The Shadow Panther circled Lin Feng with the patient confidence of a predator that knew its prey couldn't escape.
The beast was magnificent and terrifying in equal measure. Its fur absorbed light rather than reflecting it, creating an outline of absolute darkness against the arena floor. Muscles rippled beneath that darkness like coiled springs. Eyes glowed red with spiritual intelligence—this was no mindless animal, but a spirit beast with cunning and malice.
Core Condensation Level 5. Against Lin Feng's supposed Mortal Awakening Level 3, it might as well have been a dragon facing a mouse.
Which is exactly what they're counting on.
The viewing pavilions had gone silent. Hundreds of eyes watched, waiting to see how quickly the mismatch would end. In the sect leadership section, Lin Feng could feel Yun Qingxue's horror through the Dao Thread—she was barely restraining herself from intervening.
Li Xian leaned back in his seat, smiling. His father, Li Tianlong, watched with mild interest, as one might observe an ant being crushed underfoot.
They expect me to either surrender immediately or die within seconds. Anything else would seem impossible.
So I need to win, but make it look like desperate luck rather than overwhelming power.
The Shadow Panther made its first move.
The beast vanished—not truly invisible, but moving through shadows so quickly that mortal eyes couldn't track it. To most observers, it simply disappeared.
But Lin Feng's Divine Domain spiritual sense saw everything. The panther moved in a circle, testing his reactions, looking for the opening that would allow a killing strike.
I need to appear barely able to track it. Not blind, but struggling.
Lin Feng spun, his eyes following the beast's movement—but always half a second too slow, as if he were tracking by sound and instinct rather than sight. He stumbled backward, his sword raised in a defensive position that was technically correct but appeared panicked.
The panther struck.
It materialized from shadow directly behind Lin Feng, claws extended, aiming for the vulnerable space between shoulder and neck. A killing blow that would sever arteries and spine simultaneously.
Lin Feng twisted at the last possible instant.
The claws raked across his back instead of his neck—painful, drawing blood, but not fatal. He cried out convincingly and rolled forward, putting distance between himself and the beast.
First blood to the panther. Good. Make them think I'm outmatched.
The crowd gasped. In the pavilions, someone shouted: "He's going to die! Stop the match!"
But Elder Shan remained still, watching intently. The match would continue until Lin Feng surrendered or fell.
The Shadow Panther growled with satisfaction, tasting blood. It circled again, more confident now. The prey was wounded, frightened, outmatched. The kill would come easily.
Lin Feng struggled to his feet, his hand pressed against the bleeding wounds on his back. His face showed pain and fear—emotions he didn't have to fake entirely. The wounds hurt, even if they were far from serious to his Divine Domain constitution.
Second attack incoming. This time I need to show technique, not just survival instinct.
The panther struck again, faster this time, coming from the left side while creating a shadow clone on the right—a technique designed to confuse prey about the real attack's direction.
Most Mortal Awakening cultivators would fall for the feint. But Lin Feng had the Void Emperor's hundred thousand years of combat experience. He'd faced shadow techniques far more sophisticated than this.
He seemed to hesitate, appearing fooled by the clone. Then, at the last moment, he threw himself into a roll toward the real panther—counterintuitive, moving toward danger rather than away.
The move brought him inside the panther's attack arc. Its claws passed over his rolling form, finding only air. And as he came up from the roll, Lin Feng struck with his sword.
The technique he used was called "Piercing Moon Strike"—a Core Condensation level technique from the jade tablet's supposed teachings. He executed it with Mortal Awakening level energy, making the attack weaker than it should be but still impressive for his rank.
The blade struck the panther's flank, drawing a line of blood across its dark fur.
First blood to Lin Feng.
The crowd erupted in surprised murmurs. In the leadership pavilion, Patriarch Cloud leaned forward with keen interest. Li Xian's smile faltered slightly.
The Shadow Panther yowled in pain and rage. It had been wounded—wounded by prey! The beast's spiritual intelligence kicked in, and its approach changed. No more playing with food. Now it would kill seriously.
