Ten Thousand Manifestations Nine Trials

When the words "Ten Thousand Manifestations Nine Trials" fell, Yuan Yu nearly landed on his backside.

Luckily, he was still holding his blade.

The Sun Wheel Blade propped him up and slowly drew the nine shafts of divine light into its nine patterns.

The Soul Power that had been boiling inside Yuan Yu was sealed away, layer by layer.

His level-twenty Soul Power had not vanished.

It had merely been sealed within the blade's nine patterns.

Qian Daoliu understood.

"His Soul Power is sealed, to be released through the Divine Trials."

Bibi Dong's expression darkened.

This was more than an opportunity.

It was a shackle, too.

From this day on, every step Yuan Yu took would require him to pass a Divine Trial.

The gods had given him a path, but they had also placed him in the most dangerous position.

The Water God's Divine Sense descended, taking the form of an azure mark that hovered before Yuan Yu's brow.

"First of the Ten Thousand Manifestations Nine Trials: Water Pattern Awakening."

Yuan Yu had not even recovered yet.

"It starts now?"

The Water God's voice was gentle.

"Divine Trials do not wait for you to sober up."

Yuan Yu's eyes widened.

"Senior, that's not a very kind thing to say to a six-year-old."

The Wind God laughed delightedly.

The Water God continued, "Your task is to enter the Water God's Illusion, save innocents from an uncontrollable flood, and find water's true heart between violence and protection."

"Reward: a God-given Spirit Ring bestowed by the Water God."

"Reward: Water Element Control."

"Failure: the Water Pattern falls dormant, and the Ten Thousand Manifestations Nine Trials end."

At the word "failure," Yuan Yu's smile faded a little.

It did not mean death.

But it meant the end.

The path he had just fought for could be cut short at the very first step.

Ling Yuan grew anxious.

"He's only just awakened. He hasn't even learned how to use his Soul Power."

The Water God said, "The illusion will suppress his strength. It judges not his power, but his choices."

Bibi Dong said coldly, "He still needs time to prepare for those choices."

The Fire God said, "The Water God's trial is the gentlest."

The Darkness God chuckled. "Gentle doesn't necessarily mean easy."

Yuan Yu raised his head.

He saw Bibi Dong and Ling Yuan standing in front of him.

Azure Luan said nothing, but his hand had settled at his side.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were no longer laughing either.

A sudden warmth filled Yuan Yu's chest.

Spirit City had more than high walls.

It had people willing to stand before him.

But no one else could take this step for him.

Yuan Yu tightened his grip on the hilt.

"I'll go."

Bibi Dong looked at him.

"Think carefully."

"I have." Yuan Yu smiled. "Besides, if I say no now, I bet all you seniors will think I'm a coward."

Ling Yuan scolded him. "You're still joking at a time like this?"

"If I stop, I'll be even more scared."

That was the truth.

Ling Yuan had no answer.

Azure light spread from Yuan Yu's brow.

Qian Daoliu called out, "Hold fast to yourself."

Azure Luan said, "Don't push yourself too hard."

Chrysanthemum Douluo said, "Little Yuan Yu, come back and steal more wine."

Ling Yuan glared at him. "Stop being a bad influence."

Yuan Yu could not help laughing.

The next instant, blue light swallowed him.

The Awakening Hall vanished.

The roar of rain battered his ears.

Icy water struck his face.

The moment Yuan Yu opened his eyes, a wave knocked him underwater.

He swallowed a mouthful of water and thrashed his way back to the surface.

His first words were not a cry for help.

"Where's my Wine Gourd?"

He felt at his waist.

Gone.

In the Water God's Illusion, he had only the white clothes on his back and his Sun Wheel Blade.

Yuan Yu coughed twice.

"Senior, a trial is one thing, but taking my Wine Gourd is going too far."

No one answered.

Cries for help came from the distance.

Yuan Yu looked up, and his expression changed at once.

Beneath a gray sky, a small city was being swallowed by floodwaters.

Its streets had become waterways.

Beams, roof tiles, and rubble tumbled through the water.

Someone stood on a rooftop holding a child.

An old man was stranded on the remains of a broken wall.

Several children clung to an overturned wooden cart, their voices hoarse from crying.

The Water God's voice came through the rain.

"Save them."

Yuan Yu asked, "How many people are there?"

"Save as many as you can."

"Are there enemies?"

"The flood is your enemy."

Yuan Yu looked down at his blade.

This was not the Divine Trial he had imagined.

There were no spirit beasts.

No opponents.

No one stepping forward to say, Defeat me and you win.

