The water mirror quietly displayed the scenes on Wénxiān Platform. After about a quarter of an hour, Meng Shuying finally broke free from the illusion.
Her forehead was slick with sweat, and her chest heaved as she caught her breath.
Grasping the white jade at her waist, she stood still to rest for a long while before taking another step forward, descending to the next stair.
"To have ascended ninety-three steps, this person's resolve is indeed firm," Nie Wentian, sitting upright in his chair, suddenly remarked in praise.
"She's quite good. I just wonder if she can make it to the very end," Min Lanmeng said, half-concealing her face with a fan, her seductive eyes peering out.
She cast a quick glance at Zhan Xuehan and then coyly added, "If I'm not mistaken, this disciple is from Yanmo Peak, isn't she?"
Zhan Xuehan looked back at her and replied indifferently, "She is a servant disciple, temporarily staying at Yanmo Peak for some reason. I'm curious, though, why is Senior Sister, the head of Qionghua Peak, so concerned about matters of Yanmo Peak?"
Min Lanmeng swayed her fan, releasing a fragrant breeze that caused the ornaments in her hair to jingle.
With a soft laugh, she explained, "I only wanted to kindly remind you, so the Sect Leader wouldn't be deceived by a disciple. But if you don't appreciate it, there's no need to be so harsh with me. Surely, I have no ulterior motives?"
As she spoke, her tone turned slightly aggrieved, and she frequently shot suggestive glances at Nie Wentian.
Sure enough, Nie Wentian frowned and turned to Zhan Xuehan, saying, "Lanmeng meant well; don't be too harsh on her."
Zhan Xuehan casually raised her hand to adjust her wide sleeve, responding nonchalantly, "If you say so."
…
Starting from the ninety-third step, every subsequent illusion involved Su Luowei.
There was Su Luowei teaching her to read, guiding her to play the qin.
There was Su Luowei sitting gracefully on a couch, smiling gently.
But the most extreme illusion occurred when Meng Shuying entered it, only to find herself in disarray, entangled with a 'Su Luowei.'
Her face darkened immediately, and she prepared to leave.
But the 'Su Luowei' wouldn't let her go.
She lay at the edge of the bed, her robe slipping off, revealing smooth, fair skin.
Her head tilted slightly, her cheeks flushed with a soft pink hue, like a flower awaiting the arrival of a storm.
The air was tinged with a faint, mysterious fragrance.
The 'Su Luowei' tightly gripped Meng Shuying's sleeve, her voice soft and plaintive.
"Junior Sister, why are you so heartless? You know I have feelings for you, yet you still intend to leave me."
Seeing her Senior Sister in such a state, Meng Shuying, as if bewitched, didn't immediately walk away. Instead, she allowed herself to be gently pulled back into a seated position.
As soon as she sat down, the 'Su Luowei' leaned in closer, her jade-like arms wrapping around Meng Shuying's neck.
Her cherry lips hovered by Meng Shuying's ear, lightly inhaling and exhaling.
Meng Shuying's mind grew chaotic, knowing full well that this was just an illusion and not her real Senior Sister, yet she was reluctant to let go.
As she struggled internally, she suddenly heard a soft voice say, "Junior Sister, what is it you have at your waist? It's digging into me, making me uncomfortable."
The 'Su Luowei' reached out to tug at the white jade pendant on her waist.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her.
Meng Shuying snapped out of it in an instant.
She pushed the 'Su Luowei' away and swiftly grabbed the surrounding bed curtains, binding the illusion tightly.
"You are not Senior Sister," she said coldly, a hint of disdain in her expression.
"And there's nothing between Senior Sister and me like what you imagine."
Then she sat cross-legged and began to chant the Clear Heart Mantra.
"Clear as water, water as clear as the heart.
The breeze stirs not, the waves remain calm."
…
After reciting the Clear Heart Mantra several times, she opened her eyes again and found herself back on Wénxiān Platform.
By this point, she had ascended to the ninety-eighth step.
Only one more step remained.
Meng Shuying took a deep breath, advanced a few steps, and placed one foot on the ninety-ninth step.
The scene around her suddenly changed.
Wénxiān Platform, Qingxu Peak, the sun and moon of Qingxu Mountain, the flowers and trees—all vanished.
She stood on the edge of a cliff, with a blood-red moon before her and a bottomless abyss behind her.
Meng Shuying frowned slightly, assuming a defensive posture as she quietly observed her surroundings.
"I never expected you to make it this far."
A voice, sometimes near, sometimes far, drifted over, as if someone were whispering in her ear.
Meng Shuying straightened her back, her gaze wary as she stared ahead.
