Thousand Illusions forest

"The preliminary test is extremely simple... break through the Thousand Illusions forest within one hour!" Hearing this, most people in the crowd were unsure how to feel, as they had never heard of this trial.

Hua Shu, though, gasped, as she briefly explained to Li Zhu "The Thousand Illusion forest is a way for the members of the Flaming Saber sect to temper their willpower. In the forest, you are placed into illusions that are formed by your deepest fears and desires. Let alone breaking through it in an hour, some weaker people have even gone crazy in there, and occasionally some person that goes in alone dies inside, since they never want to leave it, slowly dying"

Li Zhu swallowed a breath of cold air, realizing how brutal this trial was. Although the sect had elders ready to save cultivators from going insane, it was still very hard to pass this preliminary test.

What Li Zhu found interesting, though, was that the trial tested willpower, which was rarely used to prove talent. He himself was of the theory that regardless of innate talent or background, if one had the willpower to press on in a sea of challenges, then they would surely become great figures. Because of the virtues they valued, Li Zhu's impression of the Flaming Saber sect instantly improved.

"Okay, kids, the forest is large enough for all of you to enter simultaneously. Anyone who is able to leave the forest within the time of an hour, passes the test. If you fail, do not get discouraged, you still have your whole lives ahead of you to become strong, and one failure will not stop you."

Finishing his speech, the fourth elder flew towards a vast, dark forest, west of Trials Peak. Reaching the outskirts, he suddenly yelled, "the first trial begins NOW!"

Following his words, a swarm of cultivators raced into the forest, trying to lose as little time as they could to increase their chances.

Clouds of dust were raised, as the crowd charged into the forest like a pack of angry bulls. Only a few people stayed behind, walking at their own pace. Out of these people were Li Zhu and Hua Shu, who both understood one minute less would not change anything: if one was not able to break through the illusion in less than an hour, odds were they couldn't do it even if given a day.

Finally reaching the mysterious forest, Li Zhu inhaled deeply, before jumping in, with determination etched on his face.

_____

Li Zhu woke up with cold sweat on his back, as he lay on his bed, yet something was odd... he was in the room he used to have as the crown prince! Though he struggled to register what happened, after he pinched himself and realized he looked exactly the same as he used to, with long, black hair flowing on his back, he yelled, "It was all a dream, I wasn't betrayed after all!".

Today was the day he, Jian Long, was supposed to become the new emperor of the Heavenly Dragon Empire, and to say he wasn't excited would be a lie.

Getting out of bed, Jian Long started to get ready for the upcoming day, which had to be perfect. Although he was a bit freaked out by the vivid dream he just had, he also realized he was just very nervous, which may have caused his mind to go places, and think of assassination attempts.

It did not take to long to get ready, so Jian Long started to cultivate, and as he felt his cultivation, which was in the late stages of the Golden Core realm, Jian Long now had no more doubts that this was reality, as cultivation was not something which could be easily mimicked with illusions, and definitely not in a small kingdom such as Crouching Tiger.

After a short session of cultivation, Jian Long went to the dining hall, which was a grand room adorned with all sorts of treasures, such as chandeliers made out of Dragon gems, which released heavenly energy into the atmosphere, providing an excellent place to cultivate. There were also drapes made out of rare silks, as well as a beautiful table, crafted with the wood of a one hundred thousand year old oak tree, found in the northern barren lands.

Taking in the beautiful sight, Jian Long sat down at the table, as a servant immediately came rushing,

"Young master, what do you wish to eat? Remember, you shouldn't be too bloated during the coronation"

Jian Long, who was currently just enjoying his happy mood, simply said, "Whatever you have that is already cooked, I will have, I don't really mind", before thanking the servant, who rushed off into the imperial kitchen.

It did not take long for the food to come out; already a few servants could be seen bringing trays of meats, side dishes, and even desserts, though it was not expected of Jian Long to eat everything.

Jian Long did not wait any longer, as he began to stuff himself with as much food as he could, as though he hadn't eaten in months. He tried some of everything, going around the table of delicacies, with his mouth watering and eyes lit up.

As he took a big bite of Flaming River hog, though, Jian Long felt a nagging feeling that something was wrong. Initially he shrugged it off, yet after a while there was no way he could ignore it anymore, as he finally decided to understand what was giving him this feeling.

It did not take long to find out the reason, as Jian Long discovered the thing he was afraid of the most in this world... he was slowly losing his cultivation!

After closer investigation, Jian Long realized that his meridians were completely broken, as they leaked waves of heavenly energy. He was now already close to falling back into the Consolidating Core realm, and it did not seem like he was going to stop getting weaker anytime soon, since his meridians simply could not hold heavenly energy any longer.

'This cannot be happening to me, not today!' Jian Long immediately freaked out, racking his mind to find a solution.

'I need to head to the imperial doctors right away! It's the only way I can avoid losing all my cultivation and losing my position as crown prince!'

As he realized this, Jian Long raced towards the doctors in the palace, which consisted of both physicians and alchemists, many of them being the best the Endless Sword continent had to offer.

Reaching the medicine room, Jian Long spotted a refined looking man, with long, white hair, who was reading a book, with furrowed brows. The man stood upright, with his head held high, and it gave the impression that he thought himself superior to others.

"Senior, please save me! I'm losing all my cultivation and I don't know how to stop it!" Jian Long, seeing the man, quickly explained what was happening to him, with a panicked expression.

Hearing Jian Long, the man slowly turned around with a sour expression, since he had been interrupted from his reading.

Yet the moment he saw that the person who had addressed him was actually the crown prince, the man instantly lost his arrogant act, hastily bringing Jian Long into a room, before placing him into a chair.

"Did you say you are losing your cultivation?" he asked, as he placed his hand on Jian Long's arm, before circulating his heavenly energy into his body, searching for the cause of the issue.

Slightly frowning, the man let go of Jian Long, with a nervous expression. "Your highness, you were poisoned by someone! Not only, but by one of the top ten most potent poisons in the continent: Flowing Jade Blood. This poison is very rare, as it can only be found in the blood of some fifth realm spirit beast, and it has the dreadful effect of breaking one's meridians, making it impossible to cultivate!" As he said this, the man looked at Jian Long in pity, as though he was already a goner.

"That is not the worse of it, either, since the real reason Flowing Jade Blood is placed in the list of worst poisons is that a cure has yet to be found for it, and anyone the victim touches will also gain the poison, since it travels throughout the body" continued the doctor, as he slowly walked away from Jian Long, clearly not wanting to take any risks, even though the poison had still not spread fully.

Jian Long sat there, dazed, as his brilliant future, full of life and adventure, instantly became impossible.

The refined man left, realizing he had to report this to the emperor, since the coronation could not continue, and although it was a pity, Jian Long would lose all his status, becoming a poor man in quarantine, with no future to speak of.