Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi

Chapter 289 210: The Truth of the Divine Palace?

Inside the fifth palace.

The first thing Zhang Yao and the others saw was a quaint stele, one zhang high and three chi wide.

There were no symbols or characters on the stele, only an ancient and desolate star map, depicting a corner of the vast star universe that made one feel dizzy just at a glance.

"Hiss..."

Even though he was mentally prepared, Zhang Yao still felt a slight sting in his eyes, took a light breath, and involuntarily looked away.

This wasn't because there was any special restriction on the stele or blinding light, but an instinctive sting, an unconscious desire not to look.

This fifth gate tests a cultivator's spiritual will.

Spiritual will is elusive yet real, determining the strength of one's inner self.

Pure spiritual will seems useless, but if one wishes to reach the end of the endless cultivation road, a strong and pure spirit is often essential.

"In this gate... do I have some advantage?"

Zhang Yao asked himself.

The strength of spiritual will is determined by age and life experience, the former being secondary, and the latter primary.

Living longer doesn't mean seeing more; some things you understand as an eight-year-old, and some things even at eighty, you haven't experienced, and will never understand.

Let me give a simple example:

Two seventy-year-old men, one rose from a small soldier, fought bloody battles on the battlefield, gained wealth from piles of corpses, became a Prime Minister, held various official positions, navigated officialdom for thirty years, and ultimately became the head of officials;

The other was born with a golden spoon, married into a prestigious family at a young age, indulged in pleasure, inherited his family's title, lived a life of comfort and ease, and eventually became a Duke.

Their age and status may be similar, but their spiritual will is as different as ordinary folk and Golden Core, akin to heaven and earth.

"In my life, I started as a little Daoist child, practiced martial arts, then cultivation, experienced many storms and challenges, and when it comes to spiritual will, I dare say I'm not weak."

"Especially after experiencing the possession of Yu Wen Tai's memories, my spiritual will was refined like raw iron into steel, fundamentally transformed."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yao felt reassured.

Given his mental realm, his feeling of uncertainty was because the fifth gate's reward was too enticing!

An Ancient Spiritual Treasure, something many Nascent Soul Old Monsters don't possess, if not for the Jade Divine Palace opportunity, these Golden Core Stage cultivators wouldn't even dare imagine.

Now, as long as one passes the fifth gate, they could receive an Ancient Spiritual Treasure reward, stirring emotions and making it hard to remain calm.

"The fifth gate..."

Nearby, Haihe Ancestor, Fairy Xia Guang, Bai Hong Sword Immortal, and others couldn't hide the eagerness in their eyes either.

Last time, they failed at this gate, resulting in watching the Three Evils Daoist pass it alone, obtaining the Ancient Spiritual Treasure.

"Who knows, maybe this time we might succeed."

After excitement, the many Golden Core cultivators couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

The difficulty of the fifth gate has risen sharply, but the reward is incomparable to previous gates combined, leaving no one with absolute confidence to pass.

Even Haihe Ancestor, Fairy Xia Guang, Bai Hong Sword Immortal and others, despite preparing some targeted measures after last time's failure, couldn't ensure success.

"Hmm..."

Glancing at the composed Three Evils Daoist beside him, Zhang Yao thought to himself:

"Perhaps only the Three Evils Daoist can remain so assured."

Haihe Ancestor and Fairy Xia Guang discussed his success after last time's failure.

The life of the Three Evils Daoist was quite legendary; originally possessing mixed spirit root aptitude and a loose cultivator background, he experienced countless hardships and near-death moments, overcoming obstacles to achieve the Golden Core Realm.

Returning to Jade Divine Palace a second time, he certainly prepared, but that would be for the sixth gate.

"Let me go first."

As everyone hesitated, the Three Evils Daoist spoke first, stepping forward.

Everyone watched him closely, seeing him sit cross-legged, expression calm, focusing both his gaze and divine thought on the star map stele.

"..."

The Three Evils Daoist's expression became dazed, his breathing rapid, and after a few moments, he suddenly regained composure.

"Phew!"

He took a deep breath, fatigue appearing in his eyes, slowly stood up, passed the stele, and arrived at the ancient green jade gate.

With envy, the others retracted their gaze, exchanged glances, and Bai Hong Sword Immortal stepped forward:

"It's my turn!"

He approached the star map stele, chanting softly, magical power surging around him, seemingly performing some secret technique.

"A secret technique stimulating will?"

Zhang Yao watched with interest.

Purely stimulating will secret techniques are extremely rare due to their limited usefulness, but secret technique formulas with similar effects are quite common.

Golden Core Level cultivators can easily search for such secret techniques, but their effectiveness varies greatly.

Soon, Bai Hong Sword Immortal sat cross-legged, focusing both his gaze and divine thought on the star map stele.

"...Ahhh!!"

After just two breaths, he let out a frantic and terrified scream, collapsing and twitching on the ground.

"Bai Hong!"