Chapter 40 – I Suck at Combat, But at Least I’m Out of the Array!

  Jun De stepped through the entrance of the Tower of Tempered Will, and the hum of spiritual energy thrummed in the air. As his foot crossed the threshold, there was a flash of blinding white light, and the world around him shifted.

  When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in the center of a wide, circular arena. The floor was polished black stone, and sunlight poured in through the high, open windows that cast long shadows across the space.

  Jun De couldn’t see the Sect through the windows. Instead, it was an endless grassy plain with bright blue skies and white, fluffy clouds.

  He could have admired the view, but he was interrupted by the shadows on the ground as they began to move.

  Dark shapes peeled away from the edges of the chamber, moving silently and eerily. One by one, they solidified into humanoid forms, and Jun De could feel that their cultivation matched his own.

  Each of the shadows carried a different weapon: long swords, sabres, polearms, talismans and even spiritual artifacts that Jun De had no idea what their use would be. Several of the shadows formed hand seals, gathering Qi into orbs that crackled with lightning or burned with fire.

  Jun De’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “Mei Lian said she defeated a few of these shadows, but I didn’t think there would be so many!” Jun De exclaimed.

  ‘How the hell am I supposed to fight a dozen shadows, all at the 4th Level of Qi Condensation!?’ Jun De wondered as he began to panic.

  Jun De didn’t want to fight, he had zero interest in combat or making it to the top of the Tower. But Elder Mu had told him that if he left, he would need to go back to the Ninefold Refinement Array to train.

  He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

  Before Jun De could give into his despair or think of a way to get out of his current situation, the first shadow lunged at him. The black figure formed of mist and energy wielded a sabre that gleamed with silver light, and it flashed as it streaked toward Jun De’s torso.

  Jun De reacted on instinct, whether it was something that his body possessed or if it was an action he had learned in the inheritance site; he stepped backwards and let the blade slice through the air where he had been standing a moment before.

  ‘Shit, I suck at cultivation and combat!!!’ Jun De screamed in his mind.

  He had lived a peaceful life, both in this world and his last. The only fighting he had ever seen was against that giant serpent in the Outer Valley and the handful of Corpse Puppets in the Inheritance Site.

  But that didn’t mean Jun De was completely incapable. He had learned a few things since he had reincarnated, and he thought he could at least hold his own.

  The other shadows surged in, a dozen in total, all possessing the same cultivation as Jun De. But even he could notice that something was off about them. Their movements were rough, almost mechanical. Their footwork lacked any techniques, and their attacks were sluggish.

  “They’re like Corpse Puppets.” Jun De muttered.

  That didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous, and Jun De twisted to avoid a spear heading toward his ribs while another shadow threw out a punch that hit him in the shoulder, spinning him around. Although, oddly, it didn’t hurt much.

  ‘Maybe I’m stronger than I thought. Your fists are nothing compared to the Ninefold Refinement Array.’ Jun De nearly shuddered at the idea of going back into the Array, and he quickly grew serious.

  ‘Luminous Step.’

  Jun De activated the footwork technique, and his form blurred as he rushed forward, seeming to disappear and reappear beside one of the shadows. He raised his right hand and thrust his palm toward it.

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  ‘Falling Star Palm.’

  There was a flash of light, and the blow landed cleanly onto the chest of the shadow. It burst like smoke, and its figure scattered on the wind.

  The others responded with a flurry of attacks, their weapons cutting toward him or hurling techniques. Jun De’s instincts took over, his body reacting without the need to think about his actions.

  He drew in a deep breath and brought his arms up.

  ‘Heavenly Deflection Art.’

  A faint shimmer of Qi coiled around him like an invisible barrier. The first strike, an icy spike thrown in his direction like a speak, ricocheted off his shield harmlessly and struck the ground beside Jun De.

  The attack was followed by a paper talisman that burst into a pillar of flames. Jun De twisted his hands to the side, redirecting the force and directing the flames to curve around him. The third strike was a sword, and this one was aimed directly at his heart.

  To Jun De’s surprise, he managed to catch the blade with his bare hand before it could reach him. The weapon pierced the protective Qi that wrapped around his palm with a hiss, slicing through his skin and leaving a trail of blood along the surface of the sword.

