The resting grounds were divided by low ridges of stone and spiritual barriers, each marked with faint glowing talismans. Disciples from different sects were assigned separate areas, but the quiet did little to suppress the tension lingering in the air.
As night settled, hushed voices rose in small clusters.
"They said the Spirit Boundary Domain was only an introduction," a young cultivator whispered, lowering his voice instinctively. "If that was an introduction, what will the real trials be like?"
Another disciple snorted softly. "The Divine Realm doesn't need weaklings. Half of us were eliminated in a single day."
Nearby, a group from a mid-tier sect exchanged uneasy glances.
"I heard someone was trapped inside the domain for three full days," one said. "By the time they came out, their spiritual sea was almost shattered."
"At least they came out," another replied quietly.
Further away, two senior disciples spoke in subdued tones.
"The second trial is usually harsher," one said. "They test control, not just survival."
"And temper," the other added. "Those who rely only on brute strength rarely last."
"The disciple under Elder Lu showed steady control."
"The sword cultivator from the Western Sect is dangerous."
"And Shen Yueqin…" one voice hesitated before continuing, "she was calm the entire time."
No one argued.
Shen Yueqin sat cross-legged within her assigned resting area, a thin barrier of spiritual light isolating her from the surroundings.
Her breathing was even.
The Spirit Boundary Domain had tested endurance, not power. It had pressed against fear, isolation, and instability — weaknesses many cultivators never acknowledged.
She had passed.
Slowly, she guided her spiritual energy through her meridians, repairing fine fractures left behind by prolonged suppression. Her cultivation base stabilized, steady as still water.
Outside the barrier, the night wind moved softly.
For the first time since entering the trial grounds, Shen Yueqin opened her eyes and gazed upward.
The stars were distant. Indifferent.
She lowered her gaze again.
Tomorrow would not allow the same restraint.
Dawn — Announcement of the Second Trial
At first light, a deep resonant bell echoed across the trial grounds.
All disciples gathered at the central platform once more.
The Selection Head stood waiting.
Without preamble, he spoke.
"The second trial will test control, adaptability, and restraint."
Several disciples straightened unconsciously.
"This trial is known as the Flowing Spirit Formation."
With a motion of his hand, the ground behind him rippled. A vast formation array emerged — shifting pathways of light, rotating platforms, and flowing streams of condensed spiritual energy.
"Within the formation, spiritual pressure will fluctuate continuously."
His gaze swept across the gathered disciples.
"You may use techniques, weapons, and artifacts. Killing is forbidden. Severe injury is permitted."
A faint stir ran through the crowd.
"The objective is simple."
The Selection Head raised two fingers.
"Reach the inner node of the formation and stabilize it."
"Time limit: one day."
A pause.
"Failure to maintain control of your spiritual energy will result in forced removal."
"Those who disrupt the formation or harm others intentionally will be disqualified."
Silence followed.
"Begin."
The moment the Selection Head gave the signal, the ground beneath the disciples dissolved into flowing light.
There was no sensation of falling — only a sudden shift, as if space itself had turned fluid.
When Shen Yueqin's feet touched solid ground again, she found herself standing on a suspended stone platform no wider than three steps across. Beneath it, streams of condensed spiritual energy flowed like rivers of light, intertwining, separating, colliding, and reversing without warning.
The air was heavy.
Not oppressive — but constantly changing, like breathing under shifting currents.
All around her, similar platforms floated at varying heights. Some rotated slowly. Others drifted unpredictably, drawn by invisible forces within the formation.
A low hum resonated through the domain, vibrating faintly against her bones.
This was not a battlefield.
It was a living formation.
Almost immediately, several disciples made their move.
A cultivator from a lesser sect leapt forward confidently, channeling spiritual energy into his legs. He landed on the next platform—
—and was thrown backward violently as the spiritual current reversed direction mid-air.
A flash of white light swallowed him.
Eliminated.
Another disciple attempted to force a pathway open with brute strength, unleashing a wave of fire-aspected energy. The formation reacted instantly. The surrounding currents spiraled inward, compressing his attack and rebounding it against him.
He barely had time to cry out before disappearing.
Around Shen Yueqin, tension sharpened.
This was not a trial of speed.
Nor of strength.
It was a trial of control and awareness.
Shen Yueqin did not move immediately.
She stood still, her sleeves lifting gently in the flow of spiritual wind, eyes focused not on the path ahead — but on the movement of energy itself.
The streams beneath the platforms followed a rhythm.
Irregular, but not chaotic.
She adjusted her breathing, allowing her spiritual energy to circulate slowly, synchronizing with the formation's fluctuations rather than resisting them.
When she stepped forward, she did so lightly.
The platform shifted — but did not reject her.
She moved again, timing each step between the surges.
A sudden lateral current slammed into the space beside her, strong enough to throw a cultivator from another sect off balance. Shen Yueqin twisted her wrist slightly, redirecting the pressure along her arm and dispersing it into the surrounding flow.
No wasted movement.
No excess force.
As time passed, the formation grew more aggressive.
The platforms accelerated. Some shattered entirely, forcing cultivators to leap blindly toward safer ground.
Conflicts broke out.
Two disciples reached the same convergence node simultaneously. One struck first, driving a palm into the other's shoulder. The formation reacted instantly — both were expelled, white light consuming them without mercy.
Elsewhere, a sword cultivator advanced steadily, cutting precise arcs through dense currents of energy, his control sharp and efficient. He gained ground quickly, drawing quiet attention.
A formation specialist attempted to stabilize a node alone, misjudged the backlash, and was violently repelled.
By midday, less than half remained.
The hum of the formation deepened, vibrating with restrained power.
Shen Yueqin reached the outer convergence ring as spiritual pressure intensified.
Here, the currents collided violently, forming temporary barriers that dissolved as quickly as they appeared. A single misstep would mean elimination.
She paused.
Not out of fear — but calculation.
Then she moved.
Her spiritual energy flowed outward in thin, controlled threads, anchoring her to the platform while allowing her body to adapt to each shift. When opposing currents struck, she neither blocked nor evaded fully — she guided them, redirecting force along safer paths.
Nearby, another cultivator attempted to follow her rhythm and failed, expelled moments later.
By nightfall, the formation had grown eerily quiet.
Only a small number of disciples remained.
At the heart of the formation, a sphere of condensed light pulsed weakly — unstable, flickering between cohesion and collapse.
This was the final test.
Several disciples approached cautiously.
One attempted to stabilize the node with overwhelming spiritual output. The backlash shattered his defenses instantly.
Another hesitated too long and was swept away by a sudden reversal.
Shen Yueqin stepped forward.
She placed her palm against the node.
Rather than pouring power into it, she allowed her spiritual energy to merge, reinforcing the existing structure instead of dominating it.
The light steadied.
The violent currents slowed.
The formation exhaled — as if relieved.
A deep resonance echoed across the domain.
Light enveloped the remaining disciples.
When Shen Yueqin opened her eyes again, she stood once more on the stone platform beneath the open sky.
Around her, others appeared — fewer than before, exhausted, silent, but standing.
The Selection Head observed them calmly.
"The second trial is complete."
No praise followed.
No evaluation.
Only the unspoken understanding that those who remained had earned the right to continue.
The night settled over the trial grounds once more.
And ahead awaited a trial that would no longer test restraint alone.