What Exactly Did He Do? (Three-in-One)

[It was going back to the moment Gu Chengming died. Even if its Dao Foundation shattered, it would bring you back to life!]

[With a thunderous shout, Hundred Bones Song burned a hundred thousand years of cultivation and turned it into the supreme sword strike, slashing toward a certain point in the void!]

With a sharp crack, the Illusion Realm shattered!

Outside.

For everyone else, only a few dozen breaths had passed.

The plaza remained eerily silent, with thousands of disciples still adrift in the Illusion Realm.

Every now and then, someone murmured in their sleep or had a few facial muscles twitch uncontrollably, lending this deathly silence a faintly unsettling air.

On the viewing platform, several elders had their eyes fixed on Gu Chengming, waiting for the outcome.

Zhao Wuji held a one-handed spell seal, looking rather relaxed.

But then, in the very next instant—

Zhao Wuji's eyes flew open, and his steady breathing faltered.

He hadn't suffered any backlash. After all, this was only an Illusion Technique, not a clash of Divine Souls.

But he had felt an overwhelming, earth-shaking killing intent surge from the other end of the Spirit Guiding Art.

That killing intent was laced with grief, madness, and an aloof pride that regarded all things beneath heaven as straw dogs!

"?"

This time, a question mark appeared over Zhao Wuji's head.

No, Gu Chengming, what exactly did you go through in that Illusion Realm?

P.S.: I updated eight thousand words today, four chapters in all. I was planning to write two more, but my schedule's gotten a little messed up, so I'm going to get it back on track first.

I'll aim for ten thousand words tomorrow and post at least that much.

The bounty is still running. Please, please give me monthly tickets, meow.

Chapter 51: What Exactly Did He Do? (Three-in-One)

[Hundred Bones Song came to, and when it saw you standing alive before it, it was overjoyed.]

[Only then did it realize that it had all been one long dream.]

[Hundred Bones Song felt some regret, but also relief. It regretted that it hadn't truly become an unrivaled existence, but was relieved that it wouldn't have to be alone anymore.]

[If the peak of the immortal path was filled with regrets, then what meaning could it possibly have?!]

Gu Chengming: "..."

[Hundred Bones Song's Favorability +10]

[Hundred Bones Song's current Favorability: 75/Likes you]

Seeing the notification, Gu Chengming found himself at a loss.

So the Illusion Realm just now had been a Favorability dungeon?

[Having just emerged from the Illusion Realm, Hundred Bones Song was overwhelmed with emotions and delighted to have you back.]

[However...]

[It wondered why Gu Chengming looked so dazed.]

[Could it be that he'd been captivated by its performance in the Illusion Realm?]

[Hundred Bones Song was secretly pleased, thinking that its performance must have maxed out Gu Chengming's Favorability.]

"?"

I thought the one who looked dazed was someone else.

After grumbling to himself, Gu Chengming calmed down and pulled his attention away from the system interface, back to reality.

He looked around, then turned his gaze to Zhao Wuji, who stood not far ahead.

He was still in the middle of the Disciple Assessment, after all, with so many elders and fellow disciples watching. He wasn't sure whether Elder Zhao had noticed anything unusual.

It would be awkward if the other man realized he hadn't entered the Illusion Realm at all...

Unsure what to make of the situation, Gu Chengming decided to test the waters.

He clasped his hands in a salute, his tone respectful but neither servile nor arrogant.

"Have I passed?"

At that, Zhao Wuji's expression stiffened slightly.

Had he passed?

Under normal circumstances, an Illusion Realm created by the Spirit Guiding Art would take at least several hundred breaths to dissipate on its own. If someone's Dao Heart wasn't firm enough and they became entangled with their Inner Demon, it could easily take half an hour or more.

But Gu Chengming had freed himself after only a few dozen breaths.

Judging by that alone, the firmness of his Dao Heart truly surpassed that of ordinary people.

Yet Zhao Wuji wasn't particularly annoyed at having been proven wrong. His mind was entirely occupied by something else.

What was that killing intent that had come from the other end of the Spirit Guiding Art?

Zhao Wuji was certain he hadn't imagined it.

The content and intensity of the Illusion Realm created by the Spirit Guiding Art were closely tied to the target's innermost thoughts.

In other words, that killing intent hadn't appeared out of nowhere.

It had come from some deep-rooted obsession in the heart of this young man named Gu Chengming.

He instinctively sized up the unremarkable-looking young man in front of him.

First Realm Level Five, cultivation low, expression calm, neither servile nor arrogant.

How could someone like him harbor such a shocking killing intent?

Countless thoughts raced through Zhao Wuji's mind.

Did Gu Chengming bear some blood feud? Had he been hiding his strength all along, waiting for the day he could personally kill his enemy?

Or was there some other unspeakable reason? Perhaps a powerful enemy so overwhelming that he'd been forced to conceal his edge and lie low in the little Huiyuan Gate?

Whatever the case, it made Zhao Wuji's scalp prickle.

