Before anyone knew it, the illusion trial was over. It was just long enough to leave a lasting impression on those who experienced it, but not quite long enough for them to completely adapt to it.
As such, it formed a small scar on their minds as they moved on to later trials.
The number of trials was unknown, but as Xinyue and Alexandra progressed through the tomb, they found themselves facing an impossible number of challenges.
Trials of the mind seemed much easier once the illusion trial ended, but it was nothing more than a facade. The proceeding mind trials were extremely dangerous on a far subtler level, setting up this illusion.
For instance, the 5th trial that the duo faced was a mind trial. In this trial, the goal was to "not remember."
The air gave off a nostalgic scent. The atmosphere made one think about the past and reminisce. However, the longer they thought about the past, the more of their past was erased.
If a challenger was unable to control their thoughts and suppress the reminiscence, they would eventually lose their memories entirely and become blank slates before descending into insanity.
Compared to the physical trials, the mental ones were far worse. Physical trials could be resolved through strength, and especially for Alexandra, who currently lacked a physical body, getting through the body trials was like cheating.
Conversely, the mental trials affected her far worse than they would any normal person.
If it wasn't for Xinyue's help, she would've gradually chipped away at herself until she went insane from these trials. It was truly an unfortunate experience.
Alexandra wanted to cry. It'd been many hours already, and the duo had passed through over 20 trials, yet they hadn't been granted a single reward.
'Even if I gain nothing from this place, can't I at least have my body back?' She lamented inwardly.
With the passing of time, 25 trials were completed. The number continued to climb until finally, the trial count surpassed 30.
Alexandra and Xinyue stood on an isolated trial ground. Their surroundings were desolate besides a single statue a few meters to their front.
As they entered the area and began to investigate, the statue slowly moved and opened its eyes.
"Challengers…identified…"
The mechanical voice rang out, and immediately after, it was replaced by a booming and lively bellow.
"Challengers who have reached this point, rejoice, for the general trials have ended! From this point forth, you will be considered successor candidates for my legacy. As long as you can complete the final 10 Sky Trials, you will be qualified to inherit my techniques, law comprehension, and even a portion of my true strength for yourself! Challengers, I wish you luck!"
Rumble!
The ground rumbled. The statue sunk into the earth like it was trapped in quicksand.
However, even with the disappearance of the statue, the rumbling of the ground didn't stop.
Xinyue coldly panned her gaze across the barren land and furrowed her brows.
'Nothing.'
Despite the grand earthquake that was taking place, she couldn't see or sense anything coming from the distance.
'In that case…'
Her attention moved to the ground below. Her eyebrows knit slightly.
In the next instant, bright blue mana surrounded her legs as she pushed off the ground below, flying into the air.
Boom!
The pressure of her step cracked the ground below, however, the damage was negligible.
After all, directly after Xinyue jumped…
BANG!
The ground burst apart as a massive organism broke through the surface. Its terrifying mouth was like a pit of hell filled with several tens of thousands of sharp teeth. With the creature's size, even swallowing a building in a single bite didn't seem impossible.
It flew up into the air, propelled by the massive momentum it accumulated below ground, and chased Xinyue's flying form. Its circular jaw pulsated menacingly as it tried to swallow her.
Snap!
Whoosh!
The jaw snapped closed, missing Xinyue, but emitting a fluctuation of wind that snapped the air and caused it to explode.
"Tch!"
Xinyue clicked her tongue as she was pushed back by the force. Her eyes remained trained on the ground below, taking into account the movements below the surface.
'Numbers are insignificant in front of strength.'
Her eyes narrowed. She flipped in the air, using her momentum and mana to force herself to fall vertically without a single variation in angle.
Xinyue became a meteor crashing towards the ground. Just as she reached the halfway point…
BANG!
The ground shattered once more, giving way to a new sandworm with its massive jaw agape.
Xinyue didn't back away at all. Instead, she pushed her mana even harder and loaded power into her leg, raising it above her head with peak flexibility.
A streak of blue light fell through the air like a shooting star. Its brightness eclipsed the sun, and when it finally made impact with the being below it…
BANG!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
It didn't matter the sand worm's size. Xinyue's heel came down like a divine axe and slammed into the creature's head, immediately sending a shocking amount of force spreading through its internals.
The first impact was only an appetizer. What followed was a series of massive explosions that spread within the sandworm's body, caused by Xinyue's expertly controlled mana sneaking its way into the worm's important life organs.
The "splat" sound of the worm exploding was particularly gruesome. Dark green intestinal fluids and stomach acids flew into the air along with bright red blood, painting the desolate landscape in a myriad of colors.
Xinyue jumped in the air and flipped backward, stabilizing herself a few meters away from the hole that the second sand worm burst from.
'10 total. A simple matter."
Xinyue moved like lightning, zipping across the battlefield so fast that even Alexandra only saw a streak of light.
Her legs were like hammers and axes of the highest order, cleaving apart enemies with ease. Her fists were weapons of mass destruction that couldn't be unveiled casually, lest all things be destroyed.
10 sand worms had gathered in the area, a number that was especially difficult to handle because predicting their movement path was nigh impossible.
With a large number of sandworms below ground, their movements formed an entangled web that would confuse a practitioner's awareness, therefore, even if one was able to sense them, sensing their attack took incredible skill.
Xinyue, however, seemed immune to this problem. She confronted the sandworms before they could confront her. She shattered the earth before they could exit, showering them with a rain of debris and fooling their senses into believing they were being attacked.
She used the habits of sandworms along with her own strength to dominate. Alexandra didn't even get a chance to move before the battle was over.
"Trial of Sky, much simpler than expected," Xinyue muttered to herself.
She walked into the distance, ignoring everything around her in the process. Alexandra trailed behind with mixed feelings, but at this point, there was nothing she could do besides follow and observe.
Nevertheless, the duo continued making progress.
Eventually, 9 Trials of Sky were completed altogether, and only the last remained.
