The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

Chu Xiu dared to shatter his own heart with the power of the third level of the Formless Sword Scripture because he was well aware that he had come to this mysterious plane as a primordial spirit.

If it is the primordial spirit, how can it have a physical body and heart?

The scenes of a broken heart and gushing blood are all illusions.

Even so, the heart remains one of the greatest weaknesses of a human being.

"Ok?"

Above the heavens, where Chu Xiu could neither see nor hear, an extremely magnificent figure was looking down upon this plane, witnessing Chu Xiu break through his cultivation barrier by shattering his own heart.

“This little guy is interesting. In the past, those who went down to the mortal realm to enter the first test of the Qiankun Heart Test either avoided it out of fear or spent a lot of time carefully considering it before barely managing to identify the illusion and kill it.”

"But in doing so, one might either miss the chance to ascend to heaven or waste the precious time to comprehend the Dao of Heaven, which is a pity."

"No one has ever broken through the barrier by shattering their own heart like him..."

"Breaking free from the shackles of life and death and coming into contact with the true Dao is to leave the first step of cultivation and step into the second stage..."

Therefore, he couldn't help but use his own power. As Chu Xiu's two clones dissipated and transformed into energy that flowed into his body, he asked a question in Chu Xiu's mind, through the clones' voices:

"The initial goal of mortals in cultivation is to achieve immortality. Aren't you... afraid of accidentally killing yourself?"

Chu Xiu's gaze froze; he hadn't expected to hear his clone question his soul.

A glint flashed in his eyes as he lowered his head and chuckled, "Afraid? Of course I'm afraid!"

"Although I cannot distinguish between reality and illusion, I am very clear that illusion, in its essence, is merely a means of bewitching people's hearts! To break the illusion, one only needs to break the heart!"

"But whether it's true or false, in my eyes, it's all me, it's all real! Since it's me, whether I live or die should be my own decision, not someone else's!"

Chu Xiu's answer seemed to satisfy the figure.

"Your idea is correct, those two clones are both the real body!"

"It's just a matter of having three bodies: one from the future, one from the past, and one from the present..."

"This is a method from the Ten Thousand Buddhas True Scripture. It seems that someone outside is helping you with Buddhist teachings."

"That person's original intention was for you to sever your past self and merge your present self with your future self, thus temporarily breaking free from your shackles..."

"But the Heavenly Dao here has turned the tables on you, confusing the three. If you fail to comprehend your true self, you will perish and your Dao will be extinguished."

"Now that you have achieved the unity of the three bodies, those shackles are no longer shackles. Your future is limitless. I hope you can always stay true to yourself and have a clear conscience."

The last sentence lingered in Chu Xiu's mind for a long time before finally fading away.

Before Chu Xiu could ponder its meaning, a surge of Heavenly Dao power flowed into his body, followed by a mechanical voice, identical to that of the system, resounding in his mind:

"You have passed the first level of the Heaven and Earth Questioning Heart. The reward is full recovery of your status and advancement of your internal strength and primordial spirit cultivation to the perfect Earth Immortal realm."

"Claim your reward now?"

Chu Xiu stood there, stunned. Could it be that the positive energy system that had been helping him become stronger all along was a manifestation of the Heavenly Dao?

But if that's the case, why set a trap for him in the first round, intending to harm him?

Chu Xiu recalled the shackles the man had mentioned earlier, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind:

Could it be that this system is truly a manifestation of the Way of Heaven, a mechanism that rewards diligence, but also a shackle that limits one's growth rate?

And this questioning of the universe is the way to unlock this shackle?

That person was not the Heavenly Dao, which means that someone actually had the power to interfere with the Heavenly Dao's actions!

This is absolutely not something that cultivators in the world of the Great Zhou could do!

Chu Xiu's thoughts began to stir, but he forcefully cut them off.

My own level of understanding is too low; I am simply not qualified to explore the so-called truth of the world.

He hasn't even achieved immortality yet, so how could he be qualified to ask about the truth or falsehood of that?

Aiming too high is definitely not a good thing!

"Claim your reward now?"

"Yes!"

Chu Xiu believed that the man's words, "The shackles are no longer shackles," and that the system was now merely an aid to him, no longer a constraint on his growth!

