56: Chapter 56 Ghost Realm Trial

The trial grounds were in the backyard of the martial arts arena.

In the center of the valley, three black stone steles stood in a " product" shape. The twisted runes on the steles looked like living vipers; a single glance from afar made the chill seep into one's very bones.

The wind curled in from the mouth of the valley, accompanied by a wailing screech. It wasn't just the wind; it was the sound of countless vengeful spirits gnashing their teeth and whispering beside one's ears, hooking into the fear hidden deep within the heart.

Standing at the edge of the valley, the hairs on one's body stood on end, and one's blood flow slowed by half a beat from the cold.

Yue Zhenshan stood on the high ground, tilting his chin toward the center of the valley. His voice sounded like clashing iron blocks, hard and unyielding: "This place is a trial ground modeled after the Domain of Wrongful Death. It is designed to simulate being besieged by ghosts. There are three Yin-gathering arrays, stacked one upon another. The further in you go, the fiercer the Yin Qi becomes."

His gaze swept over Qiu Chuanxing and the other three, his tone turning abruptly cold: "There is only one rule—seal your five senses, withstand the erosion of the Yin Qi, and destroy the three array-eye steles simultaneously. Remember, if even one person's five senses are breached, the entire team fails."

He paused, his words carrying a harshness that stung the skin: "The four of you have been training together for half a month, and your best record was one stick of incense worth of time to destroy two arrays.

Just as you reached the third stele, someone couldn't hold on, their five senses collapsed, and the whole team failed. Today, two more people have been added; I want to see how much progress you've made."

At these words, Qiu Chuanxing's face instantly flushed a liver-colored purple; he couldn't refute a single syllable.

It was the truth.

In half a month, they had entered the trial grounds seventeen times, and each time was like rolling through the gates of Hell.

The best time, Jiang Yuehong's Divine Soul was gnawed by Yin Qi, and she lay in bed for three days before she could get up, yet they still failed at the final hurdle.

The Yin Qi of the three Yin-gathering arrays stacked layer upon layer, growing more violent the further in one went. Moreover, they had to seal their five senses and could not use large-scale techniques; they could only grit their teeth and push forward, slowly grinding down the array eyes. The difficulty was comparable to dismantling a mountain of blades with one's bare hands.

Ling Muxue also pressed her lips tightly together. They had personally experienced the lethality of this trial ground; every time they went in, they felt as if a layer of skin had been peeled off.

Yue Zhenshan didn't waste any more words. He raised his hand, formed a seal, slammed his palm against the ground, and shouted: "Rise!"

Boom!

A muffled explosion rocked the bottom of the valley, shaking the earth.

The three black stone steles simultaneously lit up with a pitch-black, ghostly light. The runes on the steles instantly came alive, slithering along the stone bodies like vipers. The blood-colored array patterns on the ground also lit up, the red light spreading along the markings as if dried blood had suddenly come back to life.

Overwhelming Yin Qi, like a black tsunami, instantly erupted from the three array eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the entire valley was completely submerged in thick, black Yin Qi.

Bone-chilling cold instantly wrapped around everyone, like countless ice needles drilling through their pores and into their bones. With every breath, their lungs ached from the cold.

Countless ghostly wails and howls exploded in their ears—the roars of fallen comrades, the whispers of loved ones, the temptations of Soul-Snatching by fierce ghosts—all pervasive, desperately trying to drill into their sealed five senses, wanting them to loosen their defenses and allow the ghosts to gnaw on their Divine Souls.

"Form up!"

Qiu Chuanxing roared, his Soul-Suppressing Blade unsheathing with a clang, its cold light cleaving through the oncoming Yin Qi. He spun instantly, forming a square formation back-to-back with Ling Muxue, Jiang Jiye, and Jiang Yuehong. Their fingertips tightly pinched the Heart-Calming Mantra, their five senses sealed tight. A faint golden light lit up on their bodies like a thin shell, desperately resisting the erosion of the Yin Qi.

