The wind at the back of Hundred Refinements Peak had stopped.

Su Ming bent down, unhurriedly pulling out the eighteen Formation Flags one by one from the rock crevices and dead corners of the wind passage.

His movements were gentle, like an old farmer tending to his crops and putting away his tools.

Although the flags were made of inferior materials, after the baptism of the Yin Evil Wind just now, a faint, cold, flowing light had appeared on their surfaces, a sign that the murderous aura had seeped into them.

“Keep them safe. Use the ‘Water Refining Method’ to wash out the murderous aura when you get back, they can still be used a few more times,” Lin Yu’s voice sounded in his mind. “If you could seal this trace of murderous aura inside the flagpoles, next time you could set up a ‘Minor Yin Wind Formation’—perfect for ambushing people. Our family fortune is thin; even a needle must be made to perform like a club.”

Su Ming’s fingers brushed over the cold flagpoles as he stored them in his storage pouch, giving a slight nod.

The surrounding gazes still clung to him. There was shock, there was jealousy, but more than anything, there was a wary caution born of incomprehension. Zhao Yin stood at the edge of the crowd, his face ashen. Originally hoping to see Su Ming make a fool of himself, he had instead become a stepping stone for the other’s rise to fame. Now, he hung his head low, his nails almost digging holes into his palms.

Zhang Lie did not give the crowd much time to dwell on it.

“The first two stages are passed. One hundred and thirteen remain.”

This Formation Peak steward waved his large sleeve, a crimson spiritual light sweeping up the crowd. “Follow me.”

Everyone felt their feet lighten as the scenery rapidly receded behind them.

The dryness, heat, and clamor of Hundred Refinements Peak were swiftly left behind, replaced by an increasingly heavy sense of dampness and chill.

After roughly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the crimson spiritual light dissipated.

Su Ming landed steadily and looked up.

Before him was an ancient mountain forest shrouded in thick fog.

Unlike the barren Hundred Refinements Peak, here ancient trees reached for the sky, each requiring several people to encircle its trunk. Their bark was dry and cracked like dragon scales, their dense branches and leaves blotting out the sky. However, what was most eye-catching wasn’t these ancient trees, but the layer of white mist permeating the forest.

The mist wasn’t static; it writhed slowly like a living thing, sometimes gathering into beastly shapes, sometimes dispersing like sheer gauze. The slightest touch of divine sense upon it would sink like a clay ox into the sea, vanishing instantly in the blink of an eye.

Before the forest stood a moss-covered stone stele inscribed with three ancient seal characters: “Questioning Heart Forest.”

Beside the stele, an old man in a gray robe sat cross-legged on a bluestone. His hair and beard were white, his face thin and refined, his eyes slightly closed. A horsetail whisk lay horizontally across his knees. If not for seeing him with one’s own eyes, sensing that spot would make it seem as if nothing was there, like a rock or a withered tree.

After landing, Zhang Lie reined in his violent fiery aura and bowed respectfully to the gray-robed elder. “Questioning Heart Shishu, the outer sect assessment disciples have been brought.”

The gray-robed elder’s eyelids trembled slightly as he slowly opened them.

In that instant, Su Ming felt as if he had been seen through completely, from his skin and flesh to his bones, even the flow of spiritual energy within his Dantian laid bare. He instinctively tensed his muscles, his fingers imperceptibly moving towards a talisman hidden in his sleeve.

“Hmm.”

The elder’s voice was hoarse, like wind rustling through dry leaves. “A few more than last time.”

His gaze swept over the crowd, then turned to the misty forest.

“The third stage, Illusory Realm Heart Questioning.”

The elder raised his hand, pointing at the forest behind him. “There are only three rules.”

“First, after entering the forest, you fight your own battles. This mist is called ‘Mirage Smoke’; it can isolate the five senses and divine sense. Even if two people hold hands and enter, the moment they step in, they will be worlds apart.”

“Second, thirty-six ‘Questioning Heart Tokens’ are hidden within the forest. Within three days, those who find one and walk out of the mist will be considered to have passed. Three days outside may be a lifetime, or merely a moment, inside.”

