Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1362: 734: Great Saint's Hair

Crack!

Zhao Xiandu was struck by sheer astonishment. In his sudden state of agitation, he inadvertently applied too much pressure with his fingers. A sharp snapping sound echoed as several spiderweb fractures spread across the surface of the blue Crystal Stone.

In the next heartbeat, rays of azure spirit light erupted from the core of the Crystal Stone, which began to "combust" unexpectedly within his palm. The blue spirit light expanded with violent speed, transforming into a massive sphere of ethereal blue flames that blanketed everything within a radius of several meters.

Hmm?

The phenomenon occurred far too rapidly for Zhao Xiandu to mount a defense. He was instantly swallowed by the blue light flames, and his vision was suddenly saturated with a deep azure tint.

In a trance-like state, he perceived countless enigmatic "fluctuations" manifesting within the void. A torrential flood of information surged into his consciousness from nowhere, while a sequence of vivid "scenes" began to play out in the depths of his heart.

At that precise moment, a flash of inspiration hit Zhao Xiandu. Guided by an invisible Will, he instinctively dropped into a cross-legged position. His released Divine Thought merged seamlessly into the surrounding Law Fluctuations vibrating through the air.

In the blink of an eye, a wondrous spectacle manifested within a ten-zhang radius centered upon his body.

The patches of grass nearby began to grow at a frenetic pace, blooming into flowers, producing seeds, and then withering away into yellow decay before crumbling into ash...

A moment later, the scorched earth birthed a carpet of lush green grass once more, initiating a fresh cycle of existence.

Within the domain saturated by the Wood Element Law Flames, the flora underwent a ceaseless "cycle of life and death, of decay and flourishing."

Zhao Xiandu "witnessed" these infinite botanical cycles, causing his comprehension of the Wood Dao to skyrocket. Without even realizing it, he stepped over that formidable threshold and quietly made a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Seventh Layer.

Time seemed to lose its meaning!

When Zhao Xiandu finally opened his eyes, they were brimming with profound emotion and ecstasy. A single thought echoed repeatedly in his mind: "Hear the Dao in the morning, die content in the evening."

Surveying his surroundings, the vast plains were vibrant and green. The world before his eyes felt "reborn," as if it were constantly explaining a supreme "Dao and reason" directly to him.

However, after a period of observation, he began to sense that something was slightly amiss with this world. It was too silent, too flawless—so perfect that it felt "illusory."

It was as if he were staring at a breathtakingly vivid "painting"; the more intensely he scrutinized it, the more stagnant and monotonous it appeared, as if it lacked the essential element of "change."

Suddenly, a spark of insight flashed through Zhao Xiandu’s mind, and he began to guess the Ancestor’s true, painstaking purpose in constructing this realistic Illusion Realm.

If his suspicions were correct... No, he still required more "Principle Crystals" to confirm his theory.

With that resolve, Zhao Xiandu vaulted into the sky, transforming into a streak of Thunder Light that shot toward the horizon of the grassland.

“Good lad, you’ve grasped this old man’s intent so quickly. In terms of sheer enlightenment, this boy is ranked third. That top-ranked little girl possesses truly frightening aptitude, but… let us see how things unfold.”

On the ninth level of the tower, Zhao Sheng murmured to himself, appearing somewhat conflicted.

Before him, hundreds of "light screens" hovered in the air, projecting various "scenes" from the trial.

In different "light screens," some cultivators had just stumbled upon the secret of the "Principle Crystal," some were starting to "sketch" the world using their Spirit as a brush, while others were already attempting to "correct" the "flaws" of the world.

Only Zhao San Yue alone had chosen to break through the obstacles directly, relentlessly "climbing" toward the higher floors.

Zhao Sheng could not help but admire her for the "firmness of her Taoist heart." There is always a rare breed of people in this world who can resist the temptations of the "Outer Path," staying true to their own Dao and understanding their inner self.

The Immortal Sage once remarked: “His Dao is not my Dao. It is said, those who imitate me shall perish, while those who resemble me shall live!”

The purpose behind Zhao Sheng’s test was threefold: first, to identify "worthy talents"; second, to utilize the collective wisdom of the participants through the Spiritual Illusion to fill the "void" in his own Dao.

The third and most vital objective was to find a specific individual who could "trigger" the Great Saint’s hair.

In his previous life, though he had managed to enter the "Great Saint Thought Realm," the entire ordeal had been a blur, leaving him completely uncertain of how he had accomplished it.

In this current life, despite possessing the Nine Nether Tower and studying it intensely for decades, he still could not find any "trace" of the Great Saint’s hair.

It was as if he failed to meet the necessary criteria, causing the Great Saint’s hair to remain hidden from him!

Left with no choice, he had gathered this group of juniors under the pretext of a trial, but his true goal was to find a fated individual.

Yet, thus far, not a single "fated person" had appeared!

“Oh Great Saint, Great Saint! You have already been reduced to such a state, yet you still maintain such 'arrogance.' This old man… truly cannot understand you!” Zhao Sheng surveyed the empty pavilion of the tower, chuckling softly to himself.

...

“Haha, I’ve found it! I have it!”

On the fifth level of the towering structure, a red-haired Elder stood atop a massive sand dune. Overlooking the endless desert, he suddenly erupted into boisterous laughter. Torrents of scorching flames flared up around him, liquefying the sand beneath his feet into glowing red magma. From the molten heat, clusters of brilliant yellow light surged forth, merging rapidly into the Elder’s frame.

Visibly, the red-haired Elder’s aura began to skyrocket. The sky was suddenly choked with vast clouds of fire, and from the heavens, a deluge of Heavenly Fires began to rain down...

...

“Heaven and Earth is the formation, the formation is me, I am the ‘Heaven and Earth!’ Taiji Yin-Yang Formation, rise!”

Before the shout had even faded, mountains crumbled with a thunderous roar, sending plumes of dust and smoke into the atmosphere. In a flash, pillars of black and white light erupted from the earth, positioned according to the Tai Chi Bagua. After piercing the high heavens, the beams dispersed and swept across the horizon, forming a colossal "Tai Chi" diagram that stretched for hundreds of miles.