chapter 8 “The Inheritance Last Part“

The laughter still echoed, deep and unshaken, rolling through the air like the tolling of a funeral bell.

Lu Yan's smirk did not waver.

He had fought, bled, and clawed his way through death before. This would not be different.

And then—

Reality cracked.

A force unlike anything he had known slammed into him. The battlefield vanished beneath his feet, replaced by nothingness—vast, endless, consuming.

Then—

IMPACT.

Lu Yan's body crashed onto solid ground. But the earth beneath him breathed.

It was not earth.

It pulsed beneath his hands like muscle stretched over bone. Heat rose in waves, carrying the scent of blood and decay. His fingers curled against the surface, and something writhed beneath his touch.

He pushed himself up.

The sky was black—not with night, but with something thicker, denser. A living void, rippling like water disturbed by an unseen force. The horizon twisted, folding in on itself, structures rising and collapsing in an endless cycle of decay and rebirth.

He had seen hells before.

This was worse.

"You have crawled through the dirt. You have bled, struggled, and clawed forward. But tell me, little one—do you think you are worthy?"

The sky trembled. The ground shuddered.

The presence grew heavier, pressing down like an unseen mountain. It was not mere power—it was something far beyond comprehension.

"You have conquered the first step. You have tasted victory. But do not mistaken survival for Strength."

A pause. Then, amusement laced the voice, sharp as a blade.

"Good. You still stand. Then let us begin the final trial."

The world cracked apart. Darkness surged.

The Trial of Ruin had begun.

Then, the System spoke.

[Trial of Ruin: Commence.]

Objective: Survive.

Lu Yan's eyes narrowed. A flicker of doubt surged within him, but he quickly suppressed it. There was no room for hesitation here. Survival. That was the objective. No details. No instructions. Just one word—survive.

Was that it?

He couldn't afford to waste time questioning. Not now. Not in this place.

Then, the first sound shattered the suffocating silence.

A scream.

But it wasn't human. It was guttural, raw, unnatural. It tore through the darkened air, unsettling in its intensity. A cry that came from the bowels of some forsaken, otherworldly nightmare.

It was not a scream borne of fear or pain. No. It was… something else. Something wrong.

It was the sound of emptiness, Lu Yan realized. A sound that shouldn't have existed at all, a vibration in the fabric of reality itself.

Then it came again. Another scream. And then another.

The first few cries were far off, distant, almost like the echoes of something deep within the earth. But with every passing second, they grew louder, closer, more desperate.

And then—dozens.

Screams, wails, howls, all of them crashing into the air like waves against a cliff. It was a chorus of madness, the sound reverberating through every inch of the blackened sky, filling the space with an endless, echoing roar.

It didn't stop. It never stopped.

The shadows crawled across the ground, stretching and shifting like living things. At first, they were subtle—a flicker at the corner of his vision, a ripple in the air that should not have been there. But then, as if drawn to the very essence of the Trial itself, the darkness grew bolder. It surged, thick and oppressive, spilling into the world like ink dropped into water, staining the very fabric of reality.

Lu Yan's senses were on high alert. His breath came shallow, the weight of the air pressing down on him. It was no longer just a physical pressure. No, this was something far worse. Something that gnawed at the edges of his mind. An unseen weight that threatened to crush his resolve.

The first scream had been disorienting, but it was nothing compared to the next. And the next. They layered upon one another, filling the silence with an unholy cacophony. Each cry was distinct—some were guttural, others shrill. Some sounded almost like the wail of a human, while others were a strange, unnatural blend of monstrous howls. But none of them were right. None of them belonged to the world he knew.

They were all wrong.

It was like listening to the tortured souls of the forsaken. Screams filled with pain, rage, and despair that echoed through the very core of his being. The air vibrated with each tortured cry, the sound ripping through his thoughts, making it impossible to think clearly. His mind teetered on the edge of breaking, each scream dragging him deeper into an abyss of madness.

The ground beneath him quaked as if the earth itself was trembling in fear. The horizon—the very sky—began to distort, bending and twisting as if reality itself was fraying at the edges. The world was shifting, collapsing, but there was no escape from it.

Lu Yan's instincts screamed at him to move. Run. Get out.

