Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

At that moment, a massive gourd flew in from the distance, a middle-aged man seated atop it. Within moments, it was hovering over the square. The middle-aged cultivator leaped from the gourd, landing safely before the assembled cultivators. He was, surprisingly, a senior cultivator in the late Jindan stage. The aura of a superior burst forth, making it difficult to gaze directly upon him. The nearby Qianji Sect disciples immediately bowed respectfully, greeting the Sect Leader. The candidates, bewildered, followed suit, bowing respectfully.

"I am Hou Youyuan, the 237th head of Qianji Sect. I welcome all fellow Taoists to attend our sect's three-yearly opening ceremony for recruiting disciples." Headmaster Hou introduced himself and at the same time released and retracted his aura to prevent these young people from being hurt by the pressure of the Jindan master's aura.

"Now we will proceed to the first test, the Heart Refining Path. Everyone, relax and don't resist. I will summon you into my Heart Refining Gourd. Those harboring ill intentions against the Thousand Machine Sect will be killed on the spot. Those with weak minds will be eliminated. Those who endure for a quarter of an hour will advance to the next round of testing." Sect Master Hou, evidently a man of decisive action, got straight to the point. He cast a spell upon the gourd in the sky, and a gentle, bright light emanated from its mouth, shrouding the crowd in the square. This was surprisingly a rare intra-dimensional magical instrument. Cultivators drawn into it would undergo a soul-searching process and the trials of their inner demons. It was a magical tool specially crafted by the sect's founder to recruit disciples and test their hearts.

Liu Xing felt a powerful suction pulling him toward the gourd. He offered no resistance. Of course, he silently estimated that even if he unleashed his full strength, he could only hold out for a moment. He grew even more wary of the Heart Refining Gourd's power. After entering the gourd, Liu Xing found himself alone in a separate space, everyone else gone. He surveyed his surroundings but made no attempt to explore further. Instead, he sat cross-legged in the air, concentrating his mind and preparing for the interrogation.

"What is your purpose in coming to Qianji Sect?"

"I'm here to become your disciple and learn the art of prohibition."

"Why do you want to learn the way of prohibition?"

"To prepare for future visits to ancient sites and explorations to obtain more cultivation resources."

Two questions and two answers, and the heart-searching session was over. Strangely enough, Liu Xing felt like a bystander, not the one asking the questions, nor the one answering them. It felt as if nothing had anything to do with him. Yet, he knew full well that both the questions and the answers were projections of his true inner state. He had no time to fake it, and he didn't know how. He was wary, fearing his bamboo flute would be exposed, so he kept hypnotizing himself, treating it like a simple toy. Thankfully, the heart-searching session only asked about psychological activities related to the Thousand Machine Sect, leaving nothing else, which finally put his nerves at ease.

Meanwhile, a late Foundation Establishment candidate encountered trouble. He had come to the Qianji Sect undercover to gather intelligence, but Wenxin discovered him and he surrendered his secret. Sect Leader Hou dispatched him with a single blow. Facing a late Jindan-stage expert, he offered no resistance. Sect Leader Hou treated the execution of the criminal as a trivial matter, not even a frown, clearly accustomed to this kind of inter-spying. The situation was different for the onlookers. Seeing a late Foundation Establishment expert so easily succumb before them, each one, overwhelmed by the Sect Leader's imposing presence, felt a tense grip on their hearts. The whispers that had previously lingered were now abruptly silenced.

"Qing'er, why are you here?" Liu Xing was looking at Dongfang Qing who was slowly walking towards him in surprise.

"Brother Xing, I miss you so much! Why don't you come see me?" Dongfang Qing cried, tears streaming down her face, and threw herself into Liu Xing's arms. Liu Xing hugged her tightly, breathing in her familiar scent. A flood of emotions—remorse, pain, longing—surged. The emotions he had buried deep within him burst forth, uncontrollably.

"Qing'er, I'm sorry." Liu Xing kept blaming himself and hugged Dongfang Qing tightly.

"Come with me, let's go home, let's go back to Meiyan Sect." Dongfang Qing looked at Liu Xing lovingly, took his hand and was about to walk out.

"Qing'er, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Liu Xing apologized repeatedly, tears streaming down his face. He clutched Dongfang Qing's hands tightly, unwilling to let go for a long time, wishing this moment could last forever. However, his feet remained fixed in place like nails, motionless, as if he hadn't heard Dongfang Qing's request to leave.

"Mr. Liu, you are playing with my feelings. Are you really going to abandon me and never care about me again? Do you still have a conscience?!" Dongfang Qing saw that he was unwilling to leave with her for a long time, and finally her temperament changed. She yelled at Liu Xing and questioned him.

"Qing'er, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. We are separated as immortals and mortals forever, and there is no turning back." Facing Dongfang Qing's stern questioning, Liu Xing felt even more panicked and regretful. He didn't want to be like this, but there was a difference between immortals and mortals, and he was powerless to do anything.

"You heartless man! Get out of here! I never want to see you again!" Dongfang Qing never gave him a cold look; their time together was always joyful and happy. After their separation, Liu Xing suppressed his emotions and longing, wanting to escape, unable to escape the self-blame and regret. Deep down, he wished Dongfang Qing would scold him, even beat him, to vent his anger. He would endure any hardship if Dongfang Qing would forgive his selfishness. In reality, Dongfang Qing loved her brother Xing so deeply that she would never be able to bear to scold or beat Liu Xing. She cherished every moment they were together. Therefore, Liu Xing loved Dongfang Qing not only for her gentleness and beauty, but also for her understanding. He was deeply grateful for her support and understanding, allowing him to pursue his dream of cultivating immortality. Therefore, when the real Qing'er refused to scold him, he was grateful; when the Qing in the fantasy world scolded him, he felt relieved. From then on, he no longer felt entangled or self-blame in his heart, and his thoughts were clear. He felt that his state of mind had been sublimated again, and the slight resistance he had felt when breaking through the bottleneck disappeared silently.

"This kid is pretty good, he's very skilled and brave. Not only did he not block his six senses to get rid of the illusion, but he used the illusion to sever his own emotional ties. From then on, his thoughts became clear and he has a bright future." Hou Youyuan was very surprised and admired Liu Xing's unusual behavior.

Meanwhile, within the illusion, some wept bitterly with regret, others, driven by the bloodlust of slaughter, were driven into demonic limbo by the rebirth of their inner demons. Some, fearful, hesitated and hesitated... A small number of those in the Heart Refining Gourd, unable to pass the test due to various psychological issues, were eliminated. The vast majority struggled to make it through, sweating profusely. A small minority remained remarkably steadfast, unperturbed by the illusion. Only Liu Xing, a peculiar individual, dared to truly cultivate his mind through the illusion.