Lin Mo's advice, Ji Lingxue's enlightenment. The reward for a perfect clearance!

Inside the stone hall, there was a deathly silence.

The air seemed to solidify, freezing Ji Lingxue and Liu Fang firmly in place.

Their brains had completely stopped functioning due to the absurd and bizarre scene before their eyes.

That terrifying guard, whose aura had been monstrous not long ago, whose pressure had even climbed to the Peak Middle Stage of Nascent Soul, had now... actually fallen to the Spirit Sea Realm?

Moreover, judging by the fluctuating aura, it was unstable, as if even maintaining the Peak Spirit Sea Realm was a struggle, and it could drop another major Realm at any moment.

This was no longer just a weakening!

This was practically being cut to the main artery, transforming from a world-destroying behemoth into a harmless, gate-keeping dog!

How could this be so outrageous?!

Ji Lingxue's lips trembled slightly, her bloodless, pale face filled with extreme bewilderment and absurdity.

She exerted all her strength, and after a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out a few words from her throat.

"Spirit... Spirit Sea Realm?... How could this be...!"

Ji Lingxue stared blankly at the golden giant with its dispirited aura,

Then suddenly turned her head, fixing a complex gaze, unlike any she had shown before, on Lin Mo.

She didn't know what Lin Mo had done inside that light door.

She also couldn't comprehend why an outsider could have such a world-shattering impact on the Royal Bloodline's exclusive trial.

But this scene before her had already surpassed any explanation.

Lin Mo completely ignored the ghost-like expressions of the mistress and servant; he simply stood with his hands behind his back and calmly remarked,

"It seems this 'Myriad People's Interrogation' doesn't test Bloodline at all."

"Rather, it tests whether the Dao Heart, which bears the Karma of the Myriad People, is firm."

His words were profound and full of gravitas, causing Ji Lingxue, who was already on the verge of cognitive collapse, to feel her mind violently fluctuate once more.

Dao Heart?

Bearing the Karma of the Myriad People?

In reality, however, Lin Mo was thinking something else entirely.

What "Myriad People's Interrogation"? Wasn't it just a mental stress test?

A bunch of difficult questions from commoners to mess with your mindset, asking why you don't give them the best, asking why you're high and mighty, asking if you treat them as tools.

If your mindset collapsed, if you felt guilty, if you started to doubt yourself, you lost.

But the problem was, Brother Mo had been through the keyboard baptism of billions of netizens in his previous life.

What kind of scene hadn't he seen?

The childish interrogations in the illusion, in terms of aggression, weren't even as good as a junior high school student's trash talk in Great Xia.

With that, they hoped to disturb his Dao Heart?

Don't make Brother Mo laugh!

Lin Mo grumbled inwardly, but his tone shifted, and his calm gaze fell upon the dazed Ji Lingxue.

"Your Dao Heart is too chaotic."

"It is bound by the rise and fall of the Ancient Spirit Dynasty, hampered by your Royal Father's safety, and even more tangled by the ridiculous infighting of royal power."

"So when you entered and faced those interrogations, you only felt guilty, you only wavered, you only felt that your own incompetence led to everything."

"You lost from the very beginning."

"How can a person who is on the verge of losing herself bear the Karma of the Myriad People?"

Lin Mo's words were calm and indifferent, yet they were like an invisible heavy hammer, each word striking hard at Ji Lingxue's heart.

Her delicate body trembled violently, and her face, which had just regained a hint of color, instantly turned deathly pale again.

Yes... guilt, wavering, self-doubt.

Fellow Daoist Lin was absolutely right.

When the subjects in the illusion questioned her why she didn't eradicate Ji Wuya, she felt guilty, because she truly couldn't do it.

When they questioned her why she was so weak and failed the King's trust, she wavered, because she had asked herself that countless times.

When they attributed all the blame to her, she completely collapsed, because deep down, she also believed that she was the biggest sinner.

Lin Mo's words were like the sharpest blade, mercilessly dissecting all her pretenses,

Exposing the most vulnerable and shameful side of her heart, raw and bloody.

It shattered her last bit of pride as the Eldest Princess.

But it was precisely this cruel truth that allowed her to see a completely different light from that endless despair and self-reproach.

