I breathed in deeply, calming my rapidly beating heart.
Fierce! The third trial was way too fierce!
It even managed to unearth the vulnerability in my heart and magnified the experience. I can only lament over my young and inexperienced heart.
"Not bad, this boy passed the hurdle in less than five minutes. But it isn't a short time either." An old man stroked his beard.
"In Ling Sen's trial, he only used several breaths of time, but this boy used five minutes. His heart was probably filled with a girl that he liked. However, judging by his rate of passing, it looks like it is still possible for him to break Ling Sen's record." The old man smiled expectantly.
The third round of the Dream Trial tested temptation. When a martial artist reaches a high enough stage, they would sometimes stop cultivating diligently to enjoy life's pleasures and riches instead. This is exactly the case for most Pulse Condensation martial artists in the Sky Fortune Kingdom and they usually end up stagnating in their realm, never to achieve a breakthrough ever again. The third round tested exactly one's self-control towards temptations.
While the elders chatted among themselves, Qin Xingxuan sat peacefully at the side while gazing at Lin Ming. A slight tinge of pink could be seen on her cheeks as a strange thought sprouted in her mind. Who exactly was this girl that appeared in the dreams of Lin Ming?
In the past three months, the relationship between Qin Xingxuan and Lin Ming had already gone beyond inscriptions. It wasn't anything romantic, however. Qin Xingxuan simply became a new companion for me whenever I strolled out for shopping.
This all started when she wanted to learn inscriptions from me. Back then, the always busy me was about to refuse her again, but upon careful thought, it wasn't such a bad idea.
Qin Xingxuan was the beloved granddaughter of Marshal Qin and she was also a core disciple of the Seven Profound Martial House. Naturally, she was very strong for her age. I even managed to confirm her cultivation. She was at the Peak of the Fourth Stage, Altering Muscle.
Of course, I discovered this from the glowing words that floated above her head, a convenient feature the system gave to me when I broke through the First Stage of Body Training. It was a feature that allowed me to check a person's status.
If she were to be my sparring partner, my fighting ability would increase by leaps and bounds, so I agreed with her request. And so began our relationship of give and take.
It was a dull start, but hey, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
...
In a small room filled with a familiar scent, I suddenly found myself laying down on a small bed. However, my entire body was completely paralyzed. Confusion filled my mind.
I... I can't move?
The surroundings were very dim, almost dark. However, I would never mistake these familiar walls and floors. This... was my hospital room!
Fear and anxiety began to grip my heart. Have I been dreaming all this time?
Suddenly, a creepy creaking slowly echoed. The door to the room slightly opened, I was frightened. From beyond the door, a tiny dark spot crawled out, followed by more dark spots as they crawled on the walls and the floor. Slowly, the dark spots started coming in droves as they gradually surrounded me. As they came at a close enough distance, they grew into various shapes and sizes, revealing rats, cockroaches, spiders, and other creepy creatures.
"HEEEEEEK!!!" I accidentally shrieked, "This can't be real. This can't be real. This can't be... real?"
Realization suddenly struck me like a lightning bolt as my mind instantly cleared up. No, this is the Dream Trial's fourth round!
Without warning, the shrill cries of the creatures of the dark instantly thundered out as they came ferociously rushing towards me.
"You little shits wish to end me?" Dark clouds formed on my face as I frantically revolved the Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians to the limit. Suddenly, my whole body began to emit a brilliant golden light as pure true essence rolled outwards!
"BEGONE THOT!"
The Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians wasn't simply a Body Training manual in the Divine Realm, it was also said that this technique was created by a War God Buddha and represented the purest light and Yang; capable of piercing all evils, shattering all illusions, and cutting away all demons within the heart!
As the horde of demonic things touched the radiating golden light, each and every one immediately disintegrated into dust!
"Damn, it's over?" From the outside, an old man exclaimed, "Does this Lin Ming not have a single inner demon?"
"This is a good seedling. His heart and mind are pure. It looks like he will surpass Ling Sen's record." Another old man said honestly.
In the Dream Trial, the fourth round tested one's inner demons. The first two trials were rather simple, but the latter three were on a different level. How they appeared differed from person to person. Back then, Ling Sen had been stuck on the fourth round. Perhaps it was because of his bloodthirst, but the demons in his heart was a terrifyingly difficult trial for him as he slaughtered in that blood sea for half a quarter hour, barely cutting away his inner demons.
