In the gaze of the astonished robot, Yun Jin charged straight toward the swirling vortex.
Flaming meteors poured down like torrential rain, but she no longer dodged. Instead, she gripped the oars tightly and struck head-on. With a heavy swing, the oar smashed against a fire meteor. Using the rebound force, she leapt upward.
"Good. Just as I thought." Yun Jin's lips curved into a satisfied smile.
The fire meteors carried tremendous force, yet these oars were exceptionally durable. Even after a direct strike, not a single crack appeared on the meteors.
What did this prove?
It proved her guess was right—again.
This was the true way to pass the trial.
With the momentum of her twin oars, Yun Jin vaulted higher and higher in the blink of an eye.
The robot's vision turned into garbled static.
"Calm down! Stay calm!"
He forced himself to breathe—or rather, simulate the act of breathing—until his eyes stabilized. This Yun Jin's thought process was peculiar, to say the least. But soon she would surely realize the futility. That vortex was indestructible!
His metallic frame grew stiff with tension, circuits buzzing. Though he had no lungs, even the act of simulating breath had halted. Originally, with Yun Jin's grasp of the Law of Yin and Yang, she could have passed this stage with ease.
Yet she just had to court death.
On the screen, Yun Jin now stepped across flaming meteors, springing about like a monkey, scrambling ever closer to the crimson vortex. If she slipped even once, she would plunge into the magma below. Failure would be absolute.
"Don't seek death, don't seek death!" the robot muttered frantically, almost begging her.
At last he could not restrain himself. How rare was it to encounter such a fine seedling? If she failed here because of reckless folly, he would be furious beyond belief.
[Emotional Value +500!]
[Emotional Value +500!]
The chimes echoed incessantly within Yun Jin's mind. Her spirits soared even higher.
For someone to provide her with such abundant Emotional Value, their cultivation must not be low. At the very least, they had to be at Mahayana.
A mysterious being, hidden within the trial space, watching her every move. Why had he suddenly flooded her with Emotional Value the moment she chose to charge the vortex?
There was only one truth.
She, indeed, possessed eyes that pierced through illusion. Her choice was correct.
Energized, Yun Jin leapt even more boldly.
Finally, borrowing force from another meteor, she landed before the vortex.
The closer she came, the more scorching the heat grew.
At this distance, the blazing torrent roared like colossal dragons, as though eager to devour her whole.
Yun Jin chuckled softly.
The Law of Yin and Yang encompassed all under heaven. Even the Five Elements fell within its scope, merely a minor branch of its profundity. Such was the terror of a First-Grade Law—all paths lay within its embrace.
As a wielder of the Law of Fire, Yun Jin gazed at the flames and felt comprehension stirring within her. She stretched out a hand, attempting to guide the Fire Law through the Law of Yin and Yang.
The fire's searing heat seemed naturally of Yang.
But in truth…
Yin and Yang could never exist in isolation. Even the celestial sun and moon could not be considered pure Yang or pure Yin. Yin and Yang were states of energy.
Outward expansion, spreading boundlessly—that was Yang.
Inward restraint, gathering to erupt—that was Yin.
When Yang reached its limit, it transformed into Yin.
When Yin reached its culmination, it became Yang.
The blazing morning sun was Yang within Yang.
At dusk, as its radiance mellowed, it became Yin within Yang.
The waxing moon, growing brighter, was Yang within Yin.
The waning moon, darkening, was Yin within Yin.
Yin and Yang were always intertwined.
"So this… is the second layer of the Law of Yin and Yang."
A thoughtful glimmer flashed in Yun Jin's eyes. She had barely stepped into this second layer, still far from the third, where Yin and Yang gave birth to each other in endless cycle. Yet with this moment of insight, she had taken another small step forward.
"Let's try."
Murmuring, Yun Jin stretched her hand toward the vortex.
"No!!"
The robot shot upright. He felt as if he would go mad. This human—what was she doing? Did she think herself immortal, testing ways to die?
This flame was not something that could be touched!
"She's going to die, she's going to die!"
Desperately, the robot pulled up his control console. In theory, he was forbidden to interfere with trialists. But Yun Jin was too promising to watch her self-destruct like this.
He was just about to alter the scene when—
His eyes widened.
Eh?
Yun Jin's hand slipped straight into the vortex. Yet she showed no pain. Instead, a relaxed smile graced her face.
How… how was this possible?
The robot's vision turned into static again.
Yun Jin grinned. "As expected. After striking the fire meteors several times, I already deduced the Yin-Yang ratio of these flames. I simply adjusted my own fire to match. Since they share the same root, the vortex will not harm me.
But this alone is not enough to clear the trial." She tilted her head in thought.
The robot quivered at her words, though he had no heart to tremble with.
What was she planning now?
Suddenly, Yun Jin laughed brightly.
"To mimic the flames only ensures safety. But what if… I invert Yin and Yang?"
With a mischievous grin, she reversed the flow of Yin and Yang.
In that instant—
A cataclysmic detonation erupted.
The flaming vortex, torn apart by conflicting energies, exploded outright!
The robot stared in sheer disbelief. The snowfield of the first trial had been destroyed. Now the fiery sea of the second trial… obliterated as well?
"AAAHHH!" the robot howled.
Did this brat realize how much effort it took to construct each scene?
One after another, she demolished them. Did she think he had nothing better to do?
His glare burned into the screen. That damn human had better clear the trials in one go and seize the true inheritance.
Otherwise—
She would learn what it meant to provoke the wrath of an overworked laborer.
Within the first platform, Yun Jin had already returned to solid ground. In her mind, the notification chimes still rang. She frowned slightly.
What was the deal with this hidden observer? Such wild emotional swings?
Ever since leaving Tianxing Sect, she had barely gained much Emotional Value from Ye Danxia and Yang Yun.
Those two, once her top providers, had long since retired. Since then, she had met many others, harvesting plenty of Emotional Value.
But none could compare to this unseen watcher. Their contributions surged endlessly, every burst the maximum five hundred. By now, they had already supplied two hundred consecutive strikes of five hundred. And still he showed no sign of stopping.
To think…
Her previous record had been ninety-nine consecutive hits of five hundred. Yun Jin had almost assumed that was the absolute limit any being in this realm could yield in a single day.
Yet today, this mysterious benefactor had doubled the record all by themselves.
Yun Jin rubbed her chin, her face breaking into a radiant grin.
She had a premonition.
A new top benefactor had arrived.