made it.

For the Ling Zhen Sect, this year’s results were far beyond anything in the past. Among the hundred sects, they could be counted among the best—likely within the top ten—showing the first faint hint of their former stature.