Trial

"Bzzzz—!!!"

Amid an ear-splitting hum, a dazzling pillar of light shot out from the rift, piercing straight into the heavens!

Within the pillar of light, a massive bronze gate slowly emerged, its surface carved with ancient runes.

"The secret realm's gate has opened!"

No one knew who shouted it, but everyone sprang into action at once!

The bronze gate slowly opened, and a terrifying suction force erupted from within, sweeping everyone beneath the rift inside!

Qin Yuan only felt his vision blur as his body was dragged uncontrollably through the gate.

When he opened his eyes again, Qin Yuan found himself standing upon a scarlet-red land.

The sky burned with flames, the ground was searing lava, and the air reeked of sulfur.

Ahead, a lava river roughly a hundred feet wide cut across the land. The only exit lay on the opposite bank.

There was no bridge over the river, only several black stone slabs floating atop the lava, rising and sinking unstably.

"First trial: Trial of Flames." An aged voice echoed between heaven and earth. "Cross the river by stepping on the stone slabs. Those who fall will be eliminated."

Qin Yuan looked around and saw quite a few familiar faces—Chu Wuyue, Yun Qingyao, Zi Ling, Kong Ming, as well as disciples from the various sects. They had all been scattered along the lava riverbank, far apart from one another.

Someone tried to leap across, but the moment he rose three feet off the ground, an invisible force pressed him back down—flying was forbidden here.

"We can only cross on the stone slabs!"

A burly man from the Vajra Sect roared and leaped onto the first slab. It sank slightly, but remained fairly stable. He let out a breath of relief and was about to jump to the second—

"Boom!"

A pillar of fire suddenly burst from the lava river and lunged straight at the burly man!

His face changed drastically. He frantically circulated his protective technique, and golden light spread over his body. The fire pillar slammed into him, making the golden light flicker violently. He grunted and nearly fell into the lava.

"The slabs trigger fire-pillar attacks!" someone cried out.

For a moment, everyone hesitated.

Qin Yuan watched the river surface and extended his Spiritual Sense.

Those black slabs appeared to be scattered at random, but they actually concealed a pattern. Every slab corresponded to a safe moment in time; miss it, and the fire pillar would be triggered.

His figure flashed as he landed on the first slab.

Sure enough, the slab sank slightly, but no fire pillar appeared.

Three breaths later, he leaped onto the second slab.

It was safe as well.

The third slab, the fourth slab, the fifth slab...

Qin Yuan moved as smoothly as drifting clouds and flowing water. Every jump was incomparably precise, as though he had long known where it was safe and when to leap.

On the opposite bank, people from the other sects stared wide-eyed as he crossed the lava river as if walking on level ground.

"Who is that?!"

"A disciple of the Xuan Yuan Sect?! How is that possible?!"

Kong Ming's gaze sharpened. Pressing his palms together, he summoned Buddhist light beneath his feet and began crossing as well.

Though he was not as composed as Qin Yuan, he still advanced steadily.

Zi Ling gritted her teeth and followed. Her movement technique was nimble, and she narrowly avoided several fire pillars.

Chu Wuyue simply used his fleshly body to withstand the fire pillars head-on. Battle intent blazed in his white pupils as he charged forward all the way, smashing through everything in his path.

Clouds and mist swirled around Yun Qingyao. Whenever a fire pillar approached, the mist automatically condensed into an ice shield to block it.

Han Bing and Ye Guying also displayed their own abilities as they struggled onward.

Yet even more people were defeated by the fire-pillar attacks. Screaming, they fell into the lava and turned into white light—the secret realm had teleported them out.

Qin Yuan was the first to reach the opposite bank.

Looking back, fewer than fifty people remained on the lava river.

The second trial took place in a void-like starry sky.

Everyone stood upon a floating platform. Before them lay an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep, with the entrance to the next trial on the other side.

"Second trial: Trial of Consciousness." The aged voice rang out again. "Use Spiritual Sense to condense a staircase and cross the abyss upon it. Those whose Spiritual Sense is insufficient shall fall."

This trial tested the strength of one's Spiritual Sense.

If one's Spiritual Sense was insufficient, one simply could not form a complete staircase. Halfway across, they would fall into the abyss.

