With trembling eyes that threatened to close as to avert seeing the scene ahead, Yueshi watched powerlessly as Xuehua was killed mercilessly just before his eyes.
Her eyes were wide open, filled with despair, pain, and fear of the darkness that seemed to consume her mind and soul.
A bloodied sword could be seen piercing through her chest and heart, before retreating and stabbing at her lungs, and then her throat.
The image of what was once his charming elder sister became so bloodied that her figure was indistinguishable, her screams echoing across the road – her pain piercing his soul and seeming to tear it to shreds.
It was not just about Yueshi's love for her, but also about how much he cared about his relationships.
Maybe because of that, one by one he saw his friends die before his eyes in the most brutal of the ways. Time and time again, without stop…
However, Xuehua was always the one appearing the most, followed by Yuan Yue and only then the others. That also made clear the depths of his feelings.
Well, there was a figure that never appeared, though. Was it because he tried to seal his thoughts about her away? He wasn't sure, but his mother's figure was never shown.
"Shi'er, are you okay? Are your hurt anywhere?" Suddenly, a voice echoed in his ears. It was Xuehua's caring voice, however, just as he was going to answer her, a scream of pain, sorrow, and despair echoed.
Seeing her once more brutally killed before his eyes, he could feel his heart aching so much that he felt it would be split apart.
His breath was erratic as he found it hard to breathe properly However, there was still a sliver of determination in his eyes as he continued to walk.
Soon, instead of a single figure, there were tens of them. Some reflected his friends from the association, others Yuan Yue, but almost seventy percent of them were Xuehua's.
--- - -
The Heavenly World had all sorts of items and, through the use of mystical arrays, such items could be given a lot of different functions.
Currently, Protector Mo was looking with great focus at an orb the size of a human head, so focused on it that she seemed to have completely forgotten the world around her.
Inside the orb, all sorts of images were passing by and reflecting in her eyes.
Those images were the trials that each of the one hundred disciples were facing as they walked the road toward the inner court – the path that mirrored one's heart, showing everyone their greatest fears and nightmares.
Suddenly, Protector Mo took her eyes always from the orb and looked behind her.
She was not sure of when, but an elder garbed in a gray robe had appeared not too far away and was making his way toward her with slow steps.
"Great Elder." Cupping her fists, she greeted him with the smallest hint of a smile on her lips. Seeing the old man nodding in greeting, she turned back toward the orb.
The old man could only shake his head from side to side at her antics, not knowing if he should laugh or cry.
Usually, people were so respectful toward him, flattening him and all that, yet, this young lady cared more about the examination than him.
Had he been someone arrogant or conceited, or had she not been her martial nephew's disciple, her actions could have landed her into trouble. Still, he liked such personality, so he said nothing and merely stepped forward, appearing by her side instantly.
Then, instead of disturbing her once more, he looked toward the orb with interest.
'Let's see what they are facing.' Muttering so to himself, the old man searched for the ones he was interested in – the proud little geniuses that led to this earlier than expected examination.
It did not take him long to find them.
The first to catch his attention was the leader of the bunch – Yueshi. The young man had made his existence know even in the inner court, and a lot of elders were interested in taking him as a disciple.
However, seeing the way the young man was acting, he shook his head from side to side and sighed. Still, there was a sliver of appreciation in his eyes as he watched him.
Time continued to pass.
Eventually, the Great Elder sighed once more while watching Yueshi.
People that placed great importance in their relationships and cared heavily for affection and love were the ones that suffered the most in this trial. Such people had the greatest amount of holes in their hearts that could be dug at.
Obviously, if one's will was strong enough, no illusion like this would work. However, with the array working at almost full force, even if the will of the young disciples was thousands of times stronger, it would be of no use.
Then, his eyes changed to another person's trial. This one was struggling as much as Yueshi, maybe even more than him, as she made her way forward.
"This pair of brother and sister… ah…" A sigh filled with tenderness escaped his lips.
Seeing the two struggling and suffering so much because of illusory images of each other was enough to make even his old heart touched.
Obviously, those two were not the only ones that impressed him. He was someone who cared a lot, just like them, about affection and relationships - so all those that struggled while walking down this path received his appreciation.
Like Yuan Yue, whose eyes had long moistened and shed tears seeing those she cared about suffering and being killed. Amongst the images appearing to her, Yueshi's image was also the most frequent.
There was also Ling Tian Tian. This lady who looked immensely cold when looking from the outside had quite a soft heart, in truth.
The friends she made in the Soaring Dragon Association all appeared before her eyes, only to be cruelly killed without her being able to do anything.
Despite that, they all continued to walk forward, driven by their strong wills.
Some of them were so drunk into the illusions they could not distinguish what was real and unreal anymore; nonetheless, they marched forward without stopping, while setting firm resolve in their hearts to get stronger and get revenge – even if they had to slaughter the entire world.
While such strong will was commendable, it was also a knife with two sides.
