74: Chapter 74 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (Twenty-Two)

The previously noisy plaza fell into absolute silence, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Over a thousand prospective disciples held their breath in unison, abruptly raising their heads as their gazes converged on the high platform at the front of the plaza.

Three elders, clad in black robes embroidered with the Great Sun golden emblem, walked slowly onto the platform.

These were the three elders responsible for the recruitment.

Elder Zhang, in charge of Canglan State; Elder Li, in charge of Qingyan Province; and Elder Wang, in charge of Diming Province.

After Elder Li and Elder Wang stepped onto the platform, they stood with their hands at their sides on either side of the stage, acting only as observers.

Only Elder Zhang walked slowly to the main seat on the platform, stood still, looked solemn, and spoke slowly.

Though he did not use any external aids, his deep, calm voice was clear in every word, instantly spreading to every corner of the Trial Plaza:

"I am Zhang Linyuan, the head elder in charge of this three-state recruitment for the Great Sun Holy Land. I will preside over this entrance trial from start to finish."

After a brief pause, his gaze swept calmly over the thousand young faces below the stage, and he continued:

"Since you have stepped into our Great Sun Holy Land, you should know.

Our Holy Land has passed through nine generations of Holy Lords, suppressed the demon race of the Eastern Region, stabilized the mountains and rivers of the three states, and stands firm upon supreme martial dao.

We have stood firmly at the head of the Tianwu Dynasty, with an unbroken heritage and undiminished prestige for over three thousand years.

You have fought your way out from millions of age-appropriate children across the three states to stand on this trial plaza, making you already the cream of the crop among your peers.

Your bone structure and comprehension are both extraordinary."

Speaking to this point, his tone sank slightly, and the subject shifted:

"However, the path of martial dao is never something that can be walked by talent alone.

This path is like rowing a boat against the current; if you do not advance, you will retreat. The core lies in one word: 'strive'!

Strive for opportunity, strive for destiny, strive for that singular chance at a breakthrough, strive for the heaven-reaching path to the pinnacle of martial dao!

Without the sharp edge to dare to strive and venture, without the resilience to endure repeated setbacks, no matter how good your talent is, it will ultimately be like a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water—difficult to achieve anything great.

All the treatment, resources, and even all verbal and written promises made to you during the talent tests in each state are suspended from the moment you stepped into this trial plaza.

Your future identity, status, resources, and treatment in our Great Sun Holy Land will all depend on the final results of today's trial. There will be no room for sentimentality, and there are no shortcuts to take."

As his voice fell, a suppressed uproar broke out under the stage. Countless disciples' expressions changed slightly, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Elder Zhang did not care at all. He raised his hand and pressed it down, and an invisible pressure descended, instantly restoring dead silence to the entire venue.

He continued:

"To enter our Holy Land's gates, first clarify your heart, then temper your body, and finally prove your dao. The first stage of the trial is heart-questioning."

He raised his hand towards the depths of the Holy Land and said loudly: "Summon the heart-questioning mirror!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a clear, crystalline white light broke through the air from the mountains of the Holy Land, descending to the center of the plaza in an instant.

As the white light dissipated, an ancient bronze mirror as tall as a person stood on the spot.

The mirror's surface was as smooth as water, and its edges were engraved with complex patterns. It showed no power, yet it possessed a sense of piercing through the human heart.

Elder Zhang's voice sounded again, every word clear:

"This is the holy artifact inherited by our Holy Land. It can draw upon the brilliance of the Great Sun to illuminate the soul and burn away all evil.

Under the mirror's light, anyone who harbors malice or evil intentions toward our Great Sun Holy Land will have nowhere to hide.

I will give you all one last chance. Anyone who believes they have improper motives and does not wish to pass before the mirror may turn around and withdraw from the trial right now.

The sect will let bygones be bygones, will not pursue accountability, and will certainly not harm you in the slightest.

Once you step before the mirror and the mirror's light falls, there will be no turning back."

When his voice fell, the whole place was dead silent.

Over a thousand disciples looked at each other, but no one stepped out to withdraw.

However, in the crowd, several disciples clenched their hands at their sides, their fingertips turning white, with a flash of imperceptible panic and viciousness in the depths of their eyes.

Elder Zhang's gaze swept across the entire venue, taking everything in, but he did not expose them, only nodding faintly:

"Since no one is withdrawing, the heart-questioning stage will begin along with the trial.

Anyone who wishes to climb the nine-layer heavenly ladder must first pass this mirror. Only when the mirror's light finds no fault can you enter the ladder to be tested.

Next, I will explain the rules of the nine-layer heavenly ladder to you, word by word. Listen carefully.

This nine-layer heavenly ladder is a trial spirit treasure refined by the ancestors of our Holy Land.

It is divided into nine levels of barriers, testing your bone structure, talent, cultivation foundation, and willpower/dao heart—all three are indispensable.

The first level of testing is gravity body-tempering.

For every layer you ascend, the base gravity will double.

The heavenly ladder will dynamically adjust the gravity intensity based on your bone structure, talent, and cultivation foundation.

The poorer your bone structure and the weaker your foundation, the greater the gravity you will bear.

At the same time, you do not need to worry that multiple people climbing the ladder together will affect each other.

The heavenly ladder has its own intelligence and will divide an independent trial space for every single examinee. You only need to focus on dealing with your own test.

The second level of testing is the illusionary dao-proving barrier.

The heavenly ladder will trigger illusion arrays along with the gravity. The higher the layer, the more realistic the illusions will be.

It will directly strike at the deepest obsessions, regrets, greed, and fears in the examinee's heart, testing whether your willpower is firm and your dao heart is stable."

Hearing this, the prospective disciples below the stage were somewhat in an uproar, not expecting the trial to be so difficult.

They had to resist gravity while also enduring illusions.

Elder Zhang did not care about the noise of the disciples below and continued:

"All disciples need not worry about injury; the heavenly ladder has its own protective capabilities.

Once it senses that an examinee cannot withstand the gravity, or is about to sink and lose their footing in the illusion, it will instantly pull your soul back to clarity.

You will be given the opportunity to voluntarily choose to withdraw. As long as you act according to your ability, there will be no risk of physical damage.

At the same time, starting from the seventh layer, both the gravity intensity and the illusion difficulty will increase tenfold.

You must know that your dao heart and foundation are irreversible; do not be stubborn, or you will regret it for the rest of your life!"

After explaining the rules, Elder Zhang changed the subject again, his tone resolute, pointing out the treatment corresponding to each layer:

"Trial results will directly correspond to your identity level after entering the sect. The rules are as follows:

"Those who fail to climb to the third layer will start as a Utility Disciple.

All monthly allowances and cultivation resources will be halved. You may cultivate Yellow-grade techniques, and you will also need to be responsible for some chores daily.

After entering the sect, you will need to undergo further assessments before you have the opportunity to be promoted to an Outer Sect Disciple.

Those who can successfully climb to the third layer can become an Outer Sect Disciple, enjoying basic monthly allowances and cultivation resources.

At the same time, you may enter the Scripture Pavilion to select one Profound-grade technique.

Those who can climb to the fifth layer can be directly promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple.

While enjoying more generous monthly allowances and cultivation resources, you may enter the Scripture Pavilion to select three Profound-grade techniques.

Those who can climb to the seventh layer or above will directly become a Core Disciple and may be apprenticed to the various elders for cultivation.

At the same time, you may select one Earth-grade dharma canon inheritance.

Those who can climb to the eighth layer will have an even greater opportunity to gain the favor of the various peak masters and enter our Holy Land's true disciple sequence.

As for those who can climb to the ninth layer and successfully reach the top of the heavenly ladder..."