The second test proved to be even more difficult than Rao Wu ever anticipated. In hindsight, the first trap, if anything, served more as a warning than an effective trap compared to what came next.

The traps in the narrow corridor pushed Rao Wu and his soul pets to their limits. Aside from dodging spears, they had to deal with collapsing platforms and fire pits. Inevitably, Rao Wu’s party suffered numerous injuries throughout their campaign. Even with the Eternal Spring’s help, the injuries forced them to stop several times and recuperate several times.

Rao Wu often shivered, wondering how people without the Eternal Spring Water were expected to finish the tests. Now, Rao Wu could understand why his father was forced to give up early. Without Eternal Spring Water, these tests were simply death traps!

Intriguingly, not all traps were of the deadly variety. There was one wall with shallow, jagged depressions that Rao Wu had to scale. The wall stood over a moat of water, so even if he fell, he would have survived. That did not make climbing the thirty-meter wall any easier, though. Without a place to rest, Rao Wu completed the climb in one go, but he was too exhausted to move for many hours afterward.

Fortunately, the death corridor did not last too long. After six days of trial and error, an exhausted Rao Wu and his companions finally reached the corridor’s end. A dark-silver door slid open on their arrival, revealing the Assessment room beyond.

“I thought so, but we really did go in a circle.” Rao Wu held a bitter, loathsome smile as he looked at the platform at the center. Surprisingly, rather than walking to the platform, Rao Wu strutted past to the opposite door, which opened to reveal the test’s starting point.

“Thought I’d have to backtrack. This saves me the trouble.” Rao Wu grinned as he glared at the first trap. “We took six days last time. Let’s go for six hours this time. Ju Tu, Xian Da. You remember the layout, right? This time we storm as a team.”

“Do it!” Ju Tu proudly thumped its chest while Xian Da jumped down from Rao Wu’s shoulder.

With a smile, Rao Wu charged into the test together with his soul pets. Immediately, the effects of their training showed off. Rao Wu and Xian Da deftly dodged the spears with practiced ease. When the spear flew in, Ju Tu jumped to the front and expertly smacked it aside. With the spear’s threat removed, Xian Da and Rao Wu confidently took a step forward as the ceiling’s spears dropped behind them.

The efficient formation and movement were a testament to the hardwork the trio had put in over the last week. Last time, Rao Wu led because it was his job as the soul trainer to identify the threats. Now, with the risks identified, Rao Wu could work on his ideal attack formation.

Ju Tu’s powerful physique and sturdy defense made it the perfect option to lead their assault. With Ju Tu drawing fire from the enemy, Rao Wu and Xian Da were freed up to dance around the battlefield to deal maximum damage. Of course, in this setting, there were no enemies to fight. So, instead, Ju Tu took on the task of going ahead to clear out the tougher obstacles while Rao Wu and Xian Da dodged and slid their way through.

Rao Wu’s formation proved its worth as the trio steamrolled through the test corridor. This time, Rao Wu’s party finished the test in roughly five hours. Rao Wu, however, was still not satisfied.

Looking back on the test, Rao Wu believed he wasted time in certain scenarios where he should have summoned or recalled his soul pets. As a result, they ran through one last time. This time, Rao Wu ensured he made calls at the right time, sometimes choosing to preemptively summon or recall a soul pet in anticipation of an upcoming trap.

Rao Wu’s efforts were not without merit. Through their efforts, Rao Wu shaved off a few hours from their time, eventually ending on three hours taken to complete the corridor.

The child’s efforts netted him a reward when he returned to the assessment room.

“Congratulations, Candidate. With a time of 2 hours, fifty-three minutes and forty-nine seconds, you have beaten the previously held test record of 2 hours, fifty-seven minutes and twenty-three seconds.”

“Oh?” Rao Wu’s eyes shone with excitement as he laid on the platform. The youth’s chest rose and fell as he slowly breathed out, trying to even his breath. He did not know there was a record to beat, but it still felt good to have beaten one. However, Rao Wu’s lips quickly curled in a sneaky smile as he said, “Is there a prize? There’s a prize, right?”

“Indeed, Candidate. There is a prize. Completing the test grants 10,000 Chaos Points. Breaking the record triples the score, granting you 30,000 Chaos Points? With the difficulty multiplier, you have earned 120,000 Chaos Points in this round. Candidate currently posseses, 121,128 Chaos Points. Candidate, please choose how to spend your points.”

“10,000?” Rao Wu’s brow rose at the amount. The first test only rewarded 2,500 points. Was the increased reward an acknowledgment of the test’s difficulty? Rao Wu wanted to ask, but then remembering the system’s greedy point requirement, kept his curiosity to himself. Instead, he quickly said, “Comprehensive information on the next test.”

The system confirmed Rao Wu’s order, and then, after deducting the cost, said, “The next test is a goal-oriented survival mission. Candidate will be tasked with reaching a point alive. Additional points will be awarded for every lifeform killed. It is possible to achieve the Administrator’s Favor in this test, so keep that in mind when making decisions. Most importantly, due to restrictions, Candidate will not be permitted to take spatial equipment into the test.”

