Zhao Yunche stood in front of the Zhao Family Trial Hall, feeling both expectant and nervous.
Since he broke through the Wuji Realm and defeated the confusion and anxiety deep in his heart, his strength has been greatly enhanced. However, he knew that the real test had just begun. The trial given to him by the Zhao Family was not only a competition of strength, but also a multiple challenge to his will, state of mind, and soul.
"This time, it's not just a contest of strength." Zhao Yunche took a deep breath, looked at the sky in the distance, and silently said in his heart: "I must find my own strength in this world."
He clenched his fists and walked towards the hall with firm steps. As soon as he stepped into the ancient hall, the air around him became heavy, as if countless pressures surrounded him. The dim light in the hall reflected on the ground, casting mottled shadows, as if an invisible force was quietly approaching.
"Zhao Yunche, welcome to the Zhao Family Trial." A low voice came from all directions, as if it was an echo from the depths of hell.
Zhao Yunche looked up and saw two Zhao Family elders standing in front of him. Those were the two ancestors of the Zhao family. They were extremely powerful and their aura was as steady as a mountain. People dared not look directly at them. Especially the elder in black robes, his eyes were filled with endless pressure, as if he could suffocate Zhao Yunche without saying a word.
Zhao Yunche knew that these two ancestors were the hosts of this trial and the key figures in whether he could pass the trial smoothly.
"Yun Che, you have entered the trial ground, but this trial is not as simple as you think." Zhao Honghai, one of the ancestors of the Zhao family, said in a cold tone, with an invisible threat in his words, "This trial will test everything about you. Do you dare to accept it?"
Zhao Yunche remained calm, but he already knew in his heart that what Zhao Honghai said was true. This trial was a matter of life and death. If he could not successfully break through, he would disappear forever between this world. Faced with the danger of the trial, he did not retreat, but said calmly: "I am not afraid of any challenge, Zhao Yunche, I am willing to accept the test."
Zhao Honghai nodded slightly, with a flash of approval in his eyes. "In this case, the trial officially begins."
Before he finished speaking, Zhao Honghai waved his hand, and the air around him fluctuated violently in an instant, as if an invisible barrier was opened, and Zhao Yunche felt a strong suction force sucking him into the void.
First level: Soul Destruction
Zhao Yunche's body trembled violently, and almost instantly, he lost control of the space. When he opened his eyes, he found that he was no longer in the Zhao family trial hall, but was teleported to a dark void. The endless darkness shrouded the surroundings, without any light, as if the whole world was swallowed by endless darkness.
"This is..." Zhao Yunche's heart trembled, and he forced himself to calm down. The spiritual power in his body quietly operated, trying to adapt to this environment.
Suddenly, a deep laugh echoed in the void: "Zhao Yunche, do you think you can break through this level with strength? This level tests your soul and the fear deep in your heart."
Zhao Yunche frowned, knowing that this should be the first level of the Zhao family trial - "Soul Destruction". This level tests not only the cultivation, but more of the tempering of the soul. Only those with a strong state of mind and a firm will can pass this level.
"I am not the waste you think." Zhao Yunche muttered in his heart, forcibly dispelling the fear in his heart. "Come on, I, Zhao Yunche, never fear any challenge."
Just as he finished speaking, the darkness around him suddenly changed, and thousands of faces emerged like ghosts, surrounding Zhao Yunche. They were faces he once knew: those fellow disciples who had humiliated him and looked down on him, those friends who had fought side by side with him, and even some relatives who had long passed away.
"Zhao Yunche, you have never been a qualified cultivator." A face said coldly.
"You are just a waste and will never become a strong man." Another face sneered.
"You can't even control your own destiny, how can you change the future?" Another face appeared, with deep contempt in his eyes.
Every word seemed to pierce Zhao Yunche's heart like a blade, making him almost unbearable. His soul seemed to be torn apart by these words, and a violent pain swept over him. The face in front of him began to become blurred, and the air seemed to be almost impossible to breathe.
