The Third Trial

In the snowy courtyard of the old church, Ye Chen sat on a wooden stump, breathing warm air into his hands.

Then he raised the blade and lightly nicked his wrist, letting the blood well up on its own and drip into the revolver's cylinder, where it condensed into a bright-red bullet.

Ye Chen raised the revolver and fired at a boulder ahead. With a loud bang, the entire rock was blasted into rubble by the Blood Bullet.

Its power was clearly greater than that of the Blood Bullet from a few days earlier.

After two bouts of intense combat and several days of rest, Ye Chen had not only improved the purity of his Auling Power; the effects of his Innate Spirit Art had also improved significantly.

He glanced at the rubble in the snow, then took out a thermos.

It was filled with steaming, pale-red liquid, several bright-red petals floating within and giving off a rich tea fragrance.

The boy took a big gulp of hot tea, then pulled out his pocket watch and started timing. Once the second hand had made five full turns, he squeezed fresh blood from the wound on his wrist, formed a second Blood Bullet, and fired at another boulder.

The stone shattered. The bullet's power hadn't diminished, and Ye Chen's mind remained clear; he felt no dizziness.

The hot drink in his hand was flower tea brewed from the local Red Blood Flower, whose petals could improve blood circulation and replenish blood.

Not long ago, Ye Chen had suddenly wondered whether nutritional supplements could affect his Spirit Art, so he began experimenting.

As soon as he drank the Red Blood Flower Tea, he got a clear answer.

The tea's nourishment reduced the time it took Ye Chen to make a Blood Bullet from ten minutes to five, while its shape still lasted ten minutes.

That meant Ye Chen could now have up to two Blood Bullets at a time, a significant boost to his combat strength and his margin for error in a crisis.

Ye Chen put away the revolver and looked at the fresh cut on his wrist.

After being tempered by Nightmare, his body had grown powerful, both in its ability to heal itself and to produce blood. These shallow wounds would heal on their own within minutes, without even leaving a scar.

This time, however, Ye Chen concentrated his Auling Power over the wound, actively encouraging the skin and blood vessels to reconnect.

A few seconds later, the cut disappeared, as if nothing had happened.

This technique of using Auling Power to actively heal a wound was a General Spirit Art known as Self-Healing.

After three days of study and practice, Ye Chen had fully mastered three basic General Spirit Arts, including Space Storage and Relic Contract.

Tomorrow, he would take on the last trial.

Once he completed it, the boy would leave this world of ice and snow and see the outside world.

Ye Chen lay on the bed and reached toward the shabby, damaged ceiling, clenching his hand into a fist. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep, readying himself for the next day.

The following morning, Lyle sat on a bench in the bright sunlight and slowly explained the trial to Ye Chen.

"For the Third Trial, you'll need to head to Frost White City. The Frost White City Lord's residence is where you'll be hunting this time."

"Several years ago, the Frost White City Lord led his men to hunt for sport in the woods along the border. By chance, he looked into the Abyss beyond the border for a few moments."

"To ordinary Frost White People, the Abyss beyond the border is just a dark region that light can't reach, so everyone's long since gotten used to it. But this Lord was different. Having experienced Nightmare once, he sensed something in that endless Abyss, and it had a severe effect on his mind."

Lyle paused, then continued.

"Unlike the Ape you hunted before, the Lord wasn't directly corrupted by the Abyss. But the Abyss had ensnared his thoughts and will. Ever since he returned from the hunt, he's been frantically searching through and studying all kinds of old books in the city. For years now, he's been conducting one experiment and ritual after another, all to summon the Abyss into this world and let it devour every living thing."

(A Nightmare Sensor ensnared by the Abyss has spent years trying to summon it!?)

At this, Ye Chen's expression changed. He immediately asked, "Then the Abyss rising beyond the Boundary Mountain these past few days—is that the Frost White City Lord's doing?"

Lyle shook his head.

"No. I've been monitoring and interfering with all the Lord's experiments and rituals. He has nothing to do with the Abyss rising. But that doesn't stop him from being your prey."

"And killing the Lord isn't enough. You'll have to clear out everything in his home related to the Abyss, preferably by burning down the whole residence along with it."

Lyle thought for a moment, then added a few more details.

