Chapter 62: The Change in the Second Trial

Yu Ming's action was not passive; he proposed it himself.

For a person whose foundation is damaged, whose future is bleak, and whose lifespan is nearly spent, most things have become trivial.

Yet one thing he could not ignore was the chance to repair his foundation.

This trial was mysterious; perhaps he could gain the opportunity to mend his foundation within it.

Even if he ultimately failed, he could still earn Li Qianbei's favor—perhaps leaving him one last thread of hope.

As for the others… frankly, it might sound rude, but it was purely incidental.

As for whether this would anger the unseen master manipulating everything, Yu Ming was not overly concerned—after all, the Hehuan Sect's charm cultivators were already doing live broadcasts, and nothing happened to them.

"It's starting." Yu Ming opened his eyes.

Instantly, everyone held their breath; even Li Qingyang's expression grew more serious as he set down his gourd and looked at him.

In the next moment, Yu Ming closed his eyes again, his head sinking heavily—he had clearly entered the trial.

Has it already begun?

Although Yu Ming had demonstrated this twice before, watching it again still left them baffled.

But with Li Qianbei here, he should be able to…

Seeing all eyes turn toward him—including even his own junior disciple's junior disciple—Li Qingyang paused.

"Don't look at me; Li Mou doesn't know what's happening either."

He wouldn't cling to pride—he simply didn't understand.

Li Qianbei's words were truly blunt…

The Soul Transformation cultivators exchanged glances, forced to refocus their attention on Yu Ming.

…………

【Enemy: Qi Condensation Stage 9 Body Cultivator, Introduction to The Tyrant Scripture, Perfect Shaking Mountain Fist】

【Objective: Kill】

This was the opponent Yu Ming encountered this time.

Restricted by cultivation level, Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators could at most bring a scripture like The Tyrant Scripture to the Introduction stage.

To advance it to Minor Completion, one needed at least the Golden Core Stage, where one's true energy transformed into magic power.

Gray mist gathered, coalescing into an iron spear in Yu Ming's hand, its six-inch tip gleaming with cold light.

Thud! Thud! The body cultivator's shadow drew nearer, its Heavy and Dense aura making the hairs on Yu Ming's knuckles stand on end.

Something's wrong—this is far stronger than last time.

He had faced body cultivators with Perfect-level fist techniques within the trial space before, but none had ever exerted such overwhelming pressure.

His rich experience allowed him to instantly judge: he stepped back with his right foot, gripped the spear's haft above his head, and pointed the tip downward.

The body cultivator's shadow halted when it reached the optimal range.

Its features were indistinct, yet Yu Ming felt an intensely aggressive gaze.

Like a starving tiger fixated on its prey.

Thud! The body cultivator's shadow stomped its foot and lunged forward.

Yu Ming's heart jolted—he pressed the spear's haft upward and swept it! Whirrrr! The spear vibrated, about to strike the skull.

But the body cultivator's shadow opened its palm-like hands and seized the razor-sharp spear tip with bare hands.

Thin streams of blood trickled down its arm, dissolving into gray mist.

Then, the body cultivator's shadow seemed to grin savagely, and its right hand surged with force—the iron spear bent instantly.

Yu Ming's scalp prickled; he felt as if gripping the spearhead were a Tyrannosaurus rex with boundless strength—the irresistible force threatened to lift him clean off the ground.

Whoosh! The world spun wildly, violent winds flooding his nose and throat.

Danger! Realizing this, Yu Ming immediately released his grip and was flung backward.

……

……

It wasn't just Yu Ming—all trial participants had immediately sensed something was off.

Even at the same level and cultivation, there were vast differences.

Last time, Fang Lin was used as the template; his temperament and combat talent were merely average—fine for the first round's screening, but unsuitable for the second.

So Xu Xing strengthened various aspects across the board, and this adjustment was dynamic.

For example, if a trial participant knew only one ordinary sword technique, increase difficulty by ten percent; if two, increase by twenty percent, and so on, up to a maximum of fifty percent.

If the participant studied a supreme technique or an ultimate lineage, a different algorithm applied.

Otherwise, how could ordinary Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators compete against the Xian Sect's Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators?

Within the trial space, Xiao Fan also faced a body cultivator.

After this period of familiarity, he felt increasingly the might of the Tai Xuan Combat Method, and filled with confidence, he charged forward with his fists, aiming to end the battle swiftly.

Yet, upon contact, the outcome was entirely different from what he expected.

Faced with the brute, straightforward punch that seemed ready to shake mountains, he was driven back step by step.

No matter how refined or varied his techniques, the body cultivator's shadow struck only one punch.

No matter how you change, I break you with one punch! Within five exchanges, he was blasted backward, spitting blood.

'This is way too overpowered!'

Xiao Fan was filled with dread.

Barely landing and steadying his stance, a punch capable of shattering gold and jade was already hurtling toward his face, the air current choking his breath.

Damn! A flash of spiritual light in his eyes—his spiritual energy instantly flowed along a strange path.

Whoosh! It sounded as if blood surged in his ears—Xiao Fan's physical attributes surged, his feet shifted, and he dodged the punch by mere inches.

Then he quickly pulled back to create distance.

This is the Tai Xuan Combat Method, enhancing spiritual power.

His spiritual power surged rapidly as he felt the endless strength within, Xiao Fan fixed his gaze on the body cultivator's shadow, replaying in his mind every movement of the figure wreathed in divine radiance.

He bore the mighty Cang Clan's combat art—how could he possibly lose!

"Again!"

His body halted abruptly, then charged once more toward the body cultivator's shadow, punching out with force multiplied many times over.

But this punch landed no success.

The body cultivator's shadow dodged the incoming fist at an odd angle, slipping into his embrace.

Xiao Fan froze, as if seeing a hint of mockery on the blurred face, a splayed palm growing larger in his vision.

The moment his face was clamped by the giant hand, Xiao Fan's mind held only one thought.

'Isn't this supposed to be straightforward? Why did he dodge?'

Then his head was helplessly pressed toward the ground.

…………

"Uncle, you ramped up the intensity so suddenly—can they handle it?"

Chi Jiuyu crouched beside the coffee table, crunching noisily on a fruit.

"If it's as easy as last time, what's the point?" Xu Xing said coolly.

"True."

Chi Jiuyu quickly finished the last bits of fruit, then tossed the pit into a trash bin far away.

She clapped her hands, sat on the sofa, and stretched lazily.

"But by the way, Uncle, why are you holding this trial?"

After returning to the sect, if you wished, the other Liudaxian Sects would all show respect.

Then, both the scale and the overall quality of the trial participants would far surpass this one.

"This is the first city I encountered after emerging from my seclusion," Xu Xing said, watching the figures fighting one by one. "Since fate brought us here, I'll give these people a chance to test themselves."

If someone rises from this and attains He Dao, that would be best of all.

But the probability is tiny—if He Dao were so easy to achieve, there wouldn't be so few after all this time.

"Hmm…" Chi Jiuyu pondered for a moment. "Then shouldn't we return a bit later?"

"No need to wait too long—it's nearly time."

The reason he stayed here, besides giving these people a chance, was another one.

And now…

Huo is stirring up trouble—he must keep an eye on things.

"Returning later would be better…" she muttered under her breath.

Returning means seeing Master! Please collect and follow!! (End of chapter)