Before Xie Zhaolin could fully process her thoughts, everything before her nearly stopped her breath. The dormant chaotic puppet embryo, its tiniest core of innate spiritual essence, twitched ever so slightly…
The empty shell wasn't just a shell anymore! It had come alive! Even though the life force was faint, flickering like a candle in the wind, as if it might extinguish the next moment, it undeniably existed!
A joy and clarity she couldn't put into words filled Xie Zhaolin's heart.
She'd done it!
And it was thanks to the unexpected aid of the Rebirth Flower, a force of both life and reincarnation, that she succeeded in a way far beyond what she'd imagined! She hadn't created life from scratch. She'd awakened and guided a spirit that had already existed.
Silence reigned over the still chaotic space for a long moment.
"The fourth trial, Spirit Infusion… passed."
The aged voice rang out, this time brimming with awe, relief, and… a subtle, complex emotion.
Just as Xie Zhaolin had suspected, the true intention behind this legacy trial wasn't to force her to perform a near-miraculous feat of creation.
The voice understood well that innate spiritual essence couldn't be artificially bestowed by human hands. The trial's real purpose was to test the challenger's character, creativity, and depth of understanding about the relationship between the vessel and the spirit under extreme circumstances.
As long as Xie Zhaolin could use these mundane materials to shape a cleverly structured vessel that contained the potential for spirit, reflecting unique insight and creativity, she would pass. Even if the vessel held no spiritual essence itself, as long as the concept was exceptional, it counted.
For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, that was already a remarkably high standard. The voice's sternness existed only to push her to her limits, to draw out her utmost potential. Just as it was about to declare her success, the Rebirth Flower's intervention froze the words midair. Only now could it finally acknowledge her triumph.
"Mind clear, nature manifest… using the mundane to carry the Dao, letting the spirit awaken on its own…
You have comprehended the true essence of Spirit Infusion: not creation, but awakening.
Excellent! Truly excellent!"
With that, the fourth light gate slowly opened. Xie Zhaolin drew a deep breath, tamping down the waves of emotion stirred by her success, and stepped through.
The scene shifted once again.
This time, she found herself on a boundless void battlefield. Beneath her feet stretched transparent emptiness, above her glittered a resplendent galaxy, and all around floated shattered fragments of stars and relics of past wars, radiating a desolate, killing aura.
The entire space resembled a colossal, frozen battlefield model.
"The fifth trial, Command."
The aged voice resounded again, no longer cold nor confined to her sea of consciousness. Instead, it spread magnificently, as if coming from every corner of the starry sky at once.
"This is a microcosm of the Ten Thousand Puppet Star Domain. The only rules here are war and command."
With the voice, brilliant light coalesced not far ahead of Xie Zhaolin.
In the blink of an eye, a massive puppet army silently appeared before her.
Three thousand strong, a diverse mix of types and forms.
Behind her, another puppet army hovered.
Only just over three hundred, ranks uneven, from Foundation Establishment to Gold Core, with a few Qi Refinement support puppets scattered among them. Their formation looked haphazard, a stark contrast to the disciplined, battle-ready enemy legion. She felt a clear, direct connection form between her and this army.
"Your enemy forces…" the aged voice continued.
Far off, deep within the starry void, light gathered once more.
"The rules are as follows," the voice turned cold.
"One, you must command your army to break through the enemy's main formation and destroy their central banner.
Two, the battlefield is ever-changing. Enemy tactics, formations, and individual strength will adjust randomly with time and the course of battle; no fixed patterns exist.
Three, you have three simulation attempts. Each time, the battlefield resets to the start, but you retain all memories and experiences from previous battles.
Four, after three simulations, the final battle is real. Victory means passing; failure… means your Primordial Soul is annihilated, merging into this star domain as nourishment for the next challengers' puppets.
Five, time limit: the final battle has no limit, lasting until one side's banner is destroyed or the entire army wiped out."
The voice faded, and the battlefield radiated an overwhelming, suffocating aura of slaughter!
Xie Zhaolin looked at the extreme disparity before her and felt her chest tighten. Three hundred against three thousand. And her three hundred puppets were uneven, loosely organized, a makeshift ragtag force. The three thousand enemies, however, were a fully trained, battle-hardened elite legion.
Yet almost immediately, a long-dormant, nearly forgotten surge of burning battle intent exploded from her heart. In her previous life as the chief of the Hehuan Sect, she hadn't hidden behind intrigue and schemes. She had emerged from mountains of corpses and rivers of blood as a true combat cultivator. She had charged countless battlefields, leading from the front
Fighting with the few against the many? Overcoming the strong while weak?
For her, this wasn't desperation—it was normal!
It was instinct etched into her bones!
It'd been too long since she'd commanded a formation personally, too long since she'd felt the thrill of life and death among thousands of troops. Since her rebirth, she'd been patient, hiding and biding her time. Now, this dire pressure acted like a key, unlocking all the chains on her heart, and instead of fear, her blood simmered with excitement.
Her divine sense sharpened like never before.
A cold, sharp smile curved her lips, and her eyes glimmered with excitement and bloodlust. She murmured:
"Three hundred against three thousand… interesting. This is the real deal! If it were evenly matched, it'd be boring!"
Her tone held no fear, no hesitation, only near-maniacal challenge and absolute confidence.
"First simulation, begin!"
The moment the aged voice finished, the enemy army surged into motion. Their formation was tight, their killing intent palpable, pressing forward steadily.
Xie Zhaolin's ragtag three hundred grew restless, their formation scattering further.
Yet she didn't panic.
Her divine sense swept the entire battlefield, calculating the optimal strategy at lightning speed.
"All units, hear my orders!" Her voice was calm, authoritative, reaching every puppet instantly through the soul link.
"Abandon direct engagement! All units, fall back! Break into squads, spread out to the maximum! Blend into the surrounding star fragments and war relics!
Remain hidden, strike and retreat!
Targets: enemy logistics, support units, and stragglers! Hit and withdraw immediately, never linger!
Use all terrain to create chaos, delay the enemy's main force!"
Her commands were clear, decisive, and laser-focused!
They perfectly suited the situation: few but flexible forces against a massive but cumbersome enemy. The three hundred ragtag puppets seemed to find their spine. Though still chaotic, they moved quickly, scattering into the battlefield's complex terrain, vanishing from sight.
The enemy hadn't anticipated such a complete abandonment of formation, and their advance faltered slightly.
Soon, from unexpected directions, harassment began.