78: Trial Space

This time, it took him a day to find another Cultivator. Although the other party was alone, their ability to hide was very impressive. It was only because Gu Yuchuan happened to encounter him while he was collecting medicinal herbs that he found him; otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to. This made things much easier. After battling for only half an incense stick of time, he secured his final quota.

He didn't care about anything else and immediately started rushing toward the Trial Space. By the time he arrived, the portal to the Trial Space had already opened; clearly, some Cultivators had already entered. It was to be expected. Although there weren't many Cultivators at the Qi Refining Great Perfection, there were over a thousand Cultivators at the Qi Refining Late Stage who had recently entered. With their numbers, obtaining ten quotas was much easier than for those at the Qi Refining Great Perfection, so naturally, they entered the Trial Space much faster.

However, it didn't affect much; after all, the interior was independent for each individual, so it didn't matter. It was just that intercepting them when they came out would be more difficult. Originally, he had planned to enter the Trial Space first, come out first, and then ambush outside the Trial Space. When the Human Race Cultivators came out, he would make them hand over their spoils; otherwise, he would kill them directly. But since he had arrived late, the number of people he could ambush would certainly be much fewer, though he would surely still have some gains.

He didn't wait any longer and went straight in, hoping he would be able to catch up.

Upon entering the Trial Space, he seemed to be standing in a starry sky. It was brilliant here, looking very stunning and beautiful. He felt as if his soul had been purified. In the boundless starry sky, everything was so insignificant. Suddenly, an emotionless voice rang out.

"Snake Demon Gu Yuchuan, do you wish to begin the trial for the Qi Refining Great Perfection?"

This suddenly gave him a start. He had been admiring the beautiful scenery when this happened. He impatiently nodded to confirm. He had come here specifically for the trial, so how could he not confirm?

"Snake Demon Gu Yuchuan, the trial is about to begin. First level: kill two Puppet Cultivators of the same Rank."

The next second, he felt himself arrive in a space. This was a martial arts arena, and standing opposite him were two humanoid Puppets. This was his first time seeing a Puppet. Although Puppets were also one of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, very few people knew how to make them. After all, it involved Artifact Refining and Formation; you had to know both to even get started, and the requirements were too high.

Furthermore, these Puppets lacked intelligence. Without someone to control them, their actual combat strength was mediocre. They were certainly weaker than Cultivators of the same Rank, unless the Puppet was crafted using rare treasures.

The two Puppets charged at him. Their movements were very stiff, and Gu Yuchuan finally understood why he had been able to pass a level or two even without any combat techniques when he first entered. The Puppets were truly ineffective; ordinary Cultivators who entered could always pass a level or two.

He casually sent a few streams of water over, and the Puppets were smashed into fragments.

"Congratulations, Snake Demon Gu Yuchuan, you have successfully passed the first level of the trial. Do you wish to enter the second level?"

He naturally confirmed. He had come today specifically to clear the trial, so how could he end it so easily?

He arrived at the final level quite easily. Facing sixteen Puppets of the same Rank alone, he finally felt a little bit of pressure. After all, no matter how weak the opponents were, they were still at the Qi Refining Great Perfection, and they were in the same Realm as him. Facing sixteen of them would surely be difficult to fight.

He immediately turned this place into a marshland and used the power of water currents to attack them. With this, he returned to an advantageous position. His Heavenly Profound Heavy Water could not be dealt with by mere numbers; it relied on quality. As a single drop of Heavenly Profound Heavy Water transformed into seawater, they were unable to resist.

Gu Yuchuan dove into the water. Every time he poked his head out, it was as if the Grim Reaper had appeared, taking away the life of a Puppet. In only half an hour, he passed the final level of the trial.

For Gu Yuchuan, who already had Earthly Fiend Qi in his body, this trial was truly child's play. Passing it was completely without any difficulty. What he needed to do now was to collect his reward.

"Congratulations, Snake Demon Gu Yuchuan, you have successfully passed this trial. Because you already have Earthly Fiend Qi in your body, you cannot be rewarded with Earthly Fiend Qi. The reward has been changed to a bottle of foundation establishment pill and one Purple Gold Jade Gourd talisman treasure. Do you wish to claim it?"

He naturally confirmed. The foundation establishment pill was already extremely precious; it could greatly increase a Cultivator's chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, not to mention the talisman treasure. That talisman treasure was something that even a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator could not resist. Wait, could he use this thing to kill Ning Zhi? This way, he wouldn't have to get injured either. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

The talisman treasure essentially belonged to the path of Talismanic Incantation, and in terms of Rank, it was a Level 3 Peak-Grade, corresponding to the Great Perfection of Golden Core. The creation of a talisman treasure did not require cinnabar or anything like that, as ordinary Talismanic Incantation did; instead, it required the Origin of a Magic Treasure, and it must be a Cultivator's Lifebound Treasure.

Once a Golden Core Cultivator advanced to the Golden Core, they could use Spells to refine a Lifebound Treasure within their Dantian. This Magic Treasure was much more powerful than an ordinary Magic Treasure; its spirituality and attributes were more aligned with the Cultivator, allowing it to unleash greater power. However, at the same time, its safety was linked to the Cultivator; if it was damaged, the Cultivator would also be injured.

Using its essence to create a talisman treasure would obviously cause damage to the Golden Core Cultivator. Therefore, it was usually only when a Golden Core Cultivator had little Lifespan left that they would create a talisman treasure for the Juniors in their family, giving them a trump card to deal with future matters.

Moreover, this talisman treasure was different from ordinary Talismanic Incantation; it could be used multiple times, at least three times. He looked at the yellow Talismanic Incantation in his hand and felt its spiritual light; it could indeed be used three times. Not bad, this was a real trump card.

"Snake Demon Gu Yuchuan, you have completed the trial. Please leave the Trial Space."

With the reward in hand, he naturally had to leave. He was still planning to intercept Cultivators going out. He believed that many Cultivators hadn't gone out yet; after all, his time to clear the level was very fast, and other Cultivators certainly couldn't fight that quickly. He would definitely be able to have some gains, even if it was just some Medicinal Pills, medicinal herbs, or something; those were still good things.

After he went out, he discovered that there were already a few Cultivators nearby. However, their cultivation was not at the Qi Refining Great Perfection. When they saw Gu Yuchuan, they scattered and ran away; no one dared to stay any longer.