In the blink of an eye, another four years passed.
Only one year remained before the ten-year deadline.
Outside the Great Dao Hundred-Refinements Tower, disciples arrived in a steady stream.
The Annihilation Daoist, Daoist Guanlan, and several other Daoists gathered there as well.
Nine years had passed. Naturally, they wanted to know how far Lu Ren and Cang Xuanming had progressed in their comprehension.
The Annihilation Daoist looked up at the top of the tower and asked, "Elder, have neither of them finished?"
"No."
The Tower Guardian Elder shook his head. "At this rate, I'm afraid both of them will fail."
"Both of them? Is the Ten Thousand Daos Return-to-Void Canon really that difficult to comprehend?"
The surrounding disciples looked stunned.
In their eyes, anyone who could pass the ninety-ninth floor already possessed talent beyond that of an ordinary Daoist.
Yet after nine years of study, neither of the two had succeeded.
If even they failed, what kind of prodigy would it take to comprehend this Secret Canon in the future?
"With their talent, comprehending it should not be difficult."
The Tower Guardian Elder paused. "But since they still haven't finished, there's only one explanation."
"What?"
The disciples were astonished.
The Tower Guardian Elder gazed at the top of the tower. After a moment's thought, he ventured, "Perhaps they've both fallen prey to their Heart Demons."
"Their Heart Demons?"
Shock spread across the disciples' faces.
The Tower Guardian Elder nodded. "Cultivators who reach this point and study the Ten Thousand Daos Return-to-Void Canon are all prodigies among prodigies. But the greater the prodigy, the more fiercely they cling to the obsessions in their hearts."
"Once they fall prey to a Heart Demon, breaking free is difficult."
At his words, the Daoists' expressions turned grave.
"In all my years guarding this