Chapter 11: Testing the Divine Soul
Feng Shi’s smile stiffened, feeling like he was about to get sword PTSD.
He retracted his motion of sitting down, took a step back, and made a zipping motion over his mouth, indicating he wouldn’t speak anymore.
Only then did Shen Songhe withdraw his gaze.
Seeing Shen Songhe recall the sword shadow, Feng Shi cautiously sat down within a safe distance and quietly practiced breathing exercises.
Shen Songhe lowered his eyes to wipe his sword, but his peripheral vision remained on the person not far away.
He couldn’t figure out why this person insisted on following him repeatedly.
However, given the other party’s strength, it was absolutely impossible for him to see through his disguise, so he likely just purely wanted to find a companion.
Shen Songhe gathered his thoughts and focused on adjusting his state.
For so many years, no matter how many pills and immortal herbs he consumed, he could never re-condense his Golden Core.
But he had never given up.
Perhaps, as that person said, as long as he stayed alive, maybe a turning point would come someday.
Shen Songhe couldn’t help but fall into deep thought, looking up at the square sky with no visible end: the hundred-year time limit was up; his old friend should perhaps be returning soon…
Seeing the sword wiped snow-bright, Shen Songhe concluded his stance and stood up.
The eight gates slowly opened again, and all kinds of demon beasts and monster beasts swarmed into this space.
In less than half a quarter of an hour, Feng Shi collapsed to the ground, his vision turning black.
He really didn’t have the strength to stand up again.
However, dying this time was quite straightforward; his form was directly slapped apart, and he respawned before feeling much pain.
Feng Shi, having respawned, felt light all over. He climbed up full of fighting spirit and continued killing.
Several cultivators around him watched helplessly as the person who had been slapped into meat paste re-condensed, then climbed up and stretched refreshingly.
…
The cultivators: At this moment, why do we feel a bit weirdly envious of him?
Feng Shi was killing enthusiastically and didn’t notice the looks from people around him.
The elementary cultivation method Return to Origin he got from the System was very suitable for cultivation in this kind of actual combat.
During these few days in the Demon Slaying Tower, he could already clearly feel the improvement in his movement techniques and physical strength, and his five senses had also been enhanced to a certain extent.
Feng Shi was confident that if this continued, he could definitely master Return to Origin in half a year.
The three-day deadline was almost up.
Feng Shi thought of the third layer, the place of punishment the System mentioned.
If he could truly improve his strength in there, Feng Shi felt a little hardship didn’t matter.
Thinking of it this way, it wouldn’t count as punishment; no loss.
The third night.
The last wave of beast tide retreated.
Feng Shi threw away his sword and sat down on the spot, too tired to lift his arms.
Looking around, only a few people were left on this layer, both men and women. Judging by the tokens at their waists, they were all outstanding disciples from different peaks.
Except for Feng Shi, everyone was in a sorry state, but their faces faintly revealed joy.
Being able to enter the third layer meant they could enter the Hidden Sword Pavilion to choose a sword. If their fortune was good enough and they chose a famous sword, they could become an amazing existence among the younger generation overnight.
The disciples of the younger generation of the Chongshan Sect all yearned for this moment.
But as Feng Shi looked at the unscathed Shen Songhe beside him, he thought: I wonder what the next reward will be; can it be a bit more impressive?
The roaring sounds beside their ears dissipated, and the exhausted disciples quietly regulated their breath on the spot.
The third layer wouldn’t open until half an hour later.
Feng Shi temporarily didn’t want to work hard, so he boredly played a free mini-game on the System: Cultivator Lianliankan (Tile-matching game).
The jiujiujiu sound effects filled his ears; Feng Shi played with great enjoyment.
No one noticed that a gate hidden behind a giant rock hadn’t completely closed.
It wasn’t until the moment the array opening the third layer appeared that someone exclaimed, discovering the shadow hiding behind the tree stump.
The demon wolf with red light in its eyes, seeing it was discovered, suddenly swelled several times in size and rushed towards the person closest to it with extreme speed.
