Chapter 117: Chapter 116: The Test
Seeing Lû Chunyang successfully cross the Soul-Breaking Bridge invigorated the crowd of youths.
’The Soul-Breaking Bridge isn’t so tough after all. If Lû Chunyang can make it across, then so can I!’
The group of boys and girls were all around fifteen or sixteen, an age where they were most hot-blooded. None of them were willing to admit defeat.
The next moment, a richly dressed youth of fifteen or sixteen stepped forward.
The youth wore azure robes and carried a great golden blade on his back. His expression was haughty, and his eyes held a domineering glint.
His figure shot forward like a whirlwind.
He moved like a fierce tiger, plunging directly into the churning black wind. In mid-air, he unleashed a strike. An incomparably domineering flash of blade light shattered all the black mist in his path as he charged straight for the other side.
This was a genius at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer Middle Stage. His cultivation was formidable, particularly his attainments in the Blade Dao.
Watching the power of his strike, Qin Feng could tell he had definitely mastered Innate Blade Qi.
One could only master powers like Innate Blade Qi and Innate Sword Qi after grasping Blade Intent and Sword Intent, and then using that intent to break through to the Innate realm.
Innate Blade Qi and Innate Sword Qi were also a type of Heaven and Earth Power. Compared to the powers of wind, thunder, water, and fire, their killing potential was even greater.
Thus, there was a saying that Sword Cultivators were invincible among those of the same rank.
Qin Feng had met several Martial Arts Strongmen who had grasped Blade Intent, but they were a far cry from this azure-robed youth.
The azure-robed youth reached the middle of the Soul-Breaking Bridge in one go. However, when he was just a few dozen feet from the end, the unexpected occurred. He was suddenly enveloped by the swirling black wind, his strength failing. His Qi and Blood began to stiffen and his speed slowed. Just a few yards from the end of the Soul-Breaking Bridge, he turned into black ice and fell into the abyss of black wind.
He fell!
A genius at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer Middle Stage had just fallen to his death, right before their eyes!
Witnessing this scene firsthand, the faces of many of the youths changed drastically. They were jolted awake from their overblown confidence, the heroic spirit in their hearts doused as if by a bucket of cold water.
A chill ran down some of their spines. A few had flickering eyes, the thought of retreating already taking root in their minds.
’The Land of Spirit Refining might be great, but it’s not worth my life.’
’We have outstanding talent and bright futures ahead of us. As long as we proceed step by step, our futures will be great. Why rush things now?’
Not every genius present had faced a life-or-death situation before. Most had just emerged from the sheltered greenhouses of their families, utterly unprepared for this.
Qin Feng’s expression remained unchanged. This was all within his expectations. The azure-robed youth who had mastered Innate Blade Qi was powerful, but his strength was clearly built up with Elixirs. His foundation was unrefined. Once the black mist latched onto him, it easily destabilized his foundation and threw his Qi and Blood into turmoil.
Falling into the Bottomless Abyss was only to be expected.
"What a pity for Young Master Deng!" Beside Du Pingxia, the face of a young woman in a pink dress, Hua Qing, turned pale, a flicker of sorrow in her eyes. She came from a Great Noble Family and had been quite close with Deng Pokong. She never imagined she would witness such a gruesome end.
"I’ll go!" Du Pingxia’s gaze swept over the terrified youths. She stepped forward to the mouth of the cave. The whistling black wind battered her, but it was stopped by a barrier of Seven-Colored True Qi, unable to harm her in the slightest.
"Princess?" A few of the youths who admired Du Pingxia grew anxious. "Princess, you are of golden branches and jade leaves! Please don’t risk yourself!"
Behind Du Pingxia, Qin Feng raised his eyes slightly, glancing at the anxious young men. ’Du Pingxia is certainly charismatic,’ he thought. ’Among her many admirers, most seem to genuinely care for her.’
Seeing Du Pingxia about to enter danger, these young men looked as if they would tear out their own hearts for her.
A few others, however, remained calm. Their gazes were fixed on the black wind, their demeanor composed. They had likely figured something out.
Qin Feng stood his ground. For him, crossing the Soul-Breaking Bridge would not be difficult. But Qin Feng had always preferred to keep a low profile and had no desire to stick his neck out.
Turning, her beautiful eyes swept over the worried faces of the heroic youths. Du Pingxia waved her hand with a smile. "It’s nothing. It’s just some Profound Ice Black Killing Wind! How could a mere wind possibly stop me, Du Pingxia!"
"None of you need to fear this wind, either!"
