"Where the hell am I now?"
Ling Xuan opened his eyes and found himself in a worn-down stone structure surrounded by greenery.
"This is the second time today," Ling Xuan grimaced.
He suddenly noticed that the Masked Man from before was approaching him.
"Ah, so you are already awake, eh? Nice, very nice. Youths must be awake early, or else what will be the differentiating factor between them and old people?" The Masked Man started rambling.
As Ling Xuan heard this, he couldn't help but be reminded of a certain Shang Zhang.
"Senior, excuse me for asking, but do you know Shang Zhang?" Ling Xuan couldn't help but ask.
"Hmm, Shang Zhang, you say?" The Masked Man touched his chin as if in deep contemplation before shaking his head. "Nope, never heard of the guy."
"I see, thank you, senior." Ling Xuan prepared to kowtow, but as he tried standing up, he couldn't help but fumble.
"Ah! You should be careful, Junior. The drug is still in your system and will take a while to be completely expelled. This is why your waking up surprised me a bit. After all, to be able to form coherent thoughts is already something, let alone speak." The Masked Man helped Ling Xuan sit again, this time with his back resting against a piece of rubble. "Close your eyes and sleep for a while. This test is going to be a hard one, you understand?"
Ling Xuan closed his eyes and let sleep take over him. Seeing this, the Masked Man nodded and went away. Ling Xuan let himself drift into sleep, or rather that was what he managed to convince the Masked Man.
"Kanuya!"
—------------------
Carto opened his eyes to see the library was larger than before, yet a part of the shelves were chained with no lock.
"Huh! What happened?" Carto was undoubtedly confused when suddenly a book appeared from the darkness outside the library, shooting straight for Carto yet stopped right before his face. As Carto got a better look, he realized it was leather-bound, and on it were a few words, probably its title.
The Reliable Log of The Library
Suddenly, the floating book's pages started turning rapidly. Carto was able to read a few words while it was turning, yet it was gibberish to him. Then the pages stopped turning, and on a blank page, words started to be inscribed.
[ Due to the merging of two souls from different planes, the library was assaulted by waves of information by the original host of the body, which contained the plane's laws. To avoid being contaminated, the library has temporarily sealed the information. It is currently filtering the information from the laws and within a few minutes will be able to purge it. For now, the Library will be under lock.]
As soon as the log had completed generating, it quickly flew back into the void. Carto suddenly felt something pulling him.
"What the!" Before Carto could check, he disappeared from the Library.
—---------------------------------
Ling Xuan opened his eyes and sighed.
"Looks like I can only wait now." He could feel that the drug in his body was getting weaker by the moment and soon would be expelled.
He noticed that around him, more examinees were waking up, with some of them starting to stand.
"Looks like the library made the relative time between itself and the world stretch," Ling Xuan deduced.
He then saw a familiar figure heading towards him while limping. It was Xiao Kang!
"Brother Xuan! How do you do! It has been quite some time since we've met," Xiao Kang cheerily asked.
"Oh, I'm quite fine. How about you?" Ling Xuan asked.
"Well, I'm quite fine except for my leg." Xiao Kang laughed while caressing his leg.
"Oh, what happened? I saw you limping while coming towards me." Ling Xuan frowned and asked.
"Well, you see, during the first test, I fought with a wrestler. Although I managed to kill him, he managed to twist my ankle before dying." Xiao Kang's face became solemn.
"I see. A pity then, yet at least you not only survived but were also awarded 10 points." Ling Xuan sighed. He knew that when it came to a youth fighting a grown adult, in terms of battle experience alone, he would be dwarfed. This was also the reason why a majority of the participants abstained from the first test.
"You're right, Brother Xuan." Xiao Kang sighed.
"How is your brother, anyways?" Ling Xuan asked, wanting to change the topic of discussion.
"Ah, he is alright. He has become enthralled by the vast city and is begging me and uncle constantly to take him out of the house." Xiao Kang laughed.
"Ah! I see." Ling Xuan smiled as well.
—------------------------------------
The duo continued talking for some more time until the Masked Man appeared once again.
"Now that everyone has awoken, it is time to begin the 3rd Test!" The announcement was not a surprise to the participants, who had expected it. "Follow me!" Saying this, the Masked Man turned back and started walking, with all the participants following him.
They traversed through the worn-down structure and finally exited it.
"Where the hell is this!" Ling Xuan inwardly exclaimed as he saw the scenery before him.
Towering trees with thick, twisted trunks and dense canopies loomed overhead, blocking much of the sunlight and casting the forest floor in a perpetual twilight. Vines dangled like serpents from the branches, swaying slightly in the humid air. The undergrowth was a chaotic tangle of shrubs, ferns, and thorny bushes, making any clear path almost indiscernible.
Large, moss-covered boulders dotted the landscape, creating natural barriers and hiding spots. The air was thick with the sounds of wildlife: the distant calls of exotic birds, the rustle of unseen creatures in the underbrush, and the occasional roar that hinted at larger, more dangerous predators lurking within.
"This, dear juniors, is going to be the ground on which your 4th and last test will be held, testing one's agility and stamina. Annnnnnnnddd something else." The Masked Man chuckled while giving the introduction. "This test is divided into three parts. Each test the same characteristics, so it shouldn't be too hard for you all, right? Well anyways, all of you will be given a map that shows where you are and where you need to go." The Masked Man clicked his fingers, and a group of white-robed servants came out from nowhere and started distributing the maps.
As Ling Xuan unfolded the map, he noticed that it was separated into three regions, each marked with a different color. At the top of the map were inscribed a few words.
"The Dragon Fountain? This should be the name of the forest we are in," Ling Xuan realized. "Wait, the only things in this world that are allowed to have the title of dragon in them all belong to the Xia Clan!" Ling Xuan's eyes widened as he realized the crux.
Knowing this, he couldn't help but think whether The Dragon King is actually watching them. "Ah, I should throw all this useless thinking away and focus on the map!" Ling Xuan reminded himself.
The map, as mentioned before, was separated into three: The Bamboo Grove, The Rock Garden, and The River of Reflections. Judging by the names, Ling Xuan was able to draw a rough image of the test's difficulty.
"They possess only a moderate level of threat, and anyone who is either cautious or skilled enough can easily pass this test." Although this should've made Ling Xuan happy, in fact, it did the exact opposite. "You think I'm going to believe that the final test that decides the position one has in a sect is dependent on a mere obstacle course? Yeah, no way." Ling Xuan, as well as the other participants, realized this.
The Masked Man, seeing the frown on the participants' faces, chuckled before speaking. "Ah yes, I forgot to mention, battles are allowed." The moment those words were spoken, all the participants realized the true intent of the test. This was no obstacle course, naw, this was a fucking all-out war!
"Well, anyways, get going, juniors. You all have only till dusk to complete this test." Saying this, the Masked Man gestured the participants to go their way with his hand.
WHOOSH
Someone quickly ran into the forest. It was nobody yet it was enough.
TAK TAK
Everyone started running into the forest, knowing that this day was destined to be one of their bloodiest ever.
Meanwhile, Ling Xuan, watching this, couldn't help but grin as he felt adrenaline in his veins.
"Let's truly see how powerful I am!" As he thought this, his eyes shone with a particular glint.