"Trial-taker, there are three treasures in the box: a Cultivation Technique, a Spirit Pill, and a Magical Artifact. However, you may only take one. Choose."

Fang Hao opened the jade box, and treasure light immediately radiated in all directions. On the left was an ancient book titled ’Nine Revolutions Golden Core Art,’ which looked like an Advanced Cultivation Technique at a glance; in the middle was a bottle of Medicinal Pills emitting an alluring fragrance, seemingly Spirit Pills that could directly increase one’s cultivation; on the right was a flowing, brilliantly colored Flying Sword, definitely a High Grade Magical Artifact.

Any one of them would be a massive temptation for a Cultivator. But Fang Hao observed carefully and discovered that the Cultivation Technique only had the first half, there was only one Spirit Pill, and the Flying Sword also had subtle cracks.

"They are all incomplete..." Fang Hao pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "I choose none of them!"

"Why?" the aged voice asked.

"External objects may be good, but they are ultimately not the foundation. I have my own Dao; I do not need these incomplete gifts," Fang Hao said firmly.

After a moment of silence, the voice rang out again: "Second trial, Renouncing Desire, passed."

For the third trial, Fang Hao arrived at a vast platform. Standing opposite him was a person—impressively, it was another ’Fang Hao’!

"Defeat yourself to pass the trial," the voice prompted.

The other ’Fang Hao’ took the lead in attacking, and the Moves he performed were actually the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art and Divine Spirit Steps! His Moves, footwork, and even combat logic were exactly the same as the original!

The two Fang Haos fought fiercely together, with neither able to claim victory. Every Move was predicted by the opponent, and every variation was imitated by the opponent.

Fighting like this would simply go on forever. Fang Hao’s thoughts turned like lightning, and he suddenly changed his Moves—no longer using familiar techniques, but instead attacking based on instinct and intuition!

This change indeed took effect. Although the other ’Fang Hao’ could imitate Moves, he could not replicate intuition and on-the-spot adaptation. He gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Finally, Fang Hao saw his Opportunity and tapped a finger right between the opponent’s eyebrows. The other ’Fang Hao’ transformed into spots of light and dissipated.

"Third trial, Transcendence, passed."

With all three trials passed, a ball of light appeared before Fang Hao, containing his reward.

"Trial-taker, here is your reward," the aged voice said. "Based on your performance, I bestow upon you the light of ’Clear Heart, True Nature,’ which can help you see through illusions and point directly to your true heart."

The ball of light merged into Fang Hao’s brow. He immediately felt his mind become clear and his thinking much sharper. Although this was not a treasure that directly increased cultivation, it was of great benefit to one’s practice, especially for helping with the Bottlenecks when breaking through Realms.

"Additionally, I bestow upon you an ’Illusionary Realm Token,’ allowing you to enter and exit the first floor freely." A simple, ancient token fell into Fang Hao’s hand.

At this moment, the light screen showed that the number of people who had passed the first floor had changed to ’one,’ and Fang Hao’s name was ranked at the top.

After receiving the reward, Fang Hao was teleported to the junction between the first and second floors. The Spiritual Qi here was even denser, and several Disciples were already sitting cross-legged, Cultivating.

Fang Hao was in no hurry to go to the second floor; instead, he found a secluded spot to digest what he had gained. The light of Clear Heart, True Nature required time to refine, and he felt that there were still more secrets to explore on the first floor.

Sure enough, after refining the ball of light, Fang Hao found that his perception had become much sharper. He could even vaguely sense several hidden Spiritual Qi nodes within the first floor.

"These nodes..." Fang Hao had a moment of realization, "Could they be the Formation hubs of the illusion?"

Following his senses, he found a node and discovered that the Spiritual Qi here was exceptionally dense, almost turning into liquid. In the center of the node was a glowing crystal, seemingly part of the grand Illusionary Realm Formation.

Fang Hao tried to use the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art to absorb the Spiritual Qi here, and the speed was actually more than ten times that of the outside world! Moreover, the Spiritual Qi was exceptionally pure, requiring almost no refinement to be absorbed.

"This is simply a cultivation holy land!" Fang Hao was overjoyed. Unfortunately, each node could only accommodate one person for cultivation, and there seemed to be a time limit.

He Cultivated at this node for about an hour, and the effect was comparable to ten days of bitter cultivation in the outside world! He did not stop until the node’s light dimmed and the Spiritual Qi returned to normal levels.