"Ling Muxue, take the left flank! Jiang Jiye, the right! I'll take the front, Yuehong, stay in the center! Move forward step by step, and break the first array eye!" Qiu Chuanxing's voice was squeezed through his teeth, every word accompanied by heavy gasps.

The thick Yin Qi was like congealed mud, wrapping around their limbs. Every step forward felt like wading through water while carrying a thousand-pound boulder.

Ling Muxue gritted her teeth, her Soul-Suppressing Blade slashing out rays of red light to cleave through the Yin Qi rushing at them. Her tiger's mouth was numb from the vibration, and the cold sweat on her forehead streamed down her cheeks, freezing into ice shards as soon as it reached her chin.

Jiang Jiye clutched a Soul-Fixing Talisman, her knuckles white and her fingertips trembling slightly. She cast paper talismans one after another, constantly reinforcing the defensive barrier around the four of them to block the pervasive Yin Qi. As soon as the talismans touched the Yin Qi, they hissed and were instantly burned to ash.

In the very center, Jiang Yuehong's face was already pale as paper. Her whole body was trembling uncontrollably, and she had bitten her lips until they were bloody. She kept her eyes tightly shut, not daring to relax for even a moment. Her cultivation was the weakest, and the Yin Qi layered upon her felt like Mount Tai pressing down. Her Divine Soul felt as if it were being repeatedly stabbed by countless needles, and she was on the verge of collapse every second.

This was the norm for their training over the past half-month. Every time they broke an array, they had to exhaust all their strength; the slightest carelessness meant total failure.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the valley, Wu Xi stood still, unmoving.

Niu Fei stood by his side, his muscles tensed like a wild bull ready to charge. He spoke in a muffled voice: "Brother, this ghost energy is chilly, but I can handle it! When do we go in?"

Wu Xi did not respond.

He stared at that thick, impenetrable black Yin Qi and watched the four people struggling to move an inch within it. The Yin Qi that came flooding toward them, upon reaching three feet from his side, hit him like a tide hitting a reef and instantly parted, not even touching the corner of his clothes.

The next second, Wu Xi moved.

He lifted his foot and walked toward the center of the valley step by step. He didn't form any seals, didn't shine with golden light; he just strolled into the thick black Yin Qi as if taking a leisurely walk.

The surrounding Yin Qi instantly went mad, baring fangs and claws as it rushed toward him. Countless fierce ghosts shrieked, trying to drill into his seven orifices to devour his Divine Soul.

Then, a scene that everyone present would never forget in their lives occurred.

Wu Xi stood in place and slightly opened his mouth.

Inhale.

There was no earth-shattering sound, no flashy technique effects, just a simple act of inhaling.

Yet with that single action, the black Yin Qi rushing toward him from all sides was gripped by an invisible hand. It instantly changed direction, forming two black tornadoes that frantically drilled into Wu Xi's mouth!

That Yin Qi, thick as physical matter, those vengeful spirits and fierce energy accompanied by ghostly wails, those pervasive, bone-chilling auras—all were continuously sucked into Wu Xi's stomach like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

His stomach didn't bulge in the slightest, and there was only a very low, muffled sound in his throat. The Yin Qi went in and sank like a stone in the ocean, not even causing a ripple.

Three breaths.

In just three breaths, the Yin Qi within a ten-zhang radius of Wu Xi had been sucked completely dry!

Qiu Chuanxing and the other three, who were struggling for their lives in the Yin Qi, suddenly felt the pressure on them lighten drastically. The Yin Qi that had been wrapping around them like mud instantly thinned by more than half, and the ear-piercing ghostly wails also faded away in an instant.

The four of them were stunned, subconsciously opening their eyes and looking toward the direction where the pressure had suddenly dropped.

At this sight, all four of them froze in place, as if struck by heavenly lightning, unable to move.

