I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

In the early morning in Kunlun Mountain, the air is so thin it feels like it could cut open one's lungs.

Sunlight pierced through the year-round clouds and mist, striking the earth like a golden sword.

At this time, the area within a 50-mile radius at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains had been designated as a top-level military restricted zone. In the sky, several armed helicopters circled and patrolled, while on the ground, tanks and armored vehicles formed an iron wall.

Within the Great Wall, before the magnificent white jade archway that appeared as if by divine intervention overnight, five thousand figures gathered.

These 5,000 people are the first batch of "seeds" selected by the entire nation.

They were the first people to pass the nationwide "Qi Sensing Test." Regardless of whether they were billionaires, researchers, peddlers, or students before, they now shared a common identity—seekers of the Dao.

Ahead of the surging crowd of five thousand people, there was a team of only twenty people, like a sharp blade, occupying the most central position by themselves.

They were dressed in unmarked black special operations uniforms and did not even carry firearms; each of them carried only a tactical backpack and their own melee weapon.

Standing at the very front of the group was Chu Tian.

At this moment, Chu Tian stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his eyes slightly closed, as if listening to the sound of the wind.

If observed with a thermal imager, one would be shocked to discover that among these five thousand people, only Chu Tian's body was surrounded by an extremely faint but real pale blue halo.

Second level of Qi Refining.

This is not merely a level of cultivation, but also proof of a miracle.

In the early stages of promoting "Taoist Health Qigong," when everyone was struggling to find that faint "qi sensation," Chu Tian completed the process of drawing qi into his body in just one night.

A week later, he broke through to the first level of Qi Refining.

A month ago, he broke through again, reaching the second level of Qi Refining, and successfully improved the Qi circulation route of his cultivation technique, making it more suitable for military physiques. He is currently the only officially recorded prodigy who can forcibly plunder energy on the spiritually scarce Blue Star without relying on external aids, solely based on his own aptitude.

In the military's top-secret files, Chu Tian's qualifications were marked as "[Immeasurable]".

"Instructor Chu."

A deep voice called from behind. It was Zhao Feng, the former captain of the special operations brigade, now a trainee.

Zhao Feng was in a rather unusual state at the moment. He was carrying a long, narrow object wrapped in layers of black cloth on his back—the broken Tiger Blade sword that he had risked his life to bring back from the "Sword Tomb" dungeon.

"This sword... is getting hotter and hotter." Zhao Feng frowned, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Even through the black cloth, one could feel the broken sword trembling slightly, as if something inside was awakening.

"It sensed it." Chu Tian opened his eyes, a flash of lightning seeming to pass through the depths of his pupils. "This is the ancestral home of all mountains, the source of spiritual energy. The sword spirit behind you is a yin and evil entity, instinctively fearing the righteous energy here. It is calling for your help."

"A call for help?" Zhao Feng was taken aback.

"Use your energy to soothe it," Chu Tian advised calmly. "Don't treat it as a weapon, treat it as a comrade-in-arms. In this place, it may be your greatest asset in climbing the mountain."

Just then, a magnificent bell tolled, without warning, resounding deep within everyone's soul.

when--!

The sound was desolate and ancient, as if it came from the primordial wilderness.

The noisy crowd fell silent instantly, and everyone unconsciously looked up at the long white jade staircase leading to the clouds.

"The time has come."

"The path opens with the heart."

"This path is not for struggle, but for proving the Dao." "The pressure you experience is directly related to your physical strength and cultivation level. It is heavier against the strong and lighter against the weak." "Therefore, mortals must stop here; only those with unwavering resolve can ascend to heaven."

As the majestic voice faded, the air surrounding the archway rippled like water, revealing a grand road leading to the heavens.

"Set off."

Chu Tian didn't waste any words; his two simple words carried an undeniable determination.

Twenty special forces members, marching in perfect unison, were the first to embark on that unknown path to immortality.

……

【The Path of Self-Examination - Phase One】

The procession of five thousand people was grand and imposing, but a strange thing happened the moment they stepped onto the steps.

