Chapter 8: “You’re Eliminated”—Counterattack

Lian Mu knocked on the nearby rock wall. It felt slightly loose. She brushed away the dirt and started digging with her battered sword.

This sword had no spiritual energy. It was utterly useless—just like her.

Even though she couldn’t control it with spiritual energy, it was still sturdier than an ordinary sword. She rammed it against the rock wall. The rock shattered, but the sword remained intact.

She exerted all her strength, chiseling away until she created an opening wide enough for a person to pass through. She was covered in rock dust.

Crawling out of the hole, Lian Mu took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling much lighter. The underground was unbearably hot, and the magma-dwelling beasts frequently surfaced, sending up bursts of fire.

As soon as she emerged, the sound of clashing weapons reached her ears.

Turning around, she saw several people standing behind her.

“So the entrance was here all along,” said a burly man wielding a large blade. “Thanks for showing us the way, little friend.”

He raised his weapon and charged at Lian Mu. She dodged swiftly and struck at his abdomen, only to find that he was completely unfazed.

He was wearing ice armor!

Her sword froze upon contact and stuck to the man’s armor. Before the cold could spread up her arm, she quickly let go and retreated.

The burly man grinned as his three companions surrounded her.

Lian Mu said, “Esteemed… friend, four against one—isn’t that rather dishonorable?”

“Weaklings like you should be completely eliminated.”

The big-bladed man threw his head back and laughed, then swung his blade repeatedly at her. As he stepped into the dirt, he left two deep footprints.

Lian Mu dodged a few of his attacks and quickly noticed some flaws. He relied on brute strength to overpower his opponents, but he was too heavy and slow. The three people by his side compensated for his weakness, moving swiftly like the wind.

Only when the four of them worked together did they form a complete fighting style.

Realizing this, Lian Mu subtly shifted her footwork, changing her original evasive pattern and charging straight toward the big-bladed man.

“You dare to seek death?” the big-bladed man sneered. “Then I’ll grant your wish!”

The other three immediately closed in, surrounding Lian Mu like a tightly woven net, intending to trap her in place and leave her at his mercy.

As the tip of his blade grazed past her ear, Lian Mu’s mind raced, analyzing possible countermeasures. In an instant, she clenched her fist and then sent a powerful kick straight at the thin, monkey-like man in front of her, sending him flying.

These three people were fast, but they had almost no defense.

The big-bladed man was momentarily stunned, and in the next instant, a solid fist landed squarely on his nose.

Lian Mu avoided the ice armor’s position and used the difference in body size to move like a phantom, darting back and forth. Her speed was even faster than the two people beside the big-bladed man.

In the blink of an eye, she maneuvered behind him and leaped onto his back.

The big-bladed man: “???”

Lian Mu grabbed his hair with both hands and yanked as if pulling up a radish, ripping out large tufts of black hair.

The remaining three were instantly dumbfounded.

“Let go of me!”

Lian Mu twisted around, gripping his neck. A cracking sound echoed, and her jade token vibrated slightly.

The big-bladed man’s eyes rolled back as his head twisted out of place. When he collapsed, his body turned into a wisp of smoke.

Seizing the moment while the other three were still in shock, Lian Mu moved faster than her thoughts and eliminated them as well.

The number on her jade token decreased again—only a little over a thousand people remained.

Just five hundred more, and she’d pass.

Looking at the scattered remains on the ground, Lian Mu suddenly realized something: eliminated contestants dropped their weapons.

The big-bladed man’s sword and ice armor were left behind. Once he lost the armor, its freezing effect also vanished, and her sword slid off of it. His three underlings’ weapons were also left intact.

Excited, Lian Mu rummaged through the pile of items. There were many spiritual artifacts she didn’t recognize—perhaps she could figure out how to use them. Having another tool for protection was always better than nothing.

She glanced around. No one had come yet.

What Lian Mu didn’t know was that, at that very moment, someone in the sky was watching her.

Two young men were riding a silver kite. One sat cross-legged, holding a yellow talisman paper and tracing symbols in the air. The other stood at the edge, looking down at the lone figure below.

The standing youth clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I’ve never seen such a crude fighting style—like some street thug.”

The talisman-drawing youth, eyes closed, responded casually, “Victory is what matters.”

“She won, sure,” the standing youth said. “The Gui Xian Sect’s entry trials really are something—way more exciting than other sects. You get all kinds of people.”

“But… she came in with just one sword?” He chuckled. “Not even a single defensive artifact.”

The talisman-drawing youth finally completed his work, infusing spiritual energy into the talisman. It landed in his palm, and as he opened his eyes, he remained composed, not even glancing at the person below. “It’s nearby.”

The standing youth straightened up, suddenly serious. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Lian Mu was still figuring out how to wear the ice armor. She picked up the big-bladed man’s weapon but found it too heavy for her. The three small daggers from his underlings were at least somewhat useful.

Just as she finished putting on the ice armor and was about to scout for a hiding spot, the ground beneath her suddenly shook.

Not just her area—the entire region was trembling. Within moments, the land cracked apart, with her dug-out hole as the center.

Lian Mu had no time to think. The shaking had already made it impossible to walk properly—her feet went numb. She instinctively fell backward, quickly grabbing her weapon and twisting midair to land face-down, shielding the back of her head.

But instead of the expected faceplant, the ground suddenly collapsed.

Lian Mu immediately recalled the sea of magma beneath them, and a cold sweat drenched her back.

