TL: Etude
“This is it!” Ye Tian murmured as he stared at the massive black mountain before him.
This black mountain was the site of the Blackwind Mountain’s inheritance, though from the outside, it appeared completely unremarkable.
Even with Ye Tian’s current strength, he couldn’t detect anything unusual. His spiritual sense swept across the area, but he found no entrance or restrictions—everything suggested that this was just an ordinary mountain.
Yet the Blackwind Mountain Peak Lord Mandate clearly indicated that this was the inheritance site.
“As expected, Blackwind Mountain isn’t simple. With concealment techniques of this level, it would be difficult for other forces to discover the inheritance site,” Ye Tian thought to himself.
Without hesitation, Ye Tian activated the Blackwind Mountain Peak Lord Mandate.
Instantly, a black light shot out from the massive mountain, enveloping Ye Tian and pulling him inside.
Everything happened so quickly that Ye Tian didn’t even have time to resist.
“This place is…”Ye Tian found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment.
It had suffered very little damage and was nothing like the desolate battlefield ruins he had encountered before.
Here, he stood on a vast plaza, surrounded by a sea of blooming flowers. The sky above was a serene blue.
Moreover, the chaos yuan qi in this place was calm and harmonious, entirely unlike the chaotic, lifeless yuan qi of battlefield ruins.
At the center of the plaza stood a series of enormous demon statues, each one only partially emerged from the ground, with half their bodies visible. Their wide-open mouths gave the impression of a perpetual roar.
Each mouth served as a passage—a trial entrance.
These massive mouths corresponded to three tiers of trials: the Provisional Peak Lord Trial, the Peak Lord Trial, and the General Trial.
As for the King Trial, it wasn’t available here.
That made sense. The Ten Kings were the supreme rulers of Blackwind Mountain. Without the fall of a current king, it was unlikely the King Trial would be opened. Moreover, given that Blackwind Mountain had multiple inheritance sites, it was natural that the King Trial wouldn’t be set here.
The Provisional Peak Lord Trial was the smallest and tucked away at the edge of the plaza, reflecting its low importance. After all, very few True Monarchs could pass it.
In fact, even after countless years, it was possible that not a single True Monarch had succeeded in passing the trial.
The true geniuses of the Domain Realm weren’t necessarily interested in becoming the Peak Lord of Blackwind Mountain. And those ambitious enough to desire the title often lacked the necessary strength and potential.
Thus, the Provisional Peak Lord Trial had become somewhat of an awkward fixture, essential yet neglected.
Still, it had to be available. Therefore, each inheritance site included a single entrance for the Provisional Peak Lord Trial.
Ye Tian made his way toward the giant demon statue’s mouth designated for the Provisional Peak Lord Trial and stepped inside without hesitation.
Once inside, Ye Tian immediately sensed that his abilities were being suppressed—his spiritual sense, divine power, and even his replication talent were restricted.
Initially, Ye Tian assumed that entering the demon statue would transport him to another space, where he would face one challenge after another.
But he was mistaken!
He wasn’t teleported away. Instead, he remained inside the demon statue, which was more akin to a colossal tower. Ye Tian had started at the very top and needed to descend step by step to face each challenge.
What surprised Ye Tian even more was that the moment he entered one of the trial halls, he encountered three Half-Step True Ancestors. One of them was a familiar face—True Monarch Dragon Sea!
“Senior Brother Dragon Sea!” Ye Tian exclaimed in surprise.
“Junior Brother! You’re here too?”
True Monarch Dragon Sea was just as startled to see Ye Tian.
It was clear that True Monarch Dragon Sea hadn’t expected Ye Tian to arrive here as well. The coincidence was too uncanny.
“Senior Brother Dragon Sea, did you also obtain the Blackwind Mountain Peak Lord Mandate?” Ye Tian asked.
Ye Tian sent a voice transmission to ask, “Is that so?”
True Monarch Dragon Sea admitted, “Yes! Earlier, I was fighting True Monarch Ghost Shadow and True Monarch Nether River in a ruin. We found several corpses of True Ancestors there. I obtained a Blackwind Mountain Peak Lord Mandate from one of the corpses, and both Ghost Shadow and Nether River also got their own tokens. After refining them, we learned about the existence of Blackwind Mountain and its inheritance site, so we hurried here.”
“So that’s how it is,” Ye Tian realized.
He wasn’t surprised by this. Blackwind Mountain had many Peak Lords, and it was natural that some of them had fallen in these battlefield ruins. As a result, many Peak Lord Mandates had likely been left behind.
It was also likely that more True Monarchs or Half-Step True Ancestors would arrive at this inheritance site later.
At that moment, True Monarch Ghost Shadow and True Monarch Nether River fixed their gazes on Ye Tian. True Monarch Ghost Shadow’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, as if he wanted to kill Ye Tian on the spot.
However, no fighting was allowed here. Even if it were possible, Ghost Shadow wouldn’t be able to kill Ye Tian with True Monarch Dragon Sea present.
As for True Monarch Nether River, he remained neutral and showed no inclination to help anyone.
Ye Tian paid no attention to Ghost Shadow’s hostile gaze and continued speaking with True Monarch Dragon Sea.
“Senior Brother Dragon Sea, what is this trial about?” Ye Tian asked.
“Junior Brother, look at that black stele over there.” True Monarch Dragon Sea pointed toward a black stone stele not far away. “That is the trial.”
Ye Tian had already noticed the stele but hadn’t examined it in detail. Now, at True Monarch Dragon Sea’s suggestion, he extended his spiritual sense toward it. As his consciousness entered the black stele, the trial’s content was immediately revealed to him.
“The Nine Soul Tempering Techniques!”
This was a secret technique designed to temper the soul—a rare and valuable method.
The trial required participants to cultivate the Nine Soul Tempering Techniques. Passing the trial meant mastering at least the sixth technique.
At this point, True Monarch Dragon Sea reminded Ye Tian, “Junior Brother, the Nine Soul Tempering Techniques are an exceptional secret technique. However, there’s a limitation here: once we leave, we’ll forget the techniques entirely. We’ve already tested it before, so we have no choice but to cultivate the Nine Techniques here and now.
“The speed at which you can cultivate it depends on your soul strength, comprehension ability, and potential. The stronger your soul, and the greater your talent and comprehension, the faster you’ll progress.
“Unfortunately, despite all my efforts, I’ve only managed to reach the third technique. I don’t know if I’ll be able to reach the sixth!”
“Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Dragon Sea,” Ye Tian responded gratefully.
True Monarch Dragon Sea didn’t say anything further and immediately resumed his cultivation.
Ye Tian didn’t disturb him any longer. Instead, he found a cushion to sit on and quietly began studying the Nine Soul Tempering Techniques.
“What a profound secret technique!” Ye Tian marveled inwardly as he delved into the method.
The value of this technique alone was likely on par with an ordinary True Ancestor inheritance.
The Nine Soul Tempering Techniques refined the soul by repeatedly compressing it. If one mastered the ninth technique, they could compress their soul to its absolute limit, significantly enhancing its defensive capabilities.
Moreover, the technique also increased the soul’s potential to some degree. However, this method primarily served as a test of potential rather than a full-fledged soul cultivation technique.
“Time to begin. With my potential, mastering the sixth technique shouldn’t be too difficult!” Ye Tian thought to himself and focused his mind.