Elder Cao looked him up and down. Seeing that his words had no effect, he let out a cold snort, flicked his sleeve, and walked away.
Returning to the front of the crowd, Elder Cao waved his hand, and a row of weapon racks emerged from his Qiankun Bag, materializing on the spot.
"Those entering the trial may bring your own weapons or choose one from here. These are merely ordinary weapons, useful only for some light parrying. Do not rely on them too heavily."
After speaking, Elder Cao pointed to the disciple at the far left of the front row and announced, "Starting with Liu Yun, enter the trial!"
Liu Yun cupped his fist and stepped forward. He chose a large saber from the weapon rack and walked straight into the deep, dark trial passage.
The spectating Outer Sect Disciples couldn't help but whisper among themselves as they watched his retreating figure.
"Senior Brother Liu was probably the first among us in the Outer Sect to reach Qi Refinement Great Perfection, right? If even he can't pass the trial, does that mean the rest of us have no chance?"
"Not necessarily. I think Senior Sister Tai Xue has a better chance. I heard she practiced martial arts before joining the sect."
"I still think Senior Brother Xu is the strongest. He doesn't even look like he's only in the Qi Refining stage. Maybe he's just a wolf in sheep's clothing."
"A wolf in sheep's clothing my ass! If he could reach Foundation Establishment, he would've entered the Inner Sect ages ago! He's the one who feeds us pig slop! You think he's got a shot? Have you gone soft in the head?"
Xu Shan paid the discussions behind him no mind, his gaze fixed motionlessly on the entrance to the trial passage.
It was a good thing someone had gone in before him. He was sure to get some useful intel, and he couldn't afford to miss a single detail.
Everyone waited. After only a few minutes, a staggering figure emerged, clutching a broken saber and spitting up blood.
Elder Cao was the quickest to react, flying over in an instant to bring the man back.
Xu Shan and the others couldn't help but step forward to see what had happened.
They saw Liu Yun lying on the ground, the front of his robes soaked in blood. He was barely breathing, more air leaving his lungs than entering.
Elder Cao bent down, placed a medicinal pill in his mouth, and rested a palm on his back, circulating his spiritual energy to inspect and heal the injuries.
As he worked, he listed the injuries, "Nine fractured ribs, a broken left wrist, shattered bones in his right hand, severe damage to his heart and lungs, eighteen sword wounds, and damaged meridians... Even if he recovers, he'll have lost seventy to eighty percent of his cultivation."
Elder Cao withdrew his hand and looked up at Xu Shan and the other two disciples. "There is no shame in retreating in the face of such difficulty. Who among you wishes to withdraw now?"
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The complexions of the disciples participating in the trial changed drastically.
Xu Shan's face was just as pale; Liu Yun's wretched state had truly shocked him.
*If an ordinary person got hit by a semi-truck and survived, they'd probably look just like this, wouldn't they?*
As for the other two disciples, they tacitly took a step back in unison, cupped their fists, and said, "Thank you for your advice, Elder. We choose to withdraw!"
Seeing that only Xu Shan remained, Elder Cao gave him a faint, unreadable smile. "And you're not withdrawing?"
Xu Shan didn't respond. He was staring at the broken saber in Liu Yun's hand, his mind racing.
The saber was now only half its original length, and the remaining portion was covered in nicks, the deepest of which cut more than halfway through the blade.
It was clear the opponent's attacks were both immensely powerful and swift.
*But even this kind of power... isn't enough to break my washing machine!*
*Besides, the doppelgänger, just as the elder said, doesn't know how to hold back. That must mean it has no consciousness of its own and is likely attacking in some kind of fixed pattern.*
*In that case, relying on my washing machine's defense, I can definitely find a flaw in its pattern and survive for half an incense stick's time...*
"Xu Shan, I am speaking to you. Did you not hear me?"
Seeing him standing there as if scared stiff, Elder Cao asked again.
Just as Xu Shan was about to respond, he heard a crowd of disciples behind him start shouting, "Don't give up, Senior Brother Xu! I believe you can do it!"
"Senior Brother Xu, you're not a real man if you don't go for it!"
"Senior Brother Xu, you're a master of both the culinary and martial arts! You'll definitely make it to the Inner Sect!"
As everyone started egging him on, Elder Cao looked at Xu Shan with curiosity. "What on earth did you do to make so many people wish for your death?"
*These sons of bitches! Is it just because I haven't had time to cook them a proper meal? Is that really a reason to wish me dead?!*
Xu Shan turned to scan the crowd, then spoke coolly.
"Your granddaddy Xu is a man with the spirit of a wolf and a heart full of fire. I don't need you lot cheering me on. You barely get to eat meat a few times a month, so you'd better save your energy."
The moment he finished speaking, the clamor from the crowd died instantly. The faces of the jeering Outer Sect Disciples froze, and then they all erupted in curses.
"Damn it! You know damn well why we can't get any meat!"
"He's really laying it on thick. I can't wait to see him crawl out of there later!"
"He wasn't like this before... Is he trying to be edgy or something?"
