Chapter 1782: Trial Upon Trial

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Duan Ling Tian who had fallen sat up on the riverbank and panted heavily. He was drenched in sweat. When he turned to look at the vast milky-white force that filled the dried-up river, fear lingered in his heart. “Just a little bit more… Just a little bit more, and I would’ve died!”

If he died, he would be kicked out.

Since he had chanced upon such a Divine Ability Relic, he was, naturally, unwilling to be kicked out just like that.

“To think I actually thought the waterfall-like milky white force was the third trial of the Abyssal Swamp. In hindsight, it’s obvious what I’ve just experienced is the real third trial.” Earlier, Duan Ling Tian had felt the third trial could not have been so simple. However, he was uncertain because the force that had rained down on him like a waterfall when he exited was also a force to be reckoned with. For this reason, he kept wondering if it was the third trial or not.

Now that all the pieces had come together, he realized what he had just experienced was the real third trial.

The milky-white force, the collapsed arch bridge, the Flight Prohibiting Formation, and the dried-up river was the third trial.

Soon after, Duan Ling Tian discovered the level of the milky-white force inside the river kept rising. Although it would take some time before it would flood over the riverbank, he quickly stood up since his vitality had recovered slightly.

“Huh? The mist has vanished?” When Duan Ling Tian turned around, he discovered the mist he saw earlier at the end of the bridge had disappeared and was replaced with a mountain wall.

“A dead end?” He was stunned when he saw the mountain wall that blocked his path.

Due to the waterfall-like milky-white force, the tunnel of the second trial was already flooded, it was impossible even if he wanted to turn back.

If there was no way to move forward and no way to turn back, could it be that he had to wait for death here?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

When Duan Ling Tian was burning with anxiety, a loud bang resonated from the top of his head.

This noise that would usually sound cacophonous sounded heavenly to his ears.

He instantly lifted his head and saw an entrance that could fit one person had opened up on the mountain wall.

A ray of light shone out from inside as though it was guiding Duan Ling Tian in.

Due to the reason the Flight Prohibiting Formation only covered the river, Duan Ling Tian who was on the riverbank could fly again as he pleased.

Thud!

He stomped both his feet on the ground as he rose up into the air, making his way toward the opening on the mountain wall above him. At the same time, he looked at the ray of light that seemed like it came from several hundred meters away.

In other words, he had to fly up for another few hundred meters before he could reach the source of the light.

‘It’s good to be higher up…’ The moment Duan Ling Tian thought of how the waterfall-like milky-white force below was still increasing, and it would not be long before it flooded the entire place, he counted himself lucky. He felt lucky the next trial would be held at some place high where there would be no flood.

As he was flying up, his heart sank a little the moment he recalled the dangerous situation earlier. “The third trial is already this difficult. I wonder how terrifying the other six trials are going to be?”

Armed with the experience from the third trial, Duan Ling Tian began to feel glum when he thought about how difficult the trials ahead would be.

However, when Duan Ling Tian was faced with the fourth trial, he realized it was not as dangerous as the third trial.

The fourth trial was a test of martial technique instead of a test of strength.

Martial technique?

Although Duan Ling Tian had abandoned a majority of the martial techniques he had previously cultivated, he was not at a disadvantage thanks to the Sovereign Heart Sword.

For this reason, he easily passed the fourth trial.

After the fourth trial, he was faced with the fifth trial.

The fifth trial was also not a test of strength but a test of patience.

100,000 embroidery needles and one red thread. This was the fifth trial.

“This is really testing my patience.” When Duan Ling Tian saw the 100,000 densely packed embroidery needles, his mouth twitched. In the end, he still obediently picked up the red thread as his other hand picked up an embroidery needle, and he began to thread the red thread through the eye of the needle. Only by threading the red thread through 100,000 embroidery needles would he be able to pass the fifth trial.

Although Duan Ling Tian had a strong cultivation base, it was useless when it came to threading thread through the eye of a needle. Therefore, he could only obediently thread the red thread through the eyes of embroidery needles one after another like an ordinary person.

Perhaps, to stop the challenger from cheating with their strength, the eye of the embroidery needle was even smaller than the red thread. Due to this, he could only slowly squeeze the red thread in and could not work as fast as he liked.

It took Duan Ling Tian a few days to complete the fifth trial. When he finally completed his task, his vision had turned blurry as well.

If he had a choice, he would rather repeat the first trial. In fact, he was even willing to repeat the third trial. The fifth trial was just too mentally exhausting, even more so than the second trial.

