Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Acting rashly without a good plan would be a useless, fruitless effort. This was because the current challenge was unlike any before. It was definitely not something that could be solved by sheer brute force.

After all, his physical condition had been at its absolute peak. A problem that could be solved with brute force was no problem at all.

"The first trial was wind, and this one is a Majestic Pressure like a forest," Ning Xuan muttered to himself. "If I’m not mistaken, there are two more trials! Well played, Luo Tianyi. Playing *The Art of War by Sun Tzu* with me, are you?"

If it really was a four-part trial, then it had to be based on the principles of wind, forest, fire, and mountain!

The first trial: As swift as the wind!

The second trial: Xu Rulin!

The third trial: As fierce as fire!

The fourth trial: As immovable as a mountain!

The first trial, swift wind, demanded speed; the second trial, Xu Rulin, required order!

The method I used for the first trial was actually wrong. As long as I’m fast enough, I can pass it, but I would still fail the second one! Is there a method that can account for both...

Ning Xuan began to ponder. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. The next moment, his figure flickered and disappeared.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three times in total, his consciousness repeatedly shattered. On the fourth attempt, Ning Xuan disappeared again. This time, he stood firm, two steps from the starting point!

He had passed the second trial!

The surroundings seemed unchanged, but a closer look would reveal that the stars within the vast galaxy had shifted. They were all now gathered directly above Ning Xuan’s head! This was his solution.

Borrowing power! Borrowing the power of the vast sea of stars!

If he was an ant, then the second trial was a giant elephant. The two were not on the same level of existence. But if there were enough ants, all moving in unison and exerting their force as one, even ants could move an elephant. This was the key to Xu Rulin!

"Let me see the third trial!"

Ning Xuan took a deep breath and charged forward. ’Fierce as fire’ demanded overwhelming momentum! But as soon as he rushed out, an indescribable inferno blazed into his vision, instantly engulfing him!

In his subsequent attempts, even though Ning Xuan was prepared, he could not escape the fate of being devoured each time. Even though he knew it was an illusion and his Mental State was as solid as a rock, it was still no use.

At this, Ning Xuan couldn’t help but frown, but he soon smiled.

He had become fixated. A true man must know when to be flexible and when to stand firm! He had correctly anticipated Luo Tianyi’s four trials, but if he could brute-force his way through the first, why couldn’t his opponent change the rules for this one?

If he couldn’t fight what he saw, then he would simply have to compromise!

Ning Xuan smiled and, at the very moment he took his next step, closed his eyes.

He landed the step, safe and sound!

"Blindly sticking to the rules will only shackle you! Come on, let me see the fourth trial!" Ning Xuan declared, taking the fourth step.

He came to a stop, but no strange phenomena occurred. Just as he was growing puzzled, a swift, tyrannical, and seemingly invincible fist appeared before his eyes!

Without a second thought, Ning Xuan threw a punch of his own in a powerful confrontation. The moment their fists collided, he immediately sensed a familiar aura from his opponent’s technique. It was the aura of his own Tyrant Annihilation Fist!

Ning Xuan’s eyebrows shot up. Could my opponent this time be... myself?

As soon as the thought occurred to him, another Ning Xuan materialized across from him.

"Well now, Luo Tianyi, you really know how to keep things interesting," Ning Xuan laughed. "This fourth trial, ’immovable as a mountain,’ is making me fight myself. What could be a stronger defense than that?"

"Perfect. I can use this opportunity to review everything I’ve learned!"

As his voice fell, Ning Xuan attacked. Since he was facing himself, any technique he could use, his opponent could too. Therefore, Ning Xuan held nothing back. At the same time, he observed his own life’s work from a bystander’s perspective. And sure enough, he spotted quite a few flaws.

He immediately began to correct them. The consequence, however, was that whenever he made a correction, his counterpart instantly adjusted as well.

The two of them fought on, losing all track of time. Gradually, Ning Xuan found himself at a disadvantage. His mind was finally starting to be affected. A long, drawn-out battle where he couldn’t gain the upper hand was beginning to destabilize his state of mind.

BOOM!

After another collision of fists, blood actually trickled from the corner of his mouth! He was about to be defeated by himself!

Something’s not right. He’s not me; he’s another consciousness!

That punch made Ning Xuan realize the discrepancy. The opponent was like a perfect copy, not a projection of his own consciousness. It had inherited all of his strengths but discarded all of his flaws!

Well played! Another ’immovable as a mountain’!

Having figured it out, Ning Xuan took a deep breath. Then, he closed his eyes once more. He began to strike at will, with no form or pattern to his attacks. Even he himself had no idea what his next move would be.

He threw a punch, and his opponent was forced to retreat rapidly!

"I see now," Ning Xuan said, his eyes suddenly snapping open. "To forget the self, to be without self, that is the True Self!"

BANG!

He threw another punch, and the Ning Xuan opposite him shattered into pieces! Ning Xuan’s own consciousness began to fade as well.

「At the same time.」

Outside, Ning Xuan’s real body opened its eyes. He immediately heard Cheng Dabao’s voice, "What are you spacing out for? Let’s go!"

Inside the trial, Ning Xuan had lost all track of time, but to Cheng Dabao, only a few seconds had passed. Eager to reach the Teleportation Array, she failed to notice that in those few short moments, Ning Xuan had already changed. His aura was more restrained, his eyes deeper.

"Alright," Ning Xuan replied with a smile and began to walk.

However, he had barely taken two steps when Jiang Donglin, who had left earlier, reappeared. He looked at Ning Xuan as if he were seeing a god. His orders had been to detain Ning Xuan here for a minimum of three months if he appeared. Using the passage had been a last resort.

It had only been deployed because of an order from above: if Ning Xuan appeared in Tianji and could reach Bi Luo Palace within ten days, the final measure was to be used immediately. This was because all other methods would be completely useless against him!

In other words, even the Palace Master had been confident that the measures here could trap Ning Xuan for at least three months! From what he knew of the Palace Master, this was an absolute worst-case scenario. Normally, you had to multiply any time frame the Palace Master gave by ten!

But look what had happened. Forget three months, they hadn’t even held Ning Xuan for three days, three hours, or even forty-five minutes! If he let Ning Xuan proceed to Tian Shu like this, he would be finished!

Therefore, seeing Ning Xuan come to his senses, Jiang Donglin appeared at once and called out, "Young Master, please wait!"

"Steward Jiang, don’t tell me you’re going back on your word?" Cheng Dabao asked, giving Jiang Donglin a wary look before Ning Xuan could even speak.

Ning Xuan’s gaze also swept over to him.

Although Ning Xuan had done nothing, Jiang Donglin felt a terrifying chill, as if his blood had instantly frozen. His forehead was immediately covered in dense beads of sweat, which he didn’t even have time to wipe away as he hurriedly said, "How could that be possible!"