Chapter Sixteen: The Beginning of the Trial

As the tangible mass of energy hovered above his head, Wood felt a force drawing him into its depths. The sensation was so soothing that he could not help but sigh contentedly and close his eyes, acutely aware of a powerful, warm current coursing through every part of his body. Yet the warmth grew ever hotter, until it became almost searing, finally turning into a sharp pain. Unable to bear it, Wood wanted to cry out, only to discover that no sound would come, though every sensation in his body sharpened. The agony was like being roasted over a blazing fire, as if a thousand arrows pierced his heart at once. He had no idea how long this lasted. Each time he was about to faint from the pain, a gentle force from his core would rise up, sheltering him just in time. Gradually, the pain subsided and an indescribable comfort blossomed outward from his very bones. Wood could even sense a golden, flowing energy swirling within his core, traveling through every limb and bone. With each complete cycle, it absorbed a wisp of energy from the outside, causing the golden energy to swell.

He had no idea how many cycles had passed when he felt the golden energy cease to grow, settling quietly in his core, as if it had become a pool of liquid.

Exhaling deeply, Wood opened his eyes. In that instant, he felt transformed. His vision was astonishingly clear—he could see distant mountain ranges with perfect detail, and the veins of a falling leaf drifting through the air. The rush of wind over the earth and the distant cries of birds were so vivid to his ears. Still dazed, Wood looked for the old man, but instead saw a young man in blue robes standing proudly before him. There was no one else present, and from his gaze and attire, Wood realized that this must be the old man from before.

Seeing Wood’s bewilderment, the man smiled slightly, “Are you surprised by my appearance?”

Wood nodded instinctively, and the young man laughed heartily. “I am a disciple of the Grand Void Sect from the cultivation realm—my name is Xiaoyaozi. This is how I looked when I was young.”

It turned out that Xiaoyaozi had once been an ordinary man in the cultivation realm. At the brink of death, fate led him to join the Grand Void Sect. Yet he was already old, long past the prime for building a foundation in cultivation, and, being of average talent, he became an outer disciple—one overlooked by the sect. But luck favored him beyond measure. By chance, he became a realm agent, and through exchanging resources with other agents, he slowly succeeded in building his foundation and advancing in cultivation. Eventually, he became a key disciple of the Grand Void Sect. Now, with his core shattered and his nascent soul formed, he had not only regained his youth and vigor but could draw upon the energies of heaven and earth, stepping into the demi-immortal realm. In the Grand Void Sect, only a few elders could match his prowess, and his heart soared with joy. Even Wood now seemed pleasing to his eyes.

“It’s your good fortune!” Xiaoyaozi exclaimed. “You had not a trace of cultivation, yet within this formation I was able to forcibly lay your foundation and temper your body. Now, you are already a cultivator whose true essence has liquefied. With further progress, you will gradually condense your core and, once perfected, shatter it to form your nascent soul as I have—thus stepping into the demi-immortal realm.”

Wood was inwardly astounded, knowing he had stumbled upon a tremendous opportunity. He saluted deeply, his respect sincere.

Moved, Xiaoyaozi asked, “I’ve heard them call you Wood. What is your real name?”

“My name is Chen Mu, but everyone’s used to calling me Wood,” he replied.

Xiaoyaozi nodded. “Your heart is peaceful, uncontentious—cultivation suits you well.” After a pause, he continued, “Inheritance is the lifeblood of the cultivation path. Since I have helped you build your foundation and temper your body, I am now your guide. Would you be willing to join the Grand Void Sect as my disciple?”

Cultivation was something Wood had always yearned for. Now, with such a powerful cultivator inviting him to become a disciple, he immediately knelt down and bowed in respect. “Master, your disciple Chen Mu greets you!”

“Haha! Though your name is Wood, you are anything but dull. The power of cultivation is the most profound force in the world. In time, you will see how wise your choice was! I cannot accept your bow for nothing.” With that, Xiaoyaozi plucked a hairpin from his head. With a flick, it transformed into a three-foot-long blue sword, which he handed over. “This is a treasure I have refined for many years. I give it to you.”

Only then did Wood realize that the hairpin was actually a magical artifact. Xiaoyaozi explained, “This sword is named ‘Azure Abyss.’ With your current cultivation, you cannot yet ride the sword through the skies, but you can nourish it within your true essence.” He then taught Wood the incantation for nurturing the flying sword.

Following the instruction, Wood tried it out and stored the sword within the liquid essence of his core. Xiaoyaozi said that after forty-nine days of nurturing, Wood would be able to summon and sheathe the sword at will.