"And my Dao is..."

"Very simple."

Three ordinary words, yet they carried an indescribable firmness and purity, as if nothing in the world could shake them.

Ji Lingxue stared blankly at Lin Mo, at this man who had been calm and unperturbed ever since he appeared.

Whether facing the pressure of a Nascent Soul Great Power or the great disaster he had caused, he always maintained that composed demeanor.

So... this is the heart of a true strong person?

Unmoved by external things, unbound by Karma, existing only for the true self.

At this moment, a sudden realization dawned in Ji Lingxue's heart,

All the previous confusion, shame, grievance, and self-reproach now transformed into a deep sense of reverence and conviction.

She understood that Lin Mo was guiding her!

Watching Ji Lingxue, who was lost in thought and enlightenment, Lin Mo nodded in satisfaction.

A teachable student indeed.

This twin-tailed Eldest Princess was not the kind of haughty woman with big breasts and no brains after all.

She was quite receptive to advice.

He then looked at the golden giant, whose aura had completely stabilized at the Peak Spirit Sea Realm and stood motionless, and chuckled, "It seems it's not so sturdy now."

But just as his words fell, Liu Fang suddenly let out a startled cry, "Your Highness, be careful!"

Because the golden giant, which had been standing still, moved after its aura plummeted to rock bottom!

Its huge body began to move slowly, and with each step, the entire stone hall trembled.

Liu Fang instinctively shielded Ji Lingxue, her spiritual power circulating wildly as she assumed a defensive stance, and anxiously shouted, "Fellow Daoist Lin, I'll deal with it!"

Although the opponent had fallen to the Peak Spirit Sea Realm, who knew if this guard had any other anomalies.

So, to be safe, Liu Fang remained very vigilant and prepared to go all out!

"No need."

Lin Mo raised his hand to stop her.

Because he clearly felt that there was not the slightest intention of attack from this guard Puppet.

Instead, it exuded a... completely different emotion.

The next moment.

Under the horrified gazes of Ji Lingxue and Liu Fang, the ten-zhang-tall golden giant, with heavy steps, slowly walked to Lin Mo's front, step by step.

Then.

Its massive and robust body slowly bent its knees.

Boom!!!

With a deafening roar, the entire stone hall began to shake violently, and dust rose everywhere.

It knelt on one knee!

It knelt right in front of Lin Mo!

Its enormous head also bowed deeply, adopting a posture of submission.

Time stood still at this moment.

Liu Fang was completely stunned; her mouth agape, she stared blankly at the incredible scene before her,

Feeling her worldview being repeatedly crushed and then forcibly reassembled today.

This... this is...!

"It submitted?!"

She uttered these three words with a trembling, distorted voice.

A terrifying guard left by an Ancient Imperial Dynasty, one that even a Nascent Soul Great Power would dread, actually... knelt before Fellow Daoist Lin?!

Ji Lingxue was equally shocked by this scene, her mind in disarray.

She looked at the colossal figure kneeling on one knee, then at the composed and serene figure, who calmly accepted it all.

An emotion called "admiration" surged in her heart for the first time, growing wildly.

Lin Mo, however, merely gazed calmly at the inexplicably submissive Puppet, a look of understanding on his face.

So that's how it is.

This "Myriad People's Interrogation" was not just a trial, but also to select a truly qualified "Lord" to bear the Karma of the Imperial Dynasty for this guard.

Ji Lingxue failed, even repeatedly, thus triggering punishment.

And his method of passing, by directly silencing the "examiner," was clearly perfect among the perfect, directly triggering the highest-level reward mechanism.

Therefore, this guard accepted him as its Lord.

As the golden giant lowered its massive head, it slowly raised both hands, lifting the giant axe, as large as a door panel and exuding a terrifying aura, high up in a gesture of offering.

Lin Mo was slightly taken aback by this sight, then reached out and beckoned.

Buzz!

The countless profound runes on the giant axe suddenly lit up, and the massive axe body began to shrink at a visible speed, its contained violent power rapidly retracting.

Finally, it transformed into a simple, ancient-looking key, only palm-sized and flowing with a golden halo, which lightly flew into Lin Mo's hand.