"I'll go first!" A disciple from the Spirit Sword Sect snorted coldly. Light shone from between his brows, and his Spiritual Sense formed a transparent staircase three feet wide, extending toward the other side of the abyss.

He stepped onto the staircase and proceeded cautiously.

After crossing one-third of the way, the staircase began to sway. By the halfway point, its edges started crumbling. His face turned pale as he desperately drove his Spiritual Sense, but he ultimately could not hold on. The staircase shattered completely, and he screamed as he plunged into the abyss.

Another person had been eliminated.

After that, disciples from the various sects tried one after another.

Vajra Sect cultivators generally had weaker Spiritual Sense, and most failed halfway through. The Spirit Sword Sect fared slightly better, but only a handful made it across. Zi Ling of the Zi Xiao Sect barely passed, while both of her junior brothers failed.

Kong Ming of Dustless Temple performed exceptionally well. His Spiritual Sense staircase was solid and stable, and he crossed to the other side without difficulty.

It was the Xuan Yuan Sect's turn.

Chu Wuyue possessed powerful Spiritual Sense. Though his staircase was not as solid as Kong Ming's, he passed smoothly as well.

Yun Qingyao's Spiritual Sense was ethereal, her staircase gathered from clouds and mist. She passed too.

Han Bing and Ye Guying had a much harder time. By the time they reached three-quarters of the way, they were already teetering on the brink. In the end, they still gritted their teeth and held on until they crossed.

Finally, it was Qin Yuan's turn.

He did not move immediately. Instead, he observed the width of the abyss—roughly a hundred zhang.

For an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, Spiritual Sense could extend no farther than thirty zhang. To condense a staircase one hundred zhang long required at least peak Golden Core cultivation and outstanding Spiritual Sense talent.

Qin Yuan slowly closed his eyes.

A faint golden light lit up between his brows.

The next moment, a staircase a full zhang wide and as solid as white jade extended from the platform's edge, steadily bridging the abyss to the other side!

Fine patterns even appeared across the staircase's surface, as though it had truly been carved from jade.

The entire area fell deathly silent.

"Th-this... what kind of Spiritual Sense strength is that?!"

"How could someone at the Golden Core stage possess Spiritual Sense this solid?!"

For the first time, a look of shock appeared in Kong Ming's eyes.

Qin Yuan stepped onto the staircase, his pace steady as if he were walking on flat ground. When he reached the other side, he even had the spare strength to glance back—the staircase remained stable, without the slightest sign of crumbling.

The second trial eliminated more than half the remaining participants.

Only twenty people remained.

The third trial was a mirrored space.

Before every person stood a figure identical to themselves.

"Third trial: Trial of Self." The aged voice said, "Defeat your mirror image to pass."

The mirror images possessed the same cultivation, techniques, and battle awareness as their originals. The only difference was that they were pure fighting machines, without emotion and without flaws.

Almost the instant the voice fell, the mirror images moved!

"Bang!"

Chu Wuyue exchanged a punch with his mirror image, and both were forced back. Battle intent burned in his white pupils. "Interesting! Fighting myself is what makes it exciting!"

Elsewhere, Yun Qingyao and her mirror image simultaneously unleashed cloud-and-mist techniques, shrouding the entire space in mist.

Han Bing and his mirror image launched an ice-element assault against each other, frost energy spilling in all directions.

Ye Guying and his mirror image became two black shadows, madly pursuing and slaughtering each other through the space.

Zi Ling and her mirror image clashed with daggers, purple light flashing as danger lurked at every turn.

Kong Ming and his mirror image engaged in a contest of Buddhist divine abilities, Buddhist light illuminating all around.

Everyone was locked in a bitter battle.

The mirror images knew their originals too well. Every attack was anticipated, every defense broken. This was a battle of attrition, testing who would make the first mistake and who would exhaust themselves first.

Qin Yuan looked at the mirror image before him.

The mirror image looked back at him. Its gaze was hollow, yet filled with icy killing intent.

"You can copy my techniques and copy my cultivation," Qin Yuan said slowly, "but there are some things you cannot copy."

As his words fell, he moved.

There was no flourish, no probing—only a simple punch.

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