One step at a time, Li Wen had made his way here from Bluestone County.

He had relied on a focus that bordered on obsession and a will of steel.

Li Wen stepped into the thin mist.

Like a drop of ice water hitting a sizzling pan of oil, the surrounding scene instantly twisted, faded, and reassembled.

In an instant, a seemingly realistic illusion enveloped him.

A familiar classroom. Mocking eyes peered in from the window, and the jeers of his former classmates echoed in his ears. In his hand, he held a battered, standard-issue combat blade, and the vital energy in his meridians felt as sluggish and unyielding as iron.

’Too fake,’ Li Wen scoffed internally.

There was no need to deliberately channel the power of his Primordial Spirit; the very essence of his transcendent soul was like the most solid bedrock.

Before the illusion before him could even fully form, its fragile internal logic was laid bare to his eyes, as obvious as an ephemeral bubble in the sunlight.

His pace didn’t falter in the slightest. He didn’t even bother to discern the specifics of the illusion, simply stepping forward and shattering the shallow mirage as if treading on a thin layer of frost.

One step! Two steps! Three... His pace was steady and even, without the slightest hesitation or delay.

In the span of just a few breaths, Li Wen had already taken more than twenty steps.

Among the other prodigies in his group, the fastest had only just reached their eleventh or twelfth step. Many were still struggling within the illusions of the first few steps.

Li Wen’s figure instantly stood out in the hazy mist, pulling far ahead of the pack.

Outside, the crowd of onlookers quickly noticed the stark difference.

"Look! It’s that Li Wen from Jiangnan Province! He’s so fast!"

"He just went in and he’s already taken over twenty steps? It’s like he’s taking a stroll."

"As expected of a ruthless character who fought his way out of a small place. His mental fortitude is on another level." Murmurs began to spread.

On the main platform, many of the Marquis Level Divinities, who had only been scanning the overall situation, found their gazes slowly drawn to the boy steadily advancing forward.

"Interesting," a Marquis Level Divinity clad in dark gold robes said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"To rise from humble beginnings and overpower the competition... a foundation of mental fortitude like this is the true backbone of our Human Race’s future. By comparison, those so-called ’prodigies’ cultivated with family resources don’t seem so steady on their feet in this mist."

"Truly rare," another Marquis next to him, whose aura was as sharp as a blade, nodded in agreement.

"Look at his stride—his aura is undisturbed, and his eyes remain clear. Compared to the first test of strength, the potential this kid is showing in terms of mental fortitude is far more worthy of attention."

If Li Wen’s 105-layer power stack from before had displayed his astonishing mastery of technique, making the bigwigs on the main platform consider him a "decent seedling," then the tip of the iceberg he was revealing in this mental trial had already added significant weight to their evaluations.

Several more minutes passed as they spoke.

Within the mist, the competition for this group was nearing its end.

Over eighty people had either stagnated or collapsed, unable to bear the pressure, and were gently but firmly sent out of the array by an invisible force.

Now, only a dozen or so scattered figures remained in the vast misty trial area, struggling to hold on and move forward slowly.

And Li Wen’s figure had long since left all the others in his group far behind.

The step count after his name on the light screen showed a striking number: one hundred and forty steps.

This result not only crushed everyone in his group but also far surpassed the record of anyone who had previously passed the hundred-step mark.

Deep within the misty barrier, from Li Wen’s perspective: at this point, the space around him felt like it had congealed into a thick paste.

These were no longer the crude illusions from before that shattered at a touch.

Countless realistic "sounds," "images," and "sensations," like millions of fine ox-hair needles, relentlessly assaulted his mind, mingling lethal temptation with chilling fear.

He saw himself holding immense resources, the praise of Marquis Level experts echoing in his ears. Power, beautiful women, a life of ease—all within his grasp. He only had to stop, and it would all become real.

This was fulfillment, a sickeningly sweet poison.

Then, the scene shifted violently.

The bloody claws of a Demon Beast tore through his parents’ clothes, and Bluestone County was reduced to a fiery ruin by a terrifying beast tide.

Ling Feng, sneering maliciously, destroyed everything he had while he could only watch helplessly from a corner, stripped of everything. This was the deepest fear, an abyss of despair.

Another layer of the illusion acted directly on his Primordial Spirit as he tried to condense his Blade Intent. It simulated the "Might of Heaven and Earth"—vast and boundless, enough to crush his tiny consciousness—chastising him for his ant-like arrogance and urging him to give up and fall into slumber.

"Hmph!"

’Break!’ From the depths of Li Wen’s soul, a series of firm, cold snorts filled with absolute will erupted like silent thunderclaps.

Although the light of his Primordial Spirit was suppressed, its power to guard his true heart was not diminished in the slightest.

Every powerful invasion by the illusions was forcefully torn apart and pierced through by his formidable will.

He remembered every dim morning at Bluestone Third Middle School—the sky still dark, the lights burning bright.

He remembered always buying supplements that were about to expire just to save a dozen or so yuan.

He remembered how he had gritted his teeth and persevered through those days when he had no resources, no aptitude, and was considered dull-witted.

’How could a mere, flimsy illusion ever hope to destroy the path I’ve walked, the suffering and struggles I’ve endured?’

Li Wen roared in his heart as a tyrannical will—born from his very bones and blood, forged in hardship—erupted from within.

He ignored all the temptations and pressures weighing upon him. His gaze burning, he fixed his eyes on the path ahead and once again lifted his foot with resolve.

One step, and then another.

One hundred and fifty steps!

