Trial of pain

On the small staircase leading to the cottage, Adam was lying there on his stomach, acting as if he was dying. John quickly rushed forward towards Adam to inspect him, but found no obvious wounds or reason for him lying on the ground.

"Are you alright? What happened?" John asked, thinking that perhaps the wounds were internal.

Adam dramatically turned over to lie on his back, and a look of anguish appeared on his face. John was just about to ask what was wrong once more, when a loud growl escaped Adams stomach.

"I-I'm...so hungry!"

Bang!

John punched Adam directly on his chest, causing him to shriek out in pain.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Adam shouted out and hurriedly stood up while rubbing the spot that John had just punched. Although John hadn't punched that hard, it still hurt quite a bit.

"That's what I should be asking. Why are you acting like you're dying when you're just hungry?" John shouted out.

Adam's rage quickly subsided, and his face once more appeared to his normal prideful look.

"I was just testing you to see if you were a good friend, but it turns out you're a lousy friend. Who punches a friend in need?" Adam stated in a condescending tone, as if John was the one who faulted him.

John stared at Adam in disbelief for a moment before silently turning, preparing to walk back into the cottage.

"W-w-wait wait wait, I was joking" Adam hurriedly stated.

Another growl escaped his stomach, and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face, causing John to be slightly surprised. It was the first time he had seen Adam with any type of look but undeserved pride.

"So you do know how to be embarrassed," John stated bluntly, causing Adam to blush once more.

"Uhh, I forgot to pack food before leaving for this entrance exam...Would you happen to have any spare food?" Adam asked while rubbing the back of his head.

John looked at Adam as if he were an idiot. Even though they could go much longer without food and water than normal mortals, cultivators still had to eat and drink.

Only once one ascended to the Heaven Tribulation Realm and shed their mortal body would a cultivator be able to go without food and drink indefinitely, thriving on only the Qi in the air itself.

After a moment of silence, John walked back into his cottage, causing a look of disappointment to appear on Adams' face.

"You can enter, I have plenty of food," John stated without turning around, causing Adam's look of disappointment to vanish. He hurriedly followed John into his cottage. The two of them ate while talking of their experience in the third trial.

"I managed to kill the late Qi Condensation Golden Mane Lion, and my formations dominated it without it being able to resist them slightly. You see, I told you I'm a formation genius. But I ran out of killing formations while fighting the three lions and was unable to pass. If only I had made more, I would have slaughtered them mercilessly," Adam stated, telling the story of his time inside the third trial.

'It seems like killing a beast in the same realm is the requirement for passing the third test,' John thought while listening to Adam describe his battle in an embellished manner. Adam's cultivation was at the Late Qi Condensation Realm, and so he had to defeat the Late Qi Condensation Lion to pass the trial.

After spending quite some time describing his heroics within the third trial, Adam paused for a breath before asking John about how his trial went.

"I managed to kill a Late Qi Condensation beast," John stated bluntly before taking another bite of the meat in his hands, not bothering to embellish any details.

Adam's eyes widened in surprise, and he took a moment to respond. "Wow, and I thought I was a braggart, but even I wouldn't have the lack of shame required to lie about killing a beast above my cultivation realm. How did you really do?"

Adam refused to believe John's words, and John didn't feel the need to make him believe them.

"I did what I said I did, you can believe my words if you want to or not, it makes no difference to me."

Adam stared at John in a disbelieving fashion, but commented no further. The two of them continued to eat and discuss various things through the night, and before long, the start of the next trial came.

…

Early the next morning, a crowd of several thousand youths gathered in front of the massive circular building. John and Adam stood amongst the crowd, waiting for the Elders in charge to describe the next trial.

"I guess you were right. There were tens of thousands of youths that entered this entrance exam, and only several thousand remain," John said to Adam as he looked around the crowd.

Adam has stated that the failure rate for entering the sect was roughly eight five percent, and it seemed as if his guess was correct. Passing the third trial was required to enter the sect, and all those gathered here had done so.

However, passing the third trial was the requirement to join as an Outer Disciple, and no one wanted to settle for just that. Every youth present was eager for the start of the fourth trial, and the chance to prove their worth to the Heavenly Lightning Sect.

Before long, an Elder walked in front of the massive crowd and spoke up in a loud voice.

"Congratulations for passing the third trial. You have proven that you're the elite of this land, and are worthy of entering the Heavenly Lightning Sect. However, there are more trials to come, and you all have only joined as an Outer Disciple so far. To advance further, you will need to pass the next trial."

Excited discussions broke out among the crowd, and the Elder waved his hand, asking for silence. The crowd eventually quieted down, at which point the Elder continued.

"The journeys of cultivators are not easy. Only those with the firmest of wills are able to walk down the path and achieve heights others can only dream of. As such, the next trial will test your will, your resolve, and your determination. The next trial is the Trial of Pain."