Chapter 111: Would Not Faulter, Not Here, Not Now

The battleground forged by the Solaris Infernum, the sun's flame, and Lunara Glacies, the moon's frost, was a spectacle beyond imagination. It was a realm where the very fabric of reality seemed to bend under the weight of its own spiritual energy. The air was thick, almost viscous, as if the abundant spiritual energy might condense into liquid at any moment.

Such a phenomenon was unheard of in the outside world, where the ambient spiritual energy was a mere fraction of what it was here—barely ten percent. This was a place of extremes, where the laws of nature were rewritten by the wills of fire and ice.

The battleground itself was a labyrinth of hundreds of closed-off sections, each one isolating participants into small groups or leaving them to face their trials alone. The atmosphere was alive with a palpable tension, a hum of energy that seemed to whisper secrets to those who dared to listen. In one such section, Zhen Ruyi, Lan Xue, and Zhao Tian found themselves trapped in a nightmarish scenario. Poisonous gases swirled around them, thick and suffocating, while the howls of demons and ghosts echoed through the air, their cries sharp enough to pierce the soul.

The temperature was unbearable, a searing heat that made the air shimmer and twist like a mirage. The walls of their enclosure were made of hellfire, their surfaces etched with golden patterns and lines that formed intricate scenes—rolling hills, towering mountains, a burning tree, and even a rain of fire that seemed to cascade endlessly.

Lan Xue, her Thousand Palm Flame Seed glowing faintly within her, was deeply engrossed in deciphering the mysteries hidden within those lines. Her focus was unshakable, even as the walls began to release more poisonous gas and the howling grew louder, more menacing.

"We have to figure out how to get past this level, or we'll all die!" Zhen Ruyi shouted, her voice strained as she conjured dozens of formation shields to protect herself. She activated three detox talismans in quick succession, their faint glow offering a small measure of relief as the poison began to seep into her meridians. "The gas is already invading my body!"

Lan Xue, her eyes still fixed on the golden patterns, spoke calmly, though her voice carried an edge of urgency. "If I'm not mistaken, this level is about comprehending the mysteries of fire. Only by understanding these patterns will we be allowed to leave. The fact that there are three of us here has made the challenge harder—it's testing us collectively."

"But we aren't flame cultivators!" Zhao Tian protested, his voice rising as the howls grew deafening, ringing in his ears like a thousand discordant bells. His hands clenched into fists, his frustration palpable.

"It doesn't matter," Lan Xue replied, her tone steady. "These aren't man-made formations. They're natural, born of the Solar flame. As long as one has enough talent, they can comprehend something from them." With that, she closed her eyes, shutting out the chaos around her. She focused on absorbing the spiritual energy in the air, allowing her Thousand Palm Flame Seed to act as a filter, destroying any poison or howling sound that tried to invade her body.

As she delved deeper into her meditation, the world around her shifted. The burning walls, the poisonous gas, the howling ghosts—all of it faded away. She found herself standing on a solitary hill, its surface ablaze with fire. The hill was surrounded by an endless sea of flames, their tongues licking hungrily at the sky. There was nothing else—no trees, no rocks, no life. Just the hill and the fire.

"If the heart is cold and seeks nothing else but one's own desires, does the flame in one's heart burn forever?" A deep, resonant voice echoed around her, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning, as Lan Xue pondered their significance.

---

Elsewhere in the battleground, Zhen Jinhai, the strongest junior from Northern Moon Zhen Clan, stood on a stone platform surrounded by hanging needles. The needles radiated an intense heat, their tips glowing red-hot. Before him was a painting of a perfect circle, its lines fluid and alive. The circle shifted and moved, as if it had a mind of its own, a formation with its own intelligence. Zhen Jinhai's eyes narrowed as he studied it, his mind racing to decipher its secrets.