The system alarm sounded. Feng Shi looked at Shen Songhe, who was enveloped in the demon wolf’s shadow, and almost went into cardiac arrest. His body reacted first, raising his sword and rushing over.
The demon wolf was extremely fast, its claws and teeth sharp, slicing people as easily as slicing vegetables.
Just as Feng Shi pushed the person away, he felt a slight stinging pain from three parts of his body.
A moment later, scattered pieces of Feng Shi fell to the ground…
His vision was brushed with a layer of deep red. Feng Shi bitterly endured the pain again.
Damn it, this time it’s for real… miserable and painful…
【Congratulations Host, Side Mission 2 is basically completed. Host has worked hard~ Now distributing mission rewards:
Prize Content:
- Elementary Magical Artifact: Changping Umbrella (Temporarily stored in System account, can be withdrawn)
- One Talisman (Already claimed)
- 200 Points.
Additional question not completed, no points awarded~】
Feng Shi stood in the white smoke of the teleportation array, poking Qingqing’s forehead expressionlessly, and said resentfully: “Do you know how painful it was when I died?!”
“Is this little bit all the point reward?”
Qingqing rubbed its forehead: 【Appeal feedback valid, adding another 50 points!】
Feng Shi didn’t expect to actually be able to bargain, his eyes lighting up: “Only 50? I’m still hurting right now!”
Qingqing said indignantly: 【100! Just 100! Can’t add anymore! This is given from Qingqing’s own performance bonus!】
Feng Shi: “Deal.”
Although not much, a sparrow is still meat even if it’s small.
【Next, the Host will enter the third layer of the Demon Slaying Tower. Please be prepared. Third layer content: Testing the Divine Soul.】
Divine Soul?
Feng Shi had read quite a few cultivation novels before and roughly understood this setting.
A powerful divine soul was essential for every strong person, but the process of cultivating the divine soul was often painfully unbearable.
It required crushing the divine soul first, then reshaping it, and repeating this process continuously.
This not only required the cultivator to possess strong willpower and endurance but also to persist for a long time.
Feng Shi never expected the content of the third layer to be this.
“Qingqing, if I become mentally deranged in here, will the System provide compensation for mental damage?”
Qingqing: 【…】
“Or do you provide insurance here? If I buy one now quickly, it should still be in time.”
【Sorry Host, we temporarily do not provide this function. However, in emergency situations, the Host can overdraw points to save life~】
“Ah──” Feng Shi expressed great regret.
Arriving at the third layer, only Feng Shi was left alone again.
He looked down and saw he was standing on a small floating island. Below the floating island was an abyss of blackness with no visible end, and above was the vast and boundless firmament.
And around his floating island, there were countless other floating islands, yet there was no one on them.
“Senior Brother Lin Tong?” Feng Shi tried calling out loudly.
No one responded to him.
There wasn’t even an echo.
Feng Shi tried to fly to another floating island, only to find the spiritual power in his body suppressed; he couldn’t do it at all.
“Could it be that I have to stay on this thing for half a year? That would be too boring.”
Feng Shi sat down on the spot, estimating that the divine soul tempering would take some time to start.
He skillfully clicked open the mini-game on the panel. Before it started, he heard a slightly aged voice sound beside his ear, containing a hint of a smile.
“Boring? I think you won’t think so in a while.”
Feng Shi’s scalp tingled. He stood up and looked around but didn’t find any outsider.
“Stop looking, you can’t see me. I’m above you.”
Feng Shi looked up; above was still a void: “Who are you?”
The owner of that voice heard this and actually laughed, the laughter so uninhibited that it really took Feng Shi out of the moment.
“Alright, stop laughing. Let me guess your identity.” Feng Shi sat down again, much calmer this time.
“Demon Slaying Tower administrator? Unknown old senior? Or—a punished person like me?”
“Cough cough!” That person seemed to choke on something, voice raising high: “Bullshit!”
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