Chapter 1076 - 443: Fifth Trial, Part 3

Chapter 1076: Chapter 443: Fifth Trial, Part 3

An Rong explained:

"The damage caused by the Immortal Mansion Master’s clone is not just a full-force strike from the Spirit Realm. Being hit by his full-force strike will also be influenced by the Immortal Technique, temporarily sealing the meridians of the part hit for a week before they fully recover."

"During this week, I was previously unsuccessful in the challenge, had part of my meridians sealed, and then..."

An Rong didn’t finish his sentence, but Wu Chang and Erin understood his meaning. It was because of that injury that his strength was compromised, and someone took the opportunity to poison him, leading him to mistakenly swallow the Candle Worm.

On the way here, the three had discussed, and since they hadn’t caught the poisoner, they decided to temporarily conceal the matter of Candle Yin Remains chasing An Rong, pretending as if nothing happened, hoping to lure the wrongdoer into taking action a second time.

After the drunkard, it was the scholar’s turn.

Although the scholar was only a Grandmaster, he was one of the most renowned cultivators within the Grandmaster Realm. He had a remarkable ability to remember instantly and learn quickly.

Rumor had it that he was proficient in various martial arts and spell techniques, having seen eighty percent of the secret techniques of cultivators worldwide. He could master all techniques and break all techniques, earning the name ’Master of All Techniques.’

It’s said there are only two ways to defeat him: one is to possess a unique secret technique and win at the first meeting; the other is to have a realm higher than the scholar, overwhelming him through sheer power.

Given the scholar’s abilities, the Kaiyang Immortal Palace seemed tailor-made for him, perfectly suited.

Unfortunately, his realm was too low, and when sparring with the drunkard, the scholar was unable to mimic the spell with Power of Root that the drunkard used.

The scholar couldn’t defeat the drunkard, but when it came to dealing with the Immortal Mansion Master’s clone, he was an expert.

Unlike An Rong and the drunkard, he wasn’t suppressed by the Immortal Mansion Master during the setup phase, managing to hold his ground.

In terms of martial arts proficiency, the scholar was ahead of the drunkard and An Rong, albeit only slightly.

He chose to act at a time entirely different from An Rong and the drunkard, timed his attacks well without hesitating like the drunkard, but unfortunately, his speed wasn’t quick enough. He was steadily blocked by the Immortal Mansion Master, then swiftly knocked out of the arena with a spear thrust.

An Rong commented from the side:

"Unfortunately, our strength is limited and cannot force the Immortal Mansion Master’s clone to use more moves. When Kaiyang Immortal Mansion was first discovered, there was a senior Martial Fool from the Human Dao Alliance who managed to leave the fifth trial unscathed."

"Since discovering this place, he hasn’t stepped out of the Immortal Mansion, sparring with the Immortal Mansion Master day and night. Rumor has it he could endure five hundred moves against the master’s clone without defeat."

"Regrettably, that senior was too absorbed in the trials, his heart power exhausted, leading to his death on the eve of overcoming the challenge. If Sect Leader Tang could witness the Martial Fool senior’s battle with the Immortal Mansion Master’s clone firsthand, the chances of successfully completing the trials would be greater."

Wu Chang furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing this, sensing something amiss. Death by exhaustion of heart power was rare.

He said, "Brother An, you rest here to recover. I need some time to process the details of your recent battle."

He chatted briefly with An Rong, confirming that the Martial Fool senior died near the fifth test’s vicinity, before leaving the trial site, heading outside the wooden building.

A Martial Fool capable of battling the Immortal Mansion Master for five hundred rounds must have a deep obsession with martial arts. Such a person dying abruptly shouldn’t be without ties.

Returning to the hall where he initially met the scholar and the drunkard, he continued along the path, pausing momentarily in front of the wooden building where the fifth trial took place, then followed his inspiration, advancing deeper into the Immortal Mansion.

At a certain point, he encountered an invisible barrier blocking further progress.