But he couldn't.

Not because his legs wouldn't respond, but because there was no place to go. The trial had already consumed the world, and now he was a part of it. Trapped in a cycle where running meant nothing. The only option was to endure.

Then, from the depths of the void, the shapes emerged.

At first, they were faint, barely noticeable—just shifting shadows, undistinguishable from the rest of the growing darkness. But soon, their forms became clearer, as if they were pulling themselves from some realm beyond. They appeared in clusters, moving with a deliberate pace, slithering across the ground, rising from the earth like creatures pulled from nightmares.

Each one seemed to manifest from the very essence of the Trial itself—made of shadow, mist, and something far darker, a presence that repelled light, leaving only a sense of cold despair in their wake. Their outlines shimmered in the air, fluctuating like a distortion in space, their movement fluid and unnatural.

Some were humanoid, with long, thin limbs that stretched and contorted unnaturally. Their faces were veiled in darkness, no features, just a void where a face should have been. Others resembled twisted creatures—monstrous things that crawled on all fours, their bodies bent and broken, their mouths hanging open in silent screams, as if caught in eternal agony.

But they weren't alive. Not in the way he understood life.

These were harbingers of ruin.

And the hunt began.

But then, a massive rumble shook the ground beneath him. His breath caught in his throat as the earth split open. It wasn't just the normal tremors from earlier—it was something far more powerful, a force that threatened to tear the world apart. And then, from the rift that cracked through the land, it emerged.

It was larger than anything he had seen, a hulking figure that seemed to twist the very darkness around it. This was not one of the shapeshifting creatures—it was something else. It towered over him, at least ten feet tall, its body an amalgamation of jagged shadows and broken stone. Its form was fractured, unstable, like it had been ripped apart and then forced together with a single cruel purpose in mind.

Its eyes—or what passed for them—were burning embers. Flickering like the last dying flames of a fire. It was alive. And it was watching him.

The others, smaller but no less dangerous, fell into place behind it, creating a ring around him. Lu Yan swallowed hard, his throat dry. His pulse raced in his ears. The Trial had started. And he was the prey.

The creatures did not attack, not immediately. Instead, they stared at him. The silence stretched on, heavy with the weight of their unblinking gaze. They weren't just here to kill him. No, they wanted something more.

The monstrous figure in the center of the ring let out a growl—deep, guttural, and ancient. It shook the air around him, rattling his bones, vibrating through his very chest. The growl was the sound of something that hadn't tasted hunger in centuries. It was the sound of something that had been created for this one moment.

And then—

They moved.

But they didn't charge. No, they didn't rush. They moved with purpose, each step slow and deliberate, savoring the moment. They circled him, tightening their grip, their eyes never leaving him. The tension was unbearable. Every muscle in his body screamed to act, to move, to escape. But he knew that wasn't the answer.

Lu Yan stood frozen, the weight of the moment crashing down on him. The Trial wasn't about survival in the traditional sense. It was about something deeper—something more primal. The Trial of Ruin wasn't simply testing his strength. It was testing his resolve.

Would he bend? Would he break?

The creatures were not after his death—they were after his soul.

The thought sent a cold shiver down his spine. He had faced countless adversaries in his life, but never like this. Never with such a deep, gnawing terror, where the stakes were not about what was seen or touched, but what was felt, unseen, buried in the very heart of a person.

The creatures before him were the embodiment of this trial. Each one had its own form, its own essence—its own purpose. And each one was a harbinger of destruction, an embodiment of ruin that was slowly eating away at everything Lu Yan knew.

There were seven of them, each one radiating an aura of shifting shadows that blurred the lines of reality. They were shapeshifters, creatures capable of warping their form at will. Their true shape was a mystery, hidden beneath layers of shadow and shifting darkness, but Lu Yan could feel the pulse of their power, the weight of their presence as it pressed in on him.

The weakest of them—Level 5—was already circling him, its form a grotesque caricature of a human. Its limbs bent at unnatural angles, long fingers ending in claws that scraped against the stones. The creature's face was a shifting blur, with eyes that seemed to twist and turn in every direction. It was an abomination of flesh and shadow, a mockery of all that was natural. It moved with an unnerving speed, its form warping every few seconds, slipping between different shapes like liquid. Every time he thought he had a read on its movements, it would shift again, leaving him no chance to react.

