Chapter 10

The fifteen-minute break passed quickly. Lin Tian temporarily entrusted Lin Xi to an elderly person he was relatively familiar with in the city, then joined the other examinees, who were led by the examiner to the testing site for the second round of the examination.

The second round of the examination tested the state of mind!

The path of martial arts is fraught with difficulties. Talent is important, but the state of mind is equally important. If one only has strong talent but lacks a resilient will, their future achievements in martial arts will be uncertain, and they might even fall behind those with less talent.

One must know that there are many temptations in the world: power, wealth, and beauty. For martial artists, these things can be fatal. If one's will is not strong, they are likely to be lost in these temptations, losing the motivation to move forward.

Therefore, talent is just a prerequisite.

Without a resilient martial heart, even the strongest talent is useless.

The place where the Nine Yang Martial Hall tested the state of mind was in a spacious courtyard behind the hall. In the center of the courtyard was a large formation, which was inscribed by a Sea of Knowledge realm expert. It was an illusionary formation specifically used to test the state of mind of martial artists.

Lin Tian followed the other examinees to the courtyard behind the martial hall.

Mo Sen and Xiao Yun were also in the crowd, their faces extremely gloomy, staring at Jiang Xiaofan's back like venomous snakes.

"Senior Mo, you're back."

Ahead, the examiner in charge of the second round of the examination stopped.

A middle-aged man, around forty-seven years old, walked from that direction, his aura very steady.

Seeing this middle-aged man, Mo Sen's face lit up, and he approached him.

"Uncle."

Approaching the middle-aged man, Mo Sen called out.

The middle-aged man nodded at him, casually glanced at the examinees, and then looked at the examiner in front: "I heard there's a martial artist with a nine-star talent. Who is it?"

The examiner was about to answer but was preempted by Mo Sen.

"It's him, that wild boy from the Lin family."

Mo Sen pointed at Lin Tian.

The middle-aged man was named Mo Yi, a member of the Mo family in Fengjian City and one of the elders of the Nine Yang Martial Hall. Hearing Mo Sen's words, he looked at Lin Tian, his eyes very cold.

After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the examiner in front.

"Take them to the testing site and inform them of the rules beforehand."

After giving the instructions, he led the way to the courtyard.

During the second round of the examination, the elders of the Nine Yang Martial Hall occasionally appeared in person. This time, his nephew Mo Sen was participating in the martial hall examination and had a five-star talent, so he naturally wanted to see it.

"Hmph!"

Mo Sen sneered, glanced at Lin Tian, and followed Mo Yi to the courtyard.

Lin Tian's expression was calm, and he was extremely dismissive of Mo Sen's actions. He followed the crowd and, led by the examiner, soon arrived at the location of the second round of the examination.

"Everyone, go in. Soon, you will be immersed in a vast illusion. The content of the illusion is the second round of the examination. This round has three stages, with a time limit of two hours. The earlier you exit, the stronger your state of mind. Those who do not exit within two hours will be disqualified and eliminated."

The examiner said.

As he spoke, the examinees entered the large formation one after another.

"Activate the formation!"

Seeing that all the examinees had entered the formation, the examiner shouted.

Lin Tian stood in the formation. The moment he heard "activate the formation," the scene before his eyes changed dramatically. A blood-red space appeared before him, with countless fierce ghosts baring their fangs and waving their claws. Ox-heads and horse-faces strode toward him, their iron chains rattling, their axes gleaming, as if they were about to drag him into an eternal hell.

Lin Tian's expression was calm, completely unconcerned.

Having lived two lives, was he afraid of ghosts?

He stood still, and the fierce ghosts and ox-heads and horse-faces rushed toward him, passing right through his body.

First stage, passed!

"Boring."

He thought to himself.

In the next moment, the scene changed again. The sun was setting, and at the horizon, thousands of troops were galloping, shaking the earth. Thousands of iron-clad cavalry, each enveloped in a bloody aura, charged toward him.