Good. An angry opponent is a predictable opponent.
The panther launched a combination attack—physical strikes mixed with shadow manipulation. Claws from the front while tendrils of shadow energy tried to bind Lin Feng's legs. A pincer move that would immobilize and kill simultaneously.
Lin Feng responded with a technique that looked desperate but was actually calculated. He used "Wind Scatter Step"—a movement technique that allowed burst acceleration in short distances. But he executed it imperfectly, appearing to barely escape the shadow tendrils while leaving himself off-balance from the speed.
The claws missed by inches. The shadows caught his ankle for just a moment before he tore free, leaving his leg bleeding but functional.
He stumbled, appearing exhausted already. His breathing came in ragged gasps—not entirely faked; maintaining precise control while appearing to lose it was mentally exhausting.
I need to end this soon, but not too easily. A few more exchanges, then a desperate finishing move.
The panther sensed victory. Its prey was wounded, tired, making mistakes. The beast gathered its power for a final technique—Shadow's Embrace, a move where it would merge completely with shadows and strike from multiple directions simultaneously.
It was a technique that even Golden Transformation cultivators struggled to counter. For Mortal Awakening, it should be unsurvivable.
The panther dissolved into pure shadow, surrounding Lin Feng in a sphere of darkness. From that darkness, phantom claws materialized—dozens of them, attacking from every direction at once.
The crowd gasped. Several people in the pavilions stood, certain they were about to witness a death.
Through the Dao Thread, Lin Feng felt Yun Qingxue surge with energy—she was preparing to intervene, consequences be damned.
Not yet. Trust me.
Lin Feng stood in the center of the shadow sphere, surrounded by descending death. To any observer, he looked frozen with fear. In reality, he was analyzing.
Shadow's Embrace had a weakness. Every shadow technique required an anchor point—a location where the beast's true body existed while projecting phantom attacks. The Void Emperor's memories identified it instantly: a subtle concentration of energy directly overhead, where the shadows were fractionally darker.
There.
Lin Feng raised his sword and performed the most desperate, reckless technique he could believably execute. He channeled every bit of his supposed Mortal Awakening cultivation into a single upward strike while simultaneously using a burst of movement energy to launch himself toward the anchor point.
The technique was called "Heaven Defying Slash"—a suicidal attack where a cultivator exhausted their entire energy reserve in one massive strike. Normally, it would leave the user completely defenseless afterward. If the attack failed, the user would be helpless.
It was exactly the kind of desperate gambit a cornered Mortal Awakening cultivator might attempt against an impossible opponent.
Lin Feng's blade, wreathed in his spiritual energy, struck the anchor point with all his momentum behind it.
The shadow sphere shattered.
The Shadow Panther materialized mid-air, Lin Feng's sword buried three inches into its chest—not a killing wound, but a serious injury that compromised its spiritual circulation.
They fell together, hitting the arena floor hard. Lin Feng rolled away, his sword left embedded in the beast. He struggled to his feet, visibly swaying, appearing completely spent.
The panther tried to rise but stumbled. The wound was bleeding heavily now, spiritual energy leaking from the injury. The beast's power was fading rapidly.
For a long moment, predator and prey regarded each other. Then the Shadow Panther's legs buckled, and it collapsed, unable to continue fighting.
The arena was silent.
Then Elder Shan's voice boomed: "Winner: Candidate 47, Lin Feng!"
The crowd exploded into noise—shock, disbelief, excitement, and in some corners, anger. Medical disciples rushed into the arena to tend to both Lin Feng and the panther. The beast would recover; spirit beasts used in examinations were valuable and always healed afterward.
Lin Feng allowed the medical disciples to support him, playing up his exhaustion. His wounds were real but superficial—yet he acted as if he'd given everything just to survive. Which, for a Mortal Awakening cultivator, would be accurate.
