Immortality Cultivation

Fang Hao stood at the staircase leading to the ninth level, taking a few deep breaths to adjust his state to its peak.

Having just achieved a Breakthrough to the Middle Golden Core Stage, his spiritual power was surging, almost overflowing, and he felt like he could kill an ox with a single punch.

However, he knew clearly in his heart that each level of the heaven-reaching pagoda was more bizarre than the last; the ninth level would definitely be even more difficult to deal with, and he absolutely could not let his guard down.

He lifted his foot and stepped steadily onto the stairs of the ninth level.

The scene before his eyes changed again. This time, it was not a grand hall, nor was it some illusion, but a void...

Above, below, left, right, front, and back, everything was gray and boundless; he could feel neither the sky nor the ground. He was just suspended in the air, with nothing beneath his feet, and his heart felt empty as well.

"What kind of hellish trial is this?" Fang Hao’s heart pounded. He pushed his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to the limit, but looking around, he could see nothing but gray mist. When he released his Divine Sense, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to find an edge.

Just as he was starting to feel unnerved, the gray mist ahead suddenly surged, slowly condensing into a line of ancient characters:

"A question of the Dao Heart. Answer, and you shall pass. Do not answer, or answer incorrectly, and you shall be forever lost in the void."

The characters dissipated. The surroundings returned to deathly silence.

"A question of the Dao Heart?" Fang Hao was stunned. No fighting, no killing, just switching to a written exam? This stuff was much harder to deal with than fighting and killing! If you couldn’t beat someone, you could still run, but if you answered this wrong, you would be "forever lost in the void"! Just hearing it was terrifying.

He dared not be negligent; he summoned all his focus and waited attentively.

After waiting for about a dozen breaths, the gray mist ahead churned again. This time, it did not form characters, but a blurry figure. The figure gradually became clear, and it actually turned into... Fang Hao’s own appearance! Even the clothes and expression were exactly the same!

"A mirror image?" Fang Hao was shocked and gripped his sword hilt tightly.

The "mirror image Fang Hao" was expressionless, with hollow eyes, staring straight at him. It spoke in a cold voice, devoid of any emotion:

"Why do you cultivate?"

Fang Hao was stunned. That’s it? So philosophical? Subconsciously, he wanted to spout cliches like "to achieve immortality, to be free and unfettered, to avoid being bullied." But the words died on his lips, and he swallowed them back. No, this question definitely wasn’t that simple. Since it was a "question of the Dao Heart," it must be asking for the most fundamental things deep within his heart. Making things up definitely wouldn’t work.

He fell silent and thought seriously. Yes, why exactly do I cultivate? Starting as a Servant Disciple, struggling along the way, being looked down upon, hunted down, nearly dying several times—what was the point of working so hard?

At first, it seemed to be just to survive, to stop being a Servant Disciple whom everyone could bully. Later, it was to become stronger, to have the power to protect himself, and to not be at the mercy of others. Later still, after seeing a broader world, he wanted to go further and see the scenery at the summit...

It seemed... there wasn’t any particularly lofty reason. It was just to prove himself, to control his own destiny, and to... live freely?

He raised his head, looked at the mirror image, his eyes becoming firm, and spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but exceptionally clear:

"To control my own destiny and not be an ant. To witness the vastness of the world and refuse to be mediocre. To... follow where my heart leads, without hesitation."

Once he said this, he felt a sense of clarity in his heart. Yes, that was it! It wasn’t that complicated; he just didn’t want to be trampled underfoot, he just wanted to see how big the world really was, and he just wanted to live according to his own will!

After listening, the mirror image Fang Hao had no expression, and his body dissipated like a sand sculpture, turning back into gray mist.

Fang Hao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had answered correctly? Before he could be happy, the gray mist condensed again. This time, it turned into the phantom of an old man he had never seen before, with a dignified face and an unfathomable aura.

The old man’s phantom spoke, his voice like a great bell, shaking Fang Hao’s Divine Soul:

"If, on the path of the Dao, your closest kin stands in your way, what will you do?"

Fang Hao’s heart skipped a beat. This question was even more ruthless! Closest kin blocking the Dao? He thought of his parents, whom he had no impression of, and the "acquaintances" in the Servant Disciple quarters who couldn’t really be called kin; it seemed he didn’t have any closest kin. But what if he did? He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: "I would reason with them and appeal to their emotions. If they remain stubborn... then those with different paths cannot make plans together!" He could not bring himself to sacrifice his kin for the greater good, but he also could not abandon his path of the Dao for the sake of family affection.

