The Shining Star Above The Heaven

From inside the cauldrons, red smoke spread toward the participants and quickly filled the entire area within the barrier. All of the participants inside had already closed their eyes to prepare themselves instantly inhaled the smoke.

The spectators who watched did not know what kind of illusion each participant would face, so they could not understand the true difficulties of this challenge. Still, they believed that considering the quality and difficulty of the previous phase, this one would also be difficult, if not even more so.

For cultivators, it was easy to forget that besides training their bodies, they also had to train their minds and mentality. Stories often told of cultivators with incredible strength, but behind that physical strength there was not always a strong mind or the mental fortitude to withstand an intangible attack.

A cultivator's great physical power was not always matched by mental strength. To train their mentality and minds, cultivators had many methods. For example, they could gain real battle experience, face true life-and-death situations, or endure hardships in life, all of which could ultimately shape their minds and strengthen their mentality.

In the end, mentality emphasized the experience of the cultivators Of course, cultivation also had a direct effect on the strength of the mind and mentality, because the stronger the cultivation, the more naturally their minds and mental strength would grow. However, the more experience they gained, the stronger their mentality became compared to others with the same cultivation.

For this beginner stage, they naturally would not yet have strong mentality, but still, as cultivators, they possessed a degree of endurance. And because Orlav had said that the staff had already measured the proper dose for the beginner stage, they trusted in that. If the illusion were too strong, there would be no way for this group of beginners to pass this phase.

As the spectators continued to watch, after more than fifteen seconds suddenly—

"UWAAH!" a participant shouted as he stood up from his meditation posture. A staff instantly brought him outside while he was still effected by the illusion he had just experienced. The moment he was removed from the affected area, everyone could see his red eyes as he looked around erratically.

Fear and panic were clear on his face, with sweat dripping from his forehead. His breathing was uneven, as if he had just run as fast as he could. Finally, he realized where he was and let out a sigh. He understood that he had already been eliminated in the second phase.

A moment later, another participant shouted in panic and was also instantly brought out. Then another followed, and another after that, the numbers kept increasing. In less than two minutes, almost a thousand had been eliminated. This left the spectators astonished. At this rate, the phase might end with only a few hundred participants or even less.

Orlav, who was observing the competition, suddenly turned to one of the participants. The participant's aura fluctuated and turned crimson. Without hesitation, Orlav covered him with his energy and forced him outside. The man's body collapsed to the floor, and one of the staff slapped his face, jolting him awake.

"UWAH! Ugh!" he shouted as he instantly looked around at his surroundings. His eyes were much redder than those of the others who had already woken, and the staff continued to help him realize where he was and who he was, lightly slapping him repeatedly. After he finally seemed to regain awareness, a staff immediately gave him treatment with a tranquilizer pill.

"You almost let your inner demon devour you and turn you into a fiend. Calm yourself. Take a deep breath and remember that what you just saw was only an illusion. Do not dwell on it," the staff said, causing the participant to tremble.

A fiend was the term for a cultivator consumed by their inner demon. An inner demon could take many forms, but all of them stemmed from some kind of trauma or terrible experience. If a cultivator's consciousness was overtaken by their inner demon, they would change into a crazed, mindless being with only killing in their thoughts.

They would slaughter anyone without hesitation, regardless of age or gender, truly turning into a mindless killing machine.

For those completely consumed by their inner demon, there was little to no hope of returning to normal. There were stories from the past of a few who had managed to regain themselves after being consumed, but such cases were so rare throughout history and many believed that only a miracle from the heavens could bring them back.

That was why, for most who were overtaken by their inner demon, the only solution was to kill them. Not only was it the simplest way to resolve the problem, but it was also regarded as the most honorable choice, for the consumed to be killed quickly rather than forced to continue living as a mindless killing machine.

After hearing that he had almost been consumed by his own inner demon, the participant felt his heart tremble. He took a deep breath and sighed, truly thankful to the staff for waking him up. Just imagining himself turning into a fiend already terrified him.

The competition continued until the three minutes finally passed. At that moment, the staff closed the lids and then—

CLAP!

Orlav suddenly clapped his hands, and that single clap was enough to wake all of the participants still trapped within the illusion. They jolted and looked around, still disoriented. A slight headache lingered, but they quickly realized where they were.

The barrier had already been lowered, and the red smoke was dispersed by the combined efforts of the staff, who used wind laws and fire laws to burn it away. Orlav smiled at those who remained inside the area, their number now reduced to only one hundred and eight participants of the beginner stage.

From almost three thousand participants down to only one hundred and eight! This phase had truly filtered out the best of the best, and the spectators could not wait for the next stage, eager to see if something even more interesting would happen.

After the beginner stage was completed, the next stage soon followed, beginning with a stronger dose of pills being burned. As the competition started, many participants failed, and as time passed, the number of failures kept increasing.

From among them, one participant suddenly released a blaring aura, which immediately drew Orlav's attention. He nodded to himself.

'She is fighting her illusion with true bravery and firm resolve,' he thought. 'From her robe, she belongs to one of the three great sects of the demon territory, the Thorny Flower Garden.'

Her actions clearly displayed a strong mentality as she confronted her fear, something not easily done within an illusion. Such a feat required immense resolve and bravery, qualities not all cultivators possessed. As she fought against her illusion, her body unconsciously reacted, which was why her aura flared so intensely even though her consciousness was no longer fully present.

When the three minutes finally ended, the results were not far from the beginner stage. Only one hundred and one participants remained to continue.

Then came the next category, and when it ended, the number of survivors decreased even further. Although some tried to resist with the strength of their cultivation, the number who passed was even lower than a hundred participants.

Then the competition continued, and as time passed, it was finally time for the earl stage. Zander, who had already prepared himself, still felt slightly nervous. Since earlier, he had watched the effects of the illusion on the participants. Many more had been eliminated, and he could not help but think about the illusion itself. What kind of illusion would appear within his mind? What kind of terrifying thing would he face?

He took a deep breath to calm his mind and relax his body before settling into a meditation posture.

"Alright, ready?! Then the competition begins!" After Orlav's announcement, the staff did the same as before, burning the pills and stepping back.

The red smoke began to spread, and Zander, who had already closed his eyes, caught a faint trace of the scent in the air. The smell was oddly sweet and relaxing, but he was stunned when his eyes suddenly opened on their own, and he found himself standing in the middle of darkness.

He looked around, but only endless blackness surrounded him. The spot beneath his feet was the only place faintly lit. Realizing he could move, he decided to walk forward.

But then he suddenly felt someone observing him, which made him glance around again. There was nothing in sight, so he tried looking upward. As his gaze lifted, he finally saw it. His eyes froze, his body trembled, and his heart turned cold. Cold sweat quickly dripped down his forehead.

Above him, amidst the darkness, was a giant eye. A colossal eye that had once brought terror to the entire continent. The eye that had caused many deaths and destruction. An eye whose power was far beyond anything he could hope to withstand.

Zander, who had prepared himself so carefully, suddenly forgot everything about the illusion. His first instinct was to escape. This place was dangerous—he had to run away!

Then he heard a whisper, slithering into his ears like the voice of a devil.

"Yes… you should escape. There is nothing you can do here. Just run… run, and your life will be spared."

At first, the whisper was a single voice, but soon more joined in. The voices overlapped, multiplying until it felt as though countless whispers were speaking to him at once.

'I… I have to escape from here! I have to escape! If I stay, I will die!' he thought as he stepped backward.

One step, two steps, his pace grew faster and faster.