Immortal Cage - Chapter 15: Unfearing Knife Mountain, Enduring Oil Fire
Upon hearing Yu Lie's words, the old Daoist with dead fish eyes subconsciously nodded.
Yu Lie was also satisfied and nodded in agreement. His crimson green eyes swept across the room, landing first on the stacked tofu blocks and the black stone millstone.
Choosing the soft persimmon first to squeeze, Yu Lie decided to start with the easier task.
He slightly bent his body and approached the black stone millstone. As he discovered, just as the old Daoist had said, each millstone was embedded with a bright red talisman coin, very eye-catching.
The talisman coins were embedded deeply, with no visible seams to the naked eye. Without the aid of a spell, one could only break and crush the millstone to retrieve the talisman coin.
Standing in front of a millstone, Yu Lie did not hesitate. He extended his right arm, took a deep breath, and his demonic body swelled even more with muscles.
Bang! Yu Lie's right claw tapped on the millstone, knocking on it as if checking if a watermelon was ripe.
A satisfied expression appeared on his face.
Crack!
In the next moment, Yu Lie's wolf claw forcefully pierced into the millstone, a creaking sound echoing!
The millstone, made entirely of black stone, cracked open as if it were a melon skin being pierced, breaking apart.
Yu Lie opened the millstone, easily retrieving the embedded talisman coin. After retracting his wolf claw, he shook off the powder from his claw, showing no change in expression.
Back when he was in seclusion in the quiet room, Yu Lie could move the stone altar and leave traces of his demonic power. Facing the black stone millstone, which was far inferior in quality to the stone altar, destroying it was even easier.
Beside him, the old Daoist with dead fish eyes widened his eyes as Yu Lie effortlessly broke open the black stone millstone with a single claw.
The old Daoist suddenly realized that he might have underestimated the person before him. Although the newcomer seemed unremarkable, he was not to be trifled with.
The old Daoist's mouth moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he held back his words and did not disturb.
On the other side, after retrieving the talisman coin, Yu Lie casually shattered the broken black stone millstone, once again displaying his monstrous strength.
After the millstone shattered into pieces, Yu Lie shifted his gaze away from the millstone and looked towards the knife rack.
Steel knives were laid horizontally, forming a four-sided ladder where any side could be climbed to the top, and any side could scrape the flesh and blood of the climber.
Yu Lie approached the base of the Knife Mountain, rubbing his demonic body, then grabbed a steel knife.
The steel knife immediately emitted a creaking sound and twisted!
A satisfied expression appeared on Yu Lie's face again as he climbed up without a word.
The knife rack swayed, and his massive figure climbed on the rack, as if he could dismantle the entire structure.
Relying on his tough skin and flesh, Yu Lie treated the Knife Mountain as if it were nothing. Quickly, he climbed to the top of the Knife Mountain and tore off a talisman coin hanging there.
Hanging on the knife rack, Yu Lie did not choose to climb down but instead looked towards the nearby oil pot and fire pit.
With a shout, he leaped from a height towards the edge of the fire pit.
Sizzle! Yu Lie fell into the fire pit.
The flames splattered, resembling a scarlet rain of fire.
Upon landing, without pausing for a moment, Yu Lie immediately ran within the fire pit, swift and fierce like a wolf.
Due to his speed, Yu Lie's running in the fire pit caused chunks of burning coal to scatter, creating a crackling sound around him.
The old Daoist with dead fish eyes stared at Yu Lie, his eyes wide with astonishment. Not being able to avoid the flying embers in time, his beard was directly scorched half an inch, charred.
"Hiss!" The old Daoist took a sharp breath, quickly retreated, and patted his beard.
While the old Daoist was lamenting his burnt beard, Yu Lie had already reached the end of the fire pit, grabbing the third talisman coin and swiftly running back.
When Yu Lie finally emerged from the fire pit, his body was charred, many fur strands were singed, losing their luster.
However, Yu Lie's expression remained unchanged. He patted the charred fur on his body, his muscles wriggling, shedding the burnt fur and reverting to his original form.
After a while, Yu Lie revealed his true appearance.
