Naelia and Zuri waited outside the testing formation, to the side of the line of youths waiting to enter. Each test took around ten to fifteen minutes, depending on how long the youths were able to last during certain trials.
"Did you ever enter a Three Dao Tournament? With how strong you are, you must have, right?" Naelia asked Zuri, her large eyes filled with enamored curiosity.
Zuri smiled at Naelia, then shook her head.
"What? Why not? Surely you would have been strong enough to join! What sect do you belong to?" Naelia asked.
"I don't belong to any of the Three Dao Sects or their sub-sects," Zuri said, giving no more information than that. The Guild's existence was a complete secret to almost everyone other than the Holy Manifestation powerhouses of the world.
"You don't?" Naelia tilted her head to the side, looking back to the formation entrance confused. "Then how did John enter the tournament? You need to be of one of the Three Dao-Sects or the subjects to even try to qualify."
"There are always exceptions to things," Zuri smiled, her answer vague again. Naelia stared at her with a curious expression, trying to work out what was going on. She gave up a short while later, and gave an exasperated sigh, frustrated at being unable to figure out the truth.
"Well, if he's been allowed to enter through an exception, surely he's quite strong. How do you think he will do?" Naelia asked.
"His results will definitely cause quite a stir," Zuri smiled.
"Hmmm, is that so?" Naelia hummed, staring at the formation entrance.
…
John found himself trapped in an empty void, his body confined, unable to move. He struggled but was unable to do anything other than flare his Qi outwards, although he couldn't figure out why. His mind and thoughts were hazy, as if he should be remembering something, but couldn't.
A powerful, deathly energy suddenly descended down on him from above, moving towards him with deathly intent. John tried to free himself but was unable to. Only his dantian was unrestricted, only his natural Qi able to move in this bizarre place.
With his only option using his Qi to fight against the energy, his dantian surged with power, flaring his Qi outwards. His aura surged upwards, slamming against the energy, pushing it backwards.
The energy intensified, pushing harder against his own Qi. John met the energy with even more of his Qi, pushing back. A battle between his Qi and the powerful energy took place, time indeterminate in this strange void. After both an instant and a lifetime, John's Qi finally ran out, and the energy overwhelmed him, death about to take him. The energy suddenly vanished, and the scene changed.
…
A beam of destructive Qi slammed towards John, who was unable to dodge, his feet and arms bound by chains. He had no idea how he got into this situation, and all he could do was take the attack head on, which blasted into him with great power. He groaned in pain, although his body withstood the blast.
Another beam came a moment later, this time slightly more powerful, blasting into him. This process continued time and time again until he was forced to unleash his Dragon-God Shift, lest he be gravely injured and even killed. The attacks continued ceaselessly, eventually forcing him to activate his Asura Transformation Art.
The attacks continued, increasing in power each time, until the final attack was more than he could withstand. It blasted into him with a power that he instinctively knew he couldn't withstand. It slammed onto him, ripping him apart, destroying him completely.
…
John found himself bound, unable to move at all. All sorts of destructive energies blasted onto him and invaded his body, tearing it apart inch by inch. The regeneration of his limiters, dragon body and asura body fought back, healing him against the damage. Eventually it overwhelmed, him, killing him.
…
An unstoppable force sped after John, who fled as it was truly unable to be met head on. Whispers of fleeing at his maximum speed tickled his mind, although he did not know where those whispers came from. Still, he obeyed them, as there was no other option.
It was as if the god of the universe was approaching him, trying to kill him. He pushed his speed to the limit, fleeing from the being, who's speed was slowly increasing. It eventually reached him, his speed no longer faster than the indeterminate being of death.
…
A battlefield enveloped John, one exploding with calamity and chaos. He had no idea how he got here, but his instincts urged him to fight for his life. Countless beasts and devils threw themselves at him, their cultivations growing with each wave of enemies. He fought back, unleashing his battle arts, using his transformations, relying on his instincts, until eventually the wave of enemies was too strong, and he succumbed to their onslaught.
…
A tome floated in the air before him, nothing else in view. The words and runes on the tome were complex beyond understanding, but he knew he needed to comprehend them for some reason in order to leave this place. He studied the words and runes, eventually understanding their message.
…
Trial after trial took place within the illusory worlds presented to John. With his soul defenses fully lowered, he had no memory of entering the formation, and treated each trial as real. His soul recreated his battle arts, cultivation metrics, and more, as it knew his potentials and limits better than anything in the universe.
…
Several more illusory scenarios played out, tricking John's soul into believing they were real, each scenario testing something different.
…
Reality suddenly slammed back into John, his consciousness returning to him like a tidal wave, slamming memories and thoughts quickly and violently into his mind. He winced in pain, holding his head from the sudden, unexpected pain in his soul. Hazy memories of what he had experienced flooded his mind, each memory scattered and unclear.
"That's right…I was taking the illusory tests," John groaned, shaking his head to clear his pain and thoughts. He recovered a short while later, then looked around him. The wall of the formation cube surrounded him, the illusions generated by them no longer controlling his soul.
"That was…unpleasant," John grumbled, not enjoying the feeling of having his soul completely at the mercy of this formation. While it had done no actual harm to him, the feeling of not being in control of his mind and actions was unnerving, and the soul-pain the brutal illusions brought was quite taxing.
While his body felt refreshed, his mind and soul were quite exhausted.
'No wonder everyone looks completely exhausted, some even horrified, when leaving the trial,' he thought.
An item suddenly appeared in the air before him, a formation disk around four inches across. It was silver in color, and had three symbols etched onto its surface: a sun, a sword, and a book. The insignias of the Three-Dao Sects.
John reached out and grabbed the disk, sending his divine sense into it. He read over the information contained within the formation disk, which was unsurprisingly information regarding himself.
