The Dao Heart
CHAPTER 11: The Dao Heart
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After leaving the room of the second trial, Ethan found himself witnessing a peculiar scene.
Once again, he was in a room, but this time it was much larger, almost five times the size of the previous room he had been in.
This room had a strange atmosphere surrounding it, an almost mystical ambiance.
It was adorned with various murals and ornaments, and at the far end, a large statue could be seen.
The statue was over three meters tall and depicted none other than a phoenix, tall and majestic, towering over all those who stood before it.
What truly astonished Ethan was not the statue itself but the group of people who were in a meditative position in front of it.
It was a large group, consisting of at least fifty people.
It was obviously the group of disciples who had taken the entrance exam to the sect with him.
He thought this might be the third trial, but he didn't understand exactly how it would unfold.
One thing he had noticed, looking at the group, was the number of people that composed it.
"Is it just my impression, or are there people missing here?"
Indeed, the group that had passed the second trial was much larger, and seeing that some were missing, he couldn't help but wonder if they had been eliminated.
He didn't have to wait long to get the answer to this question, because the next moment, a boy in the group suddenly fell to the ground, writhing a little.
"What the hell..."
Ethan said, taken by surprise.
He wanted to run over to him to see if he was okay, but at that moment, two shadows shot out of nowhere and appeared standing next to the boy.
One shadow took him and disappeared, as if teleported.
Ethan, witnessing this scene, didn't know whether to be excited by this demonstration of skill or disconcerted by the whole situation.
The other person who had appeared didn't leave but instead remained there, turning his gaze to Ethan.
Ethan, feeling his gaze, tried to ask,
"Senior, I've just arrived here after the second trial, so I don't know what's happening here. Is this the third trial?"
He asked, getting straight to the point.
There was no need to ask what had happened to the boy before, why he had fainted.
He was certain it was part of the trial, so he thought it was better not to waste time.
For all he knew, there might be a maximum time limit to participate in the trial.
The person in front of him was a boy, perhaps a few years older than him, wearing a robe with a phoenix in a spiraling position, engraved on the left side of his chest.
Probably a disciple, Ethan thought.
The presumed disciple, hearing how Ethan had addressed him, couldn't help but have a slight smile on his face.
"This is indeed the third and final trial to enter the sect. This is the trial of the Dao Heart," he said calmly.
"The Dao Heart?"
This wasn't the first time Ethan had heard this term; indeed, in every cultivation novel he had read, the Dao Heart was mentioned.
The Dao Heart wasn't something concrete that could be touched or seen but rather something abstract.
As far as Ethan knew, the Dao Heart was the sum of the mental, emotional, and spiritual qualities that a cultivator had to develop and maintain along their path.
It was what the cultivator believed in, the values that fortified their determination to continue the arduous and often solitary path of cultivation.
The sect disciple then pointed to the group of people sitting on the ground and said:
"See, they are currently in an illusion that severely tests their Dao Heart.
The longer they persist, the better it will be for their future cultivation."
"To pass the trial, each person must persist for at least 10 minutes.
As for the maximum limit, well, there isn't one.
One can stay there for as long as they can manage.
Many of your companions who have passed the trial have stayed here for several dozen minutes, with some of them remaining for more than half an hour, and one of them coming very close to breaking the record of 64 minutes,"
he said with a bit of astonishment on his face.
Ethan realized that not everyone missing from the trial had been eliminated, which, in hindsight, was normal since it had taken almost two hours for his turn in the second trial to come.
Nodding to show he understood, Ethan asked another question:
"I see. So, to start the trial, do I have to go sit near the statue?"
"Yes, find an empty spot nearby and get into a meditative position.
You'll automatically enter the illusion.
Well, it's time for me to go. Good luck with the test,"
he said and then disappeared from sight.
Ethan, seeing it happen again, couldn't help but think,
"I wonder how long it will take me to do the same."
Finally, shaking his head to clear his mind of various thoughts, he found a spot near the group of people and got into a meditative position.
"Good, now we wait," he thought as he closed his eyes and prepared for whatever might happen to him.
At first, nothing happened, and Ethan couldn't help but think he was doing something wrong, but without realizing it, little by little, he had fallen into a dream.
He opened his eyes and was a bit disoriented by the place where he found himself.
Ethan found himself behind the counter of a small convenience store, surrounded by shelves filled with products: snacks, drinks, household items, and everyday essentials.
The fluorescent lights dimly illuminated the environment, giving the store a familiar yet surreal atmosphere.
It was the same store where he had worked for years, earning just enough to cover household and university expenses.
"Good evening, Ethan," greeted a voice coming from the entrance of the convenience store.
"I see you're doing the night shift again today."
Still a bit disoriented, Ethan nodded and said, as if he had repeated these lines many times before:
"Good evening to you too, Violet," he said, addressing the girl who had entered the store.
"Looks like you'll be having a sleepless night too. "
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FRANK-LEE-JUNIOR:
Sorry for the absence of chapters yesterday.
As you know, the commitments never end.
I should be able to publish another chapter within the day, so, see you later.