Immortality and cultivation: Heaven rewards diligence, and success is inevitable.

Faced with the light barrier that the shield was about to reveal, Jiang Shi quickly rushed in front of the light barrier and thrust out the Canglan Sword.

The sword tip pierced the light shield, and the Gengjin divine light exploded at the sword tip, cracking the light shield only slightly before it healed instantly.

Its defenses are too strong; his strength alone cannot break through them.

Jiang Shi sheathed his sword and, without hesitation, immediately summoned the Mountain and Sea Banner.

A woman in white emerged from the flag, and with a wave of her flowing sleeves, the power of mountains and seas crashed into the light barrier.

The light shield vibrated violently, and cracks spread outwards from the point of impact.

Jiang Shi simultaneously activated the "Five Elements Returning to Origin Technique," converting all the true essence within his body into earth element.

His hands pressed against the light shield, and the divine light of the Earth element shot out from his palms, attacking from both inside and outside with the power of mountains and seas.

The cracks on the photomask are becoming more numerous and denser.

The shield-wielder's golden eyes flashed.

Click!

The light shield shattered.

The shield will reveal its true form, with a glowing, earth-yellow core on its chest.

Jiang Shi thrust his sword forward, and the divine light of Geng metal exploded at the core.

The shield-bearer's body shattered from the inside, scattering rubble everywhere.

From the moment the attack began until the shield shattered, ten breaths passed.

The battle formation has been broken.

The moment the shield shattered, the remaining four generals froze simultaneously.

The battle formations were broken. They were still standing in place, but they no longer had that tacit understanding between them. When the swordsman drew his sword, the saber would not automatically fill in, and when the spearman thrust his spear, the hammer would not cover his back.

They went from being a single army to four separate entities.

Feng Yiran was the first to seize the opportunity.

The sword froze for a moment the moment it was about to be broken by the battle formation. A moment was enough.

Feng Yiran's sword light pierced the sword general's neck, through the thinnest gap between the carapaces.

The sword pierced through, and the sword energy exploded inside.

The swordsman's head rolled off his shoulder, his body swayed, and he collapsed with a thud.

Pebbles were scattered all over the ground.

As Feng Yiran attacked, Dao Jiang raised his stone knife and slashed at his back.

Feng Yiran didn't turn around. He turned to the side, and the stone knife grazed his shoulder and struck the ground.

He swung his sword backhand and stabbed it into the knife-wielding general's waist.

The sword tip emerged from the other side, splitting the body of the general in two.

With just two sword strikes, the two earth generals crashed to the ground.

Without the shield general, the formation of these five earth generals has been broken, and they can no longer exert the strength of the mid-stage Golden Core realm.

On the other side, the spearman lost the support of the battle formation, and his spear technique slowed down a lot. The spirit beast pounced from the side, biting the spear shaft, and the power of frost made the spear shaft brittle.

With a forceful thrust, the gun barrel broke.

Even without the protection of a formation, the little beast's frost power can still unleash its full potential!

Taking advantage of the moment the spear broke, Shui Lingxi's ice spike pierced the spear general's chest.

The ice spike wasn't large, but it was precise enough to hit the very core. The spearman's body froze from the inside out, and after a few breaths, he was frozen into an ice sculpture.

At that moment, the little beast swept its tail across, shattering the ice sculpture into pieces.

Huo Lie faced the most difficulties. His fire magic was severely suppressed, and the fireball he conjured by burning his blood essence could only leave a charred mark on the hammer general's body.

Hammer General's stone hammer came crashing down, and Huo Lie couldn't dodge it. He was hit on the shoulder and sent flying, crashing into the wall.

"Fire!" Shui Lingxi shouted.

"It's okay!" Huo Lie slid down the wall, but his left shoulder was broken and he couldn't move.

Huo Lie had bought enough time, and Jiang Shi had already arrived.

Hammer General's attention was entirely focused on Fire Fierce, and he didn't notice that Jiang Shi had already circled around to its back.

