The hours unfolded silently on the underworld planet called Heavenly Black Earth. On its immense and almost entirely rocky surface, about ten billion young cultivators from all corners of the underworld gathered to pass the first entrance test to the Elemental Condensation World.
Alm and Bruno meditated in silence; in that place, earth and Yin were abundant, allowing them to easily sense a vast area around them. They soon concluded that everyone there was at the ninth level of the Heaven Stage Realm. That place harbored the greatest concentration of geniuses and disciples with a beastly lineage from the underworld.
There were no weak cultivators there. Their bloodlines were dense, and their cultivations were stable and powerful. Moreover, the overwhelming majority were hybrids. Unsurprisingly, they detected a dozen subtle human bloodlines among them, but everyone possessed a beastly lineage.
"Kid," the whale spoke, and Yanson appeared by its side. "Take this and study this technique." They took out from the inventory a black metal spear they had crafted, then imparted a basic Yin circulation technique they knew.
’This young one just cultivated forcibly, without any guidance or technique. His cultivation is terribly unstable and fragile; his power can be considered poor, still, he has a long way to improve. It’s not fair to compare him to these cultivators on the planet. Ruri without using Qi could overwhelm him...’ Alm abruptly stopped his thoughts; he was thinking about her again.
Yanson was stunned by the spear and the technique he received, then looked at the whale not knowing what to say. Soon, Bruno said, "Don’t think too much, you reminded me of someone... and I’m just repaying the favor."
The boy nodded still a bit perplexed and turned to study the technique. About six hours later, Alm and Bruno looked up and saw a sea of dark runes covering the sky, like chains sealing everything within.
"The first test has begun," said Bruno, getting up with the whale. Immediately, Yanson approached his side, and Alm smiled sinisterly.
About two hours later, in the midst of the trees, a figure leaped like a swift and almost imperceptible shadow, making no sound. Suddenly, he landed at a point, and the ground vibrated.
His form became visible amidst the dust; he was three meters tall with red eyes. It was a malicious leopard, pulsating with abnormal and predatory Qi. He looked in a certain direction, and then the dust began to settle, revealing a small figure completely petrified.
"A Dark Elf, and a pure one at that... excellent, hehehe," the leopard’s voice sounded full of bloody intent.
Soon, the small black elf, trembling completely, spoke, "Sir... I am a native of the planet, not part of the test. My race only lives and tries to survive, we do no harm to anyone... please spare me."
"Evil is only practiced by losers; winners are heroes. If you were left alive on the planet, it’s because you are part of the test," the leopard spoke slowly, while his oppressive power pressed the black elf on the verge of exploding with his presence.
CRACK!
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The earth opened beneath the leopard, and a black spear emerged, piercing it, the sound of bones breaking echoed.
The leopard roared, jumping and spitting blood, dazed. How did he not sense an approach? Amidst these thoughts, he noticed a black shadow behind him. Turning around, he saw a round, red figure pulsating with a strange power as a saber slashed.
Yanson just looked up, seeing a rain of black blood, his eyes shining. It all ended in two movements, without giving any chance of escape. The whale descended next to the small black elf, holding a spatial ring.
"He had five thousand units of that black gold stuff, and a bunch of junk," the whale said lightly, then turned to the boy. "Got how to use the spear? Use your power to set up the first trap. You give off an impression of being fragile and weak... which isn’t a lie. But, use that to your advantage and catch them by surprise."
The young man nodded, dazed, but neither he nor Bruno complained. The order was for Yanson to walk through the forest without hiding. Then, the cultivators would naturally approach him. He, in turn, would say he wasn’t someone from the test. If they attacked, the whale would just kill him. If they spared the dark elf, they weren’t that bad, so the whale would let them live. It was quick and efficient.
This world covered in Yin and earth was a perfect environment for Alm. He could conceal himself with Yin, blending seamlessly with the surroundings. And with his weapons, killing a cultivator a few levels higher was like swatting a bug.
Soon enough, it didn’t even take thirty minutes for another demon beast, who fancied a frog, to approach the black elf. Yanson tried to use the method, but his fluctuations and hesitation made his intentions very obvious. Alm simply killed the beast directly; and cursed the boy.
In half a day, over twenty cultivators died. Four were left alive, having simply ignored the elf after noticing he wasn’t part of the test. Sure enough, it wasn’t like every single being in the underworld was a bloodthirsty savage. Of those who died, most were of a medium level, which made it easier. Then, for the first time, Yanson managed an imperceptible surprise attack. This surprised Alm; the boy managed to use the simple technique he taught, blending it with his bloodline power. It was creative since he couldn’t use the technique normally, so he adapted.