As time went on, more and more candidates tumbled back on the shores of the lake. The first and second rounds were relatively easy, but from the third round onwards, the number of failures sharply rose as the jade platform flashed like a bunch of paparazzi.
Back in the dreamland, I heaved a sigh of relief when I could finally feel my body and move. Dread filled me as I thought back to the experience. Never will I suffer from that kind of fate again!
I stood up from the bed to face the last round, but the scenery didn't change. Just as I let down my guard because of my lack of action, dozens of infernal chains suddenly sprouted out from every direction and instantly lunged at me, wrapping me whole back to the bed as if to drag me down to the depths of hell!
As I was dragged downwards in a suffocatingly slow pace, the infernal chains continuously burned me and a sea of blood appeared as it slowly trickled through the searing chains, wholly submerging me. After which, the temperature of the sanguine sea suddenly rose. It seethed with a mad fury, turning into what seemed to be flowing lava, boiling me alive!
The scalding pain and lacking air nearly made me wish for death to end this miserable suffering.
In the last four rounds, everything had been illusions, but I didn't anticipate the last round to be one of true pain! This was because the fifth and final round was a test of one's will.
However, compared to the years of suffering I had to endure in my past life and the struggles of Lin Ming before our fusion, this pain was nothing more than a light summer day!
At this thought, the sea of blood suddenly ignited, an explosion of dark flames that shot to the sky in a hellish inferno. In the midst of this hell, I gave a mad shout.
"Haha! I lived an abject existence in my past life, but in this life, nobody will stop me from living however I wish!" I cackled wildly, my eyes bloodshot.
When the flames swallowed me whole, everything suddenly turned to nothing. Opening my eyes, I sighed in relief and stood up. I was back on the jade platform. All around me, boys and girls had pained expressions on their pale faces.
Seeing Lin Ming open his eyes and stand up, Muyi was startled. From the incense burner at the side, he could see that only a little more than half of the incense stick had been burnt! (A/N: I believe an incense stick burns for 15 minutes.)
Ling Sen's record has been officially broken!
I breathed in deeply, calming my rapidly beating heart.
Fierce! The third trial was way too fierce!
It even managed to unearth the vulnerability in my heart and magnified the experience. I can only lament over my young and inexperienced heart.
"Not bad, this boy passed the hurdle in less than five minutes. But it isn't a short time either." An old man stroked his beard.
"In Ling Sen's trial, he only used several breaths of time, but this boy used five minutes. His heart was probably filled with a girl that he liked. However, judging by his rate of passing, it looks like it is still possible for him to break Ling Sen's record." The old man smiled expectantly.
The third round of the Dream Trial tested temptation. When a martial artist reaches a high enough stage, they would sometimes stop cultivating diligently to enjoy life's pleasures and riches instead. This is exactly the case for most Pulse Condensation martial artists in the Sky Fortune Kingdom and they usually end up stagnating in their realm, never to achieve a breakthrough ever again. The third round tested exactly one's self-control towards temptations.
While the elders chatted among themselves, Qin Xingxuan sat peacefully at the side while gazing at Lin Ming. A slight tinge of pink could be seen on her cheeks as a strange thought sprouted in her mind. Who exactly was this girl that appeared in the dreams of Lin Ming?
In the past three months, the relationship between Qin Xingxuan and Lin Ming had already gone beyond inscriptions. It wasn't anything romantic, however. Qin Xingxuan simply became a new companion for me whenever I strolled out for shopping.
This all started when she wanted to learn inscriptions from me. Back then, the always busy me was about to refuse her again, but upon careful thought, it wasn't such a bad idea.
Qin Xingxuan was the beloved granddaughter of Marshal Qin and she was also a core disciple of the Seven Profound Martial House. Naturally, she was very strong for her age. I even managed to confirm her cultivation. She was at the Peak of the Fourth Stage, Altering Muscle.
Of course, I discovered this from the glowing words that floated above her head, a convenient feature the system gave to me when I broke through the First Stage of Body Training. It was a feature that allowed me to check a person's status.
If she were to be my sparring partner, my fighting ability would increase by leaps and bounds, so I agreed with her request. And so began our relationship of give and take.
It was a dull start, but hey, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
...
