Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  "Although there are many ways to make me understand my heart, I doubt anything would be as effective as showing me what I would have become if I had lost everyone dear to me. For me, there is no longer any meaning in life without my loved ones by my side." Hui Yue continued to speak, not to the general or Lan Feng, but to himself.

  "This test is not only to see my determination, but it is also to understand the martial heart of the cultivator. To test and see what kind of martial path we walk down."

  "Before, I was sure that the reason I wanted more strength was to gain revenge for Lan Feng and make him reestablish his world as it used to be; a world filled with love and laughter. A world where all races are equal."

  "But this is not something I do because I need revenge." Hui Yue continued pondering as he gently placed Jo and Lao next to the other corpses. "The reason I wish for Lan Feng to become whole again is because he is my dearest friend. He is the only one who knows my most hidden secrets and the one who I trust unconditionally."

  "To have a friend such as Lan Feng, I am truly lucky. My wish is to repay his friendship by allowing him to one day become whole again. To see my friends and family happy is what makes me happy."

  Hui Yue finally understood. He wasn’t driven by revenge; he was a protector. What he wished was not to change the world into a better place by removing some horrible person, nor did he wish to seek justice for all the unfairness or things which had happened in the past. What he wished was to live a comfortable life with those he loved while being strong enough to protect them.

  Unfortunately, Hui Yue was already entangled with the God known as An He, and to protect those he loved, he needed more strength, more power! He needed to improve his strength, but he also needed to do it for the right reasons.

  Understanding this, the world around him turned black. It felt as though everything slowed down, even his thoughts slowed as he regained his consciousness.

  The first thing he saw was a stone ceiling. Looking up he was dumbfounded, but as he slowly sat up, his body complained after having been in the same position for a long period of time.

  Looking around, he found that by his side all his friends and family were laying down; all of them were breathing steadily while sleeping deeply.

  "Congratulations." A voice sounded from the side. Hui Yue looked and saw the bull standing some distance away, his arms folded behind the back while smiling gently.

  "You managed to pass through the Trial of Determination rather quickly." He commented. Although Hui Yue had been quick, he was far from the fastest person the bull had ever seen, but he was still amongst the upper half. His performance was in no way bad.

  "The Trial of Determination is also known as the Trial of Heart. Only by testing the expert’s will and seeing that they have an unwavering martial heart will they wake up. Everyone will enter a dream world and see various things. As for what happens within this dream world, no one will know apart from the person being tested. Remember that you can never tell anyone what you saw, nor can you talk about it."

  "No one will come and judge you if you do, but this is the essence of your martial heart. If others understand this, then it will be much easier to injure you. Although you might think that only your friends will hear, no one knows who could be listening, so it’s better to keep it to yourself."

  The bull's words made perfect sense, and Hui Yue, who was still affected by seeing his loved ones die, nodded to the bull before he sat down and started to cultivate. Despite knowing what was real, he still needed to calm his mind before it was time for their final trial.

  After a few days, Hui Yue found out that he had been unconscious for a full week, while the next person to wake up took another week.

  The second person to awaken was Wang Ju Long. The moment she opened her eyes tears could be seen lining them, and when she saw Hui Yue, she threw herself into his embrace. She cried her heart out constantly mumbling sentences such as, "I will never let it happen," "Over my dead body," and "It was not real."

  Hui Yue never asked what she had experienced, all he did was hold her tight and gently rub her back making her feel much more comfortable.

  It took her a few hours before she finally steadied herself. As she did, she fell asleep in Hui Yue's arms holding onto him as though her life depended on it.

  "Youth these days sure is beautiful." The bull said with a smile on his face as he paced the floor up and down. His pacing was not a sign of him being in a rush, but rather a habit he had gotten after being alone within this realm for so many years already.

  The next to awaken was as expected Cai Jie. Cai Jie had a pale face, but his complexion was not too bad. After a few breaths of air, he looked almost normal.

  "This Trial of Determination is truly ruthless." He mumbled, and Hui Yue could only agree but said nothing. Wang Ju Long was becoming better and better by the day, but she refused to let go of Hui Yue's hand. Even while cultivating she would hold onto his hand as though she feared letting him go.

  After Cai Jie, the next to awaken was Lao. He too seemed shocked to his core, but unlike Wang Ju Long, he did not break down and cry. All he did was stand up and move to Hui Yue, sitting by his side. He looked at his father with doting eyes before he said with a serious voice that did not suit his age. "Father, you gave me a new life, and everything I have is because of you. In this life, no one will ever mean as much to me as you and Jo do. Even if I have to pay with my life, I will ensure that you will always be safe."