"Also, like the first two, this is a short-term mission. I'm giving you one day and one night, so you won't have much time to investigate. Your priority is to finish it quickly."

"The Third Trial is much harder than the first two, so don't let your guard down."

"Remember the Three Rules of the Hunter at all times. Don't let mercy become a burden."

"All right. Ride Heiqi into the city."

As he had in the past, Lyle waved a hand to show Ye Chen he could get up and leave.

The boy gave a polite bow and nod, then turned and hurried away.

The middle-aged man sat alone on the bench, facing the Broken Statue. Every so often, he tapped his forehead with a fingertip, seeming to place great importance on the boy's performance in this Final Trial.

An hour later, Ye Chen was finally ready to set out.

He traveled light this time, without a backpack as he had on the first two occasions. He carried only his revolver, straight blade, Gold-Patterned Black Cloak, and a white handkerchief marked with blue runes.

When Ye Chen reached the church doors, Old Ma was waiting for him in the snow, just as before. Ye Chen affectionately rubbed Heiqi's neck, then swung into the saddle, and horse and rider set off down the mountain.

Looking out, Ye Chen spotted a vast, hazy silhouette at the far northern edge of the snowy plain below. That was Frost White City, the largest and only city in the Eternal Winter Hidden Domain.

Frost White City, along with the countless farms and villages surrounding it, occupied the northeastern and northwestern parts of this icy world. The city covered less than ten square kilometers, but in this narrow little world it was already a prosperous, imposing place—the capital of the Frost White People's kingdom.

And so Ye Chen rode Heiqi across mountains, plains, and forests.

After crossing a multitude of varied landscapes and enduring several hours of biting wind, horse and rider finally reached the main road at the northern end of the little world, outside Frost White City's gates.

"It feels like it's been a year since I last came into the city."

Ye Chen studied the renovated, towering gates and the well-equipped guards on either side, unable to help reflecting on how quickly time had passed.

Then he put on his hood and mask, dressed in ordinary clothes, and led Heiqi to the stables outside the gate.

After leaving Heiqi there, Ye Chen headed for Frost White City's gate alone.

Two tall guards stationed at the entrance, each holding a single-shot rifle, quickly blocked Ye Chen's way. They told him everyone had to be inspected before entering the city, so he would have to show his face.

Ye Chen didn't follow their instructions. Instead, he swiftly slipped something into each guard's hand.

It was the highest-denomination gold coin in circulation among the Frost White People.

The two guards glanced at each other, then looked at their other colleagues, who were paying no attention to them. They gave Ye Chen a soft snort and demanded, "Are you trying to bribe us?"

Ye Chen smiled and replied in a low voice in Frost White Language, "I have a scar on my face. It's ugly, and I don't want anyone to see it. Please understand."

As he spoke, he slipped another gold coin into each guard's hand.

"Ahem! All right, you can go." The guards gave a perfunctory cough, then stepped aside to let Ye Chen through.

Every time Ye Chen had entered the city in the past, he'd had to go through much the same exchange.

Though Frost White City was the only major city in the region, the guards' unit was poorly managed, riddled with corruption. Bribing one's way in was easy enough; at worst, you just had to slip them a few more gold coins.

Besides, Ye Chen never spent all the money Lyle gave him. He had no idea where Lyle got such an inexhaustible supply, and Lyle had never bothered to explain. Just use it, and don't ask questions.

And so Ye Chen, a human, successfully blended into Frost White City.

On the wide streets, Frost White People of all kinds came and went. Through a gap between buildings, Ye Chen looked toward the tallest mansion in the city center.

It was a huge, imposing mansion, like a palace. Even from more than ten streets away, Ye Chen could sense its luxury and grandeur. It was the Frost White City Lord's residence.

But after confirming the location of his prey, the first thing the boy did was turn and walk into the alley behind him, heading for the biggest and rowdiest tavern in Frost White City.

Ye Chen had already sketched out a plan for completing the Third Trial, but before putting it into action, he needed to gather information about the Lord.

A tavern, with its motley crowd and endless flow of rumors, was naturally the best place for Ye Chen to investigate.

The boy hoped to learn a great deal there, maximizing the chances of his hunt succeeding and allowing him to bring his Final Trial in the Eternal Winter Hidden Domain to a swift, decisive close.