Boom!

The spear collided with the fiery dragon, causing a powerful burst of energy to erupt into the air.

Meng Lin's gaze harden even more as she turned towards the culprit, the graceful woman with the snake aura.

The battlefield, which was filled with the clanks of combat was quiet yet Meng Lin didn’t take note of it as her gaze which was intensely focused didn’t budge.

“What’s the meaning of this” she asked, her voice filled with bloodlust as the black tortoise mark on her forearm glowed with an otherworldly light.

The graceful woman smiled, her eyes filled with a mix of arrogance and amusement. "Oh, little girl, you can’t look around you”

Meng Lin’s gaze flickered and the cloudiness within them receded as she regained light to look around her.

The battlefield which she had imagined to still be in heated combat was currently quiet, she gazed around to see only 7 other individuals in the arena.

Only then did she regain complete clearity as her gaze shifted toward the burly man that was standing with exhaustion.

She realized that she can’t do anything to the man at this point, she didn’t want to test the limits of the Trials, the trial said only 10 can remain.

“Sigh”

She flicked her fingers and the golden lizard appeared on her hand again, it’s aura even more powerful than before.

“What now” Meng Lin said as she realized that they weren’t transported right away into the next trial.

The graceful woman chuckled, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Now, my dear, we recuperate. The next Trial will probably be a team event”

Meng Lin's eyebrows raised in confusion and furrowed in frustration, she looked towards the man before walking to the side to take a seat.

She didn’t like the feeling but she would deal with the dead bodies around her for the moment.

‘System’

[Meng Lin]

[special physique: Brute Qi physique]

[Foundation Establishment Stage(peak)]

[Experience points: 27%]

System coin: 570

Taoist Gacha wheel: unavailable

Spiritual Roots: [Water>Fire>Gold>Wood>Earth]

Variant Elemental Qi : [Mud] [ Erosion]

Main Cultivation Method: [Black Tortoise Essence Art, 2nd Layer]

Side Cultivation Methods: : [Basic Qi Gathering] [Formless Cultivation method]

Techniques: [Celestial Moonlit Sword Art] [Focused Qi control] [Waterfall slash] [Refine Yin Qi] [Surge] [Thunderbolt Flash]

Ancient Spirit Seals: Black Tortoises, Gong Fu - Golden Lizard.

[Market] [Blacksmith] [Alchemy]

Meng Lin took a moment to assess her current situation. The battle had taken little toll on her so she didn’t have to recover for the next trial.

She looked at her system panel and noticed the difference, her percentage has increased by a lot since she last checked.

However thinking about the castle with the beast paintings and the two beast marks on her, Meng Lin came to the conclusion that almost half of her percentage came from her getting the marks.

At the thought of the marks, Meng Lin couldn’t help but notice the added addition to the system panel, the Ancient Spirit Seals.

It seemed that the marks she had acquired were something well known, or at least she assumed.

She wondered what other abilities and powers she would gain as she continued to complete more trials. The potential for growth seemed limitless in this place and she like that.

She stood up and stretched her body, feeling energized and ready for whatever challenges awaited her. She glanced at the whole arena and her joy was quickly snuffed out.

The arena was filled with the bloodied corpses or cultivators and the marks of the intense combat that had just taken place.

The air was heavy with the smell of dead bodies and the 9 other individuals were in various states, with most of them being free of damage.

The burly man, who had been standing with exhaustion, was panting heavily, sweat dripping down his face. His muscles were tense, showing signs of fatigue from the battle.

However his eyes were filled with gratitude and determination filled with a hint of relief.

The graceful woman with the snake aura stood tall, her posture exuding confidence. She wore a sly smile on her face, as if she'd enjoyed the chaos that just happened.

Among the other individuals, there is a man with a scarred face, he seemed to have taken the most damage but he didn’t appear fatigued but was rather meditating.

There was also the mischievous young man on the side, he seems to have taken a little to no damage and was just sitting down with a light smile on his face.

There is also a group of three individuals huddled together, whispering among themselves. The first is a tall and lean man with a shaved head, his eyes sharp and focused. Next to him is a woman with flowing, brown hair, her expression serious and calculating. The third member of their group is a young man, no older than Meng Lin and his eyes held fear and uncertainty.

Two of them were at the peak stage and the last one was at the late stage, overall. They were the group to survive because of teamwork and combined cultivation methods.

In another corner of the arena, there is the middle aged man with the stern and disciplined face, he suffered no injuries and his stance was relaxed.

Lastly was the woman with the mysterious air about her, dark aura surrounded her and she held no injuries, just like the middle aged man.

Overall, the individuals in the arena are a mix of weary and interesting characters with their own unique appearance and attributes.

Meng Lin walked forward, her steps headed towards the graceful woman with the snake aura. As she approached, the woman's smile widened, as if expecting her.

"I must say, you are a strange one," the woman said, her voice dripping with amusement. "Earlier, you looked at me as if you were about to attack and now you’re here to talk to me?”

Meng Lin's eyes narrowed as she stopped a few feet away from the woman. "I have no interest in pointless battles," she replied, her voice tinged with annoyance. "But I want answers. Who are you? And how did you know about the trials ahead”

The woman laughed, a sound that sent shivers down Meng Lin's spine. "Oh, little girl, you ask too many questions," she said, her eyes glinting with mischief. "But I suppose I can indulge you. My first name is Liara, and I know of the trial ahead because I lived it”

Meng Lin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You lived it? What do you mean?"

Liara's smile turned into a smirk as she leaned closer to Meng Lin. "The inheritance trials we are going through is not new. They have been repeated countless times in the past, with different participants each time."

Meng Lin's eyes widened in surprise. "So you've been through all of this before? How is that possible?"

Liara chuckled softly and pointed to her head. "I wouldn’t say I was there personally but my memories were”

Meng Lin's curiosity was piqued. "Your memories were there? What do you mean”

Liara leaned back, her smirk never leaving her face. "You have it too, although it seems yours just goes back to a few centuries.”

Meng Lin's heart turned as she came to a realization, “ The Ancestral Symbol, you have yours too”

Liara nodded. "Yes, the Ancestral Symbol. It holds the memories of our ancestors, passed down through generations. It allows us to tap into the experiences and knowledge of those who came before us."

Meng Lin's mind raced with thoughts and questions. "Then what was this trial about” she didn’t like the trial as it was basically pointless killings.

Liara chuckled, her eyes glinting with mischief. "You see, this trial was merely a warm-up. A test to weed out the weak and unworthy. The next trials will push you to your limits, both physically and mentally."

Meng Lin's thoughts couldn’t help but go back to what the spiritual imprint of Zhean, SkyFire Venerable said and her heart felt heavy.

"Tell me, snake woman," Meng Lin said, her voice filled with slight frustration. "What are these next steps you speak of? How do we proceed?"

Leara didn’t seem to mind being called snake woman as her smile turned into a smirk and her eyes gleamed with excitement. "That's the fun part, we’ll have to figure it out on our own. I only know that it is a team based trial but who knows, each trial is unique, and only those who can adapt and overcome will succeed.”

Although the other 8 individuals on the arena were not near the two, they were still able to hear what was said in the last part as the woman didn’t lower her voice but rather raised it, making sure it reached all their ears.

Her voice made the atmosphere tense and most of the participants became weary as they were reminded that the next trial will test their ability to work as a team.