Seeing Wood quickly master the technique, Xiaoyaozi calculated, “We have spent more than five months inside the Ancestral Diagram. Come, let us leave.”

“What?” Wood exclaimed in astonishment. “It’s been that long? I had no sense of it at all!”

Xiaoyaozi smiled. “Time flows differently for cultivators. A single retreat can last years—five months is nothing.” With a wave of his hand, a black vortex opened overhead. “Up!” he called, flying off with Wood.

When Wood’s feet touched solid ground again, he found only a few scattered figures in the trading space. Gu Feng, Baldy, and the others were gone—no doubt, after so long, they had completed their trades and returned to their own realms.

Xiaoyaozi said, “The realm trading space opens once every ten days, each time for only a day. When the space closes, you’ll be forcibly sent back to your own realm. Take a look around to see if there’s anything else you need. Ha! I’m off to show off at the sect!” With a flash of white light, Xiaoyaozi activated the realm system and vanished.

Amused by the old man’s youthful exuberance, Wood smiled and checked the system time—there was still half an hour before his trial mission began. He wandered among the remaining market stalls, intending to pick up a few affordable magic scrolls in preparation.

“Magic Shield—enchanted item. Function: negates all physical and mental harm within its protection for ten minutes.”

“Meteoric Firestorm—enchanted item. Function: high-level magic, inflicts severe physical fire damage on the target.”

“Froststorm—enchanted item. Function: high-level magic, inflicts severe physical ice damage on the target.”

“Thunderflash—enchanted item. Function: high-level magic, summons a bolt of heavenly lightning, with bonus lightning damage.”

These scrolls were all quite inexpensive. Wood selected three of each, making twelve in total, which cost only two high-grade energy crystals. The stallholder, also a realm agent from the magic world, noticed that Wood seemed well-supplied with crystals and added him as a friend through the system. Wood was about to browse for more scrolls when Little Bell chimed in:

“Attention... Basic Material Realm Agent Trial Mission is about to begin... Commencing countdown... Trial commencing, realm transfer initiating...” Suddenly, Wood felt as though the system had torn open a black hole, yanking him in at once.

“Ding... Entering trial realm, trial program initiated. Trial location: Apocalypse Crisis. Information: On Biosphere Realm Star 10, abnormal evolution has occurred. The planet has been ravaged by a strange virus—zombies roam, creatures mutate. Objective: Investigate the cause, eliminate the source of infection. Time limit; failure has no penalty.”

As Little Bell’s voice faded, Wood gradually regained his senses. He found himself in the wilds, twilight only just falling, though endless darkness already seemed to blanket the land, making the atmosphere oppressively tense. Scanning the barren landscape, he saw only a small river in the distance, flowing quietly. Beyond it rose a city, its high-rises looming, yet not a single light shone.

Approaching the riverbank, Wood bent down to scoop some water to wash his face, when Little Bell’s shrill warning sounded: “Water source contaminated—drinking is not advised!” As she finished, he heard a sudden splash—out of the river leapt a fish over two feet long, its mouth full of sharp teeth glinting deathly in the darkness as it lunged for him.

Startled, Wood dodged away just in time, only to see more of these savage mutant fish leaping from the water, attacking ferociously. With his current skills, there was no way these monsters could bite him. He retreated a few steps from the riverbank, watching as the fish, after struggling on land for a moment, leaped back into the water, laying in wait for their next victim. Clearly, they too had been mutated by the polluted river and become bloodthirsty predators.

He slipped on his detector: “Mutant Demon Fish—Attack Power: 5!” The danger seemed minor, but Wood knew that an ordinary person falling into the river would be picked clean to the bone in under thirty seconds.

Surveying the eerie environment and noting how early it still was, Wood picked a secluded spot and tossed out a transformation capsule.

With a few crackles, the capsule unfolded into a small cabin—barely ten square meters, but with a large inflatable mattress inside. Wood was delighted; this was a fine piece of travel equipment.

He gathered some firewood and built a campfire, then pulled two bottles of water and two cans of beef from his space bracelet, intent on enjoying a good meal.

Yet before he could even open a can, he heard the sound of scattered, faltering footsteps, and weak voices cried out, “Don’t run!” and “Please, spare my wife!”

The spot Wood had chosen was a quiet place beneath a small rise. Standing up, he saw three men chasing after a woman who was running ahead, another man trailing behind, pleading as he ran, “Let her go!”