Beneath his feet, endless clouds and mist of the abyss swirled and rose like a living sea – their pale white tendrils reaching up as if to drag him down into the void below. Above, jagged, menacing rock formations towered overhead, their black surfaces slick with moisture and etched with scars from countless years of wind and water erosion. They pressed down with an oppressive weight that made even breathing feel like a struggle.
Bai Hao clung to the slick, cold cliff face like a lizard, his fingers finding purchase in tiny cracks invisible to an untrained eye. Each breath formed a wisp of white mist that danced and vanished in the canyon's bone-chilling air. He balanced on a natural rock ridge no wider than half a finger – barely enough to support the tip of his boot – with swaying, waterlogged vines as his only extra support. Every small shift of weight, every adjustment of position, carried heart-stopping tension. One wrong move, and he would join the countless rocks and fallen creatures lost to the depths.
Yet in this treacherous terrain where even master climbers would hesitate, mountain apes moved with far greater agility than special forces soldiers on flat ground. Their powerful limbs found holds where there seemed to be none, thick claws digging into stone like clay. They leaped from ledge to ledge with impossible grace, bodies built perfectly for this vertical world.
A terrifying roar shattered the fragile silence, sending loose stones skittering down the cliff face in small avalanches. A massive gray shadow burst through the fog, fur matted with mist and rain as it swooped down like a phantom! Its speed dwarfed any apex predator on solid earth – a blur of muscle and fury that defied gravity and reason.
Bai Hao's pupils contracted to pinpricks, his body reacting before his mind could process the threat. Instinctively, he raised his right arm, bringing the projected longsword he'd summoned moments earlier to block.
CRASH!
The impact was like being struck by a speeding truck. A powerful force slammed into his sword, sending vibrations up his arm that made his teeth ache. The deafening clang of metal against something harder echoed off the rocks as the blade was torn clean from his grasp. It spun end over end through the air before plunging into the churning clouds below, vanishing into the white void.
The shockwave traveled through his arm bones and into his torso, leaving half his body numb as if his organs were being violently twisted and ground together. A wave of nausea washed over him, and he bit down hard on his tongue to keep from retching. Had he not reached the Early Spirit Realm just weeks prior – strengthening bones and muscles several times over through cultivation – the blow would have hurled him from the cliff like a rag doll, shattering him against the jagged rocks jutting from the mist far below.
Fortunately, the deep wound he'd inflicted earlier had weakened the beast. Blood loss slowed its reflexes just enough to deflect the attack, buying precious moments to recover balance and breath. The ape landed on a ledge three meters away, massive chest heaving as it fixed him with an intense stare. Low growls rumbled from its throat, vibrating through the rock beneath his feet. It was clearly wary of the dark green blood still oozing down its side, holding back from another attack to assess whether this small human was worth the risk.
"Huff… huff…"
Bai Hao gasped for air, chest burning as he fought to steady his breathing. He shook his nearly dislocated right arm, feeling bones grind together with a sickening crunch that made him wince. Cold sweat drenched his back, soaking through his thin shirt and clinging to his skin like a second layer. Even in the freezing canyon air, a wave of heat washed over him – adrenaline flooding his system.
That was too close! Far too close!
Are these really just creatures from an ordinary secret realm? He'd studied exam materials thoroughly, memorizing every detail about the Weeping Abyss and its inhabitants. But no description could prepare him for the reality of facing one of these beasts. Their strength and agility were staggering – far beyond what he'd expected from "ordinary" threats. If this was what awaited him in a low-level realm, he could scarcely imagine how terrifying higher-level secret realms must be.
Fighting one-on-one with such a natural cliff hunter while balancing on a narrow ledge – relying on one hand to steady himself – was practically suicide. His projected weapons were effective, but in this environment, he couldn't generate enough force for a killing blow without risking his balance.
"Forget it. Close combat isn't my strong suit right now. Let's try something else."
He'd made this choice the moment he selected the [Essence Gathering] evolution path for his [Daylight] ability – focusing on long-range precision rather than brute force. Taking advantage of the ape's hesitation, he raised his functional left hand, extending his index finger toward the beast's head. He focused his spiritual energy, feeling warmth build in his chest just below the sacred mark under his collarbone – the source of his connection to [Daylight].
"Ssssshh—!"
A brilliant golden glow burst from his fingertip, condensing rapidly into a beam so dense it seemed almost solid. It tore through the air with an ear-piercing screech that cut through wind and growls alike!
THUNK!
A muffled explosion rang out as the beam struck true. Caught off guard by this new attack, the ape's thick skull – which had withstood blows from rocks and other beasts – was pierced clean through. A bloody hole the size of three fingers gaped where the beam entered, hot blood mixing with viscous gray fluid gushing out to splatter the stone ledge below.
