The Test

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"Grandpa Ghost, was that man also an evil soul master fleeing the Spirit Hall's pursuit?" Hu Liena asked, her eyes following Ning Tian's figure as it faded into the distance.

"No, he's not. There's no record of him among the people the Spirit Hall is tracking," Ghost Douluo replied, his voice rough and low. Still, his gaze lingered on Ning Tian with a hint of wariness. After all, even a Titled Douluo like him couldn't pinpoint the man's cultivation level or sense any soul power fluctuations. That was a red flag if he'd ever seen one.

Hu Liena nodded, lost in thought. If he wasn't a fugitive, then he was likely here for the same reason she was; to train in the Slaughter City. She couldn't help but wonder just how strong he really was.

…

A short while later, the three of them reached a tavern at the center of the small town near the Slaughter City.

Ning Tian stepped inside first, his presence commanding attention without effort.

Ghost Douluo and Hu Liena trailed behind him.

"Grandpa Ghost… what should I do now?" Hu Liena asked, pausing at the tavern's entrance.

"Just wait a moment," Ghost Douluo said, his eyes locked on Ning Tian with a spark of curiosity.

Inside, the tavern buzzed with about twenty or so people. As Ning Tian entered, a waiter dressed in black approached him, his face as welcoming as a stone wall.

"What can I get you?"

"I need to borrow something from you," Ning Tian said, his tone calm and even.

The waiter blinked. "Borrow wh–"

Before the question fully settled, Ning Tian's form blurred, and in an instant, he stood behind the waiter. His voice came again, slow and deliberate, "Your head."

A cold sensation brushed the waiter's neck, and his vision filled with red. Then came a spatter of blood, a thump, and the sound of a head rolling.

Darkness swallowed his consciousness, and he was gone.

"Brutal," Ghost Douluo muttered approvingly.

The sudden burst of violence stunned the tavern into silence. Every pair of eyes fixed on Ning Tian, wide with disbelief. Who would dare break the Slaughter City's rules by killing one of its own staff?

"He's crazy! Kill him! If we take him down, they'll have to let us into the Slaughter City!" someone yelled from the crowd.

In an instant, all twenty-nine people—eight of them soul masters, the strongest a Spirit Emperor leaped to their feet and rushed Ning Tian. These were desperate fugitives, hunted by the two great empires or the Spirit Hall, clinging to the hope that the Slaughter City would shield them.

Ning Tian didn't even blink. He lifted his right hand and with a pulse of golden energy, a swarm of dual-colored beetles erupted into the room, swallowing everything in their path.

Time seemed to halt. Even the Spirit Emperor couldn't outrun the tide of insects.

After a chorus of blood-curdling screams, the tavern fell quiet again. It was as if those people had never existed, leaving only scattered tables and chairs as proof they'd been there at all.

"What… what kind of martial soul is that?" Hu Liena stammered, her face pale with shock. She could barely process what she'd seen. The ordinary thugs were one thing, but among those eight soul masters were a Spirit Emperor, three Spirit Kings, and four Spirit Elders and now all were erased without a trace of effort.

With the Wisdom Skull her teacher Bibi Dong had given her, she was sure she could've handled them herself. But this guy? She wasn't so confident she'd come out on top.

Ghost Douluo, on the other hand, recognized Ning Tian's martial soul and let a faint smile creep across his face.

Ning Tian paid them no attention. He opened his right hand, and the Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed together, forming a spear in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he launched it forward.

A deafening crash followed as the bar splintered apart, revealing a pit in the floor. A chilly wind whispered from below.

Without a second thought, Ning Tian leaped in.

"Nana, follow him," Ghost Douluo urged.

Hu Liena nodded and hurried after him.

…

In the darkness, after dropping a few meters, Ning Tian landed smoothly and started walking forward.

He heard Hu Liena's footsteps echoing behind him but didn't bother turning around.

'After devouring the flesh and blood of those people, the Gold Devouring Beetles, which had stopped evolving, are showing signs of growth again. If I feed them enough degenerates, I might just cultivate them into their mature form,' Ning Tian mused as he pressed onward down the sloping passage.

Maybe it was his earlier display of brutality, but Hu Liena kept her distance, trailing him cautiously by about ten meters, too wary to get any closer.

After roughly half an hour, a faint light glimmered ahead. Ning Tian walked towards the light source and saw a massive gateway.

Only then did Hu Liena break her silence. "Is this the Slaughter City?"

"Yes," Ning Tian replied shortly, stepping forward without hesitation.

"He's not as unapproachable as I thought," Hu Liena murmured to herself, picking up her pace to keep up.

As they emerged from the passage, they found themselves facing over a hundred figures clad in black armor, their faces hidden behind helmets. The leader sat astride a towering warhorse, gripping a long spear, while the others brandished heavy swords.

"I am the Dread Knight, Scott. You have broken the rules," the lead knight declared, his voice cold and resonant.

Ning Tian didn't even glance at him. His eyes were fixed on the black city beyond the gate, its dark walls stark against the purple moon hanging in the sky.

Fuming at being ignored, Scott raised his spear and charged, his warhorse thundering toward Ning Tian with murderous intent. A wave of icy killing aura surged ahead of him.

When he was less than half a meter away, Scott thrust his spear with all his might.

Clang!

In a twist no one saw coming, Ning Tian caught the thick spear between two fingers, stopping it dead.

The warhorse's charge screeched to a halt.

With just two fingers, Ning Tian had frozen both rider and mount in their tracks.

Then, with a gentle twist, crack, the spear's sturdy tip broke off like a dry twig.

Ning Tian almost yawned. Was this supposed to be a challenge?

"Can I go in now?" he asked, his deep black eyes glinting beneath his Devouring Gold Insect armor.

"O-of course. Here are your identity tokens," Scott stuttered, scrambling off his horse and offering two tokens. They were engraved with the numbers 9527 and 9528.

Ning Tian snatched the one marked 9527 and strode through the gate. Assuming Hu Liena was with him, Scott handed her 9528 and waved her through.

…

Not long after, a veiled woman in black greeted them. Ning Tian didn't waste time chatting. He told her to take him straight to the Hell Slaughter Arena.

Hu Liena, who'd learned about the Slaughter City from her teacher, Bibi Dong, felt a spark of curiosity about the arena and tagged along.

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