Chapters 5 & 6 (1/2)

Chapter 5 - Trials (2)

In a desolate land of fire, everything was peaceful. Then all of a sudden a hand came out of the lava. Chu Shen stood on the bottom of the lava lake, looking around in astonishment.

‘Why did I not die?’ He wondered. ‘The lava wasn’t hot and it wasn’t deep either. Just what is going on.’

“Haha, I knew you were the right choice brat. “ Ti Wu appeared above him, floating like the spirit he was.

“Teacher, what’s going on? The lava didn’t kill me.” Chu Shen said with obvious curiosity.

“A test my dear boy, a test which you pa.s.sed. A cultivator of the way of the void must have courage and confidence in oneself. If you hadn’t jumped within the time for an incense stick to burn you would have landed in real lava.”

Chu Shen gaped at Master Wu. So this whole thing was a test of his confidence that would have killed him if he didn’t try it fast enough. Pondering over the matter Chu Shen nodded his head.

A true test would have a consequence for failure, often on the path of cultivation a mistake meant death. This was both a test and a lesson. Do not expect anything to be easy.

Ti Wu looked at the thinking body of Chu Shen in exasperation. “If you’re just going to sit there you’re going burn to death. You still have to get the staff and the lava will become real soon.”

Chu Shen panicked, rus.h.i.+ng towards staff. As he ran the lava clung to him like mud slowing him down. It seemed like forever and with each step the lava seemed to grow hotter. Finally he reached the island with the staff. Grinning as he saw victory in his grasp he grabbed the staff. Searing heat scorched the skin of his palm.

“ARGHHHH” Chu Shen quickly let go of the staff, waving his and around to cool it off.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA.” The grand elder of the Void Sect, respected since the ancient times, laughed at his disciple’s misery.

Nursing his hand, Chu Shen glared at him. Yes, he was his master but he didn’t give Chu Shen face at all. “I know this is the test master but at least warn me.”

Ti Wu stopped laughing for a moment and looked at him. “What, did you expect it to be easy?” Upon seeing Chu Shens face, full of fury and indignation he burst out laughing again. “HAHAHAH, it’s a puzzle, HAHAHA, find out the answer. HAHAHA.”

Realizing he couldn’t take out his anger on his floating master, Chu Shen promptly ignored him. Studying the staff he stared at it intensely but nothing was abnormal with the staff. It seemed to be just a normal bamboo staff.

‘Maybe its like the gauntlets?’ With that thought in mind he repeated what he had done with the gauntlets. Nothing happened however.

Chu Shen thought back to the voice he had first heard. “To practice martial arts is to transcend the natural order. It is to unflinchingly march forward and to harness the power of nature. Find your path to cultivation.”

‘Hmmm. The first part is simply a description of cultivation. The second part was the key to the first test. To “unflinchingly march forward” must be the jumping into the lava. Was the clue “Harness the power of nature”?’

Chu Shen shrugged.

There was only one way to find out..... but how could he harness the power of nature? His eyes wandered around looking for something of nature. The only stuff around though was a flat black surface and lava.

His face lit up. Grasping the desperate thought with both hands he rushed to the edge of the island and reached his hands into the lava. It had felt like mud earlier and just like mud it came up in a clump.

Cautiously he carried over the lava to the staff and smeared it on the handle. Carefully placing his hands on the staff he waited for a couple seconds.

Nothing happened. Overjoyed he firmly grasped the staff and yanked on it. The staff moved a little bit but no more.

Remembering his teachers reminder that the lava would become real soon made Chu Shen reckless.

He started frantically pulling and twisting and wiggling the staff before it finally came out. Chu Shen became impressed as he looked at the staff again.

At the end stuck in the ground there was unexpectedly a metal spike and on the spike was dozens of miniature hooks.

‘Ah, no wonder teacher kept laughing the more I pulled’

The ancient voice rumbled out once again after he had picked up the staff. “You have pa.s.sed the test of courage, confidence, quick wit, usage of the elements, and finally determination. There is one more test, have faith pract.i.tioner.”

As soon as the voice finished speaking the world became black before lighting up once more.

Chapter 6 - Trials (3)

Blinking to clear his eyes Chu Shen looked around. He sighed. ‘Yet another cavern’ he thought dully.

This time he was in a cave and surrounding him was columns of jade.

‘When will this end?’ He thought. His master appeared in front of him.

“Okay brat, you are now in the last stage of the test. While the other tests was for me to test your character this last one is crucial for your future path.”

Ti Wu gestured behind him. “See these columns?” Chu Shen nodded. “Good. Inside these columns are formation arrays. When I activate it a phantom warrior made of heavens Qi will form.”

“Your goal is to fight these warriors. Each column’s warrior will become stronger when you beat the previous one. There is a set of weapons over there, choose one or tell me if you want a different one.”

Upon hearing those words Chu Shen looked over at the weapons. There was various swords, spears, armor, s.h.i.+elds, bows, and various other bladed weapons.

Chu Shen shook his head at all these weapons. While he had not fought often with the other disciples when he did he tried to use his brute strength as often as possible. “Master, I am not suitably trained in any of these weapons.”