After passing the fifth trial, Duan Ling Tian was not in a hurry to rush to the sixth trial. Instead, he stayed resting at the same spot. This was his first time taking a rest after he had entered the Abyssal Swamp.

He had no choice but to rest since every time he opened his eyes, he could only see gleaming embroidery needles and a red thread in front of him.

After resting for a day and a night, he finally went to the next trial.

The sixth trial was not a test of strength as well.

“Comprehension?” The sixth trial was a test of the challenger’s comprehension. All Duan Ling Tian needed to do was to fix some of the incomplete martial techniques.

Naturally, these martial techniques were only techniques from Human Rank Saint Grade Martial Tactics.

If it was before, it would have been very difficult for Duan Ling Tian. However, ever since he had obtained the Sovereign Heart Sword and comprehended it to the second stage, his judgment and understanding of martial techniques had already reached the highest stage. Therefore, it was not difficult for Duan Ling Tian to fix the martial techniques from the Human Rank Saint Grade Martial Tactics.

Due to this reason, Duan Ling Tian easily passed the sixth trial.

The next trial was the seventh trial.

‘Why do I feel like the trials in the Abyssal Swamp are getting simpler?’ When Duan Ling Tian thought of the previous few trials he could not help but think it was too simple.

Soon after, he learned what the seventh trial was.

“Patience? Running?” When he saw what he had to do for the seventh trial, he smiled. It was another simple test.

However, when he carefully finished reading the content, the smile on his face froze.

“Run continuously for seven days and seven nights around this pillar in front of me? Moreover, I’ll be kicked out if I fail to run fewer than 1,000,000 circles?” Duan Ling Tian was shocked when he looked at the gigantic pillar that would need several dozens of people to completely surround it. He was dumbfounded.

Seven days and seven nights!

1,000,000 circles!

After making a circle around the pillar, a bitter smile formed on Duan Ling Tian’s face. “I need to run around this pillar 1,000,000 times in the span of seven days and seven nights. Even an ordinary person at the peak of the Refined Saint Stage wouldn’t be able to do it. To think I thought this trial was easy. What a test of patience!”

The bitter smile on Duan Ling Tian’s face became even more apparent.

However, he had no other choice.

It was not that he could not run around this pillar 1,000,000 times in a span of seven days and seven nights, but the entire process was just too tedious. If he was not patient enough, he would not be able to last this long.

“I’ll just have to run, I guess.” After taking a deep breath, Duan Ling Tian raised a hand and pressed a button protruding out at one side of the pillar. After he had activated the Supervisory Formation, he began to run around the pillar.

He had activated his Sun True Origin so his speed was extremely fast. In just a blink of an eye, he had already circled the pillar many times.

It was still fine during the first three days. Duan Ling Tian could still maintain his original speed.

On the fourth day, no matter how he spurred himself on inwardly, he began to slow down.

‘Currently, I’m already on the seventh trial. I only have two trials left. If I can’t pass this trial, all my efforts would be in vain!’ The moment he thought of this, he picked up speed again.

However, Duan Ling Tian only managed to use this method to rouse his fighting spirit for an extra day before he became immune to it.

The last three days were the hardest for Duan Ling Tian. He felt the most tempted to give up. He even felt the seventh trial was the most difficult trial in the Abyssal Swamp so far.

In the end, after seven days and six nights, he finally completed running 1,000,000 circles.

After he finished running, he immediately collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat.

Although he was only a clone, it was not different from an ordinary body. He would still feel tired and sweat as well.

Naturally, what he meant by ordinary body was the body of an ordinary person, not his real body.

If it was his real body, it would not be a problem for him to run for ten days and ten nights, let alone seven days and seven nights.

“It has been such a long time since I last felt this tired. No! I must rest for two, wait a minute, three days!” Although Duan Ling Tian said he wanted to rest for three days after he finished running, after half a day of resting, he recovered his strength and decided to move to the eighth trial.

The eighth trial was located in a vast underground palace. After he entered, he could sense an ancient, as though it had seen the vicissitudes of life, aura charging toward him. Duan Ling Tian instantly felt as though he had been transported back into ancient times.

The most eye-catching thing in the underground palace was the rows of statues arranged neatly in the distance. These statues were all armor-wearing soldiers that were made up of infantries, gunmen and calvaries.

‘They’re similar to the Terracotta warriors in my past life… Are these statues the eighth trial?’ The moment Duan Ling Tian thought of this, he instantly became guarded.