Within Ascension Valley, the Zhou Tian Star Spirit Protection Formation's light circulated, isolating most of the outside commotion and the heavenly tribulation's terrifying pressure. At the center of the altar, Tang Xiao Qi did not immediately guide the shattered Golden Core and vast energy to condense the Nascent Soul, but made an extremely bold and rare decision—before formally attacking the Nascent Soul, within his own Sea of Consciousness, to rehearse in advance that most dangerous and unpredictable heart demon tribulation.
Ordinary cultivators attacking the Nascent Soul all proceeded with trepidation, fearing heart demons would suddenly arise and catch them unprepared. Most chose to rely on external objects like Soul-Calming Wood and Clear-Heart Jade Pendants to passively resist. But Xiao Qi knew deeply that his Dao path was different from others. The complexity of what he had experienced, the numerous concerns in his heart, and the heavy mission he bore far exceeded ordinary Golden Core cultivators. Passive resistance was no different from burying one's head in the sand. Only by actively meeting it, finding, examining, and resolving every flaw and weakness the heart demon might exploit in advance, could he forge a truly flawless Nascent Soul foundation impervious to all demons.
His mind completely sank into his Sea of Consciousness.
Originally vast and boundless, with spiritual sense stars twinkling, his Sea of Consciousness now began to violently churn under the guidance of his powerful will, evolving thousands of scenes. This was not a real heart demon invasion, but an extremely harsh "interrogation" and "refinement" of his Dao heart, using his own supreme Dao thoughts to simulate heart demon power.
**First Act: The Confusion of Joy.**
The scene changed. He seemed to stand at the pinnacle of the universe, with a wave of his hand, stars were born and destroyed, laws followed his heart. A seductive voice rose from the depths of his heart: "Look, this is the power above chaos! Why bother with mortal trifles? Why protect those tiny beings like ants? Transcend and leave, free and unfettered, living as long as heaven and earth, existing with the great Dao—wouldn't that be delightful? Guardianship? That's just an excuse for the weak seeking protection! You already possess power above all beings, why still be bound by the word 'responsibility'?"
This was an interrogation of the essence of power, a temptation regarding the choice between transcendence and guardianship.
In his Sea of Consciousness, Xiao Qi's eyes were clear. Facing that boundless power, he only calmly responded: "If power has no feeling, how is it different from a stubborn stone? If transcendence forgets one's roots, how is it different from a lonely ghost? The Dao I seek is not to stand above, but to walk together. Guardianship is not a shackle, but the source of my power, the root of my Dao heart. If I lose this heart, even if I gain boundless magical power, I would be nothing but a powerful empty shell."
As the words fell, the scene at the pinnacle of the universe shattered with a boom, the seductive voice abruptly stopping.
**Second Act: The Pain of Regret.**
The scene changed again, returning to the night of the Xu Lan Villa's destruction. Demonic flames reached the sky, his father Xu Zhan fought bloodily, his figure finally consumed by demonic qi. This time, the scene was incomparably clear—one could even feel the scorching heat waves and the final determination and reluctance in his father's eyes. Intense grief, anger, and powerlessness surged like a tide, nearly drowning his mind. "If you were powerful enough, if you had awakened earlier, the villa wouldn't have been destroyed, your father wouldn't have died! Your incompetence caused all of this!" The heart demon transformed into the sharpest accusation, piercing straight into the deepest pain in his heart.
Xiao Qi's figure trembled slightly amidst the flames and wailing, but he quickly steadied his mind. Though grief showed in his eyes, there was more release and determination: "The past is gone, irretrievable. Father's choice was to give me a chance at life, for a greater guardianship. Drowning in past pain cannot change anything; instead, it would betray his sacrifice. I will carry this regret, not be enslaved by it. My path lies ahead."
He bowed deeply toward the direction where his father had dissipated. The illusion shattered again. That heart-devouring pain, though not completely gone, could no longer shake his foundation.
**Third Act: The Entanglement of Love.**
Light and shadow shifted. Mu Xue's figure appeared, cold as snow, yet her eyes held deep affection difficult to dissolve and a trace of resentment. "Xiao Qi, stay. The cultivation path is long, tribulations numerous—why bear it alone? You and I together, finding a paradise beyond the world, asking nothing of affairs, only seeking long life together—wouldn't that be good?" Her voice carried magic, outlining a peaceful and beautiful picture, a future far from strife, with only each other.
