After the group vanished from within the valley and the silver light disappeared from their vision, they found themselves standing in a pure white space. While everyone was looking around, the booming voice that announced the trials thundered out in their ears.
"The trial shall start in five minutes. Rest up and restore your energy."
Everyone quickly checked their surroundings, seeing if there was anything within this white space. They could walk around a little, but were quickly stopped by an invisible wall that pushed them back. After checking the invisible walls for a bit, the gray and black haired Li Delan couldn't help but let out a slightly annoyed question.
"So we aren't even allowed to see the location of the third trial before it starts?"
If they got to see the location of the trial while resting, they could at least start thinking about what sort of things they might face and plan accordingly. While the others either rested up or continue to check the white space, Yan Ying walked up to Liang Chen, handing him a few bottles filled with light green pills, an apologetic smile on his face.
"Little Chen, I didn't expect the inner area of the hidden realm to be so strange, so I didn't give you these earlier. If we end up separated again, you can use these to quickly restore your energy."
He hadn't expected them to get split up the moment they entered the inner area, so he had neglected to give Liang Chen any pills to restore his Qi. And after clearing the two previous trials, he always saw Liang Chen acting casual and relaxed, so the thought had completely slipped his mind.
Liang Chen accepted the pills, storing them into his bracelet and thanking Yan Ying. He didn't know if using pills affected the rank he got, but as long as he survived, he couldn't care less about what sort of rank he got. After waiting for five minutes, the booming voice announced the trial they were about to face.
"Show your strength and ability, survive the hunt for seven days."
Hearing the contents of the trial, Liang Chen's expression sunk slightly. Of all the remaining people, he and Yan Ling were among the weakest, meaning that this trial, which required them to show strength and ability, was disadvantageous to them. Space around them started to twist and distort again, and everyone knew what was about to happen, Yan Ying clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"Tch, it really is splitting us up again! Little Chen, Ling'er be extremely careful!"
A silver light flashed in front of Liang Chen's eyes, and then everything turned quiet. Once the silver light vanished, Liang Chen was completely alone in a withered forest. The earth beneath him was an ashen gray in color, the trees in the area brittle and dried up, twisting and contorting into strange shapes. Much like the previous trial ground, the snow in this hidden realm was unable to reach the ground, dissolving when it got close to the earth. Seeing the area around him, Liang Chen's expression couldn't help but sink even further.
"This is the location of our third trial? And we are going to be hunted by something here for an entire seven days? This might be a very hard trial."
Liang Chen knew where this was, he knew which danger zone he was currently in. This was the land of death that was located inside the forest he had first entered after arriving in this hidden realm, the danger zone that filled him with an immense feeling of death when he first laid his eyes upon it.
Liang Chen's vigilance instantly reached a peak, his gaze cautiously scanning the surroundings. His instincts were strangely calm, not screaming and shouting at him that danger was all around him. Instead, his instincts warned him that there was something dangerous to his left, as well as below him.
He slowly moved to the right, his steps quiet and slow. He continued to walk until his instincts started to calm down, no longer warning him about a danger to his left. Once his instincts calmed down, he crouched down, placing his right palm on the ashen earth and closing his eyes.
"The ground is a bit strange, it seems to be draining my energy. Or is it just a misconception?"
He had only spent a short amount of time walking, but for some reason, it felt like he had lost more energy than he should. There was also the fact that his instincts warned him of danger from below, further raising his suspicion. In the end, he took his hand off the ground, shaking his head lightly.
"I shouldn't risk it. I'm all alone here, so I need to be as careful as possible."
Rather than assume that he had been wrong, he would rather assume that he was truly losing energy. Liang Chen closed his eyes and calmly started to wait, carefully sensing his own energy. After standing still for a little over two hours, he felt certain that the ground was draining his energy, and the speed at which it was doing so was growing quicker as time passed.
Liang Chen decided to try something, maneuvering his Qi into his feet, forming a thin shield around them. Once the shield appeared around his feet, the sense of danger he felt from the ground started to fade slightly, so he quickly reinforced the shield to a point where he no longer felt any danger.
