Phoenix's Trial

"Clan leader Feng, I won't beat around the bush, is it possible for me to undergo such a trial?" Meng asked with a smile.

"That..." Feng Baichuan turned a bit hesitant.

"Didn't the Phoenix leave its legacy here for the right people to claim it? I understand that you guard the clan's trial grounds but shouldn't everyone get an equal chance at trying to clear the trial?" Meng asked.

"Well, I know that little brother Su is kind and suitable to take the trial but it's just that...I am afraid of offending the phoenix spirit." Feng Baichuan said with a feeble smile.

"How about I deal with those who are bothering you and also try to remove your curse? Of course, first I would need to talk to the phoenix spirit as it might offend it in case I tried to remove your curse without speaking to it." Meng said.

"?!! W-What did you just say? Little brother Su can actually remove our curse? That's i-impossible..." Feng Baichuan was shocked by Meng's casual words.

"Can clan leader Feng stand still for a moment? Don't worry I won't try to dispel it, I just want to inspect it." Meng said and faint blue-gray energy covered the tip of his index finger however what shocked Feng Baichuan most was the change of Meng's eyes. Feng Baichuan felt as if he was staring into the eyes of a divine being when he saw Meng's bright amber eyes with incomparably deep pupils as if the entire universe was hidden inside them.

Meng touched Feng's flame imprint on his forehead and rubbed it a few times before he retracted his hand.

"I should be capable of dispelling this curse since it's such a long time since this curse was cast on your bloodline, its power is much weaker than the time when your ancestors received it." 'The only problem here is what to use...Yang or Yin energy? Both could possibly dispel the curse but which one should I use? Maybe I should just purify it with my Yang energy without taking any risks by using Yin energy.' Meng said before he thought inwardly with a thoughtful expression while holding his chin.

"Y-You really think you can dispel it?!" Feng Baichuan asked frantically, unable to contain himself.

"I think I can but I need to first talk to the phoenix spirit as it may make the process much easier and I also need its permission. Would you let me take the trial if I were to get rid of your curse afterward? Do you believe me, clan leader Feng?" Meng asked with a serious expression.

"That's...alright, I will inform everyone else and take full responsibility for whatever might come next." Feng Baichuan was still a bit hesitant but Meng's offer was simply too good.

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In the end, almost the entire village went together with Meng and Feng Baichuan to the Phoenix Ruins where Feng Baichuan undid the seal on the doors, stepping inside together with Meng as there was yet another seal inside that could undo only someone possessing the phoenix bloodline.

Before undoing the seal, Feng Baichuan was thinking whether to reassure Meng that the phoenix spirit is usually kind and most of the participants who failed were able to return alive but in the end, he just shook his head as it might only distract him.

'This stone chamber is much bigger than it looks from outside, perhaps some kind of spatial law?' Meng thought while looking around the spacious chamber.

"...Little brother Su, may I know your level of current profound strength?" Feng Baichuan asked before opening the seal.

"Hm? 8th stage of Elementary Profound Realm." Meng replied casually.

"What?!! You can't take this trial with such a low profound strength!" Feng Baichuan shouted in a distraught way as his eyes almost bulged out.

"Clan leader Feng, please just open the seal already...I have dealt with a few Nascent Profound Realms that kidnapped your children within an instant...my power can't be measured by my profound strength." Meng said and after hearing his words, even Feng Baichuan calmed down and thought that Meng was indeed too abnormal if what he just revealed about his profound strength is the truth.

Feng Baichuan sighed in front of Meng's persistence and just bit his thumb and let a few drops of his blood fall on the seal. The seal was opened and revealed a dark red colored bizarre entrance.

"Please be careful and forfeit if you think that you can't endure it any longer." Feng Baichuan said before taking his leave.

Meng looked at the bizarre entrance with one source of lightning inside before he stepped inside, walking blindly inside the pitch-black space. The moment he stepped inside, he felt the sky and ground began to spin which caused him to calmly close his eyes as it was too uncomfortable even though he couldn't see anything in front of him.

[New Quest: You have entered the Phoenix Trial grounds, pass the trial to gain phoenix spirit's recognition to dispel Phoenix Clan of its curse.]

[Reward: 10.000 Skill Points]

"Greetings, human. Welcome to the trial grounds. You are the first challenger without the phoenix bloodline in these past thousand years." A dignified voice resounded inside Meng's mind and from its tone, it was clearly a female voice. Gigantic golden eyes appeared in the pitch-black space in front of Meng, observing him.

"Thank you for giving me a chance to experience something this special. May I ask why would a dignified Phoenix leave the trial grounds in such a desolate place?" Meng looked at the deep golden eyes and bowed respectfully.

