“Silence!”
When Lin Yun realised he was becoming irritable and restless, he immediately steeled his will, calming his mind.
Even with Lin Yun’s willpower, he felt this agitation. He could imagine that if someone with weaker resolve were in his place, they would likely have gone mad, fallen into obsession, or lost their sanity entirely.
This test involved no combat, yet it was extremely dangerous.
…
Time continued to slip by.
“At least seven or eight years! Why, why hasn’t it ended?”
Lin Yun was growing utterly restless, having suppressed his irritability and frenzy multiple times.
By his estimation, it had likely been seven or eight years since he entered.
This was far longer than Lin Yun had initially anticipated.
Fortunately, Lin Yun’s will had not faltered, and he had not lost his sanity.
Why not give up?
If he stood up and moved about recklessly, it would likely count as a violation and result in failure.
Once this thought emerged, it was as if Pandora’s box had been opened, shattering the taboo and resolve Lin Yun had clung to.
Lin Yun knew that in this environment, the greatest enemy was himself!
All the irritability, restlessness, and frenzy stemmed from within his own heart.
“No!”
“Since this test exists, it must be possible to pass!”
“In terms of talent, I, Lin Yun, may not match others, but in terms of willpower, I absolutely cannot fall short!”
Lin Yun swiftly reinforced his resolve, holding fast to his core!
No matter what demons or ghosts stirred in his heart, they could not erode Lin Yun’s rock-solid will!
The irritability on Lin Yun’s face vanished, replaced by an expressionless calm.
Time passed.
Lin Yun vaguely felt that ten years had gone by, yet it seemed otherwise; his sense of time had become completely blurred.
During this period, one could easily fall into all sorts of illusions and become utterly lost.
Yet Lin Yun experienced no illusions during this time.
All illusions arise from inner delusions and obsessions, but Lin Yun had solidified his conviction, his heart as unyielding as stone.
Boom!
Suddenly, sounds emerged around him.
Various noises from the environment flooded in.
Lin Yun quickly opened his eyes!
He was no longer in that small room.
He was now in a square chamber, likely the ninth floor of the Wuji Heavenly Palace.
“Phew… it seems the test is over. It looks like I’ve passed,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
This test seemed simple but was profoundly tormenting, something only those who experienced it could truly understand.
Fortunately, Lin Yun possessed extraordinary willpower, able to hold fast to his core through such a long ordeal.
Had it been before the Soul-Severing Poison, Lin Yun might not have endured, but the poison had greatly tempered and strengthened his will.
“Master, are you alright?” Xiao Bai’s voice rang out.
Hearing their voices, Lin Yun felt a surge of relief, mainly because he hadn’t heard any sound for so long.
It turned out that hearing various sounds was a kind of happiness.
During the test, Lin Yun couldn’t even hear Xiao Bai and the others.
“I’m fine. By the way, how long was I in the test?” Lin Yun asked.
“One hour,” Xiao Bai replied.
“One hour? That can’t be right! It should be about ten years,” Lin Yun said, astonished.
“I don’t know about that. Perhaps in the place where you were tested, it felt like ten years to you, but only an hour passed outside,” Xiao Bai said.
Lin Yun suddenly understood, it must be so.
In the test, ten years passed for Lin Yun, but in reality, only an hour had elapsed outside.
“I wonder what opportunities await me on this final floor,” Lin Yun said with anticipation, scanning his surroundings.
The ninth floor was not large, like a sealed chamber. Lin Yun’s gaze swept around, taking it all in.
In front of him were two half-human-height bronze tables.
Apart from that, there was nothing else.
So Lin Yun strode forward, approaching the bronze tables.
On the first bronze table lay an ancient-looking book.
“Wuji Dharma Image.”
Those five words were inscribed on it.
“This must be the opportunity of the ninth floor. The *Wuji Dharma Image*, it should be quite a powerful secret manual, right?” Lin Yun’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Then, Lin Yun picked up the *Wuji Dharma Image* and slowly opened it.
The moment he did, the book transformed into a stream of energy, surging into Lin Yun’s mind.
First came a warning: the learner was forbidden from spreading it, and studying it meant agreeing to this condition, with violation resulting in soul annihilation.
Then came a flood of vast information, pouring endlessly into his mind.
It took a full half-hour for the process to stop.
Once the information settled in Lin Yun’s mind, he understood that the *Wuji Dharma Image* was a very special secret manual.
Upon activating it, one could instantly create a clone to assist in battle. Naturally, the clone’s strength couldn’t match the original body’s.
Even so, its utility was significant, able to greatly disrupt opponents in combat. If an opponent misjudged the real from the fake, they could suffer greatly.
Additionally, it had another use: deception.
If an enemy was too strong to defeat and escape was necessary, creating clones to flee in different directions would make it nearly impossible for the enemy to discern the real one!
“What a peculiar secret manual!” Lin Yun exclaimed, amazed by its effects.
The higher one’s cultivation, the more clones one could create.
This secret manual would undoubtedly bring a unique advantage to Lin Yun’s battles.
However, Lin Yun didn’t rush to cultivate it and instead turned to the other bronze table.
On the second bronze table lay a golden token, inscribed with the two characters “Wuji.”
Though dust covered the surroundings, the golden token gleamed brightly.
“What’s this token for?” Lin Yun wondered, puzzled.
There were no hints to be found.
Lin Yun tried infusing it with internal energy, as if refining a magical artifact, but failed.
“It can’t be refined?”
After trying, Lin Yun’s attempt ended in failure.
This deepened his confusion. What was this token for?
Lin Yun tried other methods, like injecting divine sense, but all were ineffective.
“Spirit, do you know what this thing is for?” Lin Yun asked.
After all, the artifact spirit was knowledgeable about ancient things.
It had unraveled the mystery of the stone in the Land of Exile, so Lin Yun pinned his hopes on it.
“Master, I don’t know. I know nothing about this Wuji Realm,” the artifact spirit’s voice echoed in Lin Yun’s mind.
“If even you don’t know, then I definitely don’t. Oh well, I’ll just keep it for now,” Lin Yun said, storing the golden token for later study.
With only these two items on the ninth floor, Lin Yun believed that the token, placed here alone, must have something extraordinary about it!
Perhaps its value was even greater than the *Wuji Dharma Image*!
After putting away the token, Lin Yun scanned the ninth floor once more, finding nothing else of note.
It was time to leave…
