Chapter 210: Illusion, Breakthrough, Reward

After ascending to a certain height, the octagonal underground palace suddenly plunged into a mass of flames. On the ground above, the mountain itself began to burn.

The flames, as if sentient, furiously burrowed into the palace, seeking crevices. "Fire!" Zhao Xing continued casting spells, attempting to fight fire with fire. At this point, it was impossible to use water to extinguish the blaze; the 'Drip Rain' spell, by its very name, was clearly not for large-scale firefighting.

The underground palace swayed precariously, unable to ascend further. This was because Zhao Xing was casting 'Heavenly Fire,' which was only a perfected intermediate-level spell and couldn't withstand the Earth Fiend Fire. However, due to the powerful Divine Mobility Guarding the palace and the resistance of the Baleful Yin Wind, the Earth Fire couldn't burn its way in. Two high-level spells allowed Zhao Xing to hold his ground at the Fire Fiend Pass, but they weren't enough for him to ascend further.

"I don't have a high-level fire elemental spell, so I can't pass this stage," Zhao Xing concluded quickly after persisting for a moment. The Wind Fiend exacerbated the Fire Fiend, and if it continued, he would eventually be unable to endure.

"Give up." Zhao Xing silently murmured 'give up,' and the next moment, he reappeared outside the portal.

"You have passed the Earth Fiend stage of the Yin-Yang Six Harmonies Array and may receive a top-grade Tier 4 treasure as a reward. You can choose between elixirs or weapons," the voice of the Xiezhi sounded.

"Elixirs," Zhao Xing said, somewhat unenthusiastically. For him, a top-grade Tier 4 reward was barely better than nothing. The academies of Dali were established for elites, and it wasn't easy to obtain rewards. Of course, he wasn't disheartened.

"According to my calculations, to pass the Yin-Yang Six Harmonies Array, I only need one high-level fire elemental spell." Volcanic Eruption was actually an earth elemental spell because, in essence, it was a 'Cracked Earth Spell.' Even if its name was 'Fire Elemental Cracked Earth Spell,' it wasn't a purely fire elemental spell. The Fire Fiend Pass required a purely high-level fire elemental spell.

"Once I pass the Fire Fiend Pass, the Thunder Fiend Pass won't be an issue for me," Zhao Xing thought to himself. Earth, Wind, Fire, Thunder—Zhao Xing was confident he could pass the final Thunder Fiend Pass because he possessed a pure high-level thunder spell.

After passing the Earth Fiend stage, Zhao Xing received three top-grade Tier 4 Earth Fiend Pills, which helped cultivate the body for those in the Earth Fiend Realm.

Without wasting time, he left the Heavenly Engineering Hall and headed to the Trial of the Heart platform to attempt its challenge.

"I passed the 10th stage of the Lust Trial on the Trial of the Heart a long time ago. Its reappearance now proves I can continue, but I wonder what kind of trial it will be." Zhao Xing took a deep breath and ascended the steps of the Trial of the Heart platform.

The moment Zhao Xing stepped onto the platform, his thoughts were scattered by a clap of thunder. He was sent flying backward, and even his spiritual soul was injured during the trial, causing him to directly exit the Grand Dream Academy.

"How can it be this difficult? This version of the Trial of the Heart is actually this powerful?" Zhao Xing pondered, vaguely sensing that something was off, an uneasy feeling. However, the Grand Dream Academy's version of the Trial of the Heart was different from what he was familiar with, so he just assumed the Dali version was too powerful. He cast Divine Mobility Guard and floated to the ground.

As soon as he reached the ground, he received a message from Chen Shijie. "Zhao Xing, Fire Dragon Pass is in urgent danger! Wen Shaoyang and Jiang Ming sent word that the Golden Feather Royal Court has dispatched a large army to retake Fire Dragon Pass! We need to hurry back!"

