Han Xuanji picked up his teacup, took a light sip, slightly closed his eyes, and sank his mind into another space.
"Claim reward."
He whispered in his heart.
In an instant, an invisible force surged from the Void Realm, silently sinking into the point between his eyebrows. It wasn't an impact of massive information, nor a forced memory Fusion, but a deeper kind of Awakening.
It was as if something in the deepest part of his Soul was gently touched, and then slowly unfurled.
Han Xuanji's consciousness left his physical shell in an instant, falling into a boundless Void Realm. He saw countless versions of himself. There was the self struggling to survive in Chaos, the self dominating the Lower Realm, the self who was unknown when first entering the Eternal Continent, the self mocked by countless people, and the self in the spotlight when ascending the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder...
Every version of himself was experiencing a different life, facing different choices.
Some chose to retreat, some chose to endure, some chose to rise up, and some chose silence. Countless life fragments flashed past his eyes like a rushing river, while he stood in the middle of the river, quietly watching it all.
These were not illusions.
But the possibilities condensed from nothingness by this Trait.
These were the countless life paths that Han Xuanji could have taken, all presented before him now. He saw a version of himself who chose to give up cultivation and grow old in a small city. He saw a self who indulged in pleasure and sank into a life of debauchery.
He saw a self who was eager for quick success and suffered Qi Deviation.
Every "possibility" was so real; this was cultivation—if one's will was not firm, they would lose themselves, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood.
Han Xuanji stood still, his mind like still water, watching those versions of himself with a calm gaze, after which the scenes dissipated one by one.
Those illusory lives were like mirrors, reflecting all the desires, fears, obsessions, and weaknesses deep within his heart.
He saw them, yet remained unmoved.
Like a bystander, he was scrutinizing his own Soul.
At this moment, his Realm of Mental Will silently crossed the chasm between Eternal Dao Lord and Eternal True Lord, and continued to climb at a steady pace.
Early Stage Eternal True Lord.
Middle Stage Eternal True Lord.
His Mental Will continued to improve.
...
In Han Xuanji's perception, a long time seemed to have passed.
He suddenly understood one thing.
The cultivation of Mental Will is not about fighting something, but about accepting something. Accepting one's desires without being driven by them; accepting one's fears without being controlled by them.
This is "Mind without Hindrance."
Not a mind like dead water, but a mind like a bright mirror.
All things come and go, leaving no trace.
Boom—
A silent roar exploded in the depths of his consciousness.
Han Xuanji felt his Mental Will like a seedling breaking through the soil, growing frantically in that instant, rising from the ground and soaring into the clouds.
Finally, an invisible barrier appeared before him.
It was the chasm leading to the Mental Realm of an Eternal True God, as thick as eternal ice, which countless Cultivators could not shake even slightly in their entire lives.
Han Xuanji's will crashed into it.
No retreat, no hesitation, like a sharp sword tempered for billions of years, it pierced straight into that barrier.
A crack appeared on the barrier.
The crack spread like a spider web, radiating from the center to the surroundings.
At this moment, his Mental Will completely stepped into a new Realm.
And this moment.
To the people in the pavilion, it was only a dozen or so breaths of time. By now, Baili Qianchi had already led a woman inside.
The woman wore a moon-white dress, her face cold as frost, with a zither-shaped mark on her forehead, and a faint dao-rhythm lingering around her.
She held an ancient seven-stringed zither, its body entirely black except for a speck of vermilion at the tail, like a drop of divine blood.
The newcomer was the chief musician of the Qianmeng Pavilion and the Personal Disciple of the Shallow Dream Pavilion Master—Qin Xin. She had a Peak Eternal True Lord cultivation, only a step away from being an Eternal True God.
Baili Qianchi had paid a significant price to invite her, and his purpose was self-evident.
Using the Heart-Refining Zither Sound with a Peak Eternal True Lord cultivation was no different from a dimensional strike against Cultivators of the Eternal Dao Lord level.
As for Baili Qianchi, although he was also an Eternal Dao Lord, he primarily cultivated the Way of the Heart Arrow, emphasizing the unity of mind and spirit and a clear mind.
He had once walked alone in the depths of the Eternal Continent's wilds for three thousand years, and his Mental Will had long been polished to be comparable to the Middle Stage of an Eternal True Lord.
This was the source of his confidence.
Han Xuanji?
Baili Qianchi didn't believe he could last long.
So what if his talent was high? So what if his cultivation speed was fast?
There are no shortcuts to tempering one's Mental Will; it requires taking it one step at a time, slowly enduring through years and hardships.
This kid is an S-rank Talent of the Hun Family at such a young age, having stepped across the ladder and made a name for himself as soon as he appeared, with everything going smoothly—how deep could his state of mind be?
"Brother Han, this is Lady Qin Xin."
"She is the most formidable Advanced musician in the Qianmeng Pavilion. How about she plays a piece for each of us for a fair competition?"
"Sure."
Han Xuanji nodded slightly.
Others didn't know, but he was well aware of his own changes.
In a short period, his Mental Will had gone from the Peak of an Eternal Dao Lord directly to the level of an Eternal True God.
If his previous Mental Will was compared to a piece of ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, indestructible and unmoved by external things, then now, this ice had not turned into water but had directly sublimated into light.
Formless and intangible, yet omnipresent, gentle yet sharp, calm yet insightful.
Undestroyed even after ten thousand tribulations.
This so-called immortality didn't mean his mind could withstand all attacks without being pierced, but that even if it were pierced, crushed, or ground into dust, he could Rebirth, having crossed the waves of tribulation without regret.
What was immortal was not the form, but the essence.
Like a drop of water falling into the sea, it seemingly disappears but actually returns to the Origin, ready to take shape again at any time.
Seeing Han Xuanji's expressionless face, Baili Qianchi sneered inwardly.
Keep pretending!
The calmer you are now, the more face you'll lose later.
In a competition of Mental Will, once you lose, you'll surely make a fool of yourself...
Baili Qianchi already seemed to see Han Xuanji's defeated appearance, only hoping that this Prodigy of the Way of Laws wouldn't sink into despair because of this.
That would be a bit too boring.
Qin Xin didn't know what grudge was between the two; her gaze swept over them indifferently, pausing for a moment on Han Xuanji's face before moving away.
She had seen too many geniuses; Han Xuanji might be a rare Prodigy of the Way of Laws seen once in a billion years, but he might not necessarily withstand her zither music.
"I should still warn this kid..."
Qin Xin had already learned of Han Xuanji's identity and didn't want to offend the Hun Family because of this.