Glancing at the few youths whose eyes flickered with the intent to retreat, Du Pingxia looked back at the black wind endlessly gushing from below. "There are two reasons Deng Pokong fell," she said. "First, he was careless and underestimated it. Second, his cultivation foundation was unstable. That is why the black wind was able to shake his Martial Dao foundation, throw his mind into chaos, and lead to his unnatural death!"
"In truth, this Soul-Breaking Bridge was originally a trial within the Lingxu Sect. This Profound Ice Black Killing Wind actually has the wonderful effect of tempering one’s foundation. If not for the sudden appearance of the Bottomless Abyss, this would be a treasured land for that very purpose!"
"So, you’re saying Deng Pokong couldn’t cross the Soul-Breaking Bridge because his foundation was unstable?" a youth asked, his face lighting up.
"That’s more or less the reason. Many of us have reached our current level of cultivation by consuming large amounts of Elixirs and using Spirit Medicines to bolster our foundations. While these Elixirs seem to have no side effects, Pill Poison actually accumulates in the body, making our foundations not nearly as stable as we imagine. A natural force like the Profound Ice Black Killing Wind can easily expose problems we would never normally notice!"
Du Pingxia’s voice was even. Before coming to the Snowfield, while she was still in Huanwu City, she had been paying close attention to the Lingxu Sect and had deliberately gathered information on it.
Naturally, she hadn’t overlooked the legends of the Land of Spirit Refining, either.
Based on the information she possessed, Du Pingxia had long known that while the Soul-Breaking Bridge had a perilous name, it was actually just one of three trials to enter the Land of Spirit Refining.
It was a mandatory trial for Lingxu Sect disciples to enter the Land of Spirit Refining, designed to test a Martial Artist’s foundation.
Lingxu Sect disciples only get one chance for Refining Spirit in their entire lives. The sect didn’t have explicit rules, but it set up trials. Only those who passed them would have the opportunity to enter the Refining Spirit Hall and undergo the process.
Generally speaking, only the elite disciples of the Lingxu Sect were given the chance.
The Soul-Breaking Bridge was the first of these trials!
Only a select few knew this information. And while Du Pingxia hadn’t spelled it all out, she had revealed the crux of the matter.
Gazing at the Iron Chain Bridge howling in the black wind, Du Pingxia said, "So, if your foundation is stable, crossing this Soul-Breaking Bridge isn’t actually that difficult!"
The moment she finished speaking, Du Pingxia leaped out like a ray of seven-colored light, a halo of Seven-Colored True Qi enveloping her.
In the span of seven or eight breaths, she crossed the Soul-Breaking Bridge with ease!
Watching from where he stood, a faint, knowing smile touched Qin Feng’s lips. ’In a way, Du Pingxia isn’t wrong.’
’But she’s wrong about one thing. This Soul-Breaking Bridge is no longer the same one from the Lingxu Sect’s era. This place has undergone a strange transformation, and the difficulty has increased by more than just a little bit.’
’A stable foundation is necessary to cross this bridge, yes, but there are different standards of ’stable’.’
’If you were to compare it to others, Deng Pokong’s foundation was far superior to that of many Martial Artists. And yet, didn’t he still meet a disastrous end?’
Qin Feng estimated that if an ordinary elite disciple from an average sect could have entered the Land of Spirit Refining in the past, the difficulty now had increased at least tenfold.
With the crux of the matter revealed, the youths cast aside their hesitation.
One after another, more than a dozen figures followed, successfully crossing the Soul-Breaking Bridge.
Aside from Deng Pokong, almost no one else fell. Only two youths who truly lacked confidence retreated in dismay. All the others made it across one by one.
Tilting his head as he watched, Qin Feng sighed to himself. ’These people truly live up to their reputation as the top-tier geniuses of All Stars Academy. Each one has an unbelievably solid foundation. Any single one of them is a Demon Level genius that lesser sects would break their heads fighting over.’
’And yet, here they are, gathered in a group.’
’The pressure of competing with people like this in the future will be immense.’ Qin Feng chuckled softly.
As the last of the youths crossed the Soul-Breaking Bridge, Qin Feng’s figure moved like a gentle breeze, passing through the obstructing black wind and appearing before Du Pingxia and the others.
At the other end, Du Pingxia’s eyes lit up when she saw Qin Feng appear, and she gave him a nod. Zhao Mingcheng, however, shot Qin Feng a venomous glare. He had not expected Qin Feng to be able to cross the Soul-Breaking Bridge so quickly.
The group pressed onward. They had started with sixteen people, but now only thirteen remained.
Half an hour later, the group entered an enormous cavern. There, they were surprised to find several other teams, numbering in the dozens. Leading these dozens of experts were none other than Liu Canyang, Xiao Yuchan, and Yuan Daozhen...
