Chapter 528: The heart-questioning pagoda

This golden pagoda is an extremely important Magic Treasure of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land.

The name of this golden pagoda is also very special; it is directly called the heart-questioning pagoda.

As the name suggests, the heart-questioning pagoda allows Cultivators to question their own Dao Hearts. The pagoda has a total of ten floors.

Inside this pagoda, there are no guarding demons or Divine Beasts; it is simply a series of empty pavilions.

What the Cultivators must do is walk up from the first floor until they reach the final floor.

With every floor you ascend, the things you see will be very different.

This heart-questioning pagoda will constantly question your heart, releasing the deepest parts of your consciousness.

The firmer one’s Dao Heart, the further up they can go.

However, if your cultivation is weak or if there is some issue, you will fall from this tall heart-questioning pagoda.

This second round of the competition is very simple, yet also very difficult.

The first two rounds of the competition are both completed within a single day.

After all, whether it’s Demon Slaying or the heart-questioning pagoda, these are just small appetizers before the Dao Debate.

They serve as a sort of seasoning to ensure the Buddhist Path Convention doesn’t seem too monotonous.

The final main event lies in the subsequent Buddhist Path Convention.

The debate between the two sides at the Buddhist Path Convention is the most crucial part.

All ten thousand Disciples participating in the Buddhist Path Convention stepped onto the heart-questioning pagoda.

However, this heart-questioning pagoda isn’t that large, and ten thousand Disciples are simply too many, so they ascended in ten batches.

By the time the first batch of Disciples reached the third floor, they had already begun to be eliminated one after another.

And by the time they reached the fourth floor, half of the Disciples had already been expelled from the heart-questioning pagoda.

Consequently, the second batch of one thousand Disciples began to walk into the heart-questioning pagoda.

Soon after, another large group of Disciples was expelled in succession.

In less than the time it takes for two sticks of incense to burn, all ten thousand Disciples had entered the heart-questioning pagoda,

and over five thousand Disciples had been expelled.

As for the current situation, the Disciples who had reached the highest level of the heart-questioning pagoda were only on the sixth floor.

Of course, this was also because Wang Chen and the other three had gone in relatively late.

After all, Wang Chen, Mo Wenwen, and that Buddha Son were in the final batch to ascend the heart-questioning pagoda.

After ascending the heart-questioning pagoda, the three of them started from the first floor and walked up with almost no obstruction.

The three of them were like they were truly just climbing stairs, moving extremely smoothly.

Only when they reached the third floor did the speed at which Wang Chen and the others climbed the pagoda slow down slightly.

But this slight slowdown seemed negligible for the three of them.

They only paused for a brief moment before continuing to walk upward.

Upon reaching the fourth floor, Mo Wenwen was the first to stop her footsteps.

However, Mo Wenwen was not expelled.

In other words, Mo Wenwen was currently facing her first hurdle.

“The fourth floor questions one’s own confidence in being able to become a Great Cultivator.”

Looking at the motionless Mo Wenwen, Complete Tranquility stroked his chin and spoke indifferently.

“For Benefactor Mo to stop at this floor, does she have no confidence in her future Great Dao?”

The words spoken by Complete Tranquility echoed throughout the vast grounds.

For a moment, everyone looked toward Mo Wenwen.

Just as more and more people began to feel that Mo Wenwen might have a bit of trouble passing, she opened her eyes and continued to walk upward.

By this time, Wang Chen and the Buddha Son had already reached the fifth floor.

The fifth floor questions the suffering within one’s heart.

In other words, as soon as you reach the fifth floor, it will replay the hardships you have experienced in your heart over and over again.

It makes you unable to hold on, breaking your mental defenses.

Lin Xun felt that this was truly too exaggerated.

After all, repeating the hardships suffered in the past in your heart and digging out all your memories—who could withstand that?

So even the three of them, including Wang Chen, stopped their footsteps on this fifth floor.

This would certainly take more time.

Finally, Mo Wenwen opened her eyes and moved from the fifth floor to the sixth floor.

After Mo Wenwen moved to the sixth floor, Wang Chen followed closely behind.