As he was led from the arena, Lin Feng's enhanced hearing caught fragments of conversation from the pavilions:
"Impossible! How did he—"
"Perfect meridians. They allowed him to channel energy more efficiently—"
"Still, against a Core Condensation beast—"
"Luck. Pure luck. He'll never replicate that performance—"
And from Li Xian's section, a cold voice: "The little rat has tricks. But tricks won't save him in the next trial."
Lin Feng smiled slightly. Let them think it was luck. Let them underestimate him again.
Through the Dao Thread, he felt Yun Qingxue's relief washing over him like a wave. She'd been seconds from revealing their connection by intervening. But he'd survived, proven himself without showing his true power.
Two trials down. Two to go.
The medical disciples treated his wounds with spirit salves that accelerated healing. Within minutes, the injuries had closed, leaving only faint scars that would fade completely within hours. The disciples seemed surprised by how quickly he recovered.
"Your constitution is remarkable," one of them commented. "These should have taken days to heal, but your body is processing the medicine at three times normal speed."
"Perfect meridians," Lin Feng said, repeating the explanation everyone seemed willing to accept. "They improve all aspects of cultivation, including recovery."
"Still remarkable." The disciple finished bandaging him. "You're cleared for the next trial, but I strongly recommend you rest first. You must be exhausted."
"How long until Trial Three?"
"Two hours. Elder Shan wants to give all candidates time to recover and have the medical team check everyone."
Two hours. Lin Feng used them wisely.
He found a quiet corner of the testing grounds and settled into meditation. Not deep cultivation—that would draw attention—but enough to center himself and review what had happened.
The first two trials had revealed several things. First, Li Xian was willing to kill multiple people to hide his assassination attempt on Lin Feng. Three candidates dead in the maze, likely more injured seriously enough to end their cultivation careers.
Second, the tampering was sophisticated but not perfect. Someone in the examination administration was working with Li Xian, but they couldn't control everything. Elder Shan seemed unaware of the manipulation, or if he knew, he was hiding it well.
Third, Lin Feng's performance in the beast trial had attracted attention—but mostly the right kind. People thought he'd gotten lucky, used desperate techniques, survived by chance. No one suspected his true cultivation level.
Yet.
"Quite the performance."
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open. Elder Shadow stood before him, having appeared silently while he meditated. The elder's face was unreadable, but his eyes held sharp intelligence.
"Elder Shadow. I was just resting before the next trial."
"Resting. Yes, you must be exhausted after defeating a Core Condensation Level 5 beast." The elder's tone was conversational, but Lin Feng heard the suspicion beneath. "Tell me, how does a Mortal Awakening cultivator manage such a feat?"
"Perfect meridians, Elder. And the techniques from the jade tablet. Plus considerable luck."
"Luck." Elder Shadow circled him slowly. "You know what I find interesting? You've been remarkably lucky ever since you returned from the forbidden back mountains. Lucky to survive, lucky to find an inheritance, lucky to break through, lucky to defeat impossible opponents."
"Sometimes fate smiles on the desperate, Elder."
"Fate. Destiny. Luck." Elder Shadow stopped in front of him. "Or perhaps something else. Perhaps you're not what you appear to be."
Lin Feng met his gaze steadily. "I'm a servant who stumbled upon fortune, Elder. Nothing more."
"Nothing more." Elder Shadow studied him for another long moment. "We shall see. The Crucible of Elements will be very revealing. The void element in particular has interesting properties—it strips away deception, reveals truth."
He suspects something specific. The void trial isn't random; he chose it deliberately.
"I look forward to proving myself, Elder."
"As do I." Elder Shadow turned to leave, then paused. "A word of advice, Lin Feng. There are forces at work in this sect that you don't understand. Old alliances, ancient obligations, debts that span millennia. Be careful that your 'luck' doesn't attract the wrong kind of attention."
The elder walked away, leaving Lin Feng with that cryptic warning.
Ancient obligations. Debts spanning millennia. Is he talking about the Void Emperor's legacy? Or something else?
Through his enhanced senses, Lin Feng detected movement in the shadows near the testing grounds. Not Elder Shadow—someone else, watching from concealment.
