242: Inner Demon Tribulation

"Is this the Qingxu Grotto-Heaven?"

Zhou Yan snapped back to reality, finding himself standing on the plaza of the Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, though the scene before him was much more ancient than he remembered.

If he wasn't mistaken, this should be the so-called Heart Demon Tribulation.

Just as he was about to observe his surroundings, a tender voice came from an unknown place.

"Hey, are you the one who wants to challenge me?"

"Who? Who's speaking?"

Zhou Yan vigilantly scanned his surroundings.

"What kind of skill is it to hide in the dark? Come out and fight!"

While searching for the speaker's figure, he tried to provoke them with words. The voice sounded like a child's, so perhaps this method would work.

The provocation indeed worked. Zhou Yan immediately felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and couldn't help but bend over. Immediately after, a force grabbed his collar and pulled him forward.

"You pretty boy are too much! Is being tall so great?!"

Only then did Zhou Yan see that the opponent had been right in front of him all along. It was just that their shorter height had prevented him from noticing earlier.

Zhou Yan pushed the child in front of him away, took two steps back, and rubbed his stomach with a frown.

The System could not be used here, but the skills he had learned in the past and the items he had obtained through the System were still present.

Although it wasn't too bad, it was still quite troublesome. Without the game panel, his strength had decreased significantly, and any further accidents would be difficult to handle.

"Enough nonsense, draw your sword!"

The young man opposite him arrogantly brushed his hair and reached behind his back to draw his sword.

Once, twice, thrice.

It's not even New Year's yet, why is he already performing New Year's greetings?

Zhou Yan thought to himself, but his hand had already concentrated on constructing a wooden longsword.

Although the panel function was disabled, the yuanwu xielü in his backpack could still be materialized, which was good news.

The young man repeatedly tried to draw his sword several times without success, then finally unfastened the sword from his back and drew it from his waist instead, his face slightly flushed.

"Enough nonsense, draw your sword!"

As if enraged by embarrassment, he said no more and thrust his sword directly.

Although Zhou Yan was startled by this young man, who was not old but possessed extraordinary swordsmanship, the Long Tianxing brand swordsmanship he had learned had already begun to show its power, easily deflecting the first strike.

The young man showed a hint of surprise, then his sword moves came again, sharp and swift.

But Zhou Yan was faster; after parrying, he followed up with an attack. The sound of the wooden sword cutting through the air arrived first, but the opponent's movement technique was agile, so this sword only cut open the opponent's sleeve, not harming them in the slightest.

The young man spun around and closed in, the tip of his sword flicking out three cold stars, aiming for the left shoulder, throat, and heart.

Zhou Yan retreated half a step, his wooden sword slashing diagonally upwards from below, parrying the first sword. His wrist slightly rotated, using the flat of the sword to deflect the second sword. By the time the third sword arrived, his sword spine had already smoothly pressed against the opponent's sword body.

A press, a flick.

The young man's sword edge was knocked aside by half a foot, exposing his right rib. Zhou Yan's wooden sword moved like an inchworm, touching his rib and retracting instantly.

This time, he wasn't so lucky. The sword edge sliced across, tearing the cloth three inches, and a line of blood slowly seeped out.

The young man advanced instead of retreating.

His sword moves suddenly accelerated, transforming into a continuous barrage of thrusts, each sword aimed directly at a vital point, each faster than the last.

Zhou Yan consistently maintained a half-step distance. The wooden sword in his hand seemed to have elasticity; each block was not a hard reception, but rather a deflection that followed the incoming force, bouncing back in the instant before the force was completely spent.

The clash of wooden sword and steel sword was as dense as a sudden downpour.

The young man pressed relentlessly, and Zhou Yan retreated step by step.

On the surface, the young man had the upper hand, his sword light almost completely enveloping Zhou Yan.

But a closer look would reveal that every fierce attack from the young man ultimately deviated by half an inch.

And in every moment of deviation, Zhou Yan's wooden sword, like a venomous snake lying in wait, would leave a shallow wound on him.

Shoulder, arm, waist, leg.

After seven rounds of fierce attacks, the young man had accumulated nine bloodstains on his body, while Zhou Yan's robe remained as pristine as ever.

The young man's eyes were bloodshot.

He suddenly leaped back, withdrawing his sword. The longsword traced a semicircle at his side, pouring all its strength into a final thrust.

The sword edge ripped through the air.

Then, it abruptly stopped three inches in front of Zhou Yan's glabella.

Because a hand made of intricate white-gold branches had gripped the sword body.

The young man was shocked to see that the wooden sword he had been fighting for half a day had actually grown two arms.

At this moment, one arm gripped his sword body, while the other quickly wrote something in the air, seemingly patterns representing curses.