But Lu Yan knew. He couldn't waste energy fighting it yet. It wasn't worth it. This was not a fight of force, not yet. It was a battle of endurance.

The others were more dangerous, each one carrying a higher level of power. Level 6—an entity that had begun to take on a form more cohesive, more solid. Its body was a twisting mass of shadow and ethereal energy, its face a visage of rage and hunger. It's not just a shapeshifter. It's a creature born of malice, of hunger. Its very presence sickened the land, turning the earth beneath Lu Yan's feet into jagged fragments that shifted and groaned with each step it took. The air around it crackled, charged with a strange and dangerous energy. The creature's movements were precise, unnervingly so, as if it knew exactly where to strike, where to push.

And then there was Level 7—the most terrifying of them all, the true apex of this group of predators. This creature's form was a seamless blend of nightmare and shadow, shifting so fast and so violently that it seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once. It had no face—just a mass of shadows, a void in the shape of a being, a hole that swallowed all light. Its presence was suffocating. Every inch of the air around it seemed to distort, bending and warping as though reality itself was cracking beneath its power.

These creatures were not just tests of strength. No. They were experiences. They were a representation of the Trial's cruelty. They were meant to tear away at the very foundation of the soul. They sought to break him down slowly, with precision, by pushing him to the edge and then pulling him back, only to push him again. But there was something deeper lurking within the Trial, something darker.

The final boss—the true terror of this Trial—was a Level 10 creature, the culmination of all that had come before it. This creature stood tall, towering over Lu Yan like an ancient titan, a being of monstrous proportions and unyielding darkness. It was an entity of pure malice, forged from the core of ruin itself. Its form was not constant, not stable—it flickered and shifted, existing as something between worlds. Its eyes, glowing with an otherworldly fire, burned with an ancient intelligence. It was a creature of nightmare, a force of nature that could not be contained by any laws Lu Yan knew.

Each creature's level was a manifestation of its power and the depth of its nature. The weakest among them was Level 5. Though it lacked the sheer force of the higher levels, its shapeshifting abilities were enough to leave Lu Yan disoriented, second-guessing every movement, and questioning the very world around him. The creature's form could shift so fluidly, so unpredictably, that it blurred the line between reality and illusion. For every step he took, there was always the looming fear of what it might become next.

Then there was Level 6. Smarter, faster, and more dangerous. This creature adapted to his movements, learning from each encounter, evolving with every step. It was no longer just a mindless beast, but a cunning predator, one that could outthink him, anticipate his every decision. The air around him seemed to thicken as it circled, the low growl of the creature echoing in the distance, almost like a whisper, a promise of the pain it would bring when it finally struck.

Level 7 was the next stage of terror. The creature was not simply a monster—it was a force of nature, a beast of unrelenting hunger and chaos. The very ground trembled as it moved, the air vibrating with an unnatural energy. Its presence seemed to warp reality itself, distorting the world around it like a dark vortex. Each time it moved, the world seemed to bend, to twist, as if reality was trying to escape from the madness it created.

But Level 10? Level 10 was the one that would break him. It was the one that Lu Yan feared above all else. The one he could not face head-on. He could feel its presence, looming like a dark cloud in the distance, watching, waiting for him to falter.

The ground beneath his feet shifted once more, the earth trembling in response to the growing power of these creatures. They had been circling him, toying with him, but now, something was changing. Something was about to snap. The tension was unbearable, as if the very world was on the verge of breaking apart.

He wasn't ready to face the creature at Level 10. Not yet. He had no weapon, no power. No means to fight back. But the Trial didn't care. It wasn't about fairness. It was about testing him to his breaking point.

The creatures, shapeshifting and unpredictable, knew this. They had been waiting for him to kill him, pushing him to his limits, watching to see how long he could stand firm.

Lu Yan swallowed, his throat dry. The air was so thick with pressure now that it felt like he couldn't breathe. His body felt heavy, weighed down by the suffocating force that surrounded him. His muscles screamed for him to act, to run, to fight—but his mind told him to hold still, to endure, to survive.

Survive.

