After entering, Yun Jin found herself standing at the base of the stairway.
Looking up, all she could see was a long flight of steps stretching from her feet toward the heavens. The uppermost portion had already vanished into the mist, its end shrouded in clouds.
No one could tell just how long the stairway truly was.
The voice of the Tian Po Sword rang out in Yun Jin's mind.
"Young Master. This is the Heart-Testing Stairway. This stairway is, in fact, a rare treasure. Though it holds no combat power, it is used to select disciples. At our Wushuang Sect, the most important criteria for accepting disciples is temperament. If one's heart is fickle, vain, or malicious, then no matter how high their comprehension, they will not be admitted. But if one is resolute, self-disciplined, and steadfast in their beliefs, then even with poor aptitude, they may still be considered."
Yun Jin nodded.
The Heart-Testing Stairway.
A direct name, to be sure.
Still, she couldn't help feeling a little curious.
Just how would this "heart-testing" take place?
She didn't consider herself a saint, but she had her own code of conduct. Whether the stairway would acknowledge that or not—she didn't know.
Not that it mattered.
Whether or not the stairway approved of her principles, Yun Jin had no intention of changing. She had traveled through countless worlds, enduring endless trials and tribulations. The values and path she upheld had long since been forged unbreakable.
"Heart-Testing Stairway." Jin Yu had also noticed the stone tablet in front of the stairs and murmured the words aloud.
What was this?
Heart-testing?
Soon, the rest of the group arrived one after another, each stopping in front of the stone tablet with varying degrees of confusion on their faces.
Seeing this, Yun Jin offered a straightforward explanation. "This stairway is used by Wushuang Sect to select disciples. The trial tests one's heart and temperament. What exactly happens—you'll find out once you step onto it."
"Temperament?" Jin Yu looked intrigued. "Then I'll go first."
He was the first to step onto the Heart-Testing Stairway. The moment he did, a dense mist surged up around him, swallowing his figure completely.
"Duan Yiwei, you go next," Cheng Su suddenly said, turning to Duan Yiwei.
Duan Yiwei snorted coldly. He knew they were worried he might make a move against Yun Jin.
But he wasn't stupid.
This was a secret realm of the Wushuang Sect. To attack the future master of Wushuang Sect here—was he tired of living?
Not to mention Yun Jin had the Tian Po Sword protecting her. Even without the sword, if he wanted to leave this place alive, he wasn't about to risk being torn apart by that giant tortoise.
In the end, he had to go through the stairway anyway, so Duan Yiwei didn't hesitate and stepped onto it.
After that, disciples from the Kunlun Sword Sect and Qingxiao Pavilion entered one after another.
Each person vanished into the mist as they ascended.
"Junior Sister Yun, you go ahead," Cheng Su and Ye Liuqin said as they looked to Yun Jin.
They would follow behind and provide support if needed.
"Alright." Yun Jin accepted their goodwill.
She turned and said to Yue Zhao and the others, "This trial was once used as an entry test for Wushuang Sect. There shouldn't be any danger. Just keep walking upward."
Yue Zhao and the rest nodded.
Only then did Yun Jin step onto the stairway herself.
The instant she did, her expression shifted slightly.
She felt as though she had entered a completely separate space. Clearly, her senior brother had just been right behind her, and there should've been others ahead too.
But now—
She could see no one but herself.
Yun Jin didn't rush forward. She waited a while where she stood, confirming there were no others in sight, before slowly beginning to climb.
At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. After ten or so steps, though, the scene around her abruptly shifted.
She felt as if she had been drawn into an illusion.
"Dear, this is our child. Look how adorable she is," a woman's gentle voice spoke.
"Our daughter is naturally adorable," a man beside her replied with a smile.
Yun Jin realized she had taken the form of an infant. Calmly, she observed her surroundings.
Her soul was incomparably strong, and even faced with such a sudden transformation, she remained aware. She knew she was still on the Heart-Testing Stairway, undergoing its trial.
Someone with a weaker soul would easily be deceived by the illusion, unable to distinguish past from present.
For a moment, even Yun Jin had wondered if she had entered yet another quick-transmigration scenario.
Fortunately, her soul strength kept her mind clear.
She focused inward.
Her connection to the Tian Po Sword, to Gun Gun and Huan Huan, had been forcibly severed.
Yet she could still sense the system.
Which only proved that the system's energy level was far beyond what this Heart-Testing Stairway could touch.
Yun Jin was still contemplating how exactly this illusion would test her heart when—
Suddenly, disaster struck.
A group of black-clad men burst in. Her illusory parents tried to escape with her, but the assailants quickly caught up.
Her parents fought desperately, making as much noise as possible in hopes of summoning help. Through it all, they shielded Yun Jin with their lives, ensuring she remained unharmed. Even knowing it was only an illusion, the sight still tugged painfully at Yun Jin's heart.
These black-clad attackers were just ordinary mortals with no cultivation. If she had her power, a single finger would be enough to wipe them out. But right now, she was just a helpless infant, unable to do anything.
She could only watch, powerless, as her parents died before her eyes. Fortunately, they bought enough time for a sworn brother to arrive and rescue her.
In this illusion, Yun Jin slowly grew up. She realized this world resembled a martial arts realm she'd once visited.
There were no cultivators here. Even the strongest martial experts were far beneath the realm of Qi Refining.
This was a world of mortals.
No immortality. No magical treasures. No cultivation. No spiritual energy.
Only the martial world—and the jianghu it bred.
Yun Jin's parents had died due to a vendetta in that chaotic world. Within the illusion, Yun Jin proved a prodigious martial talent. When the next scene came, she was grown and possessed unmatched martial prowess.
And then—she stumbled upon clues pointing to the ones who had killed her parents.
Yun Jin frowned.
So this was the stairway's trial?
To see if she would take revenge?
Did that even require thought?
Even though it was just an illusion, the bloody scene had stirred old, painful memories.
That debt had to be paid. No justification would stop her.
Following the trail, Yun Jin found them one by one—and executed them. Some had already withdrawn from the martial world. One of them knelt and begged, swearing to atone with good deeds for the rest of his life.
Yun Jin showed no mercy. She killed him anyway.
Doing good in the future did not erase evil from the past. A life owed must be paid. One had many descendants. His children knelt before her, begging for mercy.
Still, Yun Jin delivered justice without hesitation.
A five- or six-year-old boy glared at her with hatred and declared he would seek revenge when he grew up.
Yun Jin only replied, "I'll be waiting."
Children who hadn't sinned deserved to live. If the boy truly came for vengeance one day, she would meet him again then.
Following the list, Yun Jin killed all the black-clad assailants, but spared their families.
She didn't know if that was right or wrong. But it was her own principle.
So she followed it.
To spare a murderer left her uneasy.
To kill the innocent troubled her conscience.
So she acted according to her heart. Kill those who must be killed. Spare those who should be spared.
Once she had avenged her parents in full, she suddenly found herself back on the stairway.
Yun Jin raised an eyebrow slightly.
She didn't know how the Heart-Testing Stairway would judge her decisions.
But whatever judgment it gave, she didn't care.
She had her principles, and she wasn't about to change them.
Yun Jin kept walking upward.
At the midpoint of the stairway, the second heart-test began.
Again, the scene shifted abruptly.
She now sat upon a grand throne.
Below her, countless people knelt in reverence.
"Long live Her Majesty, the Empress. Long live, long live, long live."