Beyond the barrier lay the core area of the Immortal Mansion, which likely requires completing the fifth trial and gaining the master’s approval to enter.

Though Wu Chang couldn’t pass beyond the barrier, his gaze reached seven or eight meters beyond its confines.

In an uncanny coincidence, at the edge of his vision, he noticed a streak of deep red resentment.

His gaze fixed on the resentment, and as his vision concentrated on the red resentment, his eyes flashed as if someone wielded a weapon towards him.

A blinding cold light flashed by, and as the glow faded, he was already within the resentment.

The trials within the Immortal Mansion were meant to select inheritors, not to kill. Though numerous cultivators were injured, those who truly perished were few, especially behind the barrier accessible only after completing trials.

Just as he had suspected, the owner of the obsession was indeed the Martial Fool senior mentioned by An Rong.

The Martial Fool’s features were average, with a mundane appearance, roughly medium height, dressed in simple martial artist’s attire, wielding little in terms of memorable traits. He could blend seamlessly into the crowd in Zhenyue City, mingling with the insignificant cultivators unqualified even as cannon fodder.

His gaze was calm, seemingly indifferent to everything, except when he looked at the wooden building of the fifth trial, his eyes sparkled with a battle intent that could sear.

The Martial Fool’s resentment began from the challenge with the Immortal Mansion Master’s clone, as if throughout his life, there was nothing more deserving of his obsession.

The content of his resentment was equally simple: repeatedly challenging the Immortal Mansion Master.

An Rong was right; the Martial Fool’s comprehension and obsession with martial arts reached a pathological level. Though his martial arts fell short of the master’s, the gap wasn’t vast. Though his final strike couldn’t hit the master, the master’s counter-strike also struggled to injure him.

An Rong and others failed in their challenges, needing a week of recuperation after being wounded by the clone. But not the Martial Fool.

He merely needed to adjust his breath for several hours before bouncing back, ready to try the trials again.

Thus Wu Chang watched the Martial Fool challenge the master time after time, thrice daily without fail, the challenges spanning an entire year.

In these endless challenges, the Martial Fool enduring five hundred moves against the current Immortal Mansion Master’s clone wasn’t noteworthy. His true pride lay in successfully learning all the techniques of the clone.

No matter how he varied his tactics, the master’s clone never exhibited new moves.

At this point, he had understood the clone thoroughly, prompting his final challenge.

In this challenge, he and the clone fought fiercely, neither using setups nor exploiting the master’s movement pattern, just pure combat based on intuition.

Not only did he seize the advantage, he successfully subdued the master. Even the master’s face hinted at a hidden satisfaction, as if discovering the most suitable heir.

But in their simultaneous strongest clash, when the Martial Fool planned to take a wound to his right shoulder to pierce the master’s clone’s throat with his sword, his body suddenly became weak.

A year of relentless challenges had left his will constantly strategizing victory. Such intense focus had exhausted his spirit.

When he swung his sword, realizing his win, his spirit momentarily relaxed, the strain draining, and accumulated fatigue overwhelmed him like a flood.

His final sword stroke, precisely piercing the master’s clone throat, but he failed to evade the clone’s attack, likewise pierced through the throat by the clone’s sword.

Although he completed the trial, he hadn’t completed the trial.

Clutching his throat, he struggled to walk out of the wooden building, reaching the Immortal Mansion’s core behind the barrier.

Before witnessing the Immortal Fate, he succumbed to his mortal throat wound and heart exhaustion, collapsing forward just enough to touch the edge of the Immortal Fate, healing his physical form.

Regrettably, his soul had already perished.

With the soul gone, only the physical form of the Martial Fool, he failed to meet the conditions to inherit the Immortal Fate, expelled by an Invisible Power beyond the barrier, but leaving his resentment within.

[Truly defeat the Immortal Mansion Master’s clone once to obtain the Immortal Opportunity of Kaiyang Immortal Mansion]