'No one?!'
His cold gaze swept across the entire cavern. Smoke and dust swirled within the small space, but not a single figure was in sight.
'Did that sissy lie to me?'
When he didn't find the thief who had stolen his Storage Pouch, Tang Shun's first reaction was that Shen Fan had tricked him.
But on second thought, 'Shen Fan and I have no feud. Why would he go to all this trouble just to make an enemy of me?'
'Unless…'
Gazing at the motionless wisp of golden wind, Tang Shun's lips curled into a cold smirk. A sinister, crimson Sword Qi throbbed erratically in his left palm, unleashing an infinitely sharp aura.
At that moment, Qi Yun had already transformed into a gust of Clear Wind, pressing himself tightly against one of the walls. He frowned as he watched Tang Shun, who had come barging in.
'How did he find this place? Don't tell me there's some kind of tracking mark on the Storage Pouch?'
The thought flashed through his mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
'No, that can't be right. If there were, why would it have taken him this long to track me down?'
He attempted an infinitesimal shift of his "body," trying to slip through the nearly nonexistent gap beside Tang Shun.
But the instant he moved, the wisp of golden wind, which had been motionless, trembled like the surface of disturbed water. It even shifted faintly, just a fraction, in the direction of his movement!
'Could this be the thing that led Tang Shun to me?'
Noticing the strange phenomenon, Qi Yun tested it again. Sure enough, whenever he made the slightest movement, the golden wisp moved as well.
The larger his movements, the more pointedly the golden wisp aimed.
'I've been targeted…' His brow furrowed, and Qi Yun's gaze grew heavy.
The Clear Wind Technique only lasted for about half an hour. With his current True Qi Amount, he could cast it at most three more times in succession.
In other words, he could only hold out for an hour and a half at most.
Once time was up, without the cover of the Clear Wind Technique, he would be sliced to ribbons by Tang Shun in an instant.
"My friend, why don't you just show yourself?" Tang Shun's voice suddenly echoed through the silent cavern, carrying a strange sort of sincerity.
"I know you have some means of concealment, but you've been locked onto by my Secret Skill. There's no escape."
As he spoke, he slowly withdrew the terrifying, crimson Sword Qi in his palm. He even deliberately stepped aside, clearing half the cave entrance and revealing the dim light outside.
"Of course, if you just return what you took, I'll turn around and leave right now.
We can let bygones be bygones. I won't cause you any trouble.
What do you say?"
Hearing Tang Shun's words, Qi Yun hesitated, his hand moving toward the Storage Pouch tucked inside his clothes.
His only way out was blocked.
If he held out, he could only last another hour and a half—not long enough for the trial to end.
As Qi Yun was trying to figure a way out of this stalemate, he suddenly looked up at the seemingly sincere man before him.
'Damn it, I almost forgot you're a smiling tiger.'
Seeing through Tang Shun's feigned surrender, Qi Yun steeled himself. His body of Clear Wind pressed against the rock wall as if frozen. He suppressed his aura to the absolute limit, striving to control even the faintest ripple of "airflow."
'There's still time, anyway. Let's see who's more patient.'
Deathly silence descended upon the cavern.
Staring into the empty, unresponsive cavern, the smile on Tang Shun's face slowly faded. A sinister, ruthless glint flickered in his eyes.
"Choosing the hard way, are we? I refuse to believe you can hide in there forever!"
With a cold snort, Tang Shun shifted his position. His body became like an iron gate, once again blocking the only exit completely, leaving not even a crack.
He had considered blasting the inside of the cavern with his Swordsmanship.
But the trial had only just begun. Every wisp of True Qi was precious, and it wouldn't be wise to waste it recklessly.
Besides, Shen Fan couldn't be fully trusted.
'What if this is his scheme to make me waste my True Qi…'
Time trickled by, second by second, in the suffocating silence.
Outside the cavern, the light shifted from dim to bright, then slowly faded once more.
Seeing that an hour had passed in the blink of an eye, Qi Yun once again formed a Spell and cast the Clear Wind Technique.
After this, his True Qi was completely depleted; he wouldn't be able to cast any more Magic.
In other words, when this casting of the Clear Wind Technique expired, he would have to face Tang Shun.
Meanwhile, Tang Shun was also filled with suspicion.
'Is Shen Fan's Magic reliable or not?'
'What if the person already left long ago, or was never even here in the first place? And here I am, standing guard like an idiot, wasting my time.'
"Hmph!"
A cold snort, full of anger and impatience, shattered the dead silence. Tang Shun swept his sinister gaze across the empty cavern one last time, then abruptly flicked his sleeve. He actually turned and, radiating a suppressed, vicious aura, strode briskly out of the cavern!
'He's gone?!'
Seeing Tang Shun depart, Qi Yun raised an eyebrow. The tension that held him taut as a bowstring finally eased.
'Finally, I've managed to wait out that menace.'
Relaxing his body, Qi Yun prepared to leave, wanting to avoid any further complications.
But just as he was about to move, his feet suddenly froze. His clear eyes stared toward the empty cavern entrance.
'Wait, that smiling tiger… is he really gone?'
'Could this be a trap?'
The moment the thought appeared, it was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. A cold sweat instantly broke out on Qi Yun's back.
'I'll wait a little longer!'
Retreating to his original position, Qi Yun not only stayed put but did his utmost to suppress his aura, reducing his presence to an absolute minimum.
In the tense, oppressive silence, another quarter of an hour slowly crawled by.
The cavern remained deathly still, with only dust motes floating silently in the faint light.
SWOOSH—
Suddenly, a figure filled with killing intent reappeared at the entrance without warning. His eyes, radiating a cold light, were like blades that sent a chill straight to the heart.
It was Tang Shun, who had left only to return!
'This tricky bastard, I knew he hadn't really left!'
Seeing Tang Shun return, Qi Yun's heart jolted. 'Thank goodness I was cautious enough not to leave immediately.'
'Otherwise, I really would have fallen for his trick!'
'Nothing… Still nothing.'
The last glimmer of hope in his eyes was extinguished, replaced by a towering rage and the humiliation of being made a fool.
Gazing resentfully at the still-motionless cavern, Tang Shun finally gave up completely.
There were less than two hours until the end of the trial.
Wasting any more time here was completely meaningless.
"Shen Fan!"
Hissing the name through his teeth, Tang Shun raised his hand. A blast of Sword Qi shattered the wisp of golden wind hovering in mid-air.
Without a second glance, radiating a furious, malevolent aura, he spun around and left. His figure vanished from the entrance, his departure far more decisive than before.
'He's not just hiding outside again, is he…'
Having learned his lesson, Qi Yun continued to hide until the Clear Wind Technique's effect wore off, forcing him to reveal his true form.
With his back against the cold rock wall, Qi Yun silently circulated his Heart Skill to recover his True Qi, all while staring intently at the empty exit, terrified that the murderous figure would reappear.
GONG—
The sound of a bronze gong echoed throughout the entire valley.
A voice—grand and ancient, yet exuding absolute indifference and authority—suddenly resounded in the ears of all the surviving young Cultivators in the valley.
"The trial is over! All participants, remain in place and await Guiding!"
...