Chapter 19: Terror and the Dao Heart
“645… 644… 639…”
The figures of his classmates appeared one by one before Qian Shen. He couldn’t make out their forms, but he could clearly see the scores displayed above their heads.
“680, 690, 660…”
The score displayed above each person’s head was so impossibly high, so brilliant, that it made Qian Shen feel utterly inadequate.
He felt so pathetic standing before his classmates, as insignificant as a common thug.
“Standing among these people, I’m no better than a bag of wet trash.”
“With a paltry score of just over 600, I don’t deserve to be here, let alone speak to them or even get near them…”
In his eyes, the scores above his classmates’ heads climbed ceaselessly as their figures stretched upward, transforming them into giants towering among the clouds. Soon, he could only see their legs, unable to even make out their faces.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the art exhibition, Li Xingyu of Mount Mang High School’s drone carved an arc through the air, then slowly flew toward the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll.
But in the next instant, with a sharp crackle, the drone seemed to malfunction, spiraling erratically to the ground.
“The soul cultivator students from Mount Mang High School are already bound by contracts, so they shouldn’t bother joining the fray.”
Li Xuelian murmured softly, then withdrew her gaze from the drone and turned her attention back to the other students.
“It’s a shame that nearly all the students trying their luck at this exhibition are first-years. To master the martial arts on the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll, second and third-year students would have a much better chance.”
“But it’s understandable… The top students from the second and third years either don’t meet the age requirement or are already under contract, so they wouldn’t be looking for a new master.”
Just then, shimmering with golden light, the Songyang City Director of the Immortal Resonance Group approached Li Xuelian’s side and said with a smile.
“This Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll is truly worthy of being personally painted by True Person Starfire. It is exceptionally profound, but I wonder what exactly it is intended to test?”
Li Xuelian did not answer his question directly, stating instead, “The first trial of the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll tests the Dao heart.”
“Those who cannot withstand it are often forcibly repelled, and may even be left with a flaw in their Dao heart.”
Feeling the scornful and mocking gazes of countless people around him, Zhao Tianxing couldn’t help but retreat again and again, moving away from the effective range of the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll.
When he came to his senses and took in his surroundings, he realized that the feeling of the ‘entire crowd watching’ and the ‘scornful glares’ were merely effects of the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll.
At this thought, realizing he had utterly failed the scroll’s test, his face flushed crimson and he hurried away, afraid that someone might notice him, a security guard, making a fool of himself.
At the exhibition, Li Xuelian continued, “Passing this first trial naturally has the effect of tempering one’s Dao heart.”
“As for the Dao heart level, the vast majority of us cultivators rely on cultivation techniques to raise it.”
“And different cultivation techniques require different mindsets to be compatible.”
“Take the ancient god-worshipping techniques, for instance; the practitioner must be incomparably devout and possess absolute faith in the deity. The more fervent their belief, the more effective the technique.”
“Or consider Purple Cloud High School’s Heavenly Diligence Art, which requires a practitioner to engage in ascetic training to the extreme, integrating that hardship into their very instincts to achieve maximum efficacy.”
“Take also the introductory Basic Heart Tempering Art for high schoolers, which seeks a calm and focused spirit. It requires a mindset of silent perseverance, like water dripping through stone, to be effective.”
“There are countless cultivation techniques to elevate the Dao heart, some profound and some basic, but the key is whether the practitioner possesses a mindset compatible with the technique.”
“But thoughts are difficult to fathom. How a person truly thinks, whether they are genuinely in sync with their cultivation technique—forget outsiders, sometimes even they themselves cannot say for certain.”
“Fortunately, the stronger the Dao heart, the stronger one’s willpower. Thus, measuring the strength of one’s willpower to determine their Dao heart level and test the efficacy of their cultivation technique has become the simplest method.”
“But the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll does not simply test the strength of one’s willpower to ascertain the strength of their Dao heart.”
“The scroll targets the terror within one’s heart, striking directly at the soul’s weaknesses and giving no opportunity to resist with cultivation techniques; it tests their most primal reaction.”
“When faced with a weakness of the soul, one can only pass by promptly adjusting their mindset to overcome that inner flaw.”
