Time slipped by, and before anyone realized, an hour had passed. One after another, participants descended from the Bridge of Heaven back into the valley. Some faces gleamed with joy, others with despair.
From the looks of it, anyone who crossed more than two-thirds of the bridge would advance, while anyone who failed to reach even one-third faced certain elimination.
"What did you say? Liu Wuxie made a bet with Mu Heng, and he'll have to kneel if he loses?" The late returners gasped as news of the wager spread. They quickly gathered, curiosity burning in their eyes.
"Liu Wuxie is finished. Mu Heng lasted five minutes on the bridge, but Liu Wuxie returned to the valley in just one. He clearly failed, and worse, he started later than Mu Heng. How could he possibly have crossed it so fast?" They shook their heads, convinced of Liu Wuxie's downfall.
At that moment, Elder Ding's voice thundered. "The trial has ended! If a beam of light marks you, leave the valley!"
Beams of light rained down and wrapped around the eliminated disciples. They sighed in frustration and left dejected. Those beams that didn't touch would remain for the final trial.
He Yingwu forced himself halfway across, ranking around the 5,000th position. It was enough to secure his advancement, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
In a blink, only six thousand remained.
"What? Look at Liu Wuxie! The light beam didn't mark him!" someone shouted.
The crowd froze. If the light had spared him, then Liu Wuxie had passed. But that made no sense. His time and speed didn't add up.
"Impossible! It has to be a mistake!" The wager's participants stared at the three elders, panic creeping into their eyes.
Mu Heng's face twisted, grim and cold. The Heavenly Dragon Sect's assessments were absolute; if Liu Wuxie remained, it meant he had passed. But how? Even he couldn't fathom it.
The valley seethed with confusion. No one could imagine that Liu Wuxie had crossed the Bridge of Heaven in just nineteen breaths.
"Pay up." Liu Wuxie extended his hand, smiling at the group who had bet against him.
Their faces darkened instantly. It wasn't that they couldn't afford to pay—it was the humiliation. How could Transcendent Realm elites lose to someone at the Heaven Profound Realm? This content belongs to novel[f]ire.net
"Astral stones? What astral stones?" Zhang Cheng sneered.
"That's right! We don't know anything about it!" The others joined him, clinging to denial.
Disdain filled the valley. To go back on a wager was beneath contempt. A wager was a wager, and they should pay up since they lost.
"I'll say this once more. Hand over the astral stones," Liu Wuxie said, his gaze turning icy. He had expected their denial, but he wouldn't let them off.
If they paid, the humiliation would crush them. That's why they planned to deny it and rely on their superior cultivation.
"We've plenty of astral stones. Come and take them if you dare!" Zhang Cheng mocked, his voice dripping with provocation. He had plenty of astral stones on him, but it would depend on whether Liu Wuxie could take them.
In the next instant, his body blurred through the air and slammed into the ground. Liu Wuxie's strike was so fast that even the three elders couldn't react.
Before Zhang Cheng could rise, Liu Wuxie was upon him, planting his foot firmly on his chest. Slowly, he pressed down, drawing a pained howl as Zhang Cheng's ribs cracked.
"Liu Wuxie, how dare you sneak attack me!" Zhang Cheng roared, struggling wildly, but Liu Wuxie forced him back down each time.
The crowd scattered to avoid the crossfire.
Liu Wuxie leaned down, exerting more force with his foot, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. "The astral stones."
His soul energy pierced Zhang Cheng's mind, shattering his dao heart, crippling him.
"T-They're yours!" Zhang Cheng finally broke down, terror flooding him. Survival was his only thought now.
Liu Wuxie's eyes were like those of an ancient beast, stripping him of all courage. Those eyes didn't belong to an ordinary person.
With trembling hands, Zhang Cheng removed his interspatial ring and offered it up. Liu Wuxie took only ten thousand astral stones before tossing the ring back at him, then swept his gaze over the others. His meaning was clear—refuse, and they would share Zhang Cheng's fate.
"Liu Wuxie, you dare injure him? Do you believe we won't cripple you?!" others snarled, rallying together. Together with Mu Heng, they outmatched Liu Wuxie.
"You can try," Liu Wuxie said, licking his lips. His aura surged, crashing down like a storm. Even cultivators at the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm couldn't lift their heads. The aura he gave off overturned their comprehension.
Mu Heng's face turned darker still. Liu Wuxie had crippled Zhang Cheng before his eyes, and the elders hadn't intervened. Their silence was tacit approval. To stop him would mean condoning shamelessness, and that would stain the sect's honor.
Taking a deep breath, Mu Heng asked, "Elders, tell us. How did he pass the trial?"
He knew he had lost today. The day's events crushed his face and pride. Yet if he stayed silent, it would be an admission of defeat.
The crowd turned expectantly toward the elders.
"Nineteen breaths," Elder Ding said indifferently.
The valley erupted in chaos.
Even Mu Heng staggered. He had considered countless explanations, even wondered if the elders had cheated on Liu Wuxie's behalf. But hearing "nineteen breaths" left his mind blank.
Since the founding of the Heavenly Dragon Sect, the record had stood at thirty breaths, and everyone on Indigo Bamboo Star knew it. It was no wonder that they had all assumed that Liu Wuxie failed. After all, no one could imagine that anyone could cross the Bridge of Heaven in nineteen breaths.
Gasps of disbelief swept the valley. Faces turned pale. Fear shone in every gaze that fell upon Liu Wuxie.
"Mu Heng truly kicked an iron plate this time," someone whispered. He hadn't even needed to join the assessment, but he did, to contend with Liu Wuxie. Instead, Liu Wuxie humiliated him again and again.
Shame burned on the faces of those who had sided with him.
"What a pity his cultivation is too low," another sighed. "If he were at the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm, no one would dare overlook him."
Liu Wuxie's cultivation was too low, only at the seventh-level Heaven Profound Realm. If he had been at the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm, it would be another story entirely.
At last, Mu Heng clenched his teeth and threw out a pouch.
"A wager is a wager. Here are fifty thousand astral stones. But don't think this is over." His words dripped with venom. Astral stones were nothing to him, but humiliation—humiliation demanded repayment. His threat was clear to everyone: he would avenge whatever happened today and take it back tenfold.
One by one, the others surrendered their stakes. In moments, Liu Wuxie pocketed more than two hundred thousand astral stones.
"It would be wonderful if more fools appeared," Liu Wuxie chuckled as he stored the winnings. Mu Heng's threat barely registered. Son of a planet lord? That title wouldn't save him if he dared provoke again.
The crowd choked on their own saliva. Not only had Liu Wuxie claimed their stones, but he also mocked them openly, returning their earlier ridicule in full.
Secret laughter rippled through the valley. Many felt delighted to see Mu Heng and Shen Yue finally lose their arrogance. They had always strutted about, forcing others into corners. Now, public humiliation slapped them in the face before all.
The trial wasn't over yet. The final trial should be the Gate of Heart. Passing through it would determine who truly joined the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
"Wuxie, even if we pass, I fear life in the sect will be hard," He Yingwu said cautiously. They had made an enemy of a planet lord's son before even stepping through the gates.
"Do you think it would be smooth even if I hadn't struck back today?" Liu Wuxie asked calmly. His gaze was sharp, his tone steady. He had seen deeper than He Yingwu. Rivalry and strife were inevitable in any sect.
From the moment he stole their glory in the first trial, Mu Heng cemented his enmity. Whether he retaliated or not, Mu Heng would never let it go. Since that was the case, he chose to make the humiliation unforgettable, to carve the warning deep.
If Mu Heng had any wisdom, he would stay away. If not, Liu Wuxie would show him no mercy.