Chapter 13: The Heart Trial

A Red-Clothed Specter, as the name suggests, was a mortal who died wearing red and transformed into a malevolent ghost. To die in red meant one died of either injustice or deep resentment. Generally speaking, a Red-Clothed Specter possessed combat power comparable to a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator the moment it was born.

As for why this applied only to mortals and not cultivators, it was because when a cultivator died, their body and Dao dissolved, and they entered reincarnation directly. Of course, there were exceptions, such as a cultivator undergoing corpse liberation^[1] or seizing another’s body for rebirth. However, these were strictly forbidden evils in the cultivation world. Once discovered, the perpetrator would be executed on the spot, leaving not even a trace of their soul behind.

“Are you crazy? That’s a Red-Clothed Specter!” It was comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The three of them combined would be nothing more than a light snack for the ghost.

But Chen Zui said, “On my way to the Yonglu Mountain Range, I encountered a Red-Clothed Specter. Although I wasn’t the one who killed it, a Red-Clothed Specter’s cultivation increases with every person it kills. If it kills a hundred people, its power will rival the Nascent Soul Stage. I must stop it from killing, otherwise none of us will escape!”

Bian Chunzhou: …

“Can you even handle this?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t die.”

Wen Xu silently handed over the Wind Treasure Gourd. “I’ve tested it. Although this gourd doesn’t have much offensive power, its material is extremely durable. It might be of some use.”

Chen Zui readily reached out to take it. “Thank you, Wen Xu.”

With that, he was about to take the gourd and rush down the mountain with his saber. But right at that moment, Wen Xu suddenly whipped out his folding fan and struck Chen Zui with a gust of wind, sending him flying dozens of meters away.

“Wen Xu, what are you doing!” Bian Chunzhou demanded, his expression instantly turning harsh.

Wen Xu turned and sent a gust toward Bian Chunzhou as well. “Who are you? What is your purpose in disguising yourselves as my friends and approaching me?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand. Wen Xu, why are you attacking us?”

Wen Xu thought to himself that these two were putting on a terribly half-hearted performance. First, Bian Chunzhou would never call me by my full name; he prefers using repetitive nicknames for his friends. Second, Chen Zui is not someone who uses his head.

The grandmasters watching the shadow wall: …There was really no need to understand his friends that well.

“Furthermore, if an outer disciple of Yonglu Mountain really wanted to call for help, they have talismans and magic treasures. There are plenty of faster ways to notify the sect. Why would they need us to personally run up the mountain to seek help?”

Wen Xu’s expression remained calm, but he was growing anxious. When they first encountered the outer disciple of Yonglu Mountain, he was absolutely certain that the ones standing beside him were his teammates, Bian Chunzhou and Chen Zui. Yet in the blink of an eye, both had vanished. What kind of unpredictable, supernatural method was this? Against such an opponent, Wen Xu knew he stood no chance.

Since that was the case, it was better to expose the illusion directly to carve out a path of survival.

“Most importantly, this is Yonglu Mountain. The villagers at the foot of the mountain live in peace and simplicity under the protection of Yonglu Mountain. How could a Red-Clothed Specter suddenly appear out of nowhere?”

“Bian Chunzhou” and “Chen Zui” heard this and let out sinister cackles. They dissolved into the wind, vanishing from the spot along with the outer disciple on the ground.

The open mountainside fell into dead silence, leaving Wen Xu entirely alone.

This was the first time Wen Xu had been alone since arriving in the cultivation world. Feeling a bit out of place, he subconsciously reached up to touch his eyes, but he did not remove the cloth covering them.

Bian Chunzhou had mentioned that the Mountain Exam and the third stage, the Heart Trial, were conducted back-to-back. Perhaps, at some moment without his realizing it, he had already entered the Heart Trial.

So, how was he supposed to pass this stage?

Wen Xu had no clue. Ultimately, his knowledge of the cultivation world was still too limited. At this moment, he suddenly missed the imperial examinations of his past. Although studying was not as interesting as cultivation, the exam material always stayed within the same scope. It was nothing like his current situation, where he was in the exam hall but had no idea how to even begin.

Wen Xu steadied his mind and keenly realized that his focus was slipping. Given his personality, how could he possibly lose focus and think about the imperial examinations at such a critical moment?

This was highly unusual, and not like him at all.

Wen Xu decided to go down the mountain and take a look. He made his way down and soon reached the village where he had once borrowed a cloak. The village was peaceful and serene, just as it had been four days ago.

Before long, he ran into an elderly man returning home from gathering firewood. By coincidence, this was the very villager who had lent him the cloak.

“Immortal, do you need to borrow a cloak again today?”

Wen Xu shook his head. “Not today.”

“Why not? Does the Immortal look down on us mortals?”

The old man’s eyes suddenly turned fierce, and his voice became distorted and monstrous. Dropping the firewood from his shoulders, he lunged forward to attack. “Immortal, give me your immortal bones, will you? I’m already old and have one foot in the grave, but I don’t want to die! I want to cultivate too! Every day, I watch the immortals ride the wind past my door, and my heart burns with jealousy! Immortal, take pity on this old man and give me your immortal bones, will you?”

That was obviously out of the question. The old man was just an ordinary mortal, so how could he- Wen Xu dodged to the side, only to suddenly realize that his cultivation was gone. The sea of Qi in his Dantian had vanished, and even the folding fan and gourd he had been holding were nowhere to be found. He was empty-handed, and he even felt… a searing pain.