That word echoed in his mind, but now it felt different. Now it felt like a command, a necessity. If he could not survive this, if he could not endure, he would lose everything. His will, his soul, his very identity. The Trial would strip him of everything that made him who he was.

And then, as if on cue, the first of them lunged.

It was the Level 5 creature, slithering forward with unnatural speed, its claws scraping against the stone. But Lu Yan was ready. He moved just in time, stepping aside, his heart pounding in his chest as the creature's claws swiped just inches from his face. The air shimmered with the force of its attack, but Lu Yan had survived the first strike.

Lu Yan could feel his heart thundering against his ribcage, each beat a painful reminder of the pressure mounting around him. His pulse quickened as he stood, the cold stone beneath his feet vibrating with the presence of the creatures. The air itself seemed to twist, each breath thick with an almost tangible tension. The Trial was not just physical—it was a test of his very essence, of his resolve to continue, to survive, to bend but never break.

He knew the creatures weren't just testing his strength. They were pushing him into the depths of his own fear. His mind screamed for him to move, to summon something—anything—but his power was limited. As a Level 5 summoner, his abilities were still raw, still growing. He had no army of beasts at his disposal, no grand spells to throw at his enemies. All he had was his wit, his instincts, and a deep, burning desire to endure. But was that enough? Could it ever be enough?

The first strike came swiftly, a blur of shadows and shifting forms. The Level 5 creature was as swift as it was deceptive, its body twisting into impossible shapes, contorting like liquid shadows that barely kept their shape. It was like trying to fight a storm, unpredictable and merciless. The claws—sharp as daggers—came slashing toward him, and Lu Yan barely managed to step back in time. He could hear the scrape of its talons against the stone, the high-pitched sound ringing in his ears like the screech of a metal blade.

His hands were shaking, but he forced himself to focus. Summon. He needed to summon. But nothing happened.

The creatures circled around him, their eyes—if they could even be called eyes—fixed on him. He could feel their presence like a weight pressing down on him, suffocating him. They were toying with him now, giving him the illusion of space, waiting for the moment he would make a mistake. Waiting for him to break.

Lu Yan's mind raced. His summons were weak, barely a whisper of power in the face of the creatures around him. But still, there was something—an echo of his past, of the years spent honing his craft, of the bond he shared with the spirits he called upon. He reached for it. He could still feel it deep within him, that connection. A faint spark.

He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing. He whispered the incantation under his breath, the words barely more than a whisper against the wind. A ripple of energy ran through his fingertips, but the creature, sensing his momentary vulnerability, lunged again.

The ground beneath him trembled as it closed in. The air felt thick, each breath heavier than the last. He needed to act, but the creature was faster. He summoned what little power he had, a small, fleeting figure—a wisp of light—appeared in front of him. It was weak, no more than an apparition, but it held the creature at bay for a moment. Just long enough for him to get away.

His body moved on instinct, and his legs carried him away from the creature's slashing claws. He could feel the pulse of his heart in his throat, the pressure mounting. But he didn't have time to rest. He had barely created the illusion, and already, the next level of the creatures was closing in.

Level 6.

Lu Yan's body was screaming at him to act, to summon something more, something stronger, but he knew it wasn't possible. His power was finite. He wasn't ready to face these creatures head-on. His summoning magic was weak—his ability to wield it was still in its infancy.

The Level 6 creature was faster than its predecessor. It was more intelligent, more aware of its surroundings, and it wasn't toying with him anymore. This creature came with purpose, with precision. Lu Yan could sense its intelligence in the way it moved—each shift of its form calculated, each gesture a deliberate act of power. It didn't waste its energy. It was hunting him, closing the gap between them with terrifying speed.

As the creature advanced, Lu Yan summoned once more, but this time, there was no wisp of light, no faint figure to hold off the oncoming danger. What he summoned instead was something more desperate, more flawed. A shadow, an extension of his own will—a creature of darkness that barely had form. It appeared in front of him, but it flickered like a candle in a storm, unstable, weak. It wasn't enough.

The Level 6 creature smiled, if it could smile. Its form twisted and undulated, stretching impossibly as it lunged forward. Lu Yan's pulse skipped, his body tense, but he stepped aside just in time. The shadow he summoned disappeared in a puff of smoke, the creature's attack passing through the air like a death sentence.

