Second Trial

John stared at Adam for a short moment before he turned around without a word and followed the pathway to the next test. Behind all the tables, a small pathway, several yards wide, cut into the nearby forest.

The vibrant trees, covered with blooming flowers of different kinds, framed the pathway, making it quite a scenic walk. The pathway continued for nearly a mile. Adam closely followed John the entire time, and continued to talk non-stop about various things, such as the Heavenly Lightning Sect, the entrance exam, the powerful participants to look out for, and more.

"If I were to give you any advice, it would be to stay away from Mason and Russell for now. Although I can tell you're strong, those two are complete monsters. Mason is from the Light Clan, which is a First Tier Clan, and is their most promising junior. His combat prowess is terrifying.

As for that Russell, he's equally terrifying. He has an Innate Variant Body, so don't ever try to fight him head on. Keep your distance and attack him from afar."

"Innate Variant Body? Interesting" John replied. A small smile appeared on his face.

'Seems like this truly is the gathering place for monsters. I should find some good opponents in this sect.'

John was looking forward to the inevitable fights to come with those two, as he knew they would target him.

'The stronger people I fight, the faster my strength will rise.'

After walking for some time, John and Adam arrived at the next trial. The pathway left the forest, and stopped directly in front of an ancient looking city.

The city was several miles wide and long, and most of the brick buildings seemed to have been ravaged by the erosion of time. A large stone archway stood tall at the entrance to the city, and tall brick walls encapsulated the city within.

There were several hundred youths waiting directly in front of the city, while dozens streamed into the city every minute. An Elder stood out front directly in front of the main road leading into the city, explaining the trial to any who asked for elaboration.

"Do you know what this trial is?" John asked Adam. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable about the entrance exam, and figured he would put his knowledge to good use.

"Unfortunately, the second through third through fourth trial changes every year, so I don't. I know the last trial has something to do with willpower, but I'm unsure of the specifics, as that too changes every year."

John was slightly disappointed in being unable to find out the truth regarding the trials, but wasn't too concerned. If trial takers knew of the tests every year, they would figure out ways to game the system and beat them without being worthy of doing so. Changing the trials every year was a good way to counter this.

The two of them continued to walk until they reached the lone Elder, who was standing under the large archway directly at the entrance to the city.

"Elder, what do we do for this trial?" John asked curiously.

The Elder looked at John and replied. "To pass this trial, you merely have to enter the city and leave it on the other end. This main road stretches straight to the exit, however, it won't be as simple as it sounds."

John looked past the Elder and into the city. The main road stretched for many miles, and curved in many directions, making it impossible to look through to the other side. John was unable to see anything other than the other youths entering the city, making it appear bleak and desolate.

"Ok, thanks for the information."

John started to walk forward into the city, and Adam quickly scurried up behind him.

"Walk through a city? Such a trivial thing will never hold us two back!"

John rolled his eyes and continued to walk forwards. Many other youths also entered the trial in a steady stream.

'It won't be nearly as easy as it sounds.'

Before long, John entered the walled city and began to walk down the main road. The main road was a wide dusty dirt road. Dilapidated buildings lined both sides of the road, and many narrow alleyways branched off every few dozen yards.

After several minutes of walking, nothing had yet happened, causing John to frown somewhat.

"Nothing yet? Sure, this city is a bit creepy, but that's it? Are they testing the nerves of us juniors?" Adam asked. He too was somewhat confused by this trial thus far.

The two of them continued to walk for several more minutes, before John finally came to a stop.

"What are you stopping for?" Adam asked, curious if John had sensed anything.

John turned his head in every direction, looking around for something. He turned to look behind him, and a frown once more appeared on his face.

"Haven't you noticed anything yet? Or more accurately, the lack of anything here but us two? John asked Adam.

Adam looked around curiously, somewhat confused by John's question. His eyes soon widened slightly as he came to a realization.

"The other youths! When we entered, there were many in front of us, and many behind us..but now, the only thing I can see is us two!"

John nodded his head at Adams' assessment of the situation.

'It seems like he has some brains at least.'

"You're correct. Without us even realizing it, we have become isolated in this area. The other cultivators leaving this area would have drawn our attention, so something else is going on here…"

John continued to look around in every direction, but was unable to make heads or tails of the situation.

"The only thing we can do is move forward carefully, and raise our guard for any unexpected situations."

The two of them continued to walk forward for some time, and John eventually spotted something appear out of an alleyway ahead of them. His eyes widened slightly.

"Adam, we have company!" John stated, but received no response. He turned to look behind him to see why Adam had not responded.

"He's gone!"