Trial Complete

After leaving the office, Xuan Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

He returned to the dormitory, quickly packed his things, then left the city and headed for the village.

By the time he returned to his shabby little house, it was already dark. He ate a little, then slipped into the space early to cultivate.

Tonight felt especially different. Soul Power surged through his body like a sea as he calmly circulated the Chaos Yin-Yang Canon, frantically absorbing the Soul Power in the space.

After who knew how long, a crisp sound came from within him, as if something had shattered.

His Soul Power surged, and he successfully broke through to level ten.

At the same time, a dignified voice rang out in his mind.

[Azure Dragon God Trial, First Trial: Reach level ten Soul Power within one year. Completed]

[Reward: Purification of the Azure Dragon bloodline.]

[Trial period: one year. Time taken: half a year. Completed ahead of schedule. Extra reward: one use of a God King-level Azure Dragon phantom's power!]

Before Xuan Qing could react, the voice continued.

[Azure Dragon God Trial, Second Trial: Reach level twenty Soul Power within two years and master one Self-Created Soul Skill.]

[Reward: Innate Soul Power increased by one level!]

[Failure penalty: Annihilation!]

"What the hell is that?"

"Ahhh!"

Xuan Qing had barely muttered the words when a sudden, searing pain struck him. He felt as if his whole body were about to explode. Fine beads of blood seeped from his skin, and in the blink of an eye, he was drenched in blood.

The Green Scale Python phantom appeared behind him of its own accord, letting out a pained hiss. Its body began to twist and change shape as its scales fell away one by one, only to grow back anew.

Xuan Qing writhed on the ground in agony, nearly passing out. After who knew how long, the hissing turned into a deep, resonant dragon's roar, and the Green Scale Python was utterly transformed.

Its body resembled a snake, its head a Qilin, its tail a carp's. Long whiskers sprouted from its face, its horns resembled a deer's, and its five claws were razor-sharp. The half-dragon, half-snake monstrosity had become an Azure Dragon!

The Azure Dragon phantom threw back its head and roared. Its dragon's roar shook the space until it trembled. It shot into the sky, and thunder boomed all around as vast banks of dark clouds gathered overhead, covering an area a hundred meters wide.

A light drizzle began to fall, then turned in the blink of an eye into a torrential downpour. The rain washed over Xuan Qing, and his wounds healed rapidly.

The pain quickly faded. Xuan Qing lay on the ground, staring blankly at the scene.

"This... is this the Azure Dragon's ability to summon clouds and rain?" The rain was falling, even if it only covered a hundred meters.

Little Qilin bounded over from the side, its body suddenly beginning to grow. In the blink of an eye, it went from palm-sized to the size of a foal.

An Auspicious Cloud rose beneath its feet, carrying it into the air until it floated beside the Azure Dragon phantom.

Watching the scene, Xuan Qing murmured, "The Qilin treads on Auspicious Clouds, and all the world's woes vanish?"

The Qilin turned to look at him, its gaze seeming to say, You've finally earned my approval.

Then both returned to Xuan Qing's body, and he felt two powerful forces within him.

Xuan Qing walked over to the altar and looked at the long spear planted in the ground. Before, he hadn't been able to pull it free no matter how hard he tried.

Now he gripped the shaft with his right hand. The spear gave a soft hum, then turned into a streak of light and merged into his right hand.

Information instantly surfaced in his mind. Xuan Qing paused for a moment.

"The Azure Sky Demon-Breaking Spear? What a domineering name."

He carefully sensed the spear's abilities. "Isn't this a little too overbearing?"

Effect one: Ignores all defenses.

Effect two: If the enemy bears the aura of an Azure Dragon, damage is doubled.

Effect three: Bound to its owner! If anyone else tries to seize it by force, their life force will drain by a percentage and be returned to Heaven and Earth.

Xuan Qing's expression turned a little strange.

The Qilin Seal had a similar protective mechanism, but all it did was transform into a mountain and crush the offender—just look at a certain monkey for reference.

