Creeaak...
Oasis entered the temple, finding it illuminated by wall-mounted magic lights.
Ahead, a large door stood imposing, flanked by two smaller doors on either side.
"What is this place?" Oasis thought as he moved towards the center of the room, scanning the surroundings. "Which way to go?"
"Divine Peak," Oasis muttered, releasing his spiritual energy to scan the area.
Ouch!!!
He stumbled, feeling a spiritual attack as the energy from the Divine Peak bounced back at him.
"Damn, I can't even peek at what's on the other side," he smirked.
"Fine, I'll choose this one," he said, pointing to the door on the left.
Cautiously, he approached and slowly opened it, stepping into the unknown. As soon as he stepped through, the door slammed shut, trapping him inside.
"What happened? I can't see a thing," he muttered, trying to open the door again but finding only a wall where the door had been.
A few breaths later, Oasis calmed himself, thinking of a solution.
Twa!!!
Suddenly, the place was illuminated, revealing an all-white passage with walls that seemed to stretch infinitely.
Oasis could no longer see the entrance behind him; it was now just a blank wall.
"Damn it, what is this place?" Oasis thought, his heart racing from the sudden illumination.
"Divine Peak," he whispered again, this time successfully scanning the passage.
His peak could scan up to a 1,000-meter radius, but all he could see was a continuous, endless passage.
"Where am I?" Oasis wondered as he started moving forward.
"WELCOME TO MY TRIAL, YOUNG ONE," a voice echoed in the passage.
"REACH THE END AND YOU SHALL BE REWARDED," the voice continued.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Oasis demanded, his voice echoing back at him.
"FOR EVERY 1,000 KM, YOU SHALL ENCOUNTER A TRIAL," the voice explained.
"IF YOU CAN'T REACH THE END, YOU WILL BE FOREVER LOST IN THE ENDLESS PASSAGE AND DIE HERE ALONE," the voice concluded.
"Damn it," Oasis muttered, clenching his fists.
He started moving forward, determination etched on his face.
Meanwhile, on a Floating Island in Tír na nÓg...
"This place is not bad," Zane muttered as he moved under the moonlight, his shadow following him.
"I've been hiding my scent and presence ever since I was transported here," Zane thought.
"Ha ha ha, but I've already collected a lot of treasure by the first day," he said, recalling his sneaky and successful endeavors.
Unlike Oasis, Zane had extensive knowledge of herbs, having been exposed to them throughout his childhood.
His father often sent him on errands involving herbs and pills to and from the Consanos in Lunalith.
Zane continued moving stealthily, ensuring he avoided encounters with others.
"Great, it is a full moon tonight. I wonder what that brat Oasis is up to," he thought.
Sniff! Sniff!
"The scent of blood!" Zane realized.
Cling!!! Cling!!!
"Definitely a fight over there," Zane thought, sneaking closer.
From his hiding spot, Zane witnessed a battle between cultivators.
Many had already fallen, and those still standing were shouting and cursing at each other.
"Don't you dare touch my treasure; that's mine!"
"You fool, don't you dare!"
"That is this king's treasure!"
They were all fighting for the treasure. Zane scanned the area, trying to identify what they were fighting over.
!!!!!
"Moon Blooming Lotus!" Zane thought, almost shouting in surprise. He trembled and started sweating.
The Moon Blooming Lotus was a rare treasure among herbs, wind-affiliated and saint-grade.
No amount of money or wealth could buy it.
It was rumored that once a cultivator refined it, the lotus became their ultimate defense, automatically healing injuries and expelling poisons.
Once refined, it became part of the mana heart of the one who refined it, increasing their lifespan by about 200 years.
The lotus only bloomed during auspicious times, appearing once every many years under a full moon.
"1...2...3...4...5...6...7... Wow, seven leaves. It must be around 800 years old," Zane thought, trying to calm himself.
"It is said it can evolve up to 10 leaves. The more leaves it has, the more effective its abilities are."
"This is my treasure; I have to get it," Zane resolved, watching the fight continue.
"Damn it, they have been at it for an hour already," Zane thought. "Only ten are left fighting each other."
"They seem exhausted, and I don't recognize them. From their auras, they are not from Verdantia," he analyzed.
"I need to do something before they attract more attention."
"Peak Newborn Realm, and that one is the only one in the Tabula-Rasa Realm. It seems he just recently broke through," Zane assessed.
"Damn it... Beast Transformation Magic: Wolf Monarch!" Zane roared, his purple aura erupting and alerting the enemies.
"What's that, a mystic beast?" one of the enemies exclaimed.
"I have to finish this fast while they are caught off guard," Zane thought as he approached them with speed.
"Wolf Monarch Magic: Feral Vortex!" he roared, unleashing a deadly whirlwind of energy.
Caught off guard, the enemies scrambled to evade the attack.
Eight of them, trying to flee, were sliced from limb to limb, their heads rolling across the ground.
The air was filled with the sickening sound of flesh being torn apart and the metallic scent of blood.
Those who stood their ground, attempting to block the attack, were severely injured.
The one in the Tabula-Rasa Realm suffered less, but his arms were still brutally slashed.
The others, less fortunate, were left with their limbs hanging by threads of veins and muscle.
Blood sprayed in all directions, painting the battlefield in a gruesome tableau.
Limbs and heads lay scattered, the once-living reduced to mutilated corpses.
The ground was slick with blood, making it hard to keep balance.
"Wolf Monarch Magic: Death Claw!" Zane roared again, his voice echoing with lethal intent.
Without giving them a moment to recover, Zane pounced on the two remaining enemies.
With his Death Claw, he ripped their heads off with brutal efficiency.
The sound of bones snapping and flesh tearing filled the air as Zane's claws dug deep, pulling their heads from their bodies in a gruesome spray of blood.
The bodies fell limp, lifeless, to the ground, adding to the macabre scene.
Huff!!! Huff!!! Huff!!!
Zane breathed heavily, exhaustion evident as he had expended all his mana in the furious assault.
He reverted to his human form, his body trembling with fatigue.
The full moon overhead bathed the scene in a cold light, amplifying the eerie atmosphere.