Chapter 39: Trials [1] - Body

Chapter 39: Trials [1] - BodyThe golden sky split apart with a low, echoing crack—as though the heavens themselves had just been torn open.

And from that tear, something enormous descended.

A mountain.

Its peak vanished into the mist of the higher sky, so tall and vast that even the people couldn’t gauge its height.

Before anyone could recover from the shock, a gate materialized at the base of the mountain, shrouded in thick fog and ancient aura.

Massive Eastern dragons coiled around its frame — each one shimmering with veins of molten gold.

Their dragonic bodies twisted in perfect symmetry, scales gleaming like mirrors under divine light.

They looked so lifelike that Yu Xuan couldn’t help but stop in awe.

’Those dragons... are they carved or alive?’

The gate slowly opened, revealing what lay beyond: a path made of golden stone — simple yet profound. It stretched forward, leading to the foot of the mountain.

Above the gate, in grand calligraphy glowing with ethereal ink, one word pulsed:



BODY

Then came the voice of the Artifact Spirit, Tianling — his tone amused, yet distant:

"All you must do is reach the base of the mountain. That alone will qualify you for the next trial."

That sounded easy enough — deceptively easy.

Yu Xuan wasn’t fooled.

Already, cultivators of all races began moving forward. Though there were no physical stairs, a glowing line had been etched into the golden path every ten meters — each one radiant with energy.

The first cultivators passed through the gate.

At first, nothing happened.

But then—

The moment they stepped across the first line, many stumbled. Some even fell to one knee, gasping.

Their bodies had been subjected to a sudden spike in pressure — gravity had increased. A lot.

Yu Xuan narrowed his eyes, observing carefully.

’So the path isn’t as easy as it looks.’

Still, he couldn’t afford to wait too long. There was no visible time limit — but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one.

He stepped forward.

The first line.

Nothing.

It was like walking across air.

But when he crossed the second line, everything changed.

A crushing force bore down on him, and his legs bent involuntarily.

’Ten times gravity?’

Around him, other participants struggled too — and not just humans. A massive humanoid with fur rippling down his arms groaned, knees trembling.

Yu Xuan immediately realized something was off.

’Wait... shouldn’t other races with strong body handle gravity better than humans?’

But they were struggling too.

That meant...

’This trial looks equal — but it’s tailored to everyone individually.’

His eyes glinted.

’The trial is adjusting the pressure based on race, maybe even, strength, bloodline.’

That was terrifying.

Only something immortal or above could manipulate something simultaneously.

Truly, an immortal wonder.

’That artifact spirit... it’s not simple.’

Then he pressed on.

The third line.

His knees buckled.

The gravity jumped — easily a hundred times.

Muscles quaked. Sweat poured from his forehead.

He saw one cultivator ahead vomiting blood, and another collapsing entirely.

And yet, somehow... Yu Xuan felt his body beginning to adapt.

Suddenly he saw a system notification.

[Ding!]

[Extreme strain on the physical body detected.]

[User has not begun cultivation.]

[Passive activation of ??? Cultivation Technique.]

[Body strengthening has begun.]

He felt it at once.

A quiet warmth surged through his limbs — subtle but steady.

His muscles no longer trembled. His breath steadied. His feet dug more firmly into the golden path.



’This... is it body cultivation?’

He couldn’t say for sure. His technique was still unnamed, still unknown — but it had triggered automatically.

His steps became more fluid.

The fourth line brought burning heat — like he’d been dropped into a furnace.

Flames licked at his skin, but his flesh didn’t burn. It boiled — pain surged, forcing his focus sharp.

He endured it.

The fifth line brought biting cold — the air turned frigid, his skin frostbitten. But his body began regulating itself, fire battling the cold from within.

By the sixth line, he was walking through violent winds — each gust like a blade, each step a battle to stay upright.

At the seventh, it felt like he was walking underwater — heavy, wet pressure squeezed his lungs, threatening to drown him on dry land.

The eighth — his senses dulled. The world blurred, sound vanished. A mental fog settled, testing not his strength but his clarity.

He grit his teeth, pressed forward.

At the twenty-fifth line, his joints felt like they were grinding together under tons of metal.

At the fortieth, it was as though chains had wrapped around him, dragging his spirit into the ground.

At the sixty-fifth, phantom illusions appeared.

People from his family.

His parents, smiling gently.

A younger Lingluo, laughing in the courtyard.

Ming Tianmei handing him candy.

"Xuan’er," they whispered. "Rest. You’ve done enough."

His heart clenched.

’Illusions...!’

He roared mentally, rejecting the false images.

They dissolved like mist.

By the eighty-fifth line, the gravity was so dense it began warping his vision. His spine cracked. His legs wobbled.

He bit his tongue, focusing his mind. The pain sharpened him.

He stepped forward.

Ninety-two... Ninety-three... Ninety-four...

Each line felt like wading through molten rock and fire at once.

The ninety-eighth line nearly broke him.

Yu Xuan collapsed — just for a second.

But in a place like this, even a second of weakness felt like eternity.

Teeth clenched, he punched the golden ground, the force echoing faintly through the mountain path.

He pulled himself back up, his arms trembling, every bone in his body screaming in protest.

And then, with a roar he said, "Not yet!"

He staggered forward and crossed the ninety-ninth line. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

But this time, it wasn’t gravity or heat or illusions.

No — it was raw pain.

An invisible force surged through his entire body, not just his limbs — but his nerves, organs, and even the marrow in his bones. His limbs spasmed, muscles contracting uncontrollably. His body began slipping out of his control.

He bit his tongue, drawing blood just to stay conscious.

Step by step, inch by inch... he made it.

At last, he reached the hundredth line, and collapsed.

The moment he crossed, the pressure disappeared — like it had never been there.

A gentle golden light enveloped him. It wasn’t healing... but it was soothing, like warm water washing away the pain.

He lay there, breath ragged, chest heaving.

The silence around him was deafening.

Lifting his head slowly, he looked forward.

No one.

He was alone.

Then he looked back — down the golden path that twisted endlessly into the fog.

Disciples were still struggling near the seventy-fifth line, panting, crawling, some even unconscious.



’Am I... first?’

He blinked.

Yu Xuan didn’t feel victorious. Not really.

His body still ached. His spirit was drained. But his heart... was calm.

The golden glow continued to cradle his body gently, like an unseen reward for reaching this far.

’Well, I guess I’ve earned a short break.’

He sat up slowly, crossing his legs and letting himself rest. With time before the others arrived, maybe he’d be able to spot Lingluo or Tianmei among the crowd.

High above, unseen by most, the Artifact Spirit hovered near the peak of the mountain — cloaked in swirling clouds of mist.

Tianling watched the boy, eyes half-lidded, arms crossed.

He let out a soft chuckle.

"Interesting," he murmured.

Then disappeared.