Many people around Lin Xun were whispering, guessing what Wang Chen’s hardships actually were.

Because in their eyes, Wang Chen was very pure and should have had smooth sailing without many hardships.

Therefore, Wang Chen should have easily passed this floor.

But they didn’t expect that Wang Chen would actually be behind Mo Wenwen.

Listening to the discussions of these people, Lin Xun couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his brow.

These people didn’t know what Wang Chen’s hardships were.

But Lin Xun, naturally, knew very clearly.

Lin Xun felt that if he wasn’t mistaken,

then what Wang Chen was experiencing should all be related to him.

After Wang Chen left, that Buddha Son also opened his eyes.

However, two lines of tears flowed from the corners of his eyes, and he was still murmuring a name in his mouth.

Looking at the Buddha Son’s mouth movements, it seemed like he was saying a name like Xiuer or something.

The question was, who was this Xiuer?

For a moment, Lin Xun’s gossiping heart began to overflow.

He felt that this Buddha Son had some stories!

But in the end, this Buddha Son still overcame the heart-questioning hardship of the fifth floor and walked toward the sixth floor.

If the fifth floor made everyone experience the suffering of the world,

then the sixth floor would satisfy your various desires to see if you would sink into them.

In other words, the sixth floor would reflect the most truthful thoughts in your heart.

It would reflect the things you most craved and desired in your heart.

Without a doubt, the sixth floor was definitely where they stayed for the longest period of time.

They all stopped their footsteps on the sixth floor, then closed their eyes and fell into that warm illusion.

Many people outside the field wanted to know what exactly these three people wanted.

In the eyes of everyone else, Wang Chen and the others lacked nothing.

These three were Geniuses among Geniuses and were all in the best Sects.

They had been sought after by thousands since they were young; whatever they wanted, they would have.

But what exactly could make the three of them stop here, unable to move forward, sinking into their own gentle lands and unable to extricate themselves?

Wang Chen was the first to emerge from the gentle land.

Wang Chen turned around and looked toward the direction outside the heart-questioning pagoda.

Looking at Wang Chen on the large screen, Lin Xun felt that Wang Chen was looking at him.

Of course, many people also felt that Wang Chen was looking at them.

Especially since those eyes of Wang Chen looking at them were extremely beautiful, even carrying a hint of deep affection.

For a moment, many people’s hearts melted.

It was as if this gaze of Wang Chen’s was the softest, most fragile, and most beautiful thing in the world.

In any case, even if they were to die, they would not be willing to let this young girl fall into despair or let her heart break.

Finally, without knowing what she saw, Wang Chen gave a curved-eye smile.

This smile caused everyone’s heart to skip a beat.

They were all stunned, their minds going blank, momentarily forgetting where they were.

They had never seen Wang Chen smile.

Let alone seeing such a smile from Wang Chen; it was something they could never have imagined.

In their view, Wang Chen should have been “emotionless.”

But now, at this moment, Wang Chen was like the most pure and devoted young girl.

Wang Chen was so pure and clean that it was beyond compare, making everyone who saw her feel ashamed and feel that they were not worthy.

And it was also this smile that let Lin Xun know exactly what kind of illusion Wang Chen had fallen into.

He also knew exactly what Wang Chen wanted.

To this, Lin Xun only guiltily avoided Wang Chen’s gaze.

Because Lin Xun was not sure if he could do it.

Wang Chen withdrew her gaze, turned her head, and stepped into the seventh floor.

As Wang Chen walked to the seventh floor, that Buddha Son also opened his eyes and walked forward step by step.

After the Buddha Son left, Mo Wenwen also opened her eyes.

But even after opening her eyes,

this Mo Wenwen stood in place for a long, long time.

Her gaze was dull, and no one knew what she was thinking.

In the end, everyone only saw Mo Wenwen give a soft sigh, then walk toward the higher floors.

For some reason, Lin Xun felt that in Mo Wenwen’s sigh, there was regret, helplessness, and a small sense of remorse.

But also a little bit of happiness?

In short, this sigh was extremely complex, not something a woman who cultivated Supreme Detachment from Emotion like Mo Wenwen should be able to sigh out.

