Beyond the Sunset

In the Shrek Academy locker room, Flender flipped through the schedule three times.

There's another match tomorrow.

"We've already secured our qualification." Qin Ming pointed to the standings. "Even if we lose all the remaining rounds, we won't fall out of the top five. Tomorrow's opponent isn't very strong; Tai Long and the others can play."

Flender still frowned.

The divine test only gave Yuan Yu one night to travel from Tian Dou City to the western border of Sunset Forest and then find the Dawn Platform. There could be no delays along the way. However, Yuan Yu had just finished a battle in the lightning array, and his soul power had only broken through to level seventy.

Liu Erlong had already dragged Yuan Yu inside from the doorway.

"Sit down."

"I'm not hurt."

"Your clothes are torn like this, and you call that no injury?"

"It was Yu Tianxin who did it."

"I saw it."

Liu Erlong examined his arm and confirmed that there were only a few Lightning burns before tossing him the medicine bottle. Yuan Yu applied the medicine and reached for the Wine Gourd on the table, but she glared at him and pulled his hand back halfway.

"You dare to drink after just breaking through?"

"Let me smell it."

"Even smelling it is not allowed."

Tang San suppressed a laugh and spread a hand-drawn map on the table.

"The Dawn Platform is located west of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The old monster mentioned it once; there's a golden Crystal Wall there that gathers intense sunlight every morning. Ordinary people would be burned if they got close, so he usually doesn't go there."

"Where is Dugu Bo?" Yuan Yu asked.

A cold snort came from outside the window.

"So you know to call for help when you need me?"

Dugu Bo landed in the room through the window, without even stirring up any dust. He had just finished watching the Thunderclap Battle from the VIP seats and had arrived at the academy after the appearance of the Divine Trial Golden Light.

"There's no place in Sunset Forest that I can't find." He glanced at the map. "Let's go after we finish eating. I'll take you to Dawn Platform; it'll only take two hours."

Flender glanced at the window, then at the front door. "Could we use the door next time?"

"Cannot."

Dugu Bo answered very decisively.

As soon as it got dark, the two left Shrek Academy.

Yuan Yu didn't let anyone else come along. Tang San needed to prepare for the upcoming competition, Xiao Wu and the others also had their own training. Whether the Divine Trial would involve their companions was anyone's guess.

Dugu Bo used his Soul Power to carry him, making their journey several times faster than that of a carriage. The night wind swept past their ears, and the lights of Heaven Dou City quickly disappeared behind them.

After entering the Sunset Forest, two other auras quietly followed.

Azure Luan and Ling Yuan still haven't shown up.

Yuan Yu knew they were there, and a slight smile appeared on his lips as he continued to follow Dugu Bo deeper into the forest.

The forest path at night was not quiet.

Every now and then, beastly eyes would light up in the bushes. Several Hundred-Year Soul Beast sensed Dugu Bo's aura and tucked their tails between their legs, disappearing into the deeper forest. Yuan Yu also saw a silver-white Dawnlight Deer, which stood on a distant rock staring at the Sun Wheel Blade until the Sun Pattern trembled, before turning and leaping into the forest.

A six-thousand-year-old Ghost-Faced Ape swooped down from the treetops, its target the packs on the backs of the two. Dugu Bo didn't even turn his head; the emerald green poisonous mist was already rising along the tree trunks.

The Ghost-Faced Ape twisted its body forcefully in mid-air, landed, and then turned and ran.

Yuan Yu drew his Sun Wheel Blade, and the Wind Pattern caught the food bag it had snatched, pulling the contents back.

Dugu Bo glanced at it. "A six-thousand-year-old Soul Beast, aren't you going to kill it while you're at it?"

"It was just stealing food; it wasn't targeting anyone."

"You're quite soft-hearted."

"If it were someone stealing alcohol, I would chase after them."

Dugu Bo sneered, "No wonder Liu Erlong wouldn't even let you smell it."

How did you know that?

