Heart-Refining Path (Part 1)

Inside the palace halfway up Mountain of Ten Thousand Longevities.

Zhou Hao stared blankly for a long while, noticing the empty space and the thin mist shrouding the surrounding walls, which were completely shielded by the restriction.

"Could the advantage of this mountainside be the martial arts techniques displayed on those eight screens outside?"

He shook his head, saw another gate at the deepest part of the palace, and walked over.

Sure enough, it was still the same blue brick and stone path leading up the mountain.

never mind.

Let's get to the top as soon as possible.

Ordinary benefits don't mean much to me.

Zhou Hao stopped thinking about it and continued forward along the blue brick path.

After walking only a few miles, another stone tablet appeared beside the mountain path, like a road sign, with three large red characters engraved on it: ' Heart-Refining Path '.

"The Heart-Refining Path... refers to the path behind the stone tablet?" Zhou Hao looked at the line of small characters engraved at the bottom of the stone tablet.

"Only by being steadfast in seeking the Way, having a single-minded focus, remaining undisturbed by external influences, and being fearless can one ascend the mountain and attain the Way."

Looking at the mountain path that was clearly much steeper beyond the stone tablet, Zhou Hao seemed to be deep in thought, and then tentatively took a step forward.

"Hiss~~~" The moment his foot landed on the blue brick steps, Zhou Hao felt as if he had stepped on a red-hot iron with his bare feet. The intense pain from the soles of his feet made him gasp.

However, in his perception, his divine body had not been attacked in any way. It seemed that the pain from the soles of his feet was directly targeting his mind. No matter how strong your divine body is, or how indestructible it is compared to magical treasures, you cannot stop the pain from arising in your mind.

"There's definitely something strange about this." He suppressed his body's instinct to pull his leg back when stimulated by pain, and stepped onto the first step of the Heart-Refining Path with his other foot.

As he stood on the brick steps, the pain intensified dramatically.

"Ah." Zhou Hao couldn't help but let out a low growl.

This intense pain, directly from the soul, is far more devastating than cutting oneself with a sword.

After enduring the pain for more than ten breaths, Zhou Hao felt slightly better, as if he had begun to adapt to it.

"Continue."

He lifted his leg and took another step onto the second step, and the pain surged again, causing his body, which had just begun to adjust, to tremble uncontrollably.

"These are only two steps, and it hurts this much. There are at least tens of thousands more steps to go. Won't I die from the pain? Anyway, I have a master who is stronger than Patriarch Zhenyuan. Why should I suffer like this..."

For no apparent reason, a strange emotion began to grow in Zhou Hao's heart, and he felt as if someone was whispering in his ear.

Why bother?

"Give up!"

"If you turn back, you won't have to suffer."

"Turn around?"

Thump!

Zhou Hao stepped heavily onto the third step.

As expected, the pain intensified again.

"If you encounter pain, turn back..."

Thump!

He stepped onto the fourth step.

"Then what's the point of seeking the Tao?"

Thump!

He stepped onto the fifth step.

"What is the point of seeking Changsheng?"

Thump thump thump thump...

The sixth step, the seventh step, the eighth step...

Although the pain intensified each time, and each time it was stronger than the last, Zhou Hao gritted his teeth and climbed forward step by step.

No matter what strange emotions arose in his heart, he rejected them with strong conviction.

During this process, his soul and Dao heart were like iron thrown into a furnace, constantly being forged and tempered.

I climbed one step after another...

The pain seemed endless.

Zhou Hao no longer cared how many steps were ahead; only one thought occupied his mind.

No matter how painful the road ahead, once I've made my choice, I will forge ahead without fear or retreat!

Above the clouds.

The two boys, Clear Wind and Mingyue, along with Lu Shang, Nine Luan, and Shi Lai, silently watched the man below, whose skin was beginning to bleed and whose entire body was trembling uncontrollably.

"Mingyue, did you really maximize the power of the Heart-Tempering Formation?" Clear Wind asked in disbelief.

It should be understood that this Heart-Tempering Formation is not only used to test and temper the hearts of immortals and demons who come seeking the Dao, but also by the Ancestor to punish disciples who have made mistakes.

The Heart-Tempering Formation directly targets the tester's mind, making it completely unavoidable. Even celestial gods and immortals would writhe in agony under such pain, tumbling down the mountain path.

How could this human youth, who is only at the Void Return stage, withstand it?

"Why would I lie to you about something like this?" Mingyue said confidently. "I didn't expect this kid to be so resilient, not backing down an inch."

The trials on the Heart-Refining Path do not end with retreat; as long as those destined to stay on Mountain of Ten Thousand Longevities have not yet reached their appointed time, they can continue to try.

"If he continues like this, won't his Dao heart eventually collapse and he die?" Clear Wind asked hesitantly.

Pain, whether physical or spiritual, has its limits, no matter how intense.

But the pain in one's heart can escalate infinitely.

Under such intense pain, even a celestial being might experience a complete collapse of their Dao heart.

Once the Dao Heart collapses, the soul will be burned to ashes by the Origin Power that one cannot control, which is even more dangerous than fighting.

That human boy was, after all, one of the destined ones to enter Mountain of Ten Thousand Longevities by Heaven-Earth Spirit Mirror. Even if I wanted to teach him a lesson, I couldn't let him die.

"It's alright," Lu Shang suddenly said. "If he truly reaches his limit and his Dao heart shows signs of collapse, I will intervene to save him."

He looked down at the little human below, mechanically climbing step by step, seemingly barely clinging to the last shred of sanity.

But it was precisely this sliver of rationality that made the little guy seem like he would never fall.

This made the light in Lu Shang's eyes grow brighter and brighter.

Standing to the side, Shi Lai, seeing Zhou Hao getting closer and closer to the end of the first stage of the Heart-Refining Path, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Such a powerful mind, I am not as good as him when I was at the Void Return."

Clear Wind and Mingyue exchanged a glance. Although they still harbored some resentment towards Zhou Hao's previous arrogance, they couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

"He's almost at the Illusion Platform. Junior Sister Nine Luan, use your ' Three Lives Transformation Wheel Secret Art ' to pull him into the illusion in a moment," Lu Shang said to the woman in white. "If I'm not mistaken, this little guy has already comprehended mental power, and ordinary illusions are ineffective against him. Otherwise, no matter how strong his resilience is, his mind will eventually tire, and he won't be able to sustain himself until he completes the first stage of the Path of Heart-Refining Path."

"Understood." Nine Luan nodded.

I got off work late today, and I suddenly had some ideas for the new book I'm currently thinking about and preparing for. I was afraid I'd forget them, so I wrote them down before I started writing, and that's why I'm still writing now.

It's too late, I'll stop here for now.