They saw that Wu Xi had already walked to the stone stele of the first array eye. That stele was still frantically gushing out Yin Qi, but as soon as the Yin Qi left the stele, it was sucked dry by Wu Xi's open mouth, not a single bit leaking out.

He stood there like a bottomless black hole; no matter how much Yin Qi gushed out, it was all eaten up by him.

Ten breaths.

From the moment Wu Xi walked into the valley to sucking dry all the Yin Qi from the first array eye, it only took ten breaths.

Then, Wu Xi raised his hand and struck the rune-covered black stone stele with a light palm.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no dazzling light, just a plain and simple palm strike, his palm pressed firmly against the stele.

Crack.

A light sound, as crisp as snapping a withered branch.

That black stone stele, which could withstand the full force of a Soul-Suppressing Talisman, began to shatter inch by inch from where his palm touched it.

The first Yin-gathering array was broken.

On the high ground, Yue Zhenshan looked at this scene, and the corner of his mouth instantly curled into an irrepressible smile.

Third Young Master was right about him. This kid is a real, bona fide tough character!

In the center of the valley, Qiu Chuanxing and the other three were completely dumbfounded.

The four of them had fought for half a month, risked half their lives, and needed half a stick of incense worth of time just to barely approach the array eye, yet Wu Xi had cleared away both the Yin Qi and the stele in just ten breaths?

How was this possible?!

Qiu Chuanxing's eyes were wide as saucers, the Soul-Suppressing Blade in his hand clattered to the ground, and he didn't even notice.

Ling Muxue's mouth was open wide enough to fit an egg; her previous arrogance and refusal to accept defeat were gone, replaced by a face full of disbelief.

Jiang Jiye covered her mouth, her eyes full of shock. The paper talisman she had been clutching fell to the ground, and she didn't even notice.

Jiang Yuehong also forgot to tremble. She opened her watery eyes wide, looking at Wu Xi's back, her face full of incredulity, even forgetting the stinging pain in her Divine Soul.

Only Niu Fei, standing at the edge of the valley, clapped his hands and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Brother is awesome! Brother is too powerful! Those broken things that these guys couldn't deal with for ages, you smashed them in a few moves!"

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

The remaining two Yin-gathering arrays, sensing that their companion had been destroyed, erupted completely!

Boom! Boom!

With two deafening roars, the remaining two black stone steles simultaneously lit up with blinding black light. The runes on the steles slithered wildly, and Yin Qi, more than three times denser than before, erupted from the two array eyes like a tsunami!

The black Yin Qi transformed directly into physical ghost claws, accompanied by shrill, ear-piercing shrieks. It rushed madly toward Wu Xi while simultaneously rolling toward Qiu Chuanxing and the others, who were still stunned in place!

The Yin Qi instantly submerged the entire valley again, the pressure more than three times greater than before!

Qiu Chuanxing instantly snapped back to reality, his face changing drastically as he shouted sharply: "Careful! Seal your five senses! Form up!"

But it was too late.

That overwhelming Yin Qi smashed down like Mount Tai. Ling Muxue and Jiang Jiye were instantly pressed down with a muffled groan, stumbling backward. The golden light on their bodies shattered by more than half, and they could barely hold onto their blades.

Jiang Yuehong, in the very center, couldn't withstand it at all. She groaned, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, her eyes rolled back, and her five senses instantly collapsed by more than half. Her Divine Soul was on the verge of being ripped out by the Yin Qi, and she collapsed, about to faint!

Once she completely lost her defense, the whole team would fail!

Qiu Chuanxing's eyes instantly turned red. He roared and tried to rush over, but the violent Yin Qi was like countless iron chains, pinning him in place, unable to move. He could only watch helplessly as Jiang Yuehong was about to be swallowed by the Yin Qi, and a wave of despair instantly surged into his heart.

Half a month of hard work was about to fail at this very moment!

At this critical, hair-trigger moment, Wu Xi moved again.

He looked at the tsunami of Yin Qi flooding toward him. Instead of dodging, he took a step forward and opened his mouth again.

