At the foot of the mountain, the onlookers were struck with astonishment at the sight of Huang Tian arriving astride a deer. His demeanor was simply far too reminiscent of a transcendent master from beyond the mortal dust, rather than an ordinary seeker of immortality like themselves.
A dense forest, mountain blossoms, a flowing creek, a white deer, a young boy—
The crowd was dazzled, until they saw Huang Tian, still riding the deer, quietly waiting to one side just like them for the grand array to open. Only then did it dawn on them that this child was likewise an aspirant seeking immortality, not an eminent figure of the cultivation world as they had assumed.
"How strange! I thought encountering a septuagenarian here was already a marvel, yet who would have guessed a child would come seeking the Dao?" By a mountain brook, amidst the thick grass, three men stood or sat together, conversing in hushed tones.
"Old men fear death and wish to prolong their years, so it is hardly surprising that they seek immortals and inquire of the Dao. But this lad is truly peculiar. How did he ever find this realm, and how did he dare travel all alone?"
"Hush, speak not so loosely. The boy's spirit glows like an autumn moon; one glance tells you he is extraordinary. Do not pass reckless judgment."
"Indeed, indeed. Speaking of which, the two months are nearly up—the grand array should open today, shouldn't it?"
"We need only wait another two or three quarters of an hour at most. In the past, the array stood constantly before the mountain, and anyone wishing to join Xuandong Mountain could challenge it of their own accord. But one day, an old man rashly entered, fell under the array's spell, and was trapped in the illusions for two whole days. Overwhelmed by extreme sorrow and joy, ravenous and parched, he collapsed on the spot.
Tsk, after that, Xuandong Mountain changed the rule. The grand array now opens only once every two months, with disciples of Xuandong Mountain standing watch nearby."
"Alas, I wonder if the three of us can pass the Heart-Testing Array?"
"Difficult, difficult, difficult! Xuandong Mountain has stood for over a thousand years, yet its indoor disciples number barely a dozen, and its nominal disciples only around a hundred. That works out to only one disciple accepted every ten years..."
Listening to the murmurs drifting to his ears, Huang Tian sat comfortably upon the back of the white deer, looking thoroughly at ease as he admired the scenery all around.
Time slipped slowly by under the gentle, warm sunlight that cast dappled shadows through the trees. Far off in the sky, two Daoists rapidly flew toward them atop a cloud-woven handkerchief.
"They're here! They've come!"
"Phew~ After waiting so many days, it will finally be decided."
"Heaven grant me blessings, that I may enter the immortal mountain!"
Under countless expectant, nervous gazes, the two Daoists alighted upon the grassy clearing. One wore blue robes, his face pale and beardless; the other wore an apricot-red cloak, with a long beard adorning his chin.
The blue-robed Daoist glanced around the assembled crowd, his gaze lingering on Huang Tian with a flicker of astonishment, seemingly also surprised that a child had come to challenge the array.
Moreover, the child possessed an ethereal, uncommon grace. Had he not sensed that the boy was genuinely a mortal, he might have taken him for an elder cultivator playfully roaming the human realm.
After his brief surprise, the blue-robed Daoist formed hand seals and struck several beams of spiritual light into the earth beneath his feet. Instantly, a mist of spiritual energy rose from the ground, cloaking the area.
Then, with an impassive expression, he declared, "The array has risen. Those who emerge within two quarters of an hour may become indoor disciples under our master. Those who pass within one day may become nominal disciples. The rest shall not be admitted; return whence you came, and do not linger upon the mountain."
With that, he flicked his sleeve. "Enter the array."
The crowd's breathing grew heavy. People exchanged glance after glance until finally, someone took the first step. That person was none other than Huang Tian. He leaped down from the white deer and strolled into the spiritual mist without haste, his expression calm and natural.
Once he went in, the others gritted their teeth, hesitated no longer, and entered one after another.
Outside the array, the blue-robed Daoist's eyes shone with spiritual light as he closely observed everything unfolding within.
