Once I had that thought, I calmed down considerably.
If it wanted to attack, that beast would have done so long ago. It wouldn't have kept circling around me.
Then there was the yellow cloth covering my eyes, with talismans drawn on it.
Fine, it covered my eyes—but why draw talismans on it?
There might be some deeper meaning behind that. Maybe it was meant to protect me.
Of course, maybe I was just guessing wildly.
But no matter what, I had to pass this trial and successfully receive the "blessings" bestowed by Grandmaster.
I stood there without moving a muscle.
No matter how nervous I was, I had to remain as steady as a rock.
Yet that icy touch continued to appear around my feet from time to time.
And I realized something was crawling up my calf.
It coiled around and around me, accompanied now and then by the "hiss, hiss, hiss" of a snake flicking its tongue.
Clearly, that snake hadn't left. It was wrapping around my leg and climbing up my body.
My whole body tensed up...
I could also feel waves of hot, fishy breath blowing toward my face. I could even feel saliva splattering onto it.
A pig's "oink, oink" sounded directly in front of me, seemingly only a few inches away.
It had to be that wild boar breathing onto my face.
The sensation was far too vivid. Even though I couldn't see or touch it, I could imagine the scene.
A huge wild boar, its mouth full of saliva and tusks, breathing right against your face.
The psychological torment was unbearable. That invisible pressure was often even harder to endure.
My palms were slick with sweat, and my breathing had unconsciously become much heavier and more rapid...
That feeling lasted for several