  Hearing these words, Hui Yue was shocked, and he gently patted his son's head as a smile formed on his face. "Although you say such grown up words, don't forget that you are my son. Who would ever want their son to die for their sake?" He asked gently as the image of Lao dying replayed in his mind; recalling the scene his heart turned cold as he shivered. Never again would he allow for the ones dear to him die in front of him. Never again would this happen!

  Hearing Hui Yue's words, Lao’s love for his father was clear in his eyes, but his determination was still there as well. It was clear that he had no intention of letting his father risk his life for his sake.

  Hui Yue did not know what the others had experienced within the Trial of Determination, but looking at the many grim expressions, he could understand that none of them had a better time than him.

  Soon a month had passed, but the final three had still not awoken. By now even Hui Yue was starting to feel slightly worried, but every time his heart felt uneasy, he would look at the sleeping faces and take comfort in the fact that they were still breathing. He truly believed that they would all wake up sometime soon.

  Chapter 457 - Half a Year

  * * *

  Chapter 457: Half a Year

  Hui Yue and his awoken friends spent all their time cultivating. The days passed in a blur. The seasons outside this strange realm changed, but within everything was the same. They all stayed at the same location, and the cold stone mansion never changed as no one left the hall they had been placed within.

  The cold air of the mansion did not become warmer as the season's changed, nor did it become freezing cold, it stayed constant all the time. Similarly, the sun outside never set. It merely hovered in the same spot in the sky no matter how many days passed.

  Soon three months had gone by, but the final three who were still sleeping showed no signs of waking up. Though Hui Yue and his friends were certain that they would wake up eventually, and although they were slightly worried, none of them ever mentioned the possibility of moving on.

  After four months had passed, Deng Wu's eyes opened, and he sat up with a confused expression on his face. He was pale, and it was clear that he had been through hell and back from the haunted look in his eyes. But despite this, he was still alive. When Hui Yue and the others saw that Deng Wu woke up, all of them were filled with excitement. They jumped towards him, completely ignoring the fact that he looked as though reality had collapsed around him.

  "Don't worry." Hui Yue said gently as he patted hi
s shoulder. "The world you saw when your heart was being tested was not real. No matter what transpired, it was to help you understand your martial path and forge your determination."

  Deng Wu nodded his head and sighed deeply as he leaned back against the cold wall of the stone mansion supporting himself. "This time I think I survived thanks to Little Dragon." Deng Wu said with a quivering voice as he closed his eyes. Sweat was on his forehead as he remembered the world he had just lived in for what seemed like forever.

  "How long have I been unconscious?" He asked worried, but in his heart, he was even more worried when he saw that neither Jo nor Sha Yun had woken up. For him to have such a close call, he feared that they were not faring any better than him. This truly terrified him; the two women were his good friends and the thought that they might not pass the trial was too horrifying a thought.

  However, looking at Hui Yue, he saw that the young man by his side had eyes filled with the certainty that his friends would wake up soon. Seeing this, he did not comment on their current situation as he didn’t want to question his hope.

  "It has been four months since I woke up." Hui Yue said truthfully, but he could not say exactly how long he had been in the dream world because the bull refused to tell him. All they knew was that this trial was many times harder than the rest, and all the trials were taking far longer than they ever thought possible. The more trials they passed, the longer each became.

  Once again those experts with resolute martial hearts slowly started to cultivate. After having understood their martial hearts and their martial path it was like the wool covering their eyes had been removed and now they were advancing by leaps and bounds in their cultivation. They were discovering new insights at a rapid speed, and they absorbed the essence of the heavens and the earth faster than ever before.

  The most worried in their group was Lao, and as a result, he threw himself wholeheartedly into cultivating. He was constantly cultivating, only allowing for a brief break now and then to consume some food or water. During these months, he was always seen seated in meditation, his eyes closed and his palms placed in his lap as he focused on the energy surrounding him. He knew his sister more than anyone else, and he could not help but fear that her martial heart was not strong enough. Still, he had faith in her and held onto the slim hope that she knew what she was doing and could endure.

  Just like earlier, the days once more went by in a blur. Everyone focused on balancing the strength they had gained through this trial of fire. They were all eager to improve, and thus everyone was busy and focused doing their own thing until the day that five and a half months had passed. The day Jo opened her eyes.

  Jo was unlike the others who had awoken. Her face did not seem devoid of blood. She was not pale or frightened. Instead, it had a healthy color to it, and a small smile was on her lips.

  "I’m hungry!" She blurted out as she stretched her body and stood up. Although she was so late waking up, she was, without a doubt, the one who had been the most casual about this test. The others could not help but wonder exactly what she had experienced, yet no one asked her.

  They all knew what they had experienced within the Trial of Determination was personal. That it was not wise to share it with others, and therefore they would not make it hard on her by asking.

  "Come here." Hui Yue laughed as he looked through the Universe Box to find some dried fruits he had saved for her. Although he wished he had better food, this was the most delicious thing he had left.

