Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 775 - Gate of Heart

The discussion from the surroundings was loud enough for Liu Wuxie to hear clearly, and they didn't bother lowering their voices. They were blatantly telling Liu Wuxie that he was as good as dead. Even if they didn't make a move against him, he would be dead the moment he failed one of the stages. Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie had practically spent the entire night in cultivation.

When dawn arrived, all the participants rose to their feet. Today's assessment was just as critical as the previous one, but it had nothing to do with cultivation.

The moment the sun emerged from the horizon, the ten examiners arrived in unison, releasing their oppressive aura into the Earth Profound Realm. The sheer force of their presence caused many disciples to turn pale.

Today's assessment targeted the heart, testing the participants' will. The sudden wave of oppression caused many to waver.

"All participants, line up!" Qu Su immediately began discussing the topic, urging everyone to get in position. Time was pressing, and they had to conclude today's assessment before nightfall.

Ning Hai was the first to take the assessment. Liu Wuxie, who didn't want to stand out, stood near the rear with Liu Xin'er. But to his surprise, Liu Lin and the other two disciples from the Liu Clan positioned themselves near the front.

The ten examiners began forming intricate seals as if they were summoning something. Like the previous day, the sky split open, and a massive gate began to materialize. The surroundings were covered in runes, exuding an ancient aura.

With a loud rumble, the surroundings plunged into darkness as all light vanished. The black void engulfed the area, with every trace of light absorbed by the gate for a full minute before the phenomenon subsided.

"This is the Gate of Heart. It's rumored to be forged by the academy's ancestors, capable of connecting with heaven and earth. Those with flaws in their dao hearts can't get past the gate," Liu Wuxie whispered.

Liu Wuxie wasn't nervous on this stage. His dao heart had long been polished to perfection, and nothing could shake it.

When the Gate of Heart descended, it stopped ten meters from the ground. A powerful gale swept through the surroundings, causing many disciples to shut their eyes.

The Gate of Heart was ten feet tall and eight feet wide, crafted with countless precious materials—many of whom even Liu Wuxie couldn't identify. Most importantly, many intricate runes were etched on the gate, and he even saw traces of immortal runes in one of them.

He was certain this Gate of Heart didn't originate from the True Martial Continent but the Astral Domain. It had fallen into the True Martial Continent after being separated from Astral Domain.

The gate had no frame and was forged with divine wood to form an arch-like structure. The patterns on the divine wood were so complex that Liu Wuxie couldn't decipher them no matter how he examined them.

He couldn't see the other side of the gate as a shimmering glow obscured it. But those who passed through the glow and reached the other side would succeed on this stage. As for those who failed to make it through or lingered for too long, they would be deemed unworthy.

"The Gate of Heart has ten scales. Those who achieve six scales or higher will pass. Let the assessment begin!" Qu Su declared, waving his hand to commence the test. @@novelbin@@

Only now did Liu Wuxie understand that the runes on the divine wood were scales. The scales ranged from one to ten, and the dao heart would be tested when passing through the gate.

Those who achieved six scales would pass the test, and those who couldn't would fail.

Ning Hai stepped forward boldly, shooting out like a comet. He stood before the Gate of Heart, furious that he had not won first place on yesterday's assessment.

Ning Hai strode toward the Gate of Heart with sharp and resolute eyes. He vanished and quickly reached the other side.

But strangely enough, no one could see Ning Hai coming out from the other end of the gate, making everyone wonder where he had gone.

"It's an independent world!" Liu Wuxie murmured to himself. The Gate of Heart had formed a world by itself, like how weapons could also serve as interspatial rings after reaching the level of dao artifacts.

Powerful artifacts could even house living beings capable of channeling their spirit to strengthen the artifact. Though he didn't know the full scope of the world within the Gate of Heart, he was certain that it was no smaller than a big city.

The scales on the divine wood began to light up and climbed steadily. In less than half a minute, the seventh scale had lit up.

The ten examiners nodded at this sight and were satisfied with Ning Hai's performance.

Although Liu Wuxie had successfully passed the Bridge of Heaven, no one was optimistic about him, mainly because his cultivation was the lowest among everyone else. Moreover, he was too young, and they believed he would yield better results on the assessment if he tempered himself for a few more years.

The scale began to climb until it finally halted at the eighth scale. This was a heaven-defying result, as those capable of lighting up the ninth scale were top-tier geniuses. Those who could light up the eighth scale could be considered a heavenly blessed prodigy.

The classifications were clear. Lighting up the sixth level signified a prodigy, the seventh level marked a peerless prodigy, the eighth level signified a heavenly blessed prodigy, and the ninth level represented a monstrous prodigy. As for the tenth level, no one knew how to define it.

No one in the academy's history had ever illuminated the tenth level. As time ticked by, spatial ripples spread across the Gate of Heart after a minute, and a crack formed as Ning Hai's figure emerged from within.

When he looked at the scale, his face radiated with pride. This meant he was a heavenly, blessed prodigy, one in ten thousand.