"Great composure, human, however, someone possessing phoenix bloodline let you inside so you ought to thank them..." The voice praised him before the phoenix spirit explained the battle between three major fire attribute divine beasts and how Divine Phoenix ended up here at the Profound Sky Continent.

"That should be enough to sate your curiosity. Human, are you ready? You might end up dying with your feeble profound strength." The voice said in his mind.

"Thank you for worrying about me, but I wish to explore what one of the supreme divine beasts left behind!" Meng bowed once again with a smile on his face and even phoenix's spirit could feel his excitement so it no longer tried to change Meng's mind.

"The trial has three stages in total, respectively: First stage: Purgatory Flame Demon; second stage: Arrows of the Phoenix; third stage: Corruption of the Heart's Flame. If you wish to forfeit during the trial, you may shout out at anytime and I'll immediately let you leave the trial grounds however I won't interfere if you will forcibly try to endure it and end up dying. I wish you a success" The spirit said in Meng's mind before Meng felt the world spin once again.

This time when he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on the hot ground filled with fiery crimson lines on the surface. Numerous boulders were scattered around and even mountains were fiery red by the hot temperature, even the sky itself became crimson. A magma was flowing here and there, it was as if Meng found himself deep inside the volcano.

Suddenly, Meng heard the sound of something moving through the magma behind him and when he looked behind, he saw a large profound beast that looked like a crimson stone golem with horns and a yellow gem-like thing on top of its head.

The Purgatory Demon sent a crimson orb of fire at Meng, immediately attacking him without any warning.

Meng looked at the attack disinterestedly before holding up his hand to block the orb of fire.

*BOOM!* Upon the impact, the orb exploded and spread flames that were actually burning on the ground, however, a faint cold mist suddenly swallowed the flames entirely.

"Oh? Human, you are actually the first person who attempted this trial by fighting its flames with a water attribute. Even that cold mist you are releasing is very special...It's similar to Three Supreme Water Attribute Beasts but you do not possess any of their bloodlines. You are just a pure human...your constitution is intriguing." Meng heard the spirit's voice inside his head.

"It's a bit too hot environment for me...I guess the Purgatory Demon is feeling at home in this environment but I don't like places that are too hot or cold...Please forgive my insolence!" Meng released most of his Yin energy reserves, creating a large avalanche of thick cold mist, spreading to all directions from him.

The next moment when the mist cleared up, a snowy environment was revealed and Purgatory Demon's power was lowered by a large margin, however that didn't matter as it was already frozen however it didn't die yet.

"Let me send you off!" Meng jumped up and punched the Purgatory Demon's frozen head, completely shattering it into small pieces of frozen stones with the help of his Hell Suppressing Physique.

After a minute passed by, a snowy environment started melting at a fast pace before the environment regained its original form.

"Interesting...very interesting. Human, you have managed to pass the first stage by using the opposite attribute which is an unbelievable feat as the flames here are at another level. Your frozen arts consist of extreme coldness which usually is extremely harmful to humans but you have expanded too much of your strength just for the first stage and I am afraid I can't let you recover." The spirit said and Meng felt the environment change slightly before he saw a few fire arrows flying towards him.

"Second stage of the trial: Arrows of the Phoenix" The spirit announced as Meng already used his cloud steps to dodge a first few fire arrows.

He was capable of dodging a few arrows but once more and more started appearing from the crimson sky, one arrow found its way to Meng who had no time to respond to it, engulfing his body in a fireball.

"Tch!" When the flames disappeared, Meng's figure was seen standing at the same position with an annoyed expression as the flames ruined his clothes a little bit despite him shielding them with his remaining Yin energy.

"If I can't use coldness against the flames...let's fight the flames with the pure energy of heat!" Meng clicked his tongue and a spear appeared in his hands. He performed the first move of his 7 Moves of Ferocious Sun which actually was able to only detonate one incoming arrow.

'This energy! I thought that human is gifted in water laws but the temperature of his fire attribute technique...is similar to Golden Crow's yang flames. But once again, he doesn't possess its bloodline.' The phoenix spirit was shocked to see Meng control and use both opposite energies, the only being that entered its mind at that time was Evil God. The spirit had no idea what kind of reward to give to Meng in case he really passed the trial as he showed his control in water laws but after seeing Meng use both attributes, the phoenix spirit stopped worrying about it.

Meng then used his second move which covered a much larger space and detonated a few fire arrows at once but even after its detonation, the dispersed energy turned into small spikes that spread all around, detonating other numerous fire arrows.