As soon as Chu Xiu finished speaking, a mysterious power surrounded and protected his heart. After this transformation between reality and illusion, his heart was as hard as iron. No matter how the truth or falsehood of the mortal world could deceive people, it could not penetrate his heart!

At this moment, his cultivation also broke through to the perfect Earth Immortal realm, just one step away from the Celestial Immortal realm!

Chu Xiu smiled helplessly. After witnessing the methods by which truly powerful beings interfered with the Heavenly Dao, he vaguely felt that the so-called immortals in this world were merely titles used by mortals to elevate their status and position.

However, this is also the necessary path to becoming a true immortal!

Only by being down-to-earth can we find the right path to success!

With the first trial of the Heaven and Earth Questioning Heart broken, a golden gate slowly appeared in the palace, the path leading to the next trial.

"The second challenge is the question between immortals and mortals!"

Before Chu Xiu could move forward, a tremendous force surged from the golden gate, sucking him inside.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already in another dimension.

Two completely different paths appeared before him.

A path of rosy light, radiant with ethereal beauty, leads straight to the clouds.

On either side of the other cloud ladder, birds sing and flowers bloom, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere as it descends straight into the clouds.

The paths of immortality and mortalism are clear at a glance, but the destination of each path is shrouded in mystery and cannot be seen clearly.

"To enter the path of immortality, one must abandon the mortal world, and vice versa!"

"A choice between two paths?"

Chu Xiu sat down on the ground and pondered deeply.

If other cultivators were here, they would undoubtedly choose that path to immortality.

After all, the purpose of cultivating immortality is to escape the mortal world; there is no reason to abandon immortality and return to the mortal realm.

But Chu Xiu didn't think so.

Although his primary goal was to obtain the rewards from the positive energy system, everything he did was out of consideration for ordinary people.

His consistent approach has always been to remain rooted in the mortal world before seeking immortality.

The saying "to enter the path of immortality, one must abandon the mortal world" is, in his view, definitely not about escaping the world or severing ties with the past.

Rather, it's about severing the vulnerability that came with being an ordinary mortal!

The saying goes, "To enter the mortal world, one must abandon the path of immortality." Abandoning the path of immortality means abandoning one's cultivation, which is practically impossible for any cultivator.

Even if the Qi Observation Technique didn't work, Chu Xiu could still vaguely sense that whether one abandoned the mortal realm to become an immortal or vice versa, it would all lead to certain death.

Chu Xiu took a deep breath, stood up, and said in a loud voice:

"I will not choose either of these paths."

"The mortal world and the immortal path? Only children make choices. I want them both!"

"I want to stand on the mortal ground, using the human world as my foundation, to climb to the so-called peak of martial arts and immortality!"

"No one can control my choices, not even the will of Heaven!"

As soon as Chu Xiu finished speaking, both roads gradually weathered and crumbled before their eyes until they disappeared completely.

Instead, there is an endless sea of ​​clouds.

Chu Xiu lifted his foot and charged forward without hesitation.

Since there was no road, he forged his own!

"My path transcends the distinction between immortals and mortals!"

As Chu Xiu moved forward step by step, a vast sea of ​​flowers appeared behind him.

After he stopped, a golden gate appeared before him.

This is the real exit from the second level!

"You have passed the second level of the Heaven and Earth Inquiry, and your internal strength and primordial spirit cultivation have been promoted to the perfect Heavenly Immortal Realm."

"Claim your reward now?"

"Yes!"

With the power of the Heavenly Dao flowing into his body, Chu Xiu's internal cultivation level has reached the perfection of the Heavenly Immortal Realm!

"If we could do these bonus levels a few more times, wouldn't we be able to reach the top in one step?"

Chu Xiu smiled heartily. These rewards were all well-deserved based on his past deeds and state of mind, and he felt no burden whatsoever.

As he stepped through the Golden Gate, the mechanical voice of Heavenly Dao immediately followed: "The third trial of Heaven and Earth's Inquiry into the Heart: Dao and Destiny."

"This first test is to examine my inner judgment regarding the distinction between reality and illusion in the path of spiritual practice."

"The second test is whether I possess and uphold the right path."

"So, the third test, 'The Way and Fate,' will it be a test of whether I pursue the Way more diligently or cherish Fate more deeply?"