He pretended not to notice, but his spiritual sense identified the observer. Chen Hong, Li Xian's attendant, monitoring him with a technique that masked his presence from normal detection.
They're not satisfied with the beast trial's failure. They're planning something for the Crucible.
The two hours passed. Candidates gathered again, this time their numbers reduced to thirty-seven. Twelve had surrendered or been eliminated during the Beast Gauntlet.
Elder Shan stood before them, his expression grave. "Trial Three: The Crucible of Elements. This trial tests not just your power, but your spirit. Each candidate will face their weakest element in concentrated form. Fire for ice cultivators. Water for fire cultivators. And for those rare few whose cultivation touches the void..." He paused meaningfully. "You will face the Abyss itself."
Here it comes.
"Candidate assignments are not random. They are based on spiritual analysis performed during the first two trials." Elder Shan consulted a jade tablet. "Most of you will face fire, ice, or lightning. But three candidates showed unusual spiritual signatures that suggest void affinity."
Lin Feng kept his expression neutral. They'd detected something during his trials—probably when he used that upward strike against the Shadow Panther. Void techniques had subtle markers that formation masters could identify.
"Candidates 12, 47, and 33 will face the Void Crucible." Elder Shan looked directly at Lin Feng. "This is the most dangerous trial. The void element is unpredictable, deadly. You may withdraw now without shame."
Candidate 12, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, immediately stepped back. "I withdraw, Elder Shan. I have no affinity for void."
Candidate 33, a young woman at Core Condensation Level 2, hesitated. "Elder Shan, I've never trained with void techniques. I don't understand why I'm assigned to this trial."
"The formations detected void resonance in your spiritual energy. Minor, but present. You may withdraw if you wish."
She gritted her teeth. "I'll face it."
Elder Shan turned to Lin Feng. "Candidate 47?"
"I'll face it, Elder."
I have to. Withdrawing now would invalidate everything I've done. And besides...
Lin Feng thought of the Inverse Void Dao flowing through his meridians, the Heart of the Void pulsing in his dantian, a hundred thousand years of void mastery inherited from the Void Emperor.
The void isn't my weakness. It's my greatest strength. But they don't know that.
"Very well. The three of you will enter the Void Crucible chambers simultaneously but separately. You cannot help each other. You must each endure for ten minutes. Survival is success—you need not master the element, only withstand it."
They were led to three adjacent chambers—stone rooms inscribed with formations so complex that Lin Feng recognized them as Ancient Era work. These weren't normal testing formations. They were designed to channel genuine void energy, the kind that existed between dimensions.
These formations are dangerous. Real void energy can destroy cultivators who aren't prepared for it. Most people think void is just empty space, but it's so much more—it's the underlying canvas of reality itself.
Lin Feng entered his chamber. The walls were black stone covered in silver runes that pulsed with anticipation. In the center of the room stood a pillar with a formation array carved into its top.
Elder Shan's voice came from outside: "When you activate the pillar, the Void Crucible will begin. You have sixty seconds to prepare yourself. Activate when ready."
Lin Feng approached the pillar and placed his hand on it.
The formation activated immediately.
The chamber disappeared.
Lin Feng found himself floating in absolute nothingness. Not darkness—darkness was the absence of light. This was the absence of everything. No light, no sound, no sensation, no spatial reference.
The void.
For most cultivators, this experience was terrifying. Humans needed sensory input to maintain psychological stability. Remove all input, and the mind began to panic, creating hallucinations, spiraling into madness.
The Void Crucible tested whether a cultivator could maintain their sense of self when all external references were removed.
But Lin Feng wasn't most cultivators.
He existed in the void the way a fish existed in water—native, comfortable, at home. The Heart of the Void in his dantian resonated with the surrounding emptiness, recognizing it as kin.
They expected me to panic. Instead, I feel like I've come home.
But he couldn't show that. He needed to appear to struggle, to barely endure.
Lin Feng let his body tremble. Let his breathing become ragged. Made small sounds of distress that would be detected by the monitoring formations. He was acting, but he made it convincing.
