Soon, the second round of trials began.
Once again, Chu Feng entered a new world.
This world was pitch-black. The only thing before him was a staircase, emitting a faint glow.
The stairs extended upward, but since only a small portion of them were glowing, Chu Feng couldn't quite tell where the rest of the staircase led.
But Chu Feng didn't think too much about it, because this round's trial was relatively simple—it was the "latent" trial. As the name implied, it was a test of potential.
For this kind of test, Chu Feng was no stranger.
Since the surrounding world was pitch-black and only the staircase emitted a faint glow, then that staircase was the answer.
Chu Feng walked toward the staircase.
Hum— The moment his foot landed on it, he felt a faint reaction from the bloodline within his body. At the same time, the staircase beneath his feet not only grew slightly brighter, but the illuminated portion also expanded.
Now Chu Feng could see that the staircase did indeed extend upward.
It was like a stairway to heaven!!!
If he had only been guessing before, then now Chu Feng was certain—this staircase was designed to test potential.
All Chu Feng had to do was climb. Of course… if he wanted to pass this round, he had to reach a certain height.
Chu Feng continued climbing. 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 started to glow.
And Chu Feng was the center of that radiance. He was like a sun gradually rising—the higher he climbed, the brighter and more expansive the light from the staircase became.
Chu Feng figured that once he used the staircase's light to banish all the darkness in the world, he would pass this round.
But as Chu Feng climbed, he also discovered that not only was his bloodline reacting more and more intensely, but his body was also beginning to endure invisible pain.
Noises began to reach his ears, the staircase before his eyes started to distort and waver, and his vision, hearing, and body were all being affected.
But the most terrifying thing was… a fearsome power had surged into Chu Feng's mind. That power扰led his thoughts, leaving him deeply unsettled.
If he couldn't resist this interference, not only would Chu Feng be unable to continue climbing, he might even fall from the staircase and fail completely.
This made Chu Feng realize that the staircase was far from simple. It didn't just test potential—it also tested a warrior's composure and willpower.
If it only tested potential, reaching the top of this staircase would be no difficulty for Chu Feng.
But with composure and willpower also on the line, even Chu Feng was facing a real challenge.
Fortunately, Chu Feng's composure and willpower far exceeded those of ordinary people.
This had nothing to do with talent. That willpower and composure 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 the toll it took on his mind.
Originally, Chu Feng had been climbing at a rapid pace, reaching a considerable height in the span of a single incense stick.
But afterward, Chu Feng grew slower and slower. At times, it took an entire incense stick just for him to advance a single step.
After a full seventy-two hours had passed, Chu Feng's face was deathly pale and he was gasping for breath, yet his gaze remained as resolute as ever.
As for the staircase beneath his feet, it now blazed with radiant light like a sun, illuminating the entire world.
This world was nothing extraordinary—the ground was covered in ordinary fields of flowers, and the sky wasn't even particularly blue.
But compared to the pitch-black void Chu Feng had first entered…
The world now was breathtakingly beautiful, almost enough to steal one's breath.
And Chu Feng himself stood at the very pinnacle of the staircase, with even the vast white clouds drifting below his feet.
Without question, Chu Feng had passed the trial.
The second round—the test of potential—had not been easy, but Chu Feng had relied on his willpower and composure to pass it nonetheless.
After clearing the second round, the mysterious figure gave Chu Feng no time to rest.
The moment he returned to the cave, the mysterious figure's voice rang out, and the third round of trials began.
Chu Feng entered another new world—this one was breathtakingly beautiful. Not only did the void above shimmer with starlight, but it was also filled with a meteor shower. The meteors didn't fall downward, though; they danced and spiraled around Chu Feng like sprites from the Nine Heavens.
This round tested comprehension.
Hidden within the magnificent star chart was a martial art.
Chu Feng had to comprehend it within the span of a single incense stick, or he would fail.
But this round didn't give Chu Feng much trouble. Compared to the second round's trial, this third round testing comprehension was considerably easier.
Before the incense stick had burned out, Chu Feng had already comprehended a martial art called the Three Forms of the Crouching Dragon.
It was a Sixth-rank Exalted Forbidden Martial Art.