The old man’s phantom dissipated.

The third question followed immediately. This time, the gray mist transformed into a stunning beauty full of temptation, her voice seductive and Soul-stirring: "Immortality is lonely; power and beauty are within reach. Are you willing to stop?"

Fang Hao looked at the beauty, his heart completely calm, even wanting to laugh. He hadn’t been moved by a stunner like Mu Fenghua, let alone an illusion? He scoffed: "External things are all void; only the Dao is eternal!"

The beauty dissipated.

The fourth question, the fifth, the sixth... the questions came one after another, increasingly tricky, pointing straight at the weaknesses of the human heart! Some concerned life-and-death choices, some concerned treasures and the Dao Heart, some concerned good and evil... Every question was like a hammer, striking Fang Hao’s Dao Heart.

Sweat appeared on Fang Hao’s forehead. Several times he was almost led astray, relying entirely on an unyielding stubbornness and the deep desire for "freedom" within his heart to endure and provide answers that followed his true intentions.

When it came to the ninth question, the gray mist condensed into a blurry ball of light exuding an aura of Chaos. The light ball emitted a fluctuation that acted directly upon the Soul:

"What is your Dao?"

This time, there was no specific scenario, only one most fundamental question—what is your Dao?

Fang Hao was stunned. My Dao? What Dao do I have? The Sword Dao? The Formation Dao? Or... the Chaos Dao hinted at by the Chaos Derivation Art? He seemed to dabble in everything, yet seemed to master nothing. The path he was walking, a Seven Spiritual Roots mixed cultivation, learning everything—was it a bit... mixed and impure? Did it count as a Dao?

He was confused. He could answer the previous questions by following his heart. But what is the "Dao"? It was too profound! He couldn’t answer it!

Time passed bit by bit, and the surrounding gray mist began to become unstable, as if he would be swallowed by this void if he did not answer soon.

Fang Hao was sweating profusely, his mind a chaotic mess. Just as he was almost about to despair and give up, the seven-colored Golden Core that had been slowly rotating in his Dantian, along with that imperceptible trace of Chaos Qi at the center of the Golden Core, trembled slightly.

A realization welled up in his heart, as if by divine inspiration.

Yes, why should I obsess over what the "Dao" is? My Spiritual Roots are mixed, what I learn is mixed, and the path I am walking is indeed a messy, untrodden one! But isn’t that my defining feature? The ocean accepts all rivers; it is vast because it accommodates everything! Who says the "Dao" must be singular and pure? My Dao is this unique, all-encompassing path of cultivation of mine! It is this... Chaos Dao!

He suddenly raised his head, all confusion gone from his eyes, bursting with unprecedented brilliance as he said loudly to the Chaos light ball:

"My Dao incorporates all techniques, accommodates all rivers, Chaos returns to one, forming a Dao of its own!"

As his words fell, the Chaos light ball shook violently, then erupted with brilliant light! The entire void space trembled along with it! Within the light, a highly concentrated stream of Chaos Qi, as if alive, shot directly into the center of Fang Hao’s eyebrows!

Boom—!

A massive amount of incredibly profound information flooded into Fang Hao’s Sea of Consciousness! It was, surprisingly, a Cultivation Technique titled "Chaos Derivation Art: Middle Volume"! It was precisely the continuation of his primary Cultivation Technique! A complete method from the Golden Core Stage all the way to the Nascent Soul Stage!

At the same time, the surrounding void space receded like a receding tide. Fang Hao found himself standing again in an ordinary stone hall, with a simple, ancient gray Jade Slip floating in front of him.

"Trial cleared. You may enter the tenth level."

Characters appeared on the dome.

Fang Hao let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if he had fought a battle that exhausted his spirit, even more tiring than the previous eight levels combined! He reached out and grasped the Jade Slip, sinking his Divine Sense into it; it was indeed "Chaos Derivation Art: Middle Volume"! The Cultivation Technique was even more profound, more powerful, and came with several powerful Chaos Divine Abilities!

"Worth it! So worth it!" Fang Hao’s hands were shaking with excitement! The reward for this ninth level was more precious than any Magic Treasure or Medicinal Pill! This was the foundation of his cultivation!

He carefully put away the Jade Slip, sat cross-legged, and first digested the gains from the Dao Heart trial, feeling his spirit become more transparent and firm. Only then did he get up and look at the stairs leading to the tenth level.

"The tenth level... what will it be?" His eyes were filled with the light of anticipation and challenge. This heaven-reaching pagoda was truly his blessed land!