Volume 3, Chapter 403 – The Third Round

At the center of Huayue Court stood the selection platform.

For the third round of the selection, Wei Ziqing had long since ordered his people to lay out a formation across the courtyard grounds.

At that moment, Wei Ziqing sat atop the stone platform at the center, idly turning a small formation disk in his hand.

His gaze, however, drifted toward the distance.

The phoenix ring on his finger gave a faint tremor. “Waiting for that girl?”

Wei Ziqing continued turning the formation disk lightly between his fingers.

“Mm. I trust my judge of character. Compared to Chi Xiyan and Bu Ruyan, she’s the one hiding the deepest secrets.”

The person within the ring mused for a moment. “Now that she knows her identity has already been exposed, will she still come to take part in the selection?”

“She will.” Wei Ziqing said calmly. “That girl is clever. She sees the situation very clearly.”

“I can tell she has her own goals and ambitions.”

“So she’ll be here without a doubt.”

As if sensing something, Wei Ziqing’s gaze turned toward the distance.

At that very moment, Chi Xiyan happened to walk into the courtyard, leading Lu Zhuxin by her side.

A smile curled at the corner of Wei Ziqing’s mouth. “There she is.”

Chi Xiyan’s brow furrowed slightly. She lifted her head, and her gaze met Wei Ziqing’s directly.

Wei Ziqing noticed, and gave Chi Xiyan a friendly smile.

Chi Xiyan said nothing, only furrowing her brow deeper.

She tightened her grip on Lu Zhuxin’s hand and pulled her along to their place.

Lu Zhuxin, meanwhile, gazed at the formation in the center with great interest.

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“This formation… why does it feel somehow familiar?”

Lu Zhuxin was not well versed in the art of formations, and the one laid out in the courtyard had not yet been fully activated, so no matter how long she studied it, she couldn’t quite make sense of it.

She turned her gaze back toward Wei Ziqing at the center.

That man yesterday had sworn up and down that he could help her, yet in the end had never given her any concrete promise.

A man’s words were nothing but lies, tricks from a lying ghost.

That son of a tortoise really deserved a good smack across the mouth.

Before long, everyone had gathered.

As before, an official from Huayue Court stepped forward and began reading out the rules for the third round.

“Today’s third round of the selection is called the Illusory Heart Formation.”

“Before each of you lies a jade tablet.”

“Holding this tablet will allow you to enter the Illusory Heart Formation.”

“Endure within the Illusory Heart Formation for one hour, or successfully break through it, and you will have passed the test!”

At this, a look of shock crossed the eyes of not a few among the crowd.

“The Illusory Heart Formation? How can the third round test be this?!”

“The rules changed for the first two rounds. Of course the rules for the third round would change too.”

Lu Zhuxin’s brow furrowed slightly. With her keen hearing, she could clearly make out the murmurs of those around her.

These people seemed genuinely shocked by this Illusory Heart Formation.

What exactly was this Illusory Heart Formation supposed to be?

Lu Zhuxin turned to look at Chi Xiyan, only to find an expression of utmost seriousness on her sister’s face as well.

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Puzzled, Lu Zhuxin asked, “Sister? What is this Illusory Heart Formation?”

Chi Xiyan gave a bitter smile. “The Illusory Heart Formation is an extremely special type of illusion formation.”

“It constructs an incredibly realistic dream within a cultivator’s sea of consciousness.”

“It digs out the deepest fears and desires buried within a cultivator’s mind.”

“Using them to test that person’s temperament and will.”

At this, Chi Xiyan’s expression turned deeply complicated. “Within the Illusory Heart Formation, a cultivator’s past and any hidden malice within them have nowhere to hide.”

“Desires and fears are also magnified many times over.”

“This is a profound formation that many great sects only use when selecting their true disciples.”

“I never imagined it would be used as a test for the selection.”

“Wei Ziqing… what exactly is he trying to do…”

Hearing this, Lu Zhuxin raised an eyebrow.

Something suddenly occurred to her, and she looked up sharply. “Sister… if this formation can read a cultivator’s consciousness, wouldn’t that expose our identities?”

“No, it won’t.” Chi Xiyan shook her head. “The Illusory Heart Formation acts directly on a cultivator’s dream. A dream cannot be directly controlled.”

“Likewise, whoever controls this formation cannot read a cultivator’s dream through it either.”

“So there’s no need to worry about our identities being exposed because of this.”

Lu Zhuxin thought for a moment, then asked further, “Sister, does the strength of this formation’s effect change depending on a cultivator’s cultivation level?”

“Naturally.” Chi Xiyan said. “The higher one’s cultivation and the stronger one’s mental fortitude, the less one is affected by the formation.”

Hearing this, Lu Zhuxin relaxed.

After a moment’s thought, she asked again, “Sister is a Fourth Realm sword cultivator. Would you be affected by this formation too?”

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Chi Xiyan looked toward the formation’s core at the center and sighed helplessly. “The formation master who laid this out is no weakling, and the materials used for the formation’s foundation are all top tier. Never mind a Fourth Realm sword cultivator. Even a Fifth or Sixth Realm cultivator would find it difficult to resist this formation’s influence.”

Oh. So it could only affect cultivators up to the Sixth Realm.

Lu Zhuxin felt completely at ease now.

As an Eighth Realm great demon, she had nothing to fear.

Just as she was thinking this, Lu Zhuxin suddenly felt an inexplicable gaze upon her.

She turned her head slightly.

It was Bu Lianshuang.

Bu Lianshuang was staring at her with a pair of large, watery eyes, looking utterly pitiful.

Lu Zhuxin understood at once.

The little wolf’s cultivation was only at the Fifth Realm, placing her squarely within this formation’s range of effect.

The girl was worried something might go wrong for herself.

But right now, Lu Zhuxin’s mind had turned to something else entirely.

“Wei Ziqing… could it be he anticipated that someone might be hiding their true cultivation, and set the formation to this level specifically because of that?”

At that moment, Wei Ziqing, seated upon the high platform, swept his gaze across everyone gathered.

“I imagine all of you understand the danger of the Illusory Heart Formation.”

“Those whose will is not firm will sink within the formation. Their sea of consciousness will suffer tremendous harm.”

“If any of you wish to withdraw now, there is still time.”

As Wei Ziqing’s words fell, a stir passed through the crowd.

In the end, however, not a single person chose to withdraw.

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The noble clan disciples who had made it through the first two rounds were none of them lacking in talent.

Having come this far, there was no reason to withdraw now.

“It seems all of you have made up your minds.”

Wei Ziqing lightly brushed his sleeve.

“Then, please, everyone, channel your spiritual power into the jade tablets.”

“Enter the formation. Begin the trial.”

Lu Zhuxin looked to Chi Xiyan, a trace of nervousness on her face. “Sister… what exactly will we encounter inside the Illusory Heart Formation?”

Chi Xiyan lowered her eyes slightly.

“Don’t worry. An illusion is, in the end, only an illusion.”

“Just think of it as a nightmare.”

“Everything within a dream is false.”

With that, Chi Xiyan reached out and took hold of Lu Zhuxin’s hand, gripping it tightly.

Lu Zhuxin pressed her lips together firmly, then nodded her head with resolve.

Following the example of those around her, she reached out and picked up the jade tablet, preparing to channel her spiritual power into it.

But at that very moment, a message leaped from the jade tablet straight into Lu Zhuxin’s sea of consciousness.

A strange look flickered across Lu Zhuxin’s eyes.

Well now!

That son of a tortoise, saying he wanted to help her. So this was the way he’d meant to do it.