The phantom of the martial lord slammed it's palm forward . "Star fist ". A sliverish palm imprint that was radiating bright light smashed forward . Boooom!!! the attacks collided and Jack made use of the rebound to launch series of attacks . Boooom!!! Boooom!!? several shadows of fist glows were flashing continuously , actively bombarding the phantom without taking a breather . 
 Boooom!!! Sliver armour covered the body of the phantom as it vanished abruptly . Sensing danger , Jack turned around quickly and smashed his fists at the phantom that mysteriously appeared behind him . Strange runes covered the hands of the phantom as it smashed his fist forward . Boooom!!! the fists collided , sending rippling shockwaves across the arena . 
 The expression of Jack changed rapidly as he felt incredibly pain on his hand . His hand seemed to be twisted in a strange shape and that showed that it was broken . His major forte was in fist techniques and now one of his hands was crippled , he had lost at least 40% of his strength .
  Jack sighed gently as Intense regret filled his eyes . He had greatly underestimated the strength of the phantom which made him to overlook the physical prowess of it . "I admit defeat ". Jack said sadly because he could no longer continue the fight . A bright light flashed and he was teleported out .
  Rex was covered in golden aura as he unleashed several saber glow at the phantom . He held a large saber that was gleaming with sharp light as he fought the phantom . Countless of shadows filled the arena as Rex made use of his movement technique to rapidly dodge the attack of the phantom and also attack when the opportunity presents itself . Boooom!!! Boooom!!! debris of rocks and clusters of dusts flew about in the air as terrifying shockwaves swept across the entire arena .
 Rex gritted his teeth as he persisted in dodging the several attacks that kept raining down on him with horrifying might . He have already injured from three palm strikes so he was struggling to hold on to the tenth and final attack . Boooom!!! the phantom clenched his fist tightly as the void around him distorted slightly . The eyes of Rex turned solemn because the final attack was about to arrive . Boooom!! the golden aura that surrounded Rex intensified as he fully activated his physique . 
 An apparition of a sun appeared behind as his aura surged intensely . He was fully attacking with all his strength not taking chances at all . Boooom!! a terrifying fist shadow smashed forward with incredible might causing loud explosions in the void as it carried immense destructive power with it . Boooom !!! Rex was shining brightly like a small sun as he shouted "Radiance of the sun !!". Boooom!!! a miniature sun that was radiating immense heat slammed forward with devastating might . 
 Boooom!!! the attacks collided and both figures were flung back . The arms of Rex were shaking intensely as he struggled to get his footing . "Passed ". a cold voice sounded as the phantom vanished . Rex heaved a sigh of relief as he sat down and regulated his breathing . His expression turned grim when he remembered that he was just fighting the phantom of the martial lord that can only exhibit 60% of his strength . 
 His goal was to catch up or even surpass the martial lord but now he found the goal laughable when he was struggling to fight against a phantom that only acted on instincts . "No matter what , I must get the final reward ". He clenched his fists tightly and vowed with viciousness in his eyes .
 Shino was fighting the phantom without breaking any sweat . He figured out the movements and the attack pattern of the phantom so he calmly defended himself from it's attacks and passed with a slight difficulty. Although the battle ended quickly , Shino knew that he was under immense pressure and any mistake would have made him lose Instantly . 
 Many fights were still going on in other arenas although things were not looking quite optimistic for the participants . Miran also passed the test without much difficulty because she was extremely strong and was also well versed in different techniques . So she fought with the phantom and was evenly matched but she was not satisfied with the match because it ended too quickly and she could not gain enough insights from the battle . 
 Chloe struggled to defend against the phantom but alas she failed in the end . The techniques of the phantom was incredibly strong and Chloe who just entered the grandmaster realm have not fully perfected her techniques . Even her mystic ice body could not help overcome the gap and she managed to survive up to the ninth move before she was defeated by the tenth move . She was incredibly upset with her loss and she just stood there with a downcast expression before she was teleported out of the arena . 
 To the dismay of several people present , they found out that they could not survive the tenth move at all while some could not even last up to the eighth move . Some of the people that passed the heart illusion test were not even ranked so their combat prowess was merely average . Only Rex , Shino and Miran were standing in their respective arena when the second round ended . The rest were defeated and disqualified . 
 Boooom!!! the environment changed again as the figures of Shino , Miran and Rex appeared before the martial lord that was casually sitting on a throne . "Welcome to the third round ". I said casually as my gaze swept pass the people present . "To be able to make it to the third round showed how exceptional all of you are . This round will be the final round and it will be very simple ". They were looking at me with Intense concentration as they waited for me to continue my explanation. 
 "I will ask only two questions and anyone who gives me a satisfying answer will be the winner . Although I will still compensate the remaining two for being able to make it to this stage ". I smiled and said . 
 "Are you ready ?" . I asked them. 
 They nodded and said "Yes , your majesty ". 
 I nodded and pointed at Rex and asked "What is your name ?" . 
 "My name is Rex , your majesty ". He answered with respect and reverance . 
 "Okay Rex , why do you cultivate ?". I asked him as I relaxed back on the throne , waiting for his answer . 
 A thoughtful Expression appeared on his face as he brooded for a while . "I cultivate to become stronger ". He answered . 
 I simply nodded and my gaze moved on to the next person who was Miran . "Miran , why do you cultivate ?". I smiled and asked her . 
 "I cultivate to protect my family ". She answered without much thinking . 
 I nodded and looked at the last person . "What is your name little one ?".
 "Shino , your majesty ". Shino answered . 
 "Okay , why do you cultivate ?". I asked him . 
  He became silent for a while before he said "To be free ". 
 "Oh , can you explain further ?" . I said to him as my gaze became slightly interested . 
 He took a deep breath and said "Ever since I was born , I discovered that it was only the strong that had the say in the and they make the rules which everyone will follow whether you are willing or not . 
 The weak are bound and fettered and also constantly constrained by the laws of the strong . They can not make decisions that favoured them rather they live under the shadows of the strong . I cultivate because I want to become strong to the extent that I will have no constraints on my life and I will live my life the way I desire ...". 
 A lost expression appeared on my face as we both said simultaneously "To be free and unfettered ". The whole environment became silent as I looked at Shino for a while . "Okay , my second question will begin ". I looked and Rex and asked "If the world was about to be destroyed and you have the only option of saving either your family or the world , who will you save ?". 
 "Your majesty , I will choose my family ". Rex answered .
 I nodded and looked at Miran "I will choose my family ". she said with a conflicted expression . An expentant look appeared on my face as I looked at Shino . 
 A contemplative look appeared on his face as his remained silent for a while before he answered . "If I have enough strength , I will simply destroy the source of the calamity ". 
 I smiled slightly and asked with amusement "What if you don't have enough strength ?". 
 Shino shook his head and said "In everything I do , I always seek a clear conscience . If I flee without a battle , it will become a hindrance in my heart . I will try my best to atleast slaughter to my heart content before I will calmly retreat with my mom and also with some people if I can save them knowing fully well that I tried my best ". 
 Clap!!! "Good!!, very good! ". I clapped my hands as I looked at the little boy in front of me . "Boy , I love your answer . Staying true to one's heart in one of the most important thing in the journey of attaining the Dao . Trying and not trying at all are simply two different things ". I looked at Miran and Rex "Saving your family is not a bad thing . Everyone have their own convictions and sometimes we have to be selfish when it comes to our loved ones so your answer is good too ". 
 I paused slightly and said "But the most likeable answer is the one of Shino . His first answer was extremely good . Cultivation is all about going against the heavenly way and without a strong heart , you are doomed to fail ".