Inside the hut, the scenery changed drastically. While the exterior had appeared small and poverty-stricken, the cat and the wolf now found themselves standing in a magnificent hall whose architectural splendor could easily shock the wealthiest of mortal kings. The two demonic beasts were shaken even more when they instinctively looked behind them, only to find that the blue wooden door they had just entered through had completely vanished into the solid wall.
The white wolf walked directly to the wall that now stood where the exit had been, carefully inspecting it to find a way out. When his efforts failed, he turned his head to look at the black cat. The feline snorted at the wolf's perceived stupidity, then walked over to the exact same wall to conduct its own search, its haughty gaze fixed entirely on the "stupid" wolf.
The cat checked every inch of the smooth masonry, trying everything within its power, but no hidden latch or door could be found. The wolf looked back at the cat with matching disdain before turning on his heel and walking to the absolute center of the grand hall. Displeased but thoroughly resigned to its fate, the cat gave up its useless investigation and followed close behind.
As the two reached the exact center of the room, a human figure materialized out of thin air before them, floating silently in the space above. His long black hair moved continuously as if submerged in flowing water, a mesmerizing, wavy motion that lent him an otherworldly, ethereal beauty. This was an exceptionally beautiful man, one whose looks would put the most radiant women to shame and leave ordinary men gnawing their teeth with bitter jealousy.
"I am Ritz, and you two have successfully activated the 256th trial for my inheritance," the man announced, his voice carrying an innate, authoritative weight. "Before we begin, you should know that of all the others who have dared to take this trial before you, absolutely none have survived to the end; most perished in the very first phase. I will grant you one single chance to choose to depart from this place safely. Should you give up now, I will erase your memories of this cavern and teleport you directly outside the trial zone."
The wolf and the cat looked at each other, silently communicating their unwavering willingness to accept the challenge. The wolf chose this dangerous path solely to gain the absolute power required for his revenge. The cat, in truth, desperately wanted to leave immediately upon hearing the survival rate, but it refused to let the wolf view it as a coward. It was undeniably a fool's choice to join a trial where one hundred percent of past participants had died, yet pride locked its paws in place.
Ritz didn't care to analyze their personal reasons, but his sharp eyes easily noticed that the cat's legs were trembling slightly, while the white wolf stood perfectly still, fully prepared for death. Ritz saw in the wolf's yellow eyes the gaze of a being who had actively hoped for death more than once in his life. Entities like this usually possessed no fear of mortality and might even welcome it at times, though they would never actively seek it out through suicide. Ritz was highly pleased with the wolf's grim attitude.
"Since you have chosen to remain on this path, I will tell you what kind of inheritance you have chosen to struggle for," Ritz continued, his gaze drifting over them. "I am Ritz. In my past lifetime, I possessed immense good luck and peerless innate talent, which eventually led me to a hidden inheritance ground where I unearthed a supreme cultivation technique: the Absolute Zero Sutra. At the peak of this technique, it was said that a cultivator could freeze heaven and hell, life and death, and even the fundamental laws that make up the world itself.
"With this sutra and the boundless resources I accumulated, I easily suppressed all other cultivators of my generation and was widely hailed as a once-in-a-generation martial talent. I quickly advanced my cultivation and successfully reached the Heaven Monarch realm, leaving me just a single step away from becoming an Emperor, the highest level a mortal cultivator can ever hope to attain. I founded a powerful sect that, in a mere one thousand years, had already surpassed ancient sects whose histories spanned multiple millennia.
"However, I should have known better. Human greed cannot be stopped. Soon, rival sects spread malicious rumors that I secretly cultivated in the forbidden Devil Path. The entire world turned on me overnight. All my so-called friends abandoned me, and before I knew it, the entire world was my enemy. I was surrounded by thousands of so-called 'heroes of justice,' and we fought ruthlessly for seven days and seven nights. I was finally critically injured by a cowardly sneak attack from a despicable fellow who called himself the Sun Monarch. Yet, I had killed hundreds of them, and the few tens who survived were heavily injured.
"I used the last of my burning internal power to circulate a forbidden escape technique. Unfortunately, I was far too injured, and even my enemies believed me dead as I vanished. They then moved to wipe out my sect in retaliation; they slaughtered my sons, and my wives and daughters were sold directly into low-grade brothels. Any man or beast with even the smallest amount of money was allowed to do as he pleased with them.
"As I lay dying on some small mountain, I captured a passing itinerant cultivator who told me all of this. I was so consumed by rage that I willingly gave up my only chance to save my own life, instead utilizing another forbidden technique to temporarily gain power even beyond my former peak. In my anger, I resolved to die alongside my enemies. I attacked these self-righteous sects one by one, killing every single living being within them, from the sect masters down to the common rats. As I slaughtered, my soul became more and more warped until I had truly become the very devil they had falsely accused me of being. My power grew even greater, and soon, even innocent people who had nothing to do with the righteous sects were being killed like chickens by my blade.
"I eventually visited the brothels, only to find that my wives and daughters were long dead from being abused day and night by men and beasts alike. My only surviving daughter was left on the brink of death, her psyche forever shattered by the trauma. I had not gone to rescue my family instantly because I hadn't known their exact location; I only knew they were trapped somewhere in a brothel. I used the absolute last of my life force to completely fix her injuries, erase her memories of the horrific incidents, and increase her cultivation to the peak by sacrificing the remainder of my life. In doing so, her talent was raised to a level far beyond even my own. I then teleported her safely into the distant Devil Domain. Finally, I escaped to this subterranean realm and set up this trial ground. Should one of you pass my trial, you shall officially become my sole disciple and fulfill three of my final wishes without fail. In return, I will teach you everything I know about cultivation, and grant you all of my wealth and secret techniques."
Ritz finished speaking, his heavy words echoing in the grand hall and leaving both demonic beasts thoroughly dumbfounded by the scale of his tragedy.