The Trial Ends!

No one?!

His cold eyes swept across the entire cave. Dust and smoke swirled through the small space, yet not a single figure was in sight.

Did that pansy lie to me?

Failing to find the thief who had stolen his Storage Bag, Tang Shun's first thought was that Shen Fan had deceived him.

But on second thought, Shen Fan had no grudge against him. Why go to such lengths just to make an enemy of him?

Unless...

Looking at the motionless wisp of golden wind, Tang Shun's lips curled into a cold smile. Savage, scarlet Sword Qi flickered in his left palm, stirring boundless sharpness.

By now, Qi Yun had transformed into a clear breeze and pressed himself tightly against one wall, frowning at Tang Shun, who had come knocking with murder in mind.

How did he find me? Could there be some kind of tracking mark on that Storage Bag?

The thought flashed through his mind, only for him to dismiss it.

No. If there really was, why did he take so long to catch up?

He tried moving his "body" ever so slightly, attempting to slip through the gap beside Tang Shun, so narrow it practically did not exist.

Yet the instant he moved, the previously motionless wisp of golden wind trembled ever so faintly, like a disturbed water surface. It even seemed to shift a fraction in the direction he was moving!

Could this thing be what led Tang Shun here?

Noticing that unusual movement, Qi Yun tried again. Sure enough, the slightest movement from him made the golden wind move as well.

The larger his movements, the more clearly the golden wind pointed toward him.

I've been locked onto... Qi Yun frowned, his gaze grave.

The Clear Breeze Technique lasted only about an hour. With his current reserves of True Qi, he could cast it at most three more times in succession.

In other words, he could hold out for no more than three hours.

Once time ran out and he lost the Clear Breeze Technique's concealment, Tang Shun would probably mince him on the spot.

"Brother, why not show yourself?" Tang Shun's voice suddenly rang out, echoing through the silent cave with a strange sincerity.

"I know you have a means of concealing yourself, but my Secret Method has locked onto you. Even with wings, you couldn't escape."

As he spoke, he slowly withdrew the terrifying scarlet Sword Qi in his palm. He even stepped aside of his own accord, clearing a little less than half the entrance and revealing the dim light outside.

"Of course, as long as you return my belongings intact, I'll turn around and leave immediately.

"Everything that happened before will be wiped clean. I absolutely won't trouble you.

"What do you say?"

Hearing Tang Shun's words, Qi Yun hesitated and reached for the Storage Bag inside his robes.

His only way out was blocked now.

If he stubbornly held on, he could last only another three hours, not long enough for the trial to end.

Just as Qi Yun wavered over whether to return the Storage Bag, he suddenly looked up at the man before him, whose face was full of sincerity.

His expression was mild, without the slightest trace of savagery.

In particular, a faint smile still hung at the corners of his lips.

At the sight of that kindly, approachable smile, Qi Yun immediately stuffed the half-withdrawn Storage Bag back into his robes.

Damn it, I almost forgot you're a smiling tiger.

The moment I hand it over, my head will probably hit the ground.

Seeing through Tang Shun's feigned surrender, Qi Yun steeled himself. His clear-breeze body clung to the rock wall as though frozen solid, his presence suppressed to the utmost as he struggled to control even the slightest fluctuation of "airflow."

There's still time anyway. Let's see who has more patience.

A deathly silence filled the cave.

Staring into the empty cave, which offered no response, Tang Shun's smile gradually faded. A sinister, vicious glint flashed intermittently in his eyes.

"You refuse the toast only to drink the forfeit! I don't believe you can hide here for the rest of your life!"

With a cold snort, Tang Shun shifted his feet. Like an iron gate, his body once again sealed the only exit completely, leaving not a single gap.

Time ticked away in the suffocating silence.

The light outside the cave gradually brightened from its initial gloom, then slowly dimmed again.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and Qi Xiu once again formed the Method Formula with his fingers and cast the Clear Breeze Technique.

After this casting, his True Qi had completely bottomed out. He could no longer cast any Law Techniques.

In other words, once this Clear Breeze Technique wore off, he would have to face Tang Shun directly.

Meanwhile, Tang Shun was also full of doubts.

Is Shen Fan's Law Technique reliable or not?

Don't tell me he left ages ago, or wasn't even here in the first place, while I've been guarding this place like an idiot, wasting my time.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort brimming with anger and impatience abruptly shattered the deathly silence. Tang Shun swept his sinister gaze over the empty cave one last time, then sharply flicked his sleeve. He actually turned around and strode out of the cave, seething with barely suppressed violence!

He left?!

Seeing Tang Shun leave, Qi Yun raised his brows, and his nerves, stretched to their limit, suddenly relaxed.

I finally outlasted that bringer of disaster.

Relaxing his body a little, Qi Yun made to leave, lest a long night bring more nightmares.

But just as the thought arose and he was about to move...

His steps suddenly halted, and his clear black-and-white eyes turned toward the deserted cave entrance.

Wait, has that smiling tiger... really left?

Could it be a trap?

The moment that thought emerged, it was like a bucket of ice water over his head. Cold sweat immediately broke out across Qi Yun's back.

Wait a little longer!

Retreating to his original spot, Qi Yun not only stayed but did everything he could to suppress his presence, minimizing any sense that he was there.

Under that crushing pressure, another quarter of an hour slowly crawled by.

The cave remained deathly silent, with only dust drifting soundlessly in the faint light.

Whoosh-

Without warning, a figure with murder written across his face suddenly reappeared at the entrance. His coldly gleaming eyes were like knives, chilling anyone who met them to the core.

It was Tang Shun, back again after leaving!

You sneaky little bastard. I knew you hadn't left!

Seeing Tang Shun return, Qi Yun's heart gave a slight jolt. Fortunately, he had been cautious enough not to leave straight away.

Otherwise, he probably really would have fallen into his trap!

Nothing... still nothing.

The last trace of hope in his eyes died completely, leaving only towering rage and the humiliation of being made a fool of.

Tang Shun stared unwillingly at the cave, which still showed no sign of movement, and finally gave up.

Less than four hours remained before the trial ended.

Wasting any more time here was utterly pointless.

"Shen Fan!"

Forcing the name through his teeth, Tang Shun raised a hand, and a blast of Sword Qi shattered the wisp of golden wind hovering in midair.

Then, without another glance, he turned and left, brimming with savage violence. His figure vanished through the entrance once more, even more decisively than before.

He hasn't hidden outside again instead of leaving, has he...?

Having learned his lesson, Qi Yun continued hiding until the Clear Breeze Technique wore off, forcing him to reveal his true form.

With his back against the cold rock wall, Qi Yun silently circulated his cultivation method to recover his True Qi while keeping his eyes fixed on the empty entrance, afraid that the murderous figure would appear again.

Gong-

With the sound of a bronze gong reverberating throughout the valley,

a grand, far-reaching voice, filled with absolute indifference and authority, abruptly rang in the ears of every surviving young cultivator in the valley.

"The trial is over! Everyone, remain where you are and await escort!"