---

In another section, Bia Zhan and Fan Lili found themselves trapped together in a room that seemed to be collapsing in on itself. The ceiling was slowly descending, its surface cracked and crumbling. The walls were lined with four glowing lines that pulsed rhythmically, their light sharp and blade-like one moment, soft and gentle the next, like the ebb and flow of a spring breeze. The two cultivators, who had been on the verge of fighting, now found themselves forced to work together to survive.

---

Meanwhile, Zhen Ming, Lei Wenshan, and Wu Lihua had formed an uneasy alliance, facing off against a group of cultivators from Obsidian Lake City. The room they were in was a nightmarish swamp, filled with poisonous bogs and swarms of venomous bugs—a testament to Obsidian Lake City's cultivation methods, which revolved around poison and the breeding of deadly insects. The healers of Verdant Sky City, who also practiced poison alongside their healing arts, wielded needles as their weapons of choice. Lightning crackled through the air as as Lie Wenshan chopped out with his blade, while Wu Lihua swung her staff with ferocious precision and strength as two other weapons floated around her, Zhen Ming's formation circles sliced through the chaos like blades of light as he dashed forward with his twin blades. Above the battlefield, a jade slip floated, its faint blue glow causing the air to ripple like the surface of a disturbed lake.

---

In yet another section, the scene was one of carnage. Blade light, poisonous bugs, and raging storms filled the air, their combined fury leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The ground was littered with bodies, some from Northern Moon, others from Verdant Sky City. Among the dead, Ren Xiangfeng, the strongest junior from Verdant Sky, stood triumphant. Above him floated a massive tree with its roots extending downwards, its dark, viscous form merging in and out with his body. The power of the Golden Core Realm radiated from him, his spiritual essence having exploded after he consumed a golden fruit that had been floating in the air. The fruit had been the prize of this section, and Ren Xiangfeng had slaughtered his way to it, even killing his own allies to claim its power.

"Haha, so this is how the Golden Core realm feels!" His laughter was wild, almost manic, as he reveled in his newfound strength. Not far from him stood Fang Suyu, a young woman from Northern Moon's Fang clan and cousin to Fang Lili. She trembled with fear, having witnessed Ren Xiangfeng's brutality firsthand. He had killed without mercy, his lust for power overriding any sense of loyalty or morality.

"Fang Suyu, was it?" Ren Xiangfeng's voice was low, almost predatory, as he began to walk toward her. His eyes gleamed with a dark desire, his intentions clear. The large tree above him spread, its tendrils seeping into the ground and corroding everything in their path.

"Stay away from me!" Fang Suyu screamed, her voice breaking as the poison began to invade her body, eating away at her spiritual energy. Around them, the broken remains of puppets lay scattered, their sharp blades still clutched in lifeless hands. These puppets had been the challenge of this section, their blades claiming many lives before Ren Xiangfeng had overcome them and claimed the golden fruit.

---

Across the battleground, countless other scenes unfolded. Danue Ge faced off against cultivators from Silver Sword City, his Water Prison Pearl in full effect. Chen Yutian, the leader of Silver Sword City, stood calmly before him, a broken sword floating above his head. The sword's Qi was so intense that it caused the walls around them to crack and splinter. Above them, a jade slip burned with flames as sharp as a sword's edge.

Danue Ge had initially intended to leave the slip to Chen Yutian, but the way it confined the air, creating a prison-like effect, had caught his interest. Though Chen Yutian was far stronger, Danue Ge hoped his Water Prison Pearl would give him a fighting chance. He panted heavily, his mind racing as he prepared for the battle ahead, praying that the "Little Sword Emperor" would show him mercy if he lost.

/////

Ji Kan of the Ji clan, Yin Aoran of Azure Spirit Hall, Hong Gulong of Crimson Sky Pavilion, Bia Wuhong of the Bia clan, Fang Yucheng of the Fang clan, and Xiao Tianshu from the Ironwood Sect were scattered across the battleground, each facing their own trials. They were the strongest of their respective factions and families, their names whispered with reverence.