Through his genuine spiritual sense, he could perceive beyond the void chamber. In the adjacent room, Candidate 33 was genuinely panicking, screaming into the emptiness. The formations would extract her if she lost consciousness or suffered cultivation deviation.
In the viewing pavilions, spectators watched through specialized formations that let them see into the chambers. To them, all three candidates appeared to be struggling against invisible forces.
Five minutes passed. Candidate 33's screaming stopped—she'd either found inner calm or passed out.
Seven minutes. Lin Feng felt the void energy intensify. The trial wasn't static; it increased in pressure as time progressed. By minute ten, the void would be crushing—trying to erase the candidate's very existence.
But for Lin Feng, increasing void energy was like turning up the heat for a fire cultivator. It made him stronger, not weaker.
I need to make this look difficult.
He channeled a tiny amount of his Divine Domain cultivation—so small that monitoring formations would interpret it as desperate energy expenditure rather than controlled power usage. He created a visible shield of spiritual energy around himself, making it flicker and strain as if barely holding against the void's pressure.
Eight minutes. The void energy reached levels that would crush most Golden Transformation cultivators. Lin Feng's fake shield cracked, reformed, cracked again. He made sounds of pain, gritted his teeth, acted as if every second was torture.
In reality, he was analyzing the formations creating the void effect. They were masterwork—but there was something wrong with his chamber's formation. Subtle changes that didn't match the standard configuration.
Tampering. They've modified my chamber to make it more dangerous than the standard trial.
The modifications were designed to make the void energy not just pressure the cultivator, but actively attack them—tendrils of void reaching out to tear at spiritual foundations, corrupt meridians, destroy dantians.
For a normal cultivator, this would be lethal. The modified formation was essentially a killing array disguised as an examination trial.
They're really committed to murdering me.
Nine minutes. The void tendrils manifested, reaching for Lin Feng with malevolent intent. These weren't the natural emptiness of void—these were weaponized, corrupted void energy designed to destroy.
Lin Feng allowed one tendril to touch his shield. It shattered through, striking his shoulder. He cried out convincingly as the void energy burned across his skin—burns that were real but superficial to his Divine Domain constitution.
Need to show damage. Make them think I'm barely surviving.
He let more tendrils through, accumulating injuries. Burns across his arms, his chest, his face. Each one hurt—void burns were particularly painful—but none were serious. To observers, it looked like he was being overwhelmed.
In the viewing pavilion, he heard gasps through his enhanced hearing:
"He's going to fail!"
"The void is destroying him!"
"Elder Shan, you have to extract him before—"
And then, cutting through all the voices, Li Xian's smug tone: "Seems the little rat's luck has finally run out."
Ten more seconds. Just ten more seconds.
Nine. Eight. Seven.
The void tendrils multiplied, a dozen of them converging on Lin Feng simultaneously. His shield collapsed entirely. He fell to his knees in the emptiness, his body wracked with void burns, appearing moments from complete failure.
Six. Five. Four.
Through the Dao Thread, he felt Yun Qingxue's panic. She was about to act, about to reveal everything to save him—
Not yet!
Three. Two. One.
The formation deactivated.
Lin Feng collapsed on the chamber floor, gasping, covered in burns, appearing completely spent. Medical disciples rushed in immediately.
"He survived!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Ten minutes! He lasted the full ten minutes against the Void Crucible!"
Elder Shan's voice boomed: "Candidate 47 has passed Trial Three!"
In the adjacent chamber, Candidate 33 was extracted unconscious but alive. She'd lasted eight minutes before passing out—respectable, but not enough.
Lin Feng was carried to the medical area on a stretcher, playing up his exhaustion. The burns were real and would need treatment, but they weren't as severe as they appeared. Still, he let the disciples fuss over him, applying salves and channeling healing energy.
"Remarkable constitution," one disciple muttered. "These void burns should have damaged his meridians permanently, but they're already starting to heal."
"Perfect meridians," another replied. "Resilient to damage."
