The sudden development made Calum's eyes contract. Instantly he flourished his sword and pierced it in a straight line. The unknown assailant adroitly avoided the attack, grabbed his sword-wielding arm, and sent him crashing heavily against a tree a few meters away.

Crack.

Ignoring his broken bones, Calum sprung sideways avoiding a lethal blow. The tree behind him exploded into splinters. He stood up quickly and slashed at the assailant. This time the sword bit slightly into the flesh before becoming unable to go any further.

Seeing the lackluster effect of his slash, Calum took a few steps back. The humanoid figure looked amusedly at his palm. The small wound didn't even bleed. It quickly closed, flesh mending back together.

"Such reflexes! Truly impressive for a mortal. "The humanoid praised. He would look almost human if it wasn't for the canine eyes, ear, and tail.

"What manner of creature are you? "Calum asked never having come across such creature before.

"Me? I am obviously a demon. Sigh… If it wasn't for that vicious lad, how could I end up like this!? "He answered then become furious.

This demon was captured by the saint of the Demonic Saint sect and brought into this space. He had already been here for thousands of years. His real power was far more than what he demonstrated. After all, he was a 7-tribulation demon. A couple more tribulations and he would have become a demon king. Instead, here he was, his cultivation suppressed to almost nothing by this place.

Calum raised his brow at the demon hysteria.

"Don't look at me like that you too, would be mad if you were a prisoner for 3000 years, forced to serve as a test for your enemy disciples-to-be. "

Calum finally ascertained that this was a real place. He was also baffled by the timespan the demon spoke about and by his actual cultivation level.

"Thankfully there is only another 5000 years to go." The demon muttered. Then, seeming to recall his purpose, he looked at Calum.

"It's been a while since a trial taker didn't die at my first strike, even more since one managed to injure me. You are something else, kid. You can go, you've passed the second trial." Saying so, the demon retreated into the woodlands and vanished.

The second trial is over? Good! When I passed the first trial, the old man said that I was already qualified to be an outer disciple. Now that I successfully passed the second trial my qualification should be even higher.

This time as he stayed awake despite his wretched body, just so he could observe the whole process of transition. Before long, something happened. Ripples appeared in the air. Reality seemed to twist upon itself and as if a bubble had been popped, the forest vanished.

When reality reasserted itself, Calum was on a battlefield. It was already night. The army he belonged to was particularly silent. The army was composed of cultivators. This simple fact blew his mind. He was a mortal in the middle of a supernatural war. The cultivators' eyes filled with wariness and apprehension. As usual, his wounds vanished, and his body was in peak condition. In front of him was an army of skeletons. He finally understood the weird atmosphere in his camp. Terrifying wail broke the silence of the night as the skeletons charged forward.

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The ground shook rattling Calum bones as a 4 meters tall skeleton of some unknown beast trampled the ground. The situation wasn't very encouraging. They were facing undead foes who had almost none of their mortal weak spots.

Suddenly a powerful voice shook the air.

"Fellows we cannot let those monsters get past us! We are the last standing line between them and or our family. If we don't go to hell first, are we supposed to let our families leave before us!!?" The cultivator who spoke was floating a few meters above the army. He had an awe-inspiring aura showcasing profound cultivation.

As if an invisible will to fight was ignited inside them, the cultivators roared in unison. It was like thunder broke the night open. The ominous dark clouds in the sky parted, exposing a clear sky full of celestial bodies.

Calum observed the atmosphere and felt an invisible presence spread from each cultivator. The presence seemed to disregard death, viewing battle as the only truth. His eyes shined brighter and brighter as the presence became clearer and clearer in his mind. He felt like he was on the cusp of grasping something.

Blur.

A huge bone cub displaced the air and fell heavily toward his distracted figure. His eyes contracted as he avoided the blow with agile steps. Calum marveled at the ease with which he moved. Before, without any false modesty, he could have called himself a skilled fighter. Now all his motions were refined and precise. Always dancing on the verge of death had forged him into a deadly thing. Naturally, his combat awareness definitely reached a supernatural realm. He didn't need to see the danger to avoid it. It was already an instinctual response.

Crash.

The ground cracked from the impact. Dancing around the skeleton and avoiding wild blows, Calum found himself behind it. Decisively he pierced forward. The strike broke its skull and extinguished its unnatural life.

The skeleton became white dust drifting in the wind. Looking around, the cultivators were fighting savagely. Wielding various artifacts, they were laying waste to the undead army. Calum felt his blood boil and the same sensation as before filled his mind.

In a bid to grasp it fully this time, he jumped into the fray battling with abandon. He forgot who he was, where he was. He only knew one thing, battle.

A few hours later, after a harrowing fight, the cultivator army triumphed. It was a pyrrhic victory, but it was still a victory. Calum stood in the middle of a white dust sea. His chest heaving frenetically, his eyes were closed. Suddenly, peace was broken, and a formidable presence spread from his frail figure.

Battle Intent!

A supernatural power granted to those who relish in battle and aren't afraid to dance with death.

. . . . . . . . . .

Inside a darkened room a pair of gold eyes opened.

"Someone managed to pass the third trial and comprehend battle intent. Is he the one? No. too soon to say. The last trial will decide if it's fated."

Concluding so the mysterious voice fell silent, and the golden eyes closed.

. . . . . . . . . .

The surrounding cultivators saw this with gratification in their eyes. One by one they cupped their fists toward him and disappeared as the first ray of sun brightened the sky.

Soon enough Calum was alone on the battlefield. He was baffled by this development. Previously, meeting that demon had made him conclude that this was real, that the entire trial was in fact constructed in another space. but the eerie way he disappeared made him doubt again.

Are they ghosts? If that's the case was the demon a ghost too? No, I am sure the demon was real! I fought him and even injured him.

He was puzzled but let it go because reality had once again reshaped itself. He was now standing in front of a waterfall. There was a bronze statue sitting on a rock. On it, a few rustic characters were written.

It read:

Treasure Assimilation Scripture.