Yet, here, in this realm forged by the Solaris Infernum and Lunara Glacies, even they were humbled by the sheer magnitude of the challenges before them. Some fought with brute strength, their techniques tearing through the air like thunder. Others sat in quiet contemplation, their minds racing to unravel the mysteries embedded in the walls of ice and fire before they die. Each of them pushed forward relentlessly, driven by the promise of power and the fear of failure.

---

Jiang Feng, meanwhile, stood in a chamber of ice, the walls shimmering with intricate patterns that seemed to pulse with a life of their own. The cold was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It seeped into his bones, his meridians, his very soul. Every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass, and the air around him crackled with a frost so intense it threatened to freeze even his thoughts.

He clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening as he fought to maintain control. The infernal breathing technique he had honed over countless battles roared to life within him, its fiery essence clashing against the invading cold.

He took a deep breath, the air hissing as it entered his lungs, and exhaled slowly, a faint wisp of steam escaping his lips. The cold was relentless, but so was he. With each cycle of his breathing, he felt the infernal energy within him grow stronger, more refined. The technique, which he had once thought simple, now revealed its true depth. It wasn't just a way to regulate his spiritual energy—it was a forge, tempering his body and spirit against the harshest of elements.

"So, infernal breathing isn't as simple as it seems," Jiang Feng muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the howling wind that seemed to emanate from the walls. He lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. His lungs expanded and contracted like bellows, drawing in the frigid spiritual energy and transforming it into a blazing heat that coursed through his veins. The ice around him began to melt, droplets of water forming and then evaporating into steam as the temperature in the chamber shifted.

The patterns on the walls seemed to respond to his efforts, their glow intensifying as if acknowledging his presence. Jiang Feng's mind raced, not just to withstand the cold but to understand it. The lines on the walls weren't random—they were a language, a map of the natural laws governing ice and cold. He focused on them, his breathing steady and rhythmic, as he began to piece together their meaning.

The chamber was no longer just a test of endurance; it was a crucible of comprehension. Jiang Feng's body trembled, not from the cold but from the sheer effort of pushing his limits. His infernal breathing technique, once a tool for survival against his Skyforge Flame, was now evolving into something more—a bridge between fire and ice, a harmony of opposites.

As he delved deeper into his meditation, the world around him faded away. The howling wind, the biting cold, even the patterns on the walls—all of it dissolved into a void of pure focus. In that void, Jiang Feng found clarity. The cold was no longer an enemy; it was a teacher. And he was ready to learn.

---

After a few days, the other challengers moved on if they weren't killed. Elsewhere, the other cultivators faced their own trials. Ji Kan of the Ji clan stood in a chamber filled with swirling flames, his body drenched in sweat as he struggled to decipher the fiery patterns etched into the walls. Yin Aoran of Azure Spirit Hall meditated in a field of frozen flowers, his breath visible in the icy air as h sought to unlock the secrets of the frost.

Hong Gulong of Crimson Sky Pavilion roared in defiance as he battled a spectral beast made of pure flame, his fists crackling with thunderous energy. Bia Wuhong of the Bia clan and Fang Yucheng of the Fang clan worked together, their combined strength barely enough to hold back a tide of poisonous insects that were very large and eerie. Xiao Tianshu from the Ironwood Sect stood alone in a storm of blades, his movements precise and calculated as he deflected each attack with ten shields rotating around him.

Each of them was pushed to their limits, their strengths and weaknesses laid bare. The battleground was a mirror, reflecting not just their power but their resolve. And as the challenges grew more intense, so too did their determination. They were the strongest of their generation, and they would not falter. Not here. Not now.

---

Jiang Feng opened his eyes, his breath steady and his body radiating a faint warmth that defied the cold around him. He stood, his movements deliberate and confident, as he faced the next challenge. The patterns on the walls seemed to shift, their glow intensifying as if in response to his presence. He smiled faintly, a spark of determination in his eyes.

"Let's see what else you have," he murmured, his voice carrying a quiet strength. The battleground had tested him, but it had also revealed his potential. And Jiang Feng was ready to claim it.