This morning was the final test he had to take to earn the chance to participate in the Imperial tournament. In this final test, Gu Tian had to face the Gu clan instructor, Gu Bing Wen Long. This instructor possessed the cultivation realm of Golden Core, which was powerful for those who followed the path of immortality, and for those who followed the demonic path, this level was merely a stepping stone, nothing to fear for a demonic path user.
The sun began to rise overhead, and the residents had gathered in the arena to witness the match between Bing Wen and Gu Tian. Who was the stronger of the two? Cheers echoed throughout the training arena, the enthusiasm of the spectators creating a thrilling atmosphere.
A voice resonated, full of excitement, announcing the match.
"The match between Bing Wen and Gu Tian is about to begin. Spectators, please take your seats and refrain from disturbing the match."
Gu Tian walked slowly through the corridor before entering the fighting arena. In the corridor, a shadowy figure appeared and spoke to him.
"You cannot change fate," the figure's hoarse voice sent shivers down anyone's spine.
Gu Tian was startled by the figure's voice. He turned back and stepped away, asking with heightened vigilance, "Who's there?!"
"Find me at the sunken temple."
The voice appeared again and slowly faded away.
Gu Tian's heart pounded with panic. He was confused when the figure told him to find it at the sunken temple. In his first life, he had never heard of the sunken temple mentioned by the figure. Gu Tian continued his journey to the arena, pondering the incident.
Cheers echoed, along with the call for the participants to enter the arena.
"Participant Gu Tian, please step forward. Bing Wen, you too, come up."
They both stepped into the arena. Before the match began, Bing Wen spoke to Gu Tian.
"Hey kid, just give up, no need to waste your energy," Bing Wen said arrogantly.
Gu Tian, who had been silent, spoke slowly and coldly, as if he would be the victor of this match.
"Let's see who gives up," Gu Tian said with a piercingly cold expression.
"Begin!"
The match started. Bing Wen darted forward like an arrow, his fist aimed directly at Gu Tian's chest with incredible speed. But...
Whoosh!
The fist only hit an afterimage. Gu Tian had moved with a speed that astonished the spectators.
"How is that possible?!" one spectator exclaimed.
Bing Wen turned quickly, his face showing anger. "Don't just run, coward!"
Gu Tian raised a hand, his fingers gesturing as if inviting him closer. "Please, continue, Master. I want to see the extent of your abilities."
Bing Wen's fury intensified. He unleashed a barrage of attacks, each punch and kick carrying the force to crush mountain. But strangely, not a single attack landed.
The spectators began to whisper. "He... he's actually avoiding every attack!"
"Impossible! That's impossible for someone his age!"
Frustrated, Bing Wen unleashed his Shadow Ego Boxing Technique. The attack emitted a powerful aura from his fists, stirring the atmosphere and summoning dark clouds. The attack was launched at Gu Tian, hitting his body, but Gu Tian remained still, as if unaffected.
After enduring the one-sided assault, Gu Tian finally spoke. "That's enough. Now it's my turn."
Bing Wen was shocked and immediately jumped back.
"Ho-how did he withstand that attack?!" he muttered in panic.
Before he could recover from his shock, Gu Tian attacked.
With a movement too fast for the naked eye to see, Gu Tian suddenly appeared right in front of Bing Wen. His open hand gently touched the instructor's chest.
"Sleep," Gu Tian whispered.
Braaak!
A wave of mysterious energy surged through Bing Wen's body, throwing him to the edge of the arena. The instructor fell, motionless.
Silence enveloped the training field.
The referee, pale-faced, approached the unmoving Bing Wen and raised his hand. "Gu Tian... wins!"
Cheers and gasps of amazement erupted from the spectators. But Gu Tian showed no expression. He simply bowed respectfully to the clan elders and turned to leave the arena.
Among the crowd, Ming Yue stood with sparkling eyes. "Brother..." she murmured with concern.
Meanwhile, in a hidden place, several elders exchanged worried glances. "Such power... it's not normal," one of them whispered.
"We must keep a close eye on him during the Imperial meeting," another elder replied with a grim face.
Gu Tian left the arena amidst the tension and cheers of the crowd. As he walked through the exit corridor, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he staggered as if about to faint. He endured the pain and hurried back to his room.
Upon returning to his room, the pain intensified in his head, and his body could no longer bear it. He collapsed and fainted in his room.
Gu Tian felt something strange; he felt his body floating. He tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn't open.
"We meet again, Gu Tian," the voice said, followed by a soft chuckle.
His eyes snapped open upon hearing the voice, and he was shocked to find himself back in the presence of the being who seemed to rule the universe.
Panicked, Gu Tian said, "Who are you? Why did you bring me back here?!"
The place Gu Tian referred to was a space filled with swirling, moving stars.
"Calm yourself, Gu Tian," the voice echoed, causing the stars to tremble. "I'm here only to deliver a brief message, and we may not meet again."
Before Gu Tian could reply, the being's hand touched his head, and a fragment of foreign memory entered his mind. As the memory entered, his eyes glowed brightly, and screams of agony filled the space. Blue veins pulsed with light. After it was over, he gasped for breath, the foreign memory filling his head. Gu Tian could only clutch his head.
In this final meeting, the being revealed his name.
