Chapter 76: The Path of Tempering the Heart

At the first opportunity, Li Zhangsheng began to observe his surroundings. Not far ahead, there was a straight road leading directly to the foot of the mountain.

Before coming here, the Clan Leader Li Wenbo had handed the handbook regarding the Yuanling Academy examination to Li Zhangsheng and the other three, hoping to increase their success rate.

Over these many years, the family had sent talent to Yuanling Academy every year. Although the success rate of the examination was not high, they had accumulated a large amount of insight and experience regarding the assessment. Li Wenbo had specifically compiled them into a booklet so that, at the very least, they could be prepared.

The road ahead looked unremarkable, but it was actually an extremely special path. It was said to have been designed by the first Principal and was named the Lianxinlu!

As long as one stepped onto the Lianxinlu, one would fall into an illusion. The further one went, the stronger the illusion became. Although it would not cause physical harm to a Monster Tamer, it was agonizingly painful.

Only by passing the Lianxinlu within the allotted time could one proceed to the second examination; otherwise, one would be disqualified and lose the opportunity to become a student.

At the end of the Lianxinlu stood a building where one could vaguely see many figures; that was the location of the second examination.

Further away was a steep mountain with countless cliffs and precipices, filled with thick, viscous clouds and mist, resulting in very low visibility. If one listened carefully, one could faintly hear the sounds of beast roars and screams.

That was the location of the third examination, and also the final one!

To become a student of Yuanling Academy, one had to pass all three examinations; otherwise, if one failed even a single one, one would be ruthlessly eliminated.

It was just that cruel!

As one of the Four Great Academies, countless genius Monster Tamers flocked to Yuanling Academy, so there was naturally no shortage of applicants. Due to limited teaching resources, in order to screen for the most outstanding students, cruelty was unavoidable.

Not waiting long, once the number of people reached one hundred, several Instructors began to preside over the examination.

Among these Instructors, some were responsible for recording scores, while others were responsible for rescue. Of course, they also had to supervise each other to prevent anyone from violating regulations and harming the interests of the Academy.

"The first examination is very simple. As long as you pass the Lianxinlu within one hour, you will earn the qualification for the next examination! Alright, begin!" After explaining the basic rules, an Instructor announced the start of the examination in a loud voice.

Without hesitation, Li Zhangsheng took a deep breath and stepped onto the Lianxinlu.

The moment he stepped onto the Lianxinlu, Li Zhangsheng's expression changed slightly. He felt as if his legs had been filled with lead, making every step difficult.

The Lianxinlu had two functions: first, Gravity, which applied a certain amount of gravitational pressure based on the candidate's cultivation realm; second, Illusion, which created sensory experiences targeting the candidate's perceptions.

This stage primarily tested the candidate's endurance, perseverance, and mental fortitude!

Apart from his footsteps feeling slightly heavy, there was nothing unusual in the first few steps. However, Li Zhangsheng did not dare to be careless. Even with the examination handbook provided by the family, this was his first time experiencing the Lianxinlu, so he could not help but feel apprehensive.

Just as he took the next step, the surrounding scene suddenly changed. All the candidates who had been beside him disappeared, replaced by an erupting volcano, and he was standing right at the crater.

The volcano spewed scorching black smoke, the surrounding temperature rose sharply, and viscous, deep-red magma surged wantonly, turning into a monstrous wave that swept toward Li Zhangsheng.

Even though Li Zhangsheng was prepared, he was still startled when faced with such a terrifying scene. This was only human nature, primarily because the scene here was almost indistinguishable from reality.

Even knowing it was an illusion, one would still feel fear.

Li Zhangsheng frowned, focused his mind, and forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart. He ignored the surging magma, and in the blink of an eye, he was submerged by the waves made of magma.

Although he knew it was an illusion, the scene felt just like reality. Especially in the moment he was submerged by the magma, Li Zhangsheng felt as if he could not breathe. His vision was filled with deep red, his whole body was wrapped in a viscous, hot current, and he felt a scorching sensation from every sense—there was no place that wasn't burning, as if he had truly been submerged in magma.

"It's fake, everything is fake! Otherwise, the moment I was submerged, I would have been reduced to ashes!" Li Zhangsheng constantly reminded himself that everything on the Lianxinlu was an illusion and there was no need to pay it any mind.

Even though he thought this, Li Zhangsheng still felt it as if it were real. The omnipresent magma licked at him constantly, and the abnormally scorching sensation caused him extreme pain, but he still gritted his teeth, stepped forward with unwavering determination, and continued on.

Enduring the agony of being burned while having to keep moving forward—only Li Zhangsheng knew the bitterness of it, but he relied on his tenacious will to endure it.

As time passed, Li Zhangsheng gradually adapted. No matter how realistic it was, and no matter how much it deceived his senses and nerves, it was ultimately not a real volcano.

Step by step, soon, the scene before his eyes changed again, from a volcano to an iceberg, and he was standing on a sheet of ice.

"Binghuo Liangchongtian!" Li Zhangsheng wondered to himself; the pain of being submerged in magma just moments ago was still fresh in his memory.

Plop~

Before Li Zhangsheng could react, the ice surface nearby shattered completely. Li Zhangsheng missed his footing and fell into the water.

Li Zhangsheng gasped, his body feeling as if it were truly submerged in icy water, sending waves of bone-chilling cold that made him tremble uncontrollably.

Li Zhangsheng used his hands and feet to climb out of the water.

Rumble~

Suddenly, the iceberg not far away moved and began to crush toward him. Li Zhangsheng could not avoid it at all, but he did not feel fear; instead, he took the initiative to swim toward the iceberg.

"It's fake, everything is fake!" Li Zhangsheng reminded himself again and again not to be deceived by his senses. Even as he was about to make contact with the iceberg, he never closed his eyes.

Bang~

In an instant, the iceberg crashed into Li Zhangsheng. Aside from the intense pain, Li Zhangsheng felt nothing else; he didn't even retreat.

The iceberg was not a physical object, so naturally, it could not knock Li Zhangsheng back. An illusion was an illusion after all; apart from Monster Tamers with weak mental fortitude, everyone else should be able to pass.

Time passed slowly. In the time that followed, Li Zhangsheng experienced scenes like being pierced by ten thousand arrows, death by a thousand cuts, the water dungeon torture, being boiled in oil, the tongue-ripping hell, and castration, among others. Every illusion was designed so vividly that it felt as if it were real.

The one that left the deepest impression on him was naturally the castration. While Li Zhangsheng complained about the first Principal's twisted sense of humor, he couldn't help but be curious about what kind of scenes the female Monster Tamers experienced. They didn't have "that," so the illusions that appeared must have been different—just thinking about it made him shudder!

After experiencing numerous illusions, Li Zhangsheng had already associated the first Principal with being a pervert in his heart; only a pervert would design such illusions.

He didn't know how much time had passed. Although he had suffered all kinds of "torture," having experienced so much, Li Zhangsheng had actually adapted and began to move forward at a faster speed.

He knew very well that the Lianxinlu had a time limit, especially since one could not sense the passage of time here. If he could not reach the end within the allotted time, he would be eliminated.

Time passed slowly. After half an hour had passed, no one had reached the finish line yet, but several people were nearing it, including Li Zhangsheng and Li Runfeng.

By comparison, some candidates had not made it very far, and some had even fainted along the way; one could only wonder what they had experienced in the illusions.

Among these people, many were candidates from wealthy families. These candidates did not lack resources and lived in luxury, so it was naturally difficult to temper their mental fortitude, leading to a weak will and making them prone to elimination.

(End of chapter)