"Wang, did he figure out some kind of pattern? Why couldn’t I see it?" Louis asked, raising an eyebrow.

He certainly didn’t think Wang Xiao was just being mysterious for the sake of it. He must have discovered some pattern that he himself couldn’t see.

Wang Xiao walked up to the Bronze Sect, raised his hand, and reached into the vortex. A sudden, powerful pull emanated from within.

This time,

Wang Xiao wasn’t repelled!

"It actually worked! Wang, how did you do it?!" Louis asked hurriedly.

Wang Xiao explained, "The flow of aura on each stone step is different. Release the energy from your bodies and feel for it carefully. Find the aura that resonates with your own energy, and then step on that spot."

This trial didn’t require great strength. It seemed to be a test of concentration and perception.

And, of course, reflexes.

This was because the flow of aura on the steps was extremely fast, lasting less than a second each time.

You could only advance by sensing the aura and stepping on that exact spot while it was active.

However,

Wang Xiao’s Spirit was so powerful now that he passed easily, even without using his Analyze All Things Talent.

Without any delay,

Wang Xiao stepped into the Bronze Sect.

A flash of light.

When the light faded, Wang Xiao found that the scenery had changed. He was now in a small room.

At that moment,

Gu Tiandu’s figure appeared once more.

"Congratulations on passing the first trial. Your reward will now be distributed."

Soon,

a section of the floor in front of Wang Xiao rose to form a stone pedestal, upon which sat a small box.

He opened the box and saw a fiery red crystal inside.

Beside it was a description of the crystal.

It was called a Refining God Stone. It could make one’s Yin Spirit more condensed and even raise one’s Spiritual Domain by two levels.

Wang Xiao used his Analyze All Things Talent to analyze it and found it was a Second Grade Saint Level item.

This item wasn’t of much use to Wang Xiao anymore.

But to receive a Saint Level item as a reward for just the first trial...

’As expected of a Tier Nine Life!’

’Of course, the reward is probably so generous because of how quickly I completed the trial.’

As Wang Xiao was pondering this,

Gu Tiandu’s voice sounded again.

"The second trial will now begin. This trial is called ’Puzzle.’ In a moment, an image will appear on each of the two side walls. You must perfectly combine the images from both walls and recreate the result on the floor at your feet. Once the image is laid out completely and correctly, the passage will open!"

As soon as he finished speaking,

two enormous ink wash paintings appeared on the side walls.

The two paintings seemed to have originally been a single piece, but it had been sliced apart and jumbled up, making the result look rather bizarre.

What’s more, they would flash every second, and the pieces would be rearranged.

It made it impossible to get a clear look at the original image.

The floor at Wang Xiao’s feet also lit up, revealing innumerable jumbled stone tiles.

There were tens of thousands of them!

Each tile bore a small piece of the image.

Clearly,

assembling the patterns on these small tiles would form the complete picture.

’Is this trial testing spatial reasoning and memory? Another one related to Spirit.’

A glint appeared in Wang Xiao’s eyes.

However,

he had already condensed his Great Daoist Nascent Soul, and his Yin Spirit was incredibly robust. Memorizing such a pattern was child’s play for him.

He gazed at the images on the walls and closed his eyes.

The images began to rapidly assemble in his mind, quickly forming a single, complete picture.

Then,

he looked at the countless tiles before him and began to piece them together with great speed.

「One hour later.」

Wang Xiao had finally assembled the entire puzzle!

RUMBLE!

In an instant,

a Bronze Sect rose from the ground.

Wang Xiao stepped right through it.

The next moment,

there was a flash of light.

Wang Xiao found himself in a long corridor.

The walls and floor of the corridor were covered in dreamlike painted scrolls, stretching a hundred meters into the distance.

At this moment,

the corridor was not empty. Four or five people were scattered about—some standing, some sitting, some lying down.

When these people saw Wang Xiao appear, they smiled.

"A newcomer! Haha, now we’ve got a show to watch. I think I’ll stick around for a bit!"

"Me too. I’ve been stuck here for over half a year. It’s about time we had some entertainment."

"Hehe, I love watching people make fools of themselves."

"Hmph. Who was it crying for their mommy earlier? Haha, I remember it well."

"Wu Da, you dare mock me? Just wait until I can get over to where you are. See if I don’t rip your mouth off!"

"Then come and get me," Wu Da taunted, beckoning with his finger from the far end of the corridor.

’So there are other people here.’

Wang Xiao’s eyes flickered as he took in the corridor before him.

Just then,

Gu Tiandu’s figure appeared and began to distribute the reward.

A small box rose from the floor.

Wang Xiao opened it.

Instantly,

bursts of golden light emanated from it, and a rich medicinal fragrance wafted through the corridor.

"Hiss... this medicinal aroma... don’t tell me that’s a Glazed Sacred Heart Pill! A Divine Pill that can directly sublimate one’s Yin Spirit!"

"Holy crap, that reward is insane! All I got was a Blood Dragon Grass. The two aren’t even in the same league."

"The rewards are tied to your completion time. That means he must have cleared the last trial incredibly quickly!"

Everyone looked at Wang Xiao, all traces of their earlier disdain gone.

A peerless genius had arrived!