Chapter 31: Spirit Realm

Chapter 31: Spirit Realm

Spirit Realm.

A spiritual world jointly created by ten Grand Sects.

When the exam officially began, Zhang Yu felt his consciousness being pulled out of his body and into another world.

A gentle breeze ruffled his hair, and his buttocks felt the hardness of a chair.

When Zhang Yu opened his eyes, he found himself in a regular classroom.

Inside the classroom, students of about the same age from various high schools were seated, a total of several dozen.

This was the Spirit Realm, a world distinct from the real world.

The Spirit Realm could be considered a real world, or a false one.

It was real because everything one experienced here could be indistinguishable from the real world.

It was false because everything in this world did not exist in reality, like a dream or an illusion. Everything seen, smelled, touched, and felt here could be controlled artificially.

Zhang Yu knew that his physical body was still on his bed at Songyang High School, while only his consciousness had entered the Spirit Realm.

He, like the other students, had been randomly selected from the many students in Songyang City who were participating in the exam.

Glancing around the classroom, Zhang Yu couldn't tell the difference between this place and the real world.

He thought to himself, "I hope we don’t get stuck halfway through the exam and end up with a city-wide high school student lockdown in a virtual game."

This place, similar to a virtual online world, was how Zhang Yu understood the Spirit Realm after learning some information about it.

However, Kunxu had achieved this using Xian Dao technology.

Of course, Zhang Yu knew that his understanding of the Spirit Realm was still limited, but for now, it was enough.

In front of the students stood a thin man wearing an Owl Mask, looking at them from behind the podium.

Li Xingyu scanned the students in front of him.

In the next moment, each student's number, name, and high school appeared above their heads in his view.

"Ah, I hope this finishes quickly so I can go home."

As a soul cultivator from Mangshan High School, Li Xingyu, who had no physical body and only a soul, was already accustomed to his daily routine in the Spirit Realm.

Because of the special nature of soul cultivators, they did not need to participate in the Dao Heart Exam and were instead assigned to proctor the exam by the teachers.

Thinking about the 45 hours of work he still had left today, he couldn't help but sigh.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he looked toward Zhang Yu.

"Is it him?"

Li Xingyu remembered the security guard who had caused a stir at Li Xuelian's art exhibition, triggering the anomalies on the Heavenly Human Martial Chart.

"From Songyang High School?"

"Interesting, I should record his performance in this exam. It might make for some good intelligence to sell to the principal."

Taking a closer look, Li Xingyu took a few steps forward, and with each step, several identical versions of him split off. By the time he took his tenth step, a Li Xingyu stood in front of each student.

This kind of Spirit Realm cloning technique was second nature to soul cultivators like Li Xingyu.

Zhang Yu looked at the proctor in front of him, wearing an Owl Mask, and began to speculate.

The strength of one's will was a reflection of their Dao Heart. To determine the Dao Heart Rank, one usually tested the strength of their will.

Thus, the Dao Heart Exam primarily tested willpower, at least during the Spirit Cultivation stage.

However, there were many ways to test the strength of one's will. To prevent students from preparing specifically for the exam and skewing the results, the specific questions for each Dao Heart Exam varied.

According to Zhang Yu's knowledge, the higher the stakes of the exam, the more resources were invested, and the more complex the exam content in the Spirit Realm would be.

After all, more complex and diverse experiences could more accurately assess the students' conditions.

"This is a Monthly Exam..." Zhang Yu thought. "Based on past experience, it shouldn't be too complex."

At the same time, Li Xingyu extended his hand, revealing a device that looked like a phone in his palm.

"Take it."

All the Li Xingyus spoke in unison: "Today's Dao Heart Exam is simple... pain."

"In the next sixty minutes, the Pain Controller in your hands can adjust your Pain Level at any time."

"The higher your Pain Level and the longer you can maintain it, the higher your ranking will be."

The Dao Heart Exam was scored based on ranking, so one's score depended not only on their own performance but also on the performance of other students.

For the Monthly Dao Heart Exam in Songyang City, the ranking was based on the performance of all high school students in the city.

For the Gaokao, the ranking was based on the performance of all Gaokao candidates in the entire Kunxu region.

"Additionally, if your Pain Level exceeds your tolerance and causes you to faint, your consciousness will immediately exit the Spirit Realm, and your score will be zero."

After explaining the exam content, Li Xingyu pointed a finger, and a 10-second countdown appeared in the air above the Spirit Realm.

"Ten seconds until the start of the exam."

Zhang Yu looked at the Pain Controller in his hand, which resembled a phone. The screen displayed Pain Level 0, Pain Level 1, Pain Level 2, Pain Level 3...

The only two buttons on the Pain Controller allowed him to adjust the Pain Level up or down from Pain Level 0, changing the pain he would feel at any moment.