"What?" Zhao Xing was stunned, but Liao Rulong, Xia Jing, and others were already hurriedly boarding their ships. He had no choice but to follow them onto a ship and rush to Fire Dragon Pass.

Sitting on the warship, Zhao Xing stared blankly at the map and intelligence reports. He hadn't expected the Golden Feather Royal Court to be so determined to recapture Fire Dragon Pass; this was entirely different from what he had anticipated. Yue Haisheng had only recently escaped, and his side, occupying Fire Dragon Pass, only had a little over a hundred thousand troops. Yet, the Golden Feather Royal Court had deployed an army of 800,000 to attack!

"Zhao Xing, you will now command an independent battalion. I've assigned you three thousand men, drawn from the original Fire Crossbow Battalion, Valiant Battalion, Nine-Section Battalion, Divine Mechanism Battalion, and Five Elements Battalion. You are to proceed to the fortress now and support Wen Shaoyang's division." After disembarking from the warship, Liao Rulong immediately assigned combat missions and then left on his top-grade warship, leaving only Zhao Xing and his three-thousand-strong mixed battalion.

Watching Liao Rulong's warship fly away, Zhao Xing couldn't help but frown. He felt that something was off. But events unfolded rapidly, constantly urging him to act, leaving no time for contemplation.

"Let's go!" Zhao Xing, leading three thousand men, boarded the Netherflame Warship and flew towards the fortress. Liao Rulong had assigned familiar faces like Han Bing, Wang Ji, and Che Shihai to assist him. The three thousand men swiftly departed Fire Dragon Pass to support Wen Shaoyang's division, which was under attack.

After the warship had flown five hundred *li*, Zhao Xing spotted a contingent of demon soldiers. They were marching majestically towards Fire Dragon Pass. Han Bing immediately asked, "Commander, should we intercept this ape demon army?"

Zhao Xing shook his head. "No. Our mission is to support Wen Shaoyang. This ape demon army that's circling around can be handled by the main army behind us."

The Netherflame Warship flew for a day and a night through the Stratospheric Gale layer, finally reaching the fortress's border. Below, the White Bone Golden Toed Army was present, and above, the Flying Bear Barbarian Army. They were besieging Wen Shaoyang's fortress like ants.

"How can there be so many people?" Zhao Xing's heart pounded as he looked at the battlefield. "Commander, do we fight or not?" Wang Ji asked.

Just as Zhao Xing was pondering what felt wrong, a warrior reported from outside the cabin: "Commander, we've been surrounded by the Flying Bear Army's warships!" "Wang Ji, immediately order the mechanists to prepare for battle!" Zhao Xing had no time to think and hastily prepared for engagement.

He quickly walked to the deck outside the warship and saw five Flying Bear warships appearing in the sky. Besides these, there were many flying exotic beasts next to the warships, shaped like fierce bears but with wings. On these beasts sat barbarian soldiers and generals clad in silver feather armor.

"The Golden Feather Royal Court's Flying Bear Army, whose combat strength ranks among the top thirty in the Royal Court, isn't attacking Lü Yuanwei in the west, nor the powerful armies like the Zhaoyuan Army or Danxia Army in the north. Why are they coming to attack our Divine Might Army?" Zhao Xing inwardly cried out that something was amiss. He realized that everything seemed to be slipping out of his control, just like how the Three Kings had suddenly intervened in the trial. But at this moment, there was no time to think so much. The battle had already begun!

The five warships launched an attack on the Netherflame Warship. Crossbows, spells, blood fiends, and various other means were unleashed in turns upon the Netherflame Warship.

"Swallow Cloud!" Zhao Xing cast a cloud spell, intending to create a favorable environment for his army. But before he could fully cast it, the warship's barrier was declared broken.

"Commander, the barrier is breached!" Wang Ji roared, "There are too many of them; we've fallen into an ambush!" Arm-thick crossbow bolts rained down onto the deck. Helpless, Zhao Xing had to interrupt his Cloud Walking spell and order the warship to flee.

