The Sect's Master's "Kind" Gift

The instant the gates slammed shut, I felt a shift in the air.

The temperature dropped...not to freezing, but just enough to make me uneasy. The bamboo forest around us was eerily silent, not a single bird chirping or insect buzzing.

I narrowed my eyes. This place wasn't just any cultivation ground.

It was a sealed realm. I've been in sealed realms before.

And none of them ended well.

The Sect Master strode forward, her flowing robes barely touching the ground as she moved with amazing grace.

I, on the other hand, was suspicious as hell.

"Alright," I said, keeping my tone casual, "so, this is your private cultivation ground. Nice. Very... ominous."

She didn't respond.

Instead, she stopped before a large stone platform, and waved her hand.

BOOM!

The ground trembled, and three massive stone tablets rose from the earth. Each one was engraved with ancient characters, radiating a terrifying aura.

I stared. Then I squinted at the inscriptions.

Trial of the Tempered Soul.

Trial of the Unyielding Will.

Trial of the Reincarnated Bastard.

Wait. What the hell was that last one?!

I turned to her slowly. "Sect Master... are you trying to kill me?"

She smiled. It was not reassuring.

"This is a small test." She gestured gracefully at the tablets. "Since you claim to be talented, let's see if your words hold weight."

I internally screamed. What kind of insane test was this?!

I took a step back. "Actually, I think I'm still recovering from my injuries. Maybe I should rest a bit fi..."

BOOM!

She raised a single hand...and before I could even react, the ground beneath me cracked open.

I fell. Straight into the first trial.

Trial of the Tempered Soul.

And as I plummeted into the darkness, one thought ran through my mind:

This woman is out to get me. I hit the ground hard.

Not in the "oh, I landed gracefully like a celestial expert" way. Nope. I faceplanted into the dirt.

"ARGH!" I groaned, rolling over, and spitting out a mouthful of what tasted suspiciously like ancient suffering, and regret.

I sat up, rubbing my nose. "Alright. No broken bones. That's a good start."

Then I took a look around. And immediately regretted it.

The Trial of the Tempered Soul wasn't some grand hall, or majestic battlefield. Oh no. That would've been too easy.

Instead, I was standing in a vast desert of white sand, under a blood-red sky. Dark cracks ran through the ground, whispers echoing from below like the cries of the damned.

And in the distance, a tide of shadowy figures began rising from the sand.

I froze. Oh, hell no. A deep, booming voice resonated across the landscape.

"WELCOME, CHALLENGER. TO PROVE YOUR SOUL IS WORTHY, YOU MUST ENDURE... THE SUFFERING OF YOUR PAST LIVES."

I stared. Then blinked.

Then pointed at myself. "Wait, wait, wait. My past lives?"

The voice ignored me.

"BEGIN." The shadows surged forward.

I took a step back. "Now, hold on..."

The first ghostly figure emerged from the tide...a grizzled old man with a white beard, eyes burning with anger.

"YOU OWE ME MONEY!"

I blinked. "...What?"

Another figure, a beautiful woman in an extravagant robe, appeared beside him.

"YOU PROPOSED TO ME, AND NEVER CAME BACK!"

"YOU STOLE MY RICE!" a farmer ghost screamed.

"YOU CRUSHED MY SON IN A TOURNAMENT!"

"YOU KICKED ME OFF A CLIFF!"

I took another step back. "Okay, now, let's not be hasty..." More ghosts appeared.

And suddenly, I was surrounded by an army of my past mistakes.

A scholar ghost adjusted his ancient-looking spectacles. "This is a historical event. I have a full list of your crimes."

He pulled out a scroll. The scroll unrolled...and kept unrolling.

And kept unrolling. And KEPT unrolling.

It hit the ground and kept going. I stared at it.

I stared at them. Then I screamed, "WHAT KIND OF LIFE DID I LIVE?!" The ghosts charged.

And so, I did what any great cultivator would do in this situation. I turned around, and ran for my life.

"STOP RUNNING, YOU COWARD!"

"FACE YOUR PAST, YOU SCOUNDREL!"

"GIVE ME BACK MY RICE!"

The shrieks of my very angry past life victims echoed behind me. Hundreds of ghosts. All running like they were in some revenge marathon, while I was desperately sprinting for dear life.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PAY BACK DEBTS FROM A THOUSAND YEARS AGO?!" I shouted over my shoulder.

The scholar ghost, still holding that ridiculously long scroll, adjusted his glasses. "With interest."

I nearly tripped. "INTEREST?!"

"Seventeen thousand spirit stones, a bag of celestial rice, and one golden chicken."

"Golden chi....WAIT, HOLD ON, WHY WOULD I EVEN STEAL A CHICKEN?!"

A ghostly farmer stepped forward, veins popping on his translucent forehead. "You said, and I quote, 'This chicken is too fat to be a mere mortal bird. It must be a divine beast in disguise.' THEN YOU ATE IT."

I stumbled. "Oh… uh… well, was it divine?"

"NO, YOU ABSOLUTE MENACE!"

The army of ghosts roared. I took off again, running so fast my past life regrets couldn't keep up.

For a moment, I thought I was in the clear.

Until....BAM!

I slammed into something solid. Or rather, someone.

I hit the ground with a groan and looked up.

Standing over me was a massive figure, his muscles practically bulging with ghostly fury. His beard was long, his eyes glowed like burning coals, and his fists were the size of my entire head.

I gulped. "Uh… hi?"

The giant ghost cracked his knuckles. "You must have thought I forgot."

I blinked. "Forgo....wait, do I know you?"

The ghost grinned menacingly. "Long Fei Jian… DO YOU REMEMBER THE TIME YOU SLAPPED ME INTO A VEGETARIAN LIFE?!"

I froze. Then squinted.

"Wait… Big Wu?"

Big Wu, once the strongest warrior of the Northern Heavens, had a famous appetite for roasted phoenix wings, and spicy dragon ribs.

Until one day, he challenged me to a duel.

And I… well… I may have accidentally slapped him so hard that he spent five years in seclusion, reflecting on life, and came out as a devoted monk.

He never ate meat again.

And judging by his glowing ghostly fists, he was STILL NOT OVER IT.

I scrambled back. "Look, Big Wu, buddy..."

Big Wu roared, raising his fist.

I barely dodged as his ghostly punch slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave that shattered the desert floor.

"YOU OWE ME FIVE YEARS OF BARBECUE!"

"HOW IS THAT MY FAULT?!" I screamed, dodging again.

"You RUINED my cravings! Every time I smell roasted pork, I start chanting sutras!"

I paled. "Okay, yeah, that's bad."

Big Wu cracked his knuckles again. "And now, I will repay the favor."

I glanced behind me. The ghost army was catching up.

I looked at Big Wu. I looked at the ghosts. I did some quick calculations.

And then… I turned and ran again.

"I'M SORRY, BIG WU! BUT I REFUSE TO DIE TWICE IN A ROW!"