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

I'm currently reading Chapter 322, "Opening the Door," and I'm completely engrossed in it.

Jiang Shi kept his eyes closed, not participating in their conversation. He was recalling the voice from the Path of the Dao.

The voice asked him a question that sounded like it was testing him, or perhaps trying to confirm something.

That's not an inner demon; an inner demon wouldn't ask that kind of question. That's the test itself, or rather, the person who sets the test.

Someone is observing him through the path of the Dao.

Just then, the teleportation portal flickered.

Everyone looked up and saw Shui Lingxi walking out.

Her eyes were red, but there were no signs of crying.

His eyes were red, as if they had been smoked.

The spirit beast followed at her feet, full of energy. Its fur was much brighter than before it went in, and the blue light in its eyes was clearer.

Huo Lie rushed over and anxiously asked, "How are you? Are you alright?"

Shui Lingxi glanced at him, shook her head, and said, "It's nothing."

She didn't say what she saw inside, and Huo Lie didn't ask.

The people of Beast Taming Mountain have spirit beasts as their half-bodies; what she sees, the spirit beasts also see.

What she experienced, the spirit beasts also experienced. With the spirit beasts by her side, her path to enlightenment might be more difficult than theirs, or it might be easier.

Jiang Shi noticed that her aura had changed. It wasn't an increase in her cultivation level, but some deeper change, like a stone whose sharp edges had been smoothed out, becoming more rounded and harder.

Just like the change Jiang Shi just made.

It seems that those who pass the test of the heart will receive a reward, but the reward is not conspicuous; it is neither a cultivation technique nor a rare treasure.

However, it is beneficial to one's cultivation foundation!

"It's your turn," Shui Lingxi said to Huo Lie, regaining her spirits.

Although it was just three simple words, it carried a sense of concern.

Huo Lie took a deep breath and stood up.

"Okay, I'll go," Huo Lie said, his tone no longer as flippant as before, but rather more serious.

After speaking, Huo Lie walked towards the portal, his steps slower than usual.

His left shoulder was still secured with a strip of cloth, making his walking posture somewhat awkward.

When he reached the door, he paused and glanced back at the three of them.

"If I haven't come out in an hour, then come in and rescue me," Huo Lie said in a deliberately joking tone.

"The path of the Dao can only be walked by one person; we cannot enter," Feng Yiran replied solemnly.

Everyone knew he was joking, but only Feng Yiran would reply to him so seriously.

"Can't you say something nice?" Huo Lie laughed and scolded, then turned and stepped into the portal.

Soon, a five-colored light engulfed him.

The arena fell silent again; this time, even the sounds from behind the distant gate were gone, and the core temple was completely quiet.

Feng Yiran glanced at the door, then at the light door.

"How long will it take him?" Feng Yiran asked with some concern.

Jiang Shi thought about Huo Lie's personality: impulsive, concerned about his image, and prone to speaking without thinking, but actually he had a lot hidden in his heart.

In a place like the Burning Heaven Sect, the competition is fierce. It's impossible for him to have come this far without inner demons.

"One hour," Jiang Shi guessed.

Feng Yiran didn't say anything, but sat down against the wall and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Shui Lingxi, holding the spirit beast, sat down in the spot where Huo Lie had been leaning against the wall.

The spirit beast licked her hand, and she stroked its head.

Shui Lingxi was actually very worried, but she didn't express it. She believed that Huo Lie would definitely be able to get out successfully.

"What did you see?" Jiang Shi suddenly asked.

Jiang Shi was curious about what the disciples of Beast Taming Mountain would encounter in the Dao Heart Barrier with their companion spirit beasts.

Shui Lingxi remained silent for a moment, a ripple of emotion flashing in her eyes.

"My first spirit beast," Shui Lingxi said softly, almost inaudibly.

"When I was building my foundation, it died protecting me."

Jiang Shi originally wanted to ask more about the mysterious voice, but after hearing Shui Lingxi's words, he didn't press the matter further.

"It told me from inside that it didn't blame me. I actually always knew it didn't blame me, but I blamed myself." Although Shui Lingxi had passed the test of her Dao heart, she was still somewhat depressed.

Her companion spirit beast rubbed against her hand, making low whimpering sounds.

Shui Lingxi rubbed her eyes, said nothing more, and hugged her companion spirit beast into her arms, snuggling close.

Jiang Shi stepped aside and did not pursue the matter further.

Time passed little by little. A cup of tea, two cups of tea, half an hour, an hour.

Just as an hour had passed, and Shui Lingxi was becoming increasingly worried.

The gate of light finally lit up.

Huo Lie came out, his face even paler than when he went in, and the cloth strip on his left shoulder was loose, hanging down below his arm.

But his eyes were bright, much brighter than before he went in.

"What's wrong?" Shui Lingxi asked with concern.

Huo Lie waved his hand without saying a word. He walked to the wall, sat down against it, and closed his eyes.

There was a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, not a bitter smile, not a self-deprecating smile, but a genuine, relaxed smile.

So, Shui Lingxi glanced at him and understood that Huo Lie's experience was definitely the same as hers, an unforgettable ordeal, so she didn't ask any further questions.

In this way, all four of them passed the test of their Dao heart.

After the four of them finished making corrections, Jiang Shi stood up.

"Let's go," Jiang Shi said to the three of them.

The four of them walked together toward the gate opposite the arena. The gate was made of stone, very tall, and yellow light shone through the cracks in the door.

Behind the door lies the core temple, where the Five Elements Master's legacy resides.

That was also the destination of their trip!

Jiang Shi did not hesitate at all and reached out to push the door open.

And just like that, the door opened.

Yellow light poured out from the crack in the door, like a flood bursting its banks, so bright it was blinding.

Jiang Shi squinted, waiting for the light to fade before he could see the scene behind the door.

Core Temple.

It's more than three times larger than the previous arena.

The dome is hundreds of feet high and is inlaid with countless luminous crystals, like twinkling stars, illuminating the entire hall.

The four walls are covered with murals, all depicting the same person, the Five Elements Master.

There are Five Elements Masters sitting cross-legged in meditation, Five Elements Masters fighting with five beasts, and Five Elements Masters holding a wheel and looking down upon all living beings.

There is a stone platform in the center of the temple.

The stone platform is ten zhang high and pentagonal, with different five-element runes carved on each side.

Two things float on the top of the stone platform: the Five Elements Wheel and the Dao Seed.

The roulette wheel is five-colored and rotates slowly, with a halo spreading outward with each rotation.

The Dao Seed was a fist-sized ball of light, radiating a soft golden glow, like a small sun.

These two items are Jiang Shi's purpose for this trip! They are also what he must obtain. After traveling all this way, he has finally arrived at this moment!

Below the stone platform, the five members of the Five Elements Demon Sect were engaged in a fierce battle with the Earth Bear.

Jiang Shi only needed one glance to know that the battle was almost over, or rather, the outcome was about to be decided.