One hundred and sixty steps!

One hundred and seventy steps!

With every step forward, an even greater, irrepressible gasp of astonishment came from the crowd outside.

The Marquis Level Divinities on the main platform now watched with extreme focus, their eyes even holding a rare trace of excitement.

Chu Feng and Nangong Xue, who had already been eliminated, clenched their fists, their eyes filled with admiration and anticipation.

Ron Zaka’s expression was complicated as he watched the back of the person who had left him so far behind on this path of will.

Du Yun, however, remained quiet, his gaze profound as if he were evaluating something.

One hundred and eighty steps!

One hundred and eighty-five steps!

Li Wen’s speed finally slowed down noticeably, as if he were moving with an invisible mountain on his back.

His body trembled slightly, and veins bulged on his forehead—an external manifestation of the intense clash between his will and the power of the illusion.

"ROAR!" With a roar that originated from the depths of his spirit, he broke through an extremely stubborn inner-demon illusion.

The illusion depicted a bleak future where his awakened technique was nothing more than a flash in the pan. His potential exhausted, he would waste his life away before the gates of the Marquis Level, only to be mercilessly surpassed by those who came after him.

’My path is not defined by the judgment of others, but measured by the steps I take!’ His conviction, solid as a rock, suppressed the illusion once more.

One hundred and ninety steps!

When his figure appeared in the one-hundred-and-ninety-step marker zone on the light screen, the entire Heart Mirror Hall fell into a brief, deathly silence.

Everyone outside, whether participant or observer, held their breath and stared with wide eyes.

They could clearly see the end of the misty trial area—the two-hundred-step boundary line—was now shockingly close.

However, it was within these final ten steps that the core of the entire grand array’s power was concentrated—an invisible pressure that targeted the very source of one’s soul.

It was as if countless invisible giant hands were clutching tightly at Li Wen’s mind and body.

The intensity, realism, and targeted nature of the illusions had reached an unimaginable level.

His will felt as if it were being burned, frozen, and torn apart.

Finally, like refined iron stretched to its absolute limit, the string of his will finally snapped the moment he barely crossed the one-hundred-and-ninety-step mark.

BZZZT—

The Array captured this momentary lapse.

Without any need for the presiding Marquis to act, the gentle but irresistible power of the mist array instantly enveloped Li Wen.

He felt the terrifying pressure on his body suddenly release, and the surrounding illusions receded like the tide.

The next second, his figure had been moved out of the misty area, landing steadily just before the entrance.

For a moment, the plaza fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone’s gaze fell on Li Wen like a spotlight.

One hundred and ninety steps!

He was just ten steps away from walking out of the illusory mist that tested one’s willpower.

This result was like a silent thunderclap, striking hard at everyone’s heart.

Its shocking impact even surpassed Du Yun’s earth-shattering 209-layer vital energy wall from before.

After the brief, deathly silence came a tidal wave of irrepressible gasps and discussion.

"Heavens! One hundred and ninety steps?!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"He was only ten steps from finishing the whole thing!!"

"What... What kind of monstrous mental fortitude is that??"

"I heard that finishing all two hundred steps means your will is comparable to a Sun Level Divinity! H-h-he... he almost did it?!"

"From a county-level city... Awakened for five months... His physical body is only level 10..."

"Unbelievable!"

On the main platform, the dozen or so Marquis Level Divinities could no longer maintain their calm composure.

Their gazes were like torches, almost piercing through Li Wen’s body, filled with a clear mixture of astonishment, admiration, scrutiny, and even a trace of disbelief.

"One hundred and ninety steps..." To the Chuhe King’s left, an old man who had been silent all this time couldn’t help but repeat the number under his breath. The cloudiness in his eyes was replaced by a sharp glint.

"He hasn’t even reached the Sun Level, yet his will is already knocking on its door! Looking back at the last thirty years of the Kindling trials, a talent for mental fortitude like this ranks in the top three."

"Good! What a fine young man, this Li Wen!" The presiding Marquis Level Divinity clapped his hands in praise, his eyes burning with fervor.

"A seedling like this, even if his physical foundation is still weak, could very well break through the so-called shackles of technique awakening and reach greater heights with this will! Mental fortitude and will are also the most fundamental cornerstones for us on the path to eternal life!"

The terrifying potential Li Wen displayed in the mental trial had completely surpassed the evaluation he’d received as a technique Awakened in the strength test, elevating him to a level where even Marquis Level experts had to seriously consider his future.

Li Wen stood at the edge of the field, lightly regulating his breathing.

Although he felt mentally drained, the spiritual light in his eyes was focused, and they seemed even more profound and reserved than before he entered the misty barrier.

He paid no mind to the shocked gazes around him, simply focusing on the spiritual tempering he had gained from the grinding trial of those one hundred and ninety steps.

He could sense that although his will had been forcibly broken at the last moment, it had actually become tougher and purer under that extreme polishing. His control over the power of his Primordial Spirit even seemed to have gained an ineffable trace of smoothness.

At the same time, some of the subtle impatience he had accumulated while practicing his blade techniques had been completely washed away by this trial.

He lifted his eyes, his gaze passing over the grand hall, as if piercing through the walls to land on some unknown point in the distance.

The trials for Kindling University had only just begun.

And at that moment, a single thought rose in everyone’s mind.

This young man named Li Wen had already become the ultimate dark horse of this recruitment assessment—one with unparalleled mental fortitude and will, and a future that could not be measured.

...

Time passed, and group after group of prodigies stepped into the Illusion Array for the mental fortitude test.