He was running out of options, running out of time.

He couldn't do this alone.

Summoning forest manifestation again, his hand outstretched, his heart pounding in his chest, he called for something deeper, something from the very core of his being—a summon that was more than a simple creature. It was a last-ditch effort, a desperate plea for survival.

The ground beneath him quaked, 

the air heavy with power. The creature seemed to pause, as though sensing the shift in the atmosphere. A ripple of magic sparked across the ruins, a faint shimmer in the air.And then, the ground cracked open.

From the chasm emerged a figure, massive and swirling with dark energy—a shadowy force that defied comprehension. Lu Yan's summon was not a physical being, but a manifestation of the dark energies he had tapped into. The very essence of the Trial seemed to respond to it, to recognize the power, but also to test it. His summon was unstable—just like him—but it was enough to force the Level 6 creature to hesitate, to falter in its approach.

The moment was brief. The creature, realizing the danger, made a move to retreat. But Lu Yan, seizing the chance, forced his summon to strike. It lashed out, a Neither Blast shooting forward, hitting the creature square in the chest. The force of the blow knocked the creature back, sending it sprawling across the ground.

Lu Yan barely had time to breathe before he felt the presence of something far worse—something far darker.

Level 7.

The ground trembled violently beneath him, a deep, ominous roar filling the air as the Level 7 creature began to emerge from the shadows. It was not like the others. It was no mere creature. It was something far more primal, a being of destruction. The air twisted around it, bending reality to its will. The very atmosphere seemed to warp and flicker with the power it exuded.

Lu Yan's heart raced as he stumbled back, his mind screaming for him to summon more, to tap into something even deeper, but he knew he was already running on empty. His strength was fading. The Trial was pushing him to the brink of his endurance.

But as the Level 7 creature closed the gap between them, a voice—faint but resolute—echoed in his mind.

You cannot break.

The ground quaked beneath Lu Yan's feet, a deep rumble that reverberated through his bones. A chill spread through the air as the Level 7 creature emerged from the shadows, its presence both overwhelming and suffocating. It wasn't just a creature—it was a force of nature. A monster that twisted the very fabric of reality around it, bending the air and the earth to its will.

Lu Yan's pulse quickened, the realization of what was about to happen crashing over him. The trial had pushed him to the edge, but this… this was different. He could feel it deep in his core. This was no simple test of strength. This was a fight for survival.

His fingers curled around the summoning stone in his pocket, his mind racing. He had only one chance. One moment to shift the tide of this battle. But his mana was already dangerously low, drained by the trials he had barely survived. His thoughts flickered back to the earlier tests—the battles with the weaker creatures. But this, this was a whole different level of threat. There was no room for hesitation.

The creature's claws scraped against the stone floor as it advanced. Its form seemed to flicker and warp, an ever-changing mass of shadows and jagged edges. Its eyes, glowing with a predatory hunger, locked onto Lu Yan with a chilling focus. It wasn't just hunting him—it was studying him, calculating every move.

Lu Yan's body screamed in protest. His muscles were sore, his mana reserves almost drained. His head throbbed with the weight of exhaustion, and his vision was clouded with the aftermath of his earlier efforts. Every fiber of his being wanted to collapse, to surrender to the overwhelming force in front of him. But he couldn't. He had come too far. His mission, his survival, depended on this moment.

He took a deep breath, gathering what little remained of his composure. Focus. That word echoed in his mind. He needed to focus. To use every bit of his remaining power wisely.

The creature lunged forward, its form distorting in the blink of an eye, moving faster than Lu Yan could track. Instinctively, he raised his hand and called upon his connection with nature. The ground trembled, and from the depths of the earth, roots began to rise, twisting and spiraling upward like serpents.

He had only one strategy left: the forest manifestation. It was his most powerful ability, a manifestation of the deep, ancient energy within him, a power he had only begun to tap into.

The roots burst forth, wrapping around the creature's limbs, pulling it back for a fraction of a second. Lu Yan gritted his teeth, his hands trembling as he poured every remaining ounce of his mana into the spell. He could feel the energy slipping away with every breath he took, but there was no turning back now. His body was a hollow vessel, and the forest's power surged through him, filling the void.