Lin Feng listened to them explain away his abnormal recovery and smiled inwardly. Perfect meridians were becoming his universal excuse for abilities that should be impossible.
As the disciples worked, Lin Feng heard Elder Shan announcing results: "Of thirty-seven candidates entering Trial Three, twenty-one have passed. These twenty-one will proceed to Trial Four: The Final Confrontation."
Twenty-one left. One more trial. One more chance for them to kill me.
Through his enhanced senses, Lin Feng detected a conversation happening in the viewing pavilion. Li Tianlong speaking to his son:
"The boy survives too consistently. Either he's extraordinarily lucky, or he's hiding his true capabilities."
"Let him hide," Li Xian replied. "The Final Confrontation allows inner disciples to use full power. I've already arranged for the perfect opponent. Young Master Zhao Hai will face him."
"Zhao Hai? The one at Divine Domain Level 1?"
"The same. Against a Mortal Awakening cultivator, it won't even be a fight. Accidents happen in combat—especially when power disparity is so vast."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. Zhao Hai. I've heard that name. Zhao Kun's older brother, one of the sect's inner disciples. Divine Domain Level 1.
They're matching me against someone my actual level—they just don't know it. This could be interesting.
The medical disciples finished their treatment. Lin Feng's burns had faded to pink marks that would disappear completely within an hour. He sat up slowly, testing his movements.
"You should rest for at least a day before—" the disciple began.
"I'm ready for Trial Four," Lin Feng interrupted.
"But you just survived the Void Crucible! Your body needs—"
"I'll rest after I pass the examination." Lin Feng stood, appearing determined despite his supposed exhaustion. "I've come this far. I won't stop now."
The disciple looked at Elder Shan, who had approached during the conversation. The massive elder studied Lin Feng for a long moment.
"Your determination is admirable. But determination without wisdom is foolishness. Trial Four opponents are chosen based on your performance thus far. You've shown exceptional skill, which means..." Elder Shan paused. "You'll face a challenging opponent. Perhaps more challenging than appropriate."
He knows. He knows the trials have been tampered with.
"I understand, Elder. But I wish to proceed."
Elder Shan sighed. "Very well. But know this: in Trial Four, you do not need to win. You need only to demonstrate courage, skill, and the sect's values. A good showing against a superior opponent is not defeat—it's proof of character."
He's giving me permission to lose gracefully. Telling me I don't have to win, just need to show well before inevitable defeat.
If only he knew I actually have a chance.
"I understand, Elder. Thank you."
The twenty-one successful candidates gathered again. Most looked exhausted, bearing injuries from their elemental trials. But they'd survived, proven themselves worthy.
Elder Shan addressed them: "Trial Four will commence in one hour. During this time, you may rest, eat, or prepare as you see fit. When the hour ends, combat pairings will be announced. Remember—victory is not required, only honorable effort."
The candidates dispersed. Lin Feng found a quiet spot and settled into meditation, not to cultivate but to plan.
Zhao Hai. Divine Domain Level 1. The same rank as my true cultivation. But he doesn't know that. He thinks he's facing a Mortal Awakening cultivator who's gotten lucky.
I could reveal my true cultivation and fight him properly. But that would expose everything—the inheritance, the Inverse Void Dao, all my secrets.
Or I could lose gracefully, as Elder Shan suggested. Withdraw when the fight becomes too dangerous. It would be the safe choice.
Through the Dao Thread, he felt Yun Qingxue's presence. She was struggling with the same dilemma—wanting him to withdraw safely, but understanding that doing so would mean accepting defeat in the larger game they were playing.
Neither option is acceptable. I need a third path.
I need to win without revealing my true cultivation. Make it look like another desperate victory achieved through perfect meridians, technique, and extraordinary luck.
Against a Divine Domain opponent, that should be impossible.
Lin Feng smiled slightly.
Good. Let them think it's impossible. They've been underestimating me all day.
Time to show them what impossible really looks like.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 9: THE FINAL CONFRONTATION