Alm changed the approach method. He tested Yanson on various techniques and noticed he was more skilled at focusing his Qi with agility. Soon, he gave him a simple bow they had and never used. They taught him the basic usage and the most efficient method.
Shortly after, a flying beast approached the boy; it was the perfect moment. As soon as the beast attempted to attack, Yanson pretended to run, hiding in the shadows. The moment the beast made a dive for a direct attack to the ground, the black elf turned with his bow and struck without giving a chance for the enemy to dodge.
The arrow hit and penetrated, but the boy’s Qi was too subtle and unstable. Soon, the whale had to finish with one move but was satisfied.
’The boy is weak in every sense, but he’s got courage. He realizes we’re training him and he’s completely focused on learning, giving it his all,’ Bruno commented lightly.
Alm didn’t respond and approached the boy. "You lack attack power because your cultivation was built haphazardly. Your Qi is way below average... you’ll have to compensate for that with technique and precision."
Then Alm recalled some teachings he had encountered in the past and searched his mind for an incomplete Dao he received in the Heavenly Realm. ’Frozen Yin Poison Dao. Seems useful,’ Alm thought and handed it over to the boy.
One week later.
CRACK! CRACK!
A gigantic black turtle with a snake head roared in fury. Ice arrows covered its shell as it defended itself and hid. It spat a black flame that easily destroyed trees, but its entire body seemed slow, and it couldn’t counter with full power, let alone hit the target quickly.
At the top of a tree, a small figure holding a bow sweated cold while jumping between the trees agilely. Every few seconds, in the air, he shot an arrow of Qi and ice that hit the turtle.
Alm and Bruno watched in silence; it was a perfect target. Its defense was its specialty, but its attack wasn’t weak, just a bit inferior. So, as soon as the first sneaky strike came, it instinctively defended with its shell. That’s when Yanson shot arrows, diminishing its capabilities. Then, it was just a battle of attrition.
Either the black elf was hit quickly, or the enemy grew weaker with each counter-attack. In the end, the little black elf fought for an hour, and the turtle received the last arrow that pierced its core, killing it.
Yanson stopped and descended from the tree with empty eyes. He couldn’t believe he had actually succeeded.
’Great, now his confidence has solidified. He knows how to escape, can attack, and kill slowly somehow; now he just needs to defend properly.’ Bruno analyzed.
Alm approached again, and this time, he taught him for a day how to manipulate Yin, which was his specialty. In this environment, he, having a pure Yin body, had an advantage over all these hybrids. It was enough to blend into the surroundings; his speed and ability would increase significantly. However, the level of difficulty was extreme.
Alm then spoke bluntly. "I don’t have time, and you, being weak, won’t naturally learn even in a thousand years. So, you’ll have to use it in battle, learn from your body and instinct. You’ll fight directly against the enemy, with death close. Either advance or die. Are you willing?"
Their eyes met for a second. Then, those abyss-like black eyes of the young man glowed. He had never received so much... his improvement was explosive, and he never dreamed of defeating such a powerful demonic beast alone. As for the Yin techniques he received... the level was so high that he couldn’t even reason with them.
"I’ll do it!" He said without hesitation.
Soon, in three days of attempts, the young black elf had his chest pierced, his body almost split in half, etc... in short, he failed repeatedly. The whale let him be on the brink of death and intervened. Then, Bruno shed blood and tears, using his power of faith to heal him almost instantly.
The boy would wake up and fight, then come back practically dead. It was a luxurious training at the cost of their faith power. But when the first twenty days of the first test ended, the boy finally won.
A black serpent attacked him, and he managed to partially blend with the Yin of the place. The serpent attacked, but he seemed to sense the future and dodged without fleeing while shooting arrows. The fight lasted a short time, and after being practically untouched, the serpent fell without being able to use its full power.
The ice mixed with pure Yin was a sinister poison. As soon as it penetrated, it blocked meridian channels, and with a few strikes, the enemy suffered a significant loss of power. Soon, he was hit more and more... and the end was frustrating, as he couldn’t use his weapons.
"Good job." The whale appeared slowly approaching.
The boy trembled and fell to his knees on the ground. "Thank you, sir." His words came breathless but enthusiastic. Soon after, he touched his forehead to the ground and roared. "But... I’m sorry!"
The whale narrowed its eyes. "What?!"
He raised his eyes and felt the whale’s irritation. "Among us black elves, we have to maintain our purity; I know I look like someone... you helped me, but I can’t submit to you!"