First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 99: Sea of Fire, Iron Cable

As time passed, most of the disciples had already attempted the trial.

Out of the forty-three people, only sixteen managed to pass.

This elimination rate can be considered quite cruel.

Only those like Shen Mo, Lu Ming, Li Chen, and Xiao Ling'er, who were the top cultivators among the new disciples of the three sects, could easily pass.

The remaining disciples, even if they passed successfully, were all injured.

They waited at the end of the passage for half an hour, taking pills to temporarily suppress their injuries.

Afterwards, they began to push open the stone door at the end of the passage.

"Buzz!"

When the ancient sealed stone door opened, what came into view for Shen Mo and the others was not a magnificent palace, but a sea of fire!

Inside the door was a huge sea of fire, with molten lava churning and waves of heat rising.

Above the sea of fire, there was a long iron cable, connecting to the stone steps leading to the next area.

"Is this sea of fire the second trial?" Xiao Ling'er and the others frowned when they saw this scene, and looked towards Lu Ming.

"Yes," Lu Ming nodded. "My master told me that once we pass this sea of fire passage, we will arrive at the cave of the Symbol Master Ling Fu. There, he left behind valuable treasures."

"What kind of mystery is there in crossing this sea of fire on the iron cable?" Xiao Ling'er gazed at the distant stone steps and asked.

The cliff of fire in front of them seemed daunting, but everyone present was a cultivator.

Not to mention that there was an iron cable for them to walk on, even if they had to step on the molten lava, it wouldn't be difficult.

Therefore, she believed that this trial was not as simple as it seemed.

"This sea of fire is not an ordinary flame, but a fire spirit flame that burns the mind and soul," Lu Ming explained without hiding anything. "Once you step on the iron cable, you will experience illusions that test your heart. Unless your heart is firm, you won't be able to pass."

Even if Lu Ming didn't say anything, the disciples from the other two sects would have someone attempt to cross the sea of fire and find out the mystery.

The advantage of Lu Ming knowing this information was that he had prepared sturdy heart-stabilizing talismans in advance.

"Take this talisman when you attempt the trial. It will stabilize your heart and protect you from the illusions," Lu Ming distributed the heart-stabilizing talismans he had prepared to the disciples who were about to enter the second trial.

There weren't many disciples entering the second trial, besides Shen Mo and Yang Qingshan, there were only Lu Xu and Xu Longxiang.

Lu Ming had prepared enough talismans for everyone to have one.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Lu Ming!" The disciples gratefully accepted the heart-stabilizing talismans from Lu Ming.

Some people naturally had a leadership quality that made them well-liked.

Clearly, Lu Ming was such a person.

During this exploration of the mountains and rivers, he not only united the disciples of the three peaks, but also prepared talismans in advance for everyone.

He had earned a lot of goodwill.

It could be foreseen that after returning to the sect, his prestige among the new disciples would definitely skyrocket.

"Senior brothers and sisters, even though you have the talismans, don't think that you can relax," Lu Ming reminded them. "These talismans can only provide support. If your hearts are not firm enough, you will still find it difficult to pass this trial."

Hearing Lu Ming's reminder, Shen Mo also felt a bit uneasy about the upcoming test of the heart.

If it was a test of strength like the previous trial, Shen Mo would naturally be confident.

But unfortunately, this trial would test something as intangible and elusive as the heart, and Shen Mo didn't have much confidence in that.

Although he had been on the path of immortality for several months and had witnessed various cruelties in the cultivation world, Shen Mo felt that his determination was no stronger than that of an ordinary mortal in his past life.

Similar to the previous first trial, a disciple quickly stepped forward to challenge the trial.

This time, the disciple challenging the first trial was from the Ghost Corpse Sect.

Shen Mo didn't know his name, but since he was able to pass the first trial, it was obvious that he had some skills.

However, this disciple from the Ghost Corpse Sect performed poorly.

Just as he stepped onto the iron cable, he seemed to be deceived by illusions, swaying and unable to maintain his balance.

In the end, he fell.

Fortunately, as soon as he lost control and fell from the iron cable, the illusions in front of him disappeared, instantly bringing him back to his senses.

This gave him the opportunity to crush the teleportation talisman and leave.

It avoided the fate of being swallowed by the sea of fire and ultimately turning into ashes.

The failure of the first person made others feel heavy-hearted.

They had a deeper understanding of the difficulty of crossing this sea of fire on the iron cable.

After a long time, three more people came out to try.

But without exception, none of them were able to pass the trial successfully.

The person who went the farthest was Lv Xu, who had been assigned the calming talisman by Lu Ming.

But even he couldn't continue halfway through.

After that, three more people started to challenge the trial one after another.

This time, there was finally someone who could reach the other side of the sea of fire on the iron cable.

And the first person to pass the trial was Li Chen, a genius from the Ghost Corpse Sect.

"This Mindfire is indeed strange. If my Dao heart wasn't firm enough, I might have been invaded by the devil and lost my way completely."

Although he passed the trial successfully, Li Chen still felt lingering fear.

After him, many people started to attempt crossing the bridge, but all ended in failure.

Shen Mo watched as each person failed to cross the bridge, his expression becoming more solemn.

He knew very well that his chances of success were probably not very high.

Instead of immediately starting to climb the bridge, Shen Mo continued to observe and wait for others to act.

After Xun Tian's failure, several eager disciples also hesitated.

After a while, someone finally took another step forward.

It was Xiao Ling'er, a genius from the Yan Yue Sect.

"Like ice in the heart, unmoved even if the sky falls."

She silently recited the Yan Yue Sect's Ice Heart Technique in her heart, stepping on the iron cable and moving straight ahead.

The many illusions and devils she encountered were unable to invade her.

In the end, she successfully became the second person to cross the sea of fire without any danger.

After she arrived, Lu Ming also began to attempt the trial.

As Shen Mo had guessed, Lu Ming was well-prepared and had the blessing of a spiritual body, so he passed the trial smoothly.

The consecutive successes of the two of them gave some discouraged disciples a bit of confidence.

They started to attempt the trial again, but all ended in failure.

"I carry many gains with me, and I cannot afford to lose them."

"If I want to take risks, I need to put things in order first."

Unable to hold back any longer, Shen Mo also prepared to start the trial.

But as a precaution, he returned to the entrance passage and found Cao Ren, who was still waiting there.

"You keep this Qiankun Bag. If I successfully pass the trial, I will come to retrieve it from you." Shen Mo's face was solemn as he said, "If I am truly eliminated early, remember not to let anyone take it away from you. When you come out, return it to me."

"Okay, be careful."

Cao Ren was slightly surprised, but quickly obeyed his instructions and carefully stored the Qiankun Bag.

After arranging this matter, Shen Mo finally made up his mind and stepped onto the iron cable bridge.

(End of this chapter)