  When Lao saw his sister awaken, his entire being shook from relief and tears welled up in his eyes. Everyone around pretended that they did not notice, and after hurriedly wiping them away he rushed to her side giving her a hug. He truly was elated that she was fine.

  Everyone was relieved to see Jo awaken. Although they trusted in their companions, it would be a lie to say that they had not feared that there was something wrong. But seeing Jo awaken and looking so healthy as if the trial had been a walk in the park, this gave them enough hope that Sha Yun would soon awaken as well.

  Once more they returned to cultivating and just as they expected, half a year after Hui Yue woke from the Trial of Determination Sha Yun woke up. The moment she woke the entire world seemed to be filled with an oppressive aura. Her entire body was sparkling with golden specks of light as she levitated off the ground. In the air, her body was shaking slightly.

  Everyone looked at her completely stumped. They had no idea what was happening before the bull rushed forward and placed a hand on her forehead while mumbling a few incantations. Soon afterward her body trembled once more before it returned to the golden and orange colors it usually had, and the specks of light retreated back into her body.

  "Outstanding." The Bull said with a nod of his head. "Although she did not know her martial way she was able to persevere through the trial through sheer determination and willpower. She is quite something." He sighed in praise. So far every member of this group had surprised him time and time again, and he could not help but feel that there was something special about them.

  At first, he had seen Wang Ju Long's outstanding performance with her poison arts. Secondly, he had seen all the amazing abilities that had been created, including a blue version of the true Phoenix Descent and also an energy he had never seen before. Now there was someone who had managed to get through the Trial of Determination through sheer stubbornness not by finding their martial way. This was truly a crazy group of cultivators.

  "Well done everyone!" The Bull said as Hui Yue rushed to Sha Yun's side. Sitting by her side and gently letting her rest on his lap he gave her something to drink. "You have all done well to get through this trial. This old bull did not believe that everyone would pass the trial, but it seems my sight is getting fuzzy with time. Everyone passed, and this is truly spectacular!"

  "The next trial will start whenever you are ready. This means that you can choose to stay here in the stone mansion and recuperate for some time before we begin it, but when it starts you will have no other choice but to continue until you finish."

  "The final trial is the Trial of Talent, and this trial is in no way simple; however, while it is not simple, it is less lethal than the one you just passed."

  "Should you fail this trial then you will be teleported out of this realm and will have to wait to see if your friends can gain the Formation of Life. If you pass through the trial, then I will take you directly to the Formation of Life and it will be yours to take."

  "The Trial of Talent will be held in the Tower of Talents, a place where each of you will enter a room. Within this room, you will fight energy beasts, soldiers, cultivators and even possibly your clones again. Only if your talent is above average will you be allowed close to the Formation of Life."

  "However, although I say above average, this is not above average for your standards. These standards were made back in the day when the divine master created this realm. I guess that the Trial of Talents will require one to be a peerless geniuses to overcome it." The bull sighed.

  "Fortunately all of you are geniuses in your own right, though, as for whether or not you have what it takes to breakthrough, that will depend on yourself."

  "I've said what I needed to. Tell me when you are ready to enter the Tower of Talents." The bull said before he turned around and found a corner of the stone hall to sit down in.

  Hui Yue contemplated for some time but looking at the weakened Sha Yun in his arms he was not in a hurry to rush into the next battle.

  "The next trial is an individual assessment once more." He began speaking with his friends. "This time we can prove just how much we have improved our Phoenix Descent alongside what our long training against our energy clones taught us."

  The others nodded their heads seriously as they looked at the ceiling above them.

  "Let’s rest up until all of us are in peak condition." He said with a sigh as he gently helped Sha Yun into a sitting position which was supported by Wang Ju Long on her other side. "When w
e are all in peak condition we will challenge the Tower of Talents and prove that although we might not be from the era filled with geniuses, we are all above average!"

  Hui Yue's words caused all of them to nod their heads. They were indeed all geniuses of the younger generation. For them to be assessed as just above average was a great embarrassment, and all of them were eager to prove their worth. However, one trial had just ended, and they were no longer in a rush.

  They had already been within this realm for well over a year, to rush at the final trial seemed silly. Therefore they spent another two months slowly adjusting their minds to the coming trial.

  One day, eight months after Hui Yue had first finished the Trial of Determination, he moved towards the bull. This cold stone hall which had been their home for a long time was now finally going to be changed for a new location. Looking around Hui Yue felt no regret leaving, if anything, he could not wait for a change of scenery.

  "We are ready to undergo the final trial. Please take us to the Tower of Talents." He said with a firm voice. All his friends were standing behind him, and the bull finally stood up after having been seated the exact same way for two months. Nodding his head the world once more blurred for the friends as they felt the ground under their feet change.