280: The second test

Inside the light barrier in front of the wooden house, within the strange space.

Yao Delong sat cross-legged on the nine hundred and ninety-ninth bluestone step, his aura condensed and steady.

The intense Divine Soul pain and exhaustion brought by seven days of climbing the Heart-Knocking Road,

had completely faded away under the nourishment of that cool, refreshing power.

In its place was a clarity and strength he had never felt before!

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the projection of the silent, pitch-black Heart Sword,

also seemed to become more solid, and the faint glow flowing along the blade was deeper and more restrained.

"Hoo..."

He slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, opened his eyes, and a flash of sharp light quickly disappeared from his pupils. His spirit was complete and his Qi full.

"Hmph, taking your sweet time, are you recovered now?"

The Green-Haired Girl's lazy and slightly disdainful voice sounded at the appropriate moment.

She had returned to the rattan chair at some point, swinging her little legs, her emerald eyes glancing sideways at Yao Delong.

"Thank you, Senior, for the protection. Junior is fine now."

Yao Delong stood up and bowed respectfully to the girl.

"Cut the formalities."

The girl waved her small hand, but a rare look of seriousness appeared on her small face.

"For the first test, 'Heart-Knocking,' you barely passed. Next up is the second test."

She paused, a strange light flashing in her emerald eyes, and the corner of her mouth curved into a playful arc:

"For a brat like you, this second test is a massive Opportunity! It just depends on whether you can grasp it!"

"Opportunity?" Yao Delong's heart stirred.

"That's right!" The girl flipped her small hand and gently grasped towards the Void Realm!

Buzz—!

The entire Silent Spirit Realm seemed to tremble slightly!

The dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around the wooden house seemed to respond to an invisible summons,

and madly converged toward the girl's small palm!

It wasn't just Spiritual Qi; a mysterious and profound strange power, seemingly originating from the Origin of the Heavenly Dao Law, was also drawn out!

In an instant, a massive, slowly rotating Spiritual Qi vortex formed with the girl at its center!

At the center of the vortex, countless silver runes visible to the naked eye pulsed and flashed,

emitting a heart-palpitating aura that pointed directly to the Origin of the Soul!

"This... what is this?!"

On the grass far away, Luo Tianying, who had been staring intently at this side,

suddenly stood up, her blood-red pupils contracting sharply as she cried out in shock:

"Heart Demon Tribulation?! Drawing upon the Heavenly Dao Law to condense Heart Demon Tribulation clouds?! Is he... is he about to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm?!"

A tumultuous storm raged in Luo Tianying's heart!

She saw clearly that what the Green-Haired Girl had summoned,

was precisely the Heavenly Dao trial that Cultivators must undergo when Breaking through from Golden Core to Nascent Soul—the Heart Demon Tribulation!

But Yao Delong's aura clearly showed no signs of a Breakthrough fluctuation,

and his Golden Core... Luo Tianying recalled the girl's previous assessment; that was not a normal Golden Core at all!

The difficulty of Breaking the Core to form a Nascent Soul was probably hundreds or thousands of times greater than that of an ordinary Cultivator!

That Artifact Spirit could actually forcibly summon the Heart Demon Tribulation? This method was simply Heaven-Defying!

What made Luo Tianying even more wildly jealous was that once this Heart Demon Tribulation was passed,

it would not only mean a Realm Breakthrough, but also a qualitative leap in Divine Soul, Nascent Soul, and Comprehension of the Heavenly Dao Law!

Especially for a freak with such a formidable Foundation like Yao Delong, once he achieved Nascent Soul... Luo Tianying dared not imagine!

The greed in her eyes intensified as she stared fixedly at the center of the vortex, wishing that Opportunity belonged to her!

Inside the Secret Realm, Yao Delong was completely unaware of Luo Tianying's shock and greed.

He only felt an irresistible, mysterious and unfathomable power descend instantly, locking firmly onto him!

"Senior, this is..."

Just as Yao Delong was about to ask, the scene before his eyes suddenly twisted and changed!

There was no heavenly lightning or earthly fire as expected, nor were there any ferocious Heart Demon Illusions.

It was as if he had merely spaced out for a moment, and his consciousness sank into a piece of warm, familiar, yet strangely discordant "memory."