“What!?” Rao Wu nearly screamed in shock. The spatial ring was one of his greatest sources of confidence in this test! It held all the jugs of Eternal Spring Water. He couldn’t go all out if he did not have the confidence of the Eternal Spring Water’s healing.

“Candidate need not be surprised. This is Infernal Difficulty. Going forward, very few levels will permit a spatial ring. The unpredictable contents of spatial rings render them unsuitable for testing candidates.”

Rao Wu blanched, looking like he had seen a ghost. This was not the plan. This was SO not the plan. Looking back on the last two tests, Rao Wu was highly doubtful he could have achieved such good results without the Eternal Spring Water. Hell, without the Eternal Spring Water, he would have died at the start of the second test!

Unfortunately, reality did not care about Rao Wu’s feelings. Rao Wu had to adapt to the new reality. Quitting was not an option.

“Fine, I understand.” Still grumbling, Rao Wu emptied out his spatial ring. He then put the mounds of soul cores into Lu Lin’s souls space, and strapped his makeshift bone dagger and spear, and to his side and back. With regret in his eyes, he returned the jugs and carcasses since he had no way of storing those.

When he finished reassembling his inventory, Rao Wu removed his ring and then held it in his right hand.

“You can place your ring on the table.” The system stated as the familiar table rose from the ground. “It will be returned should you complete the next test.”

“Should, huh?” Rao Wu bitterly chuckled, but was in no mood to poke fun at the system. He was at his most vulnerable at the moment. The child always hadEternal Spring Water by his side since he was born. It was one of the driving factors behind his recklessness.

Rao Wu was not sure how he would react in the face of danger without the Eternal Spring Water—and it scared him.

“Is Candidate prepared to leave, or do you want to spend your Chaos Points?”

Rao Wu sighed. He wasn’t one to feel sorry for himself. Sure, things were scarier now. But, if he looked at this as another training opportunity, it wasn’t so terrifying after all. And so, Rao Wu forced a tight smile as he looked up and then said, “I’ll spend the points.”

After saying that, Roa Wu looked through the menus. He already had a technique in mind. “I’ll take [Soul Burst] please.” Rao Wu liked this passive boosting technique. Anything that made his soul pets stronger in battle was a plus.

After picking [Soul Burst], Rao Wu skipped over the Cultivation Techniques and then browsed through the Special Items. To be honest, Rao Wu wanted to sweep this section clean after seeing the Talking Tree Fruit’s effect. Seeing as the Talking Tree’s Fruit cost the least, he was convinced that every item in there was the best of the best.

Currently, there were only two items he could afford: The Broken Emperor’s Armor for 50,000 CP and the Undying Heart for 100,000 CP.

Rao Wu couldn’t make a decision until he knew their effects. So, with a face full of dread, he asked, “How much is information on the Broken Emperor’s Armor and the Undying Heart?”

“5,000 and 10,000 Chaos Points respectively.”

Rao Wu swallowed hard. That was ridiculously expensive! Why was information even more expensive than many soul techniques!? In the end, however, Rao Wu decided the information was probably worth the Chaos Points. However, dreading a lengthy lecture, he firmly stated, “Tell me the important stuff about both of them.”

“Points Deducted. Cliffnotes version selected. The Broken Emperor’s Armor is an armor belonging to the first recognized Emperor of Soul Pets in history. Unfortunately, due to a calamitous event, the armor was damaged in a terrible fight. Losing most of its abilities, the armor was stored to be passed on to the next generation, in hopes of protecting the next Emperor. The Broken Emperor’s Armor might have lost most of its original power, but it retained its ability to provide protection equal to the phase and stage of its wearer. That is to say, if its weilder is a 3rd Phase, 1st Stage soul trainer, it will provide protection equal to a 3rd Phase, 1st Stage monarch soul monster attack.”

“Ooh, nice!” Rao Wu’s eyes shone as he heard the description. That armor was cool! If he had it, he wouldn’t need to worry about armors till he reached the higher stages. After all, monarch-ranked monsters weren’t exactly common.

“The Undying Heart is the blood essence of an ancient extinct soul monster. This soul monster was known for its ability to rapidly regenerate from any injury, earning it the Undying Moniker. Its regenerative ability is so perverse that even after death, several cells lived on for eternity in clumps called Essences.. Any monster that ingests its essence gains mothe Undying Heart’s monstrous regenerative abilities. There is only one Undying Heart left in storage, so choose wisely.”

“Only one?” Rao Wu frowned. Could it be that aside from the Talking Tree Fruit, only of each special item remained?

Rao Wu hesitated. He had already made up his mind to purchase the Undying Heart. The only question was which of his soul pets he gave it to. Ju Tu seemed to be the obvious choice. As the tank, it was the most likely to suffer injuries in battle. The ability to heal all injuries in a flash could be game changing to it. Xian Da, on the other hand, was the weakest of his soul pets. As a result, having the Undying Heart would be akin to giving it a second life.

