At the 1,000th level, this was the only trial among the thousand trials of life that Lu Yan'an had faced that tested his ability to survive in an absolute dead end. And he wasn't alone—he had to keep more than a hundred members of a tribe alive through an ice age!
This was also the only trial Lu Yan'an had failed ten times. The requirements were outrageous: the tribe's losses couldn't exceed fifty percent! It was far too difficult. Even Lu Yan'an, with all his experience, had struggled to manage it.
In fact, if all he had to do during a trial was ensure his own survival, that would've been manageable. As a trial-taker, Lu Yan'an could get by quite well on his knowledge and wits, even in an environment where he had no cultivation.
But this was a doomsday survival trial involving a large group of people, so things were much more complicated. The freezing weather of the ice age was one thing, and the food shortage another. Just migrating the entire tribe was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle!
Lu Yan'an had tried ten times and suffered the penalty for failure nine times. Finally, on his tenth attempt, he managed to pass the 1,000th-level trial with a little help from luck!
"Congratulations on passing the Thousand Trials of Life. You know what trials await you, but life itself is unknown. So even if you find yourself in a difficult situation, there's no need to worry. Your life will never be without a solution." The voice echoed in his mind, and the final illusion faded away. Lu Yan'an looked up, then took a step and leaped upward.
Lu Yan'an stood calmly at the peak of the pyramid, taking in the entire view before him. He didn't say a word, simply standing there in silence. His eyes were as still as an ancient well, holding the wisdom of someone who had seen through the ways of the world.
The Thousand Trials of Life had taken two years in the real world, while the time he had experienced in the illusions amounted to more than a thousand years. For a Star Level life-form as young as Lu Yan'an, a thousand years of experience was enough to change a great deal. In the worlds of the illusions, he had experienced many things—pursuing personal honor and disgrace, making choices out of love for one's family and country, and facing clashes where one lived only by embracing death.
He had taken on all manner of occupations, from princes and nobles to peddlers and laborers. He had wielded the power to make the feudal lords tremble with a single burst of anger, and he had possessed martial strength that placed immense power in his own hands. After weathering countless trials, he had found new life like a withered tree in spring. These scenes settled in his heart like a seed. Now, they had nurtured within him an innocent heart akin to Unity of Heaven and Man!
At last, after a thousand years of trials and tribulations, Lu Yan'an had officially entered the second stage of cultivating the mind: Unity of Heaven and Man, the Heart of the Innocent!
Unity of Heaven and Man, a perfect state of mind! What did perfection mean? When yin and yang united, the Dao arose. And what did it mean for yin and yang to unite? At the extreme of yin, yang was born; at the extreme of yang, yin was born. Pursuing one extreme could perhaps bring improvement, but true perfection came from the union of yin and yang. Take dealing with others, for example: one needed both firmness and flexibility, being firm when called for and yielding when appropriate!
The mind was the same. When it needed to be honed like a blade, it should be honed. When it needed to be gentle as water, it should be gentle as water. As the saying went, "Draw your blade to cut the water, but the water will flow on." Water could never be cut. In terms of defense, water was mightier than even the hardest shield. The union of yin and yang, Unity of Heaven and Man, a perfect state of mind—this ideal perfection was also known as the Heart of the Innocent! It could already be considered a theoretical pinnacle.
The Thousand Trials of Life had helped Lu Yan'an shore up the final weaknesses in his state of mind and character. Now, he was truly without a single weakness. In either his comprehension of the laws or his cultivation of the mind, other geniuses of his generation might be able to match him in one area, but Lu Yan'an was the only one who excelled at both!
"You've now completed the Orthodox Illusionist trial. Congratulations!" A voice spoke by his ear. Lu Yan'an turned and saw Lord Shen. When Lu Yan'an had completed the trial, Lord Shen had flown up from below at once, only to find that Lu Yan'an seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation. He had waited until the transformation was complete and Lu Yan'an had returned to normal before offering his congratulations.
Even Lord Shen hadn't expected Lu Yan'an to complete the Stairs of Sinking trial in just about two years. The trial had been given that name mainly because its difficulty was so great that countless people had become mired there. Lord Shen's original plan had been to let Lu Yan'an inherit the path of the Illusion Martial Artist if he could pass the first five hundred steps.