But it wasn't enough.

The creature roared, its form shifting violently as it tore through the roots with terrifying strength. The very earth beneath them seemed to crack and buckle under the force of its movements. Lu Yan stumbled back, his legs weak, but his resolve only hardened. He couldn't stop. Not now.

He barely had time to react as the creature advanced again, faster this time, its claws outstretched. With every step, the ground shook, and the air crackled with energy. It was a beast of chaos, and it was closing in on him.

His mind raced for another solution. Think! He was a summoner. He wasn't meant to fight with physical strength. He had the world at his fingertips, the creatures of the forest, the deep earth itself—he just needed to summon the power he had left.

But the reality hit him hard: he was almost out of mana. Every spell he cast drained him further. The creature was closing in, relentless, like a tidal wave he couldn't outrun.

He raised his hand once more, forest manifestation, and the ground around him rumbled again. This time, the earth responded with more urgency, as if it could sense his desperation. Trees began to sprout from the cracked stone, their roots lashing out like whips, attempting to ensnare the creature once more. It was his last resort, the final vestige of his power.

But the creature was too strong.

With a howl of frustration, the Level 7 beast tore through the new roots with ease, swatting them aside like they were nothing more than twigs. Lu Yan's heart sank. His head spun. His vision blurred. His mana reserves were nearly gone, and the creature was still coming.

His body was on the verge of collapse. His breathing was shallow, his legs shaking beneath him. But then, something stirred within him—something primal, something that rose from the depths of his soul. It was the will to survive. It was the knowledge that if he didn't push through now, everything he had worked for would be lost.

Without thinking, he threw everything he had left into the final summoning. Every ounce of his energy, every last drop of mana he had left. His body screamed in protest, his vision darkened, and the world around him felt like it was slipping away. But then, something happened.

The earth around him erupted.

Roots shot up like spears, trees towering and twisting as they reached toward the creature. It wasn't just a force of nature—it was a manifestation of Lu Yan's will. The trees and roots converged on the creature, their branches moving with purpose, lashing out with fury.

But even as the forest manifested around him, Lu Yan knew it wouldn't be enough.

The creature roared, thrashing against the onslaught. Its claws slashed through the trees like paper. It wasn't going to be stopped by this.

And with that, Lu Yan felt the 90% of his mana drain away.

The air around him thickened, suffocating him with an unnatural heaviness. The world seemed to bend and warp, as if it was struggling to hold itself together under the weight of the creature's presence. A deep, guttural roar reverberated through the air, sending a chill crawling down his spine. His heart hammered against his ribs, and each breath he took felt like it was being torn from his lungs. Fear, sharp and cold, settled in his chest, gripping him with a force he couldn't shake. This—this was different

The Level 10 creature emerged from the shadows with terrifying ease. It wasn't like the others. It wasn't an animal, a mere beast. It was primal, a force of nature, an embodiment of destruction. It seemed to suck the very light from the world around it, warping the air as if the laws of nature themselves bowed to its power. The ground trembled beneath its weight as it took each step, and the atmosphere quivered, bending with its will. The air itself seemed alive with power, alive with a hunger that was palpable, something so ancient, so raw that it could tear the world apart if it wished. It wasn't just a threat. It was a calamity.

Lu Yan stumbled back, his legs barely keeping him upright. The tremors rattled through him, and his entire body screamed in protest, but there was no escape. No place to hide. The creature's presence was all-consuming, and it was coming for him. His mind screamed at him to summon something, anything, but he already knew. He had nothing left. His energy was draining faster than he could replenish it. The Trial had stripped him bare, and now he was standing before the embodiment of that very test—the thing that would shatter him, body and soul.

"Focus," he whispered to himself, pushing down the panic that was rising in his chest. "You cannot break."

The voice in his mind was faint, but it was clear. The Trial had been pushing him to the edge, testing every limit, but it wasn't done yet. It wanted more. It needed to see if he could hold on, even when there was nothing left to give.

