On the tree root, there seemed to be a platform.

Seeing such a scene, Zhou Yingting felt a surge of joy. If he's not mistaken, climbing up there would mean reaching the mountain's peak!

Zhou Yingting's heart leapt with joy as he climbed with renewed vigor.

A moment later, Zhou Yingting reached the tree root. He tentatively tugged at it a few times, and after finding it to be extremely sturdy, he grasped the root and painstakingly climbed upwards.

When Zhou Yingting's hand grabbed the trunk exposed above, he used his strength to move his body, and once his feet were positioned, he rolled up completely.

Turning his head, Zhou Yingting saw a small path ahead, stretching onwards until some buildings appeared in the distance.

Seeing this, Zhou Yingting revealed a hint of delight on his face.

He made it! The first stage of the task should be considered complete.

Zhou Yingting breathed a long sigh of relief, and then felt the pressure and burdens on his body begin to dissipate.

It seemed he truly completed the task.

With the prior oppressive feeling lifted, Zhou Yingting's stamina rapidly recovered.

In just a moment, most of his strength had returned.

Seeing this, Zhou Yingting was about to go over and encourage the people below, especially Song Qingyun, who was quite behind and still struggling.

Perhaps she was waiting for him to get up there and check things out.

"Congratulations, you have completed the test. Next, you will be a disciple of my Daoist Sect."

Just as Zhou Yingting was getting up, a voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Zhou Yingting paused for a moment, then quickly turned to see the Daoist who had appeared at the mountain's base earlier.

At this moment, he was already standing there, seemingly having waited for a long time.

And when his gaze fell on Zhou Yingting, it seemed to carry a hint of curiosity.

Zhou Yingting curiously looked at the other person, "So can I begin training now?"

"You can, or you could wait to see if your companions can pass the test as well," replied the Daoist very straightforwardly.

Hearing this, Zhou Yingting nodded, "Then I'll wait a while."

Saying that, Zhou Yingting approached the cliff's edge and looked down.

What he saw made him somewhat incredulous.

Song Qingyun and the others below had expressions that were extremely odd; some looked crazed and fearful, while others appeared very scared.

Some, however, wore expressions of determination.

Most importantly, they seemed to be talking to the air.

When Zhou Yingting looked down again, he saw Lin Xiao on the cliff wall.

Seeing this, Zhou Yingting was stunned.

Hadn't Lin Xiao fallen and died earlier?

Why was he appearing now?

Zhou Yingting found this odd as he pondered.

Looking down again, he noticed that the body on the ground had disappeared, as if it had never been there at all.

"Strange, didn't Lin Xiao fall to his death just now? Why is he unharmed? Or could it be... an illusion?"

In an instant, Zhou Yingting roughly guessed the situation below.

But to be sure, he waited for the Daoist's response.

The Daoist stood upright like a pine tree, nodding in confirmation to Zhou Yingting's question, "It is indeed an Illusion Realm."

Having seen Zhou Yingting pass the test, the Daoist no longer concealed the truth and revealed the reality directly.

"Actually, climbing up was secondary. As long as you have a firm mind and are not trapped by the illusion, even falling halfway counts as passing the test."

The Daoist's words left Zhou Yingting momentarily stunned.

So everything he saw earlier was fake?

Those illusions were merely to confuse them.

Zhou Yingting had thought that falling would be fatal, and his hands trembled clinging to the rocks.

"So, were the burdens at the mountain base also your doing? Persisting in such conditions was quite challenging, to say the least."

At this, Zhou Yingting couldn't help but frown.

For those few days, he constantly felt as if his body was about to fall apart.

To be honest, sustaining through that was extremely difficult, wasn't it?

Listening to Zhou Yingting, the Daoist's expression remained calm, "That was just a bit of suffering. The training that follows is truly monotonous. If one can't endure even that, they won't succeed even after entering the sect."

"In that case, it's better to eliminate them early on."

The Daoist's reasoning was sound.

Understanding this, Zhou Yingting realized that the upcoming training would be even more challenging.

Thinking about this, Zhou Yingting leaned over for another look and saw the people below still climbing, even calling out to him.

They asked Zhou Yingting to hurry, suggesting he look for a rope or something to pull them up.

Perhaps some were at the brink of exhaustion.

If Zhou Yingting could climb up, it would be much easier to help them.

More importantly, with a rope, they wouldn't risk falling to their deaths suddenly.

This thing was quite important to them.

"Can they not see me?"

Zhou Yingting realized that these people were seeing an illusory version of him.

They probably thought he was also almost there.

The Daoist responded with a slight nod, continuing to stand by silently.

With that reply, Zhou Yingting knew that shouting down to them would likely go unheard.

Moreover, it was easy to disrupt the task rules.

Since he confirmed that they wouldn't be harmed even if they fell, Zhou Yingting had no reason to worry.

With that, Zhou Yingting leaned against the big tree, watching the people below desperately climbing, curiously observing their efforts.

"By the way, there are a few others who came with us who don't have our stamina. Is it more difficult for them to climb the mountain?"

"The same applies. Based on your strength, each person's burden is tied to their body."

"At the cliff's end, they face these illusions too."

"However, their resolve is weaker. They haven't reached the cliff yet and are slowly approaching."

Whether or not one becomes an Extraordinary is somewhat significant. Those here have experienced many realms before, making their determination slightly stronger.

In addition, they are acting together.

In such a group, there's mutual encouragement.

Zhou Yingting nodded and looked down.

The next moment, a flash occurred beside Zhou Yingting, and a person suddenly appeared.

This person was screaming loudly upon arrival.

Drawing Zhou Yingting's attention, he realized this person had just fallen down.

In that case, they passed the test directly.

Seeing this, Zhou Yingting couldn't help but feel some admiration.

This guy was quite lucky to pass just like that.

After screaming for a while, the newcomer realized something was amiss and sat up, surprised to see Zhou Yingting under the tree.

"Weren't you still climbing? How did you fall too? Even if you fell, I should have landed faster, right?"

"Also, why do I feel unharmed?"

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