51 Tian clan. (1/2)

Li Yang swept the surroundings with his eyes, the golden flames blindingly bright as they scorched everything around him. Other than the golden flames that scorched everything, there was also a fine mist that moved gently with the wind. But while the mist moved gently, everything that came in contact with it instantly froze, shattering and turning into dust. Li Yang could not help but marvel at the might of Jinwu's dual elements. After Li Yang spent a short moment in awe, he turned his eyes away from the carnage, his voice sounding out.

”I'll be undoing the fusion now, Jinwu.”

Shortly after he spoke out, the golden robe he was wearing turned into a stream of energy, quickly turning into Jinwu. His eyes returned to being pitch black, and the two icy wings on his back dissolved. He looked at the torn red robe he was wearing, a slight frown appearing on his face. He rubbed his interspatial ring, taking out a small crystal.

The small crystal was a Spirit Stone, the crystallization of Qi. Most cultivators used them as currency or to train, the purer the Qi within them, the more valuable they would be. Li Yang placed the Spirit Stone against the robe, the Qi within it quickly entering the robe and repairing it. He could not use his own Qi, so he had to rely on the Spirit Stone to supply the necessary Qi to repair it.

While Li Yang was waiting for the armor to repair itself, Jinwu flew around his head, letting out several caws, seemingly unsatisfied. Hearing his complaint, Li Yang could not help but lift his head, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Jinwu.

”Yeah, we could have kept the fusion going for longer, but don't think that I am unaware of how much it drains you to keep it going.”

Li Yang felt no strain whenever he used the fusion ability with Jinwu, but he could tell that it drained quite a bit of energy from Jinwu if they used it for too long, he was worried what it would do to Jinwu. Jinwu still didn't seem quite satisfied, looking Li Yang up and down with a questioning gaze, letting out a few more caws. Hearing his words, Li Yang could feel the corners of his mouth twitching.

”Don't look at me like that, I can still clear a trial like this with ease. Aren't you underestimating me a little too much here?”

Li Yang snatched Jinwu out of the air, using his knuckles to give his head a vigorous rub. Little bastard dared to think he was unable to complete a trial like this. After giving Jinwu's head a strong rub, he loosened his grip and let him go. Jinwu flapped his wings a few times, landing on Li Yang's shoulder and letting out a few caws in a complaint at its treatment. Li Yang simply rolled his eyes, grasping the spear as his eyes landed on the slowly receding flames.

He could see beasts gathering together on the other side of the flame, waiting for them to vanish so that they could tear into Li Yang. Facing the horde, Li Yang simply put on a fearless smile, his eyes shining with a splendid light. Even if he didn't have the robe that Jing Yimu had given him, he was confident that he would be able to finish this trial, the robe simply made it easier.

The golden flames grew smaller and smaller, the beasts inching closer and closer. But it was not the beasts that made the first move, it was Li Yang. He grasped the spear and dashed forwards, jumping over the flames and directly into the horde of Demonic beasts. Jinwu had already taken off from his shoulder, flying above him and keeping a close eye on his surroundings.

As Li Yang jumped into the swarm of enemies, he completely emptied his mind, his eyes becoming dull. He was not certain for how long he would have to battle to clear this trial, but since the first trial alone had taken him a month, it was clear that it would require a great deal of time. Forcing himself to stay conscious for so long was hard, even for him, so he had decided to rely on his instincts, putting himself in a nearly unconscious state and letting his instincts control his body.

This would allow him to reduce the strain on his mind from forcing himself to stay conscious, allowing him to practically sleep through the entire trial. Of course, were it not for the sharp instincts he had retained from his past life, it would be impossible for him to pull it off. Li Yang continued to carve a path through the unending horde, his mind blank as time passed by without him noticing.

–

While Li Yang was mindlessly slaying the endless swarm of beasts, the rest of the continent was quietly preparing for the grand competition that the Huo clan was going to put on soon. Even the Tian clan located at the center of the continent and the Duan clan located at the far coast were preparing, picking out who among the younger generation they would send.

The Tian clan was located at the center of the continent, situated atop a mountain so tall that it crested the clouds. There was a magnificent palace, nine spires that pierced into the clouds stationed around it, located at the peak of the mountain, the headquarters of the Tian clan. The only ones who could live there were the most elite disciples, as well as the ones who had high positions within the clan. Between the nine spires and the palace was a massive courtyard filled with rare flowers and plants, there were even several gorgeous lakes filled with water that was brimming with Qi.

Inside this courtyard stood several smaller buildings, each one two or three floors tall and built out of softwood that released a faint heat. These houses were where the elite disciples lived while they focused on cultivation, each house supported by an array that would automatically draw in large amounts of Qi from the surroundings.

There was currently a young man walking towards one of the buildings, his hands folded behind his back as he walked with a leisure gait, enjoying the scenery. He was clad in a light green robe decorated with the emblem of a tall mountain that pierced a lone cloud, the mark of the Tian clan. He had smooth and silky black hair that was tied into a neat bun, and his facial features were soft and rounded, a faint smile hanging on his lips. His skin was a bit pale, but from the strong pressure he released, it was clear that he was not sickly.

He walked up to one of the houses, knocking on the ornate door that was engraved with the symbol of the Tian clan. A low growl came from within the house, the youths mouth twitching slightly when he heard it, but the growl was quickly silenced by a soft voice.