Each month, on a specific day, a passage to the tomb would open, allowing cultivators at the fifth level of Qi Condensation to enter. However, the tomb could accommodate only one hundred individuals at a time. The tomb was jointly managed by two sects, the Heavenly Blades and the Radiant Fingers, with each contributing fifty participants. Inside awaited a labyrinth filled with traps. The participants of this macabre race had to overcome all obstacles and reach the Phantom Library located at the labyrinth's center. Glowing arrows on the walls provided guidance, making it difficult to lose one's way. However, as multiple paths led to the library, luck played a significant role in determining the victors.
The first victors would gather in a special chamber. Once ten participants were inside, the entrance would close, and a door to the library would open. The library contained numerous jade plaques inscribed with various cultivation techniques, though each participant could only take one plaque. They were given one hour to study it before the plaque vanished, and all victors were teleported out. If fewer than ten participants arrived within three days, then on the third day, anyone already inside the tomb would be allowed access to the library.
Participants who failed to reach the library in time for its opening would be teleported to isolated rooms, where they would remain for the next hour until they were "expelled" from the tomb.
Fighting between participants was permitted during the search for the library, with the primary directive being to eliminate members of the opposing sect. However, killing someone already in the library's waiting chamber was strictly forbidden.
The library wasn't the only way to benefit from the trial. The labyrinth was filled with ancient and valuable items, so participants were instructed to take anything not bolted down and even forcibly remove items if necessary. To facilitate this, the sect generously provided each participant with a basic spatial ring, capable of holding about five liters of loot. I couldn't help but note that these rings looked identical to the one I had found on the hand of that "great cultivator" in the forest.
After explaining the mission's details and the sect's objectives, we were given breakfast, a three-day ration pack, and a water pouch. We were also cheerfully informed that defecating anywhere in the tomb would risk invoking the wrath of the tomb's spirit for such disrespect.
Following this, we were herded up the gorge under close guard, ensuring none of the sacrificial lambs tried to escape or accidentally fell headfirst onto the rocks below. As I marched behind the guide, I began mentally calculating the human cost of this operation. They sent children into the tomb every month. To identify fifty "luckiest" survivors, they effectively ground up about a thousand individuals. Annually, this sect consumes twelve thousand children.
They certainly operating on a grand scale, no denying that. In my "home" village, cultivators only appeared once a year, and even then, they rarely took anyone. The odds of an individual being born with a talent for cultivation were less than five percent, and even fewer had the inclination to pursue it. At best, this left a one percent chance for a newborn to qualify as "chosen meat." With an annual birth rate of 1.2 million, assuming a fertility rate of forty under local living conditions, this implied a population of around thirty million.
In essence, the Heavenly Blades sect controlled an area equivalent to a small country. And right next door were our "sworn allies" from the Radiant Fingers sect. Indeed, there was plenty of room for expansion.
Meanwhile, we traversed the gorge and entered yet another valley. This one had a far more sinister atmosphere. The path was lined with scattered skeletons, "decorated" with desiccated trees, and surrounded by brittle, lifeless grass that seemed to cling to its last traces of vitality. The name "Valley of Deprivation" was fitting for such a place.
After about a kilometer, we arrived at an imposing structure built into the mountainside. Crafted from black stone, its sheer size and solidity commanded respect. It was evident this edifice had been designed to withstand the test of time. Notably, it lacked a door. Where an entrance would logically be, there was instead a massive circle etched with golden symbols—clearly a spatial seal of some kind.
We were lined up in orderly rows, and the tedious waiting began. After about fifteen minutes, another group of people arrived. This group mainly consisted of rowdy teenagers, likely around thirteen to fifteen years old. They, too, were lined up, about twenty meters away from us. The leaders of both groups began a hushed conversation, but our rivals from the Radiant Fingers sect decided to amuse themselves by shouting insults.
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"So, these are the 'legendary' disciples of the Heavenly Blades sect? They look so frail. I doubt any of them will survive this year."
"If you keep screaming, I'll make sure none of you survive" - I promised darkly, barely raising my voice.
"And who might you be? Some ancient cultivator of legend? Oh no, wait, you’re just at the fifth level of Qi Condensation. You’d better shut your mouth and avoid attracting my attention."