"The commotion your academy makes can be heard throughout half of Heaven Dou City."

Before midnight, the two arrived at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Red and blue spring water surged in the Valley, and the surrounding herbs had sprouted new leaves. As soon as Yuan Yu stepped into the valley, the Water Pattern and Flame Pattern on his Sun Wheel Blade lit up simultaneously.

The two forces, one cold and one hot, circled the Six-Pattern Inner Wheel and finally stopped in front of the unopened Sun Pattern.

The Sun Pattern vibrated gently.

Dugu Bo glanced at him. "Are you going to stop here?"

"No need. The place the Divine Trial pointed to is still in the west."

The two traversed the Valley, continuing their journey through a narrow crevice in the rocks. The path ahead grew increasingly steep, and the color of the rocks changed from grayish-black to pale gold. As dawn approached, a Crystal Wall hundreds of feet high appeared at the edge of the forest.

Many burn marks remain in the cracks of the rocks.

The closer to the west side, the fewer plants there were. A few heat-resistant vines grew close to the rock wall, their leaves shrinking into the crevices during the day and only unfolding at night. As Yuan Yu passed by the vines, the Sun Pattern vibrated three times in a row.

Dugu Bo stopped in his tracks. "The light from Dawn Platform is too intense; we can't stay here long after noon. A ten-thousand-year-old fire lizard once occupied this place, and after three days, only a layer of dry skin remained."

"The Divine Trial kept me there until noon."

"If you feel something is wrong with your meridians, get off the stage immediately. Failing the Divine Trial is better than dying."

Yuan Yu raised his hand and touched the hilt of the sword. "I know."

The Crystal Wall faces east.

Countless natural patterns extend upwards from the bottom, with a protruding circular Stone Platform at the very center. Standing on it, one can see across the entire Sunset Forest and into the distant, still-dark horizon.

"Dawn Platform." Dugu Bo stopped at the edge of the woods. "The temperature here is very high during the day. At noon, even Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast won't come near."

Yuan Yu walked around the Stone Platform.

There are nine natural grooves in the center of the ground, their shape very similar to the Nine-Slot Round Wheel behind the Sun Wheel Blade. Six of the grooves have been filled with minerals of different colors, while the one in the due east direction is made of transparent gold crystal. The remaining two are dark in color, one hidden on the back side of the Stone Platform and the other is just a very shallow hole.

This place seems to have been prepared specifically for Jiuwen.

Dugu Bo also noticed the similarity. "Was it left to you by the Elemental God?"

"It must have existed long before I was born."

"That's where the Divine Trial chose."

Yuan Yu sat cross-legged in the center of the Stone Platform, holding the Sun Wheel Blade horizontally in front of his knees, with the tip pointing directly at the Eastern Golden Crystal.

Dugu Bo placed three medicine bottles outside the Stone Platform: "One bottle replenishes strength, one repairs burns, and the last one is for detoxification. Whether you can drink it during the Divine Trial is up to you."

Yuan Yu took the first two bottles and pushed the antidote back, saying, "There's no poison here."

There is no absolutely non-toxic place in Sunset Forest.

Dugu Bo tossed the medicine bottle back into his arms and turned to walk towards the edge of the Crystal Wall. Yuan Yu didn't argue anymore and put all three medicine bottles into his Soul Tool.

As the first ray of white light appeared in the east, the entire Crystal Wall lit up. Golden light converged upwards along the natural patterns, finally settling in the center of the Dawn Platform.

Divine Sense descended once more.

"Seventh Trial: Six-Pattern Light Conduction"

"From sunrise to noon, the six elements of water, fire, thunder, wind, rock, and rosy clouds receive the Light Origin."

"If the Sun Pattern goes out once, the assessment is failed."

The first ray of sunlight fell on the knife.

Just as Yuan Yu pushed the Flame Pattern to the front, the Sun Wheel Blade suddenly trembled.

Crimson flames shot up several feet high.

The temperature was so high that even Dugu Bo took a step back.