Chapter 293: The Five Trials
Within the Heavy Rain Realm’s trial secret realm, at a certain moment, the Endless Saintess’s mind froze, her thoughts ceasing.
She felt a chilling dread, despair, confusion, a cold, incomprehensible power, its limits unfathomable.
Compared to this presence, the auras of the Ice Congealing Realm and the Yin Lake Palace were as insignificant as fireflies before the moon.
And at this moment, even more frantic than the Endless Saintess herself, was the being residing within her soul…
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
Screams, wails, cries of despair and pleas for mercy. The Endless Saintess was almost deafened by her own spirit beast’s cries, her own situation, blood trickling from her orifices, not much better.
The only certainty was that this trial… was a death trap.
Just what kind of realm… had sent such a monster…?
As this drama unfolded in the Endless Swamp, a blue-haired, teardrop-eyed girl with a calm aura entered the secret realm.
A vast expanse of white, a hazy mist, a sea of clouds.
This was the Heavy Rain Realm’s trial secret realm, the Endless Cloud Sea!
Gong Lianyue, her expression curious, reached out and touched the white mist, the soft vapor swirling around her fingers like a delicate cloud, a dreamlike sensation.
Unlike the White Velvet Snow Forest, the Winter Floating Sky’s battlefield secret realm, designed for pure combat, this was a trial secret realm, meant to test a spirit beast’s strength and rank.
The most famous example was the Soul Prison Trial, essentially a massive trial secret realm, awarding rewards based on performance and level cleared.
Shui Huangyou had already provided information about the Endless Cloud Sea.
The five trials within were: the Eye of the Clouds, the Sword of the Clouds, the Tablet of the Clouds, the Sea of Clouds, and the Cliff of the Clouds.
The Eye of the Clouds: Discern the truth amidst the mist.
The Sword of the Clouds: Hone your skills in battle.
The Tablet of the Clouds: Decipher the secrets of the lost inscription.
The Sea of Clouds: Purify your spirit energy within the endless clouds.
The Cliff of the Clouds: Endure divine might in the face of certain death.
With a time limit of 100 hours, the Heavy Rain Realm’s passing standard was clearing the first difficulty level of at least three trials.
It sounded simple, but the actual pass rate was incredibly low.
The difficulty of the five trials increased in order. It was said that the Cliff of the Clouds had stumped countless geniuses, 99% unable to even clear its first level.
The easiest was the Eye of the Clouds, a test of reflexes, skill, perception, intelligence, and intuition.
The Sword of the Clouds supposedly granted a special form of spirit energy burst, testing a Spirit Master’s burst potential.
The Tablet of the Clouds supposedly contained a hidden Lost Scroll, testing a Spirit Master’s cultivation aptitude.
The Sea of Clouds tested a Spirit Master’s spirit energy density and purity, supposedly offering great benefits to those who cleared it.
And finally, the Cliff of the Clouds tested a Spirit Master’s aura…
Aura, for Spirit Masters below the Nether Traverse Stage, was an abstract concept. Many couldn’t even sense an enemy’s killing intent, let alone project their own.
Unlike Saint-rank spirit beasts, who instinctively understood how to use their auras and exert pressure, most Spirit Masters never even grasped the concept.
Saint-rank spirit beasts could use their auras to crush lower-ranked spirit beasts, a technique known as aura suppression.
Incidentally, the trial participants could fight each other at any time, any place, regardless of numbers or methods.
Death was considered the lowest possible passing grade, essentially a failure.
Even if they cleared three trials, dying meant disqualification.
Therefore, Gong Lianyue was certain that no Sea Region Spirit Master could possibly pass. They wouldn’t even last a second against the Heavy Rain Realm Spirit Masters.
And now, as the trial was about to begin, besides Hong Xiaoqianyu and the Shadowlurking Blade, Night’s Executioner, only she and the two Saint-rank girls who were exempt from the preliminaries remained…
As the trial’s start approached, a thick white mist filled the secret realm, obscuring everything.
At the same time, the Sea Region preliminaries concluded, with a total of seven participants passing.
One from the Winter Floating Sky, one from the Pool of Hidden Secrets, Hong Xiaoqianyu and the Shadowlurking Blade, and, at the last minute, one each from the Cold Court and the Ice Shield Palace, along with Gong Lianyue, the Sorrowful Saintess, from the Sea Concubine Palace.
It seemed the last two had only barely passed due to Shui Huangyou’s… minor injury.
Had the Shadowlurking Blade’s attack been too strong? Gong Lianyue wondered, slightly worried.
However, this secret realm trial was connected to 33 different water-related realms. The Sea Region’s ranking, if not at the very bottom, was still very low. A complete wipeout was almost guaranteed.
And if they did manage to pass, she hoped it wouldn’t expose her identity!
[Endless Cloud Sea, Trial Commencing.]
[Current Participants: 409]
[Time Limit: 100 hours]
[Note: A legendary water-type young spirit beast will be wandering randomly among the five trials. It will be disguised as various wild spirit beasts of different types and ranks. It might even slip right past you. Be careful~~~]
[Begin!]
Swish, swish, swish—
The moment the command was given, before the Sea Region participants could react, three figures vanished.
Gong Lianyue, the Sorrowful Saintess, Hong Xiaoqianyu, and a shadowy figure, all disappeared in an instant, like streaks of light.
They were so fast that the four remaining girls stood there, stunned and confused.
Shouldn’t they be sticking together?
But judging by the residual trails, they had each gone to a different trial area.
What if they were eliminated?
