The rocky trail was so narrow that only one person could pass through at a time. Liu Chen walked carefully, his senses heightened by the oppressive atmosphere of the subterranean cavern. When he was halfway through the passage, he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet begin to tremble violently.
He looked down and saw the muddy ground on both sides of the trail begin to churn and boil, forming turbulent waves of sludge. Accompanied by a series of low, wet roars, strangely shaped Mud Monsters emerged from the muck.
These creatures were grotesque, constructed entirely of stinking slime and emitting a nauseating odor. Each of them was as tall as a grown man, and they rose in overwhelming numbers , more than a hundred surged toward Liu Chen with terrifying momentum.
Leading this tide was a monolithic Mud Monster Beast King. The creature stood three meters tall and over five meters long, its body covered in a swirling protective shield of mud and water that hummed with primeval power. With a thunderous roar, the Beast King gathered the mud on its surface into a massive sphere and launched it like a cannonball. The mud ball tore through the air, aimed straight for Liu Chen.
"So, this is the trial," Liu Chen mused, his expression cool. "If it were any other Gu Master, these monsters would be a nightmare. Luckily, I have the right tools."
Liu Chen stood his ground and urged the Sword Qi Gu within his aperture. A dazzling blade of light shot from his hand, cutting through the approaching mud ball with lightning speed. The sphere exploded, splashing sludge across the path, but Liu Chen did not stop. He continued to unleash Sword Qi, his blades sweeping through the crowd of monsters like a storm.
The Mud Monsters had no way to dodge the assault. Their bodies were easily torn apart, reduced to formless puddles on the ground. However, to Liu Chen's surprise, the mud began to gather again, drawn together by an invisible force. Within seconds, the monsters had returned to their original state, completely unharmed.
He realized the problem: these were not biological creatures but naturally formed elemental entities. Their bodies were made of dirt and law fragments, giving them nearly infinite self healing abilities. Against a Strength Path or traditional Sword Path Master, they were a perfect nemesis. Unless the core of the Mud Monster was destroyed directly, they would remain unscathed no matter how many times they were sliced.
"Linear strikes and speed... the classic advantages of Sword are useless here," Liu Chen analyzed.
He decided to switch tactics. He urged his Sword Qi Gu and Sword Walk Gu simultaneously.
"Five dan Slash!"
Liu Chen's figure became a ghost, moving freely among the Mud Monsters. Each of his sword strikes landed precisely, but he allowed the blades to pass through the creatures' bodies without exerting force. To a bystander, it would look like he was failing to do damage, but Liu Chen was smiling.
"What a trial! Sword Shadow, Flat Crane... I finally understand the mystery of this inheritance."
He returned to the relative safety of the path's edge and prepared the true killing move of the Ping Duhe legacy.
"Killing Move: Sword Shadow Leaves Marks!"
Liu Chen urged four Gu insects at once. His Yellow Gold Primeval Essence surged outward as a black sword shadow erupted from his hand like a bolt of dark lightning. Under the precise control of the Imperial Sword Gu, the shadow cut through a dozen Mud Monsters in a single whirlwind rotation.
As the monsters began to reform, Liu Chen spat out a single word: "Broken!"
In that instant, tiny, needle like bursts of sword energy erupted from inside the slashed mud bodies. The energy poured out like a rainstorm, shredding the elemental cores. The Mud Monsters collapsed instantly, unable to gather themselves ever again.
As the bodies dissolved into inert sludge, countless Primeval Stones began to emerge from the muck, emitting a faint, crystalline light. Liu Chen sighed at the cleverness of the arrangement. For ordinary trialists, these stones would be a vital lifeline to replenish their essence during the grueling fight. For him, however, they were merely dispensable items between the Sky Origin Sword Gu, the Monarch Lotus, and the Three Watches Gu working in constant rotation, his Yellow Gold essence replenished itself at a rate that made the stones practically decorative.
"Come on, let me kill!"
A glint of excitement flashed in Liu Chen's eyes. He set foot on the rocky path once more. With every step, he unleashed the Sword Shadow, swinging his arm vigorously. Each strike accurately marked a target, and each command of "Broken!" resulted in an instant kill.
The Mud Monsters fell by the dozens, but the slaughter was interrupted by a deafening roar. The Mud Monster Beast King lunged forward. With its body as the center, a terrifying torrent of mud and rocks swept toward Liu Chen like a tidal wave.
Liu Chen immediately recognized the threat. The Beast King was not just a brute; it had wild Gu living on its body. He calmly analyzed the incoming attack: "Rank 2 Mud Bullet Gu, Rank 3 Mud Gu and Stone Flow Gu... and there should be a defensive Gu hidden beneath that shield."
Although the attack of the Mud Monster Beast King was as fierce as a torrent of mud and rocks, Liu Chen showed no fear, not even a hint of retreat.
His body moved like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he leaped into mid air with the lightness of a flying swallow. At the same time, he did not hesitate to activate the Eagle Wing Gu within his aperture. In an instant, a pair of translucent wings spread from his back, lifting his body like an invisible giant hand and allowing him to soar through the cavern like a bird.
He hovered steadily in the air, looking down at the Mud Monster Beast King. The corners of his mouth raised, revealing a confident and slightly contemptuous smile.
"Killing Move: Sword Shadow Leaves Marks!"