"Retreat!" With its barrier broken, the Netherflame Warship turned and fled backward. "Five Elements Mist Concealment!" Zhao Xing changed his cloud spell to a mist concealment spell, creating favorable conditions for the warship's escape. With the barrier broken, they could only take hits; at this point, fleeing was their only option.

After flying for half an hour, the Netherflame Warship finally shook off its pursuers. Zhao Xing, exhausted, walked into the cabin. He had managed to confuse the pursuers' vision using high-level spells. But Wen Shaoyang's division simply couldn't be supported. He only had three thousand men, and at least a hundred thousand were besieging them. How could he possibly rescue them? But this was too sudden. Why would the Golden Feather Royal Court attack Fire Dragon Pass?

Zhao Xing was just about to rest and think properly when the warship let out a mournful groan, and the entire vessel began to shake. "Wang Ji, what's going on?!"

"Commander, the warship is too severely damaged; we have to make an emergency landing!" Zhao Xing walked out and saw that the warship had been riddled like a hedgehog, and even the right cabin had a large hole. It was already incredibly difficult for it to have lasted this long.

Flames billowed from the warship's tail as it plunged from the sky into the forest below. Zhao Xing flew out of the cabin, ordering all the agronomists and sorcerers to fly beneath the warship and cast wind spells. They used wind spells to reduce the warship's descent speed, as there were many pieces of equipment on board, and if it crashed, they would have no equipment available. Moreover, warriors couldn't fly, and crashing like this would be fatal.

The Netherflame Warship still crashed into the forest. Fortunately, there was no explosion, nor did the firecrackers stored on board detonate. Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered his soldiers to disembark and move all dangerous and valuable items, such as firecrackers, off the ship.

"Zhang Quan, send people to guard the surroundings. Han Bing, count the casualties. Yuan Yang, accompany Han Bing." Zhao Xing issued orders, his brow furrowed, a faint unease in his heart. Without the warship, their mobility was greatly reduced. They didn't know where they had crashed, nor how many enemy troops were nearby.

"Scouting Strawmen, rise!" Zhao Xing waved his hand, and instantly, the surrounding vegetation transformed into numerous straw figures, spreading out and searching the area. However, it wasn't long before he discovered traces of the barbarian army. His crash site was actually not far from a large encampment of ape barbarians.

"So many tents! How many people must there be?" Zhao Xing knew they couldn't stay there for long, or they would easily be discovered.

"Wang Ji, how long will it take to repair the warship?"

"Fourteen hours."

"Fourteen hours? That's too long!" Zhao Xing said. "We'll walk and abandon the warship. Han Bing, relay the order to set off after a half-hour rest."

"Yes."

After Zhao Xing and his group departed, the ape barbarian army discovered their tracks and began sending troops in pursuit. However, in the mountain forest, it was entirely Zhao Xing's home turf. Whether it was the strawmen disturbing visibility or the Five Elements Mist Concealment, these tactics allowed Zhao Xing's three thousand men to consistently stay one step ahead and break out of encirclements.

Time flew by, and seven days had passed in the blink of an eye. By then, Zhao Xing had led his people out of the ape barbarian army's encirclement, but this had taken an immense toll on him. Seven consecutive days of non-stop practical application of large-scale area spells had left him utterly exhausted.

Seeing that they had escaped the encirclement, Zhao Xing handed over command to Han Bing: "Go and rendezvous with Liao Rulong. You and Wang Ji will have to lead the way from now on. I need to get some sleep..." With Zhao Xing's leadership, the most dangerous period had passed. Han Bing and Wang Ji took control of the team and successfully returned to Fire Dragon Pass, where they rendezvoused with Liao Rulong.

When Zhao Xing awoke, he was already in the midst of a retreat. By then, Liao Rulong's division had abandoned Fire Dragon Pass and retreated to Zhiyous City. Fire Dragon Pass had returned to barbarian control. They had suffered a crushing defeat.

