The lotus-shaped pendant lay cold against Lin Chen's chest, hidden beneath his robe. But its weight was heavier than steel.
Yu Xueqing's last words echoed:
"Reach the Nascent Soul realm... then come find me."
He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
"Nascent Soul?" Lin Chen snorted under his breath. "Good. I always did prefer a challenge."
He took a step deeper into the wilderness — and immediately felt the air grow denser, more oppressive.
This was no longer a playground for Outer Disciples. This was where disciples disappeared... or became legends.
---
The ground quaked.
Trees shattered as a hulking creature tore through the undergrowth — an Ironhide Thorn Boar, its back bristling with bone spikes, red eyes blazing with killing intent.
It was a Tier 5 Spirit Beast — roughly equal to a 5th layer Qi Condensation cultivator.
Lin Chen's pupils shrank. "Finally, something serious."
BOOM!
The beast charged, tusks ripping through the air with a scream that made the ground tremble.
Lin Chen barely twisted his body aside, the boar's charge grazing his ribs and tearing his outer robe. Pain lanced through him, and blood trickled down his side.
"Fast... and heavy." He gritted his teeth. "Perfect warm-up."
He drew his sword — his weapon of choice now — the blade flashing with the faint glow of his circulating qi.
--
The boar spun around faster than expected, launching a barrage of bone spikes from its back.
"Sht!*" Lin Chen cursed, kicking off the ground. He weaved through the storm of spikes, but one clipped his left arm, slicing a bloody groove.
"Alright, no more games!" Lin Chen's eyes sharpened.
He activated his Cloud Step Art, his qi surging through his legs. His body blurred and appeared above the beast mid-leap.
The boar roared and fired another wave of spikes.
"Too slow!" Lin Chen shouted, descending like a falcon.
CLANG!
His sword struck the beast's armored skull — sparks flew, but the blow barely cracked the surface.
"Damn, its hide's like iron!" Lin Chen's muscles strained. The recoil numbed his arms.
The boar, enraged, whipped its massive body, flinging Lin Chen through the air. He crashed through two trees, coughing blood.
"Tough little piggy, aren't you?" Lin Chen wiped his mouth, grinning. "But I'm tougher."
---
He sheathed his sword, closed his eyes — and focused.
His qi surged to his dantian, rotating faster and faster.
His muscles tensed. His breathing slowed.
"One shot... I have to aim for the eye."
The boar charged again, earth cracking beneath its hooves.
Lin Chen's eyes snapped open. "Die!"
He drew his sword in a flash — a technique he'd been refining for days:
Falling Meteor Slash!
BOOM!
His sword light tore through the air like a comet, slamming straight into the boar's left eye socket.
The beast shrieked in agony, crashing and rolling across the ground, crushing bushes and trees in its frenzy.
"Now!" Lin Chen dashed forward, leapt, and drove his sword deeper into the exposed, bleeding eye.
With a final convulsion, the massive boar collapsed — dead.
---
Lin Chen dropped to one knee, panting heavily, his body soaked in sweat and blood.
"Tier 5 Spirit Beast..." he muttered, glancing at his trembling hands. "Even one tier above me, and it's already this damn hard. At least I got dinner."
He harvested the beast core — a glowing orb rich in spiritual qi.
"Good loot," Lin Chen chuckled, grimacing as pain flared from his ribs. "And they call me reckless. Hah."
--
No time to rest.
The snapping of twigs drew his attention.
Five figures emerged from the shadows — their faces hidden behind black cloth, eyes gleaming with malice.
"Lin Chen," the leader sneered, twirling a poisoned dagger. "Orders are clear: dead or crippled."
"Crippled? Dead?" Lin Chen laughed, even as his body ached. "Sorry, I'm booked. I've got a date in the Nascent Soul realm, and you bastards aren't invited."
--
They attacked in formation, blades gleaming with dark qi.
Lin Chen met them head-on, his sword dancing through the night.
Steel clashed against steel. Sparks flew.
One assassin aimed a chain at Lin Chen's throat — but Lin Chen twisted, grabbing the chain mid-swing and yanking the man forward.
His sword pierced through the assassin's chest with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed.
Another came from behind — but Lin Chen ducked, elbowed the man in the gut, then slashed his hamstring. The enemy collapsed, screaming.
--
The assassin leader roared and unleashed a technique:
Black Miasma Mist! — a corrosive cloud that dissolved flesh and soul alike.
Lin Chen's qi flared, forming a protective shield around his body.
"Cheap tricks won't work!" Lin Chen's gaze turned cold.
He burst through the mist, sword glowing bright as a torch.
"Meteor Slash—!"
His blade cut through the black fog and the leader's chest in a single motion.
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
The assassin gasped and collapsed.
---
Panting, Lin Chen wiped his blade clean.
Searching the bodies, he found a scroll sealed in jade.
Cracking it open, he found a faded map — leading deeper into the trial grounds, marked with the sigil of an ancient inheritance site.
"Looks like fate's really pushing me forward," he muttered, pocketing the scroll.
He gazed at the sky, where Yu Xueqing had vanished hours ago.
"Nascent Soul realm, huh?" he whispered. "Fine. I'll claw my way up, tear through realms, and make the universe kneel."
His grip on his sword tightened.
His qi stirred like a storm ready to break free.
With bloodstains on his robe and new resolve burning in his heart, Lin Chen strode deeper into the cursed lands — toward his next trial.
---
[End of Chapter 26]