Translator: CinderTL
Open your eyes!
Jiang Ye found himself back on the dimly lit cloud path.
Without realizing it, he had already walked several hundred meters.
"Was it all an illusionary realm?" Jiang Ye murmured, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
Everything had felt too real, almost indistinguishable from the reality of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.
Most crucially, it had even briefly altered his memories, a characteristic strikingly similar to the first level of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.
Fortunately, Jiang Ye's Martial Dao Heart remained steadfast, allowing him to emerge unscathed.
"These starlight?" Jiang Ye suddenly noticed his surroundings.
The starlight around the cloud path seemed to have increased in quantity, and the path beneath his feet appeared slightly wider than before.
Roar!
At that moment, Jiang Ye froze.
A colossal, pitch-black shadow over ten meters tall loomed ahead on the cloud path, accompanied by a terrifying roar.
"A Shadow Clan member? In its youth form?!" Jiang Ye's expression hardened.
Shadow Clan members exceeding ten meters in height were classified as being in their youth form.
Typically, only cosmic martial artists who had achieved their second or even third breakthrough could handle such opponents.
"How is this possible?" Jiang Ye's heart pounded with alarm.
A youth form Shadow Clan member appearing on the Cosmic Divine Path? This was far beyond his capabilities.
Could this be another trial?
Roar!
The massive shadow ahead threw its head back and roared skyward, the deafening sound shaking the very air.
The Shadow Clan's voices were inherently capable of shaking one's resolve.
In their youth form, this ability became terrifyingly amplified.
In an instant, even Jiang Ye felt a splitting headache and his mind wavered.
Worse still, a faint urge to retreat began to stir within him.
"A Shadow Clan youth form is blocking my path. I can't possibly get past it—wait!"
Jiang Ye's expression suddenly shifted. "This is just a first breakthrough trial. Why would they pit me against such an overwhelming opponent?"
He stared ahead, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
Whoosh!
In the next moment, Jiang Ye's figure blurred into an afterimage as he charged forward.
Roar! The Shadow Clan youth form unleashed a series of terrifying roars.
These sounds seemed to tap into the primal fear etched into humanity's genes, sending shivers down one's spine.
For those with weak resolve, merely hearing these roars would cause their legs to buckle, rendering them paralyzed.
Jiang Ye, however, remained unfazed, his body streaking forward like a bolt of lightning.
Roar!
The Shadow Clan youth form roared in fury, its massive jaws snapping open to devour Jiang Ye.
How fast was the youth form? Comparable to a second breakthrough expert—far beyond Jiang Ye's capabilities.
At that moment, Jiang Ye's scalp tingled with dread, and he felt the chilling breath of death.
Yet he hesitated not for a moment.
He braced himself and pressed forward, fueled by unwavering determination.
Hum!
Just as the Shadow Clan youth form was about to engulf Jiang Ye, everything suddenly vanished like smoke.
Jiang Ye sprinted a short distance before abruptly halting.
Looking back, Jiang Ye saw nothing behind him.
"I guessed right," a faint smile appeared on his face. "It was all an illusion."
He had suspected from the start that the Martial Will Certification wouldn't include challenges beyond his current capabilities.
The encounter just now was likely a test of his courage.
Of course, it sounded simple in theory.
But when faced with an enemy far stronger than oneself, even those with the strongest Martial Dao Will would hesitate and feel fear.
Even Jiang Ye, whose Martial Dao Will was exceptionally strong, had momentarily considered retreating.
As Jiang Ye reflected on this, two lines of text appeared before him in Blue Star Language:
Certificant Jiang Ye, you have passed the Martial Will Certification.
Please continue forward.
"Continue forward," Jiang Ye said, taking another step.
The cloud path beneath his feet had subtly widened, and the surrounding starlight had grown brighter.
"Does this path symbolize cosmic martial arts?" Jiang Ye mused, observing the scene. "Starting from darkness and obscurity, gradually revealing light."
"Will it eventually become a sea of stars, radiating boundless brilliance?"
A sudden anticipation stirred within him, imagining the moment this path would blaze with infinite light.
As Jiang Ye continued his ascent, shock rippled through the top-floor conference hall of the octagonal building.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the massive screen displaying the progress of Certificants No. 13, 14, and 15.
Certificant No. 15, Jiang Ye, has passed the Martial Will Certification!
The latest update flashed across the top of the screen.
"Jiang Ye? He passed the first certification already?"
"It hasn't even been three minutes!"
"How is that even possible?" Employees from the Cosmic Conglomerate were visibly stunned.
The prestige of the Cosmic Divine Path Certification was undeniable precisely because of its extreme difficulty.
Take the Martial Will Certification, for example. The illusionary realm within was flawlessly realistic, leaving virtually no flaws to exploit. Moreover, the illusion could temporarily alter memories, making it nearly impossible to overcome.
Of course, geniuses often possessed formidable Martial Dao Wills.
Yet even most prodigies required at least ten minutes, if not several times longer, to pass.
"Jiang Ye's Martial Dao Will is this strong?" Director Liu's eyes flickered with surprise.
Beside him, the short-haired female white-collar worker analyzed, "The Martial Will Certification is divided into three stages. The first tests the ability to confront one's inner desires, the second tests the ability to confront one's fears, and the third tests courage."
"But illusionary realms require time to manifest."
"Jiang Ye's speed is so rapid that he might have broken through before the illusionary realm could fully materialize!"
"This young man's Martial Dao Will is likely comparable to a second breakthrough expert—no, even a third breakthrough expert!" The white-collar worker gasped.
"Third breakthrough? Not quite," Director Liu shook his head. "However, his Martial Dao Will is undeniably in a league of its own among this group."
He glanced at the large screen.
Su Tong'er and Yun Qing'er were still struggling in the 'Desire Gate.'
"He's got potential," Director Liu's eyes flashed. "Let's observe further. He should have already entered the next stage."
Starting with the second stage of the certification, combat prowess would be tested.
"Martial Dao Will alone won't get him through this stage," Director Liu murmured, his gaze fixed on the screen.
He was beginning to grow curious.
What kind of performance would this student from Ancheng, with his low-grade aptitude, deliver?
Within the Cosmic Divine Path, Jiang Ye paused once more.
Ahead, several bizarre figures materialized.
They weren't the strange kind associated with the Shadow Clan.
Instead, they were humanoid creatures, all female, but adorned with goat-like horns and ears.
These humanoid females possessed striking features, though they couldn't rival the beauty of Chen Zilu or Zhao Qingli. Still, they could be described as alluring.
Monster girls? Jiang Ye thought, genuinely astonished.
Am I still trapped in the illusionary realm?
Just then, a subtitle flashed before him:
Flawless Victory
Simple, two words, yet they sent a jolt through Jiang Ye's heart.
Flawless! Victory!
He had to slay all the monster girls without sustaining a single scratch to clear this stage!
"Finally, a real combat challenge," Jiang Ye murmured, taking a deep breath.
Far from feeling nervous, he felt a surge of anticipation as he gazed at the approaching monster girls.
"Xina!"
The goat-horned, goat-eared humanoid monster girls unleashed a piercing shriek.
In the next instant, they lunged at Jiang Ye.
The battle had begun!
(End of the Chapter)
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Translator's Corner
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𝟏𝟒 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 | 𝟖.𝟒𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 | 𝟏𝟒.𝟐𝐌 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 [𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦]