The first rays of the morning sun illuminated the sky as they slowly emerged. In the heart of the Albedo Clan, on a vast expanse of land now composed only of rubble that once was a battleground, Lian called upon five young clan members.
In the preceding days, Lian had dedicated time to meticulously investigate the body of each individual, examining their cultivation levels, meridians, soul, and bones. Everything was thoroughly evaluated. On this day, he would finally initiate the real training that would completely transform their lives.
While sitting, everyone awaited the arrival of a young man who was the grandson of the former patriarch. Since his birth, he had been considered the one who would lead the clan in the future, but upon starting his cultivation, he disappointed everyone with his mediocre talent.
Just over a year ago, the young man who was deemed the biggest useless scum of the clan surprised everyone by soaring into the heavens like a furious dragon. Even with superficial cultivation, he single-handedly massacred all the advisers and the patriarch in a wild and brutal manner.
Wei, Shiho, and Edea displayed nervous and excited expressions, highlighting their state of mind. Rumi, on the other hand, stood close to her sister, observing everything with a calm gaze. In front of everyone, Riria maintained her position, her scarlet saber resting on her delicate legs as if in meditation.
Minutes later, Lian arrived at the location, just a few weeks away from turning 17. He didn't resemble someone his age. Wearing discreet black clothing, his sword-shaped eyebrows and star-like eyes shone. Under the sun, he radiated brightness and vitality, possessing an extremely pleasant face to behold.
Riria opened her eyes as Lian began to speak calmly. "Some of you have passed the formation test, or I have personally approved your determination. All of you desire to become stronger, but there are no shortcuts to that."
"Willpower alone is far from enough," Lian said firmly. "If you wish to become stronger, you must be willing to face death. I brought you here because if you lack the determination to become stronger, all of you will be quickly killed on the true battlefield."
"As soon as you set foot on the battlefield, your life no longer belongs to you. Therefore, you must master the fear of death. Cultivation follows the same principle. On the day you enter the world of cultivation, you must be willing to be trampled by others or risk your life in everything you do."
After looking deeply into everyone's eyes, Lian felt and approved of the determination emanating from them.
"Remember this well," he said firmly. "From today onward, the five of you will fight or die together. If any of you feel the fear of a blade pointed at your throat, face it head-on and trust your allies to protect your back and defense. If, by chance, you retreat, the first head to roll will be that of your companion, and the next will be yours."
"A battle brings with it a series of unpredictable situations," Lian continued. "Even if you can glimpse the future, you can never predict everything. The most important thing is to fight, entrust your life to your companions, and maintain a strong mindset even in the face of adversity."
Lian then tossed five green pills to the group. After a nod, they all immediately swallowed them.
Lian had been a little late as he had gone to the nearby city of the clan. He then broke something that seemed to be a spatial ring, and a small distortion in space appeared, releasing hundreds of poisonous auras.
With an agile leap, he distanced himself several meters away while speaking.
"I have gathered a significant amount of Poisonous Beasts here," Lian said seriously. "You have ingested a poisonous pill that is like an aphrodisiac and nearly divine for their cultivation. They will attack you without caring about their own death."
"All these beasts possess different poisons in their bodies. If you are poisoned by one or two of them, there won't be major problems. However, if three or more poisons accumulate in your bodies, you will face an agonizing death."
"I make it clear now that I will not interfere or help you at any moment. Your lives, as well as the lives of your companions, depend on your cooperation."
Hundreds of Poisonous Beasts quickly surrounded the group, leaving them no time to process the surprise of Lian's words. Each Poisonous Beast exuded a wild and murderous aura, while the humans' Qi became increasingly frenetic. Their eyes turned red, and a collective frenzy seemed to have taken hold of them.
In a wave of fury, the Poisonous Beasts immediately initiated the fight. Meanwhile, Lian calmly observed everyone's movements.
He had taught each of them individually and then formed this group. Their techniques were molded to achieve a perfect balance and synergy.
Riria and Edea assumed a combat position, facing the beasts head-on. Riria was prepared to endure injuries, relying on her powerful Wood Qi, capable of healing her almost instantly. At the same time, she erected wooden barriers to protect the group's rear.
Edea, an agile body cultivator, wielded a lightweight spear. Although she didn't have the same defensive power or regenerative ability as Riria, she compensated with quick and precise strikes. Additionally, her lineage allowed her to mold her attacks according to the situation, leveraging the techniques taught by Lian. She could use her spear as a shield for protection, perform explosive strikes, or even long-range piercing attacks. This versatility allowed Edea to quickly adapt to the needs of combat.
With her spear, Edea swiftly pierced several beasts in their vital points, one by one. After each kill, her violet Qi redirected her weapon with surprising speed to a new target.
The target was eliminated, but her spear got stuck in the body, and venomous claws violently slashed Edea's back. An agonizing pain crossed her face, showing the consequences of her lack of attention.
Now more attentive to her surroundings, she spotted an approaching enemy. In an instant, her Qi transformed into a violet arrow that flew and pierced the target from a distance.
The beasts varied in cultivation levels, with some more powerful ones capable of approaching stealthily and even breaking through the wooden barriers. Wei, as an assassin, had the role of swiftly eliminating these threats.
On the other side, Shiho had trained in her father's ice techniques but without achieving great results. However, Lian noticed some peculiarities in her newly awakened dao heart and conducted various tests.
Her dao heart directly influenced her Qi, altering its properties in a unique way. Her determination and willpower made her Qi become stainless, immune to external influences.
Her power was pure and relentless, and defensive techniques would be unable to stop it. Physical defenses would be fragile in the face of her power.
Lian decided to teach her techniques related to the laws of wind, as he judged them to be a perfect fit for her.
The laws of wind are always present in the air mortals breathe. Shiho would be able to release a thin blade of wind that hardly disturbed the air around her, with low Qi consumption and nearly imperceptible speed. The destructive potential of this attack in her hands would be daunting.
*Buzz*
Immediately, sharp wind blades materialized around her, gleaming with a divine radiance. Shiho became a celestial figure, enveloped in a storm of cutting and ruthless power.
The beasts, with their imposing stature and strength, found themselves completely vulnerable before Shiho's overwhelming power. The wind blades sliced through the air with unmatched dexterity, cleaving the creatures' bodies as if they were made of tofu.
Rumi remained in the center of the group, surrounded and protected by the others. Initially, his talent was considered weak, and his youth resulted in still developing meridians, which put intense pressure on him within the formation.
However, Rumi's dao heart revealed an extraordinary affinity with the Light dao, allowing him to generate delicate Qi with similar properties. The power of Light was something reserved only for races with extreme Yang bodies, making it a rare ability.
The Light Dao was a surprising and miraculous power capable of healing and even reviving those on the brink of death. The delicate energy emanating from Rumi's Dao Heart allowed for the rapid regeneration of his flexible meridians, only to be subjected to intense strain immediately afterward.
As Rumi's meridians repeatedly healed, they gradually expanded with great vitality. His Qi was approaching Riria's in quantity, becoming more powerful with each passing day.
Lian recognized that he couldn't directly increase Rumi's innate talent. As a pure human, he couldn't utilize Light techniques or Wood Qi like the Elves. Instead, Lian taught Rumi some basic first aid and regeneration techniques that he had mastered. He knew that with the influence of his dao heart, these techniques would be amplified and become extremely useful. Additionally, Lian took the opportunity to teach Rumi how to manipulate and use poisons as a form of self-defense.
Several hours quickly passed, and the arena was covered in blood, forming a small crimson river. Edea and Riria were completely red, covered in the blood of the beasts. The smell of blood in the air became unbearable, making the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.
During the battle, Edea and Riria were hit and poisoned several times, but Rumi acted swiftly, channeling his Qi into them. Thanks to the power of his Dao Heart, it was enough to neutralize some of the venoms and alleviate the harmful effects.
Each of the young cultivators fought using all the techniques and knowledge they had recently acquired from their master. Each played their role with dedication, relying on their allies to cover their weaknesses and blind spots.
During the battle, they faced numerous attacks from the beasts, with claws and fangs penetrating their flesh at various moments. Purple marks appeared on their limbs and eyes, and their minds became foggy. Their bodies showed signs of imminent exhaustion, on the verge of collapse. The venom nearly killed them repeatedly, testing their resilience and determination.
With the sky already tinged red at the end of the day, the last beasts were finally slain.
Exhausted, the five young cultivators fell where they stood. As Lian had predicted, the imminent sense of death and exposure to different types of venom fully stimulated the power of the pill he had prepared for them. The impurities and deficiencies in their bodies were purified, further amplifying their potential. Even a pig would awaken its latent talent under such conditions.
Lian approached the five, who were surrounded by piles of corpses. Their bodies were not unscathed; there was not a single intact spot on them.
While observing the battle, Lian noticed something strange. Although he had intended to elect a leader to command the group in the future, it seemed that Wei, Edea, and Shiho had already recognized Riria as their leader, both in and out of battle.
Lian had previously noticed that they would distance themselves from him when Riria was around, as if they had already established a hierarchy and mutual respect among themselves. This peculiar dynamic caused a slight headache for Lian, and he suspected that his mother, Lienna, was scheming something behind the scenes to unite the young cultivators.