"The smallest frog in the swamp croaks the loudest" - I replied lazily. - "Go on, little frog, croak something else amusing."
That silenced him. His face flushed red with embarrassment, but before he could collect his thoughts and respond, the leaders returned to address the groups.
"The gates will open soon" - noted Chi Hua Hua, our leader. - "This month, it’s our turn to go first."
"No, you went first last time" - countered a gaunt old man from the opposing group.
"I suggest a little sparring match between our disciples. The winner gets the privilege of entering the tomb first."
"Fine. A warm-up will do our best disciple some good" - the old man agreed.
"Tan Ji Tao, step forward" - commanded Chi Hua Hua.
"Ho Pe Les, come forward" - the gaunt elder ordered.
To my amusement, my opponent turned out to be the very loudmouth from earlier.
"So, we meet again, little frog" - I said with a smirk. - "I thought I’d have to search the tomb to find you."
"You! I’ll shove those words right back down your throat!" - snarled Ho Pe Les, failing to find a more cultured retort.
"We’ll see, little frog" - I replied with another smirk.
"Prepare to fight, BEGIN!" - barked the elder.
My opponent immediately began jumping around, trying to distract and confuse me with feints and flashy footwork. Meanwhile, I stood still, my hands lowered, but my reaction time sharpened by psionics. While he hopped from side to side like a deranged cricket, I decided to mock him further.
"I’ll admit it, little frog, you’re as good at jumping as you are at croaking."
That was the final straw. Enraged, Ho Pe Les charged at me, aiming a punch at my face. I casually sidestepped and delivered a single "normal punch" to his jaw. His head snapped to the side, and his unconscious body collapsed to the ground.
"Done. And it seems I didn’t even kill him" - I reported nonchalantly to my commander.
"Ha! I never doubted you" - Chi Hua Hua replied with a chuckle, throwing a mocking glance at the elder from the Radiant Fingers sect.
"Take him away" - the elder ordered disdainfully. - "If he doesn’t wake up before the gates close, slit his throat."
The rival sect’s guards quickly carried the body away. He will not wake up again. Using psionics, I had already seen the damage my punch had caused, his cervical vertebrae were dislocated, leading to partial paralysis. It was treatable, but no one here would bother with such "trivialities."
Meanwhile, the spatial transfer seal at the tomb’s entrance began to glow and ripple.
"Prepare yourselves. Entry will proceed one by one, alternating between sects. There will be a thirty-second pause between entrants. Tan Ji Tao, you’re first" - commanded Chi Hua Hua.
I approached the entrance, carefully inspecting it visually and probing it with psionics. Unfortunately, the mechanism was so complex that I couldn’t make sense of how it operated. The ripples in the portal settled, revealing a swirling mist that obscured about a third of the seal.
"Go!" came the order, and I calmly stepped into the mist.
I walked forward blindly for about five meters before emerging on the other side. I found myself in a dimly lit corridor, leaving me little choice of direction. Glancing back at the misty portal, I focused on what lay ahead.
Picking up my pace, I soon arrived in a large hall. The lighting here was better, and the walls were more ornately decorated, with gold patterns visible in some places. The hall had numerous doors, staircases, and ramps—more than two dozen exits leading in different directions. I also noticed glowing arrows scattered around, pointing toward specific paths.
Deciding that navigating a labyrinth wasn’t fitting for someone of my stature, I headed straight ahead, toward the most elaborately adorned doors. As I neared them, I scanned the obstacle with psionics and smirked. These doors didn’t open inward or outward but slid to the side. Without knowing this, one might pull on them with all their strength, believing them locked. Applying some force, I slid the panels apart and stepped through. Behind me, the doors closed with a sound reminiscent of a lion’s jaws snapping shut.
The rest of my journey through the labyrinth could be summed up in one word: boring. Stupid traps, stupid maze. Using psionics, I identified all obstacles well in advance, adjusting my "majestic strides" to bypass them without triggering anything. Occasionally, I encountered the desiccated corpses of previous contenders, victims of one trap or another. They appeared mummified, with no signs of decomposition, and emitted almost no odor.