The Threefold Trial was a test of one's Dao Heart. After Fang Dunián cast a spell to make the cultivators enter a state of meditation, those who could first break through their Heart Barrier and emerge from their meditation were considered superior. In Fang Dunián's hand was a Mirage Pearl.
This item was exceptionally rare. Only in the land of endless yellow sands in the Western Region could one find the Mirage Sand Clam, which would produce a single Clam Pearl every thousand years. It had the ability to project illusions into a person's heart and was often used by cultivators for Heart Tempering.
Those outside did not know what was happening, but the cultivators sitting cross-legged on the high platform suddenly felt their minds grow heavy, while their bodies became as light as floating clouds. They drifted up, finding themselves in a vast and brilliant world.
Due to the different karmic ties of each person, this world manifested different scenes in each of their minds. Some, within the illusion, avenged a blood feud, their life's heart knot instantly dissolving, and they knew not whether to feel joy or sorrow.
Some achieved ascension to become an immortal, carefree and untroubled, making it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood for a time. And there were also those who were trapped in endless greed, wrath, and delusion, unable to extricate themselves.
"Eh?"
Those who voiced their confusion were mostly disciples who were here for the first time. The elders of the various sects, however, remained unmoved, not at all surprised. The first person on the platform to break through the trial was not someone who had been conspicuous in the previous two trials.
On the contrary, he was extremely inconspicuous, having long been lost among the two hundred people. Seeing that he was actually first in this trial, he was quite surprised. After calming himself, he summoned a Smoke Boat, left the stage, and took his seat.
He was merely from a minor sect, and this time was an unexpected joy for him. He continuously received congratulations from the other disciples, but he did not get carried away. An elder from his sect nodded slightly and admonished, "Among the Threefold Trials, this is the one that least depends on one's personal cultivation base.
It is for tempering the heart in the mortal world. Our entanglements and worries are not as complex as those of the disciples from the major sects, so it is easier for us to stand out. It is certainly good that you could take first place, but remember not to become proud and complacent because of it.
You must still cultivate assiduously." That person cupped his hands and acknowledged, his heart already clear and bright. The elder was also satisfied.
With such a Dao Heart, if he continued to cultivate diligently without pause, he could perhaps become a great talent. Afterward, several more broke through the trial in succession, all of them unknown figures. It wasn't until the nineteenth person that a disciple from Windsea Tower broke through.
Liu Xuan was the thirty-second, and combined with her results from the previous two trials, she was considered extremely outstanding. A disciple from the Crimson Beast Sect showed a struggling expression on his face and broke through at sixty-eighth place. When he came back to his senses, he was slightly dazed.
The two disciples from Glorious Clarity Mountain had a harder time. One ranked in the nineties, and the other was outside the top hundred. The elder of this sect sighed deeply, ultimately helpless.
The Threefold Trial for these two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators was now over. The results were recorded, but the rankings could not be announced immediately. They had to wait until all the trials for the Foundation Establishment Stage were completed to find out.
This process was extremely time-consuming. Those at Foundation Establishment and above had long since achieved inedia, but it was hard on the Qi Refining disciples, who had to rely on Fasting Pills to eliminate hunger and fatigue.
It was unknown what kind of high-grade magical artifact the Perceptive Moon Sect was using to cover the entire Tunqi Pond Dao Arena, making it impossible to distinguish day from night, as if it were eternally dawn. Afterward, several more rounds passed. Du Fanzhi took ninth in the first trial, eighteenth in the second, and eighty-fifth in the third.
This made Li Su quite satisfied. Although Liu Xuan's brilliant performance had come before, making him not as outstanding as imagined, these results still brought the True Spirit Sect a great deal of face. Additionally, Jiang Yun took fourth in the first trial, seventh in the second, and thirty-first in the third, which was also exceptionally outstanding.
He was different from Liu and Du. He had climbed step by step from the Outer Sect, was obsessed with the sword to the point of addiction, and had no distracting thoughts in his heart. That he could shine so brightly today was entirely due to his own unremitting efforts.
For the sect to have such a disciple, the three Core Formation cultivators seated there were all very delighted. Among the ten Foundation Establishment disciples from the True Spirit Sect, three were comparable to the disciples of the Three Great Sects, and the other seven far surpassed the level of minor sects.
This was completely different from the situation at the last assembly, causing other sects to sigh with great emotion. It seemed this long-declined sect was showing signs of a revival. It was no wonder others looked on with surprise.
It is easy for a sect to go from prosperity to decline, but the reverse is as difficult as ascending to the heavens. All cultivators yearn for the great sects, all flocking towards the grotto-heavens and blessed lands. Over time, the great sects' power becomes more entrenched, and they hoard countless resources.
Only when a great sect declines and collapses, allowing resources to be redistributed, can others find an opportunity to prosper. In this, there was only one type of exception: the birth of a peerless genius. If such a genius were to mature, they could suppress several generations of cultivators, and their sect would rise greatly along with them.
The Perceptive Moon Sect was such a case. Back then, the True Spirit Sect was the leader of the Southern Region, while Perceptive Moon was merely in the top ten. However, the heavens blessed this sect, and a peerless genius emerged.
His tyrannical strength could even pacify Drifting Clouds and make the Four Regions submit. After he was received by the Upper Realm and left this world, the blessings he left behind continued to benefit the Perceptive Moon Sect for a thousand years, even to this day.
A genius receives the sect's protection, and after maturing, their destiny in turn nurtures the sect. After all twelve of the True Spirit Sect's Profound Division cultivators went to the Upper Realm, the Perceptive Moon Sect continuously rose, seizing the position of leader. Now, with many heroes rising, of the two most dazzling figures, Perceptive Moon still claimed one.
It could be said that the Heavenly Dao favored them. Li Su did not delude himself into thinking the True Spirit Sect could be restored in a single generation. This session of the Hundred Sects Assembly had already left him extremely satisfied.
It would still take generations of effort to catch a glimpse of their former glory. After the Threefold Trial, the Three Great Sects were still the most eye-catching. Xie Yanshu of the Perceptive Moon Sect, Ning Fu of Glorious Clarity Mountain, and Sheng Xueting of Windsea Tower—these three were the leaders of their respective sect's Top Ten Foundation Establishment disciples.
Each had taken first place in two trials within their respective groups, and their results in the Dao Heart trial were also exceptionally outstanding. Even the other Foundation Establishment disciples within the three sects displayed the bearing of geniuses. From this, the deep foundation of a great sect could be seen.
Judged by the elders of the Four Factions—the Three Great Sects and the Alchemical Terrace Sect—the top one hundred were finally determined. They were given a spot in the Fate Seizing Battle to compete for destiny. Among them, Xie Yanshu, taking what was rightly his, occupied the top spot.
Ning Fu and Sheng Xueting ranked second and third respectively. Among the top twenty, most were disciples of the Three Great Sects, yet Liu Xuan was ranked twelfth, and Jiang Yun was nineteenth. Within the arena, the True Spirit Sect was momentarily basking in infinite glory.
Although Du Fanzhi did not make it into the top twenty, he was ranked forty-eighth, which made Li Su nod and smile. What surprised him even more was that there was another Foundation Establishment disciple named Huang Li, who was ranked exactly one-hundredth, also making it onto the list for the Fate Seizing Battle. Four out of ten had entered.
The True Spirit Sect's results this time were a great victory compared to the past. Among the hundred sects, they were considered outstanding and could enter the top ten, gradually showing signs of their former state. ~~~ I'm so silly, where would a hundred-plus sects get several thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators?
I've changed the groups from five hundred people to two hundred.
(End of Chapter)