Soon, the second trial began.
This time, Chu Feng entered a new world once more.
However, this world was pitch black. The only thing visible was a staircase ahead of Chu Feng, emanating a faint glow.
The staircase extended upward, but since only a small portion of it emitted light, Chu Feng couldn't tell where the rest of the steps led.
But Chu Feng didn't dwell on it too much, because the subject of this trial was relatively simple — the character for "potential." In other words, this was a test of potential.
For this kind of trial, Chu Feng was well acquainted.
Since the surrounding world was entirely pitch black and only that staircase emitted a faint glow, then that staircase was the answer.
Chu Feng walked toward the staircase.
Hummmm—
The moment his foot stepped onto it, he felt a faint reaction from the bloodline within his body. At the same time, the staircase beneath his feet not only grew a little brighter, but the illuminated portion also extended further.
Now Chu Feng could see that the staircase truly did extend upward.
It was like a heavenly ladder!
If before it was merely a guess, then now Chu Feng was certain — this staircase was designed to test potential.
All Chu Feng had to do was simple: climb along the staircase. Of course… if he wanted to pass this trial, he would need to reach a certain height.
Chu Feng continued to climb. As he ascended higher and higher, the staircase grew brighter and brighter.
Gradually, the pitch-black ground began to be illuminated, and even the void above took on light.
And Chu Feng was the center of this radiance. He was like a sun gradually rising — the higher he climbed, the brighter and wider the staircase's glow would spread.
Chu Feng surmised that once the staircase's light banished all the darkness from the world, he would pass this trial.
But as Chu Feng climbed, he also discovered that the reaction of the bloodline within his body was growing stronger and stronger, and his body began to bear an invisible pain.
Noises started ringing in his ears. The staircase before his eyes began to warp and distort. His vision, his hearing, his body — all of them were being affected.
But the most terrifying thing was… a fearsome power also surged into Chu Feng's mind. That power unsettled his thoughts and left his mind in turmoil.
If he couldn't resist this interference, Chu Feng would not only be unable to continue climbing but would even tumble from the staircase and fail completely.
This made Chu Feng realize that this staircase was not so simple. It didn't just test potential — it also tested a martial cultivator's composure and perseverance.
If it only tested potential, climbing to the top of this staircase wouldn't be difficult for Chu Feng.
But testing composure and perseverance — even that posed a genuine challenge for Chu Feng.
Fortunately, Chu Feng's composure and perseverance far exceeded those of ordinary people.
This had nothing to do with talent. Those qualities had been forged through the hardships he had endured.
Once he realized what was happening, he slowed his pace, giving himself more time to adapt to the pain the staircase inflicted and its effect on his mind.
Originally, Chu Feng had been moving very quickly. In the time it took for a single stick of incense to burn, he had already reached a considerable height.
But after that, Chu Feng grew slower and slower. Sometimes, an entire stick of incense would pass before he took a single step forward.
After a full thirty-six hours had elapsed, Chu Feng's face was deathly pale and his breathing was ragged, yet his gaze remained as resolute as ever.
As for the staircase beneath his feet, it now blazed with light like the sun itself, illuminating the entire world.
This world was nothing special — the ground was covered in ordinary fields of flowers, and even the sky wasn't particularly blue.
But compared to the pitch-black void Chu Feng had first entered…
The world at this moment was breathtakingly beautiful.
And Chu Feng stood at the very top of the staircase, where even the vast white clouds could only drift beneath his feet.
Without a doubt, Chu Feng had successfully passed the trial.
The second round — the trial of potential — had not been easy, but Chu Feng had nonetheless relied on his perseverance and composure to pass.
After the second round concluded, the mysterious figure did not grant Chu Feng any time to rest.
He had just returned to the cave when the mysterious figure's voice sounded, and the third trial began immediately.
Chu Feng entered a new world — a magnificent one where the void above was not only ablaze with brilliant starlight but was completely filled with a meteor shower. Only these meteors didn't fall downward; instead, they danced and spiraled around Chu Feng like sprites from the Nine Heavens.
This trial tested comprehension.
Hidden within the magnificent star map was a martial skill.
Chu Feng had to comprehend it within the time of one stick of incense, or he would fail.
But this trial didn't stump Chu Feng. Compared to the second round, this third trial of comprehension came considerably easier.
Before the stick of incense had finished burning, Chu Feng had already comprehended a martial skill called the Three Strikes of the Croung Dragon.
It was a six-tiered Exalted-level forbidden martial skill.