*This kid really knows how to put on an act,* Elder Cao thought. *I wonder where he gets the confidence.*
The corner of Elder Cao's eye twitched. "In that case," he said coldly, "choose your weapon and begin."
Without another word, Xu Shan stepped forward, casually grabbed a longsword, and walked resolutely toward the passage.
A sea of gazes followed him from behind—some were intrigued, some pitiful, some amazed, but most... were mocking.
...
The trial passage was a tunnel carved into the mountain itself. At its end lay the trial grounds, and beyond that, the Inner Sect.
The passage was pitch-black, making it impossible to see a thing.
Xu Shan took one deep breath after another, feeling his way forward with a hand on the stone wall.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't scared. The original owner of this body had few memories of combat; the Outer Sect was only for foundational training and menial chores.
In his previous life, he had been a law-abiding citizen. And while he'd been in a few street fights, that meager experience was completely useless here.
But he had no path of retreat. Besides, he no longer wanted to be a docile, rule-abiding person, and now he had nothing tying him down.
Faced with his only chance, all he could do was grit his teeth and go for it!
After a few dozen steps, a light began to appear. A hemispherical chamber, carved out of the mountain and about the size of three basketball courts, materialized before his eyes.
A few glowing spirit stones were embedded near the apex of the dome, illuminating the entire chamber.
An intricate formation array was carved into the ground, its lines emitting a faint glow.
Standing at the edge of the formation, Xu Shan took a moment to prepare. He summoned the washing machine, holding it in his left hand like a shield, with his sword in his right.
He took a light step and entered the formation.
The very second he stepped into the array, something happened!
A single drop of crimson blood flew out from the center of the formation. Immediately after, an incredibly violent, deep blue spiritual energy cascaded down from above like a waterfall, converging into the drop of blood.
Xu Shan wanted to run, but he was pinned in place by the immense spiritual pressure.
As the spiritual energy swirled into a vortex, a translucent, graceful figure holding a longsword materialized in mid-air, its eyes locked onto Xu Shan.
As he looked at the figure, Xu Shan, still struggling against the pressure, felt his mind go blank for a moment.
*So this is the Sect Master?* Though he had heard the rumors, this was the first time he had ever seen her.
He had never seen a woman with such an elegant and commanding presence!
She wore a simple white dress, as ethereal and light as a cloud. Her figure was slender and graceful, her curves captivating.
Her legs were long and straight, her skin glowing with a rosy luster, a vision of unparalleled beauty.
Her eyes, in particular, were as bright as stars, but... they were utterly ice-cold.
The moment their eyes met, Xu Shan felt the spiritual pressure vanish. Without a moment's hesitation, he hoisted the washing machine up in front of him.
At that very instant, the doppelgänger moved!
She lightly raised a delicate hand, and with a flash of silver, a twelve-foot-long arc of sword qi shot toward Xu Shan's face!
BOOM!
The powerful sword qi slammed squarely into the front of the washing machine. The impact blasted the door open, and the sword qi shattered and dispersed!
But the immense force of the blow was transferred right through to Xu Shan.
The washing machine flew from his grasp as Xu Shan spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body sent flying backward to slam hard against the rock wall.
The moment he landed, Xu Shan executed a side roll, scrambling back to the washing machine's side.
He hugged the washing machine for dear life, panting heavily, his heart still pounding with terror.
*Damn it, this isn't a trial, this is straight-up murder!*
*That casual-looking strike must have had tens of thousands of pounds of force. Is this the power of an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?*
*If every attack is going to be like that, there's no way I'll survive for half an incense stick's time.*
Before he could think any further, the trial doppelgänger was already swooping down.
In the blink of an eye, the doppelgänger's spectral longsword thrust forward. A sharp, unstable aura of sword qi pulsed at its tip as it shot straight for Xu Shan!
The overwhelming sword qi carried enough momentum to run him through in a single strike!
Xu Shan instinctively tried to dodge, but as he moved his feet, he found he couldn't muster any strength.
He looked down and saw that his ankle had been cut by the scattered remnants of the first attack's sword qi. The wound was gushing blood.
Watching helplessly as the longsword thrust toward him, Xu Shan's heart filled with a profound sense of despair.
The only thing he could do was duck his head and curl up behind the washing machine.
THUD!
With a dull thud, Xu Shan was sent flying once again.
But for some reason, he felt the force of the impact was much weaker this time.
When he regained his footing and looked toward the washing machine, the sight that met his eyes made his breath catch and his entire body freeze!
The upper body of the fairy-like spectral doppelgänger was stuck inside the washing machine!
The opening was clearly wide, but her slender figure was somehow completely stuck!
Her perfectly round bottom was sticking high in the air, her long legs flailing wildly, causing the washing machine to jump and bang around on the spot.
Even with the doppelgänger's formidable power, it couldn't break free in the slightest.
This scene... was strangely familiar to Xu Shan. He felt like he'd seen it before in certain... *widely-appreciated* films.
*No! This is no time to be thinking about that!*
Without a second thought, Xu Shan endured the searing pain and ran behind the doppelgänger's rounded posterior. Aiming for the center, he raised his longsword high with both hands!
"Sect Master, please forgive my transgression!"
...
Proofreader: Peter Pan