"Absorb that memory slowly," he said. "Since our first meeting, I haven't mentioned my name..." he paused briefly and continued, "My name is Zi Chengzhe, the Creator of Time..." his voice slowly faded, and the space began to disappear.
Gu Tian, still in pain, suddenly woke up from the dream, gasping for air. His irregular breathing startled his sister, who was caring for him.
Gu Tian had been unconscious since the afternoon after the match and only woke up at night.
"Brother! What's wrong?" Ming Yue cried out in concern.
Gu Tian didn't quite understand what had happened. All he remembered was a name, Zi Chengzhe. His face still flustered, he asked Ming Yue what had happened while he was unconscious.
Ming Yue recounted the events and how Gu Tian ended up in his bed.
"After your match with Bing Wen, I noticed something was off with you, so I went to check on you after the match,"
"And I also wanted to tell you about the match results. The patriarch said you can go to the Imperial capital, but you have to be closely guarded. After saying that, the patriarch left, and things got chaotic,"
"When I arrived, you were lying on the floor, and your body was very hot, so I moved you here and applied cold compresses."
After Ming Yue finished recounting the events, Gu Tian muttered to himself, his expression reflecting his thoughts on what steps to take.
Seeing her brother deep in thought, Ming Yue approached him and said, "Brother, don't think too hard. You just woke up and haven't fully recovered."
Gu Tian replied, "I'm not thinking too hard, don't worry."
After reassuring his sister, he told her to return to her room and rest since she had been taking care of him all day. His sister insisted on staying, but Gu Tian repeatedly assured her that there was no need to worry. She finally went to her room.
Gu Tian tried to recall the foreign memory, but he couldn't; instead, his head ached again.
Gu Tian gave up and walked to the window. The night breeze whispered softly, the night sky a beautiful blue, and the stars danced in the tranquil night. Gu Tian sighed and thought, "The more I try to change fate, the harder it gets," he murmured. "I need to become even stronger than before. I must start forging my soul sword now."
Gu Tian went to the forest, where the wind rustled through the trees, creating eerie creaks, as if a terrible disaster was looming. Gu Tian went to a secluded place where no one would disturb him. He began searching for a sacrifice with dark spiritual roots. In the middle of his search, he found someone with the spiritual roots he needed, a mountain bandit with a charming appearance, long hair, and a youthful body, wearing red and brown clothes. Just as Gu Tian was about to attack, the bandit dodged and turned towards him. Gu Tian was shocked and immediately vanished. The bandit said to Gu Tian, "You don't need to hide; I already sensed your killing intent." he said calmly and slowly.
Gu Tian was startled and thought to himself, "Damn! I knew someone with these spiritual roots wouldn't be ordinary."
Gu Tian used his spiritual qi vision to assess the bandit's cultivation level. He was shocked to find that the bandit's level was demonic path, even at the demonic core formation realm.
Gu Tian pondered how to attack the bandit.
"You don't have to hide like that," the bandit said. He disappeared and reappeared next to Gu Tian, attacking him and sending him flying.
Gu Tian, thrown back quite violently, coughed up blood. His voice, filled with pain, asked the bandit, "Who-who are you?!" he shouted. "I've never heard of a mountain bandit who masters the demonic path," he continued.
The bandit chuckled softly, and Gu Tian, hearing the laughter, panicked slightly as he clutched his chest. The bandit finally spoke. "You want to know who I am? I am Teng Zang Bai, a former disciple of the Tianyuan sect. I was expelled for studying the demonic path."
Gu Tian had never heard of this, neither in his past life nor in the future.
"Alright, let's end this conversation. If you want my body, come and defeat me," Zang Bai said, full of enthusiasm and ready to fight.
Gu Tian muttered to himself with an annoyed expression. "Damn! How am I supposed to fight him?"
Gu Tian gathered his remaining strength, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His eyes, now glowing with a dark red light, stared sharply at Teng Zang Bai.
"In that case... I have no choice," Gu Tian hissed, his hands forming a strange array, a technique he didn't even remember learning.
Teng Zang Bai smiled broadly, his attitude relaxed, as if he had already won. "You think a basic array can stop me? Fool-"
Suddenly, the crack in Gu Tian's arm widened, emitting a blue light that spread like mist. Zi Chengzhe's voice echoed in his head:
"You want to change fate? Then accept the consequences."
The world around him stopped.
The blowing wind froze. The falling leaves hung in the air. Zang Bai was trapped in a surprised expression, unable to move.
Gu Tian felt dark energy surging from the crack in his arm, filling his entire body. The voices of thousands of souls screamed in his mind, but one voice was the clearest:
"Kill him. Drink his blood. Become stronger!"
With a swiftness that even Zang Bai couldn't track, Gu Tian was in front of him, his right hand piercing Zang Bai's chest.
"Accept your fate," Gu Tian whispered, his voice no longer his own, deeper, older, full of dread.
Zang Bai opened his mouth to scream.
But no sound came out.
His blood evaporated into a red mist, absorbed by Gu Tian's arm. The bandit's body shriveled like a corpse that had lain for decades, then crumbled into dust.
In the distance, a crow with red eyes watched him.
The one observing him from the crow muttered, "This show is getting more interesting."