Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Trial Road
The small, transparent stone was a common Test Stone, capable of measuring the Elemental Power and age of Martial Artists below the Primordial Ocean Realm. After meeting the requirements, Lin Yun and his companion entered through a side door.
This was, in fact, a side courtyard of the Prince Manor. The entire courtyard was already filled with Martial Artists, and their numbers only grew as time went on.
Yanhuang Academy’s enrollment period lasted for three days, and those who would embark on the Trial Road were split into three groups. After the first day ended, Lin Yun and the others were arranged to cultivate, sitting cross-legged in the courtyard for the night.
As ordinary Martial Artists, their accommodations were naturally not as good as those of the young masters from Noble Families. There weren’t enough rooms for several thousand people, so everyone could only sit cross-legged in the courtyard to cultivate and wait for the next day.
While Lin Yun was cultivating, a familiar voice sounded by his ear. "Lin Shan, we meet again."
Hearing this, Lin Yun didn’t even need to look to know it was Li Tian. ’I can’t believe he’s going on the Trial Road too.’
"Lin Shan, let me tell you, so much happened on my way here from home! First, I climbed a mountain, then I saw a river..." As soon as Li Tian appeared, his chatterbox nature took over.
He rambled on about climbing a mountain, seeing a river, even taking a drink from it and how the water was sweet.
Lin Yun, who had been trying to cultivate, was so annoyed by Li Tian that he roared, "Li Tian, shut your mouth!"
However, Lin Yun’s roar had no effect whatsoever. Li Tian didn’t stop, continuing to prattle on with a mountain of nonsense until Lin Yun was on the verge of a breakdown.
"Damn it, who are you? Can’t you be any more annoying?" Even the taciturn Qin Feng couldn’t help but shout. At first, Qin Feng had assumed the boy was a friend of Lin Yun’s and paid him no mind, but who knew that once the guy started talking, he would never stop? It was making it impossible for him to cultivate in peace.
As Li Tian looked at Qin Feng, a subtle glint flashed in his eyes, as if he had just spotted a precious treasure.
"Oh, right," Lin Yun said, seeing his chance. "This is my friend, Qin Feng. You two can have a good chat."
Hearing this, Li Tian’s enthusiasm was instantly redirected. He went right up, grabbed Qin Feng’s hand, and said with an overly familiar air, "Hello! My name is Li Tian, the only son of the Li Family. You have no idea how tragic it is to be the sole heir! My father forces me every day to..."
Li Tian chattered on endlessly to Qin Feng, while Lin Yun seized the opportunity to slip away and find an empty corner.
"Finally, some peace and quiet." A faint smile touched Lin Yun’s lips. Having escaped Li Tian, he felt as if the entire world had gone silent, and his mind was finally at peace.
Lin Yun had escaped, but Qin Feng was now in a miserable state. Li Tian’s mouth simply wouldn’t stop, making it impossible for Qin Feng to even think about cultivating.
In his rage, Qin Feng even tried using his fists to shut Li Tian up. To his astonishment, however, Li Tian’s Body Technique was so superb that Qin Feng couldn’t even touch him.
What’s more, even while dodging, Li Tian kept chattering endlessly. After a few fruitless attempts, Qin Feng gave up, resigning himself to Li Tian’s droning.
「The night passed peacefully.」
Early the next morning, Lin Yun slowly opened his eyes. After a night of cultivation, he exhaled a breath of turbid air and felt utterly refreshed.
He got up and searched around, finally finding Qin Feng and Li Tian in a corner. Li Tian was sleeping soundly, but Qin Feng had deep, dark circles under his eyes. The moment he saw Lin Yun, Qin Feng looked like he was about to burst into tears.
That Li Tian was just too damn annoying. For the entire night, Qin Feng hadn’t been able to close his eyes for a second. He hadn’t cultivated, nor had he slept. No wonder he had such heavy, dark circles under his eyes.
"Hey, get up!" Qin Feng roared at Li Tian, his eyes burning with fury. If he could just land a hit on the guy, Qin Feng would have fought him to the death.
After waking Li Tian, staff from Yanhuang Academy soon arrived in the center of the courtyard. They instructed everyone to gather their belongings and follow them to the Trial Road.
They were led to a small door within the Prince Manor, right next to the city wall. Judging by its appearance, it wasn’t hard for everyone to tell that the door was rarely used—it was covered in a considerable number of cobwebs.
"Beyond this door lies the Trial Road," an Academy staff member explained to the crowd. "It is never opened under normal circumstances, only when the Academy is enrolling new students."
He formed a Seal Technique with his hands. When the seal landed on the door, the dilapidated gate instantly began to glow.
CREEEAK... Slowly, the door swung open. Behind it, a dim, dark forest came into view.
"There are four Trial Roads in total. They begin in the County Cities of four different counties, and all of them end at Yanhuang Academy. Along the Trial Roads, you will find Demon Beasts captured and placed by the Academy, as well as gangs of desperate outlaws."
"This is your last chance to withdraw. Once you enter the Trial Road, there are only two outcomes: one, become a student of the Academy, or two, die on the Trial Road."
"If there are no more questions, you may enter the Trial Road now." With that, the Academy staff member gestured for them to proceed.
Many people knew the dangers of the Trial Road and had already prepared themselves mentally. Without much hesitation, almost half the people stepped onto the Trial Road.
Lin Yun’s group of three was among them. After that first wave, more people followed in trickles. In the end, only a hundred or so chose to give up on the trial.
Once on the Trial Road, the crowd didn’t stay together. The Trial Road was merely a route through a massive forest. A few thousand people entering it was like a single drop of water falling into the ocean—it didn’t make the slightest ripple.
"This forest was man-made," Li Tian said as soon as they entered. Possessing the True Illusory Eyes, he could see the truth behind all things.
Hearing this, Lin Yun didn’t doubt Li Tian’s words in the slightest. He marveled internally, ’Such a vast forest was actually man-made? And there are four such Trial Roads in total... It just goes to show how incredibly wealthy Yanhuang Academy must be.’
The crowd scattered, some forming teams and others proceeding alone, but they all headed in the same direction: toward Yanhuang Academy.
After walking for a full hour without encountering any attacks, many people began to lower their guard, their moods lightening.
"Looks like our luck is good. We haven’t run into any Demon Beasts or bandits."
However, no one knew that at this moment, high above the Trial Road, a Primordial Ocean Realm expert stood poised in the air. If Lin Yun were there, he would have definitely recognized this expert as the beautiful woman who had hunted him before.
"Heh heh, such cute little things," she chuckled. "But there are a few... small changes this year. I wonder how many of them will actually make it to the Academy? I’m so looking forward to finding out." Watching the scattered Trial Takers below, the beautiful woman’s smile was radiant, but her words hinted that this year’s Trial Road would be anything but easy.