"Enough!" Zhao Yunche suddenly roared, and the spiritual power in his body burst out suddenly, like a gust of wind sweeping across. He gathered all the strength of his body and rushed violently towards the darkness around him. Every punch he threw out seemed to be fighting against the fear, pain, and helplessness in his heart.
"I am not afraid of the past, nor the future. I control my own destiny!"
As he roared, the surrounding void began to collapse, the faces gradually disappeared, and the darkness began to dissipate. Zhao Yunche's soul gradually regained its calm, his will was as firm as a rock, and no sound could shake his inner peace anymore.
"Breakthrough!" Zhao Yunche whispered, and the spiritual power in his body surged like a tide, finally completely shattering the fear in the void and breaking through the "Soul Destruction" level.
Level 2: Despair
Zhao Yunche's eyes suddenly shook violently, and he lost control of the space again. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a desolate battlefield. The sky here was dark, dark clouds were dense, and there was a depressing atmosphere in the air. The ground was covered with corpses, and blood dyed the earth red. At the end of the battlefield, some traces of fighting could be vaguely seen, as if a fierce battle had just been experienced.
Zhao Yunche was shocked and realized that this was the second level of the trial - "Despair". This level will test his state of mind and adaptability. Faced with endless despair, he needs to stay calm and find a way to break through the predicament.
Just as he was about to move forward, suddenly, the air around him suddenly solidified, and a strong pressure made Zhao Yunche's body almost unable to move. He looked down and saw that the corpses around him began to revive. Those who had been his enemies and those he had loved deeply all revived from the corpses and stared at him with cold eyes.
"Yun Che, you failed after all." One of the corpses slowly stood up. It was Zhao Yun Che's former friend, named Li Chen. They had practiced together and were like brothers. However, at this moment, there was no warmth in Li Chen's eyes, only deep resentment.
"You betrayed our trust and betrayed everything we paid for you." Li Chen's voice was low and angry.
A trace of complex emotions flashed in Zhao Yun Che's eyes. He once had a deep friendship with Li Chen, but this friendship was broken in invisible misunderstandings and betrayals. "Li Chen, don't you understand? Along the way, I have carried too much suffering and too many choices, and each time I walked out of the road by myself!"
"The road you walked?" Li Chen sneered, "You are just a coward, evading all responsibilities, abandoning all beliefs, and finally getting your own failure!"
Zhao Yunche clenched his fists, anger and pain intertwined in his heart, but he knew that all this was just an illusion of the trial, an illusion deep in his heart. He couldn't let these illusions shake his determination.
"I, Zhao Yunche, never fear any challenge!" He shouted, and the spiritual power in his body surged again, and the illusory battlefield around him collapsed instantly.
The third level: Destruction
Zhao Yunche's body was once again in a violent shock, and the space around him seemed to fall into an endless chaos. He had just broken through the second level, and before he fully recovered, he had already entered the "destruction" state of this level.
This time, he did not face any familiar faces directly, but suddenly fell into a completely unfamiliar world. There was no sky or earth in this world, only endless void and endless darkness.
"Zhao Yunche, all your efforts will eventually turn into nothingness." An ethereal voice came from all directions, and the voice was as deep as a blade, piercing Zhao Yunche's soul.
Zhao Yunche's heart trembled, and he knew that this was the final test of the trial. The "destruction" level means the ultimate test of the trial - not only a test of strength, but also a test of all the persistence and faith in the depths of the soul.
"I, Zhao Yunche, have never thought that I am doomed to fail!" He whispered, and the spiritual power in his body was stimulated again, and a strong breath emerged from his body. The Wuji technique was running, and the spiritual energy poured into his body like a tide, as if merging with the power of heaven and earth.
However, this power did not comfort him at all, but instead caused his body to tear violently. Every wave of spiritual power made him feel that the wound in his body was splitting again, and the pain of his soul seemed to devour everything he had.
