"To become stronger, or to protect the people of the world?" Lan Shuang asked, "Which do you prefer?"
"It's not that I hope so. There is no standard answer to this question. You just need to see through your own heart."
The old man pointed to the stone steps that seemed to reach into the sky and said, "If you have thought it through, go up. If you have a clear conscience, you can leave. If you haven't figured it out, you will have to keep walking, endlessly, until the end of the assessment."
Lan Shuang looked over thoughtfully. The stone steps went up from the mountainside, but only the first two steps were visible. The rest were hidden in the clouds.
She stood up and bowed to the old man, saying, "Thank you for your guidance. Goodbye."
The old man nodded with a smile.
Lan Shuang walked out of the pavilion and onto the stone steps without hesitation. At that moment, clouds and mist rolled around her. When she turned around, the old man and the pavilion disappeared, as if she was the only one left in the vast world.
Suddenly, a solemn voice came from the sky, "Little girl, why do you want to cultivate immortality?"
The feeling when he asked this question and the old man asked it were two completely different things. Lan Shuang stood on the steps and pondered for a moment, "To become stronger."
As the words fell, the world was quiet for a moment, and the next moment the thick fog dissipated, revealing a series of steps.
"You haven't made up your mind yet, keep going."
Lan Shuang frowned.
She stepped onto the stairs, and countless images flashed through her mind.
"For the sake of my beloved, I want to be with him."
She called out, but the voice didn't respond.
"Host, what should we do?" 888 looked at the endless staircase with a bit of anxiety, "Are we going to capsize in the gutter?"
Lan Shuang didn't expect that she would be stuck at this level.
She was clearly speaking from her heart, how could it be wrong?
However, there was no other way at the moment, she could only continue to move forward.
After walking up about fifty steps, the voice appeared again, asking the same question, "Why do you practice Taoism?"
Lan Shuang repeated the answer she had just given. The voice sighed, and Lan Shuang saw the stairs extending further into the sky.
Lan Shuang: “…”
888: "...It's a bit bad, host."
Lan Shuang's face darkened slightly, and her heart was a little confused, but she quickly adjusted her mood and thought about what was wrong with her previous answer while walking.
Isn't it said that there's no standard answer to this level? Then why is her answer wrong? Those two are indeed her true thoughts. Is there something else?
Lan Shuang looked at the endless green hills below the steps and unknowingly walked up more than a hundred steps.
The scenery in front of her changed again, and Lan Shuang saw a wide and fast-flowing river.
At that moment, she was enlightened and a flash of inspiration flashed through her mind.
After walking up another fifty steps, the voice appeared again.
"Why do you practice Taoism?"
Lan Shuang stood on the steps, her face slightly flushed and beads of sweat oozing from her forehead, but her eyes were extremely firm and clear.
"I cultivate for myself. The truth is simple. If you want to know the truth, you must first consult your heart."
888 waited nervously for the result. After a long time, the voice did not appear. Just when it thought it had failed again, the steps in front suddenly disappeared, leaving only the last step.
"Very good, you have found your own path, you can go out now."
The clouds dispersed and the sun shone brightly.
Lan Shuang took a step forward, and everything in front of her shattered instantly. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she saw Jiang Lusheng standing in front of her, smiling and holding out his hand: "Congratulations, first place."
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