After Qin Hao obtained the Spirit Transformation Pill, the atmosphere inside the Bronze Hall became subtle.
The Spirit Transformation Pill was lost, but countless other treasures remained in the hall. The major forces no longer focused on the central pillar but scattered to seek their own opportunities.
Margaret also led everyone to gather treasures. Scarlet found a completely crimson spear on one stone pillar—three times stronger than her original Liaoyuan spear. Adam obtained a complete set of formation flags and a secret manual for the "Five Elements Immortal-Trapping Formation." Bai Qingxue received a scroll of the "Mysterious Frost True Scripture," perfectly suited for her cultivation. Bai Wuhen found a sword intent inheritance jade slip on an ice-blue stone pillar.
"This jade slip contains a complete cold ice sword intent," Bai Wuhen said with delight. "If I can comprehend it, my sword dao will surely advance further!"
Dustin was happy for everyone. Though he hadn't found any treasures himself, seeing his companions succeed brought him considerable comfort.
Just then, a rumbling suddenly came from deep within the Bronze Hall. Immediately after, a grand voice resonated in everyone's minds:
"The first round of opportunities has ended. The second trial is about to begin—the Dao Heart Trial."
As the voice faded, the scene inside the hall suddenly changed!
The stone pillars and treasures all vanished, replaced by an enormous white space. The space was empty save for nine towering stone gates arranged around its perimeter.
"Each person will randomly enter one gate to face the Dao Heart Trial alone," the voice continued. "Those who pass will receive corresponding rewards; those who fail—their souls will scatter."
The moment the voice finished, beams of white light shot from the stone gates, enveloping everyone. Dustin felt his vision blur, and he had already been transported inside one of the gates.
The scene changed once more.
Dustin found himself standing at a cliff's edge. Below the cliff was an endless abyss; across from it, another mountain peak with a magnificent palace faintly visible.
Before him stood a person—Natasha.
"Dustin!" Natasha ran over joyfully, embracing him. "You finally came! I've been waiting so long!"
Dustin was momentarily stunned. Was this an illusion, or...
Natasha raised her head, tears in her eyes: "Dustin, let's go. Leave this place. No more cultivation, no more fighting and killing. Let's find somewhere to live in seclusion, live ordinary lives. Okay?"
Dustin looked at her, complex emotions rising in his heart. This was precisely the deepest longing in his soul—to be with his beloved, far from strife, living peaceful days.
But he knew this was false.
"Natasha..." he said softly, reaching out to touch her cheek. The sensation was so real, he could almost not tell truth from illusion.
Natasha held his hand, her eyes full of pleading: "Dustin, stay. Don't go. Let's be together, never apart."
Dustin closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were completely clear.
"You're not Natasha." He said calmly. "You are my inner demon."
The expression on Natasha's face froze. She released his hand, stepped back, and a strange red light flickered in her eyes.
"You... how did you know?"
"Natasha wouldn't ask me to give up." Dustin said. "She knows I have things I must do. She would wait for me, but she wouldn't ask me to abandon everything for her. You're not her—you're only the phantom formed from my deepest longing for an ordinary life."
The illusion distorted. Natasha's face began to shift, transforming into one familiar face after another—Margaret, Scarlet, Bai Qingxue, and even... Dahlia.
"Then who do you want?" Those faces appeared in turn, speaking in eerie voices. "Do you want power, or women? Do you want responsibility, or freedom? You want everything, but you can get nothing!"
Dustin watched those shifting faces quietly, then suddenly smiled.
"You're right, I do want everything." He said. "I want power to protect those I care about, responsibility to be worthy of those who trust me, freedom to accompany those I love. This is indeed greedy. But precisely because I'm greedy, I must become stronger. Strong enough to have it all."
He raised his head, gazing at the shifting illusion, eyes holding no confusion—only determination.
"Inner demons are merely demons within the heart. The heart has demons because the heart has desires. I'm not afraid of having desires—I'm only afraid of lacking the ability to fulfill them. So you cannot trap me."
As his words fell, the illusion shattered!
The cliff, the abyss, the palace—all vanished. Dustin found himself standing in an ancient stone chamber. At the chamber's center floated a gentle glow. Within the glow, a jade slip was faintly visible.
"Dao heart without flaw, seeing through illusion. Bestowed: the incomplete 'Chapter of Supreme Response,' to help you sense heaven and earth's vital energy and temper your spirit."
The grand voice spoke once more. The glow dissipated, and the jade slip fell into Dustin's hands.
He stored the jade slip, sat cross-legged, and began to comprehend it. Though his cultivation was sealed, this "Chapter of Supreme Response" concerned the way of spirit and mind, unrelated to spiritual energy—perfectly suited for his current cultivation.
Meanwhile, the others were experiencing their own Dao Heart Trials.
Margaret stood in an icy, snow-covered wasteland. Before her lay her mother's corpse. Her mother was covered in blood, collapsed in the snow, eyes full of resentment and unwillingness.
"Margaret... why didn't you come save me? Why were you only focused on cultivation? You're a princess—you should have protected me!"
Margaret looked at her mother, tears silently falling. But she didn't kneel, didn't admit fault. She only said softly: "Mother, I did my best. Back then, I was too young to protect you. But now I've grown. I will protect this nation, protect those I care about. If your spirit in heaven can see, you should be proud of me, not resent me."
Her mother's corpse vanished. In its place came endless falling snow and a majestic palace—the imperial palace of the Dragon Kingdom.
"Your Dao is the way of the sovereign." A voice spoke. "Heart tied to the people, shoulders bearing the nation. But how can a woman bear such weight?"
Margaret raised her head proudly: "What does being a woman matter? I, Margaret, am no less than any man. This Dragon Kingdom—I can bear it!"
The snow dispersed, and the palace solidified. Margaret stepped through that stone gate.
– Marinien
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