This time, his inhalation was even more violent than before.

Boom!

With an invisible explosion, the air in the entire valley instantly solidified. All the Yin Qi gushing from those two array eyes, including the fierce energy that had turned into physical ghost claws, were like two black dragons grabbed by the throat. They instantly changed direction and drilled frantically into Wu Xi's mouth!

The black Yin Qi in the entire valley receded frantically at a speed visible to the naked eye. Those shrill, ghostly wails were instantly cut off, not a single sound escaping.

The Yin Qi tsunami that had just been making Qiu Chuanxing and the others unable to breathe was now like it had met its natural nemesis, desperately drilling into Wu Xi's stomach, not daring to get even a fraction close to Qiu Chuanxing and the others.

Jiang Yuehong, who had collapsed on the ground, felt the pressure on her instantly vanish. Her five senses, which had collapsed by more than half, stabilized instantly. She opened her eyes, looked at Wu Xi not far away, and tears fell instantly.

Five breaths.

In just five breaths, it was sucked dry by Wu Xi.

The sunlight from the mountaintop pierced through the clouds and fell onto the clean bluestone, not a trace of Yin coldness left.

The trial ground, which had been like Hell just a moment ago, was now calm and peaceful; even the wind had stopped.

Qiu Chuanxing and the other three stood in place, soaked in cold sweat, staring like idiots at Wu Xi standing in the center of the valley, unable to say a word.

They had fought for half a month and couldn't even break two arrays. Wu Xi took action, and in less than half a stick of incense, he sucked dry all the Yin Qi.

Then, Wu Xi lifted his foot, walked step by step to the stone stele of the second array eye, raised his hand, and struck with one palm.

Crack. The stele shattered into fly ash. The second array was broken.

He turned again, walked to the stone stele of the third array eye, raised his hand, and struck with another palm.

Crack. The third stele likewise shattered into fly ash, and the third array was broken.

Three Yin-gathering arrays, all broken.

In less than half a stick of incense in total.

The entire valley was dead silent.

Only Niu Fei's cheers echoed back and forth in the valley.

Wu Xi ignored Niu Fei's cheers, just raised his hand and wiped the corner of his mouth with his fingertips, his face still expressionless, as if he had just done a trivial thing.

Just then, Qiu Chuanxing bent down, picked up the Soul-Suppressing Blade from the ground, sheathed it, and walked step by step to Wu Xi. He stood still, raised his hand, and bowed deeply to Wu Xi, his waist bent so low that his forehead almost touched his knees.

His voice carried complete admiration and a hint of irrepressible shame: "Brother Wu Xi, I was blind and offensive before, and I apologize to you."

He raised his head, looked at Wu Xi, and there was no longer any trace of doubt in his eyes, only genuine submission: "I acknowledge your ability, Brother Wu Xi. For future missions, I will strike wherever you point, without any hesitation!"

Ling Muxue, behind him, also walked over quickly, scratching her head. Her face was burning red, and her previous arrogance was completely gone: "Um... Brother Wu Xi, I was foul-mouthed before. Don't take it to heart, heh heh."

Wu Xi looked at the four people in front of him, just nodded slightly, his tone still flat, without a ripple: "No need to apologize. Once you join the team, you are teammates. Just do your respective jobs during missions and don't drag us down; that's all that matters."

Still the same sentence, without a word of nonsense, yet it carried more weight than any grand declaration.

Yue Zhenshan, on the high ground, strode down, clapped his hands, his face full of irrepressible smiles: "Good! Very good!"

"Before, the four of you couldn't break two arrays in a stick of incense. Today, in less than half a stick of incense, all three arrays were broken. It seems you are now qualified to enter the Domain of Wrongful Death."

He swept his gaze over everyone present, his voice sinking again, carrying indisputable decisiveness: "Today's training ends here. Everyone go back to rest and check your equipment and talismans. Tomorrow morning, gather at the hour of the rabbit and set off to cleanse the mountain!"

"Yes!"