“Third…”

The elder paused, his turbid gaze suddenly turning sharp, like a sword unsheathing. “Illusions arise from the heart, both false and true. Everything you see inside is what you most desire, or most fear, in your heart. Believe it, and it becomes real; disbelieve it, and it remains false. If your Dao heart is unstable and you become lost within, not even a deity could save you.”

He looked around at the crowd, his tone softening slightly. “What you will experience this time is the ‘basic mode’ of the Questioning Heart Forest. The three trials set are merely common principles of worldly attachments, trust and suspicion in human relations, and decisions on the path of cultivation. However, the reality of the illusion far exceeds what you might imagine. Take care.”

“Remember, guard your original heart.”

Having said that, the elder closed his eyes again and spoke no more.

A deathly silence fell over the area.

Many of the disciples who had been high-spirited and triumphant at Hundred Refinements Peak moments ago now looked at the churning mist, their Adam’s apples bobbing, revealing traces of fear.

For cultivators, cultivating the body is easy; cultivating the heart is hard.

The pain of the flesh can still be endured, but facing the deepest fears and desires within one’s heart is the most perilous tribulation.

“Go,” Zhang Lie said solemnly. “The auspicious time has arrived.”

A burly menial disciple gritted his teeth and strode out first. “What’s there to fear! This body of mine was built through hard training! Can a mere illusion eat me?”

He stepped into the mist.

No sound, no ripple.

The moment that robust figure touched the white mist, it was as if erased by an eraser, vanishing into thin air.

Then the second, the third…

Disciples walked into the forest one after another, each disappearing instantly, as if the forest were a giant maw that devoured everything.

In a dimension invisible to the crowd, not far behind the gray-robed elder, inside a seemingly ordinary mountain rock, spiritual light flickered faintly.

That place was connected to the formation’s core. Zhang Lie and the two other presiding elders had sunk their divine sense into it.

What they could “see” was not the specific scenery of the illusion, but a hazy “sea of thoughts”—over a hundred points of light representing the disciples who had entered the formation. The brightness, color, and fluctuation frequency of these light points reflected their emotional state, the stability of their Dao heart, and whether they were approaching the edge of danger.

This was sect iron law: the overall situation may be monitored, but privacy must not be spied upon. They could only judge the merits and flaws based on these light points and the unique aura imbued in the “Questioning Heart Tokens” carried by those who ultimately walked out.

Su Ming was in no hurry to move.

He stood in place, seemingly observing, but actually communicating with Lin Yu.

“Master, this mist has some tricks to it,” Su Ming thought. “I just tried probing with the perception of the ‘Like Water Art’ and found the water spiritual energy gets assimilated as soon as it goes in.”

“This is a high-level illusion formation, and one that targets the soul,” Lin Yu’s voice was uncharacteristically serious. “This formation is simple; it adjusts according to the soul fluctuations of the entrant. Disciple, after you go in, no matter what you see, slap yourself first to confirm if you’re dreaming.”

The corner of Su Ming’s mouth twitched. “Master, that move is too crude.”

“Effective is what matters,” Lin Yu said. “Also, this formation might block external objects. Although the ring’s space is independent, if it involves soul-level isolation, I might not be able to contact you at any time.”

Su Ming’s heart tightened.

Lin Yu had always been his greatest trump card and support. Whether analyzing formations or dealing with crises, his master’s presence gave him confidence far beyond his peers. If the connection was cut off…

“Don’t panic,” Lin Yu seemed to sense his emotions. “You’re not the greenhorn fresh out of the village anymore. You’re at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, you’ve mastered ninety basic runes. Even without me, this little Questioning Heart Forest can’t trap you. Remember our motto—”

“Lay low, don’t show off,” Su Ming finished.

“Wrong! It’s ‘see the essence through the phenomenon’!” Lin Yu corrected. “No matter how real the illusion is, it’s constructed from energy. As long as it’s energy, it has nodes, flow, and flaws. Use your eyes to dismantle it.”

Su Ming took a deep breath and nodded.

He straightened his robes and stepped forward.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep