I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

As the altitude increased, the originally pristine white jade steps began to be shrouded in a thick layer of gray mist.

There is no more sound here.

Apart from their own heartbeats, no one could hear any sound from the outside world.

Of the 5,000-strong force, a large number had already fallen.

Some of those who fell had lewd smiles on their faces, biting at the air; some wailed and cried, kneeling on the ground in repentance; and some looked terrified, as if they had seen the most terrifying ghost.

They are trapped in a cage woven from their own desires and fears, unable to move an inch.

But amidst this chaotic scene, one figure stood out conspicuously.

While munching on the half-eaten steamed bun that the old beggar had "gifted" him (which was actually a manifestation of spiritual energy left behind after the illusion disappeared), Wang Lin looked around strangely.

Why is that uncle eating stones?

Wang Lin watched as a coal mine owner worth billions was frantically gnawing on a railing, his mouth full of blood but looking completely blissful. He couldn't help but shrink back.

"City people are really strange."

Wang Lin shook his head and continued walking uphill.

In his eyes, the fog simply did not exist. Those "worldly illusions" that could stir up the deepest, most secret desires in a person's heart were too advanced for a boy who only thought about how to fill his stomach every day. They were so advanced that he simply could not understand them, and therefore could not take effect.

The heart of a child is called "without leakage".

Because it has nothing, it is invincible.

……

【The Path of Inquiry - Step 1990】

Zhao Feng's Illusion

"Company commander!! Help me!!"

"So much blood... Captain Zhao, where are our reinforcements?!"

Zhao Feng suddenly stopped in his tracks, his pupils contracting sharply.

The original white jade steps were gone, replaced by a jungle battlefield littered with corpses and blood. This was the most brutal mission he had ever encountered during his service, and a lifelong nightmare.

The mutilated limbs of comrades, the sinister grins of the enemy, and the deafening roar of artillery fire were all so real they were suffocating. Under the influence of the formation, even the consciousness of those within it was altered.

"No... I didn't abandon you..."

Zhao Feng's breathing became rapid, his eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and a violent killing intent exploded in his chest, almost overwhelming his reason.

This is his inner demon—guilt and killing.

Just as Zhao Feng was in a daze and reached for the dagger...

Clang—!

A clear, piercing sword cry suddenly exploded deep within his mind.

Immediately afterwards, an extremely cold aura emanated from the package on his back, instantly spreading throughout his entire body.

"idiot."

A cold and ethereal female voice, tinged with disdain, rang directly in his ear.

Zhao Feng felt a shiver run through his body.

He turned around abruptly and saw a blood-red, phantom-like woman floating behind him. She had no physical form, her long hair obscuring her face, but her pale hand was gripping Zhao Feng's wrist, her nails sharp as knives.

That was the malevolent spirit within the broken sword of the Tiger Warrior.

After absorbing the red light bestowed upon her by the old beggar (the system), she even regained a trace of her former intelligence.

The woman in red raised her hand and waved.

A chilling, blood-red sword aura swept out.

Hiss!

The mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the jungle of cannon fire before our eyes, were torn apart like a canvas by this sword energy!

The illusion shattered.

Zhao Feng gasped for breath, realizing he was still standing on the 1990th step, his body drenched in cold sweat. The broken sword on his back still lay quietly in the cloth bag, but the chilling feeling it evoked now felt even more familiar.

Thanks.

Zhao Feng wiped away his sweat, his eyes regaining their resolve. He patted the broken sword on his back, "When we reach the summit, I'll treat you... uh, I'll burn you the best paper money."

The broken sword trembled slightly, as if expressing its disdain.

……

【Path of Inquiry - 2800th Step - Summit Area】

[Current climber: Chu Tian]

If Zhao Feng encountered an "inner demon," then Chu Tian, ​​who was at the forefront, was facing true "divine punishment."

【Taiqing Hall - Cloud Top】

Gu Qing looked at the figure far ahead in the picture and tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest.

"Second level of Qi Refining, Thunder Spirit Body."

Gu Qing squinted. "For mortals, these steps are a test. But for true cultivators like these, ordinary illusions are child's play."

"System, give Chu Tian extra ingredients."

"Since he has a mutated lightning-attribute spiritual root, let's grant him a great opportunity."

[Command confirmed. Difficulty adjusted to Hell Mode.]