At the same time, Auntie Su, Third Senior Sister, Senior Brother, Zhao Tiezhu, and even those faces from the Southern Frontier Witch Village and Eastern Sea Dragon Palace who trusted and revered him flashed by one by one. Various bonds, kindnesses, and responsibilities wove into a giant net, seemingly binding him firmly in place.
Xiao Qi looked at Mu Xue's phantom, tenderness flashing in his eyes, then transforming into deeper determination: "How could I not know Xue'er's feelings? How could I dare forget all these kindnesses? Yet, under an overturned nest, how can there be intact eggs? If I seek only my own freedom and abandon the common people, this heart cannot be at peace, this Dao is flawed. My paradise is not beyond the world, but in my heart. When heaven and earth are peaceful and rivers run clear, that will be our time to roam freely." He made a promise to Mu Xue's phantom, also cutting off his present indecision. The net of love should become the driving force forward, not the shackles that halt progress.
**Fourth Act: The Doubt of All Beings.**
The scene transformed into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Countless beings who had died from the demonic tribulation and war wailed, using hollow eyes to gaze at Xiao Qi, questioning: "What have you protected? What have you purified? Look at this devastation! Your existence, your efforts—what meaning do they have? Merely futile! This world's essence is the weak serving the strong, darkness forever existing. Your 'guardianship' is nothing but a self-deceiving joke!"
Emotions of despair, denial, and nihilism spread like poisonous mist, attempting to erode his conviction.
Xiao Qi stood upon the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, yet his gaze pierced through this tragic surface to see the rekindled fire of hope in the Northern Plains tribe, the joyful light of inheritance at the Southern Frontier Witch Village, the peace of the sea clan after the Eastern Sea was pacified, the united hearts of Qingxu Temple guarding him... He slowly spoke, his voice not loud but carrying unquestionable power: "The meaning of guardianship lies not in absolute results, but in unremitting process. Even if darkness forever exists, I am willing to be the night watchman holding the lamp—if I can illuminate one inch, then one inch. The suffering of all beings is not a reason for me to give up, but the motivation for me to press forward. This Dao, no regrets!"
**Fifth Act: The Delusion of Self.**
The final test was the most dangerous. The scene transformed into a blank void, with only a "Tang Xiao Qi" identical to himself in appearance, but with a more domineering aura and colder eyes. He represented the possibility of being alienated by absolute power and supreme authority. "Look at you, bearing too much, worrying too much! True power means standing alone above all, those who submit prosper, those who oppose perish! Unite the three realms' resources, establish a supreme divine court, make all spirits kneel, make the great Dao submit—this is the path you should take! Put away your meaningless mercy!"
This was the ultimate negation and distortion of his own Dao path, the final mirror image created by the heart demon using the desire for absolute control that might exist in his subconscious.
Xiao Qi looked at that cold "self," fell silent for a long time, then finally smiled, his smile peaceful and firm: "That is not me. My Dao is guardianship, guidance, hope—not conquest and rule. Power is a tool, not an end. If I lose my original heart, even if I reach the supreme peak, what I see would be only eternal loneliness and desolation. You are nothing but an illusory shadow reflected from the dust of my Dao heart—dissipate."
He gently pointed toward that mirror image. Without an earth-shaking explosion, that cold "Tang Xiao Qi" quietly dissipated like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water, merging into the pure Sea of Consciousness.
After the extreme interrogation of five layers of heart demon rehearsal, Xiao Qi's Sea of Consciousness returned to calm, even more vast, clear, and solid than before. His Dao heart was like divine metal tempered a thousand times, all impurities removed, polished crystal clear, without the slightest hindrance or flaw, radiating perfect, eternal, unwavering light.
He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze completely clear, like a newborn infant, yet containing the wisdom that sees through the world.
"It is time."
He whispered to himself, no longer hesitating in the slightest, his entire mind and will completely invested into that shattered Golden Core and magnificent energy, guiding them toward the higher form of life—the Nascent Soul—beginning the final condensation and shaping!
At the very moment he formally began, outside Ascension Valley, the heavenly tribulation that had brewed to its peak, as if sensing this complete, unreserved challenge, let out its most violent, most furious roar!
The true test had descended!