The creature loomed over him now, its eyes glowing with a dark, ancient fire. It moved slowly, deliberately, savoring the moment before it would strike. Lu Yan could feel the weight of its gaze, a silent promise that this would be no easy fight. But he wasn't going to fight. Not directly. He was too weak for that. No, he had learned long ago that battles weren't always about strength. Sometimes, the only weapon you had left was your mind.

His heart pounded. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing pulse. He was no brute. He was a summoner. He didn't need to overpower this creature. He needed to outsmart it. To outlast it.

Lu Yan glanced around, searching for something—anything—that could give him an advantage. The ruins were vast, scattered with ancient stone structures that had long since crumbled. Debris littered the ground, but none of it seemed useful. Still, his mind raced, calculating every possibility. His mana was running low, and he couldn't afford to waste it. He needed to be strategic.

The Level 10 creature watched him intently, its movements predatory, calculated. It knew he wasn't going to fight it in the conventional way. It knew he was no fool. And yet, it didn't rush him. It was waiting for him to make the first move, to expose a weakness.

Focus, Lu Yan. Focus.

He closed his eyes, centering himself in the moment, pushing aside the fear and the exhaustion. He reached deep into his core, into the small reserve of mana he had left. It was faint, a flicker of light in the darkness, but it was there. He could still feel it.

Slowly, he extended his hand, his fingers trembling slightly as he began to chant. The words of the incantation were barely audible, whispered against the hum of the air around him. His summoning magic was still raw, unpolished. He could only call upon weak spirits, fleeting creatures that could hardly be called more than distractions. But that's all he needed. For now.

From the ground, a wisp of light materialized, a pale, fragile creature that flickered like a dying flame. It was small, weak, but it was something. He set it to work, ordering it to move between the creature and himself, to create a momentary illusion of safety.

The Level 10 creature didn't seem to care. It watched the wisp, then turned its attention back to Lu Yan, its eyes glowing with an unsettling intensity. The wisp moved in an erratic pattern, attempting to confuse the beast, but it was clear the creature was not fooled. It had no need for trickery. Its power came from a place far beyond mere illusions.

The wisp faded in a puff of smoke, and Lu Yan's heart sank. That was all he could summon. The small fragment of mana he had left barely gave him the strength to summon a distraction. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.

But he wasn't done. He couldn't be. He could feel the weight of the creature's presence, the crushing force of its power pressing down on him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand, but he couldn't afford to think about that.

The Level 10 creature began to move again, faster this time, its body twisting in unnatural ways, stretching and contorting as it approached. Lu Yan's breath hitched. There was no time to summon anything else. His mana was spent.

There has to be something else…

His mind worked furiously, searching for an answer, a solution. And then it hit him. The environment. The ruins. The stones.

He glanced up, his eyes narrowing as he saw the crumbling structure above him, the ancient stones hanging precariously over the battlefield. The ruin was on the brink of collapse. The ground shook again, but this time, he wasn't focusing on the creature. He was calculating.

He didn't need to fight the creature. He needed to trap it.

With the last of his mana, he forced himself to move. He dashed toward the ruin, his legs screaming in protest, his body pushed to its limit. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. His muscles were already on fire, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

As he reached the base of the structure, he pressed his hands to the stone, feeling the weight of it, knowing it was fragile. He had to be quick. He had to be precise.

The creature was closing in, its massive form casting a shadow over him. Lu Yan's heart pounded in his chest, but he held firm. His hands pressed against the stone harder, feeling the vibrations.

And then—he pushed.

The stones above him groaned, their ancient foundations cracking under the force. The ruin shook, crumbling, and with a deafening roar, the structure collapsed. Stones rained down, trapping the creature beneath the rubble. It howled in rage, but Lu Yan didn't stay to watch.

He stumbled back, exhausted, every breath a struggle. His vision blurred, his body trembling. The battle had drained him completely. The creature wasn't defeated, not by any means, but it was momentarily stalled, trapped beneath the debris.

He had won. For now.

But he couldn't fight the higher-level creatures again. He couldn't. The cost had been too great.

His knees gave out, and Lu Yan collapsed to the ground, his body finally giving in to the exhaustion, the strain. His mana was completely drained, and he knew it would take days—weeks—before he would be able to summon again, if ever. The Trial had nearly broken "I'll never fight creatures above my level again," he muttered to himself, his voice weak. His body was spent, his energy completely gone.

