Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 2211 - 1575: True Inheritor (2)

The next worst ones stopped just past the one-thousandth step; and the very worst few hadn’t even crossed that first threshold at one thousand steps. Barring a miracle, they had no hope of passing this trial.

And this had nothing to do with Cultivation or Realm; it only measured the strength of one’s own will and whether the Dao Heart was firm!

Just look at the two Disciples who were leading the pack and you could tell, for one of them was only at Divine Transformation, yet he had left behind a crowd of Disciples whose Cultivation and Realm surpassed his.

In this respect, this person’s talent was indeed quite good.

Very soon, the time reached the afternoon of the third day of the assessment, with only the final few hours remaining before the end!

But up to this moment, not a single Disciple had reached the summit.

The one closest had only the final step left!

He was now undergoing the last temptation of the Illusionary Realm; if he could hold fast to his Dao Heart, then he would become the first Disciple to clear the trial!

And not far behind him, several Disciples were striving desperately to catch up, as if still trying to surpass him and become the first to pass.

Unfortunately, they were still a step too late!

Before they could step onto the final stair, that Disciple suddenly opened his eyes wide, took a single step forward, and successfully reached the summit.

He became the first, and as of now the only, Disciple to clear the trial!

"Not bad. Go rest properly over there first; there are more trials to come." Li Zhirui glanced at him with a hint of appreciation.

But that was all. Having lived so many years, he had seen more prodigies than he could count; this Disciple’s performance could only be called average.

"Yes, this Disciple obeys!" The man did not dare show the slightest negligence. He immediately went to the side and began to recover his overly depleted spirit.

After all, he had already made it this far; if he were to fail at the final juncture, it would be far too great a pity.

"There are four hours left. At this point, any Disciple who has yet to cross the 2,500th step has little chance of passing." Li Zhirui watched the few Disciples still struggling bitterly behind, without much disappointment in his expression.

For this was within his expectations. It was impossible for all Disciples to pass; Liang Country was no Holy Land of Cultivation, how could it give birth to that many prodigies?

However, he didn’t directly expel them from the Formation just because they had no more hope. Who knew—perhaps some inconceivable miracle might erupt?

In truth, what Li Zhirui wanted was for them to seize this opportunity to hone their will and Dao Heart.

That way, even if they failed the trial and did not become True Inheritors, so long as they gained something in the process, it would still benefit their future Cultivation.

As the end drew near, Disciples began to pass the trial one after another and reach the summit.

Li Zhirui had only one thing to say to them: while the trial was not yet over, use the time to rest well.

Once midnight passed that night, he immediately withdrew the Formation, and the few Disciples still trapped within were all thrown out.

"Aaah! I was only one step away! Just the last stair—why! Why couldn’t you give me a bit more time! Just a quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour would’ve been enough!" One Disciple, upon returning to reality, broke down screaming, as if he had gone mad.

"All Disciples had the same time limit. Why should it be made special just for you?"

Li Zhirui frowned at him and said, "Besides, do you really think that after stepping onto the 2,999th stair, you would have come out?"

"To tell you the truth, there was still an Illusion Technique on the final stair!"

If, after coming out, this person hadn’t suddenly collapsed emotionally, Li Zhirui might have felt a trace of pity, since he did indeed seem just one step away.

But once he lost control and began to go crazy, that slight trace of pity in Li Zhirui’s heart was completely erased.

With this Disciple’s current state, let alone giving him a quarter of an hour—even two hours—he still wouldn’t pass.

Hearing this, he was struck as though by lightning, stunned in disbelief. He had thought he was very close, only to now realize he was still far away.

"At 5:00 AM today, the next round of trials will begin. Make your preparations."

With that, Li Zhirui vanished.

"Sigh!"

Wansheng glanced at that Disciple, saw that he still hadn’t come back to his senses, and sighed with some regret. In the end, unable to bear it, he said, "It’s all right. Take this lesson to heart and prepare well for next time."

After that, he too left.

The Disciples who had not passed the trial opened their eyes one after another, rose, and departed.

The few Disciples who would continue to the next trial seized every second to recover their state, remaining seated in meditation where they were.

After all, the next trial would also be held here.

...

The night passed without incident; the moon set and the sun rose.

At exactly 5:00 AM, Li Zhirui appeared before everyone.

"The trial is about to begin. Are you ready?"

"We are ready!"

"Then let it begin."

In the next instant, a ray of Spirit Light flashed out and directly engulfed the Disciples.

From the outside, nothing could be seen; there was no way to know what kind of ordeal they were undergoing at that moment.

All the Disciples found themselves, in a daze, inside a Cave Mansion, going into closed-door Cultivation, attempting to break through their bottlenecks and冲击 a higher Realm.

At first, they sensed nothing amiss, but as time flowed on, their lifespan drew nearer and nearer to its end while their own breakthrough remained out of reach. At that point, changes emerged in their Mental State: some became restless and agitated, some grew worried, some were seized by terror.

Only three Disciples were able to maintain a normal Mental State!

But gradually, some Disciples also calmed, their hearts becoming as still as water, like an ancient well without ripples.

This trial seemed simple on the surface, yet it lasted a full day and night!

Within the Illusionary Realm, however, they experienced several hundred, even over a thousand years.

Over such a long span, with their current Cultivation, it was impossible to keep their Mental State unchanged throughout.

So as long as, by the very end, a Disciple could still maintain a tranquil Mental State, they would be deemed to have passed the trial.

Even so, not all of them succeeded; only six met the criteria.

"Congratulations, you have successfully passed the trial. So long as nothing goes wrong in this final stage, you will become True Disciples of the Tongtian Sect!" A faint smile appeared on Li Zhirui’s face.

This True Inheritor selection was finally drawing to a close.

If not for his identity as Sect Leader, and the need to show how much he valued the True Disciples, he would never have wanted to take part. It was simply a waste of his time.

Fortunately, it was about to end!

Off to the side, when Wansheng saw that six Disciples had passed the multilayered trials, a delighted smile appeared on his face.

Six True Inheritors—this number exceeded his estimate by one and had already surpassed his expectations.

"Come with me."

With that, Li Zhirui took the lead, and before long, he brought the six of them to the Ancestor Master Hall.

"Kneel on the meditation cushions in order of seniority."

The Tongtian Sect counted one generation per century and now had five generations of Disciples. Of these six True Inheritors, two were from the first generation, and each of the other generations had one.

The Disciples followed his instructions, obediently kneeling on the cushions, eyes lowered, not daring to raise their heads to look at the Ancestor Masters and forebears.

Li Zhirui then activated a Treasure Mirror hanging above the Ancestor Master Hall, and in an instant, six rays of Spirit Light shot out from it and entered each of their bodies.

After circulating once within their bodies, the lights exited through their crowns and returned to the Treasure Mirror.

Hum, hum, hum—

The Treasure Mirror trembled for a while, and then it shot out a beam of Spirit Light that actually displayed the past and present lives of these six Disciples!

Since they all had their heads bowed, they had no idea what was happening.

Once it was confirmed that they were not spies planted by other factions and that they carried no overly heavy karma, they were considered to have passed the test.

Dong, dong, dong——

Li Zhirui struck the Jade Bell, its deep sound echoing through the entire Ascension Mountain. Then he announced, "The trial is passed. From this day forth, you six will be entered into the True Disciple Jade Register of my Tongtian Sect!"