However, Hong Xiaoqianyu and the Shadowlurking Blade, Night’s Executioner, had only been instructed to clear the trial and reach the Heavy Rain Realm. They didn’t understand the concept of teamwork.
In other words, the strength or weakness of other beings was irrelevant to a legendary being.
After all, the number of life forms they could even sense in this secret realm could be counted on one hand…
Chapter 294: Please Allow Me to Commit Suicide
–Trial Secret Realm, Endless Cloud Sea
Within the vast, misty expanse of the Endless Cloud Sea, a group of Spirit Masters in wave-patterned robes cautiously made their way through the dense fog, their footsteps light, their senses alert, constantly scanning their surroundings.
Their vision was completely obscured, unable to pierce the thick mist, unsure if enemies lurked nearby, every move a potential risk.
Above them, a crystalline, ice elemental figure, the high-rank Crystal King, floated, guarding them against surprise attacks.
“Ah! Look over there!!”
Suddenly, a cute girl with twintails pointed towards the distance, startling her companions.
Following her finger, they saw a strange, swirling, mist-covered eye floating a hundred meters above the ground, radiating a mysterious aura.
The first trial, the Eye of the Clouds…!!!
Without a map, without any visibility, they had stumbled upon the easiest trial. Such incredible luck!
Assuming it would be a piece of cake, the blue-robed girls exchanged excited glances, and the twintailed girl sent the Crystal King ahead.
However, as the Crystal King approached, dispersing the mist, a blue figure came into view, and the girl’s excitement turned to panic.
The Ice Congealing Realm!?
Wait, no…
The figure’s vibrant blue outfit had initially resembled those worn by the Ice Congealing Realm.
After a few seconds of terror, she realized that although the girl was also dressed in blue, it wasn’t the Ice Congealing Realm’s uniform.
The girl wore a wave-patterned robe, similar in style to those of the Ice Congealing Realm, her long, water-blue hair flowing and shimmering like water, occasionally phasing through her clothes, radiating a calm and gentle aura.
So it wasn’t from the Ice Congealing Realm. That was a relief…
For them, trial participants from the insignificant Flowing Water Sect, encountering a Spirit Master from the Ice Congealing Realm or the Yin Lake Palace would be a death sentence, a guaranteed annihilation.
Fortunately, it wasn’t from the Ice Congealing Realm!
Their anxiety fading, the eight Flowing Water Sect Spirit Masters exchanged glances, then relaxed, walking towards the blue-haired girl.
Meanwhile, the blue-haired girl with downcast eyes, her robe billowing, was studying the misty eye in the sky.
She had been trapped here for about half an hour, unable to find a solution.
All her attempts to use her spirit energy had been like stones sinking into the sea, without a ripple.
Sensing the Crystal King and the approaching Spirit Masters, Gong Lianyue shook her head, her gaze fixed on the Eye of the Clouds.
Ninety-nine hours remained in the trial. Spending some time studying this wouldn’t hurt.
However, the Flowing Water Sect Spirit Masters soon realized something was wrong.
They had been walking towards the blue-haired girl for several minutes, yet the distance between them remained unchanged, as if they were walking in place.
And at some point, the eight of them had become separated, scattered throughout the misty landscape, able to see each other, but unable to approach.
The Eye of the Clouds trial… had already begun!
Realizing this, the twintailed girl’s eyes widened, and she unleashed a surge of spirit energy.
Boom!!!
The Crystal King’s chilling spirit energy spread outwards like a net, piercing the dense fog.
However, their usually reliable spirit energy radar malfunctioned, as if the mist itself was blocking their perception.
“Crystal King, fly forward at full speed for ten seconds, then return!!!”
The Crystal King, floating in the air, shot forward like an arrow, disappearing into the mist.
Seconds passed, then minutes, but there was no response.
The twintailed girl’s face darkened.
The Crystal King’s aura was gone. She couldn’t even recall it.
What was going on?!
Space, direction, and even the concept of spirit energy itself were distorted here. Even the most powerful aura couldn’t penetrate this mist. Even summoning a Saint-rank spirit beast wouldn’t help.
If they couldn’t find a way out, they would be trapped here until the trial ended, then eliminated.
How had they stumbled into the Eye of the Clouds trial area? How unlucky!
Just as Gong Lianyue and the Flowing Water Sect members were trapped, another group of Spirit Masters arrived.
Ten young women in black, cold and aloof, the Endless Swamp trial participants!
Their leader, the Endless Saintess, her face pale, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, wore a cloak of colorful feathers, her appearance striking.
Without a word to her companions, she closed her eyes and entered the mist.
The Endless Cloud Sea was originally a secret realm gifted by the Endless Swamp to the Heavy Rain Realm. They knew its trials intimately, their strategies memorized, the first trial, the Eye of the Clouds, a trivial challenge.
However, the Endless Saintess wasn’t here to simply clear the trial. With her eyes closed, she walked purposefully, reaching her destination in less than five minutes. A blue-haired girl in a wave-patterned robe stood before her.
The girl was calmly observing the Eye of the Clouds in the sky, a Crystal King, curled up nearby, seemingly lost in thought, motionless.
“…”
“…”
Taking a deep breath, the Endless Saintess approached the blue-haired girl, and under the Crystal King’s watchful gaze, she placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder.
The next second, as the blue-haired girl slowly turned, the Endless Saintess froze, her expression a mixture of shock and horror.
Not only because of the girl’s strange and unsettling face, but also because of the despairing cry echoing from her own spirit beast.
[Master, please allow me to commit suicide.]