But the Azure Sky Demon-Breaking Spear was all about killing its target. If the Qilin Seal's protection was a relatively gentle numerical penalty, then the Azure Sky Demon-Breaking Spear split the difference between that and a full-on numerical death sentence.

Gentle? Not a chance. Every bit of it was meant to take a life.

He scratched his head. As he understood it, the Azure Dragon should have been the wise one among the others.

Why did this Azure Dragon feel even more hot-tempered than the Vermilion Bird and the White Tiger?

"Wait!"

Xuan Qing suddenly noticed something.

"Life force drains and is returned to Heaven and Earth? Could that be a wise one's kind of mercy?"

With a thought, the Azure Sky Demon-Breaking Spear appeared in his hand. Its shaft was blue-green, gleaming with a metallic sheen.

Cold light glinted along the spearhead. It looked razor-sharp, and Xuan Qing gave it a few casual swings.

He'd never learned how to use a spear, but he'd never eaten pork, yet he'd seen pigs run, hadn't he? Surely he could manage a few random flourishes.

He summoned the Qilin Seal, too. The great seal now felt extremely easy to wield, moving as naturally as an extension of his arm. It had felt a little stiff before, but now he could hurl it with a mere thought.

Xuan Qing nodded in satisfaction. When he left the space, he found that it was already broad daylight.

He greeted the village chief. "Uncle, I'm heading back to the city."

The village chief was feeding the chickens. He looked up and replied with a smile, "Stay safe."

Xuan Qing waved, then turned toward Tianyuan City. He needed to buy supplies and prepare to hunt for a Soul Ring.

After entering the city, he headed straight to a general store and bought thirty days' worth of dry rations and a waterskin. He didn't need anything else; there was still a soft bed in his space.

So he didn't need to worry about where to sleep. If he ran into danger, he could simply hide inside. But there was no food or water in there, so he had to stock up beforehand.

He was going to the Star Dou Forest. The Soul Hunting Forest wouldn't do; it had too few kinds of Soul Beasts, and they were too low in age.

He was looking for an over-five-hundred-year-old draconic Soul Beast with a wood or lightning attribute. One with both would be ideal!

Soul Beasts like that were hard to deal with. The Soul Hunting Forest wouldn't allow anything like them to exist there; he needed a wild Soul Beast forest.

Xuan Qing didn't set out during the day. He waited until nightfall, then quietly left the city.

That was because he could fly now. The evolution of his Azure Dragon Martial Soul and the complete fusion of his Qilin Martial Soul had granted him a new ability.

He could not only fly through the air, but also ride Auspicious Clouds like a Qilin. They felt soft beneath his feet, and they weren't slow, either.

Flying during the day would make him far too conspicuous. At this time, only Titled Douluo could fly without wings. If anyone saw him, there was a good chance he'd attract unwanted attention—and with his scrawny little body, he couldn't handle that yet.

Besides, getting to the Star Dou Forest meant crossing the Tianyuan Abyss. As for walking over the chain bridge himself? No way. He was afraid of heights; his legs turned to jelly the moment he stepped onto it. Flying straight across would save him the trouble.

Xuan Qing found a secluded corner. With a thought, an Auspicious Cloud rose beneath his feet. He climbed onto it gingerly, and it carried him slowly into the sky.

"Pretty steady."

Xuan Qing breathed a sigh of relief and guided the cloud toward the Tianyuan Abyss. Beneath the night sky, a blurry shadow swept over the city walls.

When he flew above the abyss, Xuan Qing instinctively glanced down. The depths were pitch-black, impossible to see through.

He quickly looked ahead, his heart fluttering with fear, and sped up to get past the cursed place. Even after landing, his legs felt a little weak.

Xuan Qing patted his chest and set off toward the Star Dou Forest. Over the next two days, he slept during the day and traveled at night. The Auspicious Cloud wasn't very fast; the main problem was that he was too weak to fly any faster.

When he got hungry, he gnawed on dry rations. When he got thirsty, he drank water. When he got tired, he simply went into the space and slept soundly.

The Star Dou Forest looked close, but flying there still took time. Fortunately, there was no rush.