"Xiang Shaoyun, you were unfair in rewarding and punishing your subordinates! Do you know your sin?"
"You never repay your benefactors! You took more than you were offered! Do you know your sin?"
...
"Nobody is without mistakes. What is important is that one can recognize one's mistake and change into a better person. So long as I am willing to change, why do these mistakes matter? Furthermore, I do not think that I have done anything wrong. The worthy will be rewarded. The deserving will be punished. A favor will be repaid in kind. I, Xiang Shaoyun, might not be able to ensure absolute fairness, but I definitely treat all my people equally. In my interactions with others, kindness and hatred are most certainly clearly distinguished!" declared Xiang Shaoyun strongly.
He was now only a skeleton, and he continued walking unsteadily amid the sea of surging flame, flaming blades, and flaming meteors. After an indeterminate period of time, he walked out of the hell as a burning skeleton. It was at that moment that the flame on his body faded, and his flesh returned. It was as though everything he had experienced was an illusion.
Eight Hells of Frost, Eight Hells of Flame.
Those two hells weren't something an ordinary person could survive. Xiang Shaoyun only made things harder for himself by accepting the entire trial without resisting with his God Realm energy. He had also refrained from expelling the illusion with his divine dao eyes. He relied on only his perseverance to survive the torture, and that was an inconceivable feat.
Xiang Shaoyun took a deep breath and opened his eyes. His mental state had changed completely from before. After the series of questions, he finally understood that he was lacking in many things he had done before. His heart was too small as the past him was too narrow-minded. He no longer had the same state of mind.
"Benevolence, justice, loyalty, and filial piety. It is difficult to balance all of them. Be fair in reward and punishment, clearly distinguish between gratitude and grudges. None of that is easy. All living things are equal. Everyone should be treated equally. Only someone of great kindness can accomplish that. What is the point of being a ruler who only knows kindness and benevolence? Aliens are invading, devils are running amok, the zombies have risen, and the non-humans are growing discontent. If humanity wants to survive, we have to accomplish that through might," said Xiang Shaoyun loudly toward the statue of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the Heart Asking Hall.
His voice resounded in the hall as though it would never fade. An indescribable resonance rippled in the air and landed on Xiang Shaoyun's body, bathing his body and mind in light, clearing all confusion from his being. A voice rang out, "The Heart Asking Test, passed."
The door of the hall opened, and Xiang Shaoyun stepped out easily. The God Realm elder hurriedly walked up to him and said, "Congratulations, Young Master Xiang, for passing the Heart Asking Test. You only have one test left before you can become an official young guild master candidate."
The God knew that most of the young Gods who had failed were disqualified at the Heart Asking Test. Passing the test, Xiang Shaoyun had proved that he was someone with a resolute heart. In contrast, the final test would not pose him much difficulty.
The God brought Xiang Shaoyun to the next test, a test of one's martial prowess. The only requirement was for one to be a God. Those that weren't even a God wouldn't be qualified to be a young guild master candidate.
Xiang Shaoyun was brought to a spacious and empty training field. The field was surrounded by a god-grade formation. All battles in the field would not cause any damage outside the field.
"Young Master Xiang, what is your current cultivation?" asked the God.
"Third-stage Rebirth Realm," replied Xiang Shaoyun.
He had reached peak third-stage Rebirth Realm and was only a step away from the fourth stage. If he had finished absorbing all the energy in the Celestial King Seal, he would have already entered the fourth stage.
"Ok. You only need to defeat someone of the same level to get through this test," said the God with a light nod. He clapped once and said, "Can one elder at third-stage Rebirth Realm step out?"
Immediately after, a voice that sounded more like a shriek rang out, "There's finally a third-stage kid? Finally, I get to have some fun!"
"That kid is mine. None of you can dream of taking him from me!" a different voice rang out.
"Don't frighten our young friend off. Let me deal with him. Look at his pretty face and tender skin. I doubt he can last long against your games," a third voice rang out.
Then, three figures appeared in the field. All three had odd appearances and were dressed sloppily. They did not look like Gods.
It's these monsters, thought the God with a complicated look in his eyes. He regarded Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Young Master Xiang, pick one from among them. You only need to defeat one of them for this test."
If they were any other third-stage Rebirth Realm experts, the God would not be worried for Xiang Shaoyun. But when it came to those three, he had to be worried. The three had reached the limits of third-stage Rebirth Realm and could, in fact, easily enter the fourth stage. However, they had remained in the same stage to continue to temper themselves. Because of that, they had built extremely solid foundations. They had even easily defeated fourth-stage Rebirth Realm experts before. One could say that among those of the same level, they had barely any matches.
"Kid, pick me. I will make you look good despite your defeat," shouted the weird man in red.
The weird man in green shouted, "Don't trust him. That fellow can never hold back. He will torture you badly."
"Those two are stronger than me. Kid, pick me. You might even win!" said the weird man in blue with a pitiful expression.
Not even the God who had led Xiang Shaoyun here dared to say anything. He knew how the three freaks had always behaved. They were, in fact, equally matched, and they all enjoyed torturing their opponents. One could say that each of them was deranged.
Xiang Shaoyun could naturally sense that the three weren't as simple as they looked. The thickness of their auras was not something a regular third-stage Rebirth Realm cultivator would have.
He walked toward the ring while saying, "Why don't all three of you come at once?"
"Kid, did you suffer brain damage from a fever or something?" asked the red freak.
"That must be it. Damn, mental damage is hard to heal. Come, let me give you a head massage," said the green freak.
"You're too arrogant. Generally, things won't end well for people like you," said the blue freak.
"All three of you are strong, but I'm no weakling either. None of you will be my match, I'm afraid. If you can really defeat me by joining hands, I will accept my defeat. But if I win, all three of you have to become my followers. What do you think?" asked Xiang Shaoyun with a faint smile on his face.