As John inspected the screen of information before him, so did the other cultivators who had passed the first trial.
On a different snow-capped mountain peak far away from John, a slight smirk appeared on Lilian's face as she read the screen.
"So the brat did enter after all, and managed to embarass me thoroughly in the first trial as well," Lilian said to herself. She knew how hard the first trial had been, and despite managing to come second place, her time was completely shattered by John's time. She knew of his freakish talent, and yet she couldn't imagine how such a time was possible.
"Unless I pick it up, he'll surpass me before long," Lilian said, and her smirk changed into a heated gaze of defiance. "I refuse to allow that brat to surpass me. It seems my days of slacking off are over."
As she continued to read, her smile faded into a frown as a name she knew all too well entered her gaze.
"Zeras…"
…
On a different mountain peak, a sinister aura washed over the surrounding area, even more chilling than the surrounding air. Eyes filled with hatred and anger stared at the screen of light before him. Parker, or Asuros' face trembled with rage as he saw John's name on the list. His face had changed slightly since the last time they met, becoming more scarred, and more menacing. It was almost as if he were a different person, and the look in his eyes was as if he were a primal beast staring at its most hated enemy.
His body was also larger than before, and more muscular. His skin was slightly discolored, more reddish than before, as if it had been stained by blood-colored paint. His lips curled back, revealing his gritted teeth, which ground together tightly.
"So, you did appear here after all," Asuros said, his voice cold. "You have no idea the pain and suffering you put me through after that realm…but that pain and suffering has made me far stronger than before. This time, I'll be sure to kill you for good. And I'll make sure you suffer miserably the entire time."
…
At the same time, the others who had passed also studied the information. Some felt shock and surprise at John's score, as it was utterly impossible to comprehend. Others were angry at their lackluster performance, namely those who had placed at the bottom. The information had revealed one key piece of information to them; that this land was a trial realm of sorts, and their competition was the other participants. As such, they no longer dared to hold back any of their strength, and would push forward with everything.
A piercing set of blue eyes stared at the list before him, studying the two names at the top. He noted the time that John had achieved, and raised an eyebrow. His gaze then rested on Lilian, the last name 'Celestria' reflecting on his eyes.
"So, my precious little sister truly does still live. Her…change was truly not as we had originally thought then. And she's come to this realm of all places," Zeras said thoughtfully.
"Apparently father was not wrong when he said he felt her presence again, although I thought that impossible at the time. Curious…how did she manage to accomplish such a thing," Zeras mused to himself, and then saw her Dao Name.
"Goddess of Death," he said the Dao Name, and his eyes lit up slightly. "So, she still commands that half of herself then, and it was not truly lost," he said as a smile appeared on his face.
"I look forward to our reunion, little sister."
…
The screen of light disappeared before John, and he felt the invisible formation blocking his path forward vanish as well. His eyes lit up as he realized the way forward had been cleared.
Without hesitation, he, as well as the others, all flashed forward. They raced down the mountainside towards the land beyond, which was the checkerboarded land of fire, ice, death, and more.
The side of the mountain was not forested like the other half, and was instead barren, as if vegetation could not exist near such inhospitable biomes. John arrived before the first checkered biome, which was a land of fire. A wall of flames roared up before him, but did not spread outwards, as if it were contained by a formation.
"Do I enter this?" John mused as he looked around, but saw no other way forward. "I guess so."
After making up his mind, he stepped forward and into the wall of flame. A scorching heat instantly assaulted him, making him feel as if he were being cooked alive. However, he had experienced much worse pain before in his life, and thus was able to stabilize his mind against the pain.
Shortly after entering, a voice sounded out again, as if coming from all directions. It was the artifact spirit voice he had heard twice before.
"Stay standing and endure. Kneel and accept defeat."
The two sentences were concise but clear in their purpose. This trial was the complete opposite of the last one. Instead of a race, it was a trial of endurance.
"But enduring what? The fire?" John mused to himself.
As if answering his question, the realm around him started to tremble violently. While none of the cultivators could see it from their vantage point on the ground, the checkerboarded biomes began to shift, and merge. The biomes merged in ten different directions, stacking over each other until only ten spots remained, while the rest of the land was barren and filled with nothing.
John's eyes widened as he felt the change all around him. He had felt fiery pain before, but now felt iciness, as if his bones were being chilled themselves. His mouth suddenly felt parched, as if he had never had a drop of water in his life and needed to drink or death would take him. An aura of death enveloped him afterwards, making him feel as if he had been dropped into a pit of death and despair.
Dozens of other miserable feelings, both internal and external, assaulted his mind and body. Both became wracked with those dozens of types of pain, making him feel as if he had been dropped into hell itself.
"So that's what this is. It's a pain endurance trial," John groaned to himself as he steeled his mind and body against the pain that was assaulting him. Through the terrible pain, a small smirk of self-confidence appeared. Scenes of his short but brutal life flashed in his mind.
Enduring the terrible pain of absorbing the mysterious sinister drops of blood.
Enduring the mental anguish of the sinister gate within his palace realm assaulting his mind thousands of times.
Enduring the hellish training his master had put him through, soaking his body with an aura of death for months on end.
Enduring the lightning that scorched his body black as he trained the Celestial Lightning Script.
Enduring the painful absorption process of his Jade Dragon inheritance.
Enduring the agony of his body nearly bursting apart as he utilized his Asura Transformation and Bloodline Ability together.
Enduring the pain of his horrifying battles that had pushed his body to the breaking point over and over again.
Enduring the pain of his apocalyptic battles against the Heavens itself!
If there was one thing he could claim that he was unrivaled within his realm…it was enduring pain, as that had been the one constant in his life since he started his cultivation journey.
"Was this realm crafted to fit my strengths perfectly? I'd like to see who in this realm can match me when it comes to enduring pain."
