No matter how disdainful and arrogant the shadow acted, he couldn't hide his panic.
At this sight, Lin Chuan's lips curled into a smile. He said mildly:
"You grow stronger by feeding on the negative emotions I produce, don't you?"
"You're not dealing with me now. Is it because you haven't gained enough strength from me and are afraid you won't be able to maintain this form next time?"
"You grow stronger by feeding on my negative emotions, and now you can control some of them. What happens after that?"
"Do you want to take control, become me, and replace me? You want to escape this space."
By this point, Lin Chuan could tell from the other's expression that he was right.
Everything the shadow said and did was meant to instill fear and pressure.
He wanted Lin Chuan to give up struggling, and tried to throw him off with other methods, testing what might stir his emotions. That was undoubtedly suspicious.
He hadn't wasted his time reading novels before he crossed over. Before taking the first trial, he had also crammed on illusion trials.
Looking at the shadow's twisted, ugly face, Lin Chuan's expression was mocking. He wasn't afraid in the slightest, nor was he flustered. He said:
"You're not me. You're not as handsome as I am, and your presence is weaker. Your behavior is disgusting, like a maggot."
"At the end of the day, you're just a piece of junk made by taking a sliver of my emotions and mixing it with garbage energy, right?"
The shadow had been given intelligence, but not much of a brain. Every emotion he wanted to express was written all over his face.
It made it hard for Lin Chuan not to figure him out.
Lin Chuan didn't have a cheat that let him know what his opponent was thinking, like the shadow did, but it made no difference whether he had one or not.
Even if he guessed wrong this time, he could make a few more guesses next time. The shadow's expression would tell him the answer.
But the shadow wasn't nearly as confident and composed as Lin Chuan.
Hearing the other's assessment of him, his expression froze for an instant, and shock filled his eyes.
"What? Wasn't it obvious you're brainless?"
"You think you're powerful, but what use is strength on its own? You're still nothing but a brainless beast."
"Like pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep—you'll be slaughtered at someone else's hand."
At the heart of Asura's judgment lay indifference: having feelings, but not being bound by affection.
It wasn't the traditional idea of being utterly heartless, nor did it require people to sever their seven emotions and six desires.
The purpose of the Nine Asura Trials might be to instill the right values in the inheritor.
What they required was reason, composure, and decisiveness—the ability to correctly judge good and evil in both sides of a conflict, even amid a tangle of emotions.
This was far better than the Angel God's trials, not only in terms of the divine position, but also the contents of the trials.
Judging good and evil—perhaps the two gods stood directly above and below each other.
The Angel God judged humanity, while the Asura God judged the gods.
Having lived two lifetimes, Lin Chuan had long since stopped letting his emotions control him.
He had been capable of feeling affection without being bound by it ever since birth, and he still was.
He wouldn't be held back by family ties, because he had never truly accepted anyone, not from the beginning.
His nature meant that he could never fully trust anyone but himself.
Nor would friendship hold him back. His nature meant that no one could ever claim a place in his heart.
So the composure required by the judgment in this first trial—the ability to stay calm amid a swirl of conflicting emotions—was precisely what he possessed and excelled at most!
As the shadow stared in shock, a pair of soul-piercing eyes suddenly appeared behind Lin Chuan.
Giratina's enormous form loomed in the darkness, radiating immense pressure.
"You... are asking for death!"
The shadow roared through gritted teeth, furious. His legs bent slightly, and his figure shot forward in an instant.
Faced with those ordinary words, delivered as calmly as ice, he felt fear.
Why?
Why did he know all this?
This time, even though the other was faster and stronger than him, Lin Chuan remained utterly calm.
As Giratina's full figure appeared in the space, seven Spirit Rings surfaced beneath Lin Chuan's feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, and red.
The seventh Spirit Ring, a blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Ring, unleashed an irresistible pressure in an instant.
At the same time, the shadow rushed up to Lin Chuan and swung a vicious punch.
"Boom—!"
A sound like a thunderous bell rang through the space, and Lin Chuan was sent flying just as before.
But this time, he felt no pain at all. He hadn't suffered so much as a scratch.
The shadow, on the other hand, grew more and more terrified as Lin Chuan's emotions suddenly shifted. His strength had become feeble.
He gradually sensed his strength waning. That feeling of weakness, of having no strength left, grew stronger by the moment.
Sensing his power slipping away, he went mad with fury. His eyes bloodshot, he glared at Lin Chuan in the distance, who remained unharmed, his gaze brimming with boundless hatred and murderous intent.
But soon, he recalled the rules the trial had set for him.
As long as he killed the other, he would maintain the form he had at the start.
After that, even if he made the other feel any negative emotions, his strength wouldn't increase any further.
But if he kept killing the other at the beginning, he might have a chance...
To hell with it. As long as... as long as he could survive right now!
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! This is all your fault... all your fault!"
"I'll make you wish you were dead and unable to die!"
The shadow had lost any capacity for rational thought. He was consumed by fear and rage.
Even if he killed Lin Chuan in this trial, the next time Lin Chuan came, he might be a Soul Douluo.
The shadow's strength was only twice Lin Chuan's current strength. It wouldn't change as Lin Chuan grew stronger later.
Eventually, he would die.
His upper limit was fixed, and his lower limit depended on how rational and composed his opponent was.
As long as the opponent didn't let their emotions control them, he would grow weaker and weaker until he was killed.
By the time Lin Chuan figured this out, the shadow had become scarcely human. He could no longer even maintain his basic shape.
The first Asura trial was nothing more than a test of temperament, meant to embody judgment and slaughter.
With the situation reversed, the scales of advantage in the space had tilted completely in Lin Chuan's favor.
At first, his five senses had been sealed away. Now he could use his Martial Soul and Spirit Bones, and he was no longer restricted in any fundamental way. The shadow, on the other hand, couldn't even maintain his basic shape.
He had lost.
Dragging his aching body, Lin Chuan walked toward the shadow step by step, his aura rising steadily.
"Is this all you've got?"
"If you can't satisfy me now, you can disappear."
As he finished speaking, Lin Chuan's Sixth Soul Ring flashed.
Giratina roared behind him. A gigantic claw mark of evil energy, dozens of meters long, instantly descended with the force of wind and thunder, shrieking through the air.
At the same time, a giant claw made of evil energy covered Lin Chuan's right hand. He swept it fiercely forward.
A purple-black claw mark, four or five meters long, followed with a tearing shriek, raking toward the shadow.
The two attacks, one large and one small, struck the shadow in succession, unleashing an earth-shaking roar.
Wave after wave of shockwaves spread in every direction, whipping Lin Chuan's hair and robes into the air.
After a long while, the shockwaves faded and the space fell quiet again. Then a loud voice suddenly rang out:
"Your killing intent isn't pure enough. However, this trial is chiefly about judgment. Composure can be the key to victory at any time. That is the way to survive."
"First Asura Trial: Passed!"