5 What a great man!

In the Grand Hall were gathered all the members of the Liang Clan

"It's starting!" "What's with all that excitement? With that talent, it would be a miracle if he took him" "If it is as you say that it was all a waste of resources" "Indeed, it was" "Ahhh, I only I were the Clan Head's child"

Raden heard those whispers but he didn't mind, the pearl in his pocket instead seemingly did.

"Those damned...P R I C K S!!!"

"Sigh" 'Such a fiery temperament...'

'I've passed the entire night studying the Soul Arts...but I'm still unable to find what my Soul cultivation state is!' 'Maybe I should've focused on studying Qi cultivation...'

Suddenly a voice resounded in the hall.

"Silence, please. As many of you know already, I'm the viscount's delegate and today I will check if your clan talent is worthy of being taught at the Chao Academy. Come here, Jin Liang!"

"The first trial will be a test of your will, it's a path that gives you some pain every time you make a step forward: the pain will increase as the number of steps does! If you manage to walk 33 steps you pass the trial!"

"I understand."

He saw Xue Liang giving him thumbs up from the crowd.

'Should I feel better that someone root for me?'

"Here!"

The delegate threw at Raden a pearl and as he touched it he felt the world getting black.

<<Low Sky Grade Artifact>>

'Well...that's high, strangely high'

'Or maybe it isn't for a viscounty?'

As he opened his eyes he found himself in a completely white space that contained only a dirt road.

Raden gathered his courage.

'Well, to immortality!'

He stepped forward, and pain assaulted him...

'Why I don't feel anything? Is this so hard, really?'

He continued walking at the 5th step he felt a ticklish sensation.

"What a shame I can't switch my body for more than a minute...though Jin Liang wouldn't probably help me out" He mumbled.

"That's clever of you, congratulations! I would surely help you after all you've done to me!" He heard a sarcastic reply.

*Coff Coff*

As he found out for each step the pain doubled: the 10th step was a thousand times more painful than the first!

At the 20th step, he was nearly exhausted.

'At this rate...I will be never able to complete this trial!'

He took another step.

'This remembers me...that body art. Even Jin Liang forcefully interrupted his cultivation when he cultivated it for the first time...and he has the will! No, I don't think that any other could complete this test...could this test have a hidden objective?'

He took another step and fell to the ground from the pain.

"AAAAAH"

'There must be something...' 'Something...'

He scanned his surroundings. Nothing, it was all void: the only material thing there was the path.

So, since it was the only thing there, he stared at it.

He felt absorbed by it, almost as if hypnotized.

Only the path seemed true while the rest was false. Only the path, the rest was unimportant. Only the path, the rest was useless. Only the path, the rest was mortal.

'The Cultivation Path! Only the Cultivation Path matters, the rest is worthless!' 'Only the power of the Heavens separate the worthy from the worthless, only the Heavens will give me power! That's because the Heavens are the creator of the Cultivation Path! Only the Heavens matt...'

A cold sensation spread through his body, he shivered.

'W-wait...what's happening to me?'

Raden exited forcefully from the state of enlightenment. Fear shone in his eyes.

'I can't see' He thought to try to calm his mental state.

He breathed deeply and closed his eyes.

'I always hated not being able to sense my surroundings...to be at the mercy of the dark.'

'So childish of me...' This thought calmed him.

"Oh, so the boy here can resist my powers! Ahahah, I want to see how you'll grow in the future." He heard a voice that carried an ancient feeling to it.

"Who...?"

"Ahahah, this old man hear needs no presentation as I'm the most famous being in this world"

'Ugh...This man surely has a high confidence'

"I understand, great man." Raden replied.

"Ahahah! Now you understand. We'll probably meet in the future, don't die in the meantime."

The world was still black. He tried to move but he couldn't.

"He-hey elder what's happening?"

"Hm...You know, Jin Liang, there are a lot of bad people outside. That man was one of those: he envied my soul so much that decided to hinder me in my...our path to grandness!"

"And...what are we going to do?" He said, apparently slightly unconvinced by Raden by his tone. "Will we stay here forever?"

"Don't worry. Take this as a test for your patience.

"Yeah..."

'Ah...I forgot he was a soul so for him this is basically the same as normal...'

'Well...This will be a test to my patience, then.'

Raden waited for an hour.

'Owww... ancient sage at least you could have removed me from this state after that show, couldn't you?'

Another hour passed, still nothing.

'What a great sage he is!' 'Thanks, truly. Thanks!'

'Thanks...'

Another hour...

*Yawn*

"Hey elder what are you-?" "Hey, Hey!"

Raden closed his eyes.

A day later.

"Ahhh" He sighed 'Well...it seems that I must give up. Perhaps I'll have other possibilities to...exit this barony'

He felt helpless but he couldn't do anything else...he didn't have enough information, or power to deal with this situation

"I surrender"

'I hope that this will at least work...'

And so he was blinded by white light.