"Awooo—!"
The shrill scream of pain and surprise cut off abruptly as the beam destroyed its brain. The massive body trembled and convulsed violently, powerful limbs thrashing as it tried to hold on. Its fierce, intelligent gaze gave way to confusion and terror – even in its final moments, it couldn't comprehend how a human with such a faint spiritual aura could deliver a blow this deadly.
At last, the lifeless corpse went limp, collapsing with a heavy thud that sent more stones tumbling into the abyss. It slid slowly off the ledge and plummeted into the dark void, disappearing within seconds.
Witnessing the incredible penetrating power of his condensed energy, Bai Hao felt a surge of satisfaction mixed with awe at his own capabilities.
Who needs close combat? Times have changed!
Even the fallen ape could never understand why a newly awakened cultivator – someone who should barely summon weak abilities – could unleash such terrifying attacks. Compared to other Early Spirit Realm students, Bai Hao's strength was in a league of its own. Most peers still struggled to summon basic weapons or simple shields, while he delivered lethal long-range strikes. And if he'd fully developed his [Chaos] ability as a Spirit Master – instead of focusing on contracted abilities – his power would be even greater.
For now, though, [Daylight] was more than sufficient. Its evolved [Essence Gathering] form was vastly more powerful than the original – the true reason for this devastating display.
Both [Projection] and [Daylight] were Saint-level Spirit Contract abilities, so their base potential should be similar. The only explanation for the gap was that he hadn't fully mastered [Projection], limiting himself to summoning cold weapons and wasting its true capabilities. He knew practice would let him project complex structures, imbue them with special properties, or even create living constructs – but with the exam underway and danger everywhere, there was no time to explore further.
He checked his spiritual energy reserves, feeling power flow through his meridians. The light beam had consumed barely one percent of his total capacity! The gift of his Chaos Spirit Envoy awakening was truly terrifying – his spiritual vein capacity was nearly ten times that of ordinary low-level practitioners. This gave him an enormous advantage in stamina and sustained combat.
An average beginner with the same [Daylight] ability would be exhausted after ten shots, left defenseless. But Bai Hao still had plenty of energy to spare – enough for dozens more attacks if needed.
Every conquered secret realm has fixed escape points – magical portals for safe return to the real world. Marked on official maps, they're designed to let students flee if danger becomes too great. For most with modest goals – those just wanting to pass and secure a decent university spot – finding an exit and hiding nearby for two days would earn a passing score.
But Bai Hao had no intention of hiding. Points earned in the realm were critical to his final martial arts score – every monster killed, every rare resource collected, added to his total. To get into a top-tier psionic university like Tsinghua or Peking, he needed to accumulate as many points as possible. Killing the mountain ape had earned him five points – fair for an ordinary creature. He'd need dozens more to stand out among thousands of candidates.
Carefully maneuvering along the cliff's crevices, testing each hold before committing weight, he muttered to himself: "Being assigned to this realm was bad enough – everyone knows the Weeping Abyss has the highest mortality rate of any ordinary exam realm. But why teleport me all the way up here? Couldn't they drop me somewhere lower, where terrain isn't insane?"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, disaster struck. The half-finger-wide ledge beneath his left foot – solid moments earlier – crumbled and snapped under his weight. His leg slipped, body tilting backward as gravity pulled him toward the abyss. His heart leaped into his throat, but training and enhanced reflexes kicked in instantly. His left hand shot out, snatching a thick vine hanging from above just as his foot lost all contact with the cliff face.
He dangled there for a moment, body swinging wildly in the wind as the vine creaked and stretched. After heart-stopping seconds, he pulled himself back to a slightly wider ledge, breathing ragged with adrenaline.
"In a place like this, not even a great Spirit Magician could do anything but climb carefully!" he exclaimed, more to himself than anyone. Even those who could fly using spiritual energy would struggle here – wind too strong, fog too thick to navigate safely, and rock formations known to disrupt abilities, making flight unstable at best.
Misfortunes always strike when things are difficult – a lesson Bai Hao had learned well in his short time as a cultivator. As frustration boiled up, a cacophony of howls and roars echoed through the mist – coming from above and both sides at once. The sharp, fierce cries of monkeys grew closer by the second, voices filled with anger and bloodlust.
He looked up to see several agile figures swinging from thick green vines crisscrossing the canyon, racing toward him with alarming speed. Their movements were coordinated, eyes fixed on him – clearly drawn by their comrade's death roar.
"One, two, three – three mountain apes total!" he counted quickly, scanning the fog-shrouded air.