The seventh floor questions the desire for power.

In this seventh floor,

it will infinitely magnify your inner desire for power.

If you immerse yourself in it and cannot extricate yourself,

then you will be eliminated from the heart-questioning pagoda.

But clearly, the three of them seemed to have not even a shred of desire for power.

Wang Chen and the others spent almost the same amount of time walking through this seventh floor.

It was as if power was nothing more than a joke to them.

The eighth floor is the fear of death.

On the eighth floor, it will make you experience the ultimate fear of death, as if you were personally on the brink of dying.

And this floor will give you a choice.

It makes you choose between the Great Dao and your life.

If you choose the Great Dao, then you can continue moving forward.

But if you choose life, it means that between the Great Dao and life, you would choose the latter.

Then you will be expelled from the heart-questioning pagoda.

What the seventh floor asks seems extremely crude and simple.

But in reality, this is what hits the very essence!

Because for a Cultivator, although the lifelong pursuit is the Great Dao,

returning to the essence, in the end, they still want to live as long as the heavens, want to dominate all things, and want a kind of great freedom.

This is a manifestation of attachment to life.

And without life, then none of this can be talked about.

Only with life can one go on to enjoy things.

But between the Great Dao and life, these three very quickly chose the Great Dao.

It seemed to be outside expectations, yet also seemed to be within reason.

Because they are the representative figures of the Buddhist and Daoist paths.

And this showed that their hearts’ orientation toward the Dao was indeed extremely clear.

And on the eighth floor, it was asking for a choice between all living beings in the world and one’s own Great Dao.

Wang Chen and that Buddha Son without exception chose the living beings of the world.

As for Mo Wenwen,

Mo Wenwen didn’t make a choice so quickly.

Because she was a Daoist Cultivator, there was no need for “If I don’t enter Hell, who will?”

But Mo Wenwen only hesitated for a moment.

Just as Wang Chen took a step out, Mo Wenwen opened her eyes.

The topic on the ninth floor of the heart-questioning pagoda was quite novel.

The heart-questioning pagoda once again gave you a choice.

It asked if you wanted to restart your life.

In other words, it was asking if you had ever done anything you regretted.

And this regrettable thing made you have the thought of wanting to restart your life.

If any of the three had their hearts waver and wanted to restart their lives,

then this would indicate that they were full of lack of confidence in the path they were currently walking.

In other words, they would immediately be excluded from this heart-questioning pagoda.

To be honest, regarding the heart-questioning of the ninth floor, many people felt it was extremely unreasonable.

Because no matter who it is, they certainly have things they regret.

They would certainly have thought about restarting their lives.

Because after restarting life, one could go and make up for or satisfy these regrets.

After all, whose life would be without regrets?

But as long as you have even a slight thought of restarting your life, then you will be expelled from the heart-questioning pagoda.

This ninth floor, to be fair, was indeed somewhat difficult.

Many people felt that none of the three would pass the ninth floor.

But on the contrary, the three of them passed at the fastest speed.

It was as if they had never regretted even a single bit of their lives.

And the three of them passing the ninth floor at the fastest speed made the other Cultivators outside the field feel a bit of shame.

To be honest,

Lin Xun had also thought about restarting his life.

It was just that the restart Lin Xun thought of was to make better choices.

He didn’t regret the current situation, but rather felt that he could have handled the emotions between them better.

The tenth floor—the tenth floor was said to be the most difficult floor, but in fact, it could also be said to be the simplest floor.

That was because the tenth floor would compare your most important thing with the Great Dao, and then make a choice.

If to you, the most important thing is the Great Dao, then you can successfully pass the tenth floor.

Of course, if you did not choose the Great Dao, but instead chose something else,

then you would be expelled from the heart-questioning pagoda.

Outside the heart-questioning pagoda, many people felt that on this tenth floor, the three of them were definitely safe and would not possibly come out.

After all, they had already experienced the previous nine floors of things even more difficult than this.

But unexpectedly, the three of them stood on the tenth floor for a long, long, long time.

Until an hour later, when the three of them opened their eyes,

a bright light flashed by.

All three of them were expelled from this heart-questioning pagoda.