"What happened? Why did we lose so quickly? The Golden Feather Royal Court actually sent Prince Yanda to retake Fire Dragon Pass?" Zhao Xing looked at the intelligence report, feeling an unbidden sense of panic. Nevertheless, he bravely fought alongside the Divine Might Army.

For the remaining two months of the 17th year of Jingxin, the Divine Might Army retreated. But Zhao Xing's military achievements continued to grow. Without control over the future, Zhao Xing remained a high-level player, constantly striving towards his goals.

In the spring of the 18th year of Jingxin, Emperor Jing did not confer the periodic commendations, which again surprised Zhao Xing. However, Zhao Xing still returned to the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven's base to rest, awaiting the imminent 'Grotto-Heaven Spiritual Energy Resurgence.' Yet, he waited until June of the 18th year of Jingxin and still did not witness the 'Grotto-Heaven Spiritual Energy Resurgence.' After leaving in June, he once again went to the battlefield to fight bravely. But in October of the 18th year of Jingxin, the 'Ten Suns Soaring' event occurred, and Chen Shijie and Long Xiaotian Yan all perished in this disaster. By the time Zhao Xing rushed back, the Grotto-Heaven had already closed. Upon receiving news of Old Chen's and Long Xiao's deaths, his head began to ache.

In the 19th year of Jingxin, at the Palace of Myriad Laws, immense pain wracked Zhao Xing; his head was splitting. He didn't know when he had started suffering from these headaches. He consulted many military doctors, but they could never find the exact cause, only saying he was overly anxious and needed more rest. It was as if multiple images flashed in his mind, causing his head to split with pain. To alleviate this headache, Zhao Xing came to the Palace of Myriad Laws and began to implore Liu Tianning to teach him how to cultivate the Myriad Laws Strawman.

During the cultivation of the Myriad Laws Strawman, Zhao Xing's headache somewhat subsided. He continued cultivating until the 19th year of Jingxin. It was then that he finally resisted the subtle interference and managed to focus his thoughts. At the same time, his first 'Self-Strawman' appeared before Zhao Xing.

Seeing this, Liu Tianning came to Zhao Xing's side and looked at him: "You seem to have gained some insight."

Zhao Xing nodded: "Yes, I've finally figured it out."

Liu Tianning asked, "What have you figured out?"

Zhao Xing pointed to his head: "Actually, the military doctors were right. I don't really have any illness. The reason I couldn't concentrate was my own power attacking myself."

"What was it?"

"Fear."

Zhao Xing looked at the 'Myriad Laws Strawman' before him, his expression tense, his eyes filled with terror. At this moment, it could be called a 'Fear Strawman.'

"Fear of the unknown, fear of the future, fear of losing foresight."

Liu Tianning looked at Zhao Xing in surprise: "What are you talking about?"

Zhao Xing didn't answer, murmuring to himself, "If I'm afraid of an unknown path without these advantages, then I'm not truly qualified for immortality."

"You're insane," Liu Tianning said. "Immortality, future... What are you talking about?"

Zhao Xing curved his fingers into a sword and struck the 'Self-Strawman' in front of him. The strawman Zhao Xing, embodying fear, collapsed.

"No matter how the future changes, I shall bravely press forward! My resolve to achieve immortality remains unshaken!" The voice boomed like thunder, resounding through heaven and earth. The sound grew louder and louder, and finally, everything before his eyes shattered.

Zhao Xing looked at the steps before him and found himself still on the Trial of the Heart platform within the Grand Dream Academy. "So it was," Zhao Xing mused with emotion. He had unknowingly reached the twentieth step. And he had indeed been randomly assigned to the 'Fear Trial' of the Trial of the Heart.

"It amplifies the subtle fears within my heart, then extrapolates them layer by layer to create a complete illusion. It makes people constantly struggle within the illusion of fear. If they cannot break through their inner fear, they will forever be trapped in the illusion."