Just looking at it made Zhang Yu feel aches all over his body.

Who came up with this exam question? This questioner must be a sadist.

Don't tell me there are levels like fire, castration, or dismemberment...

Are we having a little chainsaw horror in Songyang City?

Zhang Yu hated suffering, and he hated even more when someone forced him to suffer.

Ever since he came to Kunxu and embarked on the cultivation path, he had been suffering nonstop, eating it in large mouthfuls.

At this moment, Zhang Yu felt utterly disgusted, his resistance reaching its peak.

Noticing this, Zhang Yu's gaze sharpened, and he thought to himself, "But, on the other hand, as a high school cultivation student, learning and taking exams is my duty. The more I suffer now, the more money I can earn in the future."

"I love learning, I love exams!"

After giving himself a pep talk, Zhang Yu felt a bit more energized, and the Pain Controller in front of him seemed a bit more tolerable.

What is will? What is thought? What is Dao Heart?

The Dao Heart teacher had spoken a lot about these topics, from ancient times to the present, where some people worshiped gods, some worshiped demons, and some worshiped humans... establishing various beliefs and using different techniques to enhance their Dao Heart and willpower.

In Zhang Yu's understanding, willpower was the ability to endure suffering. The stronger one's willpower, the more they could endure.

Thoughts that enhanced willpower were those that convinced oneself that suffering had its benefits, thus allowing one to endure more.

At this moment, Zhang Yu was using some small thoughts to comfort and encourage himself, hoping to improve his performance.

Everyone had many such small thoughts, but few could consistently adhere to a systematic and long-term belief. Zhang Yu had yet to develop such a belief, and neither had his Dao Heart class taught him one.

To establish such a belief, one had to combine the textbook, personal experiences, and cultivation techniques.

The strength of a cultivator's willpower could be used to score their Dao Heart Rank.

The thoughts in a cultivator's mind, when combined with techniques, could enhance their Dao Heart Rank and further strengthen their willpower.

Thoughts were the core, willpower was the manifestation, and techniques were the method. This combination formed a complete Dao Heart for a cultivator.

As the countdown in the air reached zero, the students began to operate their Pain Controllers. Some screamed, some twisted their faces, and some gasped in pain.

When Zhang Yu adjusted his Pain Level to 1, he felt as if a steel needle had pierced his palm.

He quickly activated the Basic Mind Tempering technique he had learned in his Dao Heart class, striving to stabilize his mind.

Emptiness, nothingness, selflessness... Basic Mind Tempering was a technique that helped one stabilize emotions, remain calm, and gradually enter a meditative state.

With consistent practice, one's Dao Heart Rank would improve, and their willpower would grow stronger.

This level 1 Basic Mind Tempering technique was something the original Zhang Yu had learned before coming to this world.

However, due to his focus on improving his Mana, Physical Strength Level, Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method, 36-Form Bodyfortify, and Freehand Combat, he had not had the time to advance this technique.

Now, as Zhang Yu activated Basic Mind Tempering, he felt his mind gradually calm down, and his tolerance for pain seemed to increase.

He immediately raised his Pain Level to 2.

Sigh!

Zhang Yu felt as if his other hand had also been pierced by a steel needle.

But he could still endure it.

So, Zhang Yu gradually increased his Pain Level, and when it reached 37, he felt as if 37 steel needles had pierced his hands and feet.

At this moment, Zhang Yu's face was contorted, and no matter how hard he tried to activate Basic Mind Tempering, he couldn't feel any calmness.

"Peace of mind! Peace of mind! Peace of mind!"

Calmness, concentration, silent endurance, and perseverance... Basic Mind Tempering had to be combined with such a mindset to achieve its maximum effect.

This was the norm for enhancing Dao Heart. Only when one's thoughts and techniques aligned could Dao Heart improvement be most effective.

But calmness, concentration, silent endurance, and perseverance... these concepts did not align with Zhang Yu's personality.

At this moment, all he wanted was to immediately find and kill the person who had come up with this exam question.

Just as Zhang Yu felt he had reached his limit, the content of the Heavenly Martial Soul Tempering Method flashed through his mind.

Fist, palm, leg, spear, sword, knife...

One image after another appeared in his mind, each carrying the intent of breaking through armies, the resolve to fight to the death, and the courage to charge forward... These were the things that truly resonated with him.

Although Zhang Yu's Dao Heart Rank was insufficient to truly master the Heavenly Martial Soul Tempering Method, just recalling the intent of this martial art gave him a surge of determination.

He felt like a small soldier following a legendary warrior, whose heroic stance gave him the courage to persevere.

At this moment, the pain of the steel needles piercing his body was no longer as unbearable.

He smiled grimly. "When I climb to the top, I will make the person who came up with this exam question beg for mercy on his knees."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end