Wen Xu clutched his wounds and looked down. His arm was bent backward at an unnatural angle, and blood dripped onto the dry soil, instantly rolling into beads of crimson dust.

The wind howling over the cliff was freezing, instantly snapping his mind back to reality.

Wen Xu panted heavily, looking up at the three assassins pursuing him. The agony racking his body made it almost impossible to think. For a split second, he wondered: Was everything in the cultivation world just a dream before my death?

The sheer pain threatened to obliterate his consciousness. Wen Xu’s heart burned with rage. He did not understand. Why? Why was his fate so miserable? Why did everything he do go wrong?

He had been born a beggar, struggling to survive by begging on the streets, yet every winter remained just as cruel and freezing.

He had tried so hard just to stay alive, so why wouldn’t the heavens let him go? Why couldn’t he remember people’s faces? Why was he chased and hunted down like this for no reason, when all he did was study hard and travel to the capital for the exams? Why did his adoptive father’s life have to be taken away just when he was at his happiest?

Why give him hope of survival, only to cruelly snatch it away!

Wen Xu’s heart was filled with resentment and anger. It felt as though his entire life had been a struggle against fate, yet he was always the loser, forever toyed with by destiny.

Staring at the gleaming blade before him, Wen Xu thought, To hell with fate!

How could I die at the hands of these three? Even if I have to jump off a cliff to end my own life, I won’t just let others have their way! I- In an instant, Wen Xu’s sanity returned.

Even though the overwhelming pain still shrouded his mind, he was incredibly clear-headed, because at the moment he looked up, he actually “saw” the faces of these three people clearly. Or more accurately, he felt he saw three different faces.

It was a very subtle feeling. He did not know if this was how normal people saw things, but he felt he had seen them clearly. And precisely because he “saw” them so clearly, he realized in an instant that none of this was real.

The things in the cultivation world were real, and the fact that he was still alive was also real.

What was real? What was fake? Wen Xu had rarely tried to distinguish between them in the past. To him, the present was real, and being alive was real. As for anything else, he neither cared nor minded.

But at this moment, he suddenly had an epiphany, and he even… didn’t hate his face-blindness as much anymore.

At least at this moment, his eyes told him what was reality and what was an illusion.

The moment he realized this, the pain racking Wen Xu’s body vanished instantly, and his wounds disappeared without a trace. He instinctively reached out, only to find that his folding fan and gourd had already returned to his hands.

“Ahhh, Wen Xuxu, you’re finally awake!” Bian Chunzhou jumped up in joy. “Senior Brother Wang, all three of us are awake. Does this make us the first team to arrive?”

The Yonglu Mountain disciple addressed as Senior Brother Wang nodded with a smile. “Yes. The three of you may go inside to rest first. Once the Heart-Inquiry Realm ends, we will test your spiritual roots and hold the apprenticeship ceremony.”

Bian Chunzhou happily slapped his two friends on the shoulders. “Wen Xuxu, Chen Zuizui, we did it!”

Chen Zui pursed his lips slightly and gave a very cool grunt in response. Wen Xu, however, still seemed caught up in his emotions. It was only when they entered the main hall to wait that he exhaled a long breath, letting his turbulent thoughts settle.

Bian Chunzhou noticed this and asked, “Wen Xuxu, are you okay?”

Wen Xu was never one to lay bare his feelings to others, and this time was no exception. “I’m fine. I was just a bit worried and scared when you weren’t by my side earlier.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, me too.” Bian Chunzhou shuddered, recalling his experience in the Heart-Inquiry Realm. He had been a college senior driven half-mad by his thesis, and after finally graduating and landing a job at a major corporation, he had to work overtime every single day revising proposals. He barely made any money, but he sure collected a stack of medical bills. Just thinking about it made him realize how wonderful cultivation was. Capitalists really should all be hung from lampposts!

Bian Chunzhou had been snapped awake by fear, whereas Chen Zui… sometimes, being single-minded wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in the cultivation world.

He was the quickest of the three to wake up, and his method of waking had been quite blunt. He had seen his mother, and since she could not possibly be at Yonglu Mountain, he had snapped out of it instantly.

“What is there to be afraid of? You two are such cowards.”

Bian Chunzhou clenched his fists, but quickly let them go. “Forget it. I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t beat you up!”

Chen Zui was an honest man. “You couldn’t beat me anyway. Even if you two teamed up, you still wouldn’t beat me.”

“Ahhh! Wen Xuxu, don’t hold me back! I’m going to beat him to a pulp today!”

Wen Xu said, “…I’m not holding you back.”

As the three of them whispered among themselves, more people finally arrived outside the hall. A few more trickled in, including Xia Ying, the niece of the Langyuan City Lord.

By the time the hourglass outside the hall had completely run out, Li Zishen still had not appeared. It was clear that this talent of the Li Clan was completely fated to have no connection with Yonglu Mountain.

Dong!

At the long, resonant toll of the bell, the mountain gates outside the hall suddenly swung shut.

The moment they closed, a distant, resonant voice echoed in everyone’s ears:

“Welcome, everyone, to Yonglu Mountain.”

Only now did Wen Xu feel a sense of reality. He had truly set foot on the path of cultivation. From this moment on, the shifting of his fate would be held entirely in his own hands.