Chapter 22)Test 2

Before Longway's test was set to begin, Bai secluded himself in his cultivation room, a space specifically designed to push his spiritual power to its limits. The room was enveloped in extreme cold, and the gravity within was intensified, adding to the training's intensity.

Midway through his rigorous practice, Bai received a communication request, breaking his concentration. Rising from his meditation, he opened the door to find a shadowy figure waiting for him. Without a word, he understood the purpose of the visitor's arrival.

"The young master's trial is imminent. The elders have made the necessary preparations, and the test keepers are in position. It will commence shortly."

"Very well. Utilize all available resources. I want to ensure nothing goes awry during the test," Bai commanded with authority.

"As you wish, patriarch. We have been diligently preparing for the past four years, and once the traitors reveal themselves, we will capture them and deliver them to you."

"I care not for the pawns. Capture only the most formidable attackers alive, dispose of the rest without hesitation."

"Understood, patriarch."

With those final words, the shadow vanished, leaving Bai's cultivation room once again shrouded in silence. Bai rose from his meditation mat, his mind set on making the necessary preparations. While he trusted his people, he had to ensure that the main traitor would be apprehended and that his son would remain unharmed throughout the process.

Meanwhile, Ruiling resided in her chamber, consumed by thoughts of her son's impending trial. Unlike Bai, she sought constant updates on his well-being. Although she is proud of her son's achievements over the past four years, she also had concerns. The more he succeeded, the more danger he would face in the future.

She knew the traitor within the clan was not the only one seeking to exploit her son. Others, including influential members, had their designs and agendas. Even Bai, her husband, had high expectations for young Longway. Although Ruiling understood his motivations, she couldn't help but fear the perils her son would encounter.

"Madam, the time has come, and there is an unusual stir within the clan. As you predicted, not only have the patriarch's shadows sprung into action but also many ordinary clan members who should not be involved in the upcoming trial."

"The traitor's pawns. Although their numbers surprise me, it matters not. Anyone who approaches my son's trial with harmful intent must perish, regardless of their position within the clan," Ruiling declared with unwavering determination.

"The elders may interpret your actions as a merciless purge," the attendant cautioned.

"I care not for the opinions of the old guard. When they ascend to my level, then they may voice their discontent. But my son must not suffer due to their political games and insatiable ambitions."

"As you command, mistress."

The shadow departed to carry out Ruiling's orders, while she accessed the secret compartment within the cabinet. Retrieving a couple of ice crystals, she infused them with a portion of her spiritual power. Levitating alongside her, the crystals emitted a frigid glow, and a chill permeated the air.

Unperturbed by the world around her, Ruiling left her abode, heading towards the location of the impending trial. She vowed to eliminate any elder who dared to jeopardize her son's well-being, regardless of their standing within the clan.

Longway didn't know what was going on in the clan and behind the illusory array. He was busy saving his life from a giant ice bear that decided to eat young meat.

"Damn, where did he come from in that area at all, according to my observation, it should have been the territory of wolves."

He ran and used his ability to manipulate not only to delay the rapidly approaching bear but also to accelerate himself so that he could escape. He did not dare to summon his spirit, because then all the nearby spirit beasts would gather here, not to mention the illusions that appeared from time to time and delayed him.

Although his intuition was strong, she couldn't tell him if the tree in front of him was real or if it was just another illusion. Because of that, he stumbled a couple of times at such speed and almost fell. If he falls and lingers, an unpleasant death awaits him for sure. Although there is a plus in this, the bear will eat his fill.

"It can't go on like this, I either have to get rid of him somehow, or go to the territory of another main predator. But both of these options are dangerous and it's not that I'm happy to choose either of them."

Using the manipulation of ice, he created several steps in the air and quickly ran into the branches of trees. Without stopping, he began to run through the trees and increased his consumption of spiritual power due to the need to glue his feet to the trees and not fall.

True, he knew that he would not be able to run for a long time, because of sudden illusions and branches disappearing under his feet, but he was not going to run far.

Jumping as high as possible, he spread out and created a sword, he jumped on the bear. He is not a fool and having slightly moved his body away from the fatal blow, he was ready to eat food that jumped into his arms by itself.

Longway took advantage of the fact that the bear's attention was completely on him and using the minimum amount of spiritual power created a simple ice clone that attacked from the back.

The bear felt the threat of the ass and broke the clone with a powerful blow of his paw, but it was enough to hide the deadly attack. An ice stake quickly grew right under the bear's anuses and executed the bear on the spot.

Howling piteously, the bear died from damage to the insides. And Longway fell, struck a blow to the head, and accurately finished off the bear.

"Hah, hah didn't think it would work. If he hadn't paid attention to Cloni and me, then I wouldn't have been able to hit him so unnoticed. Not to mention that the slightest mistake in manipulating spiritual energy and I would already be his breakfast."

He learned the lesson of the two demons well, that it is necessary to attack in weak spots and always finish off his opponent quickly, but opponents are also not idiots and without a good strategy and risks, it is usually not possible to kill the enemy so quickly.

"Hah, it doesn't matter, I have to rest quickly and preferably hide. Soon there should be other predators that have smelled blood."

"Woooo"

"Damn it, I just finished him off."

Longway quickly cut off the bear's paw, which would be his lunch, and began to run away from the pack of ice wolves. If the bear was alone and he could have a chance to kill him using risky tactics, then such a trick with a pack of wolves will not work.

Suddenly intuition screamed about the danger and without hesitation he used the ice wall again to defend himself, but only the attacker was stronger and smashed his wall. Only thanks to a second delay, he was able to dodge the deadly attack and escaped with only a wound on his arm.

"Damn, I know that the tests are designed so that the one who passes it will always be in tension as much as he is strong and I am aware that my tests must be quite dangerous because of all my accumulated strength, but not as much."

The front one was a small ice dragon and he could tell that his cultivation was more than a few thousand years old. At the same time, he could say that this kind of dragon is extremely strong in close combat and fortitude. Because of the huge paws, extremely sharp nails and scales were incredibly strong in appearance alone.

"Maybe we can make a deal?"

"ROAR!!!"

"Got it, so we're not going to be friends."

After creating several more ice walls in front of him, he turned around and began to run away. He also began to accumulate spiritual power and was preparing to summon his spirit.

After all, with a simple ability to manipulate spiritual energy, he would not be able to defeat him.

"ROAR!!!"

The dragon quickly caught up and realized that he could no longer restrain the spiritual force. He summoned his spirit. After that, an aura of madness and bloodlust immediately began to grow around him, he tried to distract himself from this and released all the accumulated power into one directed explosion.

The dragon went into a brief shock due to the aura of madness and murder and therefore could not dodge, but he did not need to. Although the blow hit him right in the face and he was badly injured, but not so much that he fell dead the next moment.

But the dragon did not expect that the little man would use his last spiritual power to increase the effect of madness. Therefore, all the animals in a small radius began to madly attack each other and staged a bloodbath.

Restraining the bouts of insane rage, Longway quickly escaped from this area. Finding a rather small but seemingly safe cave, he tore off a couple of rags of his clothes and threw them inside. He also left a defeated bear's paw inside.

He climbed into the barrel of a tree not far from this cave. And in the end, because of excessive fatigue, he passed out.