In the void before her, a mist suddenly began to gather and coalesce, eventually forming into a person.
The figure wore an inner robe of flowing moon-white silk and an outer robe embroidered with dark clouds and winding patterns. A gold-threaded white jade hairpin adorned her head.
Meng Shuying looked carefully at her face, and as expected, it was another 'Su Luowei.'
Seeing the guarded look in her eyes, the 'Su Luowei' smiled gently.
"There's no need to be so tense," she said, her voice pleasant.
"This is the final illusion. Once you break it, you'll reach the top of Wénxiān Platform, receive the blessings of the Heavens, and awaken your spiritual roots."
She spoke lightly, but Meng Shuying did not relax at all. In the previous illusions, every person—whether it was herself, her father, her sister, or even 'Su Luowei'—had moved like lifeless dolls, following predetermined actions without any vitality.
But this time, the 'Su Luowei' before her was different.
She had a spark of life.
Seeing her continued vigilance, 'Su Luowei' smiled and shook her head. With a wave of her hand, a long sword appeared in Meng Shuying's hand.
"Breaking this illusion is simple. All you need to do is take that sword and kill me."
She pointed a slender, pink-tinted finger at her own chest.
"Just plunge that sword into here, and the illusion will shatter."
Meng Shuying coldly watched her, unmoved by her words.
'Su Luowei' continued to coax, "By now, you must have realized that beyond the sixty-sixth step, Wénxiān Platform tests the heart of the Dao. Only those with firm resolve can progress further on the path of cultivation."
"But your resolve is not pure."
"Kill me, abandon the mortal world, cultivate the Way of No Emotions, and your Dao heart will be complete. Isn't that a worthwhile trade?"
"If you didn't have this face," Meng Shuying replied icily, "I wouldn't hesitate to kill you."
"Oh, really?" 'Su Luowei' lightly caressed her own face, laughing so hard that her body trembled. "But without this face, it wouldn't work. Only when you see this face do you hesitate."
Meng Shuying didn't respond. She stood still, staring at the sword in her hand for a long time.
Killing her to perfect her Dao heart.
What a joke.
What is her Dao heart? Why does she cultivate?
Did she not know?
If she were to abandon the mortal world and cultivate the Way of No Emotions, that would truly be putting the cart before the horse.
Raising her head, she looked at the familiar face before her and calmly said, "This kind of perfection isn't worth it."
She threw the sword off the cliff and turned away, leaping without hesitation.
The wind at the cliff's edge roared loudly in her ears.
'Su Luowei' was a moment too slow to catch her and could only watch as Meng Shuying jumped.
In the darkness, her robe fluttered like the wings of a butterfly.
"Love is the most harmful thing. Yet another foolish one." 'Su Luowei' shook her head and sighed.
"If you didn't want to kill me, you could have just said so. No need to be so extreme."
In Mingguang Hall, everyone's eyes were fixed on the water mirror. Su Luowei, in particular, stared unblinkingly at the figure within.
Meng Shuying placed one foot on the ninety-ninth step, but her other foot remained in place.
The crowd waited in silence. After a while, they saw Meng Shuying slowly open her eyes, withdraw her foot from the ninety-ninth step, and bend down as if in pain, covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve as she coughed violently, her body racked with pain.
After the fit passed, she wiped the corners of her mouth with her sleeve, straightened up, and began to descend the stairs.
Among the twenty-two disciples on the stairs, she was the only one walking down, drawing the attention of the others.
But Meng Shuying paid them no mind.
She stood tall, her back straight, showing no signs of frustration despite her voluntary retreat.
Only Su Luowei noticed the small patch of red slowly spreading from her tightly clenched sleeve.
In Mingguang Hall, everyone exchanged puzzled glances. Nie Wentian stroked his chin and slowly said, "It seems she couldn't break the final illusion."
Zhan Xuehan nodded. "Even so, reaching the ninety-eighth step is quite an achievement."
Min Lanmeng had already reclined back on her cushion, placing her beauty fan on her knee, and was idly fiddling with the gold-inlaid jade nail guard on her pinky.
"It is indeed remarkable," she said insincerely, blowing away the dust on the nail guard. "I suppose I should congratulate the Sect Leader on acquiring such a fine disciple."
As if struck by a thought, she let out a cold laugh. "The Sect Leader truly has an eye for talent—choosing a mere servant disciple who can outshine all others on Wénxiān Platform. In my opinion, there's no need for us to stay here any longer. There's likely no one else among the remaining twenty-one who will stand out."
She extended her finger toward the water mirror. "Especially that disciple at the end, who has been stuck on the sixty-sixth step for ages. Such a disciple, if accepted, would only waste the sect's spiritual resources."