Liu Chen uttered the command. His voice was not loud, but it exploded in the cavern like a burst of thunder. As his words fell, a dark sword shadow bloomed in an instant, cutting through the void and slashing straight toward the Mud Monster Beast King. The dark shadow streaked across the sky like a shooting star, burying itself in the massive body of the Beast King at an astonishing speed.
However, this was only the beginning.
The moment the sword shadow penetrated the monster's body, Liu Chen urged the Imperial Sword Gu in his aperture without hesitation. In an instant, a stream of finely broken sword energy gushed out from within the mud monster's entire body like a volcanic eruption.
This sword energy acted like a meat grinder, instantly tearing the body of the Mud Monster Beast King into countless pieces. The once immortal King of Beasts had no power to fight back against this terrifying sword energy and was destroyed in the blink of an eye.
As soon as the Beast King died, the remaining mud monsters losing their backbone fled into the ground in terror, never daring to show their heads again.
Liu Chen slowly drifted down from the air, his eyes falling on the carcass of the Beast King. A black Token Gu was revealed among the remains that had been torn apart by his sword energy. He stepped forward and picked it up. Looking closely, he saw that the token was pitch black, with two staggered swords engraved on its surface. In the center was a powerful, stylized character: "Crane."
"It seems this should be the key to the next level." Liu Chen stared at the Token Gu in his hand, refining it in an instant using the pressure of his Rank 5 Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider.
It seemed that this token could only be obtained by successfully killing the powerful Mud Monster Beast King. If someone had attempted to take advantage of the situation and made a direct leap forward, they would undoubtedly have been unable to obtain the subsequent inheritance. For Liu Chen, this confirmed the spirit of the trial: forging ahead courageously in Sword.
He took a deep breath, settled his mind, and continued along the rocky path. Not long after, he came to a closed stone door.
The door looked extremely strong. Curious, Liu Chen decided to test its hardness. He condensed a sharp blade of sword energy and slashed it hard on the stone door. However, to his surprise, this sword energy was like a muddy ox entering the sea , it left not even a scratch on the door.
"This stone door is so hard!" Liu Chen couldn't help but sigh.
However, he wasn't discouraged. He quickly produced the Token Gu and began pouring his Yellow Gold Primeval Essence into it continuously. After absorbing Liu Chen's essence, the Token Gu suddenly burst into a dazzling golden light. This golden light was like lightning, shining directly on the stone door.
Just then, a miracle happened. The stone gate seemed to be touched by a mysterious force and began to tremble slightly. Then, it slowly lifted, revealing the scene inside.
This room was a world of difference compared to the previous stone hall. While the earlier chamber was simple, at least it was illuminated by a few pearls; this room was completely shrouded in darkness, like an endless black hole, which made one feel deeply depressed and afraid.
Yet, amidst this darkness, one spot stood out , the stone platform at the entrance. On the stone platform, four Amber War Knives were stuck straight into the ground, emitting a faint golden light. This light, though weak, was enough to illuminate a small area at the entrance, causing the surrounding darkness to recede slightly.
"Descendants of later generations, since you have passed the first trial, I acknowledge your ability. Here, I shall grant you another part of my inheritance…"
On the stone platform, an inscription left by Ping Duhe was still engraved, as if telling the power and mystery of this next killing move.
"Killing Move: Aurora Blade Slash."
This move was centered on the Sole Blade Gu, supplemented by three Gu insects: Exposed Gu, Giant Gu, and Blade Gu, which together formed this terrifying killing move. Once used, it could instantly burst into unparalleled power.
With his previous experience, Liu Chen crushed the four large knives without hesitation and took out the four corresponding Gu insects. These insects trembled slightly in his hands, and Liu Chen refined them without delay using the crushing pressure of his Rank 5 spider. The process was immediate and total , a benefit of the aura gap between a Rank 5 Gu and these Rank 3 insects that had not diminished since the first time he had used this method back in the Gu Yue inheritance cave.
After the refining was completed, Liu Chen began to practice according to the requirements of the killing move. He held a long knife and moved quickly like a ghost, each step containing endless murderous intent.
However, although Sword and Sword techniques in the Gu world share the same origin , both tracing their lineage back to the ancient Edge Gu since ancient times, the two have been opposed to each other. Once they meet within the same body, they will inevitably engage in a constant internal struggle, like two rivers of different temperatures flowing into the same channel.
Ping Duhe was undoubtedly a unique being. He had practiced swordsmanship in his early years and reached the level of a true hero. However, fate had favored him especially, granting him a Sword inheritance that complemented rather than conflicted with his existing foundation. Knowing the preciousness of this tradition, he had not hesitated to practice both sword and Sword simultaneously, cleverly making the two work together to complement each other. This unique cultivation method had elevated his power to a higher level, eventually making him a dominant force in the Eastern Sea , a Rank 5 Gu Master with both sword and blade skills, once greatly sought after throughout the region.
Thinking of this, Liu Chen couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in his heart. He knew very well that in this Gu Realm, all those who could cultivate to the Rank 5 state were outstanding individuals of every era. They possessed extraordinary talent and perseverance and had weathered countless hardships and obstacles to reach such heights.
For someone like Ping Duhe, who had walked a path that most cultivators would consider contradictory and emerged not just intact but dominant that was a life worthy of respect.
Liu Chen took a deep breath, set his mind to peace, and urged his own Gu, ready to forge a similar path of his own.