The Immortal Resonance Group Director’s eyes lit up.
“I understand,” he said. “Senior Starfire wants a disciple with a flexible mind? Someone who, while practicing a god-worshipping art, could switch which god they worship, and while practicing the Heavenly Diligence Art, could be just as competitive in their asceticism as they are in ‘lying flat’?”
Li Xuelian nodded. “There are countless cultivation techniques, and it is good for one’s mindset to be compatible with them. But only those who can constantly adjust their thinking to adapt to changing environments and different techniques—unbound by any single art—are true geniuses.”
“This is especially true as the world develops at an ever-increasing pace. The Ten Great Sects influence every facet of society, and the whole of Kunxu is undergoing drastic changes. It is unacceptable for one’s mindset to fail to adapt in time.”
“For example, in this day and age, exams and scores are indispensable for anyone who wishes to walk the path of cultivation. They have long been integrated into the life of every practitioner.”
“Consequently, an obsession with exams and scores has naturally become a part of the modern cultivator’s mindset.”
“Having excellent scores and a fixation on them can strengthen a top student’s will, which in turn makes it easier to raise their Dao heart level.”
“But this, in turn, is also a weakness of the spirit. There is always someone better, a higher mountain to climb; a momentary lead does not guarantee you will lead forever. Many top students are as confident when their ranking is high as they are insecure when it falls.”
“To overcome this spiritual weakness, a practitioner must be able to promptly and flexibly adapt their thinking; this is the key to passing the trial.”
“For instance, a previous student in the scroll’s trial repeatedly experienced receiving low exam scores until he finally overcame his fear of them, honing a kind of wishful-thinking mindset.”
Lian Tianji listened as the teacher on the platform announced the results, then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha, since I’ve already become the worst student in last place, I might as well start over from scratch.”
“From this day forward, I am the most useless, the slacker with the absolute worst grades.”
“But even as a slacker, I have the chance to surpass every single one of you and claim the top spot.”
“I will become number one in our year!”
As he conquered the terror in his heart, he felt as if he had returned to the exhibition, the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll before him growing clearer.
Li Xuelian continued, “Kunxu has thirty-six levels above ground and eighteen below, each a world in itself. Whether mortal or immortal, everyone is divided into a strict hierarchy. This class system is ingrained in the very bones of every cultivator, influencing the depths of their thoughts.”
“There was once a student who, within the scroll’s trial, experienced endless oppression from countless others and ultimately developed a ‘lying flat’ mindset.”
Qian Shen watched as the giants, their scores far surpassing his own, rose from the earth, growing taller and taller until their faces became impossible to discern.
Only the scores above the giants’ heads continued to grow, emitting a dazzling radiance.
He tried to keep up with them, but it was utterly useless.
As the giants grew to ever more absurd heights and their scores climbed, his anxiety turned to fear, his fear to despair, and finally, despair faded into numbness.
He collapsed onto the ground, no longer looking at the giants’ figures.
“Fine, then.”
“I just won’t chase them anymore.”
“As long as I can cultivate, that’s enough. Even if I can’t compare to anyone else… as long as I can cultivate, that’s all that matters.”
As if waking from a long dream, Qian Shen, still lying on the ground, opened his eyes. He looked at the exhibition hall and the Heavenly Martial Scroll before him, a glimmer of understanding in his gaze.
At the exhibition, the Songyang City Director of the Immortal Resonance Group listened to Li Xuelian’s analysis and agreed.
“Changes in mindset are inextricably linked to the influence of the times.”
He ventured a guess, “Given that everyone in modern society relies on loans, I imagine that would also be reflected in the scroll’s trial, wouldn’t it?”
“Correct,” Li Xuelian said with a nod. “There was once a student who, in the scroll’s test, faced the terror of repaying her debts on the path to immortality. In the end, she developed a ‘deadbeat’ mindset.”
Watching the debt-collecting heavenly lightning brewing in the sky, Bai Zhenzhen squatted down, her face a mask of terror.
“Wait! I’ll pay it back!”
“I’ll pay it back, alright!”
“Don’t strike me!”
She quickly opened her phone to check her accounts, wanting to see just how much she owed and how much she could possibly repay.