When Lord Shen saw Lu Yan'an make short work of the trial and complete all one thousand steps, he couldn't help feeling both relieved and conflicted. Lu Yan'an's excellence had repeatedly shattered his expectations. Lord Shen was now glad that he hadn't given up on Lu Yan'an back then; otherwise, it would've been a loss for the entire Human Race! At the same time, he felt conflicted because the path of the Illusion Martial Artist no longer seemed worthy of Lu Yan'an.
"Lord Shen, what did you mean when you said 'Orthodox Illusionist' just now?" Lu Yan'an wasn't surprised to see him appear behind him. He was already used to Lord Shen's sudden appearances. He was simply curious about the "Orthodox Illusionist" Lord Shen had mentioned. Was there an unorthodox path for Illusionists?
Hearing Lu Yan'an's question, Lord Shen didn't beat around the bush and explained directly:
"There have always been two branches of Illusionists. The first is the 'Orthodox Illusionist,' who completes the trials of adversity and cultivates the mind. The second is the 'Illusion Manipulator,' who believes in the supremacy of illusionary power."
Seeing that Lu Yan'an seemed interested in these two paths, Lord Shen began to explain the difference between them.
"The 'Orthodox Illusionist' is the original form of the Illusionist school. To help more people with the potential to become Illusionists take this path, the founder of the school established the secret realm known as the 'Stairs of Sinking' in the Virtual Universe. One can only take this path after completing all one thousand steps of the Stairs of Sinking by Star Level or earlier."
"By contrast, the 'Illusion Manipulator' path is the one followed by most Illusionists nowadays. This school came about because the path of the 'Orthodox Illusionist' was simply too difficult, and few could complete the trials by Star Level or earlier. Later generations developed it into the path it is today. It abandons the cultivation of the mind through trials and instead pursues the ultimate power of illusions!"
Lord Shen explained.
"Both paths make their followers Illusionists, but the former is undoubtedly more complete. The 'Illusion Manipulator,' who abandons the cultivation of the mind, can hardly gain any advantage against an 'Orthodox Illusionist,' because they are naturally countered by those with powerful minds!"
"But nowadays, more than ninety percent of Illusionists belong to the 'Illusion Manipulator' school. The Hao God Clan is one of the more representative forces. Almost all of its members follow the 'Illusion Manipulator' path, but they dream of nurturing an 'Orthodox Illusionist'!"
"The Hao God Clan?" Lu Yan'an thought to himself. He remembered a supporting character from the original story who belonged to the Hao God Clan: Illusion Demon Galaxi. He had crossed paths with City Lord Luo during the Genius Tournament, which had kept him from making the top ten that year. He was a thoroughly unlucky fellow. He had the strength to make the top ten, even the top two, yet happened to be countered by City Lord Luo's powerful mind. So Illusion Demon Galaxi must have been an Illusionist who followed the "Illusion Manipulator" path.
"You've now embarked on the path of the 'Orthodox Illusionist.' From here on, you won't face much of a barrier when it comes to the secret techniques of Illusionists. Heh, although you spent two years on the Stairs of Sinking trial, it was all worth it!" Lord Shen chuckled.
Lord Shen actually had no idea how much Lu Yan'an had gained from this trial, because the current universe had no concept of cultivating the mind. The three stages of cultivating the mind in the original story were a summary made by Hong, one of the Earth Trio, after he had studied ancient texts and the insights of great sages throughout history. In short, Lu Yan'an's current state of mind would have earned him the honorific "Master Lu" even in ancient times on Earth!
Lu Yan'an's perfect state of mind was enough to let him pass the 18th level of the Sea of Illusions at the Virtual Universe Company! That was the state of mind of an undying King Level expert, and the most important thing was that he was only Star Level! With talent like that, even an existence like the City Lord of Chaos would come down to take him as a disciple!
On top of that, he had grasped a trace of the Origin Law of Light and the Law of Time. In terms of talent, Lu Yan'an had no weaknesses left. Even Feng Yunruo, whom he had once regarded as the person he needed to catch up with, had now fallen behind him!
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