The statue itself was not a solid entity, but composed of extremely condensed, nearly solidified wind elements. Green light circulated endlessly within the statue, emitting a terrifying pressure that made one's heart tremble. At the feet of the statue, in the center position of the altar, was a slowly rotating, green-blue vortex with a diameter of about ten meters. The vortex was bottomless, emitting strong spatial fluctuations and wind attribute energy ten times denser than the surroundings. And the Tears of the Wind God on Bibi Dong's chest, at this moment, shone brightly, floating autonomously, pointing straight at the center of that vortex, conveying an emotion of immense desire and urgency.
"The entrance to the inheritance site..." Bibi Dong gazed at that vortex. She could feel that inside there was something resonating with the depths of her soul. It was the call of the complete Wind God authority. But at the same time, she also felt a layer of incredibly powerful sealing force surrounding the vortex, and a... scrutinizing will.
"Outsider, holder of the token." A grand, neutral voice, as if converged from ten million wind sounds, rang out directly deep within the souls of the two, echoing throughout the altar space. That huge wind element statue's head seemed to lower imperceptibly by one degree, an invisible gaze falling upon Bibi Dong and the necklace on her chest. "You, desire to inherit the Wind's authority, master the Sky's rhythm?"
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, stepped forward one step, neither humble nor arrogant, and said loudly: "My name is Bibi Dong, the one acknowledged by the Tears of the Wind God. Coming here today, not to steal authority, but to respond to the call, inherit the will, and explore the Way of the Sky." Her words contained a trace of the Raksha Divine Power's trait, cold and firm, yet strangely resonated lightly with the lightness of the Tears of the Wind God.
That voice was silent for a moment, seeming to carefully perceive and evaluate. "You bear alien divine power, dark and deep, contradictory to the Wind's lightness and freedom. However, the token indeed matches your soul, acknowledging your qualification. The Wind Inheritance focuses not only on power, but more on mentality and will. Under the sky, it encompasses everything, yet also holds the might of storms and thunder." The voice paused, then continued, "However, the path of inheritance is one of nine deaths and one life (90% chance to die). Only those with great perseverance, great wisdom, and great opportunity can obtain it. Are you willing to accept the trial?"
"I am willing." Bibi Dong's answer had no hesitation whatsoever.
"Good." As the voice sounded, simultaneously, around the altar, the eight huge wind crystal pillars corresponding to the eight directions suddenly lit up. A different green rune emerged at the top of each pillar, representing respectively: Swiftness, Cutting, Flowing, Perception, Bearing, Change, Destruction, Creation — the different aspects and laws of Wind. And the vortex in the center of the altar began to spin faster, emitting an even stronger suction force.
"The trial has three stages. First stage, the 'Wind Corridor', tests your understanding and control of the Wind's essence. The second stage, 'Mirror of Sky Realm', reflects the essence of your heart, forcing you to face the storm within directly. Third stage, 'God Soul Inheritance', endure the impact and fusion of the Wind God Soul, casting the Foundation of Godhood. Pass, and you obtain the inheritance; fail, and your soul will scatter, or you will be forever trapped in the wind eye."
As the voice fell, before Bibi Dong could react, the Tears of the Wind God on her chest shot out a strong green light, connecting with that vortex. An irresistible force wrapped around her, instantly pulling her towards the center of the vortex.
"Dong'er!" Dai Chengfeng was greatly shocked, wanting to step forward, but was blocked by a soft yet incredibly solid wind wall at the edge of the altar. No matter how he urged his soul power, he could not break through.
"There is only one trial taker. The guardian may wait quietly outside the altar, or leave now." The grand voice said indifferently, then ignored them thereafter.
Dai Chengfeng watched helplessly as Bibi Dong's figure disappeared into the green-blue vortex, his fists clenched tightly, knuckles turning white. But he quickly forced himself to calm down, sitting cross-legged at the edge of the altar, guarding his soul power internally, his spiritual power highly concentrated. On one hand, he was guarding for Bibi Dong, alert for possible external interference — although the depths of this secret realm seemed safe, no one could guarantee that no other covetous people could break in; on the other hand, he was also trying to analyze the surrounding wind laws, attempting to find a possibility to contact Bibi Dong or provide aid if necessary, even if the hope was slim.
At the same time, Bibi Dong, who had been sucked into the vortex, felt as if she was falling into a long passage composed of pure wind elements. Up, down, and all around were whistling, circulating green lights; there was no solid entity, no sense of direction, only endless falling and spinning. She stabilized her mind, fully communicating with the Tears of the Wind God. The necklace emitted a warm light protecting her sea of consciousness, simultaneously transmitting some instinctive information on how to cope with the wind environment.
After a disorientating amount of time, a path suddenly became solid, and she landed in a strange corridor.
This was the "Wind Corridor". The corridor had no visible end; the two sides and top were not walls, but slowly flowing, semi-transparent green wind walls. On the wind walls, countless fine runes flashed, wandered, and combined like living creatures, demonstrating the myriad changes of the wind. The ground of the corridor was solid pale green crystal stone, also carved with profound patterns. It was exceptionally quiet here; one could not hear the whistling sound of the wind. But Bibi Dong could feel that every inch of space was filled with condensed and active wind laws. They operated in ways difficult to capture with the naked eye, forming invisible pressure fields, cutting nets, and soul-confusing arrays.
The trial of the first stage began immediately. In the peaceful corridor ahead, without warning, three rotating wind blades appeared, shooting silently and swiftly in a triangle formation. The trajectory was tricky, the speed extremely fast, and moreover, they contained a sharp intent capable of tearing space. Bibi Dong's eyes condensed; she did not block them head-on. Her body swayed with the wind in a light posture that defied common sense, like a willow flower, cleverly avoiding the trajectories of the wind blades.
However, the wind blades seemed to have spirituality; missing one strike, they immediately returned, even faster. Moreover, they split into more tiny wind threads, winding in from all directions. Bibi Dong realized that simple dodging could not pass the trial; she must understand and utilize the wind laws here. She stood still in place, her spiritual power highly concentrated, using the Tears of the Wind God to perceive the flow laws of the surrounding wind elements. Soon, she discovered that these attacks were not completely disordered. Their trajectory, strength, and changes all implicitly corresponded with certain rune combinations flashing on the wind walls.
She tried mobilizing her soul power, not to oppose, but to imitate and integrate. Her fingertips condensed a wisp of wind attribute soul power with a frequency similar to the attacking wind blades, lightly pointing at a certain place on the wind wall where a rune was lighting up. A miraculous thing happened; that rune's light rose slightly, and the trajectory of the incoming wind blades immediately showed a trace of disorder.
It's effective!
Bibi Dong's heart settled greatly; she began to actively observe and analyze the laws of the wind wall runes. Simultaneously cooperating with body techniques and soul power, sometimes pointing her finger to interfere with runes, sometimes guiding the attacking wind blades to collide and cancel each other out, sometimes transforming herself into a clear wind to integrate into the environment, avoiding fatal cuts. This was a process that consumed immense mental energy and soul power. It required instant judgment, precise control, and a deep understanding of the wind laws. Bibi Dong combined the tenacious will tempered during the Raksha God Trials with the affinity granted by the Tears of the Wind God, pushing forward step by step.
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