  “They may fight like Corpse Puppets, but they're more dangerous.” Jun De whispered as he ripped the sword from the shadow’s hand and responded with another Falling Star Palm that destroyed the shadow.

  The pain wasn’t nearly as bad as the bruising he had taken in the Ninefold Refinement Array, and Jun De could shrug it off. Although the sting of the cut made him wince.

  Jun De was more skilled than his opponents, and his time in the Array had made his body stronger than the average person of his cultivation, but the sheer number of shadows meant that Jun De was always on the back foot, retreating and only striking back when an opening presented itself.

  His robes were torn, and sweat ran down his face while several more wounds accumulated on his body, but Jun De fought on. He out-maneuvered his opponents with the Luminous Step, Deflected attacks with the Heavenly Deflection Art, and struck back with devastating bursts from his Falling Star Palm.

  The first-floor trial wasn’t just a test of strength but of perseverance and endurance. The Tower wanted to exhaust him, to wear him down until his techniques failed and his composure cracked.

  If Jun De had taken this trial a month before, he doubted he could have succeeded. But he had stood through the crushing weight of the Ninefold Refinement Array and had the threat of going back into it hanging over his head.

  As bad as these shadows were and as painful as their attacks could be, it was nothing compared to the Array.

  Jun De cycled his Qi and kept pushing forward.

  Outside the Tower of Tempered Will, the gathered Disciples waited in anticipation. Most expected Jun De to fail; the only question that remained was, ‘How long would he last?’

  “He’s strong, but no one can overcome those shadows on their first try.” One person murmured, confident in their statement after experiencing the trial themselves.

  “Less than a minute! I bet he is out of there in less than a minute!” Someone else shouted, and others joined in to take bets on Jun De’s performance. Pills, spirit stones and contribution points were being exchanged, and the Elders turned a blind eye to it.

  The conversation continued for a little while longer before the board next to the Tower shimmered and a new name appeared.

  Jun De.

  At first, it was met with little fanfare. Everyone’s name appeared after entering, and they started at the bottom. But, after a few more seconds, the name slowly began to rise as the time Jun De spent inside surpassed others.

  One Rank. Then Two. Then ten.

  Lin Yue stood at the front of the crowd; her fists clenched inside the sleeves of her robe as she watched Jun De’s name rise through the rankings. She didn’t dare to blink in fear of missing it.

  “Come on.” She whispered.

  When Jun De’s name reached the top ten, gasps rippled through the Disciples.

  “See, I told you!” Someone in the crowd shouted, and soon, others were cheering Jun De on.

  His name continued to ascend. A slow, steady climb that seemed to defy the odds. When he passed Lin Yue’s name in the rankings, she let out a cheer, only to blush when she saw people turn to look toward her.

  Mei Lian glanced sideways at Lin Yue and grabbed her arm in excitement.

  “He’s passed me too!” Mei Lian exclaimed.

  Finally, Jun De’s name reached the first place position, and the Disciples fell silent. It wasn’t just that he had taken the first-ranked position, but the fact that Jun De was still inside.

  Forty breaths of time. Fifty. One hundred. When it reached one hundred and twenty breaths, the Tower pulsed with radiant light, then faded.

  All eyes shot to the board, and they could see that Jun De’s name had disappeared from the rankings and was now above them where it read.

  ‘Second Floor.’

  The meaning was unmistakable.

  “He passed the first floor trial!” Lin Yue shouted, her eyes shining in excitement. She spun and threw her arms around Mei Lian, who blinked in surprise before returning the hug with a smile of her own.

  Elder Mu stood with the other Elders, her hands tucked into the wide sleeves of her blue robes as she watched the Tower silently. The bustle of the young Disciples faded into the background as she ignored their shouts and gasps.

  Her eyes never left the board and the name at the very top.

  Within her, Elder Mu felt a quiet satisfaction bloom as she saw Jun De enter the second floor of the Tower where his next challenge waited.

  As someone who had made it through the entire Tower when she was a Qi Condensation Disciple, she knew just how challenging it could be. The first Trial was about proving that you had the necessary foundation to succeed in cultivation.

  It wasn’t just about combat; it was about endurance, fortitude, the knowledge of techniques and overcoming adversity.

  “I wonder how far you will climb, Jun De.” Elder Mu said as her anticipation grew.