"You're dead, Tianyu Xing," Yang muttered from a distance, veins bulging across his face.
"Hey, Lo Bao, I want that kid dead," Yang murmured to his goons.
"Right away, boss. We'll make him pay. He's just a toad yearning for swan meat," the men around Yang replied, their gazes locking onto Tianyu.
"Hey, Tianyu, ho—"
But Tianyu paid the person calling him no mind. He passed by as if the person didn't even exist. Moments later, he was standing next to Shéyǎn.
"Hey, you fucker! Can't you see I'm talking to you? Do you think you're better than me just because some woman spoke to you?" Ye Xing snarled, his hand trembling, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Don't forget who you are, a nobody. Just a servant of the Xing family. You should show respect when speaking to the next heir!"
Tianyu said nothing.
Frost flowed around his arm and leached itself onto Ye Xing, who tightened his grip on Tianyu's hand.
"Ahhh—ahhh!" Ye Xing screamed as fiery frost engulfed his hand.
"You bastard! What did you do to me?! I'll kill you!" he wailed in agony.
"Wow… how pathetic. Imagine losing to someone you called a servant. I thought Ye Xing was one of the big names, but now? Even I feel like I could beat him."
"So, you've grown stronger, huh?" Zhou Lung whispered, watching from afar.
"Hey, man… are you alright? You seem a little tense," Tianyu asked, noticing Shéyǎn's Qi fluctuating wildly.
"…Have you seen Momo?" Shéyǎn asked.
"No, I haven't. I thought by now she would be here. The entrance for the next test is about to open. She'll show up soon," Shéyǎn's breathing was loud and uneven.
"Are you also going after the supreme treasure?" Shéyǎn asked, his gaze locking onto Tianyu's.
"I'd advise you to give up on it," Shéyǎn continued, his voice dripping with murderous intent.
"They will be mine; give up on them if you don't want to die."
"What's wrong with him? He seems more murderous than the last time I saw him."
Tianyu placed a hand on Shéyǎn's back and quietly absorbed the murderous Qi swirling around Sheyan.
Slowly, Shéyǎn's breathing settled, the violent aura fading until his breath became steady.
"Shit….I almost lost my mind again. Every time I kill a magical beast, murderous thoughts sip into my head," Shéyǎn said, turning his head. "What was that just now? How did you do it, Tch? Never mind. Thank you."
"Yeah, it's no problem," Tianyu replied, sitting beside him.
"Just be careful. I don't know what kind of art you're practising, but your Qi is starting to feel closer to that of a demon than a human," Tianyu warned.
"Even though barely, his Qi is like that of the monster I saw before." Tianyu's body shivered slightly.
"A demon?" Shéyǎn let out a dry laugh. "How would you know…"
His head lowered, as if there was something he wanted to say, but the words never came.
Moments later, another Shinto-like gate erupted from the ground. The earth cracked and shattered as stone was torn apart.
"Well… looks like the next phase has started," Tianyu stood.
"Let's go."
They walked toward the gate. One by one, people stepped forward and vanished as the teleportation array activated.
"Hey—I can't… I can't get in!" someone shouted.
A boy slammed face-first into the gate and was violently repelled, sent flying backwards.
"Tch, stop wasting our time," someone scoffed. "Can't you see you only have four stars? Remember the rules: only those with all five stars can pass."
They shoved the boy aside and continued entering the gate.
Finally, it was Shéyǎn and Tianyu's turn.
Shéyǎn stepped through first, waving back. "See you on the other side," he said before disappearing.
"Huu… I wonder what kind of trail this is going to be," Tianyu exhaled and followed.
Just as his body began to dissolve into the light, his gaze caught something that made his heart skip.
The demonic Mo Fang was moving toward the gate.
Thud!
He slammed into the ground.
"Ahh… these teleportation arrays are really starting to make me sick," Tianyu groaned, opening his eyes.
"Where has it brought me now… It's so dark,"
He reached out instinctively, and his hand struck something solid.
A wall.
Then, one by one, torches embedded in the stone wall ignited on their own, flames flaring to life and illuminating the passage.
Tianyu found himself inside a narrow tunnel. The walls were close, the air heavy, and the road stretched forward into darkness.
He followed the tunnel, which twisted and wound endlessly, until finally, he reached a door-like structure.
It was old wood. Tianyu placed his hand on it, and a crushing downward pressure slammed into him, forcing his knees to bend.
"No way I'm getting defeated by a door!" he roared, pushing forward with all his strength.
Slowly but surely, a narrow gap formed between the wall and the door.
Tianyu rushed through the opening as fast as he could.
Bang!
The door slammed shut behind him on its own. The entire chamber shook violently, debris raining from the ceiling. Something struck his head, sending him staggering forward.
"What the hell was that door made of…?" he muttered, rubbing his forehead.
His gaze lifted and froze.
The room was mostly empty, vast and silent, except for a single cauldron resting at its centre. To the side of it lay piles upon piles of herbs, rare ones, valuable ones, stacked so densely they nearly covered the floor.
Tianyu's mouth began to drool.
"Oh… finally,"
He hurried toward the cauldron only to find that it was cold and rusted; it clearly hadn't seen use in countless years.
"No… this can't be it all, can it?" Tianyu muttered.
He extended his Will Qi toward it.
The cauldron trembled, then pulsed, and a blinding golden light burst forth, filling the chamber. Ancient words seeped out of the metal itself, hovering in the air before his eyes.
They read:
"To walk the path of immortality, one must first let go of all mortal desire, cultivating a single path until its very end."
"I, Ge Hong, devoted my entire life to the alchemic way."
"I refined pills, weapons, and arrays. I mastered them all. My achievements earned me the title of Pill Saint."
"My greatest accomplishment was the Body Reconstruction Pill, a pill capable of allowing one to transform their body and break through two major realms without any backlash or flaws."
"Yet even this brought me no satisfaction."
"For beyond achievement, there was still more to the alchemic path."
"I spent millennia upon millennia cultivating, walking only this road."
"Then, one day, as I stood upon the threshold of ascension, I heard it—the Alchemic Tone."
"It was beautiful."
"But no matter how I tried to grasp it, there was nothing."
"And in that moment, I realised the truth."
"I had grown too old."
"And my talent… was mediocre."
"Right then and there, I made a decision."
"All of my knowledge shall be passed on to the next generation."
"I refined myself into a Spiritual Book and have waited here ever since for my successor."
"If you can successfully create a Rank Five Gang Essence Pill, I will take you as my disciple."
"I will grant you the Body Reconstruction Pill, and everything I once owned shall become yours."
"However—should you fail…"
"When all the ingredients in this chamber are exhausted, you will die."
"Your dantian will be nourished into my Spiritual Book, giving birth to new herbs… for the next candidate."
"Choose wisely."
"If you begin this trial, there will be no turning back."
"Or you may leave through the next door and attempt my elder brother's trial instead."
The golden text slowly faded.
In its place, intricate refining instructions appeared in the air above the cauldron, each symbol complex and profound, radiating ancient intent.
Tianyu paused.
Silence filled the chamber.
"This opportunity…" he murmured, his eyes burning with resolve,
"…I will take it."
"You can't seize a lion cub without entering the den."
"And I intended to walk the alchemic path eventually anyway. This will be a great chance for me."
Without hesitation, Tianyu sat down before the cauldron.
He steadied his breath.
And began to learn.