The wind howled through the clearing, carrying the metallic stench of blood and the faint ozone crackle of lingering lightning.
Seven serpent corpses lay strewn like offerings at the feet of two figures — one drenched in gore, the other cloaked in cold elegance.
Lin Chen exhaled slowly, his breath misting in the chill left behind by Yu Xueqing's frost arts.
He flexed his fingers — his knuckles raw, his arms trembling slightly from overuse of the forbidden Crimson Vein Tempering Art. His body throbbed with pain, but beneath that pain, he could feel it:
The stirrings of breakthrough.
Yu Xueqing sheathed her sword with a soft click. She turned to him, her eyes cool but… softer now.
"You push your body beyond sane limits," she said, voice calm. "That art… it's dangerous."
Lin Chen chuckled, spitting out blood and a chipped tooth. "Yeah, but it works, doesn't it?"
She didn't answer — but didn't argue either.
Then her gaze shifted, sharp and wary.
"Look."
Lin Chen followed her line of sight. Beyond the clearing, where the battle's shockwaves had shattered old trees and torn up the earth, something glittered.
Stone steps.
Half-buried, overgrown. Ancient.
Leading downward — into the earth.
Lin Chen's pupils contracted.
"That's…"
Yu Xueqing nodded.
"An inheritance site. Hidden deep within the trial grounds."
Her voice dropped lower, her expression tightening.
"I heard rumors. That the Hidden Trials are more than just a test for disciples. That they were built atop ruins from before the sect's founding — legacies buried and forgotten."
Lin Chen licked his lips, his heart pounding.
An inheritance. Forbidden arts. Ancient techniques.
Exactly the kind of treasure he needed to vault ahead — to slap down his enemies and reclaim his place in this cutthroat world.
He grinned.
"Well, Senior Sister, shall we go grave-robbing?"
Yu Xueqing's mouth twitched again — almost a smile.
"You're incorrigible."
The descent began.
The stone steps spiraled downward, cold and damp.
The air grew thick — not just with moisture, but with pressure. A heavy, ancient force that pressed against their chests as if testing their worth.
Their footfalls echoed into the dark.
Torches flickered to life as they passed — ancient arrays still functioning after centuries. Their flames burned a strange blue, casting eerie shadows along the carved walls.
Lin Chen's eyes roamed over the murals.
Battles between titanic figures.
Cultivators riding dragons into the void.
Armies clashing beneath shattered moons.
Yu Xueqing's voice was soft now, almost reverent.
"These images… they depict the founding wars. Back when the universe was ruled by Celestial Emperors."
Her fingers brushed against a carving — a woman with flowing hair wielding a blade of pure ice.
Lin Chen raised a brow.
"She looks like you."
Yu Xueqing froze for a fraction of a second before pulling her hand back.
"Coincidence."
But Lin Chen's sharp eyes caught the flicker of unease. He filed it away. Another secret. Another mystery.
They reached the bottom.
A vast chamber opened before them, shaped like an inverted dome.
At its center stood a pedestal, upon which floated a scroll — ancient, tattered, yet exuding an oppressive aura.
Around the pedestal lay bones.
Dozens, maybe hundreds.
Failed challengers who had reached this far but couldn't claim the legacy.
Lin Chen's smile faded.
His instincts — honed by a lifetime of danger — screamed at him.
"This… isn't going to be easy."
Yu Xueqing stepped forward, her expression serious now.
"According to legend, these inheritances have sentient tests. Spirit guardians. We will have to face them."
She glanced at him sideways.
"Still want to try your luck, Junior Brother Grave Robber?"
Lin Chen bared his teeth in a grin that was more wolf than man.
"Lady, luck is my middle name."
He stepped forward —
—and the chamber rumbled.
A shape rose from the bones.
Dark. Monstrous.
A spectral beast, formed from the resentment of countless fallen cultivators. It had no face, only a gaping maw and countless clawed arms that reached for Lin Chen hungrily.
"Flesh… power… new offering…"
The voice was a chorus of the damned, echoing inside their heads.
Yu Xueqing drew her blade in an instant.
"Lin Chen, this is beyond Rank 3 — it's reaching Rank 5 spirit level!"
But Lin Chen…
Lin Chen laughed.
A low, dangerous sound.
"I needed a breakthrough anyway."
His crimson veins flared — brighter, hotter. His body began to boil with power, forbidden energy roaring through him.
His sword spun into his palm.
His stance lowered.
And his aura surged.
"Come then, ghost," Lin Chen growled.
"Let's see who gets devoured today."
To be continued in Chapter 18: Breakthrough Amidst Blood and Ghostfire