Subsequently, the young man's body fell into abnormal states such as paralysis, weakness, and poisoning.

"Fooled you, didn't I? How can swordsmanship be so inconvenient?" Zhou Yan showed a triumphant smile.

This was the move he had secretly prepared when he discovered he could summon the yuanwu xielü.

"Old man," the young man gritted his teeth, sweat mixed with blood dripping into his eyes, "you've become weak."

Zhou Yan's wooden sword gently touched his Adam's apple.

The branches simultaneously loosened, turning into specks of light dust.

"I won't preach any grand principles, because you've fundamentally mistaken me for someone else."

The young man's eyes instantly cleared. He looked at Zhou Yan, his face filled only with regret, then transformed into a stream of light and dissipated. The surrounding space also began to collapse, eventually leaving only a Void Realm.

After everything disappeared, Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Long is still amazing. The swordsmanship he casually comprehended has such an effect. As expected, those who can parry are not to be underestimated."

He recalled how he had been forced into a sorry state by Long Tianxing's parrying swordsmanship during their past battle. Now that this swordsmanship was his to use, he naturally had to vindicate it.

From this moment on, this was the best swordsmanship!

Of course, no matter how exquisite Long Tianxing's swordsmanship was, it wouldn't suddenly grow an arm from the sword to grab an opponent's weapon during a confrontation. And Zhou Yan's sword could do more than just that.

This swordsmanship, in his hands, was truly 'put to its best use'.

After everything returned to silence, Zhou Yan finally had time to survey his surroundings. He needed to clarify the current situation while his mind was clear.

He should have already triggered the Heart Demon Tribulation and fallen into it.

From his recent experience, all his abilities could be reproduced here, except for the System, which could not be called upon. This precisely indicated that this place was not the real world.

And the unusual emotional fluctuation he felt upon arriving here also proved that this place could affect his mind, a point he must be vigilant about.

As for the young man and the scene just now... if he wasn't mistaken, it should be related to the Grand Elder.

After using the Sword Seal three times, although Zhou Yan did not further improve his Sword Dao comprehension or enter a state of enlightenment, this Heart Demon still appeared.

Perhaps it was due to the contradictory state of mind, both longing for and fearing that powerful force, during his first use of the Sword Seal, that created a connection.

However, he had never personally witnessed that scene, and judging from the opponent's words, this did not seem to be his own Heart Demon.

Could it be... the Grand Elder's?

Time waits for no one.

Before Zhou Yan could delve deeper into his thoughts, the surrounding scenery changed again, constructing a new world.

This time, facing him was a chef wearing an eye patch.

"Your cooking is trash!"

"What 'food that makes people happy'? Trash is trash!"

"Cheap ingredients, cheap prices, cheap customers—your cooking is worthless!"

Zhou Yan looked around and found himself in a giant venue. He and the One-Eyed Chef opposite him each stood behind an open-air kitchen counter.

"Come on, let me personally shatter your unrealistic fantasies and claim the Chef God Throne you've longed for!"

"I'll make you understand that your dreams are worthless!"

A person resembling a referee entered the arena, signaling the start of the match. The chef opposite had already begun frantically chopping vegetables and preparing ingredients.

"Whose Heart Demon is this again? Why is it a Cooking Skill competition now?" Zhou Yan wondered.

Seeing him delay, the audience below let out jeers and insults.

The host did not stop them; instead, he took the opportunity to apply pressure.

"Contestant Zhou Yan is frozen in place. Has he already given in? Is he admitting defeat? It seems the outcome of this match is already decided!"

Before his words fell, the One-Eyed Chef had already presented his first dish. Zhou Yan, however, hadn't even lit his stove.

"Zhou Yan, give up!"

"I win!"

With this declaration of victory, the opponent spread his arms to welcome the cheers. The entire audience erupted in deafening shouts; if it were an ordinary person, they would have probably collapsed already.

A chef dedicated to making 'food that makes people happy' against an opponent focused on efficiency and expensive dishes had no chance of winning in such a competition. Zhou Yan noticed the competition rules hanging in the venue.

Complete one hundred dishes within the time limit.

For a chef who values quality, this competition format almost guaranteed failure. Clearly, the rules of this final were specially tailored by the opponent, who had bribed the organizers.

After clarifying the situation, Zhou Yan shook his head helplessly.

He wasn't dissatisfied with the situation; he just found the opponent's actions redundant. Since they could bribe the organizers, why not just customize an award directly? Insisting on a proper competition was simply ridiculous.

Seeing Zhou Yan sigh, the opponent thought he was about to admit defeat and was about to utter his classic line.

But then he heard a clear sound from the opposite side.

"Ding-dong♦ding↑ding!"