A day has passed since the beginning of the test, and many changes have already taken place. Among the kids who entered, about one-third had already died. The remaining kids had learned what true terror was and had come to understand the harsh reality of the world they were in, a world that displayed suffering without strength.
While the main focus of the trial was to survive, its primary goal was to stimulate the birth of fear and understand the depths of despair. This is why the trial area had the special feature of attracting beasts to each child. It was a hidden aspect of the trial.
The poor kids had no idea that they were marked with a special scent that would draw in problems. All they were taught was to survive and survive they must. It was either surviving or perish.
Among those who were killed, some lost their will to fight, while others learned the power of helplessness, and now their hearts burned with the desire to get stronger. The trial was not just about surviving for three days; it was about earning the will to become stronger.
Of course, those who survived all three days and showed outstanding results would receive extra rewards. However, even the ones who initially lost might have great cultivation talent, so they wouldn't be completely pushed aside.
In the world of cultivation, one must have talent, a strong martial heart, and self-imposed goals. Only with these qualities could one move forward. Xiao caught the attention of the elders in this trial because he displayed an extraordinary performance.
What the elders saw in this seven-year-old child was cunningness, resourcefulness, and a fearless martial heart. From the very beginning, they could see how Xiao executed his plans. Every action he took had meaning. The way he covered himself to hide his scent was something that no other kids did. It wasn't that they didn't know; after all, they had their instructions. But being told something and being able to do it are two different things. Having the will to do anything to move forward is extremely important in the world of cultivation, and Xiao had shown it. Not only that, the way he moved and the way he easily learned from his mistakes was extraordinary.
Of course, Xiao made those "mistakes" knowingly. After all, wouldn't it be suspicious if a kid who had never even seen a forest could easily survive in it? So Xiao willingly made some rookie mistakes, and he "improved" drastically from them. He wanted to establish himself as a genius who grew with great speed.
There were some fights that Xiao was involved in, but he ended up running away due to his "inability." For now, he had already shown his adaptability. Now, it was time to show his determination. Within the deep forest, Xiao moved carefully, his body camouflaged within the trees.
He moved with calculated steps, but of course, he wasn't an "expert," so he made mistakes. Truthfully speaking, Xiao wanted to go all out, but he knew that showing too much was not always beneficial. The ones watching were old foxes who had lived hundreds of years longer than him. They would quickly pick up on any anomalies with him, so he had to be careful.
With awkward and novice moves, Xiao traveled through the forest. As he kept moving, he passed through a large area with a huge opening. Within the opening, he saw a large tiger sleeping. It was twice his size, with a robust body and gleaming fur covering it.
It was not a demonic beast; otherwise, this wouldn't be a trial anymore. Demonic beasts were those that could cultivate and grow stronger. Once they reached a high realm, they could even take on human appearance. If they used such a beast, it would be like serving these kids on a silver plate to them.
Xiao hid in a discreet location as he focused intently on the sleeping beast. Ever since Xiao had returned, his body kept itching for a fight, one that would test him to the limit and make his blood boil in excitement. Seeing that this was the perfect opportunity, Xiao's eyes shined with fighting spirit, a red light flashing through his eyes.
He didn't hesitate anymore as he held the token in his hand. This token was given to everyone, and no one could tamper with it. In a way, it was a beacon that allowed people to see what was happening. With a determined gaze, Xiao willed his soul, and his soul energy wrapped around the token.
If anyone could witness this scene, they would be shocked because Xiao was manipulating his soul. The use of soul energy was extremely mysterious and powerful in the cultivation world. Having control over soul energy was a dream that many couldn't even touch upon.
One might be able to access their soul when they reached a certain level in cultivation, but even then, controlling soul energy was not completely possible. Of course, in the world of cultivation, nothing was impossible. Throughout its long history, several geniuses were born with the power to control the soul and its energy. Only those born with the talent for soul manipulation could grasp its energy, which ranked highly among the known energies of the cosmos.
But even for them, they were only able to control their soul after reaching a high realm, and even then, they had to spend years studying their soul. However, it was different for Xiao. For some reason, he had complete access to soul energy. He was still a novice, but it didn't undermine the deep power within him.
As for how and why this happened, well, he didn't care. Xiao's thoughts were simple. If he couldn't find the answer, why wastes time thinking about it? Xiao's whole life was a mystery, and he firmly believed that with time, the answers would definitely find him. Leaving aside the whole mystery, he willed his soul power to the formation in the batch, causing it to glitch, and with it, the scene displaying him disappeared.
This caused outrage among the others who were watching. Yun Hao frowned upon seeing it, and the world spirit master's expression turned to knots. He willed his power to control the formation, yet something seemed to block him, but he couldn't identify the power.
It was natural since soul power was extremely rare even in the higher heavens. Feeling that the situation was turning dire, the world spirit master tried his best to fight it, but it was like a gum sticking to the formation. It would take some time to fix it, and that's what Xiao needed. Seeing that his plan had worked, he held the small sword in his hands as he walked toward the sleeping beast.
As soon as he entered a certain range, the beast opened its eyes and looked toward Xiao. Seeing its prey so carefree, its eyes glowed with greed as it stood up on its four legs and roared, asserting its superiority. Hearing its roar, Xiao's eyes buzzed. He cleared his ears with a lazy expression and spoke.
"Son of a bitch, do you have to be so loud? Fucking bastard, you almost hurt my ears, you know?"
With that, the calm and composed expression he had always shown broke down. Xiao's face became lazy and obnoxious. He stretched his body and cracked his neck.
"Ohhh fuck, finally I can talk as I want. It was so stifling to act all calm and genius-like, you know?"
Xiao spoke to the bewildered tiger, who was surprised to see its prey being so carefree. Its eyes became fierce as it roared again, ready to strike. Seeing this, Xiao smirked.
"Wow, you're quite the feisty guy. I wonder how you would taste?"
After speaking, he held his stomach and looked at the tiger with a hungry gaze. The tiger felt a chill down its spine. Slowly but surely, the real Xiao was coming out—the cunning, arrogant, manipulative, shameless, and foul-mouthed side of him.