As Lin Jiu contemplated the idea of finding a partner to form a temporary team, the bronze gate began to open gradually.
Everyone entered in a single file. There were twelve people in total, and if nothing went wrong, all twelve should pass this trial smoothly.
Huang Chuan was most known for his benevolence and kindness. After achieving the Dao and becoming immortal, he didn’t break through the void to ascend to the higher realms. Instead, he remained in the mortal world, roaming the continent to eliminate evils and save common people. During his journey, he took on countless disciples and selflessly imparted all his knowledge.
That was a glorious era—Great Ascension cultivators were everywhere, and Soul Transformation cultivators were as common as stray dogs.
Unfortunately, Huang Chuan eventually met his demise. After his death, the war between humans and devils fully erupted. Although the devils were eventually driven south of the rugged mountain range, human forces also suffered a great loss and never recovered their former glory.
The novel described the second trial to be a test of the participants’ resolve to slay evil beings and protect the world. Although Lin Jiu found the reason believable, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. Compared to the other trials, killing a hundred monsters seemed rather dull and unremarkable.
As she pondered, her vision blurred for a moment. Before the changing scenery fully materialized, she was greeted by the sharp scent of the ocean, carried by the damp, chilly breeze that struck her, causing her clothes to billow forcefully. The sky was covered with dark clouds. In front of her eyes stretched a surging black sea, while a seemingly infinite sandy beach extended behind her. With each crashing wave, the sea made a low roar, like the growling of a ferocious beast, ready to devour anyone who came near.
Lin Jiu gripped the glazed crimson sword more tightly and quickly scanned her surroundings. All twelve participants were still in sight. Confronted with the turbulent sea, their expressions varied, with most showing signs of unease.
Qin Yunxi murmured something to Liu Qingyin before walking over to Lin Jiu’s direction, his sword still in its sheath.
“Do you know that we need to kill a hundred sea monsters?” he asked.
Seeing that Lin Jiu ignored him, he added coolly, “I’ll help you.”
Lin Jiu sneered, “Only someone with ulterior motives will offer unsolicited help. Qin Yunxi, don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to me.”
Qin Yunxi’s face turned cold, and he turned his back on her.
The wind and waves soon intensified, and on the distant horizon, it appeared as though small mountains were rising with the waves and crashing toward them.
“Something’s coming!”
Of the nine remaining Wang family members, seven swiftly formed their signature Seven Stars Sword Array. Wang Weizhi, however, remained aloof, standing off to the side with his sword casually in his arms, while Wang Hanling focused solely on connecting his broken bones.
Liu Qingyin’s expression was somewhat conflicted. She didn’t want Lin Jiu to think she was paying attention to her, but she couldn’t help herself and glanced over from time to time.
The crashing sea monsters soon arrived. They were all common sea creatures—turtles, crabs, octopuses—but each one was the size of a calf, pitch-black, covered all over in pustules, and grotesquely terrifying. They rushed onto the shore, shaking off seawater and small fish and other sea creatures, baring their fangs and charging toward the people on the beach.
It was hard to tell if the scene was real or an illusion. Say it was real—it was impossible for Huang Chuan to capture so many sea monsters and keep them alive in this secret for thousands of years. If it were an illusion, the biting cold wind, the warm blood, and the feel of a sword piercing the monsters along with the splattering stench felt all too real.
Lin Jiu shook her head and stopped overthinking it. She couldn’t afford to be distracted—she needed to stay alert for any potential sneak attacks from Qin Yunxi while simultaneously controlling her aura to focus on targeting and killing the weakest sea monsters.
Qin Yunxi controlled his flying sword to assist Lin Jiu, heavily injuring the nearby sea monsters for her to finish off. Each time Lin Jiu killed one, he would immediately follow up and effortlessly kill another—all to ensure that she remained under his eye at all times.
With Qin Yunxi’s help, Lin Jiu easily harvested many kills. Each time she killed one sea monster, a bright, shimmering light would float up and hover above her shoulder.
Before long, her shoulders were densely covered with these glowing orbs.
Time passed gradually.
One of the Wang family members was growing a little impatient. Taking a cautious glance in Wang Weizhi’s direction, he politely asked, “Wang Weizhi, do you know how much longer we have to keep killing these things?”
Wang Weizhi sneered, “Instead of wasting time with such useless questions, it would be better to kill a few more—so you don’t regret it later.”
The young man didn’t dare argue. He nodded awkwardly and went back to killing the sea monsters.
“You only need to kill a hundred sea monsters to pass this trial,” Liu Qingyin suddenly spoke up. Her voice was soft, yet it wasn’t dispersed by the fierce winds and lingered for a long time on the beach.
“Really?” The others looked surprised. Having a clear goal helped settle their hearts. Some had already noticed Liu Qingyin’s exceptional beauty, but because of their opposing sides, their initial impression of her was not favorable. Now, seeing her gentle and kind demeanor, a few young men subconsciously relaxed their guard a bit.
Liu Qingyin didn’t say anything more and continued her slaughter. The moment she reached one hundred kills, the glowing orbs above her shoulder began to swirl and spin, forming a softly glowing door. Without any hesitation, she walked through it, and as the door closed, her figure also vanished from the beach.
The Wang family members no longer had any doubts and started slaughtering the incoming sea monsters with renewed vigor.
One by one, their figures disappeared. Soon, only Lin Jiu, Qin Yunxi, Wang Hanling, Wang Weizhi, and the black crow remained on the beach.
Wang Weizhi’s shoulders were already full of glowing orbs. He intentionally killed only ninety-nine sea monsters, then retreated to some distance, crossing his arms and watching Qin Yunxi with cold eyes.
Although it was Liu Qingyin who revealed how to pass the second trial, someone as clever as Wang Weizhi had long since figured out that her information came from Qin Yunxi. And Qin Yunxi’s close attention to Lin Jiu had also piqued his curiosity.
Lin Jiu could feel Wang Weizhi’s gaze on her. His stare was heavy, as though it had a palpable weight to it. Even though she faced away from him, she couldn’t shake off the unsettling sensation from his penetrating gaze.
‘What a pity!’ She wanted to sigh in melancholy. ‘Such a fine man—how on earth did he end up turning into a lovesick puppy slash a brainless spare tire after falling for Liu Qingyin?’
Lin Jiu shook her head inwardly, then turned her gaze in Wang Hanling’s direction. The young man had just finished reconnecting all his broken bones and was standing crookedly on the beach, his shoulders completely bare of any glowing orbs.
Out of kindness, Lin Jiu called out to him, “Do you need help?”
The moment their eyes met, Wang Hanling shuddered, “N-no! No need! No need!”
Lin Jiu was utterly speechless. From his reaction, you’d think she was about to molest him!
Ignoring the bizarre guy, she refocused on collecting the light orbs. Slashing her glazed crimson sword, she unleashed sharp beams of aura, cutting down the sea monsters as they crashed onto the beach. She had to admit; the feeling was both thrilling and magical—she was thoroughly enjoying herself!
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.