Goosebumps pricked across his skin as the temperature dropped further. Through swirling mist, three larger gray shadows emerged – bigger and more heavily muscled than the one he'd killed, fur matted with dirt and dried blood. They gripped vines with powerful hands, swinging toward him from different angles like deadly pendulums. Using the terrain to their advantage, they positioned themselves so he'd be in their path no matter which way he moved. Spurred on by their comrade's death, they'd launch a coordinated attack – no longer underestimating him.
This is trouble!
He knew [Daylight] was effective, but conditions were far from ideal. Targets moved fast on swaying vines, making tracking hard. Thick fog obscured vision, limiting his line of sight to just a few meters. Aiming accurately at individuals would be extremely difficult – the chance of missing too high, and every miss wasted precious energy. But if they closed in…
He didn't want to imagine three vicious apes surrounding him on this narrow ledge. With their strength and agility, they'd tear him apart instantly, his enhanced body offering little protection against claws and fangs.
No other choice…
He'd trained for this – when precision wasn't possible, overwhelming force was the only answer.
If aiming is hard, use sheer firepower to cover them.
Bai Hao raised his left hand high, spreading fingers wide as he channeled energy into each digit. He felt golden glow building at his fingertips – warm and powerful. With a sharp mental command, he released the energy all at once.
Ssssshh! Ssssshh! Ssssshh! Ssssshh! Ssssshh!
Five condensed golden light arrows shot out like a crossbow volley, trajectories calculated to cover all possible paths. They tore through the mist, leaving glowing trails as they streaked in three directions!
WHOOSH!
PUFF! PUFF! PUFF!
AWWOOO!
The barrage was less precise than hoped – moving targets and poor visibility made accuracy nearly impossible. But its density and speed left little room to escape. Two apes dodged the worst, but not without cost – one suffered a deep arm wound, the other a beam through its thigh. Both screamed in pain and rage as they struggled to hold on to the vines.
The third ape wasn't so lucky. It released its grip to leap toward him just as a light arrow streaked past. The beam struck clean through its open mouth, piercing straight to the back of its head!
Its scream died in its throat, body stiffening instantly as light destroyed its nervous system. It hung limply from the vine for a moment before gravity took hold, plummeting into the depths with a faint sound swallowed by the wind.
But their comrade's brutal death only fueled the remaining two apes' fury. Instead of retreating, their eyes turned bloodshot with rage – wounds forgotten in their thirst for vengeance.
"ROAR!"
They let out simultaneous heart-wrenching cries that echoed through the canyon. Abandoning careful maneuvers, they released their holds and charged straight at him like falling meteorites – ignoring injuries and the waiting abyss! Massive claws extended, sharp as knives and capable of slicing stone. The force of their charge shook the rock wall he clung to.
In the blink of an eye, they were just ten steps away – too close to dodge, too fast to escape.
Yet instead of fear, a cold hunter's smile crossed Bai Hao's face. This was exactly what he'd waited for.
Now!
At close range, their size made perfect targets – and [Essence Gathering] was deadliest within ten paces. As the two apes leaped into the air, bodies fully exposed with no room to dodge, he raised both arms high. His weight hung entirely from the thick vine wrapped around his left wrist, body swinging slightly in the wind. His fingers pointed like knives, locking onto the two massive targets with absolute precision!
"Die!"
He poured nearly twice as much energy into each attack as before, feeling power surge through his meridians with warmth bordering on pain.
Ssssshh!
Ssssshh!
Two dazzling golden beams – thicker and brighter than any he'd launched – shot forward unimpeded! Deadly energy pierced through chests and skulls with terrifying precision, leaving smoking holes in their wake.
"Within ten paces, light is swift and unerring."
The ancient saying rang true. The beams struck with force enough to hurl the apes' massive bodies several meters back, sending them spinning through the air. Their forms traced desperate arcs against the mist before vanishing into the swirling clouds below, lost to the abyss. Normal monsters like mountain apes carried no valuable loot – their fur and bones common in the outside world – so he felt no regret at losing their corpses.
"Haa…"
Bai Hao let out a long, soft breath as tension drained from his body and adrenaline faded. The vine he held creaked loudly, fibers fraying from weight and movement. He checked his energy reserves and frowned – after firing over twenty light beams in quick succession, plus the final two with double power, even his vast capacity had dropped by nearly half. A genuine weariness settled over him, muscles aching and mind slightly foggy from intense concentration.
Looking up at the mist-shrouded cliff top, he could see more shadows moving through the fog – and hear distant cries of even more apes. There was no doubt this was a mountain ape nest, and the commotion from his recent battle had drawn every member of the colony to his position.