Having protected his eyebrows and eyes, apart from the charred Taoist robe and slightly burnt hair, there were no obvious signs of the scorching flames on the rest of his body.
With three talisman coins in hand, only the final challenge remained: entering the oil pot.
The oil pot was spacious enough to hold an entire cow. Even with his massive wolf body, Yu Lie had to immerse half of his body into it, enduring the boiling oil to retrieve the talisman coin at the bottom of the pot.
Yu Lie chose not to reveal his wolf body and instead suppressed his qi and blood, entering the oil pot in a half-human, half-wolf form.
The sizzling sound was louder than in the fire pit, and the greasy smell filled Yu Lie's nostrils.
The millstone, Knife Mountain, fire pit, and now the oil pot were all real and harsh tortures. Yu Lie finally frowned, feeling a piercing pain throughout half of his body, as if he was being cooked.
Especially since the talisman coin in the oil pot was not visible, he had to bend his body and continuously attempt to retrieve it, unable to finish quickly.
Even after grabbing it, the slippery talisman coin made it difficult to grasp, forcing him to remain in the oil pot.
This challenge took Yu Lie the longest time, nearly ten breaths of time. He then leaped out of the massive oil pot.
Splatter! The boiling hot oil splashed around.
With the oil pot challenge completed, all four trials were passed one by one!
In less than thirty breaths, Yu Lie passed all four challenges in one go, obtaining four talisman coins.
The old Daoist, who was wiping his beard, suddenly woke up. He looked up and saw Yu Lie, who had already emerged from the oil pot, covered in oil stains.
"So fast! And successful?" The old Daoist stared at Yu Lie's oil-stained body, feeling that it was not a pretense.
However, the old Daoist still hesitated and asked, "You passed all four challenges, all of them?"
Yu Lie nodded confidently, "Indeed, I have not failed my mission."
He flicked his sleeve, opened his hand, revealing four crimson talisman coins, each shining brightly.
The old Daoist saw clearly. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, unsure of what to say.
At that moment, Yu Lie had completely shed his wolf form, reverting to his human form. His handsome face showed signs of fatigue, with his complexion slightly pale.
Transforming into a wolf and experiencing the trials of the millstone, Knife Mountain, fire pit, and oil pot in a short period was not easy for Yu Lie, resulting in significant energy consumption and pain.
Although his body could endure it and he was not injured, Yu Lie looked at his charred Taoist robe and the hot oil stains on it, furrowing his brows, thinking, "If I had known, I should have prepared a spare robe in advance for replacement."
On the other side, the old Daoist finally recovered from his daze. He found it hard to believe as he looked at Yu Lie, his eyes filled with confusion.
After listening to the old Daoist's explanation, Yu Lie finally understood.
The millstone, Knife Mountain, fire pit, and oil pot challenges were designed to cater to the different strengths gained by Daoist disciples after entering the Dao, offering four different trials.
Those proficient in strength could choose the millstone challenge; those with tough skin could choose the millstone and Knife Mountain challenges; those with speed or fire resistance could select the millstone and fire pit challenges; those with agility and fire resistance could opt for the millstone, oil pot, and fire pit challenges... and so on.
Only the strength test with the millstone challenge was mandatory, but it was also the simplest, while the other three challenges were optional.
These four trials were recently introduced by the Daoist Academy to assess the disciples more comprehensively. They planned to add water and wood torture tests in the future to facilitate a more comprehensive assessment and help the disciples measure themselves during the trials.
Yu Lie's ability to pass all four trials at once indicated that after his transformation, he not only possessed strong physical strength but also swift movements, tough skin, and robust vitality!
The old Daoist stood before Yu Lie, observing his displeased expression and the charred marks on his body, his gaze becoming serious.
The old Daoist pondered to himself, "Since the establishment of the Knife Mountain and fire pit challenges, very few people can pass all four trials in a short time, and even fewer can do so without injury, ranking among the top."
Staring at Yu Lie, the old Daoist, with his hand trembling as he held his beard, thought to himself, "Although this young man was delayed in entering the Dao, his foundation is strong. He has a high possibility of advancing to become a Grade Eight Daoist!"
The old Daoist was perceptive, and an idea formed in his mind: "I must not offend him! I must seek his favor!"