After fully forming the shield, he closed his eyes again and returned to quietly waiting. He stood still for another two hours before opening his eyes. Forming a shield of Qi around his feet cost him some energy, but the speed at which it drained was slower than the speed at which the ground drained his energy, so it was better to keep it active.
With the shield around his feet active, Liang Chen started to carefully walk through this land of death. He carefully listened to his instincts, avoiding any location or direction that felt was dangerous. Despite being a land of death, the forest it was located in was quite close to the entrance of the hidden realm, so the pressure here was quite a bit lower than Liang Chen had gotten used to.
He had long ago gotten used to a heavier pressure than this one, so he was able to not only move swiftly and easily, but he was also able to use his lightning element to sense the surrounding living beings. Thanks to being able to sense the electricity within the surrounding living beings, Liang Chen felt that his chances of surviving this trial had increased quite a bit.
But even after he had walked around for half a day, the only other living beings he had discovered were some of the people that had entered this trial alongside him. There weren't even bugs or small animals in this withered forest, it was a true land of death.
As for those people he discovered, he didn't move to make contact with them, spying on them from a distance. This land of death was filled with large bones and withered trees, so there were plenty of places where Liang Chen could hide. They were all people from the other sects, people he couldn't trust. He would rather move on his own than move with people he couldn't trust.
He continued to move around according to his instincts, occasionally stopping to inspect some of the various bones he saw. Some of the bones were human-sized, but others were tens or hundreds of meters long. Just how large did a Demonic beast have to be to leave behind bones like this? And just how had such a Demonic beast died here?
After having walked for an entire day, and having been forced to swallow two of the pills Yan Ying had given him, Liang Chen stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing as he muttered to himself in slight confusion.
"There is someone nearby, but why aren't they moving?"
He could sense that there was a human nearby, but the person wasn't moving, seemingly sitting on the ground. He thought it over for a bit, but eventually decided to at least go and take a look from a distance, just like he had done with the other people he had discovered.
He slowly made his way to the person he had discovered, stopping a short distance away. But strangely enough, when he looked at the spot where he could sense someone, a small circle of withered trees, he was unable to see anyone, the area was completely empty.
He continued to observe the area for a bit longer, his brows furrowing as he failed to understand the situation. Only after spending a bit more time observing, and making sure that his instincts didn't warn him of danger, did he come out from his hiding spot beneath a curved bone and approached the area with slow steps.
Once he got closer, a strange scene appeared in front of his eyes. The area inside the circle of trees started to shimmer slightly, a familiar person appearing within the circle. Liang Chen's vigilance quickly rose, but upon seeing that familiar person sitting on the ground, he let out a light sigh, his vigilance dropping somewhat.
"Yan Ling, so it was you who was hiding here. What sort of skill did you use to turn completely invisible."
The person sitting on the ground amidst the circle of trees was Yan Ling. Her knees were tucked up against her chest, her arms folded around her knees and holding them in place, as if she was curling up. When she first appeared in the circle of trees, her expression had been somewhat downcast, but it grew a bit brighter as she started to talk, her voice a bit low.
"It's thanks to a rare talisman that Father gave me. It first hides all traces of my Qi and then sets up a screen around me that completely hides me. It's pretty useful, but only big enough to hide one person."
Liang Chen couldn't even imagine how one went about creating such a talisman, that could be considered the perfect hiding tool. Had it not been for his ability to sene the electricity that flowed within people's nerves, he would never have noticed her. Liang Chen rubbed his chin, giving a slight nod.
"I see, that really does sound useful. You should continue to hide within it, I'll move away so that I don't draw any attention to this area."
He would honestly prefer to travel with Yan Ling, as she was someone he knew and felt he could trust. But it was simply safer for her to hide here with that extraordinary talisman. But as soon as Liang chen turned around to walk away, Yan Ling called out in a sharp voice, quickly standing up and grabbing onto his sleeve.
"No!"
Liang Chen stopped in his tracks, turning back toward Yan Ling. Her expression had turned a bit pale, a trace of fear and desperation appearing within her eyes. Before Liang Chen got to say anything, Yan Ling spoke up again.
"No, I'll go with you."
Liang Chen's eyebrows couldn't help but furrow slightly. It was clearly far safer to just hide here and wait out the seven days, so why was she so intent on following him.