Unfortunately, Lu Lin was not a viable choice because she was herbivorous like most plant-type monsters.

Rao Wu scratched his head in frustration as he weighed the two choices. This was one of the hardest parts of being a soul trainer—having to pick between soul pets. If a soul trainer wasn’t careful, enemity could breed amongst their soul pets due to jealousy.

Rao Wu agonized over his decision for a long time, but then eventually said, “Give me the Undying Heart. I’ve made my decision.”

The system, as usual, confirmed Rao Wu’s decision one more time, and then delivered a squishy, purple, pulsating ball on the platform. Rao Wu picked up the Undying Heart with a reluctant gaze. He smiled at Xian Da who sat on his shoulder, and then turned to look at Ju Tu.

“I want you both to know I didn’t come to this decision easily.” Rao Wu sighed and then explained, “Ju Tu, I promise to get you something to make up for this, but—” Rao Wu handed the Undying Heart to Xian Da. “—In the future, you will take the brunt of attacks for our team. Instead of regenearation, we should focus on strengthening your defense so you never need to heal.” Rao Wu then looked at Xian Da. “Aside from me, Xian Da will be our main damage dealer. But, right now, you’re still too weak. As a servant-ranked monster, It’ll take you twice, if not thrice the effort to kill most monsters around your rank. I expect you’ll be forced to trade injuries many times just to land an attack. I didn’t let you fight with us during the final battles for that reason.”

Rao Wu looked at the Undying Heart with a calm gaze and then said, “With this, I’ll finally have the confidence to let you fight on the frontlines with us. That’s what’s best for your future growth. Uncle did say evolution needs extreme tempering, and even then, it’s not guaranteed. You’ll never evolve if I only let you fight easy battles.” Rao Wu looked at Ju Tu and then said with a wry smile, “You don’t think I’m playing favorites, right?”

“Guo~” Ju Tu pounded its chest and then shook its head. It then looked at Xian Da as it professed, “Da Fight. All. Good.”

“Haha, yeah. It’ll be great when we all can fight in battle together,” agreed Rao Wu with a chuckle as he watched Xian Da eat the heart.

The grateful cub shed tears as it swallowed the essence, ensuring it left nothing behind. Xian Da wasn’t stupid. It knew that Rao Wu spent this much money to cover up for its glaring weakness. Xian Da swore in its heart to get stronger no matter what. It would fight whatever battle, no matter how violent, until it one day got so strong that Rao Wu never felt the need to compensate for its lack of strength.

As the soul trainer, how could Rao Wu not sense his soul pet’s inner turmoil?

However, the young soul trainer held himself back from consoling Xian Da. He knew this mix of rage and shame was a powerful force that would motivate Xian Da to push itself to the limit. Rao Wu’s job was to harness that desire and channel it in positive ways so Xian Da did not destroy itself in search of power.

After consuming the heart, Xian Da’s body began to heat up and it soon fell asleep as its body slowly absorbed the overbearing essence.

Rao Wu quickly recalled Xian Da, and only breathed out a sigh of relief when he confirmed the cub’s condition seemed stable. However, it appeared it would take a while for Xian Da to digest the Undyng Heart.

It took Xian Da a whole twenty-four hours to awaken from its slumber. Once it did, Rao Wu quickly summoned it out.

“What?” Rao Wu stared in shock at Xian Da. The Dusklight Wolf cub had not advanced in stages, but Rao Wu could feel a terrifying aura emanating from the cub’s bones and gaze. It was like a primordial beast wrapped in a cocoon. Fortunately, that aura slowly tapered off as time passed, allowing the ancient monster’s aura to fully dissipate.

Soon, only the cute, but slightly bigger Xian Da remained. On the surface, there were no apparent changes. However, Xian Da could feel the power flowing through its blood. It had full confidence in surviving anything short of a beheading. At the same time, it instinctively kenw the extent of its abilities.

Xian Da could use [Full Regen] once every twenty four hours to instantly heal all injuries no matter how severe. Meanwhile, it also got a passive boost to its body’s innate ability to heal. It now healed almost as fast as Rao Wu who had been injesting Eternal Spring Water for seven years.

Xian Da, who could not wait to test out its abilities on the frontlines, jumped on Rao Wu’s shoulder and then let out an excited bark. “Rraff! Let’s go!”

“Hehe, someone’s excited.” Rao Wu chuckled as he ruffled Xian Da’s hair. “Alright. If everyone’s ready, we’ll begin the next test now. Xian Da, return. I’m not sure where we’ll land.” Choosing to err on the side of caution, Rao Wu returned Xian Da to the soul space before prompting the system to begin the next test.

“Confirmed. Trnasportation to World X-5409 Commencing. Disseminating Soul Burst Technique.”

Just like before, the system sent information on Soul Burst technique directly into Rao Wu’s brain. As a result, the youth passed out as the light enveloped and then transported him to a new world…