Chapter 4: Obtaining the Reward

Before Zhao Xing could react, he found himself unknowingly entering the illusionary realm.

"Master..."

The beauty in the bathtub drew close, making him forget everything. His eyes were filled only with this exquisite, irresistible beauty, leaving only a wild, primal desire in control.

Only when his strength was exhausted did he, with the beauty's support, fall into a deep sleep on the bed.

When Zhao Xing awoke again, the yellow paper on his forehead was already dry and had drifted to one side.

The guiding talisman on his abdomen had been soaked through with sweat.

"Ah, what a comfortable dream..."

Zhao Xing held his head and sat up, remaining still for a long time before he came to his senses and realized what had happened.

"What? Failed?"

"!!"

However, the aftereffects of the dream still lingered, and the panel displayed several records as a reminder:

[You have entered the secret realm 'Great Dream Academy']

[You have entered the 'Heart-Testing Platform' trial.]

[Heart testing failed, no rewards obtained this time.]

Zhao Xing turned off the panel and muttered:

"It must be because this body is too young, full of energy, or perhaps the old version of the Heart-Testing Platform is too powerful... That's why I came back empty-handed from a treasure mountain."

"No matter, I will try again next time and definitely succeed!"

After consoling himself, Zhao Xing saw that it was already slightly light outside, so he quickly dressed and went out to begin his labor and cultivation for the day.

The second night.

Great Dream Academy.

"Ah, what a comfortable dream... Hmm? Failed again?"

The third night.

Great Dream Academy.

"Such powerful effects, making one involuntarily sink into it. I will definitely pass next time!"

This cycle continued for half a month, with Zhao Xing always getting stuck at the Heart-Testing Platform.

Even Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong found it strange:

"Why has Brother been looking so listless lately?"

"Could it be that he's secretly going out to play without us?"

"Ziyu, how can you think such things about Brother? He must be training day and night, which is why he looks a bit tired."

"..."

Zhao Xing felt a bit melancholic. The old version of the 'Heart-Testing Platform' was too powerful, and with a young body full of desires, he found it difficult to pass for a while.

After some reflection, Zhao Xing re-examined his inner self.

The Great Dream Academy was a precious tool for testing elites in the Da Li Dynasty. Without putting in some effort, it was truly difficult to pass the old version of the Heart-Testing Platform.

He began to devote himself entirely to cultivation, clearing all distractions every day. Apart from eating and sleeping, he focused on cultivating spells and gathering energy.

He used extreme self-discipline to strengthen his resolve, sometimes even disciplining himself during meals.

He would deliberately place a bowl of delicious food in front of him when he was very hungry but force himself to resist until the specified time before eating.

His goal was not to eliminate desires but to train his body to delay gratification.

Finally, on a certain night.

Great Dream Academy, Heart-Testing Platform.

"Master..."

The woman by the bathtub turned around,

with an extremely alluring posture, snuggling into Zhao Xing's arms.

But Zhao Xing made no move.

"Master~ Is the herbal bath prepared by your servant comfortable?" the beauty whispered in his ear, like a murmur.

Zhao Xing remained clear-headed, recalling his previous failures, and sincerely praised: "Indeed, it is comfortable."

"Why is the master so indifferent? Is there something your servant did wrong?" the beauty lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears, looking pitiful.

"I still have desires," Zhao Xing shrugged and then pushed the woman away: "But I have higher aspirations."

"I will only play with the best, and this level of desire is not the best."

The illusion shattered as the beauty looked stunned.

Next, Zhao Xing climbed ten steps in one go.

Various beauties appeared before him, trying their best to seduce him.

But Zhao Xing quickly shook them off. After the self-discipline training, he finally regained the feeling of being a 'high-level player' from his previous life, no longer influenced by his current body.

The false illusion was just a taste, not something to truly get lost in.

"Scholar Zhao Xing, successful in the Heart-Testing Platform for the Desire Level."

"Passed the first level of Heart-Testing at the initial Gathering Energy stage, with a firm Dao heart. Reward: 'Dao Embryo Pill'."

A voice sounded in his ear, and Zhao Xing saw an ancient box floating in the mist.

"Dao Embryo Pill? The first level actually rewards such a treasure?"

Zhao Xing's calm expression broke the moment he heard the reward.

He didn't even attempt the eleventh step but immediately woke up voluntarily.

Sitting up suddenly, Zhao Xing immediately looked down.

He saw that his left hand was holding the ancient box, exactly as it was in the dream.

"Dao Embryo Pill, this is the top-tier refining pill that could be obtained before the revival version! No exceptions!" Zhao Xing was overjoyed.

He had never taken this pill in his previous life; it was too expensive to make, and he couldn't afford to buy it from others, as it was too expensive!

By the time he could afford it and obtain it, he wouldn't need it anymore.

"Is this real?"

Zhao Xing was almost too excited to believe it, thinking he was still in a dream. He rubbed his eyes and only confirmed it after checking the panel records.

[You have entered the secret realm 'Great Dream Academy']

[You have entered the 'Heart-Testing Platform' trial.]

[Heart testing successful, obtained 'Dao Embryo Pill' this time.]

[Dao Embryo Pill: A precious treasure of the ancient Da Li royal family, capable of helping one transform and reshape their Dao foundation.]

"Does the Heart-Testing Platform really reward such an extravagant treasure?"

Zhao Xing quickly deduced a reason: "Is it because my realm is too low, yet I passed the tenth level of Heart-Testing, so the reward level has been significantly increased?"

The assessment in the Great Dream Academy is not entirely fixed but determined based on individual performance.

Zhao Xing's ability to pass the tenth level of Heart-Testing at the Gathering Energy stage (Da Li cultivation system) was extremely rare. This was unrelated to the time spent; even if it took 100 years to pass the second level of Gathering Energy, it would still be impressive. Therefore, the Heart-Testing Platform provided a substantial reward.

"I will take it!"

Zhao Xing eagerly opened the box and swallowed the light red pill inside in one go.

An intense heat instantly washed over his entire body, causing Zhao Xing to shudder involuntarily.

But the next second, this sensation suddenly disappeared.

The abnormality came and went quickly.

The magic of the 'Dao Embryo Pill' lies in this: apart from the initial abnormal sensation, it does not cause any discomfort to the user and does not directly enhance the realm. Instead, it gradually and subtly changes the foundation.

However, the changes brought by the Dao Embryo Pill to Zhao Xing were still significant!

This could be seen from the panel.

[Name: Zhao Xing]

[Realm: Unranked]

[Fortune: Level 2]

[Spell: Basic Cultivation (Max Level)]

[Thriving Growth: Initial Level (201/9999)]

[Flowing Clouds: Initial Level (352/9999)]

[Gathering Energy: Second Level (142/1000)]

[Transforming and Reshaping Dao Foundation: Special Status (In Progress), this status cannot be detected by those below the First Rank.]

"An additional special status, truly worthy of being the strongest refining treasure."

"Gathering Energy increased from 71 points at the first level to 142 points at the second level, doubling. There's no way around it; even a little bit of initial effect is enough to significantly boost the current stage. Fortunately, this enhancement is not too noticeable at the lower stages."

"Wait, how did my fortune level also become Level 2? I've never heard of the Dao Embryo Pill increasing fortune levels."

(End of Chapter)