In the illusion, he lost his 'panel' and his foresight into the future. But in the end, Zhao Xing broke through the shackles of fear in his heart, strengthened his conviction, and successfully escaped the illusion.

Scholar Zhao Xing, with unwavering will, passed the 'Fear Trial,' rewarded with one 'Spiritual Soul Elixir.'

Two thousand meters underground, within the cavern enveloped by the octagonal cage-like underground palace, Zhao Xing opened his eyes. In his arms lay four elixirs. Three were merely top-grade Tier 4 Earth Fiend Pills, which he casually put away. The other emitted a faint golden glow. As Zhao Xing looked at it, a deep longing, completely unsuppressible, emanated from the depths of his soul.

"Spiritual Soul Elixir? The reward from this Trial of the Heart is truly generous," Zhao Xing exclaimed.

Both the Dao Embryo Elixir and the Spiritual Soul Elixir were 'rare items' without marked grades because very few finished products were refined, their effects weren't immediate, and they varied from person to person. If Zhao Xing were to estimate, both the Dao Embryo Elixir and the Spiritual Soul Elixir would be considered top-grade Tier 6. This was because, in his previous life, their market price was comparable to top-grade Tier 6 or low-grade Tier 7 elixirs.

"When the spiritual soul resides in the physical body, it is limited by the flesh, so the spiritual soul's realm often lags behind the physical body's realm. But the Spiritual Soul Elixir can nourish one's spiritual soul, even allowing it to surpass the physical body's realm," Zhao Xing thought to himself. He was currently at the perfected Tier 7 realm, but his spiritual soul was only at early Tier 7.

"According to the Grand Dream Spring and Autumn, in the ancient methods of the Earth Fiend Realm, besides cultivating fiend energy into the body, there should also be the step of cultivating fiend energy into the soul. The same applies to the Heavenly Gang Realm: cultivating gang energy into the body, and cultivating gang energy into the soul. The spiritual soul's realm should be the same as the physical body's realm; only then can one be considered truly complete. With every gesture, possessing the aura of a true powerhouse, capable of deterring demons and monsters with a single roar. The benefits of enhancing the spiritual soul are too numerous." Zhao Xing was overjoyed and immediately swallowed the elixir.

After swallowing it, there was no sensation, as if he had swallowed air. But a wisp of golden light spread throughout his body, enveloping every inch of his skin. Zhao Xing felt his entire being become more energetic and warm all over. Numerous insights into the Dao flooded his mind. The moment he ingested it, his high-level spell, Baleful Yin Wind, broke through, reaching high-level Fifth Rotation. Immediately afterward, another one of his spells broke through to a high level. This was the Slumber Bug spell from the Grand Dream Spring and Autumn. The Slumber Bug spell's purpose was to extract parasites from the spiritual soul. A powerful spiritual soul naturally led to quicker comprehension of the Dao and a deeper understanding of soul-type spells. After reaching high-level spell status, the Slumber Bug spell's range of absorption significantly increased. What originally required close-range casting could now absorb and release from thousands of meters away!

Zhao Xing's spiritual soul realm rapidly changed. From early Tier 7, it ascended to mid Tier 7, late Tier 7, and perfected Tier 7. Two hours later, the golden light receded. A captivating radiance shot forth from Zhao Xing's eyes. He looked at his 'panel.' The panel now displayed his spiritual soul realm as: early Tier 6!

"The spiritual soul's realm has surpassed the physical body's realm, actually reaching Tier 6! Moreover, after reaching Tier 6, another one of my spells broke through."

A Tier 6 spiritual soul already signified entry into the second realm of cultivation, no longer one of the lower realms like Tier 7, 8, or 9. The spiritual soul is one's divine consciousness. Upon entering Tier 6, Zhao Xing's Clear Sight spell broke through. The 'Perceive Minute Details' spell, previously displayed on his panel, disappeared, replaced by the high-level 'Heavenly Eye' spell.