Even a slight reaction from the white barrier would have given Lin Yun hope.
The worst part of any struggle isn’t the difficulty, but the absence of hope.
Lin Yun stopped, slumping to the ground again.
What now?
He couldn’t think of any other approach.
Powerlessness overwhelmed him.
In this blindingly white environment, staying too long could scatter one’s mind, erode emotions.
There were no enemies here.
But loneliness and helplessness were the greatest foes.
These invisible enemies were far more terrifying than any beast out for his life.
After sitting for a while, Lin Yun stood up.
“Even if it’s meaningless persistence, it’s all I can do. It’s better than giving up. Keep going!”
With that, Lin Yun swung his fists again, striking the unyielding white barrier.
He knew that giving up would be the end.
Back when he was poisoned with Soul-Breaking Toxin, everyone deemed it hopeless, even abandoning him. He, too, thought death was certain.
If he had given up then, he might still be a cripple, his life nearing its end.
Since the only thing he could do was punch the barrier, he’d keep at it, if only for mental solace.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fist after fist, the silent space echoed only with the sound of his punches.
Twenty days later.
“Hm? A crack!”
As Lin Yun teetered on the edge of mental collapse, he suddenly noticed a faint crack on the barrier.
It was exactly where his fists had struck repeatedly.
“There’s a reaction? Haha! It’s actually working!”
This discovery sent Lin Yun into a frenzy of joy.
The crack was minuscule compared to the vast barrier, barely visible without close inspection.
But it gave him hope!
It proved his month of persistence wasn’t in vain.
With hope, he had the drive to keep going.
“This could actually work!”
Lin Yun recalled the story of grinding an iron rod into a needle.
It requires time and persistence. Expecting instant results is unrealistic; only after prolonged effort might slight changes appear.
The same applied to water wearing through stone.
For twenty-nine days, he saw no results, but this faint crack wasn’t from the last punch alone—it was the cumulative effect of every strike.
“Keep going!”
Fueled by hope and excitement, Lin Yun resumed punching, targeting the faint crack.
As long as there was progress, he could endure the monotony.
He believed that with enough time and persistence, an iron rod could become a needle.
…
Two months, three months…
Two years, three years…
As time passed, more faint cracks appeared on the barrier…
…
Three hundred years later.
The barrier was now covered in countless cracks, growing from barely noticeable to prominent.
“It’s close! It’s close!”
Lin Yun’s fists kept pounding the barrier.
He knew much time had passed, and he had many things to do outside.
But he had no choice. All he could do was break this wall as quickly as possible.
Boom!
As his fist struck again, the cracks connected, and with a resounding crash, the barrier collapsed.
Light flooded through the shattered wall.
“Haha, I did it!”
With excitement and joy, Lin Yun rushed forward.
The next moment.
Lin Yun’s eyes snapped open, and he looked around.
He was sitting on a lotus leaf on the lake.
“I… I’m back?”
Lin Yun raised his hands, then tried channeling his inner energy.
Boom!
A powerful surge of energy burst from within, forming a glowing orb in his hand.
He hurled it at the lake.
The orb exploded, sending waves crashing.
“Haha, amazing!” Lin Yun shouted, thrilled.
For three hundred years, his consciousness was trapped in that space, feeling as powerless as a mortal.
Now, back in his body, he sensed abundant energy, like a volcano ready to erupt. Even clenching his fist unleashed terrifying power.
It felt incredible, exhilarating!
With this power, he could have smashed that white barrier with a single punch.
Yet, it took three hundred years, relying solely on his consciousness, punch after punch.
“Master, you passed the trial?” the artifact spirit’s voice sounded.
“Yes, I did,” Lin Yun replied with a smile.
“Master, that was quick! Only three days, and I thought this trial would take much longer,” the spirit said.
“Three days?” Lin Yun froze.
“Didn’t… didn’t three hundred years pass?” he asked, stunned.
Trapped in that space, he had worried about returning to a drastically changed world. Three hundred years wasn’t much for an immortal, but in this critical period, the demon race might have attacked, or the world’s dynamics could have shifted.
“Master, it’s really only been three days,” Xiao Bai’s voice chimed in.
“So, my consciousness was sealed for three hundred years, but only three days passed outside?”
“Haha, great!”
Lin Yun laughed heartily, relieved by the news.
He looked up to check on the others.
He wanted to see if the other two were still on their lotus leaves.
Xin Yu from the Heavenly God Palace was gone, but Gong Yi from Xiaoyao Tower remained, sitting motionless.
“It seems Senior Xin Yu passed this stage. He’s impressive. As for Senior Gong Yi…”