...Would this disciple named Gu Chengming hold a grudge against him for using the Spirit Guiding Art?

"Ahem..."

Zhao Wuji gave a light cough and deliberately softened his voice.

"Of course you've passed."

After a pause, he forced a smile that he thought was kind and amiable. To his own surprise, his tone even carried a hint of praise.

"To break free from my Spirit Guiding Art's illusion completely and return to your true self in just a few dozen breaths... Gu Chengming, the firmness of your Dao Heart is something I've rarely seen in my life."

Gu Chengming was taken aback. He clasped his hands in thanks, then returned to his place.

The disciples around him were still lost in the Illusion Realm, and wouldn't wake up anytime soon.

He was the only person in the field who was conscious, making him stand out all the more.

The elders on the High Platform in the distance had naturally noticed this as well, and the atmosphere shifted subtly.

But Ren Wencai was a man of deep guile, and not a trace of it showed on his face.

He even put on a look of relief, let out a long breath, and laughed.

"Haha, it seems my disciple's Dao Heart is fairly firm after all. I was worried he was still young and might lack composure, but now it seems I was worrying for nothing."

The words sounded modest, but the other elders could hardly have failed to understand what had just happened.

Looking at Ren Wencai's smug little face, they couldn't help cursing him inwardly. That old fox really knew how to put on an act!

This was a crushing performance in the Dao Heart assessment. Ren Wencai ought to be gloating for ten days or half a month!

The elders cursed him inwardly, but maintained their composure on the surface.

"Senior Brother Ren, you're too modest."

A round-faced elder clasped his hands, his tone sour. "Being able to teach a disciple like this shows just how capable you are as a mentor."

"Exactly."

Another elder chimed in.

"Gu Chengming's cultivation may be mediocre, but his Dao Heart is truly remarkable. If he's nurtured properly, he might yet amount to something."

He put particular emphasis on the words "cultivation may be mediocre," clearly reminding Ren Wencai not to get carried away too soon. His disciple didn't have much talent.

Ren Wencai chuckled without replying.

He quietly glanced at Zhao Wuji, hoping to see a hint of embarrassment on his old rival's face.

But he was disappointed.

Zhao Wuji didn't look furious or red-faced as he'd expected. Instead, his expression was a little strange.

Ren Wencai couldn't help wondering.

What was up with Old Zhao? Surely he wasn't this upset over that little trick of his?

What Ren Wencai didn't know was that Zhao Wuji was in the middle of an intense internal struggle.

He wanted to tell the others about the strange sensation he'd just experienced, but the words stuck in his throat.

How could he explain it? Say that he'd been startled by the killing intent coming from the other side while he was using the Spirit Guiding Art?

And what if the others thought he was making a fuss over nothing or deliberately smearing Ren Wencai's disciple? Wouldn't that leave him with no one on his side?

Never mind. Better not to make trouble for himself.

He'd look into Gu Chengming's background first, then decide what to do.

In the end, Zhao Wuji chose to stay silent. He clasped his hands and offered his congratulations.

"Congratulations to Elder Ren all the same. It seems Huiyuan Gate will soon have another outstanding disciple."

Ren Wencai raised an eyebrow slightly.

Something was off. Very, very off.

He quietly filed the oddity away, deciding to think it over more carefully later.

At the same time, the other elders were doing their own calculations.

The results of the Dao Heart assessment hadn't been officially announced yet, but given that Gu Chengming had been the first to break free of the Illusion Realm, his first-place finish was all but certain.

However...

The elders exchanged glances, silently reaching an understanding.

A firm Dao Heart didn't mean high talent.

The fluctuations of First Realm Level Five Spiritual Power coming from this disciple named Gu Chengming made it clear: his cultivation aptitude was truly hard to describe.

He was only at First Realm Level Five. That might have been acceptable for a disciple who'd just joined a year ago, but Gu Chengming had been here for several years.

The elders present were all sharp-eyed. At a glance, they could tell that his Spiritual Power, though pure, flowed sluggishly. His aptitude clearly held him back, and every step forward took ten or even a hundred times the effort it would for an ordinary person.

Even with a firm Dao Heart, someone like that would have limited prospects... And, to put it bluntly, if he'd been a disciple with both a firm Dao Heart and outstanding talent, would old fox Ren Wencai really have waited until now to start cultivating him?

He'd have been protecting him like the apple of his eye from the beginning.

The fact that Ren Wencai had only just started paying attention to him could only mean that, aside from his Dao Heart, this kid had nothing much to show for himself.

That thought made the elders feel a little more balanced.

Time passed slowly.

About half an hour later, the other disciples on the Sword Seeking Platform began to open their eyes one after another.

Some were pale, clearly shaken by what they'd experienced in the Illusion Realm; some looked dazed, as if they hadn't fully awoken from the lifelike dream; and a few had reddened eyes, though no one knew what moving scenes they'd witnessed in the Illusion Realm.

Gu Chengming, meanwhile, was staring at Lao Bai's Favorability, deep in thought.