"I wonder if anyone will manage to emerge this time?" he mused. "That child seems unusual—pure, spirited, and carrying an exceptional air. Perhaps he could pass the Heart-Testing Array within a day."
The apricot-robed Daoist stroked his beard. "Not necessarily. We have seen many unusual folks; do we not see a few every year? Yet in the end, don't they still end up trapped in the array, utterly lost?"
The blue-robed Daoist chuckled. "Junior Brother, how about a wager? If he passes the array and becomes a nominal disciple like the two of us, you give me a golden snow fish. If not, I shall give you a branch of blood coral."
Golden snow fish and blood coral were not particularly precious spiritual treasures; the wager was mostly to relieve their boredom.
The apricot-robed Daoist pondered for several breaths before agreeing. "It is only a spiritual fish, after all. If he truly enters our sect, not only will I give one to you, Senior Brother, but I will also present one to this little junior brother as a welcoming gift."
The blue-robed Daoist clapped and laughed. "Junior Brother is generous indeed!"
The apricot-robed Daoist gave a slight wave of his hand. His eyes likewise gleamed with spiritual light as he looked at the figures inside the array. He saw the crowd descending into madness, some laughing wildly, others weeping bitterly, in all manner of states.
After watching for a moment, he gave a slight shake of his head. "Apart from that child, everyone else is sinking deep into illusions, unable to extricate themselves. It seems none of them will make it out."
"This Heart-Testing Array contains dozens of illusionary layers. Pass one trial, and another follows: supreme celestial bliss, birth, old age, sickness, death, riches and splendor, poverty and wretchedness... Only those with exceptionally steadfast wills can shatter these myriad illusions and walk out of the array," the blue-robed Daoist remarked with a sigh. "I still remember when I emerged back then, soaked through with cold sweat, terrified in hindsight."
The apricot-robed Daoist felt the same. "I was trapped in the array for nearly eleven shichen myself. Only when a sudden realization struck me did I break through the final layers in succession and step out, fortunate beyond measure."
The two exchanged a look, both deeply moved.
Xuandong Mountain's recruitment of disciples did not place paramount importance on background or innate talent like many orthodox grand sects in this realm. It valued temperament and resolve above all else, refusing anyone whose determination was not exceptionally firm.
As for the reason, the disciples of Xuandong Mountain had their own conjectures. Their master, Master Yuyang, had failed in his attempt to break through to become a true immortal. Though he escaped with his life under the Heavenly Tribulation, he was consequently reduced to the ranks of loose immortals, with virtually no hope of achieving eternal life unless he could endure nine successive Heavenly Tribulations and ascend to true immortality. But that possibility was far too slim; from antiquity to the present day, successful examples were virtually unheard of.
At first, Master Yuyang had languished in dejection for many years. Later, for reasons unknown, he rekindled his Daoist heart, devoted himself to arduous cultivation, and honed his divine abilities and Daoist arts. Over the past millennium, he had actually survived six tribulations in a row!
Only after surviving six tribulations did Master Yuyang establish his sect on Xuandong Mountain and lay down the Heart-Testing Array, placing the greatest weight on temperament when accepting disciples. Perhaps in his view, the firmer one's resolve in seeking the Dao, the more likely one would be, like himself, to walk the path to the very end. As for background and talent, such things could be remedied with resources and were comparatively far less important.
Of course, all of this was mere speculation among the disciples; none truly knew what Master Yuyang thought.
Whoosh~
Within the grand array, layers of illusions unfolded before Huang Tian's eyes.
Celestial towers and jade palaces arose amidst boundless, cascading purple mist, accompanied by ethereal immortal melodies. In the blink of an eye, Huang Tian found himself seated upon an imperial throne above the highest heavens.
A beaded crown adorned his head, and his robes flowed like the Milky Way. Below, ten thousand immortals bowed respectfully as all sages paid homage. An immortal official held a register aloft, chanting in praise: "We congratulate the Great Heavenly Venerable on fulfilling his tribulations and returning to the Jade Capital!"