"But it's safer to stay here and hide, just wait out the seven days."
Even though Liang Chen could detect living beings around him, he could not assure that nothing strange would happen during the next six days. But Yan Ling seemed to be fully intent on following him, her voice turning low, almost pleading.
"Please, please don't leave me alone..."
Yan Ling looked at Liang Chen with pleading and desperate eyes, clearly terrified of being left alone. Seeing her like this, how could Liang Chen possibly reject her again? He lightly shrugged his shoulders, lightening the mood with an overly exasperated sigh.
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"Alright, but don't start kicking me if we get spotted by others and have to start running like mad."
His actions seemed to work, Yan Ling's face turning a bit brighter, not as downcast and despairing as it was earlier. She quickly let out a cold harumph, puffing out her chest in an excessively prideful manner.
"Humph, I would never kick you, I have more class than that."
Seeing her expression and hearing her statement, Liang Chen couldn't resist raising an eyebrow and delivering a quick retort.
"But throwing me around is fine?"
Yan Ling showed no shame when Liang Chen pointed out how she had tossed him around like a ragdoll when they first met, her face the very picture of innocence as she spoke up, her voice sounding as if what she was saying was common sense.
"Completely different. It's of the highest of class, only queens and empresses can do it. In fact, you should be grateful that I would be willing to throw you around like that."
Liang Chen was the one who brought this on, so he could only play along with her arrogant act for a bit. After her mood had returned to normal, the two started to move through the danger zone as a group. Liang Chen was the one who decided where they would go, briefly informing Yan Ling about his sharp instincts.
The two continued to walk, quietly chatting with each other and inspecting some of the strange sights within the danger zone. Yan Ling had the same idea as Liang Chen, that unless they were able to trust them, they shouldn't meet up with the people they discovered as they traveled.
After walking together for a little over one day, slowly moving in a circle around the danger zone, Yan Ling suddenly spoke up about a different subject, her voice a little hesitant.
"Hey, Little Freak... During the previous trial, what sort of illusion did you see?"
Her voice was not only hesitant, but it was also rather low. It was clear that she hadn't asked the question simply because she was curious, she probably wanted an excuse to talk about what she had seen. Liang Chen's eyes grew a bit distant as he thought back to the illusion, responding after a short moment of silence.
"... I returned to my old home. I returned to my parents and my old friend, spending a few peaceful and calm days with them."
Yan Ying, Old Chen, and Teng Yimu hadn't told the others about what happened to Liang Chen's parents, so not even Yan Ling knew about it. She tilted her head slightly as she questioned.
"Your old home? Do you want to return there after you leave this hidden realm? You don't have to come to our sect immediately, you can return home and rest a bit first."
They had traveled together in this hidden realm for quite a bit of time already, but other than the one comment he made about his mother teaching him cooking, this was the first time Liang Chen had ever mentioned anything about his life outside the hidden realm. Her question was completely normal and innocent, so she was a bit shocked to see Liang Chen stop walking for a second, taking a single deep breath before he responded.
"No. Even if I go there, it won't be there anymore. I no longer have a place I can return to."
His words were simple and strangely calm, but Yan Ling was able to sense a desolate feeling from them, a tremendous sorrow. He didn't outright say it, but Yan Ling was easily able to understand the meaning of his words, his parents and friend were no longer there, he was alone. The two continued to walk in silence for a bit before Yan Ling spoke up, a weak and forced smile on her face.
"... I returned to the sect. I got to meet my younger brother and sister, getting to spend some time with them again. I even taught them a bit about cultivation and how to fight. Their smiles, their laughter, it all seemed so real, so lifelike. So why, why did I have to know that it was all fake?"
There was no answer to her question, she hadn't sought an answer in the first place, she simply wanted to give vent to the feelings that she had kept tucked away. Liang Chen could recognize the sorrow in her voice, for it was the same sorrow that tinged his voice when he talked about his parents. This was a cruel world, a world that tore loved ones apart far too easily.
Both of them had loved, and both of them had lost, and in their pain, they found someone they could talk to so that they could vent their anguish. After another short moment spent in silence, Yan Ling asked another question, her voice a tiny bit less sorrowful after having gotten to vent a little.
