The process continued, and time flowed in the same manner, not waiting for anyone.
..........................................
It has already been eight days, and Long Tao had persisted in the test until now. The puppet was now on the continuous watch of how Long Tao fared in the trial.
One should know that even more than power, talent, background, what indeed is required to achieve greatness is an iron-clad will to succeed. Only with an unbreakable will can a practitioner continue to pursue his path of martial arts and excel in it.
Suddenly a voice of the will reciprocated into the notice of the puppet.
"I hope with an above-average talent, he would at least have a good set of instinct to battle. "
The puppet had an expression of a loud gig as he stared into the void and proclaimed," why don't you see for yourself."
........................................
An illusionary figure suddenly appeared in front of the screen. As it turned to look at the view, a sigh of surprise escaped its mouth.
"He managed to survive the test of will until now."
"Heaven defying geniuses are supposed to survive until now. Otherwise, how can they be called so."
"Are you implying he can survive past the 10th-day line and step into the category of the heaven-defying. Let's hope he makes it."
"What if he manages to do it?" the puppet smirked and asked with a provoking glance.
"If he manages to step into that category, I will not only open the whole ancient inheritance for him; I will nurture him to a great extent, solving his doubts and also provide him with guidance. However, the inheritor is to climb up by themselves and have their achievements. I will not only become his mentor to some extent but only his servant and partner, if he was fortunate enough to remain alive until the time".
The puppet showed an expression of shock. This guy was willing to go to such extents to nurture talent. But when he introspected, he knew that he would do the same.
It had been a long time ago; they have to complete the task the previous master has assigned them. Only then can they continue on their further journey.
As time continued to pass, as per expectation, Long Tao persisted, and the 10th day came into being.
"hope you remember your words," but the other figure didn't even bother to reply.
Their eyes were glued to the figure below. The 10th day passed, so did the 11th and 12th days.
.......................................
A stern look started appearing on the faces of the two figures. Can this brat truly step into the realm of those demons?
All they could do now is anticipate the outcome. A silence descended on the area. The 13th day came into being, the pain was rising more and more, and an unsightly look of agony could be seen on Long Tao's face.
He didn't even imagine what the future was going to hold for him. Only the present mattered. He wanted to push beyond his limits.
He didn't want to ever return to the helpless tiny existence he was before now, living on the mercy of others. He willed to be powerful enough to break all his limits and capture the heavens.
...........................................
The 13th day finally passed. Long Tao finally stepped in the category of demons. His body was restructured, even more, the skin glowed brighter than before. His height has increased, and Long Tao now gave off a feeling of novelty and majesty.
If seen in proper attire, one would easily take him as a member of royalty. The aura around him has started getting ethereal.
The two figures had a massive smile on their faces. Finally, a worthy successor came into being in their realm. Now it was time for Crimson Lord world to start paving their way back to the top of the world.
They thought how long can Long Tao persist in the forge, and how high would the change in his body be. Unknown to them, Long Tao has already started getting accustomed to the pain. It was as if the benefits and changes that this pool can give him have begun to diminish. Slowly time passed, and the pain got less and less.
As Long Tao finally opened his eyes and walked out of the pool, 20 days have passed. He had broken through the highest record of the Will test. He managed to persist an overwhelming four days more than the previous record holder.
..........................................
Long Tao felt that this pool could no longer provide any more changes or benefits to his body, so he walked out. The puppet was standing right outside of the lake.
"Congratulations on passing the test. You are now eligible to take the test of soul talent for us to verify your talent in the matter of soul."
The tone was polite, a total opposite of how the puppet talked with Long Tao in the past. Long Tao couldn't understand what had fuelled the change of attitude. He complied with the instruction of the puppet and moved around to the second area.
...........................................
"We shall now start the test. Put your palm onto the stone slab in front of you. Your soul will be transported to another place. As you reach into the other world, you will understand what the rules for this test are going to be".
Long Tao did as ask, and as soon as he placed his palm on the slab, the view Infront of him changed. He was now an illusionary figure, in a different world. He was forced to the ground due to the sudden emergence of pressure on him.
The pressure continued to increase.
Long Tao finally understood the rules of the current test. The will was slowly squashing his soul; he had to resist and persist in this process.
"How is the current situation of the brat?" the will asked.
"his soul is already as powerful as that of a 3rd level soul disciple. It is good considering that the world he resides in doesn't put importance on the practice of soul arts. I think he is already qualified from his past performance. Is there even a need to continue with this"
"Let's just hope he can show another miracle."
Time passed, and the light on the slab continued to glow brighter. As the process continued, the puppet was shocked and started shivering with excitement.
"his soul is already in the peak of soul disciple realm, and he has yet to even step into the Qi child realm. This soul talent was never heard before. As he looked, the bright light suddenly changed its color and was now red.
Silence permeated as he sends an urgent message to the other figure. As the number presents itself, he sees the look of awe, excitement, and shock in the other's eyes. Looking towards the view, even he was shocked speechless.
"His soul is at the 'Soul Master' level. We finally managed to gain a worthy successor. Do we continue with the next test."
The Keeper decided to continue with the next test. He wanted to have a clear assumption regarding Long Tao's strength.