Countless prodigies lived in the Central Plains, and peerless geniuses were not rare. Every clan and sect produced its share of peerless prodigies. But heavenly blessed prodigies were rare, as they had gathered the fortunes of countless people.

As for monstrous prodigies, only one or two existed on the entire continent.

The assessment progressed swiftly as more participants began to take the test.

"Seventh scale!"

"Fifth scale!"

"Eighth scale!" After Ning Hai, Ma Tianming also successfully lit up the eighth scale—a reflection to his talent.

Today's assessment was moving at a much faster pace than the previous day's. Some participants, however, couldn't even pass through the Gate of Heart. Instead, they were violently ejected by its power, failing to light up any levels at all.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and only one-third of the participants—twenty thousand—had succeeded. This meant that roughly sixty thousand had failed, resulting in a failure rate of one in every four participants.

When the successful disciples were asked about their experience, none could put it into words. They described a sensation of being suspended in the clouds, watched by countless eyes, as if they were laid bare and judged. It was an unsettling and vulnerable experience—a true test of the heart.

The clothes could only conceal the body, and no garment could conceal the soul. If a person's soul was tainted, no fancy garment could hide their hideous soul.

By midday, the line had been reduced considerably, and by estimation, Liu Wuxie's turn would come in the afternoon.

The failed disciples looked disheartened, having made it through the first stage only to fail in the second. After all, having a flawed heart was futile, even if heaven blessed you with talent, as true strength came from within the heart.

Ten individuals lit up eight scales, a remarkable result compared to previous years. The examiners smiled as they saw the potential for the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy to surpass the Dragon Emperor Academy.

After all, the two overlord forces divided the Central Plains into two, where the Southern Heavenly Spirit and Northern Dragon Emperor came to be. The Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy's influence dominated the Central Plains' south, while the Dragon Emperor Academy dominated the north. The two forces had legacies stretching countless years back.

As for Liu Lin's group of three, only two succeeded, and one was eliminated.

"It's almost Wuxie's turn!" Liu Xiucheng's voice trembled with anxiety—not because a disciple from the Liu Clan had been eliminated, but because of the stakes for Liu Wuxie. If he failed to light up six levels on the Gate of Heart, his life would be at risk.

Only the ten examiners knew that Liu Wuxie's admission into the academy had been confirmed, and they didn't disclose it to anyone else.

Liu Dashan also clenched his fists together nervously, his nails dug into his palms, but he remained oblivious to the pain.

"I'll go first this time!" Liu Xin'er stepped forward and moved ahead of Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie didn't stop her and took the initiative to take a step back.

When it was Liu Xin'er's turn five minutes later, her graceful figure stood before the Gate of Heart. She didn't hesitate as she strode into the gate with confidence.

When Liu Xin'er vanished into the Gate of Heart, Liu Wuxie exhaled in relief. He had worried she wouldn't be able to enter, especially after witnessing over a thousand participants being thrown back by the gate before even setting foot inside.

The scales began to light up swiftly, reaching the eighth scale in the blink of an eye. It had been hours since someone managed to light up the eighth scale, and no one expected it to be accomplished by a woman. It only took a few breaths before she emerged from the Gate of Heart.

At last, it was Liu Wuxie's turn. He soared like a celestial crane into the sky and gently landed before the Gate of Heart. His movement drew everyone's attention from the surroundings, especially Miao Hanxuan, whose cold gaze pierced Liu Wuxie's back, wanting to bore through him.

Ning Hai also raised his head to look at Liu Wuxie. It was unprecedented for someone in the Astral River Realm to be taking the academy's recruitment test, so it naturally drew everyone's attention.

"I bet he can't even light up a scale," mocked the Wang Clan's disciples.

"I'm guessing two. Don't forget that he received the sacred light's cleansing," various spectators mocked. The more Liu Wuxie stood out, the more inadequate they felt.

After all, no one wanted to be outdone by someone in the Astral River Realm, as it would be too humiliating. This was why they wanted nothing more than to see him fail spectacularly.

The other examiners shifted their attention to Liu Wuxie, their curiosity piqued. Unlike most tests, this trial wasn't about cultivation—it was a test of the heart.

Liu Wuxie inhaled deeply, steadying himself and blocking out the mocking voices around him. He knew exactly what they were trying to do—shake his resolve with their taunts. But he had endured too much over the years to be swayed by mere words.

With a calm but decisive step forward, he advanced. The moment his foot touched the ground, the entire Gate of Heart trembled violently, sending shockwaves through the surroundings and leaving everyone—including the ten examiners—stunned. The gate had never exhibited such a reaction before. It was as though it had detected something terrifying, something that exceeded its limits.

After briefly hesitating, Liu Wuxie pressed on and vanished into the Gate of Heart.

"H-He went in!" Many people found it difficult accept that Liu Wuxie managed to enter the Gate of Heart.

"Quick, look at the scale!" cried another person.