Lin Tian stood still, his expression unchanged.

A few days ago, on the Green Mountain outside Fengjian City, he had a very realistic dream. Nine unfamiliar figures battled in front of him, tearing the sky and sinking the earth, distorting and inverting the yin and yang of the universe due to their battle.

Compared to that dream, what was this scene?

Thousands of iron-clad cavalry charged, and the sound of thousands of horses neighing rose to the sky. However, as they approached Lin Tian, the illusion could not sustain itself, and the thousands of cavalry instantly disintegrated, vanishing on the spot.

Second stage, passed!

"Last stage."

Lin Tian muttered to himself.

In the third stage, he appeared in a luxurious palace. The palace was filled with pink gauze, and the air was fragrant. Dozens of slender girls, dressed in transparent thin clothes, their skin barely visible, danced seductively, slowly approaching him.

Instantly, the palace was filled with spring, and the air was permeated with a luxurious and decadent atmosphere.

The dozens of girls laughed coquettishly, their charm captivating, like dozens of enchantresses.

"Come on!"

The alluring voices echoed, and the dozens of girls pressed against Lin Tian, their smooth skin rubbing against his body, slowly removing their clothes. In an instant, dozens of beautiful and alluring bodies were fully exposed before Lin Tian.

This was a primal temptation, enough to make any man's blood boil.

"Tch."

Lin Tian stood still, a cold smile on his lips, his eyes empty.

Having lived two lives and experienced the events with Xiao Yun after crossing over to this world, he deeply understood a truth: in this world, if you have no money, no power, and are not strong enough, beautiful women are just illusions.

Now, he had nothing, so to him, all of this was just an illusion.

In the palace, his heart was as solid as a rock, immovable as a mountain.

Now, he had only one goal: to train and become stronger!

On a white marble platform in the courtyard, Mo Yi stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the formation. Beside him were two other people, also elders of the Nine Yang Martial Hall. One was named Mu Qing, and the other was named Shi Dong.

"This time, there are many with outstanding talent. Tell me, who do you think will be the first to exit the illusion in the second round of the examination?"

Mu Qing said.

This person looked at the formation ahead, his eyes fixed on Lin Tian.

The elder in charge of the first round of the examination had already informed Mu Qing and the other elders of the results of the talent test. For a nine-star talent, Mu Qing naturally had high expectations.

"It's hard to say. Will and talent have no relation. Some martial artists have extremely high talent but very fragile will. Others have very low talent, even no talent for martial arts, but their will is extremely strong."

Shi Dong shook his head.

"Mo Yi, what do you think?"

"Same."

Shi Dong smiled: "However, regardless of how excellent the talent of this year's examinees is, in terms of will, no one can surpass Mo Ji. That child is the strongest-willed martial artist I have ever seen."

"That's true. That guy's martial heart is truly terrifying, as if he was born for martial arts."

Mu Qing agreed.

Mo Ji is Mo Yi's nephew. Hearing the two speak, Mo Yi couldn't help but smile.

"Mo Sen, influenced by his older brother, should not have a weak will. I think the first person to exit the illusion will likely be Mo Sen."

Mo Yi said.

Shi Dong nodded: "That's very possible."

"Speaking of which, how long did Mo Ji take? It was about fifteen minutes, right?"

"Right, fifteen minutes. It has only been half an hour so far, so we can still take a short rest."

The three chatted and laughed.

However, in the next moment, their expressions froze.

Ahead, in the formation, Lin Tian suddenly opened his eyes.

"What's happening?"

"Could it be..."

The three changed their expressions simultaneously.

In the formation, Lin Tian calmly glanced at the other examinees in the formation and, under the wide-eyed gaze of the examiner, calmly walked out of the formation.

"This..."

Looking at Lin Tian walking to the side, the examiner in charge of the second round of the examination almost turned to stone.

Half an hour, and he exited the illusion!