“Eight hundred thousand?!”
Opening the first lending app, Bai Zhenzhen’s heart sank.
The 1.2 million she owed on the second platform made cold sweat stream down her back.
Two million… five million… eight million…
As the total debt she calculated in her mind continued to swell, the hand holding her phone gradually fell limp at her side.
A full eight million in debt—for a high school student, such a staggering sum would either lead to a complete breakdown, or…
Bai Zhenzhen suddenly threw herself onto the ground, looked up at the lightning, and bellowed, “If you’ve got the guts, then strike me dead!”
“Strike me dead, and your eight million goes up in smoke.”
Seeing that the lightning still hadn’t fallen, Bai Zhenzhen continued, “Either you strike me dead, and the eight million vanishes into thin air.”
“Or you can find me some work, and I’ll pay you back once I’ve earned the money.”
As the heavenly lightning gradually dissipated, the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll reappeared before Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes.
As she watched the figure within it practice martial arts, Bai Zhenzhen felt a sense of enlightenment.
Back at the exhibition, Li Xuelian remarked with a sigh, “But whether it’s wishful thinking, lying flat, or being a deadbeat, these are merely mental states used to counteract immense pressure. While they can temper one’s will and Dao heart, their future ultimately depends on the path they walk in reality.”
“After all, this is only the first trial of the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll—merely a threshold.”
She recalled when she was in high school, and her father had also tested her Dao heart.
Back then, her greatest fear had been her own father. In the trial, she had been brutally oppressed by him until she finally rose up in resistance, establishing a mindset of ‘explosive filial piety.’ After waking, she fiercely ‘looted the old boss’s gold,’ and her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.
Not long after, however, the pressures from all aspects of society, along with her father’s every action, led her to once again feel admiration and respect for him.
The Songyang City Director of the Immortal Resonance Group, standing beside her, nodded slightly, knowing she was right; the effects of such a Dao heart trial were only temporary.
After all, a person’s thoughts are constantly changing; how could the fleeting influence of a Dao heart trial withstand the long-lasting impact of the real world and society at large?
Li Xuelian continued, “After passing the first trial and overcoming the inner terror, the true comprehension begins.”
“And after passing the comprehension trial, whether one can ultimately master the art is another matter entirely.”
The Director nodded, understanding now that overcoming terror, comprehending the scroll, and mastering the martial art were the three stages to understanding the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll.
“Then among those present, how many do you think can succeed?”
Li Xuelian glanced over the many students present and shook her head. “I fear we will be lucky to find even one.”
As the figure on the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll gradually came into focus, and as he watched it begin to perform a set of fist techniques, Zhang Yu suddenly felt a chill rise in his heart.
“Please abide by the ritual’s agreement. Strive to complete the wish. Do not deliberately slack off or delay. 10.”
Zhang Yu paused, stunned. “Wait… aren’t I striving to comprehend the Heavenly Martial Scroll right now? Isn’t that part of studying hard to get into a good university?”
But the chill could not communicate with him; it simply continued its countdown.
“Please abide by the ritual’s agreement. Strive to complete the wish. Do not deliberately slack off or delay. 9.”
“Please abide by the ritual’s agreement. Strive to complete the wish. Do not deliberately slack off or delay. 8.”
Left with no choice, Zhang Yu could only sit down and try a breathing exercise with spiritual energy to see if it would stop the countdown.
As he began the breathing exercise, the chill gradually faded, and the countdown stopped.
This moron…
Just as Zhang Yu was performing his breathing exercise while inwardly cursing the ritual’s power, another surge of cold washed over him.
“Please abide by the ritual’s terms. Strive to complete your wish. Do not deliberately slack off or delay. 10.”
Hearing this new countdown, Zhang Yu was utterly shocked.
“Wait… I am trying to cultivate.”
“Why is it counting down again?”
What’s wrong with this idiotic ritual?
Zhang Yu stopped his breathing exercise to test his theory, only to find that the surging chill and the countdown didn’t disappear. Instead, a new wave of cold and another countdown began.
Hearing two countdowns ringing out in his head, taking turns to count down, Zhang Yu finally understood what was happening.
“Two countdowns?”
Is one of them fake?