The Yin Yang Sect's mountain gate was majestic, wreathed in Immortal Qi.

"Heaven blesses our Yin Yang Sect! This child's Spiritual Power Affinity actually reached ten points!

Furthermore, he possesses the Pure Yang Body, rarely seen in a thousand years! This truly signals the great prosperity of our Sect!"

Sect Head White Cloud Master, with white hair and beard and an air of immortal grace,

watched the ten dazzling pillars of light on the Spirit Testing Plate, his voice trembling with excitement.

Below, a boy of about seven or eight, delicate and fair, stood innocently.

His eyes were clear, carrying a precociousness far beyond his peers. This was Yao Delong in his youth.

Unlike the Trash in reality whose Spiritual Power Affinity was only 2, the current him was a true Prodigy!

"This child shall be my White Cloud Master's Final Disciple!"

The Sect Head made the final decision, personally leading the innocent Yao Delong onto the high platform to accept the attention and envy of the masses.

The scene shifted.

Yao Delong's growth trajectory in the Yin Yang Sect was completely opposite to reality.

His innate talent was outstanding, and his Comprehension Ability astonishing. Any Cultivation Technique or Secret Art he learned, he mastered instantly.

Resources? The Sect's best Medicinal Pills, most top-tier Cultivation Techniques,

and most powerful protective Magic Treasures were continuously showered upon him.

He was like the stars surrounding the moon, achieving Foundation Establishment at a young age, and subsequently advancing with unstoppable momentum.

At the age of twenty, he condensed a Nine-Pattern Golden Core that was supremely Yang, supremely firm, and perfectly flawless!

Shining brightly, he suppressed all Prodigies of his generation, becoming the undisputed head of the Yin Yang Sect's core True Inheritances!

Everyone in the Sect placed great hopes on him, viewing him as a future pillar supporting the heavens.

And in this "memory," there was also a figure as cold as the moon yet deeply caring for him—Leng Yuekui.

Both in reality and in this illusion, Leng Yuekui dedicated all her effort to him.

From careful guidance in childhood, to acting as Protector during Foundation Establishment, and then providing full assistance when condensing his Golden Core... her cold face only showed a gentle smile when she was with him.

She was his most solid backing and warmest harbor on his Cultivation path.

As Yao Delong's cultivation deepened and his fame spread far and wide,

the ambiguous yet profound affection between him and Leng Yuekui, which was part teacher and part friend, naturally blossomed.

On a night when the moonlight was like water, in the Yin Yang Sect's back mountain Forbidden Ground,

beneath a sky full of falling flowers, Yao Delong took Leng Yuekui's slightly cool hand.

"Yue Kui," the young Yao Delong said, his eyes blazing and his voice carrying undeniable determination,

"In this life, I, Yao Delong, will certainly never fail you!"

Two patches of red rose on Leng Yuekui's cool face,

her eyes glistening, and she nodded gently, snuggling into his embrace.

At that moment, the world seemed to lose its color, leaving only the two figures embracing.

Power, status, strength, beauty... all the wonderful things one could dream of on the Cultivation path,

were within Yao Delong's easy reach in this Heart Demon Illusion.

He stood on the clouds, looking down on all living beings, full of youthful vigor. Within the Sect, he was the future Sect Leader Successor;

his word was Law. In the Cultivation World, he was a rising peerless new star, admired by all;

In love, he had become Dao Companion with the devastatingly beautiful Leng Yuekui, a divine couple that made others green with envy.

There was no struggle, no humiliation, and none of that damned,

2-point Spiritual Power Affinity. Everything was as perfect as the most magnificent dream.

Yao Delong's consciousness, amidst this extreme beauty and satisfaction,

gradually sank... A happy and contented smile unconsciously curled up at the corners of his mouth,

as if he had forgotten everything outside, forgotten his true self,

and forgotten the trial still awaiting him on the Heart-Knocking Road.

Outside the Secret Realm, the Green-Haired Girl looked at the indulgent,

happy smile on Yao Delong's face inside the light barrier, pouting slightly and muttering under her breath:

"Pure Yang Body matched with an Ice Mountain Beauty? Hmph, this Heart Demon Tribulation certainly knows how to cater to preferences... Kid,

dreams are nice, but don't actually sleep forever! The real trial only begins now..."