A stir rippled through the crowd. None of them had expected the Immortal Cult to place such importance on this recruitment trial that even the Vice Cult Master would make a personal appearance.
A vice cult master of one of the Four Great Demonic Cults was an eminent figure across the entire Central Continent, someone ordinary people could hardly dream of ever meeting in their lifetime.
Lu Yang, on the other hand, felt completely unfazed. The man was merely on par with an elder of the Dao Seeking Sect, and he had seen plenty of those already.
"You are currently present only as wisps of intent, while your physical bodies remain behind. Once the official trial begins, your cultivation and memories will be completely stripped away, placing every single one of you at the exact same starting line."
The Cult Master attached immense importance to this trial. In the great struggles of this Golden Age, what mattered most? Talents!
If they could recruit individuals with single spiritual roots, innate immortal physiques, or innate demonic seeds, they would possess the capital to wrestle on equal terms with the righteous path!
To that end, he had instructed the Vice Cult Master to meticulously design three trials to ensure that genuine prodigies were singled out.
To prevent anyone from cheating, a secret cult art was being deployed this time to wipe their cultivation and memories clean, guaranteeing that only their true capabilities would show.
"The first trial officially commences. The condition for passing is to defeat the army of the State of Liang."
The moment the Vice Cult Master finished speaking, the world spun violently before everyone's eyes until they could no longer tell north from south. By the time their senses returned, their past memories were gone.
***
"Where is this?"
When Man Gu came to, his head was still reeling.
His hair was unkempt, his face smeared with grime, and he held a broken sword in his hand, his armor drenched in blood and filth.
Man Gu took two steps and nearly stumbled to the ground, but a personal guard hastily caught him. "General, quickly mount your horse! Now is no time for stubborn pride—the army of Liang is right behind us!"
As they fled on horseback, memories pertaining to this trial gradually flooded into Man Gu's mind.
*In this realm lie two nations: the State of Liang and the State of Jin. Locked in an ancient feud, both seek to annihilate the other. Jin is not as powerful as Liang, and I am currently a general of Jin, commanding the nation's entire armed forces.*
*Through my own carelessness, I fell into the enemy's treacherous trap. I must steel my resolve, stage a comeback, and defeat Liang!*
Man Gu completely forgot that this was merely a trial. He remembered only that he was Jin's ever-victorious general, bound by duty to defeat Liang and protect his homeland.
Alongside the background memories, vast combat experience rushed into his mind. For all intents and purposes, he had become Jin's renowned commander.
Regrettably, while Man Gu was seasoned in war, Liang's general was equally astute. In their clashes on the battlefield, Man Gu suffered defeat after defeat.
Yet Man Gu commanded immense prestige among his troops, and his soldiers trusted him implicitly. They firmly believed their setbacks were only temporary and that General Man Gu would inevitably lead them to victory.
Then Man Gu failed yet again. By nature, he was straightforward and honest; while he indeed possessed battle experience, he struggled to apply it deftly in practice, repeatedly walking straight into the enemy general's traps.
"*Huff... huff... huff...*"
Man Gu retreated into a mountain cave in utter disgrace. This defeat had been absolute—armor cast aside, weapons abandoned. It was the humiliation of a lifetime.
Outside, bleak wind and bitter rain battered the landscape, reflecting the desolate chill in his heart.
Thinking of his soldiers' unwavering faith in him, and of the crushing blows each failure dealt, Man Gu looked down at the heavily notched sword in his hand and felt an overwhelming urge to slit his own throat.
Death would end it all. Failure, the State of Jin—none of it would matter to him anymore!
Suddenly, a spider caught his eye.
It was a strange-looking spider, unlike any Man Gu had ever seen.
The creature was spinning a web. Wind and rain blew into the cave mouth, tearing its threads apart time and time again.
Yet every time the web tore, the spider simply started over, completely undeterred.
Watching the spider fail repeatedly only to try again without hesitation, Man Gu felt that it was remarkably like himself.
"You'll succeed!" Man Gu murmured, staring at the spider as a glimmer of hope rekindled in his eyes.
If even a spider possessed such tenacity, could a human being truly have less willpower than a bug?
At last, after countless failures, the spider successfully wove its web.
Man Gu sprang to his feet, fighting spirit blazing anew. If the spider could succeed, so could he!
A roaring fire ignited in his chest. He would rally his forces and launch a counteroffensive against Liang!
"Huh?"
Man Gu glanced back at the spider, intending to silently thank it for the inspiration, only to see a praying mantis suddenly dart out and kill it.
Man Gu nearly crushed the mantis in fury, but then another thought struck him: wasn't the spider's predicament just like his own? Once it succeeded, it let down its guard, entirely blind to the hidden danger lurking in the shadows.
Enlightenment dawned on him. *Of course! Perseverance is vital, but so is strategy! Striking when the enemy grows complacent yields miraculous results!*
In the end, Man Gu used a string of minor skirmish victories to lull the Liang army into complacency, then unleashed his hidden forces in a surprise ambush, crushing the main body of Liang's army in a single stroke and claiming total victory.
Man Gu cleared the trial.
***
At the Immortal Cult's headquarters, a calm expanse of water displayed the performances of all candidates in the first trial. The Vice Cult Master observed their progress, assessing each one.
"Well? Are there any promising seeds?" Space twisted, and the Cult Master stepped into view. "This first trial of yours is no walk in the park. Facing relentless failure, one must not only glean perseverance from the spider, but also learn the principle of catching the foe unawares from the mantis."
The Vice Cult Master shook his head. "It is an absolute necessity. The righteous path oppresses us, and our demonic cult has suffered setback after setback. Some among our ranks have already grown faint of heart. Our plight is remarkably similar to that of the State of Jin. Through this trial, I intend to single out disciples with unyielding willpower, nurture them into formidable talents, and stand against the righteous path!"
"Yet willpower alone is not enough to defy the righteous path; one must also possess cunning. If a candidate cannot learn both lessons from the spider and the mantis, how could they ever attain victory?"
The Cult Master nodded in approval. "Well said. That is precisely why I entrusted this recruitment to you. The outstanding disciples selected this time must receive our full focus; they are our reserve vanguard against the righteous path!"
The Vice Cult Master pointed toward one of the reflections on the water. "I have high hopes for this one named Man Gu. His method of clearing the trial aligns perfectly with my intent. This child is destined for greatness!"
The Cult Master glanced at Man Gu, finding him rather agreeable to the eye. "Then let us see how the others fare."
The two stood side by side, watching the water for a while before the Cult Master suddenly asked, "Tell me, is there any possibility that someone might clear it through other means?"
The Vice Cult Master rejected the thought outright, speaking with absolute certainty: "Out of the question!"
"I extracted this first trial directly from a fragment of history. The States of Liang and Jin occupied a distant corner of the world during the great turmoil a hundred thousand years ago. In those days, cultivators were far fewer than today, and Liang and Jin had virtually none to speak of. I built upon those events to ensure the utmost authenticity."
To extract that fragment from history, the Immortal Cult had expended a staggering amount of resources—enough to make the Vice Cult Master's heart ache.
"Historically, the general of Jin attained enlightenment in that very cave and crushed the Liang army!"
"That feat was already a miracle in itself. I refuse to believe any other method exists!"
The Cult Master nodded. He had thought the same; his question had merely been an attempt to break an awkward silence and make small talk.
Then, the two of them witnessed the methods Meng Jingzhou and Lu Yang used to clear the trial.
Chapter 68