She was too close to the hole. Without hesitation, she stabbed her sword into the rock wall, anchoring herself midair. The fragments of land beneath her had already plunged into the lava, sending sparks flying and bubbles gurgling before the surface stilled again.

Lian Mu: “…”

Well, this was bad.

She was too far from the red rock platform above the lava. In her current state, she might not be able to jump across.

Then she realized—she wasn’t the only one in trouble.

The number on her jade token had just dropped by several hundred.

Looking at the now-exposed underground lava cavern, Lian Mu understood—they were in a hollow structure. The surface seemed stable, but underneath, it was all connected magma caves.

She noticed several new tunnels that hadn’t been there before—most likely formed when the ground collapsed.

So… did others fall too?

She figured they must have. Otherwise, there was no way so many people could be eliminated in an instant.

She was now just one step away from passing.

Lian Mu felt a bit relieved but also had a bad feeling. If the ground could just collapse like that, was the illusion realm activating a new phase? Surely it wasn’t just because of her digging… right?

She suddenly heard footsteps approaching. Judging by the sound, it was a group of people. She didn’t know their intentions, so she slowly moved into a concealed spot along the rock wall.

A group of white-clothed trial participants emerged from the cave, all armed and on guard. Scanning the crowd, Lian Mu saw no familiar faces and decided to just watch from the sidelines.

Not long after, another group flew down from the sky, hovering above, looking down at the people on the red rock platform.

Hidden in the shadows, Lian Mu observed the figures on the silver kite. She couldn’t see their faces and didn’t focus on them—just quietly eavesdropped.

“The Flame Beast is ours!” someone on the red rock platform declared.

The youth on the silver kite replied coldly, “Then prove it.”

A wave of heat surged from the lava, and a massive fish-like creature with a rocky shell rolled over, shaking the entire cavern.

The fight started immediately, with both sides targeting the Flame Beast. None of them noticed Lian Mu.

This was exactly the kind of situation she liked—she could stay hidden and sneak her way through.

But Lian Mu hadn’t expected that someone had already set their sights on her.

The once-lazy Flame Beast was enraged by the battle, thrashing around and sending lava splashing everywhere like rain.

Lian Mu tried to find a safer spot, but just as she moved, a black-clothed youth suddenly appeared in front of her, standing on a small silver kite. With a flick of his wrist, he sent several talisman papers flying at her.

Lian Mu scrambled along the rock wall, stepping on protrusions to dodge swiftly. The talismans landed nearby and instantly ignited, scorching deep black holes into the wall.

She narrowed her eyes. Before she could think further, she was forced to sidestep again, barely evading another barrage of talismans. She was driven all the way to the edge of a small rocky outcrop.

Lava splashed onto her ice armor, immediately hardening into black rock.

Lian Mu finally understood—he was after her ice armor.

But once something landed in her hands, there was no giving it back.

She immediately drew her sword, slashing at the incoming talismans. The jade token’s number was still dropping. If she could just hold out a little longer, she’d make it through.

“A sword cultivator?” The youth sneered. “Clearly self-taught.”

Blocking the talismans, Lian Mu felt annoyed—how was she self-taught?

The youth flung talismans at her as if they cost nothing, while he himself stood still. With just one sword, Lian Mu struggled to fend them off. Frustrated, she kicked off the hardened black rock from her armor and used it as an improvised weapon.

“I’ll use you to test my new talisman formation,” the youth said. With a wave of his hand, every talisman ignited at once—even the ones Lian Mu had already cut apart.

Flames instantly surrounded her. The area near the magma was already sweltering, and now, sweat poured down her entire body, soaking her back.

The ice armor could block damage, but not heat.

“Are you done yet?” Lian Mu growled, irritated.

This guy was clearly from a different world than her—why was he picking on a poor, struggling weakling?

On the red rock platform, the fight intensified. The Flame Beast let out a pained roar as another youth on a giant silver kite restrained it with a row of talismans. The jade token now showed only 502 people left.

Lian Mu’s eye twitched—she was so close to passing! She couldn’t get eliminated now!

She tore off the ice armor as a shield and spun her sword, but the fire wouldn’t be cut down—it even chased her. There was no shaking it off.

The number on the jade tablet had dropped to 501.

Just one more!

The young man nearby smiled even more brightly. His fingers moved slightly as he said, “You’ll be the last one.”

Flames gathered together, forming a large fireball that shot toward Lian Mu.

Lian Mu felt a wave of heat rushing at her. When she turned around, the fireball was only a few feet away.

“……” What kind of grudge was this?

Lian Mu took a few steps back and hit a rock wall—there was nowhere left to retreat.

She gritted her teeth, pivoted on her toes, held a sword in her left hand, an ice armor piece in her right, and charged toward the fireball instead.

“You overestimate yourself.” The young man smiled faintly. “Gui Xian Sect’s entry test should raise its standards. They’re letting just anyone in.”

He didn’t bother looking at Lian Mu again. Instead, he turned his head upward and said to another young man in the air, “The numbers are enough. We should go.”

The Flame Beast let out one last roar before it stopped moving and slowly sank down.

The young man in the air raised his hand to check, then frowned slightly. “It’s not enough.”

“What…”

The young man on the ground hadn’t finished speaking when he suddenly felt a chill in his chest. Looking down, he saw a shard of ice armor piercing through him.

“Five hundred.” Lian Mu grinned behind him. “You’re out.”

The young man froze, turning around in disbelief. The Lian Mu who had charged into the fireball earlier now stood there unscathed. His eyes widened, but before he could speak, the illusion realm started distorting and collapsing.

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