Countless immortals and sages bowed in unison, each reverent and full of solemnity. Huang Tian sat tall on his throne, cast an indifferent gaze downward, and let out an easy sigh.
"Vain fame in Miluo Hall is a weary burden,
Woods, springs, wind, and moon are the true nature.
What need for sacred virtue to pay court at celestial palaces?
Beneath green pines one nourishes the spirit."
With a gentle wave of his cloud-like sleeves, the multitude of immortals below dissolved into nothingness.
The scene shifted. Inside a celestial garden veiled in iridescent clouds, twenty-four immortal maidens stood—some holding fine wine, some carrying silk fans, others playing jade sheng pipes. One maiden lightly parted her vermilion lips. "Master, you possess the grace and bones of an immortal. Would you care to join us in shared delights?"
Huang Tian found it comical. In this realm, he was still a boy, yet the illusion actually conjured beautiful immortal consorts to tempt him. Suppressing his amusement, he said in a clear voice, "Though the outer vessel be fair, it is ultimately a fleeting union; only the inner elixir is real, residing solely in the balance of Fire and Water!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the immortal maidens scattered like vanishing smoke.
His surroundings shifted once more into a bleak, chilling darkness. Looking up, he found himself in the Underworld. On all sides were bronze serpents, iron hounds, and glaring yakshas. A magistrate bellowed fiercely, "You have committed heinous slaughter and must suffer the mountain of blades, the sea of fire, and the flaying of skin and tearing of sinews!"
Huang Tian merely smiled. "Karma is born of the mind, and by the mind it is extinguished."
Boundless light instantly erupted around his body, and the Underworld collapsed in that very instant under the radiance.
Layer after layer of illusions followed, testing the seven emotions as though tempering them in furnace flames, striking the six desires like chisels of trial.
Yet none of these could hinder his heart. With each illusion dispelled, Huang Tian took a step forward inside the array. In merely a few moments, he had arrived at the edge of the formation.
"How can he be so fast?!"
Outside the array, the blue-robed Daoist stared in disbelief, his spiritual power surging and his beard and hair fluttering. "In just a few blinks of an eye, he is already about to leave the array?!"
The apricot-robed Daoist was equally astonished. "Could it be that he never fell into an illusion? No, impossible. This array was personally laid down by our master. Even great cultivators of the Yin Spirit or Yang Spirit realms would be ensnared. He is clearly just a mortal; even if he knows a trick or two from the mortal world, there is no way he could remain unaffected by the illusions."
"Could it be because he is a child, and thus devoid of desire?" the blue-robed Daoist mused, then shook his head, rejecting his own theory. "Where would anyone get such complete lack of desire? From the moment mortals are born, desires arise. Once they come to understand the world, they yearn for fine food, fine wine, beautiful companions—desires never diminish."
The apricot-robed Daoist clicked his tongue in wonder. "Perhaps he possesses an innocent, pristine heart, a Daoist mind lucid and unobstructed, and thus cannot be swayed by illusions."
The blue-robed Daoist froze for a moment, finding some sense in that, before suddenly recalling something. "If he emerges within two quarters of an hour, he can become Master's indoor disciple!"
Upon hearing this, the apricot-robed Daoist hurriedly looked toward Huang Tian inside the array, only to see that the boy had already stepped one foot out of the boundary. The next moment, his second foot crossed as well!
The instant he emerged, the clear, resonant chime of a jade chime stone rang out in the void, echoing far and wide, lingering in the air and startling the birds across the mountains into flight.
Outside the grand array, Huang Tian opened his eyes, clear and bright. He cast a calm glance back at the Heart-Testing Array, utterly composed.
He was calm, but the two Daoists were far from it.
Because it had been too fast!
From the moment Huang Tian stepped into the array, he had never halted his pace—one breath, one stride, as if taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard. In the turn of a hand, he had walked out of the Heart-Testing Array that still struck lingering dread into their hearts.
More importantly, Huang Tian had emerged within two quarters of an hour, which meant Xuandong Mountain would welcome another indoor disciple!
