Passing the Trial

Golden Horn quickly relaxed again. He truly bore no hostility toward the entire Demon Race. His grudge was with the Sirius clan, not the Demon Race as a whole. Besides, as long as his soul was not destroyed, even if something happened to his clone, he could still revive from the Origin Core.

"Relax." Cang Jin spoke softly to Golden Horn. "This is a routine inspection. As long as you bear no ill will, nothing will happen."

Golden Horn nodded.

Tian Hua raised a hand, and a dim blue glow shimmered at his fingertips. It was not dazzling, yet it seemed capable of piercing through everything and reaching the depths of one's soul.

"Look into my eyes." Tian Hua's voice rang in Golden Horn's mind, not through his ears, but directly within his consciousness.

Golden Horn raised his head and met those cloudy yet profound eyes. The next instant, he felt as though an invisible hand had gently lifted his consciousness, while countless thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind.

Where did you come from?—A remote star system, an unnamed mining planet.

Do you harbor hostility toward the Demon Race?—No.

Have you colluded with other races?—No.

Why do you want to join the Monster Hunting Hall?—To become stronger, to gain backing, and to avoid being casually crushed to death again.

Those thoughts flashed by so quickly that even Golden Horn himself had no time to grasp them. Yet he could sense that the "hand" had merely brushed over them lightly. It had not delved deeper, nor had it harmed him.

"Next." Tian Hua shifted his gaze away.

Only then did Golden Horn realize that his back was already drenched in cold sweat.

Cang Jin walked over and patted his shoulder. "It's fine. You passed."

Golden Horn nodded without speaking. He had noticed that Tian Hua gave him one extra look before shifting his gaze away. That look was hard to describe. It did not seem like suspicion, but more like surprise?

Did he discover something? Golden Horn's heart sank slightly, but he did not reveal it.

The soul inspection soon ended. All six passed, and no one was eliminated.

Tian Hua led the six into another secret chamber.

The chamber was not large. Its four walls were covered in densely packed secret patterns, while the dark golden crystal floated in the very center. It emitted a gentle glow that brightly illuminated the entire chamber.

"One for each of you." With a wave of Tian Hua's hand, six crystals floated before the six of them. "Send your Spiritual Force into them, and the secret technique will automatically enter your minds. You have three days to learn it. After three days, we will test you all together."

Golden Horn extended a claw and gently grasped the crystal.

The instant his Spiritual Force entered it, a vast flood of information surged into his mind. It was a soul-defense secret technique called "Soul Armor," created by a World Lord level expert and divided into three layers.

The first layer formed a shield over the surface of the consciousness sea, capable of ignoring soul attacks from spiritual force masters of the same rank.

There was no information on the second and third layers. They had clearly been deliberately hidden, with only the first layer made available to them.

Golden Horn closed his eyes and immersed himself in the stream of information.

He did not actually know how good his comprehension was. But after spending so many years reviewing inherited memories, studying countless secret techniques and arts, and seeing the cultivation insights of the Golden Horned Beast lineage, he at least had some foundation.

Time passed bit by bit.

Golden Horn did not rush to begin. Instead, he repeatedly pondered the technique's core principles. The key to forming the shield lay in precise control over Spiritual Force. First, one had to weave an even membrane of spiritual power over the surface of the consciousness sea, then embed layer upon layer of secret patterns within it. Like engraving arrays onto armor, only then could it withstand external soul impacts.

"The difficult part is engraving the secret patterns. One slight mistake, and the entire shield will collapse." Golden Horn thought to himself.

He began to try.

Spiritual power surged from the depths of his consciousness sea and gradually spread over its surface according to the secret technique's guidance. At first, that spiritual power was like scattered threads that refused to gather together. He tried once, then twice, and every attempt ended in failure. His spiritual power dispersed, his consciousness sea trembled faintly, and waves of stabbing pain spread through it.

But he did not give up.

Golden Horn took a deep breath and recalled the insights regarding "condensation" from his inherited memories. The Golden Horned Beast's body tempering also involved continuously compressing energy until it became indestructible scales. Though the soul and body were different, the principle of "condensing" was the same.

"Don't rush. Take it bit by bit."

He slowed down. Rather than trying to form it all at once, he first wove a small area, then gradually expanded outward. Like weaving cloth, thread by thread, layer upon layer.

After an unknown amount of time, a thin, transparent membrane of light finally appeared over the surface of his consciousness sea.

The membrane was so faint that it was nearly invisible, but Golden Horn could clearly sense its presence. It covered the surface of his consciousness sea like a layer of thin ice, as though it would shatter at the lightest touch.

"Did I form the first layer?"

Golden Horn did not dare relax. He continued driving his spiritual power, carefully reinforcing the membrane. Again and again, like applying paint, he layered it over itself until it changed from something as thin as a cicada's wing into something slightly more substantial.

Next, he began condensing secret patterns onto the membrane. As the first pattern took shape, the entire shield seemed to come alive. Its resilience greatly increased, and it fused more tightly with his consciousness sea.

Three days later, the six gathered again in the assessment hall.

Tian Hua stood at the front, his gaze sweeping across them. "Now, we test the results."

His eyes narrowed slightly, and a deliberately weakened wave of soul impact shot straight at the nearest Scorpion Race youth. The youth let out a muffled groan. A thin shield appeared in his consciousness sea, and though it trembled a few times, it ultimately blocked the impact.

"Pass." Tian Hua nodded.

Next was the Snake Race youth. The instant the mental shockwave struck, his shield lasted only a single breath before shattering. He clutched his head and crouched down, his face deathly pale.

"Fail."

One after another, some passed while others failed. When it was Golden Horn's turn, Tian Hua's gaze became noticeably more focused.

The mental shockwave came crashing in.

The membrane over Golden Horn's consciousness sea merely trembled slightly before returning to calm, like a lake brushed by wind, unchanged after the ripples faded.

A flicker of surprise flashed through Tian Hua's eyes.

"Pass." He paused, then added, "And your shield is more solid than the others'."

Golden Horn remained expressionless.

After the assessment ended, Tian Hua gathered everyone in the center of the hall.

"You have passed three trials." He spoke slowly, his voice as indifferent as ever. "Of the six, Silver Horn and Scorpio have passed. The remaining four are eliminated. From today onward, those who passed officially become core members of the Monster Hunting Hall."

Tian Hua turned toward the other four. "As for you, although you did not pass, your performances were still commendable. Consider the soul secret technique you were just taught an opportunity granted to you by the Monster Hunting Hall. Go back and cultivate diligently. You may come again next year to try."

Hearing that he had passed, Golden Horn inwardly relaxed.

Cang Jin walked to his side and quietly said, "Congratulations!"

Golden Horn nodded. His gaze passed through the hall's window and settled on the gray, hazy sky outside. The wind on Misty Star was cold, but a warm current surged through his heart.

Tian Hua's voice rang out again. "Silver Horn and Scorpio, come with me."