"What qualifications do you have to think that you can surpass all this?" The ethereal voice sounded again, and then a shadow emerged from the darkness. The shadow was blurry, but Zhao Yunche vaguely felt a familiar breath from it - that was himself!
"Are you my shadow?" Zhao Yunche took a deep breath, and his inner calm was not broken. He knew that the shadow in front of him was not a physical entity, but the embodiment of his deepest obsession and fear.
The shadow showed a cold smile, and his tone was full of sarcasm: "Do you think you can break through these illusions and defeat all this? After all, you are just a person who is destined to fail."
"You are wrong!" Zhao Yunche roared in a low voice, and a strong anger surged in his heart, "I am not afraid of failure, because I have never been afraid of any challenge. You are just an illusion in my heart and can't really hurt me."
The shadow's face changed slightly, but then sneered: "Do you think you can defeat me? Everything you have will only turn into dust. I am your true destiny."
As soon as the voice fell, the shadow suddenly pounced on Zhao Yunche, and the huge power enveloped him. Zhao Yunche did not hesitate to use the Shattering Infinite Art, and the spiritual power of his whole body condensed into a powerful shock wave, facing the shadow.
"Break!" Zhao Yunche's eyes flashed with determination, and his palms came out together. The powerful spiritual power tore through the void and hit the shadow fiercely.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion sounded, and the entire space seemed to collapse at this moment. Zhao Yunche felt a strong shock, and his body was almost torn apart, but his eyes remained firm.
When the dust and chaos gradually dissipated, Zhao Yunche still stood there. Although he was covered with wounds, he still did not fall down.
"I am not a loser!" He whispered, his tone full of incomparable firmness and determination.
The shadow began to slowly dissipate, and finally turned into nothingness, completely disappearing in front of Zhao Yunche.
"Breakthrough!" Zhao Yunche's chest rose and fell violently, and his heart beat like a drum, but he finally passed this extreme test of the soul and broke through the third level of the trial.
The end of the trial: the sublimation of strength and state of mind
"Zhao Yunche, you succeeded." A steady voice came from all around, and the figures of Zhao Honghai and another elder appeared in front of him again. Zhao Honghai's eyes flashed with a trace of unconcealed admiration, "You are stronger than I thought."
Although Zhao Yunche had tried his best, he still felt an inexplicable excitement when he heard these words. After countless hardships and tests, he finally stood on this peak. Although he was physically and mentally exhausted, his heart became extremely calm and determined.
"This level is not only a test of my strength, but also a test of my state of mind." Zhao Yunche took a deep breath, his eyes firm.
"You are very smart." Zhao Honghai nodded, "This trial is indeed not just about strength, but the state of mind is the most important. You can pass these three levels, which proves your potential and determination."
Zhao Yunche did not say much, his eyes swept around the hall, recalling everything he had just experienced. Whether it was the confrontation with his heart or the fear he once had, he did not flinch.
"These trials are just the beginning, and the road ahead is still long." Zhao Honghai looked at Zhao Yunche, his eyes becoming deep, "Your passing the trial does not mean that everything is over, the real challenge has just begun."
"I understand." Zhao Yunche nodded, his heart full of confidence in the future road, "but I am ready."
Epilogue: A new journey
Zhao Yunche stepped out of the trial hall, the sky gradually brightened, and the sun shone through the clouds onto the earth. The surrounding scenery became brighter, and everything seemed to have regained vitality. However, Zhao Yunche did not relax at all.
This trial not only allowed him to break through the limit of his strength, but also to understand his heart more deeply. He knew that the road ahead would be more difficult, facing more challenges and dangers. But he also knew that only by constantly breaking through himself could he truly reach the peak and achieve his own great legend.
"This is just the beginning." Zhao Yunche whispered, his eyes flashing with determination and persistence, "I will go further in the future."
As his footsteps gradually faded away, the door of the Zhao family trial hall slowly closed, as if all this was welcoming Zhao Yunche's new starting point.