The two Daoists exchanged a look, then hurriedly strode up to Huang Tian. Bowing respectfully to the child who barely reached their waists, they greeted, "Liu Yuanzhao and Fang Tuxin greet Senior Brother!"
Even though Huang Tian did not possess a shred of cultivation at present, the two of them, as nominal disciples, still had to address an indoor disciple as Senior Brother—unless they stepped into the Yin Spirit realm and gained Master Yuyang's approval, only then becoming indoor disciples themselves.
In truth, most of Master Yuyang's dozen or so indoor disciples had transitioned from being nominal disciples; those who became indoor disciples directly, like Huang Tian, numbered a mere three or four.
After courteously exchanging greetings with them, Huang Tian's expression stirred as he looked toward the horizon. Liu Yuanzhao and Fang Tuxin likewise looked up, only to see over twenty Daoists flying in the sky from behind the layered mountains. Some rode the wind, some trod upon clouds and mist, and some flew upon flying shuttles—evidently all drawn by the sound of the jade chime, having taken to the air to investigate.
"Is that person who looks like a child the one who triggered the chime?"
"He doesn't just look like a child—he is a young boy!"
"Extraordinary, truly extraordinary!"
"Child or not, when you meet him, don't forget to address him as Senior Brother."
"Ah—"
Whoosh~
In a flash, the foremost of the Daoists crossed the expanse of sky like a streak of light and landed before the three of them, revealing the figure of an ordinary-looking young man.
"Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother!" Liu Yuanzhao and Fang Tuxin hurriedly bowed with utmost respect, and Huang Tian followed suit.
The newcomer was none other than the eldest senior disciple of Xuandong Mountain, Chen Guangsu.
Chen Guangsu gave a slight nod in response, then shifted his gaze to Huang Tian, his eyes betraying surprise.
"Well... I never expected our soon-to-be-admitted junior brother would be such a jade-like child!"
With a gentle smile, he spoke: "Having passed the Heart-Testing Array within two quarters of an hour, from this day forth, Junior Brother, you are an indoor disciple of our master. May I ask your name, and where your home lies?"
"Huang Tian, a native of Fenghua Commandery..."
After Huang Tian gave a brief summary of his circumstances, Chen Guangsu nodded with a smile. "Junior Brother Huang, come with me into the mountains."
Hearing this, Huang Tian glanced back at the white deer not far away. The white deer gave a soft, gentle cry.
Chen Guangsu chuckled at the sight. "Did that deer come along with you, Junior Brother? If so, let it enter the mountain as well."
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Huang Tian expressed his thanks and beckoned with his hand. The white deer gave a delighted cry and bounded over with brisk steps.
"Off we go!"
Chen Guangsu flicked his sleeve, and a swath of rosy clouds rose from the ground, lifting the two people and the deer into the air toward the layered mountains beyond. The twenty-odd Daoists in the sky followed behind, returning into the depths of the mountain.
Watching Huang Tian and the others depart, Liu Yuanzhao and Fang Tuxin, left behind to tend the grand array, exchanged a look, both struck by how marvelous the world was. Just moments ago, they had been betting on whether Huang Tian could pass the array within a day, never expecting him to walk out in an instant. Now, neither had won or lost.
Liu Yuanzhao said with an amused chuckle, "It seems you won't be able to give that welcoming gift to our new junior brother after all." If it was to be given at all, it would be presented to a new senior brother.
Fang Tuxin smiled as well. "I didn't foresee this either... Still, a gift must be sent. A single golden snow fish lacks weight; I happen to possess a bright sparrow fish. Its spiritual qi is gentle and abundant, an upper grade among precious fish—just right for a present."
An indoor disciple appearing after so many years was someone Fang Tuxin could not fail to congratulate with a gift. Liu Yuanzhao thought the same, already pondering what sort of gift he should bring to his door.
As for the people remaining inside the Heart-Testing Array, the two Daoists no longer paid them much mind. After all, it was virtually impossible for any of them to pass the array; once the day was through, they would simply send them all away.
Seeking immortality?
Immortality was truly hard to seek!
Chapter 186