In a small room filled with a familiar scent, I suddenly found myself laying down on a small bed. However, my entire body was completely paralyzed. Confusion filled my mind.
I... I can't move?
The surroundings were very dim, almost dark. However, I would never mistake these familiar walls and floors. This... was my hospital room!
Fear and anxiety began to grip my heart. Have I been dreaming all this time?
Suddenly, a creepy creaking slowly echoed. The door to the room slightly opened, I was frightened. From beyond the door, a tiny dark spot crawled out, followed by more dark spots as they crawled on the walls and the floor. Slowly, the dark spots started coming in droves as they gradually surrounded me. As they came at a close enough distance, they grew into various shapes and sizes, revealing rats, cockroaches, spiders, and other creepy creatures.
"HEEEEEEK!!!" I accidentally shrieked, "This can't be real. This can't be real. This can't be... real?"
Realization suddenly struck me like a lightning bolt as my mind instantly cleared up. No, this is the Dream Trial's fourth round!
Without warning, the shrill cries of the creatures of the dark instantly thundered out as they came ferociously rushing towards me.
"You little shits wish to end me?" Dark clouds formed on my face as I frantically revolved the Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians to the limit. Suddenly, my whole body began to emit a brilliant golden light as pure true essence rolled outwards!
"BEGONE THOT!"
The Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians wasn't simply a Body Training manual in the Divine Realm, it was also said that this technique was created by a War God Buddha and represented the purest light and Yang; capable of piercing all evils, shattering all illusions, and cutting away all demons within the heart!
As the horde of demonic things touched the radiating golden light, each and every one immediately disintegrated into dust!
"Damn, it's over?" From the outside, an old man exclaimed, "Does this Lin Ming not have a single inner demon?"
"This is a good seedling. His heart and mind are pure. It looks like he will surpass Ling Sen's record." Another old man said honestly.
In the Dream Trial, the fourth round tested one's inner demons. The first two trials were rather simple, but the latter three were on a different level. How they appeared differed from person to person. Back then, Ling Sen had been stuck on the fourth round. Perhaps it was because of his bloodthirst, but the demons in his heart was a terrifyingly difficult trial for him as he slaughtered in that blood sea for half a quarter hour, barely cutting away his inner demons.
As time went on, more and more candidates tumbled back on the shores of the lake. The first and second rounds were relatively easy, but from the third round onwards, the number of failures sharply rose as the jade platform flashed like a bunch of paparazzi.
Back in the dreamland, I heaved a sigh of relief when I could finally feel my body and move. Dread filled me as I thought back to the experience. Never will I suffer from that kind of fate again!
I stood up from the bed to face the last round, but the scenery didn't change. Just as I let down my guard because of my lack of action, dozens of infernal chains suddenly sprouted out from every direction and instantly lunged at me, wrapping me whole back to the bed as if to drag me down to the depths of hell!
As I was dragged downwards in a suffocatingly slow pace, the infernal chains continuously burned me and a sea of blood appeared as it slowly trickled through the searing chains, wholly submerging me. After which, the temperature of the sanguine sea suddenly rose. It seethed with a mad fury, turning into what seemed to be flowing lava, boiling me alive!
The scalding pain and lacking air nearly made me wish for death to end this miserable suffering.
In the last four rounds, everything had been illusions, but I didn't anticipate the last round to be one of true pain! This was because the fifth and final round was a test of one's will.
However, compared to the years of suffering I had to endure in my past life and the struggles of Lin Ming before our fusion, this pain was nothing more than a light summer day!
At this thought, the sea of blood suddenly ignited, an explosion of dark flames that shot to the sky in a hellish inferno. In the midst of this hell, I gave a mad shout.
"Haha! I lived an abject existence in my past life, but in this life, nobody will stop me from living however I wish!" I cackled wildly, my eyes bloodshot.
When the flames swallowed me whole, everything suddenly turned to nothing. Opening my eyes, I sighed in relief and stood up. I was back on the jade platform. All around me, boys and girls had pained expressions on their pale faces.
Seeing Lin Ming open his eyes and stand up, Muyi was startled. From the incense burner at the side, he could see that only a little more than half of the incense stick had been burnt! (A/N: I believe an incense stick burns for 15 minutes.)
Ling Sen's record has been officially broken!
