He looks very young, but his health is quite weak.

"The second trial in the illusion tests honesty. That old man is blind and weak, with no power to resist the testers. Remaining honest under such temptation counts as passing the trial."

"Of course, the requirements for passing this trial were once modified; the difficulty is much lower than it was a thousand years ago..."

Amidst Yin Qingyuan's introduction, Bai Xirou's expression remained as calm as water as she watched Qi Yuan's performance in the illusion without blinking.

When she saw Qi Yuan see through the old man's deception and return the bundle to its true owner, a strange light flickered in her beautiful eyes.

Another perfect pass!

Not just her, but the Falling Cloud Valley Cultivators nearby also showed looks of surprise, and the sounds of discussion rose and fell.

"I didn't expect the second trial of the illusion to have such twists. As expected of a Formation personally set up by a Great Master invited by our Grandmaster back then."

"This Loose Cultivator is truly extraordinary. Not only was he not blinded by greed, but he also wasn't deceived by the flowery words of others. With a steadfast mind and superior wisdom, he is definitely no ordinary person."

"I wouldn't say that for sure. Although this Qi Da's performance is remarkable, his cultivation Aptitude of a Four-Spiritual Root can be called inferior. With such Aptitude, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to achieve anything in the future."

"That's true. This boy is destined for a rocky path on the Dao and doesn't have much value for cultivation..."

While everyone was whispering and judging, a female Cultivator curiously asked Bai Xirou:

"Eldest Senior Sister, what was your result when you went through the second illusion nine years ago?"

For a moment, several Falling Cloud Valley Disciples nearby also focused their gaze on Bai Xirou, clearly curious about the answer as well.

Bai Xirou's pretty face turned slightly red, her expression somewhat embarrassed.

"I was young and ignorant back then, and I really was tricked by that old fox, the Array Spirit. I only asked about the number of Spirit Stones in the bundle, and after the numbers matched, I handed it over. I received an 'Excellent' evaluation rather than 'Perfect'."

Hearing this, the surrounding lower-generation Disciples immediately understood and comforted her one after another:

"It's fine. Eldest Senior Sister, you were only ten years old then and your mind was still immature. If you were tested now, you would definitely be stronger than this Qi Da."

"Yes, Eldest Senior Sister is still the best."

"We believe in Eldest Senior Sister's strength..."

"Not necessarily. This trial is actually much more difficult than the previous one." Bai Xirou shook her head. "Besides overcoming the greed for Spirit Stones, when encountering the weak, people instinctively develop a sense of contempt, taking it for granted that a frail old man wouldn't dare to lie in front of them."

"As long as a trace of negligence appears, the possibility of a perfect pass will be lost."

Hearing her explanation, the Disciples all came to a sudden realization and nodded repeatedly, secretly feeling lucky.

Fortunately, the passing requirements had been lowered significantly. Otherwise, with such a difficult illusion test, Falling Cloud Valley would basically never be able to recruit new people again.

At this time, the highly anticipated Lin Zhen and Wang Luchuan also passed the second illusion.

Notably, Lin Zhen returned the bundle the moment he met the old man and even took the initiative to help him home... while Wang Luchuan, who was suspected of cheating, continued his previous perfect operations, becoming another tester to achieve a perfect pass after Qi Da.

In fact, whether one chose to return the bundle directly or chose to ask for a portion of the Spirit Stones as a reward, both were considered passing this Heart-Nature assessment.

After the first trial of the illusion, about sixty percent of the testers were eliminated, leaving only fifty-some people to participate in the second trial.

Of these fifty-plus testers, about half were judged to have failed because they lied or directly killed the old man with a blade, leaving fewer than thirty people to pass... the illusion.

Qi Yuan continued his journey and soon arrived in front of a small mountain.

Calling it a small mountain, it could actually only be considered a small earthen mound, barely over ten zhang high, bare on top without even a single tree.

At the top of the slope stood a tall stone gateway with three characters written on it—'Gate of Seeking the Dao'.

At the bottom of the slope was a flight of stairs that could be seen to the end at a glance, exactly one hundred steps, no more and no less.

Seeing this setup, Qi Yuan immediately understood what the final trial in the Falling Cloud Valley illusion was:

Climbing a mountain!

With this realization, he didn't hesitate and lifted his foot to walk toward the steps.

When he stepped on the first step, he didn't experience anything unusual at all.

On the second step, he felt his footsteps become slightly heavier, but there was still no pressure.

Then, the third step, fourth step, fifth step... until the tenth step, Qi Yuan finally stopped.

Because he had already discovered and confirmed that for every step he ascended, the pressure on his body would double.

If it continued like this, the pressure he would face at the hundredth step would be terrifying. Even Geng-metal, the hardest Artifact Refining material in the world, would probably be crushed.

Using this as a reference, Qi Yuan quickly calculated his current limit—about seventy steps.

Of course, if he squeezed out all his potential and used every ounce of his strength, he could probably increase it by another three or four steps.

But the problem was that his current goal was merely to enter the Falling Cloud Sect as a lowly Handyman Disciple; there was no need to push himself to the limit... Looking at that ancient and towering 'Gate of Seeking the Dao', Qi Yuan decided to study it carefully to see if there was a way to hide his strength and slack off while still being one hundred percent sure of passing the trial.

Thinking of this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he walked down the steps composedly... outside the illusion.

"What's going on? Why did this Qi Da only walk ten steps up the Mount of Seeking the Dao and then retreat? Could it be that this is already his limit?"

A Falling Cloud Valley Cultivator noticed Qi Yuan's actions and looked suspicious.

"Didn't this kid perform quite miraculously in the first two trials? Surely he can't even pass a mere ten steps?"

"I didn't expect that although he looks young, his body is quite weak..."

"No! Look, he's trying to throw a pebble onto the steps above. He must be looking for a flaw in the trial!"

As soon as the words fell, a commotion broke out.

"This Mount of Seeking the Dao has been passed down for a thousand years and has been perfected over time. How could this guy, a newcomer, have the ability to find its flaw?"

Seeing everyone discussing animatedly, Yin Qingyuan, who was in charge of this assessment, snorted and said in a deep voice:

"Rest assured, everyone. The Mount of Seeking the Dao was personally set up by the Grandmaster specifically to test one's Dao Heart and perseverance. Any living being outside of the Formation will be affected."

"Magical Artifacts and Magic Treasures cannot be used within the illusion, nor can one fly out of thin air. Even attempts to prop up wooden ladders or dig into the ground will have no effect."

"In short, even if he suddenly grows wings, he won't be able to fly up."

"The third trial of the illusion leaves no room for opportunism. Everyone can only walk up step by step. Passing thirty steps is considered qualified, and those who climb fifty steps receive a 'Perfect' rating..."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So it was set up by the Grandmaster. No wonder it's so powerful."

"The late Grandmaster was indeed wise and martial..."

Suddenly, the people of Falling Cloud Valley looked as if they had seen a ghost, staring fixedly at the image in the magic mirror, unable to say a word... meanwhile.

Inside the illusion.

"Weren't you unwilling to give the bundle to this old man? What are you doing back here?"

Seeing that Qi Yuan had found him again, the old man was so angry his beard fluttered, looking like he didn't welcome him.

Qi Yuan didn't mind and said with a smile:

"Old man, I have quite a few Spirit Stones on me. I wonder if you're interested in making a profit?"

"What do you mean?"

The old man was stunned and asked subconsciously.

Seeing the other party's expression, the smile on Qi Yuan's face became even brighter.

"It's simple. There's a small slope ahead. As long as you carry me up on your back, I'll give you a hundred Spirit Stones..."