Chapter 155 The Realm of Trials (Part Six)

The black jade bracelet hovered above the black-robed man's brow, slowly repairing his primordial spirit, which had been severely damaged by the heavenly lightning.

However, this primordial spirit had too many injuries. In addition to being injured by the lightning tribulation, there were countless wounds, as if it had been cut into pieces and then stitched back together. This person had also desperately melted the primordial spirit into a shape... and yet he was still able to survive.

Jiang Gu raised his hand to take his pulse, but before he could touch him, a fierce protective array rose around the other's body and even launched an attack. If Jiang Gu hadn't reacted quickly, his primordial spirit would probably have been devoured.

He stared intently at the other party for a long time, without making any further moves. Instead, he reinforced the healing formation to accelerate the repair of the primordial spirit by the black jade bracelet.

Two weeks later.

"The first level of the Spirit Tempering Realm trial has ended."

"A total of 3,756 people entered the country, and 2,309 people passed the trial. The trial rankings have been released. Please go to the Trial Plaza to view the full rankings."

A gentle female voice echoed throughout the entire Tempering Realm.

"All cultivators, please hurry up and fuse your primordial spirit with your physical body. The Spirit Tempering Assessment will officially begin in ten days. Good luck to all of you."

The primordial spirit returned to its body, and the jade armor on it shone brightly, engraving a line of small characters on the back of the hand.

Jiang Gu looked down and saw "2301" written on the back of his hand—his overall strength was ranked 2301st by the Tempering Spirit Realm, almost at the very bottom.

Jiang Xiangyun, who was standing next to him, was ranked 1,356th, while Yao Li was ranked 812th.

The rankings were displayed on the back of their hands, easily visible at a glance, and a gasp of surprise rippled through the Trial Square.

"The one ranked first is Song Chongshi!"

"It really was him!"

"Yan Huairan only ranked forty-seventh?"

"That shouldn't be the case; they didn't even make the top ten."

"Who is this Xie Chichun, the tenth one? I've never heard of him."

"You're from Hirazawa, aren't you..."

Discussions were rife, ranging from amazement and envy to ridicule and resentment, as well as admiration and worship. Most of the Pingze cultivators were ranked quite low, except for the unheard-of Xie Chichun, Yao Li and Jiang Xiangyun were considered to be among the better-ranked Pingze cultivators.

"The assessment will be held in ten days. The bottom thirty will be eliminated and sent to the Tower of Life and Death." Jiang Xiangyun and Jiang Gu walked side by side on the way back to the school. Jiang Xiangyun said in a low voice, "Integrate your divine soul as soon as possible. I heard that there are training pools and trading pavilions in each school. You can go there to look for some opportunities. Tell me if you need spirit stones. By the way, be careful of the people in the Burning Platform Hall."

"Hmm," Jiang Gu responded indifferently.

Jiang Xiangyun peered at him suspiciously, her eyes gleaming with gossip. "Seventh Brother, something on your mind?"

Jiang Gu lifted his eyelids and glanced at him expressionlessly. Jiang Xiangyun said with a grin, "Never mind what I said."

He wanted to continue chatting with Jiang Gu, but Yao Li stopped him at the crossroads. "Young Master, Lei Bu is over here."

Jiang Xiangyun sighed and bid farewell to Jiang Gu with some regret.

Without his nagging in his ear, the world suddenly became quiet. Jiang Gu went straight into the teleportation array and returned to his room in the Gold Department Academy.

After reinforcing the concealment array in the room several times, he entered the space inside the black jade bracelet.

Inside the space, the black-robed man's primordial spirit had barely been restored to its original form. Although it would take a long time to heal the internal injuries, he was willing to accept it in consideration of the fact that the man had shielded him from the tribulation lightning.

Jiang Gu fixed his gaze on the other person as they slowly opened their eyes.

Those eyes, surprisingly clean, stood out against that hideous face. Jiang Gu unconsciously curled his fingers as he met the man's slightly puzzled gaze.

Countless red threads entangled the dense black threads that stitched together the opponent's primordial spirit, pinning his entire primordial spirit shut. Tens of millions of binding formations filled the entire space of the black jade bracelet, making it impossible for any primordial spirit to move an inch.

The black-robed man's gaze swept over the fire ropes, finally settling on Jiang Gu. Feeling his primordial spirit being slowly repaired, he opened his mouth but remained silent.

“No one can hear what’s going on inside the black jade bracelet,” Jiang Gu said.

Even after all that was said, the other party remained silent, only staring intently at him, trying to break free from the red threads binding him. He struggled fiercely, and his primordial spirit, which he had painstakingly repaired, was cut open again, releasing a faint black mist.

Jiang Gu frowned and said coldly, "Stop struggling. Your primordial spirit has been completely bound in this space. You are seriously injured and cannot escape."

A flash of anger crossed the other person's eyes, as if accusing him of helping him shield him from the lightning tribulation, only to be treated this way in return.

Jiang Gu walked up to him unhurriedly and extended his hand. He was immediately startled and instinctively became wary. He belatedly realized that he was not wearing a hood, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes. He didn't care about exposing his vital parts to Jiang Gu and turned his head away, not wanting Jiang Gu to see his face.

Jiang Gu touched the hideous scars on his face and said calmly, "They can be healed."

The other person's spirit froze, and after a long while, they slowly turned their head.