The Canglan Sword pierced the back of the hammer general, its tip protruding from his chest.

The divine light of Geng metal exploded within his body, shattering the hammer's body from the inside out, with fragments falling to the ground like rain.

And so, all five warriors were reduced to rubble.

Five fragments of earth spirit stones and a jade tablet rolled out from the pile of rubble on the ground in the center of the arena.

The jade plaque is bluish-green, palm-sized, with a smooth surface, and engraved with the character "heart".

Jiang Shi bent down to pick up the jade pendant and probed it with his spiritual sense.

A piece of information flooded my mind: the proof of passing the second level is also the key to the third level.

On the back of the jade plaque is another line of small characters: "The path of the Dao is one person, one realm. Each person faces it alone, and cannot walk together."

He carefully put away the jade pendant and then picked up the five fragments of earth spirit stones.

The fragments were warm, radiating pure earth-elemental spiritual energy, and were larger and of higher quality than those dropped by the previous maze guardian.

"One piece for each person." Jiang Shi said, dividing the fragments. Huo Lie was too weak to take them, so Shui Lingxi helped him collect them.

In the center of the arena, a crack appeared in the stone slab, and a stone platform rose from the crack.

The stone platform was ten feet high, with a flat top engraved with runes. The runes lit up and condensed into a gate of light above the platform.

The gate, emitting five colors, slowly rotated, revealing a chaotic void inside.

The third stage is the entrance to the Path of the Dao Heart.

Huo Lie sat against the wall, her left shoulder slumped, her face as white as paper.

Shui Lingxi squatted down next to him and pressed his shoulder with her finger.

Huo Lie gasped in pain.

"The bone isn't broken, it's just dislocated. Bear with it for a bit," Shui Lingxi said.

She pressed down on Huo Lie's shoulder with one hand and grabbed his arm with the other, giving him a sharp push and pull.

With a snap, Huo Lie screamed in pain. His shoulder had been reset.

"Didn't you say you'd just bear with it?" Huo Lie rubbed his shoulder, his forehead covered in sweat.

"I tolerated it. You didn't faint, that's good." Shui Lingxi took out a small porcelain bottle from her storage bracelet and applied medicine to Huo Lie.

Feng Yiran sheathed his sword and walked to Jiang Shi's side. The two of them looked at the gate of light together.

"The third trial is the path of the Dao heart. Each person is in their own realm and cannot travel together. This means that everyone must face their own inner demons alone," Feng Yiran said.

"Have you experienced this?" Jiang Shi asked.

Feng Yiran nodded: "One of the trials in the inner sect of Taihua Sword Sect is the Path of the Dao Heart. Everyone sees different things, but the rules are the same: confront your deepest obsessions, fears, and regrets. Only by breaking down the old can you build a new one and stabilize your Dao Heart."

"What if we can't break it?" Huo Lie asked from a distance.

Feng Yiran was silent for a moment: "At best, it will damage your Dao heart and stagnate your cultivation. At worst, it will lead to qi deviation, death, and the dissipation of your Dao."

The most important thing for a sword cultivator is the sword heart, so this inner sect trial is also related to this.

Upon hearing Feng Yiran's words, the arena fell silent. The sounds of battle behind the distant gate were almost inaudible, with only occasional muffled thuds like distant thunder.

Behind the door is the core temple, where the Five Elements Demon Sect and the Earth Bear are still fighting.

Judging from the sounds, the battle was nearing its end; either the Five Elements Demon Sect was about to collapse, or the Earth Bear was about to die.

The four need to pass the third trial as soon as possible and obtain the inheritance before the Five Elements Demon Sect.

"Let's go," Jiang Shi said, getting up first.

He walked toward the gate of light, and five-colored rays shone on his face, warm like the spring sunshine.

The chaos inside the door was swirling, obscuring what lay within.

"Be careful," Shui Lingxi said.

Jiang Shi did not turn back and stepped into the portal.

Soon, the five-colored light engulfed him.