Afterward, Fang Hao found several more hidden nodes, each providing a brief, ultimate cultivation experience. He also discovered some hidden Spiritual Plants and minerals, all of which were Materials rarely seen in the outside world.

In three days’ time, Fang Hao gained much on the first floor. The light of Clear Heart, True Nature was completely refined, and his cultivation rose to the Late Stage of the ninth level of Qi Refining, only one step away from the Peak. He also collected many precious Materials.

During this period, other Disciples also passed the Heart Testing Hall test one after another. Li Xuan and Zhu Pang both passed successfully, and Chen Feng also arrived, his expression looking quite unpleasant when he saw Fang Hao.

When the number of people passing reached fifty, the entrance to the second floor officially opened. Fang Hao followed the flow of people inside, preparing to face new challenges.

The Illusionary Realm Trial had only just begun.

The entrance to the second floor was a swirling gate of light. Fang Hao took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The scene before his eyes changed abruptly, and he found himself standing beneath a vast starry sky. There was no ground around him, only floating platforms and twinkling stars, as if he were in the middle of the Universe.

"Trial-taker, welcome to the second floor of the Illusionary Realm—the Starfall Sword Stage," that aged voice rang out again. "This place is a Trial Grounds for ancient Sword Cultivators, where countless sword Dao Legacies remain. Those who pass the test may obtain a sword Dao Opportunity."

Fang Hao’s heart stirred. A sword Dao Legacy? This was exactly what he wanted! Although his Metal Energy Sword Art was decent, it was ultimately just basic sword techniques and lacked finishing Moves.

On the floating platforms in the distance, some Disciples could be vaguely seen fighting against sword shadows condensed from starlight. Sword light crisscrossed, and starlight splattered everywhere.

Fang Hao carefully leaped onto a platform. As soon as he stood firm, the surrounding starlight suddenly condensed into three sword shadows, piercing straight toward him!

"Good timing!" Fang Hao’s azure steel sword unsheathed, and Geng Metal Sword Qi rose to meet them.

After a flurry of clashing sounds, Fang Hao easily dispersed the sword shadows. But these sword shadows seemed endless; as soon as one batch was dispersed, more would condense.

Furthermore, each batch of sword shadows was stronger than the last, and their sword Moves were more exquisite. Fang Hao had to respond with his full strength, coordinating his Divine Spirit Steps with his sword techniques as he shifted and dodged on the platform.

Gradually, Fang Hao discovered that these sword shadows were not attacking randomly, but were instead demonstrating a certain sword technique. Each batch of sword shadows repeated specific sword Moves, going from simple to complex, and from shallow to deep.

"So that’s how it is... this is teaching?" Fang Hao suddenly understood. He no longer rushed to disperse the sword shadows, but instead carefully observed the changes in the sword Moves, imitating and learning from them.

Sure enough, when he began to imitate the sword shadows’ Moves, the pressure greatly decreased. The sword shadows stopped attacking and instead cooperated with him to practice the sword techniques. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Before he knew it, Fang Hao had learned a complete set of sword techniques. This sword technique was named the ’Starfall Sword Art,’ consisting of nine forms, ranging from simple direct thrusts to complex sword Formation variations, and it was incredibly exquisite.

When Fang Hao mastered the final form, all the sword shadows suddenly converged, turning into a stream of light that entered his brow.

Fang Hao’s mind was suddenly filled with a complete Starfall Sword Art Legacy, including sword Moves, a Mind-Cultivation Technique, and even cultivation insights.

"Trial-taker, your Comprehension Ability is not bad," the aged voice rang out. "The first level of the test is passed."

In the next moment, Fang Hao was teleported to a larger platform. Standing opposite him was a figure condensed from starlight, holding a light sword.

"Defeat my Clone to receive a reward," the voice said.

The starlight Clone took the lead, performing exactly the Starfall Sword Art that Fang Hao had just learned! But it was far more proficient than Fang Hao, and its power was also greater.

Fang Hao hurriedly responded, likewise striking back with the Starfall Sword Art. The two of them exchanged sword blows, starlight splattering in all directions.

The Clone’s sword techniques were incredibly skillful, and Fang Hao quickly fell into a disadvantage. Several wounds appeared on his body; although they were not fatal, the pain was hard to endure.

"I can’t just clash head-on like this!" Fang Hao’s thoughts turned like lightning. "My advantages are the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art and Divine Spirit Steps; I can’t limit myself just to sword techniques."