“I have already taken you out of the Spirit Tempering Realm. If you don’t like staying inside the Jade Bracelet, you can enter the puppet to temporarily take over your body,” Jiang Gu said. “My artifact is in need of a spirit. In time, you can be refined by this bracelet and become its spirit.”

"!" The other person stared wide-eyed in shock.

Jiang Gu's eyebrows twitched slightly. Seeing the man struggling desperately, he made a hand seal, and a wooden puppet appeared in the room. In the blink of an eye, his and the black-robed man's spirits returned to their bodies.

The other person turned to run away, but Jiang Gu pulled back the body with a flick of his fingers. He then took a silver-blue belt from his storage bag and used it to tie up the loose robe on the body.

The puppet's features were carved by his own hand, and its appearance was remarkably similar to Wei Feng's. When he approached, the puppet instinctively held its breath, its arms stiffening at its sides as if it were somewhat at a loss.

After tying his belt, Jiang Gu went to sit on the couch and sat down to meditate, seemingly not worried at all about him escaping.

The man in black robes stood in front of the mirror, staring at the face that was extremely similar to Wei Feng's. He looked at Jiang Gu with a complicated expression—could it be that he had already been recognized?

Why be so cold to him instead of just being direct?

It can't be that they really want to refine him into a divine artifact spirit—becoming Jiang Gu's artifact spirit seems like a good idea too? But that would mean being controlled by him in every way and not having any freedom.

Wei Feng decisively dismissed the idea, walked to the edge of the bed, and leaned down slightly to observe Jiang Gu up close—there are always subtle differences between the body and the primordial spirit, and the memories and sensations of a divided spirit are never as real as touching it personally.

Jiang Gu seemed to sense someone approaching and opened his eyes, but no one was there. The wooden puppet body was quietly sitting in the corner. He frowned slightly.

Wei Feng knew Jiang Gu couldn't see him, so he grinned, bent down, and lightly pressed his cheek against Jiang Gu's cheek, giving him a half-hearted kiss. But he still felt unsatisfied. The memory of their spiritual communion fueled his burning jealousy and lingering desire. He wanted to hold Jiang Gu's golden spirit in his arms, caress and kiss it, to merge with Jiang Gu's body in blissful ecstasy, and to let Jiang Gu witness how he succumbed to lust...

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he moved closer, slowly licking Jiang Gu's lips. His scarlet tongue swept across the gap between his lips, leaving a damp trail.

A cool breeze swept by, and Jiang Gu subconsciously pursed his lips, saying to the puppet sitting in the corner, "Come here."

Wei Feng instantly returned to the puppet's body, got up, and walked in front of him.

Jiang Gu finally managed to connect with him. The aura in his primordial spirit was unfamiliar and mixed, completely different from the vaguely familiar aura from before. He raised his eyes and met Wei Feng's calm gaze.

“I can be your spirit,” Wei Feng finally said, “but in exchange, I’ll use the primordial spirit within your spirit realm.”

Jiang Gu narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

“It’s nourishing for me.” Wei Feng grinned, revealing a sinister and wicked smile. “Your tribulation has helped me successfully temper my spirit. With the blessing of your divine artifact and the nourishment of this primordial spirit, I will soon be able to cultivate my own body.”

He slowly leaned closer to Jiang Gu, his voice deep and seductive, "Jiang Gu, the assessment and ranking will be in ten days. It's extremely rare for someone at the bottom to overtake others, but I can help you."

He explained his reason for blocking the lightning tribulation by saying that the lightning tribulation could temper the spirit, which was based on some evidence. As for whether it could dispel Jiang Gu's doubts, he was not sure.

"How will you help?" Jiang Gu looked at him scrutinizingly.

Wei Feng lowered his head and leaned closer to him, their noses almost touching. His smile gradually widened. "There is a divine artifact in the training pool of the Jin Department called the Sorrowful Inquiry Fire. It can greatly improve one's cultivation in a short period of time, but only I know how to obtain it. As long as I swallow that primordial spirit, I will tell you."

Jiang Gu remained silent.

“That’s a high-level divine artifact,” Wei Feng tempted him, “comparable to your black jade bracelet.”

Jiang Gu took the small primordial spirit out of the spiritual realm. This dark little primordial spirit seemed to have just woken up. Its golden roc wings were folded behind its back, and a black Netherworld Bone had been refined into a protective soft armor. A miniature Mo Dao made from a small piece of Moon Gazing Black Iron floated beside it. It wore an exquisite and beautiful red robe, with gold and jade pendants and small magic artifacts that Jiang Gu had searched for in the Spirit Tempering Realm.

Wei Feng's face contorted with rage as he ground his teeth and reached out to grab the small primordial spirit.

But halfway there, Jiang Gu grabbed her wrist.

He glared fiercely at Jiang Gu, the ropes binding him had all snapped, and the puppet-like body was about to burst. All he wanted now was to kidnap Jiang Gu, lock him up, and take him for himself.

"You'll have what it has too," Jiang Gu said calmly, as if he were recounting something insignificant.

Wei Feng was stunned.

Jiang Gu looked into his eyes, "I'll help you refine your primordial spirit, and you help me obtain the Sorrowful Flame, how about it?"

Wei Feng's jealousy and anger vanished abruptly. He scoffed, "How do you smelt it?"

Jiang Gu gripped his thin wrist. "I have my own methods. Just tell me whether you agree or not."

Wei Feng frowned and tried to pull his hand away, but the other man held it even tighter.

The two stared at each other in silence. After what seemed like an eternity, one of them finally spoke in a deep voice.

"good."