—"Ahhhhh!"—a hollow scream echoed through a vast valley, somewhere among those immense eight mountains.
Beneath the valley, in an underground river, a fourteen-year-old boy fought for his life, violently dragged away by the current.
—"What the hell… why is there a river underground, and why exactly where I was walking?"—Jin's angry voice came out broken, muffled by the raging water.
He had already spent ten minutes being battered by the torrent, and exhaustion was catching up to him. Just as he was about to let himself go, the roaring of water ahead reached his ears.
—"What the—… is that a damn waterfall? There are caverns below!"
The thought struck him like lightning. He knew he must not fall deeper. If he did, he could forget about making it to today's selection… or perhaps he would never climb back up again.
With what little strength he had left, he searched desperately for anything to grab onto. He spotted some thick roots protruding from the soil above his head and, with his entire body straining, latched onto them.
Thus began a tug-of-war between the raging water and the stubborn branch. Minutes passed until a sharp crack resounded.
Eyes wide, Jin watched as the root gave way, pulling loose a section of dirt. That collapse triggered another, and before he could react, part of the forest above caved in as though swallowed by the earth itself.
Through the gaping hole above, Jin caught one last glimpse of the sun in its full splendor as he plummeted along with the mass of soil.
On the trial platform, everything was ready. Fifty children stood upright, stiff with nerves, waiting. Disciples of the Jade Peak busied themselves scattering herbs and powders into the water barrels; the air was thick with the scent of medicine and tension.
On the upper platform stood the peak master, a middle-aged man, and the elder Zuo Haoran. The blue-haired girl presided over the larger platform, overseeing the preparation of the medicinal bath.
—"Peak Master, the final preparations are complete. The body-tempering bath is almost ready,"—reported one disciple.
The peak master, Mo Tianhai, his smile broad like that of a muscular Buddha, nodded with satisfaction.
—"Good, good. These children are about to learn what it truly means to walk the path of body cultivation,"—he said with a soft chuckle.
Elder Zuo looked at the group of children with faint pity; they were mere seedlings, yet this ordeal was necessary. Body cultivation was the hardest, most painful, and most thorn-ridden road of the martial path.
With a sigh, he floated downward.
—"Children, since you chose to come to Jade Peak, I want no excuses or complaints. The trial is simple: you will enter the medicinal bath, and your body will do the rest. The only thing that matters is how long you endure inside."
After his long speech, Zuo cast a glance at the peak master. Normally this duty was supervised by internal or external elders, but for some reason, Mo himself had decided to oversee it. What was he after? If it were merely about talent, this batch already had more than enough; in fact, several peaks and elders were vying for them. And the rumor… the impossible rumor still spread—the sect master himself had accepted a disciple.
He shook off those thoughts. He was just about to give the order when he felt a faint tremor beneath the ground. Frowning, he expanded his spiritual perception for several kilometers. Detecting an unnatural hollow in the nearby forest, his brows tightened. Before he could probe further, a great explosion thundered and an immense current of water shot into the air.
Startled, his narrowed eyes widened. Through his spiritual sense he saw the impossible: amid the chaos of water and earth, a boy was plummeting through the sky.
A new disciple. He recognized it instantly from the boy's robes. Before the youth could hit the ground, Elder Zuo appeared beside him, seized him by the collar, and dragged him out of danger.
Back on the platform, an internal elder—who until then had remained silent—unleashed his spiritual energy, erecting a protective dome that shielded the area from water and debris.
When the elder returned holding a drenched boy like a plucked chicken, more than one disciple had to bite back a smile. What a surreal sight.
Zuo studied the dripping youth and felt something unsettling: a faint, inexplicable oppression. Lost in thought, he was jolted back by a booming laugh.
—"Hahahahaha!"—Mo Tianhai jumped down with glee—. "What an entrance! I must admit, in all my centuries I've never seen someone arrive like this."
Seeing Mo act, Zuo set the boy on the ground. Jin, still dazed, quickly pieced the scene together. In less than ten seconds, he straightened into a formal stance and said theatrically:
—"Thank you for saving this disciple, oh great elder!"—he offered a slight bow.
The three men exchanged glances; the children around the platform were dumbstruck. Especially the blue-haired girl, who stared at him intently: Where did this boy come from, falling from the sky?
The elder raised his hand to quiet the murmurs, releasing a dry chuckle.
—"No need to worry. I'm simply glad to see you unharmed. I'd like to hear how this happened, but there's no time now."
With a gesture, he motioned for Jin to join the others. Jin obeyed, drenched in mud and water yet moving with dignity.
Whispers spread among the crowd:
—"He looks like a beggar, hahaha."
—"What's this clown thinking?"
—"Such disrespect toward the great elders, yet he dares to take the trial."
—"I think I know him—his results were abysmal, practically talentless."
Jin heard every word yet paid them no mind. Let them talk; only time would prove them wrong.
The three elders, watching the boy walk calmly and ignore the gossip, nodded in approval.
—"At least he shows composure and a steady mind,"—said the silent internal elder.
—"Indeed, Elder Shen. Let's see how he performs in the trial,"—Zuo replied.
That elder was Shen Guangzhi, keeper of order at Jade Peak.
As they spoke, a clear, commanding voice cut through the noise:
—"Enough. Since the chaos has passed, let us begin. Each of you choose whichever barrel you wish. They all contain the same measure of spiritual medicine, so it makes no difference."
With a clap, he and the other two elders vanished from the center, leaving the blue-haired girl and the disciples of Jade Peak in charge.
The children began to move, selecting their barrels. Jin observed with eager anticipation. In the novels, medicinal baths were described as torment equal to hell itself. He wanted to see if someone else would dare to try first.
And then it happened: a tragic scream pierced the air. A boy had plunged into a barrel but leapt out within a second, his face twisted with pain and terror. Several children turned pale.
The blue-haired girl snorted and spoke with biting disdain:
—"You, the one who just screamed—you are unfit to cultivate the body. You are not qualified."
The boy, red with shame and fury, stared at the barrel but, crushed by fear, staggered away.
—"You all saw it—this is no game,"—the girl continued—. "Once inside, grit your teeth and endure as long as you can. Body cultivation is no joke. If you aren't ready, your own body will destroy you. If you think this hurts, then you are not prepared for the long road to the peak."
Seconds passed; scattered cries echoed across the platform, but no one jumped out like the first.
Jin gazed at his own barrel with firm resolve. All he had to do was grit his teeth and endure. In the novels, enduring pain was routine—protagonists always withstood it with unwavering will.
With that thought, he leapt in. The water splashed, and the first thing he felt was the searing heat. He thought that was all, but then his entire body convulsed. His teeth clenched so hard his molars cracked; his handsome face twisted in agony.
Every pore of his body burned. It felt like red-hot needles pierced every cell, like his skin was being peeled away, his muscles shredded fiber by fiber. He wanted to run, jump, flee—but he could not. His body would not move; it was a stone sinking in the water. The only thing left was to grit his teeth and endure.
—Those damn novels lied!—he screamed in his mind—. How can they say willpower is enough? This is hell itself!