There was only the flood.

And the people in it.

He gripped the Sun Wheel Blade tighter.

A faint light glimmered in the Water Pattern.

His Soul Power was suppressed.

His innate level-twenty strength was of no use.

Of the nine patterns, only the Water Pattern still responded.

Yuan Yu understood.

This trial was not about how gifted he was.

It was about whether, in the water, he reached out with his blade first or his hand.

"What a pain," he muttered.

Then he charged into the flood.

On his first step, the current nearly swept him away.

Yuan Yu grabbed a wooden beam, but the water dragged him backward.

His shoulder struck a corner of the wall, and he grimaced in pain.

"This illusion really doesn't hold back."

The Water God's voice remained calm.

"The pain is real."

"You could've told me sooner!"

Yuan Yu had no time to argue.

On the nearest rooftop, a woman held a child in her arms. The tiles beneath her feet were already coming loose.

Yuan Yu used the beam to float toward her.

"Don't be afraid! I'm coming!"

When the woman saw that her rescuer was a child, the hope that had lit her eyes dimmed again.

Yuan Yu understood the look.

He bristled a little.

"Don't look at me like that. I may be small, but I've got a trustworthy face."

The child cried even louder.

Yuan Yu sighed.

"Fine. My face isn't helping."

He swung his blade at the current.

The first stroke raised nothing but a splash.

Useless.

The Water God said, "You're trying to cut water."

Yuan Yu wiped his face.

"What else am I supposed to cut?"

"Water has no fixed shape."

Yuan Yu paused.

Water had no fixed shape.

He could not simply hack at it.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and fragments of the Breathing Style surfaced in his mind.

Water Breathing was not about brute force.

It was about moving with the current.

About flowing.

About borrowing its strength.

Yuan Yu swung his blade again.

This time, its edge traced an arc along the current.

The Water Pattern lit up.

His stroke diverted a small surge, sending it around the rooftop.

Yuan Yu's eyes brightened.

"So that's how it works."

He began rescuing people.

With the first stroke, he turned aside a wave.

With the second, he pushed a floating beam up to the eaves.

With the third, he used the current to support the woman and child.

The child clung to the beam, crying.

Yuan Yu gave them a push.

"Hold tight. Don't let go."

The woman turned back and shouted her thanks.

Yuan Yu had no time to answer.

On the other side, half of a pharmacy had collapsed.

An elderly pharmacist lay pinned beneath a beam, the water already up to his chest.

Yuan Yu swam over and tried to pry the beam up with his blade.

It wouldn't budge.

He tried another way.

He summoned two currents to support the beam, then cut through the corner of a cabinet wedged against it.

The beam came loose.

The pharmacist was free. With trembling hands, he pressed a packet of Poison into Yuan Yu's hand.

Yuan Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Sir, I came to save people, not stock up on supplies."

The pharmacist could only keep saying thank you.

Yuan Yu stopped smiling.

Those two words were quiet.

But they felt more real than any reward from a Divine Trial.

He turned and rushed to the next place.

A schoolhouse.

More than a dozen children were trapped on the roof beams.

They were too frightened to move.

Yuan Yu used currents to lift tables and chairs, making a shaky path.

"Whoever comes over first, I'll admit they're braver than me."

One child crawled toward him, crying.

Then a second.

Then a third.

By the time the last child was safely away, splinters had cut Yuan Yu's palm.

He shook out his hand.

It hurt.

But he could still hold his blade.

So he kept going.

Outside the illusion, in the Awakening Hall.

Yuan Yu stood motionless, eyes shut tight, the pale-blue mark between his brows flashing without pause.

Ling Yuan watched cold sweat bead on his forehead, her fingers clenched until they turned white.

Bibi Dong said nothing.

A thin crack had appeared in the stone tile beneath the Scepter.

Azure Luan said quietly, "He's saving people."

Ling Yuan gritted her teeth.

"He's still a child himself."

Azure Luan did not argue.

Inside the illusion.

As Yuan Yu saved the nineteenth person, a muffled boom sounded in the distance.

A giant beast formed of water rose from the flood.

It had no fixed shape. It looked like a wolf, then like a flood dragon.

Broken wood and stones churned inside its body as it charged straight toward a raised platform.

The platform was crowded with children who had just been rescued.

The Water God's voice rang out.

"Killing and protecting are not opposites."

"Now, cut it down."

Yuan Yu tightened his grip on his blade.

The Water Pattern shone a brilliant blue.

He raised his head and let out a breath.

"Fine."

"Then I'll cut it down."