’T-This... What kind of terrifying Illusion Skill is this?!’
Chen Shouheng was stunned, a cold sweat instantly drenching his back.
’Even with my Spirit Realm Cultivation, I was so deeply deceived? I almost drowned in it without even realizing?’
’That’s it. It’s just like the *Dream of Millet Porridge* from the *Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing*.’
’But even with Father’s Cultivation, he was always extremely cautious about using it on a single Spirit Realm Cultivator, never deploying it lightly.’
’An Illusion Realm this vast, this intense, affecting dozens of people at once... Just how high is the Cultivation of the person who set this up?’
The thought only deepened his astonishment.
With this realization, all distracting thoughts vanished from his mind.
When he looked at the stone steps again, they were still steep, but there was no longer any mist to obscure his vision, nor any gold and silver to tempt his heart.
Only about twenty real steps remained. Above them, he could clearly see a large plaza, with a dense array of buildings behind it.
He focused his Heart Spirit, took a step forward, and began to ascend with steady, rapid strides, no longer hesitating in the slightest.
...
「Down the mountain, inside a pavilion.」
Zhao Anshi twirled a smooth, black Go stone between his fingers, his brow slightly furrowed as he studied the situation on the board.
Duan Mengjing, in contrast, leisurely sipped his tea, completely at ease.
The very instant Chen Shouheng’s *Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing* activated on its own, allowing him to see through the illusion and dispel the mist before his eyes...
"Hm?"
Zhao Anshi’s hand, poised to place a stone, paused mid-air. He let out a soft sound of surprise, a clear look of astonishment crossing his face.
He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through space and time toward the depths of the cloud-wreathed Heaven-Ascending Road.
"What is it?"
Duan Mengjing set down his teacup and asked with keen interest.
He was quite curious about his old friend’s reaction.
Zhao Anshi returned the black stone to its container, his tone laced with a hint of disbelief. "That boy the Zhou girl brought... he didn’t even finish the path. He broke through the barrier of desire on his own and woke up from the dream."
"Oh?"
Duan Mengjing raised an eyebrow, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Breaking through your Illusion Realm at the mere Spirit Realm First Level... that is rare indeed."
His tone held a hint of an ’I knew it’ smile.
Zhao Anshi nodded in agreement. "Brother Mengjing, your judgment is as sharp as ever. The boy is certainly extraordinary."
He paused, glanced at the Go board where he was clearly at a disadvantage, and his eyes shifted slightly. He picked up the black stone again but didn’t place it.
Changing the subject, he said with a smile, "According to the Martial Arts Academy’s rules, anyone who can break through this Heart Inquiry trial on their own is considered to have passed. He can be allowed to reach the summit and enroll. However..."
"However what?"
Duan Mengjing looked at him with a half-smile, as if he had already seen through his scheme. "Brother Anshi, you aren’t thinking of using this as an excuse to weasel out of this losing game, are you?"
Having been found out, Zhao Anshi showed no embarrassment. Instead, he pointed a finger at Duan Mengjing. "Brother Mengjing, oh, Brother Mengjing, is that really what you think of me? That I, Zhao Anshi, am such a rogue?"
His smile vanished, and his expression turned serious. "For this boy to break through the temptation of desire so quickly shows commendable character. But this one trial isn’t enough to gauge his full potential. I’ll give him... an additional test. Let’s see if he can maintain his true nature, if his Dao heart remains pure. This is for the sake of selecting talent for the Martial Arts Academy. How could you call that weaseling out?"
Hearing this, Duan Mengjing shook his head and chuckled. "Brother Anshi, you always have so many justifications. Fine. Since you’re so curious, do as you please."
Seeing his old friend’s tacit approval, Zhao Anshi let out a hearty laugh.
...
After stepping past the thirtieth real step, Chen Shouheng found himself facing a vast, magnificent plaza paved with white jade.
At the far end of the plaza, rows of palace-like buildings were built into the mountainside, adorned with upturned eaves, intricate brackets, and carved beams.
Bathed in a strange, gentle, celestial light, they exuded a majestic aura, presenting a truly spectacular sight.
He stood at the edge of the plaza, curiously taking in the scene.
"Shouheng?"
A voice, tinged with surprise and fatigue, came from beside him.
Chen Shouheng turned his head to see that Zhou Shuwei had also appeared on the plaza at some point and was now standing just a few feet away.
Her forehead was beaded with fine sweat, her breathing was slightly ragged, and her cheeks were flushed, as if she had just endured a difficult journey.
Her beautiful eyes, filled with astonishment as she looked at Chen Shouheng, widened. "You... How did you get here so quickly? I had a Purifying Heart Treasure and still had to struggle with all my might to break free. I can’t believe you arrived before I did."
Chen Shouheng, of course, wasn’t about to reveal the secrets of his *Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing*. He just shook his head vaguely. "I’m not really sure myself. Maybe I was just lucky and managed to break through the Illusion Realm by a fluke."
Zhou Shuwei gently dabbed the sweat from her brow with a silk handkerchief, a relieved smile spreading across her face. "In any case, what matters is that we passed. Come on, let’s go to the Dining Hall over there to register our names, pay the tuition fee, and collect our Identity Tokens. Then we’ll officially be disciples of the Martial Arts Academy."
She pointed to the most majestic hall on one side of the plaza. The plaque hanging above its entrance bore the gilded inscription: Dining Hall.
The two of them walked toward the hall side by side.
The hall doors were open, revealing a vast interior. It was quiet and empty at the moment, with no sign of any other disciples who had passed the trial.
Deep within the hall stood a long, wide desk made of sandalwood.
Behind the desk sat a young woman in red robes, responsible for registration. She was bent over, intently organizing ledgers and Tokens.
At the sound of footsteps, the red-robed young woman looked up, revealing a bright, beautiful face brimming with a heroic spirit.
"Miss Mu? What are you doing here?!"
Chen Shouheng was flabbergasted. He froze in his tracks, disbelief written all over his face.
He never would have imagined that he would see Mu Yuanying here, in a place like this.
When Mu Yuanying saw Chen Shouheng, a flicker of almost imperceptible delight flashed in her eyes.
But when her gaze swept over to Zhou Shuwei standing beside him, their posture suggesting a degree of closeness, that flicker of delight quickly cooled. Her brow furrowed, and her eyes filled with scrutiny and suspicion.
She put down the ledger in her hands, her eyes darting between the two of them before finally settling on Chen Shouheng. Her tone held a subtle, vinegary note. "Chen Shouheng, and this is...?"
Her gaze shifted back to Zhou Shuwei with a clear, questioning look.
Zhou Shuwei gave a strange smile and, before Chen Shouheng could answer, spoke up. "This humble one is Zhou Shuwei of Liyang. I came to the Martial Arts Academy to cultivate alongside Shouheng. And how should I address you, little sister?"
"’Little sister’? ’Shouheng’?"
Mu Yuanying’s frown deepened; she clearly didn’t appreciate the forms of address.
She ignored Zhou Shuwei and looked at Chen Shouheng again, her voice low as she repeated her earlier question, now with a clear note of displeasure. "Chen Shouheng, what exactly is your relationship with her?"
Chen Shouheng felt his scalp tingle under her intense stare. He quickly explained, "Miss Mu, please don’t misunderstand! This is Miss Zhou Shuwei, the Patriarch of the Liyang Zhou Family. I only came with her to the Niu Academy as an escort, for her protection. There’s nothing else between us."
However, his explanation didn’t seem to dispel Mu Yuanying’s suspicions.
She snorted, her tone turning icy. "An escort? How very attentive of you."
The jealousy and sarcasm in her words were now perfectly clear.