The only thing he had left was the will to survive. And in that, he had won.

Ding!

[System Notification]

You have survived and completed the Immortal Trial. Your resilience has been recognized. 

Rewards:

+3 Ability Points

+5 Skill Points

 | LEVEL UP |

 [LEVEL 9 XP 1/15000]

"System, add 3 points to Endurance, 2 points to Strength, and 1 point to Forest Manifestation. The remaining 2 points… allocate them to Neither Burst."

Ding!

[System Notification]

 points allocated successfully.

His body seemed to hum with newfound power as the system made the adjustments. Lu Yan could feel the extra strength surge through his muscles, and his endurance seemed to stretch far beyond its previous limits. The energy of the Forest Manifestation technique began to resonate more deeply within him, and the mysterious power of Neither Burst stirred beneath the surface 

A deep, resonant voice echoed from the very fabric of reality itself. The air seemed to grow heavier, as though it had been pulled taut, charged with an otherworldly presence.

"Congratulations, Unknown Person," the voice crooned, sending a jolt of unease through his veins. "You have surpassed the threshold. You have endured… for now."

Lu Yan's body went rigid, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as the words washed over him. The ground trembled beneath him, yet there was no monster in sight—just the thick, oppressive darkness that pressed against his mind, suffocating him in its grip.

And then, as though summoned by his very thoughts, a massive form emerged from the void, twisting and shifting like an ancient serpent rising from the depths of a forgotten tomb. A dark figure loomed before him, an entity so powerful that it seemed to bleed into the very air around him. Its form was impossible to comprehend, an ever-shifting amalgamation of shadows and jagged edges, but its presence… that was undeniable.

It spoke again, its voice low and heavy with a centuries-old bitterness.

"I am a Sect Master, my Great Dao Sect is called Black Serpent Sect, the one who was once revered, feared, and respected throughout the lands. But that was long ago—before they betrayed me. Before they stole my power, my legacy, and my very soul. They are the ones who doomed me to this endless suffering."

The figure's eyes, if they could even be called that, glowed with an eerie, malignant light as it locked its gaze on Lu Yin.

"You, unique person with unique techniques, is my final hope. The only one who can destroy what I built. You must defeat them, for me. The ones who cast aside me like a discarded tool. Qin Xian-my closest Disciple, my most trusted. He turned against me in my darkest hour. the lover who I once loved deeply who betrayed me, Ai Ling, whose heart I trust went to somebody, whose warmth I sougth... she was my undoing. And finally, the so called Righteous Sects the Main one Great Heaven Sect led by Li Jianhua and was once my Senior Brother the former traitor who claimed honor yet wore the mask of hypocrisy, the enemy who stands against all I have worked for. He killed Our Master whos name he never told us."

Lu Yan chuckled to himself, his lips curling into a wry grin despite the heaviness of the situation. "Well, I guess betrayal is like the world's most popular hobby, huh? Seems like everyone's got their own version of it, no matter where you go. I mean, who doesn't have a backstabbing lover, a fake disciple, or a righteous hypocrite in their life?"

He paused, shaking his head with a laugh that didn't quite reach his eyes. "At this point, I'm starting to think betrayal's just a rite of passage—like getting your first heartbreak, but with more blood and less romance."

His heart still raced with the weight of it all—the desperation, the fury, the lingering curse of someone who had been wronged by those they trusted. Yet, in the midst of it, his humor managed to creep in, a small defiant light in the overwhelming darkness.

"You are the last key." the figure continued, its voice a hiss that reverberated through the depths of his very being. "Take my teachings. Take my Spirt root. Learn from the history of my Sect, from the skills that once made me what I'm Today. The world will tremebled before you, just as it trembled before me unless you defeat fate which I wish you could so my soul will rest in Peace. "

The figure's form began to shift again, its edges warping and twisting, as if it were part of the very darkness.

"Rise, my last hope. Become the master of your fate, or fall as I did. But do not share my Sect Techniques teachings."

The darkness around Lu Yan seemed to pulse with malevolent energy, as if alive, watching him, waiting for him to make his choice.

"Don't worry senior I'm me not you, I Understand."

The figure responded "Good."