Hearing the exclamation, the Dragonman captain couldn't help but reveal a proud smile.
“You are young, but you have seen a lot. Indeed, everything on this Azure Dragon Island is a blessing from the heavens. My dragon clan has never touched a single thing. This island is a world unto itself. Without my dragon clan to guide you, you would only see the ordinary sights on the island.”
"The same applies to mazes. Without a guide, one will only get lost in this cave and eventually die of exhaustion."
The Dragon Captain said with considerable pride, and Gu Yifeng could only nod in agreement.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Dragonman Captain led Gu Yifeng to a huge tree stump. Its massive cross-section was comparable to a training ground.
"Do you see the dragon-patterned stone tablet in the center of that tree stump? You just need to input your spiritual power into it to enter the trial. The trial is divided into three stages, and there is no danger to your life. If you pass, you will be fine."
"If you fail, you will be automatically expelled from the island. When you open your eyes again, you will be at the entrance where you came from. You can then sail away on your own."
The dragon captain gave a speech, then left two dragonmen to guard the area before leading the rest of the dragonmen away.
Seeing this, Gu Yifeng no longer hesitated. He went straight to the stone tablet, sat down cross-legged, and gently stroked the stone tablet with his right palm. A wisp of spiritual power was activated, and the next moment, a pulling force swept a wisp of his consciousness into it.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dimly lit world.
All around was silent, surrounded by lush trees, and there seemed to be no movement whatsoever.
After about an incense stick's time of calm, the surrounding trees suddenly changed. The once lush trees withered and fell off, and a black demonic flame rose into the sky not far away.
A terrifying demonic aura spread out, followed by the noisy sounds of battle, with the roars of demonic beasts echoing all around.
"Protect the Heavenly Dragon Grass behind you. It is the last hope of the Dragon Clan. If you can hold out for one hour, you will pass the trial."
Before Gu Yifeng could react, a cold voice rang out, seemingly belonging to the rules of this trial space, devoid of any emotion.
The next moment, a horde of magical beasts surged toward his location like a tidal wave, each possessing the strength of a peak-stage Opening Mansion Realm cultivator.
"Damn it, how could this possibly last an hour?"
Gu Yifeng cursed under his breath, only then realizing that his cultivation in this space was not limited by his physical body, and that he actually possessed the strength of the peak of the Condensation Realm.
With a thought, his body transformed into three people, which was the One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones, guarding three directions, greatly increasing the chances of success.
The spiritual energy condensed on their bodies into the shape of a mountain and river sword. Then, the three of them simultaneously unleashed a sword light, instantly wiping out a group of demonic beasts.
The purple sword energy poured endless cold air into the corpses of the magical beasts, and then the ice explosion spell killed another batch of magical beasts. However, all of this was instantaneous. Although the first wave of magical beasts was wiped out, even more magical beasts surged up.
In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Gu Yifeng had killed countless demonic beasts, at least tens of thousands. Then, the demonic beast tide seemed endless, surging in wave after wave, each time with an even stronger cultivation level.
Soon, all three of them had exhausted their spiritual energy, but the demonic beasts had completely surrounded them. Under the influence of the dense demonic energy, even communication became a problem.
Dense demonic energy enveloped Gu Yifeng and his avatar, with seductive voices constantly emanating from them.
"Get out of the way, this Heavenly Dragon Herb should belong to the magical beast. Even if you lose, it's nothing. As long as you're strong enough, this trial space is nothing..."
Various seductive voices rang out, their purpose being to get Gu Yifeng to make way, allowing these demonic beasts to devour and destroy the Heavenly Dragon Grass.
"The Thunder Emperor has summoned!"
Amidst numerous distractions, Gu Yifeng shouted loudly, and then the spiritual power within his dantian surged wildly, manifesting runes. The next moment, lightning exploded, instantly clearing away the surrounding demonic beasts once again.
"Isn't it just a matter of asking yourself the truth...? My first answer is, no retreat!"
Panting heavily, Gu Yifeng roared and plucked the Heavenly Dragon Grass, swallowing it whole.
The immense medicinal power instantly entered his consciousness, and his consciousness transformed into a dragon body, becoming a pure-blooded dragonman. Facing the ever-growing tide of magical beasts around him, his two avatars immediately rushed into the beast horde, and then a white light emanated from within the two avatars.
Then came a violent roar, and in just three breaths, all the magical beasts were wiped out.
Before Gu Yifeng could say anything more, his consciousness was teleported away from this place again. This time, he appeared high in the sky, with land beneath his feet.
"The second stage is to resolve the war between the three kingdoms on the mainland, and then it will be over."
A cold voice rang out, and then Gu Yifeng's consciousness remained suspended in mid-air. With a thought, the entire world trembled. In this trial, he was like the Heavenly Dao, able to determine the life and death of everyone.
Gu Yifeng silently observed everything on the continent. These three kingdoms were like a reflection of the lower realm back then. Those who were in them could only be forced to drift with the tide of the times.
But this time, he stepped outside the situation and didn't have to follow the crowd. Gu Yifeng's choice was simple: do nothing.
Or rather, Gu Yifeng simply conveyed a belief on the continent, called the Dao. This belief has only one doctrine: cultivating oneself is the Dao.
Under such beliefs, many people joined Taoism, focusing solely on self-cultivation. Those with the ability could act at will to relieve suffering and distress.
Furthermore, he stopped paying attention to the mainland and simply sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, cultivating himself. In just ten years, the three countries were united as one. Influenced by Taoism, he cultivated himself to the best of his ability, which greatly changed the situation of the three countries.
The second challenge was Gu Yifeng's choice: to govern by inaction and follow the natural course of events. He simply needed to inform those caught in the turmoil and let them decide for themselves, which would be the best outcome.
It wasn't until the third challenge that Gu Yifeng's expression changed. The location remained the same, still high in the sky, amidst a layer of clouds, but now there was an identical humanoid figure opposite him.
The only difference was that this person was black, a black Gu Yifeng, sitting opposite the real Gu Yifeng.
The third challenge has only one requirement: defeat an exact replica of yourself. No matter what method you use, as long as the black version of yourself dies or surrenders, you win.
Hearing this strange request, Gu Yifeng was stunned. At this point, he understood everything. In the end, the first test of the Azure Dragon Island trial was the heart of righteousness. It was about whether one could still stick to oneself and adhere to the righteous path under absolute disadvantage and the temptation of demonic energy.
The second challenge is about staying true to one's original intentions. When power is amplified infinitely, can one still follow one's original aspirations?
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