Chapter 69
A tearing sensation filled the space. When Heng Yu opened her eyes again, she was in a different space. This space was strange. There was no life, not even a single blade of grass or a small stone, only an endless expanse of white.
Heng Yu looked around, finding nothing unusual.
Just as she finished surveying her surroundings, a golden light appeared in mid-air. The light gradually solidified, forming a line of golden text.
[Why cultivate?]
Heng Yu narrowed her eyes and answered calmly, “This world respects strength. If you don’t want to be controlled by the strong, you must become the strongest yourself.”
The golden text in the sky shattered and reformed into a new line.
[If you had a thousand years of life, what would you do?]
Heng Yu replied, “Steal the essence of heaven and earth, tread the path of immortality. If I had a thousand years of life, I would naturally pursue freedom.”
She was engrossed in studying formations and dedicated to cultivation, but not for the sake of dominating the world or possessing boundless power and wealth. Those were just fleeting clouds.
Whether it was a hundred years or a thousand, if she couldn’t live freely, then a long and boring life of a thousand years was not as good as a few decades of vibrant days. The path of immortality wasn’t about living forever, but about living freely.
The golden text shattered again and reformed into a new question.
The questions and answers continued at a rapid pace. After answering five questions in a row, the golden light in the sky suddenly froze, then slowly dissipated.
A strange, ancient voice echoed through the previously silent space. “Your words and actions are consistent, your mental state is clear. You have passed.”
Heng Yu didn’t know where the voice came from, but it was clear she had passed this stage.
She bowed towards the empty space and took two steps forward. It felt like she had passed through an invisible barrier. When Heng Yu regained her footing, she was back in the Sword Testing Grounds, surrounded by a crowd of cultivators.
Her gaze swept past the surprised referee and landed on the elegant figure in the distance. Whether intentionally or not, her gaze lingered on Liaowu’s lips before finally meeting his eyes, winking at him.
After a few moments, Heng Yu turned back to the referee and asked with a smile, “Senior, am I the first to pass the test?”
These softly spoken words seemed to break the surrounding silence, and the Sword Testing Grounds erupted in commotion.
“That’s too fast!”
“First place! My god, she’s Luo Heng Yu of the Hehuan Sect, right? When did the disciples of the Hehuan Sect become so strong in mental fortitude?”
“Too strong, the demonic path will finally have something to brag about.”
“First in the sparring tournament, and now first in the mental fortitude test, the Hehuan Sect must have produced an extraordinary figure.”
“Not only that, her formation skills are extremely high. She might even win first place in the formation battle…”
The referee, brought back to his senses by Heng Yu’s question, reached out to her. “Young friend, please hand over your soul token.”
After a series of procedures, Heng Yu received her soul token back along with the corresponding points.
Heng Yu put away her soul token. Just as she was about to walk towards Liaowu, ripples appeared on the quiet gate behind her, and Liaoyuan walked out. Seeing Heng Yu, Liaoyuan paused slightly. He had wanted to smile at her, but remembering that she had seen his cold and ruthless side, he suppressed the smile, his expression turning calm. “It seems you beat me to it.”
Heng Yu replied, “We were only a short time apart.”
Liaoyuan said, “Such a small difference decides victory and defeat. Lord Luo, I thought I had overestimated you, but it turns out I underestimated you.”
His tone carried an unconscious complexity. Recalling the illusion he had just experienced, Liaoyuan felt a pang of self-mockery. As a cultivator of the Joyful Buddha path, experiencing the Love Gate wasn’t strange. What truly shattered his self-deception was the person who appeared in that illusion.
He, a person like him, actually felt a sense of injustice and was moved by her gentleness towards another. That gentleness wasn’t directed at him. His emotional turmoil was… ironic.
The jade pendant at his waist warmed up, indicating someone had contributed admiration points to her again.
Heng Yu glanced down, her expression neutral, and said seriously, “You can overestimate me as much as you like.”
She didn’t understand why Liaoyuan kept giving her admiration points. Since they met, he had always been the one approaching her; she had barely done anything proactively. But Liaoyuan wasn’t undergoing a love tribulation, so why cause him emotional turmoil and damage his Buddhist path?
Liaoyuan finally smiled. “I will.”
This woman, who always appeared cold and aloof towards others, was actually quite gentle. At least, this kindness was directed at him. Liaoyuan sighed inwardly, suppressing his feelings of injustice.
An hour later, the second round of the mental fortitude test ended.
Heng Yu was first, Liaoyuan second, and Yu Xia third.
This result wasn’t surprising to most people, but it was to Heng Yu. He had almost failed the first round; how could his performance improve so drastically in the second?
Heng Yu felt there was something strange about him. However, they weren’t close, and she had no intention of prying into his secrets.
With Heng Yu winning first place in the mental fortitude test, the other Hehuan Sect cultivators were even more excited than she was. Even the core disciples from other demonic sects like the Netherworld Sect and Nine Refinement Sect would nod and greet her when they met her on the road. It had been a long time since the demonic path had performed so well in the mental fortitude test.
Finally managing to shake off the crowd, Heng Yu said to Liaowu, “Let’s go collect our winnings first.”
“Alright,” Liaowu nodded.
Heng Yu had bet on herself winning first place, and with the odds of one to five, her one thousand high-grade spirit stones had successfully quintupled.
After collecting their winnings, Heng Yu and Liaowu decided to explore the Sword Sect. They had been here for a while, but they mostly traveled between their residence and the Sword Testing Grounds, never really exploring other areas.
After walking around for half a day, Heng Yu felt tired and sat down under the shade of a parasol tree, beckoning to Liaowu. “Come and sit down.”
Liaowu sat beside her.
Heng Yu looked down at the dappled sunlight on the ground, filtering through the leaves. “Do you want to know what I encountered in the Love Gate?”
Liaowu turned his head, only seeing her profile.
Before he could sort out his thoughts, Heng Yu added, “Even if you do, it’s useless. I won’t tell you.”
Liaowu chuckled. “Alright. But in a few days, Lord Luo shouldn’t be curious about what I encountered either.”
Heng Yu smiled. “I’m not curious. No matter what scenario I encounter, the main character will always be me.”
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