'I must take care of them well, and teach them a few things…' The Great Elder decided inside of his heart.
The last thing he wanted to see was one of those younglings going wild and astray in the future because they lost someone dear.
To the side, Protector Mo was shaking a bit and seemed to think something similar. He felt it was good that he came here, or chances were she would end the trial mid-way out of the softness of her heart.
Fortunately, the trial was going to end soon and with their strong willpower, those youngsters would have no problem recovering.
If they were the sort to acquire a trauma or mental scar because of this trial, then they would not be eligible to participate in the examination, after all.
--- - -
Suddenly, Yueshi stopped in place. He was not sure of why, but he felt as if he needed to do so. He did not look around nor did he turn back, the illusions also stopped appearing for a while, finally giving him a moment of respite.
However, that did not last for long.
Just as he was trying to calm down his heart and alleviate the pain that afflicted his constricted chest, he heard a small whisper.
His body immediately shuddered as the weak, but pleasant, voice reached his ears. He immediately felt the urge to turn toward the place where the voice came from, however, he hesitated.
To never look back… wasn't that the road he chose?
"Son, look at me." However, the extremely familiar voice continued to tempt him.
The voice of the one he cared the most about, the one that had raised him despite all the hardships and difficulties...
Even if he loved Xuehua, even if he liked Yuan Yue, the affection he had for them could not surpass the one he had for his mother.
Obviously, they were two different types of affection. Nonetheless, in his heart, she took the most important spot. Maybe that could and would change over the years, but not now.
"Shi'er", this time, the voice that echoed was pleasant, gentle, and belonged to his dear sister.
"Yueshi." Then, a mischievous and playful tone rang from behind him, it was Yuan Yue.
Then more and more people called him – "boss", "brother Yueshi", "big brother"… they continued to tempt him to turn toward them.
His eroded will wanted to give in and turn back. He could hear their whispers and soft words, and he felt as if he would be able to find peace once he turned back.
Just like that, he was faced with a choice – ignore the road ahead and look back, or continue ahead and ignore all those he loved and cared about.
He hesitated.
There was still a sliver of rationality inside of his mind, telling him this was merely an illusion, a trap. Yet, it was just too hard to just ignore their whispers, their pleas, and their existence.
What was right, and what was wrong, he wondered.
Following the path ahead would lead him to great heights, but he could feel that turning back would result in failure.
If he wanted to achieve something, if he wanted to acquire power, then he could not look back and needed to continue walking this road.
Suddenly, the voices coming from behind him overlapped.
The soft voice of his mother, the gentle voice of his sister, the playful voice of his girlfriend… they rang in his ears like a drum, throwing his mind in disarray as they made every memory he had about them resurface.
One minute ticked by after the other while he stood rooted in place.
Abruptly, however, he smiled. His eyes were closed as he focused on the memories passing through his mind, and each of them filled his heart with warmth.
'Why did I even hesitate so much?' He asked himself with a hint of disappointment.
The answer had been clear from the start, yet he had struggled so much to reach it… that aside, it was time to make his choice.
Move onward, or look back? What would it be?
A moment later, Yueshi turned toward the back, gazing at the images of his family, his lover, his friends. They all stood there watching him with calm eyes and, seeing him turn toward them with a smile, they answered him with another.
Those were all the people he cared about, all those he held dear.
When he decided to walk the path toward the apex of existence it was mainly because he wanted to protect Xuehua, and go see his mother once again – living a happy life from thereon after.
However, today, he decided to turn back; not because his will was weak or because he lacked determination, but because he understood his own path better now.
People that placed great importance in their relationships and cared heavily for affection and love were the ones that suffered the most in this trial. Such people had the greatest amount of holes in their hearts that could be dug at.
Obviously, if one's will was strong enough, no illusion like this would work. However, with the array working at almost full force, even if the will of the young disciples was thousands of times stronger, it would be of no use.
Then, his eyes changed to another person's trial. This one was struggling as much as Yueshi, maybe even more than him, as she made her way forward.
"This pair of brother and sister… ah…" A sigh filled with tenderness escaped his lips.
Seeing the two struggling so much, and suffering so much because of illusory images of each other, touched his old heart.
Obviously, those two were not the only ones that impressed him. He was someone who cared a lot, just like them, about affection and relationships - so all those that struggled while walking down this path received his appreciation.
'My spear will carve a road leading me to the top, and I shall walk such a road with pride and confidence, never afraid to face the unknown and the mighty, and never giving up.' He muttered inwardly.
'But' His mind became clearer on that moment, 'I will not abandon anyone, nor shall I sacrifice anything for the sake of power.'
This was what he had learned today – that even if he continued trudging this road, it would be meaningless if he could not find peace of heart.
From here on after he would follow his heart and stay true to it, only that way would he be able to continue walking the road he planned to travel, without ever breaking down.
Having reached such a conclusion, his mind calmed down and his heart became peaceful once more. With a smile, he watched the familiar figures as they slowly disappeared while turning into mist.