The originally crowded steps seemed to stretch infinitely the moment you stepped on them. Everyone felt that the space around them became wider, yet they could still see the people in front, behind, left, and right.

Spatial folding technology.

This is a formation effect that Gu Qing specially set up to prevent stampedes.

In the middle to rear of the crowd, there was a thin and dirty figure, head down, silently climbing upwards.

His name is Wang Lin.

A 16-year-old homeless orphan was sent here exceptionally because he was found to have an extremely high level of inspiration during a charity porridge distribution event.

He didn't understand what cultivating immortality or achieving immortality meant. All he knew was that the officer who brought him there said that once he climbed up, he would never have to go hungry again and would even have new clothes to wear.

Wang Lin walked with exceptional seriousness, all for the sake of a full meal.

When the main group reached the 300th step, everyone's breathing became heavy.

The air here is as thick as mercury; every step requires ten times the effort of walking on flat ground. Many pampered tycoons are already slumped on the ground, panting heavily, and some are even starting to have second thoughts.

But Wang Lin did not.

He continued walking at a leisurely pace. Not a single drop of sweat appeared on his face.

In those clear, unblemished eyes, there was neither desire nor fear. He simply felt that these steps were easy to walk, much easier than the path he usually took carrying dozens of kilograms of scrap to the recycling station.

A pure heart is impervious to all laws.

Before a soul devoid of any distracting thoughts, the oppressive aura exerted on him in the early stages of the Path of Inquiry seemed to show him leniency.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

The moment Wang Lin stepped onto the three hundredth step, the world around him suddenly became blurry.

The crowd that had been climbing in front of and behind him became distorted and transparent, like the poor signal on an old television screen, and finally turned into blurry, indistinct figures.

It seemed as if he was the only person left on the entire staircase.

In the middle of the road sat a ragged old beggar who reeked of a foul stench.

The old beggar, with a broken leg and a chipped bowl in front of him, lay sprawled on the ground, emitting labored, bellows-like breaths.

"Water...please, someone have mercy...give me some water to drink..."

This is a system-generated "Independent Phase Test".

At this moment, every climber (or team) enters a parallel, illusory space. Although they are physically at the same coordinates, perceptually they are only facing their own old beggar.

Wang Lin was stunned for a moment.

He looked at the old beggar and it was as if he saw himself a few years ago, when he almost starved to death on the street.

A sense of shared suffering drove him.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took off the old, military-green water bottle from his waist—a gift from the kind officer before his departure, filled with sweet mineral water.

Wang Lin squatted down, skillfully helped the old beggar up, and brought the spout of the teapot to the old man's chapped lips:

"Grandpa, drink slowly, there's still plenty left."

He even took out half a steamed bun that he was reluctant to eat from his pocket and stuffed it into the old man's hand.

The old beggar stared intently at Wang Lin with his cloudy eyes for a long time before a kind smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

"Good boy."

The old beggar said softly.

The next second, the old beggar's figure vanished like smoke.

Instead, a dazzling red light appeared!

The red light instantly entered Wang Lin's brow, and a massive amount of life energy exploded within his body!

boom!

Wang Lin felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, and all the ailments, arthritis, and malnutrition caused by years of wandering were repaired in that instant.

Even more miraculously, he felt his body become incredibly light, and the previously blurry world became crystal clear in his eyes.

[System Notification: Top-tier character traits detected. Reward: One Bone Cleansing and Rejuvenation session; Spiritual Root purity increased by 10%.]

……

[At the same time, in another phase space]

Not everyone is as lucky as Wang Lin.

A real estate tycoon from the south was irritably loosening his tie. He couldn't see anyone else, only a smelly beggar blocking the road.

"Damn it, what bad luck! How can there be beggars in a place like this?"

He was already agitated by the pressure of the steps, and now he was even more furious. In his eyes, this was a desecration of "paradise".

"Get out of here!"

He kicked the broken bowl in front of the old beggar away and strode over it viciously.

hum!

The instant he stepped over it, a terrifying gravitational field suddenly descended.

"Snap!"

