Translator: CinderTL
On the platform, Wang Zi'ang announced calmly, "The Flowing Light Trial has a total score of 200 points. Participants scoring below 120 points will be eliminated!"
As he spoke, the names of thirty trial participants dimmed on the large silver screen.
"Another thirty eliminated!"
"Less than forty remain."
Jiang Ye glanced around, realizing the school's trials were far more challenging than he'd anticipated.
If the final trial eliminated a similar number, fewer than ten participants would pass this time.
And this was just the lowest-level trial—the pass rate was shockingly low.
What exactly is the Thunderfire Trial? Jiang Ye wondered, his anticipation growing.
The previous two trials had been virtual simulations, but the Thunderfire Trial would be conducted in the real world.
Wang Zi'ang had mentioned earlier that the longer participants endured in the Thunderfire Trial, the greater the rewards they would receive.
Clearly, this trial was no ordinary challenge.
The remaining survivors craned their necks in anticipation.
At that moment, Wang Zi'ang announced calmly, "The final trial: the Thunderfire Trial!"
He pressed a button on the wall.
In the next moment, the virtual cockpits beneath everyone's feet began to sink into the ground.
Rumble! Metal walls rose from all sides, completely enclosing the hall.
These walls were densely packed with hundreds of metal nozzles, all aimed directly at the trial participants.
The sight sent chills down everyone's spines.
"The Thunderfire Trial... are they really going to roast us with lightning and flames?"
Jiang Ye felt a surge of dread. Could this be too extreme?
Just as everyone was gripped by anxiety,
Hum!
The hundreds of metal nozzles simultaneously emitted a dense gas.
The gas, a faint purplish-red, instantly burrowed into the pores of every trial participant.
Wang Zi'ang explained:
"This gas contains traces of cosmic energy with thunder and fire attributes, which will temper your bodies."
"The longer you endure, the greater the benefits you'll receive."
"Of course, the process will be excruciatingly painful!"
Wang Zi'ang smirked, his eyes glinting with malice. "For those whose Star Martial Cultivation Method hasn't reached Perfection, this pain will be amplified tenfold."
No need for him to elaborate.
Everyone present was already feeling it.
In this trial, not a single student had achieved Perfection in their cultivation method.
As the purplish-red aura seeped into their pores, Jiang Ye was immediately struck by a searing pain.
It felt as if countless scorching ants were tearing at every cell in his body, constantly rubbing salt into the wounds.
Students began to wail in agony.
"Mommy!"
One student screamed, unable to endure the torment any longer.
Wang Zi'ang said calmly, "If you can't bear it, you may press the button beside you to immediately withdraw from the trial."
"But..."
"You must endure for at least fifteen minutes to pass the trial."
"Enduring for over an hour will earn you full marks!"
His words plunged everyone into icy despair.
This agony... they had to endure it for fifteen more minutes?
Yet they gritted their teeth and persisted, no one pressing the withdrawal button.
Having struggled so hard to reach the third stage, how could they give up so easily?
In an instant, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone gritted their teeth and endured.
Jiang Ye remained calm, perhaps due to his strong Martial Dao Will. For him, the pain was still within tolerable limits.
Nearby, Zeng Xueqing, Xu Lei, and the others also maintained composed expressions. Having nearly reached Perfection in their cultivation methods, they experienced less pain than the others.
Beside Jiang Ye, Li Zhichao's half-year of consistent drug use finally paid off. Having endured the ravages of the potions, his pain tolerance far surpassed that of the others.
Only Lin Xuan's face was contorted in agony. As a mere first-year student who had only recently achieved Major Success in his cultivation method, the pain he endured was far greater than that of the others.
"Hold on! I absolutely can't lose to Chaozi!" Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, his resolve unwavering.
Time continued to tick by relentlessly.
Five minutes, ten minutes.
Finally, someone couldn't bear the pain any longer and pressed the withdrawal button.
In an instant, the ground beneath them sank, transporting them out of the trial arena.
The large silver screen at the front continuously updated the remaining participant count.
Remaining: 39, 38, 37...
Finally, the fifteen-minute mark arrived.
Most of the trial participants abruptly exhaled in relief and swiftly withdrew from the trial.
They had passed!
Unless they were aiming for the top three, there was no need to endure any longer.
Soon, fewer than ten people remained in the hall.
"If this is all the pain there is," Lin Xuan thought, a glint of madness flickering in his eyes, "then I can definitely endure for another hour!"
As the top student at Ancheng No. 1 High School, his Martial Dao Will was exceptionally strong.
He had gradually adapted to the pain.
In fact, amidst the endless torment, he had discovered a subtle pleasure, immersing himself in it and even enjoying it.
But just as Lin Xuan was steeling himself to endure further, Wang Zi'ang, standing on the platform, suddenly flashed a sinister smile and pressed a button.
Boom!
In the next instant, within the trial arena, the hundreds of metal nozzles erupted with a crimson-purple gas several times more concentrated than before!
The drastic increase in gas density brought with it an even more terrifying surge of pain.
"Aaaaaah!"
Lin Xuan finally snapped, letting out a beast-like roar.
Even Jiang Ye was struggling to maintain his composure. If the previous pain had been like rubbing salt into a wound, this was like dousing it with alcohol and chili oil!
The sensation was utterly terrifying.
Nearby, Zeng Xueqing, Xu Lei, and the other students from the Elite Class were also grimacing in agony.
Even Zeng Xueqing, who was closest to achieving Perfection in her cultivation method, felt herself nearing her breaking point.
"Every fifteen minutes, the trial's difficulty will increase by one level," Wang Zi'ang said with a smile. "Good luck to you all!"
His words, like a devil's whisper, sent a chill through everyone.
Fifteen minutes per level?
That meant the pain would intensify again in just fifteen minutes?
"Hold on!" Jiang Ye took a deep breath. He could barely endure this level of pain, but he had to push through.
Whether he could survive the next fifteen minutes remained uncertain.
But he had to make it through this stage first.
On the other side, Lin Xuan's face had turned ashen.
He was the only first-year student among the group.
His lower cultivation realm meant he endured far greater pain than the others.
"Damn it! Is this my limit?" he roared inwardly. "Am I really going to lose to Chaozi? To the ordinary class?"
His body trembled violently as he screamed in his mind, "Hold on, you bastard!"
Time continued to tick by.
Gradually, amidst the intensifying agony, Lin Xuan rediscovered that familiar thrill.
He had endured!
In the blink of an eye, the trial had lasted half an hour.
Now, only five participants remained:
Jiang Ye, Zeng Xueqing, Xu Lei, Li Zhichao, and Lin Xuan.
On the platform, Wang Zi'ang smiled faintly. "Third stage, activate!"
Boom!
The hundreds of metal nozzles in the trial arena erupted once more, spewing out an even denser crimson-purple gas.
With the arrival of the third stage, the remaining five participants immediately felt unprecedented pressure.
Yet surprisingly, the first to drop out wasn't Lin Xuan.
It was Li Zhichao.
Seeing Li Zhichao eliminated, Lin Xuan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and immediately ended his own trial.
Only three participants remained, still desperately clinging on:
Zeng Xueqing, Xu Lei, and Jiang Ye.
The top three had been decided!
But who would claim first place? The answer would soon be revealed.
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner:
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🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 6,100+ FREE