Lin Yun raised his fist, feeling no trace of inner energy.
Of course, only his consciousness was sealed here.
In essence, his current form was merely a construct of his consciousness.
“How do I break this space’s lockdown on my consciousness?” Lin Yun frowned, troubled.
His consciousness felt trapped in a box, surrounded by white barriers.
“Smash it with my fists?”
Lin Yun stomped on the ground, but the white barrier beneath didn’t budge.
He walked to the barrier at the end of the space.
“Here goes!”
Lin Yun swung his fist, striking the barrier with full force.
It didn’t move an inch.
No reaction whatsoever.
His punch felt weak, unlike the boundless strength he usually wielded.
Even when Lin Yun was powerless in the past, he could still rely on physical strength, delivering powerful blows despite lacking energy. Now, even that was gone.
He couldn’t even use his spiritual sense; it was purely his consciousness trapped here.
This utter powerlessness created a stark sense of disparity.
From a Myriad Realms powerhouse who could shatter mountains and rivers to this—anyone would feel the gap.
And here, no one answered his calls, neither heaven nor earth.
Before entering this stage, Lin Yun had anticipated a tough challenge. The previous three arenas had already stumped many immortals, and even he struggled, relying on his clones to pass.
When he first learned of this consciousness trial, he thought it was just a test of willpower, something he was confident in.
He had even believed this stage might be easier than expected.
Now, he realised its true difficulty…
“I can’t use any power. How am I supposed to break this lockdown?” Lin Yun felt lost.
Facing a powerful opponent, he’d at least know how to fight—improve his strength to win.
There was a goal, a clear threshold to aim for, even if he couldn’t meet it immediately.
But now, he had no direction, no target, only a sense of aimless confusion that left him frustrated and helpless.
“Let’s think of something,” Lin Yun sat down, racking his brain.
After pondering for ages, he came up empty, his mood sinking.
With nothing here, no powers to use, and no connection to the outside, what could he do?
After much thought, the only approach seemed to be smashing the barrier with his fists.
He couldn’t think of anything else.
“Let’s try again!”
Lin Yun swung his fists at the white barrier once more.
Bang, bang, bang!
One punch, two, three… dozens of punches, and still no response!
Lin Yun slumped to the ground.
“Damn it! Am I really going to be stuck here forever?” he cursed.
Though the environment was quiet and danger-free, being trapped for countless years would drive anyone mad!
No wonder the tree spirit warned that this trial could lead to consciousness collapse and death.
Even for immortals, thousands or tens of thousands of years here could erode sanity, leading to collapse.
While their bodies were eternal, a shattered consciousness meant death.
Lin Yun had too much left to do outside. Being trapped here was unthinkable.
Regret was useless now; he had chosen this trial and had to face the consequences.
“No, I can’t stay trapped! I have things to do. I must get out!”
Lin Yun sprang up, rallying his spirit.
His earlier despair was wrong.
Giving up or wallowing in self-pity would truly trap him here forever!
“The only thing I can try is punching. I’ll keep at it!” Lin Yun set his goal, steadying his emotions.
Though his earlier attempts were futile, it was better than sitting in despair.
If he had a better idea, he wouldn’t resort to this, but it was his only option.
Determined, Lin Yun swung his fists again, striking the white barrier.
Thud, thud, thud!
He kept at it for half a day.
“Damn it, still nothing!”
Lin Yun stopped, panting, his face bitter.
Half a day, at least ten or twenty thousand punches, and no effect.
Staring at the white barrier, Lin Yun recalled a story from his student days—grinding an iron rod into a needle.
Grinding an iron rod into a needle seemed absurd, impossible even. Days of effort might show no visible progress.
But with decades of persistence, it could be done!
Using his weak fists to break this barrier seemed just as absurd.
“I need perseverance. My punches are weak, and ten thousand strikes do nothing, but what about a hundred million? I refuse to believe it won’t work!”
With renewed resolve, Lin Yun kept punching, aiming for the same spot on the barrier.
While striking, he pondered other methods.
If a better idea emerged, he’d take it.
But this sealed space was small, empty, with no external forces or abilities to use. No matter how hard he thought, no other solution came.
Thud! Thud! Thud!…
The sound of his fists echoed endlessly…
Ten days later.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
Lin Yun’s punches carried fury now.
Ten days without stopping, yet the white barrier remained unmoved!
Even with his ability to control emotions, Lin Yun couldn’t help but feel anger.