A sharp crack echoed – the sound of a broken leg. The tycoon let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was pinned to the steps, unable to move.

[System judgment: Extremely high level of malice. Penalty: Elimination, and removal of Qi perception.]

……

[Questioning the Path of the Heart: Military Queue Phases]

Chu Tian stopped in his tracks.

In his field of vision, the other five thousand people around him also became a blurred background.

There was only that old beggar in front of him.

However, unlike individuals, the system determined that Chu Tian's special operations team was a "symbiote," so all twenty of them entered this phase at the same time.

"Captain Chu, this is...?"

One of the team members gripped the dagger warily, but Chu Tian stopped him by raising his hand.

Chu Tian's gaze was deep.

As a cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining, his spiritual perception far surpassed that of ordinary people. What he saw was not a beggar, but a collection of rules composed of countless complex runes.

It was a higher-dimensional being looking down at them from a lower-dimensional perspective.

"Attention, everyone!"

Chu Tian let out a low shout.

The twenty soldiers instantly suppressed all their murderous intent and stood ramrod straight.

"This is a test from our seniors."

Chu Tian strode forward, showing no disdain whatsoever for the other party's beggar appearance.

He knelt on one knee and presented the most precious emergency high-energy nutrient solution and purified water from his backpack with both hands.

"Grandpa, we juniors and others still have to climb the mountain, and we don't have many supplies on us. We'll leave these to you."

His tone was neither humble nor arrogant, showing both compassion for the weak and respect for the strong.

The old beggar raised his head, and when his seemingly cloudy eyes swept over Chu Tian, ​​a barely perceptible glint of shrewdness flashed within them.

"What a fine body...what a pack of wolves and tigers."

The old beggar smiled.

He stretched out his withered finger and gently tapped it in the air.

Whoosh—!

This time, it wasn't a red light.

Instead, a bright red sphere, as dazzling as the sun, rose from the broken bowl and then instantly split into twenty-one streams of light in mid-air!

"This is..." Chu Tian's pupils suddenly contracted.

Before he could react, the streaks of light seemed to have eyes, precisely penetrating the bodies of each soldier.

"Ugh!"

A suppressed growl came from behind.

The soldiers felt as if a fire had ignited within them, instantly replenishing the physical strength that had been depleted due to the high-intensity climb, and even continuing to overflow!

The one who changed the most was Zhao Feng.

Om-! !

The red light that belonged to Zhao Feng did not completely enter his body; most of it was intercepted by the broken sword [Tiger Warrior] on his back!

The once lifeless broken sword, after absorbing the red light, actually emitted a clear and melodious sword cry.

Clang!

This sword cry didn't just ring in Zhao Feng's ears, but resonated deep within his soul.

The next second, Zhao Feng was shocked to find a blurry figure in red appearing in his retina.

It was a woman dressed in an ancient wedding gown. Although her face was not visible, the fierce ghostly aura she once exuded had become unusually docile.

She hovered behind Zhao Feng, extending a pair of pale hands to gently support his shoulders.

"Captain... I feel lighter."

Zhao Feng stared at Chu Tian in disbelief. "This sword... the thing inside is coming out. It's pushing me!"

Chu Tian looked at the red-clad phantom behind Zhao Feng, invisible to ordinary people, and a hint of shock flashed in his eyes.

Is this Kunlun's method?

"This is a matter of chance."

Chu Tian took a deep breath, feeling the boiling spiritual energy within his body. His cultivation bottleneck actually showed signs of loosening at this moment.

I'm just one step away from reaching the third level of Qi Refining!

"Everyone, listen up!"

Chu Tian turned around, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over the transformed team.

"Riding this momentum, let's go full speed ahead!"

"Goal: Reach the summit!"

"yes!!"

The roar was deafening.

Within their own phase channel, this steel-like team, protected by sword spirits and auras, charged like a crimson dragon towards the insurmountable clouds.

Meanwhile, in the real world...

Those still struggling to climb were astonished to find that the military squad had suddenly increased its speed, leaving the main force behind in the blink of an eye and disappearing into the depths of the clouds.