Mo Tianhai felt his body being torn apart by the red light and, in the blink of an eye, reappeared somewhere else.

The floor beneath his feet was the same crimson material from the test with the red figures. The air carried a strong, metallic smell, heavy and dense.

Before he could examine the place more carefully, he heard a low voice echo through every corner.

"Another one failed…"

Tianhai frowned lightly but didn't reply.

He looked around.

It was a wide, round hall, completely red, as if it had been molded from solidified blood. There were no exits or doors.

Only an altar at the center. And on it… a single drop of crimson blood, floating a few centimeters above the surface.

Even motionless, that drop emanated an energy so heavy that Tianhai's body reacted instinctively, taking a step back.

The air around them seemed to crush their lungs. An invisible pressure pushed everyone downward, forcing them to keep their bodies firm so they wouldn't collapse.

If the blue core from before had made everyone feel purified and light, this was the opposite. The energy felt corrosive, hostile. Superior.

Tianhai recognized the faces of everyone present. Rogue cultivators and disciples from the two sects, everyone who had vanished from the previous test before him.

All waited in tense silence.

It was clear that this was the place where those who failed the crystal test were being thrown.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Tianhai!"

He turned.

Mo Xia approached quickly, her expression carrying a sense of urgency.

Before he could say anything, she asked directly:

"Shen Yu… did he really pass the test?!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Everyone there had heard rumors from the two who arrived before Tianhai, but no one was completely sure. In fact, they didn't want to believe it.

Now that he was here, Mo Xia waited for a definitive confirmation.

Tianhai took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes. He passed."

The words echoed as if they carried weight.

Mo Xia let out a relieved breath.

Wu Jian, who stood near them, showed a faint, satisfied smile.

At least someone from the Verdant Sword Sect was still advancing through the tests of the blue side of the tower.

But not everyone was convinced.

Yan Hui, who had appeared long before Tianhai, burst out immediately.

"That's impossible! No one could endure ten of that energy! That's a lie!"

He took a step forward, nearly pointing a finger, but Tianhai didn't even bother looking directly at him.

"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter," Tianhai said calmly, as if speaking to the air.

"That's the truth. And soon you'll see. All who fail end up here. Soon everyone will be in this place, except Shen Yu."

Yan Hui clenched his teeth, his face reddening with rage.

"We'll see then," he growled, turning away.

There was no more discussion. Silence settled over the hall once again.

Minutes passed. Then more.

Slowly, more people began appearing, transported by the red light.

Some stumbled slightly as they arrived, others were frustrated, and others were completely exhausted.

Until finally, Kyrian appeared.

He emerged in total silence, eyes slightly narrowed as if in deep thought.

Yan Hui didn't wait even a second.

"You! Is it true or not true that Shen Yu passed? I've heard it from the others, but no one here thinks straight, so you tell me."

Kyrian didn't look at him at first.

His mind was full.

Why couldn't he absorb even a single speck of the blue core's energy?

Why did all treasures meant to strengthen cultivators simply refuse to react to him?

The Ashen Fruits.

The spiritual herb was given to Yanyu.

And now, the blue core.

He could only think of one thing. They all had something in common.

They were treasures used to improve one's foundation, meridians, Qi circulation, and base.

But Kyrian didn't possess meridians, the channels everyone else had.

His body only strengthened when the pure energy absorbed by his eyes, after pushing him into a new stage, slowly seeped into his muscles, bones, and blood.

It was a different path. A path only he followed.

The treasures apparently rejected him. As if he were… incompatible.

Well, despite everything, he truly was nothing more than a mortal in the end.

And if that was the case, his only path forward was through his eyes. His innate talent. Nothing else.

As he thought, Yan Hui asked again, this time visibly irritated.

"Just say it already! Did he pass or not?!"

Kyrian finally looked at him.

"Everyone before me already confirmed it. Are you deaf? Or just stupid?"

The words were cold. Direct.

But without the intention of provoking anything.

Even so, for some reason, Yan Hui took a small step back when Kyrian turned his face and those red eyes landed on him.

Yan Hui felt his blood vibrate. And that irritated him even more.

As he was about to retort, another cultivator appeared from the red symbols.

Yan Hui turned his aggression toward the newcomer.

"And you? Did Shen Yu pass or not?!"

The young man swallowed hard and answered quickly.

"I don't know who this Shen Yu is, but if you're talking about the boy who passed the test, then yes, it's true."

Yan Hui shut his mouth tightly.

In truth, no one needed to say anything else.

Shortly after, the last two appeared, completing the group.

There were now twenty-nine people in the hall.

Twenty-nine.

Definitive proof that only one had passed.

Whispers began immediately.

Some discussed how long they lasted. Others wondered who endured longer besides Shen Yu.

Asking who managed to reach seven minutes besides Yan Hui.

The answer was simple, besides Yan Hui, only Tianhai reached seven minutes.

And that infuriated Yan Hui completely.

He had always been the first of the Scarlet Sun Sect.

Always the most talented, the fastest, the strongest, the most extraordinary.

And now, he had been surpassed yet again.

He didn't like that at all. His expression worsened. But before he could simmer in anger, suddenly something made his mood brighten.

One of the young members of his sect commented that Kyrian couldn't even endure a single second.

When he heard that, Yan Hui burst into laughter.

The sound echoed loudly throughout the hall.

"Not even a second?! Not even that?! And he still dared to act arrogant with me? I actually thought your special physique was dangerous. What a joke!"

Kyrian looked at him for just a moment, knowing the words were directed at him.

But he soon turned away, as if Yan Hui was as irrelevant as a leaf on the ground.

Tianhai watched in silence. Mo Xia and Wu Jian as well.

They knew that must have been some kind of mistake. Kyrian was far more abnormal than anyone there could comprehend.

And then…

When everyone least expected it.

The drop of blood in the center of the hall glowed.

And the glow exploded.

Suddenly, the blood energy overtook the hall in an instant.

The air trembled, and everyone's bones cracked in response to the terrible pressure.

And then, a voice echoed in the mind of every person present.

"Control your blood for five minutes."

"If you succeed, you will survive."

"If you fail… you will die."

The words were objective, cold.

Before anyone could react, the drop of blood slowly rose above them all.

And then.

The suction began.

The pressure increased tenfold.

Everyone's blood began boiling inside their veins, trying to escape their bodies, as if being ripped out by the roots.

Some screamed immediately. Others clenched their teeth. Some fell to their knees at once.

Tianhai closed his fists. Mo Xia bit her lip until it bled. Wu Jian held his breath…

And Kyrian…

Kyrian, unlike the others, felt something completely different. The blood in his body didn't move at all, his blood eyes still retained complete control over his own blood.

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