Chapter 65: "Cheating" Through the First Stage! Little Girl’s Warning!

A cold shiver ran down Chen Xuan’s spine before he could even process what was happening.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead as an overwhelming sense of danger erupted from directly behind him.

The sudden change was unexpected, mostly because he hadn’t received any signal that the trial had actually begun.

Fortunately, his instincts as a Nascent Soul cultivator allowed him to react instantly.

Without turning around, he activated the Great Yin-Yang Dao Origin.

Spiritual Energy erupted from his body, weaving the forces of the outside world to form a two-colored curtain of light behind his back.

The next moment...

Crash!

A deafening impact reverberated throughout the dark void, sending fragmented shards of the black-and-white curtain flying everywhere.

Chen Xuan took a swift step back and opened some distance, finally catching sight of his opponent.

It was a giant lizard more than five meters tall.

Covered in dense black scales, it lashed its long tongue through the air while furiously tearing the Yin-Yang curtain with its front claws.

Chen Xuan’s face turned solemn. He could clearly see that the demon before him was equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Moreover, given the faint aura of majesty it unconsciously emanated, it clearly carried a part of the dragon bloodline.

With these two traits combined, even Late Stage Nascent Soul cultivators would struggle to defeat it.

Chen Xuan guessed that the difficulty of the trial was likely based on the challenger’s own cultivation level.

If he were facing such a dragon-blooded demon, the other challengers would surely face their own brutal opponents.

’Is this only the first test? No wonder that little girl claimed nobody could ever claim this inheritance.’

Fortunately, Chen Xuan did not lack confidence.

Knowing that time was of the essence, he didn’t hesitate to use his means.

Looking at the lizard, who continued to lunge at the Yin-Yang curtain and hoping to reach him, he waved his hand, intending to summon the Common Saber.

However, just as his divine sense was about to pull the Holy Weapon from his spatial ring, an inexplicable high-level restriction descended and blocked their connection.

At the same time, a young female voice echoed directly in his mind.

"Hmph! The use of Holy Weapons is strictly prohibited! The trials are meant to test your personal strength. How could Master have left such an obvious loophole for you to exploit?"

Chen Xuan recognized the voice instantly. It belonged to the little girl who had appeared to vanish.

Clearly, though she stated that she wouldn’t pay him any attention, she was secretly monitoring his every move.

Chen Xuan mocked her "shameless" behavior inwardly. Still, hearing her warning, he accepted that he couldn’t rely on his Holy Weapons.

’Fortunately, this is not my only trump card...’

’Let’s see how this trick performs,’ he thought.

The next moment, Chen Xuan gestured with his hands once more.

This time, he didn’t bother trying to retrieve the Common Saber.

Instead, a stream of swords flew from his storage ring, descending to the floor in a precise perimeter around the lizard.

The opponent had just breached the Yin-Yang curtain but had no time to celebrate.

The instant the blades struck the ground, intricate patterns lit up the void.

The swords seemed to resonate, manipulating the ambient laws to form a massive array.

A blinding flash of black and white erupted as thousands of ethereal swords materialized in midair.

Yin-Yang Sword Formation—the reward he had received following Huo Ling’er’s last breakthrough.

Its function was straightforward, allowing the cultivator to manifest an overwhelming array.

Its power was directly linked to the quality of magic weapons used as its base.

As for Chen Xuan’s array? It was a formation using twelve High-Grade Spirit Weapons as its base!

The moment the formation stabilized, a violent hum shook the void.

The ethereal swords vibrated in the air before raining down like a raging sea.

A piercing, agonizing shriek echoed, accompanied by the scent of splattering blood.

The lizard’s proud defense was torn apart, as the swords overwhelmed its dragon-like scales, slicing into the flesh beneath.

The demon went berserk. It thrashed its claws desperately to defend itself, but its efforts proved futile.

Injuries accumulated on its body at an alarming rate, forming a pool of blood beneath its frame.

Watching this scene from a distance, Chen Xuan remained composed.

He had gone through thousands of battles over the last few days, having unilaterally been beaten by Mu Xuanyin in every single one.

As such, his past lack of real combat experience had been made up for.

’This creature was only defeated so easily because it is a mindless demon.’

’If I were facing an experienced cultivator like Master, or even someone like Tang Yuechen, they would have never stood by and given me the time to form the complete array.’

Even so, Chen Xuan was highly satisfied with Yin-Yang Sword Formation’s performance.

It was his first time using it in actual combat, and it certainly didn’t disappoint his expectations.

Hearing the dying cries of the lizard as it tried to break through the barrier, Chen Xuan’s expression didn’t waver.

He didn’t choose to step forward to finish it in person, but remained far away, casting several spells from a distance to wear it down.

Coupled with the constant output of the array, the dragon-blooded lizard was soon overwhelmed.

Only a few minutes after the battle began, it let out a final, resounding cry.

With a sudden flash of light, an ethereal sword pierced cleanly through its skull, shattering its brain and severing its vitality.

The moment its life force was extinguished, its body dissolved into particles of ethereal light, vanishing entirely from the dark void.

"Just as I expected! I saw right through you, you bad guy! Relying on external forces to clear the trial! Hmph!" the little girl’s voice echoed as her phantom materialized above Chen Xuan.

Glancing down at him, who stood spotless and unhurried, she scrunched her nose in annoyance. But soon, a smug smile replaced her pout.

"Hehehe. It’s indeed possible to cheat in a direct combat trial. I’d love to see how you plan to cheat on the next ones."

With a casual wave of her small hand, a massive stone tablet materialized at the center of the dark void. Her phantom quickly dissolved, leaving only her voice lingering behind.

"You have exactly seven days to fully comprehend the spells inscribed upon this tablet. In seven days, you will be tested on your mastery. If you fail... Hehe," a soft chuckle drifted through the air, sounding particularly ominous.

"Then you will be obliterated from existence."