Chapter 474 - I Can’t Catch Up, I Just Can’t Catch Up!

Gu Han furrowed his brow slightly. Logically, since he had broken the illusion, he should have been rewarded. Yet, unexpectedly, the great river and the giant monument appeared.

Are those the rewards? What’s the point of showing me these things?

Suddenly, he had a thought. Right before the illusion vanished, what he had been thinking about was how to completely resolve Ah Sha’s Eye of Shattered Illusions problem. The great river and the monument appeared right after that.

Could Ah Sha’s cure be hidden there? Is that why the Gold List showed me this?

Just as he thought this, the scenery before his eyes changed, and he found himself once again in a plaza. However, it was much smaller than the plaza at the first heavenly pass, so much that he could immediately see its edges.

***

Within the third pass, the stone pillar Yun Fan stood on was only a hair’s breadth away from completely shattering. He was so close to being eliminated.

Although no one knew what he had experienced, he was no longer as smug as before. Instead, he was filled with absolute certainty. “It’s fake! It’s all fake! There’s no way my sister would ever praise or smile at me! This is all an illusion!”

The moment his words fell, the illusion shattered bit by bit, unable to hold itself together any longer.

***

Inside Mei Yun’s illusion, he had brutally abused Fatty until Fatty knelt and begged for mercy, and only then did he proudly proceed to the next pass. However, he hadn’t taken many steps when an old man in a coarse daoist robe appeared.

Mei Yun was dumbfounded. “Master? Why are you here? Didn’t... didn’t you already...?”

The old man chuckled twice and beckoned to him. “Come, let me get a good look at you.”

Mei Yun’s eyes reddened. Since the old man had passed away, all the grievances he had bottled up for decades burst forth completely and unreservedly in that moment.

He quickly ran toward the old man, recounting all his experiences over the years. “Master, my life has been so bitter!”

In an instant, tears streamed down his face. He was truly heartbroken. The old man smiled cheerfully at him, extending a hand to wipe away his tears.

Mei Yun felt a warmth in his heart and brought his face closer. “Master...”

In his memories, whenever he had suffered a grievance as a child, the old man would wipe his tears just like this.

The old man’s hand rose higher and higher until it was right above Mei Yun’s head. “Oh, Mei Yun, such a useless thing!”

A heavy slap landed squarely on Mei Yun’s face. There wasn't the slightest trace of cultivation fluctuations from the old man, and his slap carried little force, yet it sent Mei Yun flying. He spun incessantly in the air as if he had broken through something, disappearing into the illusion.

Right before the illusion shattered, the old man gazed up at the sky above and vanished as well.

***

Unlike the others, Murong Yan and Shen Xuan seemed to be experiencing the same illusion.

On the stone pillar, veins bulged on Shen Xuan’s forehead as he was furious. “No! This child must take the surname Shen!”

Not far away, on the stone pillar adjacent to his, Murong Yan waved a hand and declared boldly, “Why are you arguing over such a small matter?! I’ve decided, the first child takes Murong, the second takes Shen. One each, fair and square!”

Shen Xuan’s face turned pale. “We only have one child.”

“Then let’s keep making more!”

Shen Xuan’s face immediately became deathly pale as sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Actually, the surname doesn’t matter. It’s not like I have to fight over this—” Halfway through his sentence, he trembled. “What are you doing?! No! Help—”

Thus, the stone pillars beneath their feet crumbled, eliminating them both.

As time passed, more and more people failed. Despite having decent cultivation levels, they ultimately could not withstand the test of the heavenly pass. Jiang Feng, Yang Lan, many disciples of the Yuqing Sect, and quite a few of Gu Han's acquaintances all failed to pass the fourth trial.

***

Gu Han had barely arrived at the plaza when he heard Yan Qi’s extremely delighted shout. “Senior! You’re finally here!”

Yan Qi, who had grown a few zhang long, slithered over joyfully. “I was all alone here just now. It was terrifying.”

Gu Han was momentarily stunned. “All alone? You were the first one here?”

“Yes!”

Gu Han was speechless. The first person to pass this round was actually the little flood dragon no one had taken seriously! It wasn’t just him, probably no one else had expected this.

“Yan Qi, what was your illusion about?”

Yan Qi was even more shocked than Gu Han was. “Huh? That was an illusion?!”

Gu Han fell into deep thought. He felt that the Great Dao not only knew how to bait, but also played favorites. “What did you experience?”

“Bringing glory to my ancestors.”

“Then?”

Yan Qi answered honestly, “I got tired and took a nap. When I woke up, I was here. I thought I had a dream, but it turned out to be an illusion...”

Then, he seemed to feel an itch and rubbed himself against the ground. Four bulges were clearly visible under his belly. Apparently, he had dreamed of transforming into a dragon, and what he received was a reward in that regard. Gu Han realized how special the round was and decided to call it the heart pass.

After all, the trial tested neither cultivation nor aptitude, but one's state of mind. Yan Qi had a simple nature, no ambition, and few desires. One could say he had the heart of a pure and innocent child. Hence, for him, it was the easiest trial. It was no surprise that he came out first.

As they spoke, more and more figures appeared in the plaza. Fatty, Feng Xi, Luo Wushuang, Zuo Yang, Yu Miao, and even Wu Xin.

In the distance, Hui Ren glanced at Wu Xin, his pupils constricting sharply. He then quickly averted his gaze. Oh no! This demon fetus is about to become uncontrollable!

Compared to before, Wu Xin had grown another year or two older. No one knew what he had experienced, but his injuries had completely healed.

Wu Xin stared at his own palm as the madness in his eyes nearly condensed into reality. “Fatty, you have fate with demons. You can only become my personal dharma guardian. You cannot escape my grasp!”

Gu Han swept his gaze over the area and sighed inwardly. Among that previous group, only Ah Man had passed the test. The rest had all been eliminated.

Suddenly, Hua Xing’s puzzled voice sounded. “Huh? Where’s Xiao Yang? How come no one’s seen him?”

In the illusion, Hua Xing had come close to failing, but luck had allowed him to break through at the last moment. Just as he was about to exchange insights with Xiao Yang, he realized that Xiao Yang was gone.

***

At the Central Dao Palace, the third pass had eliminated almost half of the participants. They all stood in their original positions, staring at the names appearing one after another on the Gold List. All sorts of emotions bubbled in their hearts. They understood that their journey ended here.

Inside Mo Li’s small courtyard, Elder Qian looked at the extremely conspicuous name “Xiao Yang” on the Gold List, then glanced at the man himself.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Second Young Master, why did you get eliminated so quickly?”

Xiao Yang was despondent, muttering to himself, “I can’t catch up... The maiden left too fast, I... I can’t catch up! I can’t even... I can’t even see her shadow...”

Elder Qian’s heart turned cold, and he suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. He’s hopeless! He is thoroughly hopeless!