"Eve, have you ever thought about leaving the village?" the tanned little boy asked, face full of excitement, without waiting for the girl to speak, he added, "When I grow up, I’m going to leave. I want to adventure in the outside world."
"Okay, I support you." The little girl revealed a cute smile, her skin wasn’t white either, but a wheat color, however, her smile was incredibly warm.
It made the little boy even more excited.
"Eve, just you wait, when I return with success and fame, I’ll marry you. I’ll make sure you have endless delicacies and endless beautiful clothes."
"Okay, I’ll wait for you."
The little girl kept her beaming smile, not crushing the boy’s dreams.
"Hehe, Eve, just wait, I will definitely give you a happy life." The little boy put his hands on his hips, brimming with confidence.
But suddenly, a massive wave appeared by the sea, sweeping toward the two of them, by the time the boy noticed, it was too late, the immense force submerged the little girl.
"Eve, Eve, no." His eyes practically split open as he dashed madly toward the ocean.
However, thin and small as he was, he was also swallowed by another wave.
"Eve, Eve."
The little boy jolted awake and sat up, his tanned forehead covered in cold sweat.
"Phew."
He panted heavily, he had had a nightmare again.
"You’re awake?"
A gentle voice rang by his ear, only then did he observe his surroundings, he was in a cave, lying on a stone bed.
The man who had spoken was the Immortal Master from before.
"Immortal Master, what happened to me...?" He asked in confusion, his memory stopped at the moment he swallowed the pill and experienced agonizing pain.
"You passed my second trial, now, I have brought you to take the final trial." Adam smiled.
He had used the time while the boy was unconscious to return to the military camp, he informed the Book Saint about the Evil God, and the Book Saint immediately issued public warnings and bans, alerting the world to the dangers.
Furthermore, due to the World Protection Barrier, the Heavenly Court’s offensive had weakened significantly, giving Adam time to test this fellow.
So far, he was very satisfied.
"Thank you, Immortal Master." The little boy scrambled off the stone bed and bowed.
After bowing, he looked at his own body with astonishment, it was an unprecedented feeling of lightness, as if he had grown wings.
"You have entered the Qi Condensation Realm." Adam answered the unspoken question.
That pill had brought earth-shattering changes to his body, causing his meridians to expand countless times and his affinity with spiritual energy to increase immensely.
He naturally entered the Qi Condensation Realm, although only the first level, it meant the boy had officially stepped onto this path.
"Immortal Master, are you saying I am already a cultivator?" Disbelief filled his eyes, he had thought becoming a cultivator was far beyond reach, he never expected to enter it just like this.
"That’s right, but don’t rejoice too early, without systematic cultivation, you might cultivate for years without progress." Adam smiled.
"Thank you, Immortal Master, please accept another bow." The boy kowtowed heavily, he knew how precious that pill had been.
"Get up. It’s time for your final trial." Adam accepted the bow calmly.
"Ahead is a demonic beast forest, I need you to traverse it alone."
A resolute light flickered in the boy’s eyes, he stood, dusted himself off, face written with determination, he knew the forest was fraught with danger, but this was a necessary path, he had to forge ahead courageously.
Adam nodded and led him out of the cave.
Sunlight filtered through dense foliage, casting dappled shadows, the two stepped onto a winding path toward the depths of the demonic beast forest.
As soon as they entered, the surroundings became eerie and gloomy, beast roars rose and fell, exuding terrifying might, as if warning intruders.
The little boy followed closely behind Adam, hands clenched into fists.
A warm little face surfaced in his mind, Eve, I was useless, but I will avenge you.
Although afraid, he felt more determination and courage.
"Most demonic beasts here have just reached the Qi Condensation Realm like you, but there is no shortage of Innate Realm beasts deeper inside, a moment’s carelessness will get you torn to pieces, I will not save you, it’s not too late to back out."
Adam’s tone was flat and ruthless.
The boy knew he was telling the truth, his voice was full of resolve. "Immortal Master, my name is Bruce, I will definitely become your disciple, no matter how many difficulties lie ahead."
Adam nodded, then his figure vanished.
Bruce’s gaze grew even more determined, he wanted to become stronger and exterminate the Evil God completely.
Looking at the forest before him, he didn’t hesitate and stepped right in.
Adam hovered in the air, a formation lit up in his hand and draped over the forest below, this was a monitoring formation, he couldn’t stay and watch Bruce the whole time.
This trial tested the boy’s ability to preserve his life, while bravery and perseverance were qualities Adam appreciated, in the cultivation world, they could also get you killed quickly, problems couldn’t always be solved by being brave and never giving up.
Adam wanted Bruce to understand that when courage couldn’t solve a problem, temporarily hiding was not a bad thing.
The formation could detect the boy’s life signs, although he said he wouldn’t protect him, he would never actually let the boy die, as long as Bruce’s life was in imminent danger, or if he successfully traversed the forest, the formation would activate.
After setting it up, Adam’s figure vanished, heading back this time, there was another important task he needed to complete. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
...
Bruce stepped into the demonic beast forest, every step appeared incredibly cautious, the trees towered into the clouds, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
A/N:
Extra Chapters
Dragon - 1 Extra Chapters
Magic Castle - 5 Extra Chapters