Blood—one of the foundations of life.
With such a tremendous loss, the muscular warrior who had pushed himself to the summit stood on the verge of death. His tenacity throughout the year-long trial was admirable, but even Ling Qingzhu and Ying Huanhuan were helpless to save him.
"What a pity," Ying Huanhuan murmured, sighing with visible regret.
Buzz!
Suddenly, space around the fallen warrior rippled.
The blood that had gushed from his body didn't fall to the ground—it reversed course, surging back into his veins as though time had rewound itself. A soft turquoise light descended, suffused with vibrant vitality, enveloping the man's mangled body.
Ling Qingzhu's expression softened. "It's him… he intervened."
Ye Feng had made a move.
Without his divine hand, that warrior would have died without a doubt. Instead, he was pulled back from the brink of death by the Chaos Saint's power.
"Is this the power of the Chaos Saint?" someone whispered in awe.
The hundreds who had passed the first trial stood silent, their gazes filled with reverence. Witnessing such divine mastery only deepened their desire to become Ye Feng's disciples.
At that moment, Lin Zhentian's voice echoed through the mountains, empowered by his Yuan Force. "The time is up. The first trial is complete. All examinees who did not pass, please leave the mountain at once."
Thousands of examinees stood stunned for a moment, then bowed respectfully in unison, forming a sea of bent backs stretching down the mountainside. Though they had failed to reach the summit, their year of effort under the Chaos Light had yielded immense cultivation gains.
"Next, the second trial shall begin. We respectfully invite the Chaos Sage to present the test."
As soon as Lin Zhentian finished speaking, the air in front of the summit rippled. A vast screen of light manifested in the sky, showing vivid scenes—but no sound accompanied them.
The projection revealed a single black speck floating in a vast void.
A singularity.
Within it, there was no time, no space, no death, no life—only stillness.
Then, the singularity exploded.
From its eruption, celestial matter scattered into the darkness, forming stars and planets through chaotic collisions. Galaxies emerged, and with them, the beginning of life.
Primitive cells. Simple organisms. Animals. Plants. And eventually—humans.
The screen showed joy and sorrow, birth and death—an endless cycle of emotion and existence.
As time advanced, the universe expanded. But with expansion came cooling. The stars slowed. The galaxies began to collapse inwards. The gravitational pull between celestial bodies caused massive collisions, generating heat—just enough to delay the inevitable.
Eventually, after eons, the universe collapsed again… returning to a single, dense point.
A singularity.
The screen went dark.
Though the images had vanished, the shock remained imprinted in the minds of the onlookers.
Ling Qingzhu, Ying Huanhuan, Lin Langtian, Mu Qianqian, and others sat cross-legged without hesitation, eyes closed as they began digesting what they had just seen.
"Was that... all?" someone muttered in confusion.
"Was that the assessment?"
"Was that projection… connected to the trial?"
Many stood rooted in place, bewildered.
"There is no written question for the second trial," Lin Zhentian explained. "Comprehension is the assessment. If you gain no understanding within an hour, descend the mountain. This trial is open-ended—comprehend as you will."
"What are we supposed to comprehend?" someone asked in frustration.
Lin Zhentian remained silent. He didn't know the answer. To him, the projection was merely shocking—nothing more.
Still, the crowd followed suit and sat cross-legged, delving into meditation in hopes of finding insight. Yet many soon grew anxious. Despite their formidable willpower and cultivation, they couldn't perceive any hidden meaning within the vision.
"What was there to comprehend? They were just… images."
Among the crowd, frustration bubbled. Some clenched their fists. Others sweated under the weight of expectation.
Buzz!
A pulse of energy reverberated through the platform.
Ling Qingzhu opened her eyes.
A strange brilliance flickered in her pupils. She raised her hand gently, releasing a wisp of Yuan Power. The moment it emerged, the surrounding space warped, twisting unnaturally under the weight of her will. Faint ripples of collapse formed in the air.
Though she was only in the Nirvana Realm, the energy she emitted was equivalent to the Shengxuan Realm.
"Pass," Ye Feng's voice rang out from above.
—
Inside Yefeng Villa
Lin Qingtan, still watching the projection, pouted as Ling Qingzhu was the first to succeed.
"She was the first to comprehend the laws… hmph." Her tone carried a mix of jealousy and admiration.
Moments later, brilliance flickered in her own eyes as well.
"I just grasped one too… it's called the Law of Ultimate Ice," she said, turning toward Ye Feng. "Young Master Ye, what about her? What did Ling Qingzhu comprehend?"
Ye Feng smiled faintly. "The Law of Reincarnation."
He elaborated: "The singularity exploded into a universe. Heat caused it to expand. Cold forced it to contract. Eventually, it returned to a singularity. That is a cycle. A reincarnation."
"Life is the same. From birth to death, and from death to rebirth. She saw through that cycle and grasped its truth."
"Laws… they sound simple, but they're terrifyingly difficult to comprehend," Lin Qingtan murmured.
"What about Ying Huanhuan?" she asked.
"Great Dao Follows Nature," Ye Feng replied.
"Mu Qianqian?"
"The Highest Good Is Like Water."
"Lin Langtian?"
"The Law of Ruthlessness."
Ye Feng answered them all without hesitation, his voice calm and authoritative.
"And that strong man? The one you saved?" Lin Qingtan asked, eyes wide.
Ye Feng glanced at the figure on the projection. The muscular warrior was meditating, but the space around him crackled with thunder-like vibrations.
"He comprehended something unique—one word: Break."
"'Break'? That's a law?" she asked, curious.
"There are more than 3,000 Great Daos in the world. Each one represents a unique truth of heaven and earth," Ye Feng said. "And among them, the Law of Breaking is indeed one. I didn't expect to find a pure body cultivator here… not in a world dominated by Yuan cultivation."
Ye Feng looked mildly impressed.
"In the Wu Dong Qiankun world, almost everyone focuses on Yuan Power. But that man's physical body… it rivals a Creation Realm expert's. A true warrior."
—
On the Platform
Halfway up Linjia Mountain, Lin Zhentian glanced at the lingering crowd and spoke.
"The time has come."
He turned to his attendant. "Lin Xiao, for those still comprehending, let them be. Do not interrupt them. When they're done, they'll descend naturally. As for those who failed to comprehend anything—escort them off the mountain."
Then, to the successful group, he added, "Those who passed the second trial—follow me. The final test awaits."
With eagerness in their hearts, Ling Qingzhu, Ying Huanhuan, Lin Langtian, Mu Qianqian, and others stepped forward.
Two trials had already elevated their cultivation substantially. The benefits from Ye Feng's trials were simply unimaginable.
Now, anticipation burned in their hearts.
What would the third test bring?
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