"When you left the illusion, how did you do it?"
Once again, Liang Chen stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes. He could still clearly see and feel that moment when his spear had pierced through their chests, the anguished expression on his father's face, the hot blood on his face. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, his voice determined as he continued to walk.
"...No matter how much I prayed for that illusion to be real, I always knew that it was fake, nothing more than a sweet dream. I can't erase the past, so I drew my spear and I killed them. My parents, my friend, I stabbed them through the heart. And then I continued to move forward."
Only by embracing the pain of the past, using it as a motivator and moving forward could he reach his goals, only by moving forward would he be able to maybe revive his parents. Liang Chen was still young, so he was a bit shorter than Yan Ling, but for a short second, she felt that his straight back was as tall and steady as a mountain. After a short moment of hesitation, she spoke up with her own story.
"...I wanted to do the same. To harden my heart and push forward, to forget the past and step over it. But I couldn't, I just couldn't give up on them, I couldn't be too slow once again. In the end, rather than give up on them, I forgave myself, I forgave Big Brother. And it seemed to work, the illusion faded away and I got the performance rank of Great."
Liang Chen had carved a path through the illusion using pain and blood, while Yan Ling had opened a path through the illusion using love and forgiveness. Two different paths, but they both ended with the same result. After hearing her story, Liang Chen couldn't help but glance at her with a questioning gaze.
"To forget the past, huh? Why would you try to do that?"
Yan Ling didn't seem to understand exactly what Liang Chen was trying to say, tilting her head sideways and uttering a confused exclamation.
"Huh?"
Why she would try to forget the past? Why wouldn't she? The past was painful, it was better to be forgotten so that one could focus on the good things in the future. Yan Ling's thoughts were clearly visible on her face, so Liang Chen shook his head and repeated himself, saying a bit more this time.
"Why would you want to forget the past? Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I won't forget the past, I refuse to let that happen. I will always remember it, the good and the bad, and I will use it to keep myself going."
If he ever forgot the pain of losing his parents, wouldn't that mean that he would also forget exactly why it was that he had chosen to set out on this path of cultivation? That loss was his greatest pain, and also his greatest motivation. Yan Ling's eyes grew a bit distant, those scenes from the past flashing past her eyes before she quietly repeated his words.
"Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, huh? That's a pretty neat saying."
She wasn't certain if she could be like Liang Chen, using the pain of her loss to propel her forward, as she wanted to do nothing more than forget those painful memories. But she felt that even if it was just for a little, she could at least try, even if it was just to honor the memories of those good times. Liang Chen wore a faint smile, his memories also flashing back to the past, to before his parents were killed.
"My father taught it to me when I was young, it's stuck with me ever since."
The mood between the two of them became a mixture of somber and joy, both of them quietly reminiscing about their respective pasts as they continued to walk.
After they spent three hours walking in this strange mood, Liang Chen decided that it was time to lighten up the mood again. But rather than pull a joke this time, he stealthily moved his arm behind Yan Ling, who was walking right next to him, and poked the side of her waist that wasn't right next to him. What followed was a loud shriek and a curse as Yan Ling was caught completely off guard and got spooked, jumping into the air.
"By the go--! You fucker!"
She swept the surroundings for a short second, her eyes landing on the chuckling Liang Chen, giving him a deadly glare that made it look like she wanted to take a bite out of him.
"What are you chuckling about?! You think this is funny, eh?!"
Yan Ling quickly swept out with her leg, wind gathering around her foot as she delivered several swift kicks to Liang Chen's rear and his legs. She controlled her strength rather well, so the kicks only hurt a little, but Liang Chen still jumped away and retorted.
"Oy, you said you had more class than kicking!"
It had only been around a day since she herself made a big deal out of the fact that she was above kicking, and yet here she was, furiously kicking his rear. Yan Ling simply spat a cold harumph, continuing to kick him for a bit.
"Peh, who cares if I do some low-class things to you?! Or do you think you are worthy of my high-class punishments?!"
Liang Chen's actions once again served their purpose, the mood lightening, at the cost of some pain in his rear. The two continued making their way through the danger zone, waiting for the seven days to pass so that the trial would end.