[Activation Formation: Minor Five Elements Thunder Sound Formation (Incomplete Version)]

……

Rumble!!

Just as Chu Tian stepped onto the 2800th step, the previously calm sky suddenly changed color.

To the others behind him, this place remained shrouded in mist. But for Chu Tian, ​​he had stepped into a minefield!

Purple arcs of electricity leaped across the steps, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

Each step seemed to be forged by lightning.

"This is……"

Chu Tian looked up at the low-hanging dark clouds overhead and the lightning bolts darting through them.

Most people would have been terrified at the sight of this, but Chu Tian's eyes blazed with unprecedented fervor.

"It's not a hallucination."

Chu Tian reached out his hand, his fingertips touching a wisp of electricity. A tingling sensation instantly spread throughout his body, followed by a sharp pain.

"It's real lightning! Kunlun... is this helping me temper my body?!"

Lightning, which ordinary people would avoid at all costs, is the most top-grade tonic in the eyes of Chu Tian, ​​who possesses the Lightning Spirit Body.

However, his current cultivation level is too low, and this thunderous power could easily obliterate him if he is not careful.

"That's interesting."

Chu Tian unbuttoned his collar, revealing his muscular chest.

Faced with the overwhelming thunder, he not only did not back down, but instead began to circulate his internal energy.

"Come!"

Chu Tian took a step forward.

Click!

A bolt of lightning as thick as a wrist struck down!

Chu Tian groaned, his skin instantly turning charred black, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. But the spiritual energy within him, like a shark smelling blood, frantically lunged at the lightning power that had burrowed into his body, tearing it apart, devouring it, and assimilating it!

The first step is to tear open the skin and flesh.

The second step is to resonate with the muscles and bones.

……

The special forces soldiers behind them had just caught up when they witnessed a scene they would never forget:

Their captain, bathed in lightning, suffered burst wounds with every step he took, only to have them heal instantly in the lightning. His aura was rising at an alarming rate!

"Has the captain... gone mad?"

The team members were horrified. From their perspective, all they could see was Chu Tian punching the air, his body emitting smoke, as if he were fighting an invisible demon god.

"No, he's getting stronger."

Zhao Feng, who had caught up, stared intently at Chu Tian. He could feel the fear emanating from the broken sword behind him—a submission to a higher level of power.

[System Monitoring: Chu Tian]

[Status: In the midst of enlightenment]

[Cultivation Breakthrough: Peak of Qi Refining Level 2 → Qi Refining Level 3!]

[Comment: This kid actually used the oppressive array of the Path of Inquiry to forcibly draw lightning to temper his body. He's treating the assessment like a buffet.]

In the Taiqing Hall, Gu Qing couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Good lad, ruthless enough."

at last.

Chu Tian crossed the watershed of the 3000th step.

The thunder that filled the sky suddenly dissipated.

At this moment, Chu Tian was dressed in rags, his hair was charred black, and he looked even more like a beggar than Wang Lin had before.

But as he stood there, he was like a divine weapon that had just been forged and was still scorching hot.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air crackling with electricity, turned to look at his dumbfounded comrades behind him, grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth:

"Keep up. These steps on Kunlun Mountain are really exciting."

……

As time went by, the first group finally approached the finish line that countless people dreamed of.

The clouds and mist dissipated.

A magnificent palace complex, far exceeding the limits of human imagination, silently floated above everyone's heads.

Taiqing Hall.

In that huge square, a young figure dressed in a blue Taoist robe, with an otherworldly air, stood with his back to the crowd, his hands behind his back.

He was standing there, yet he seemed to be one with the world.

Chu Tian suppressed the surging spiritual energy within him and led Zhao Feng and the special forces members forward quickly.

And right next to them, Wang Lin, dressed in tattered clothes and eating a steamed bun, arrived at almost the same time.

One is a military king who has survived countless tribulations and possesses unparalleled domineering power.

One was an unharmed, innocent, and naive homeless beggar.

This is the best description of the first group of people to reach the summit.

Gu Qing slowly turned around.

His gaze swept over Chu Tian, ​​then over the sword behind Zhao Feng, and finally landed on Wang Lin.

Congratulations everyone.

Gu Qing's voice wasn't loud, but it resounded through the sky.

"You have completed your journey through the three thousand worldly paths."

"From this day forward, the paths of immortals and mortals are separated."