Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1186 - Another Bet
Chapter 1186 – Another Bet
Just as Liu Wuxie speculated, the final trial was the Gate of Heart, the same assessment he had once faced at the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy. After this round, only three thousand participants would remain.
Zhang Cheng staggered to his feet, venom twisting his expression. He swallowed a spiritual pill to suppress his injuries.
The three elders formed seals, and the Bridge of Heaven dissolved into light, reforming into a towering gate at the center of the valley.
“The Gate of Heart has ten scales. Anyone who lights six scales or more will pass. The sect will eliminate anyone who lights fewer than six,” Elder Ding declared.
The Bridge of Heaven had tested harmony with heaven and earth, but the Gate of Heart tested comprehension of the dao. The stronger one’s understanding, the greater the gate’s feedback, which the scales reveal. If all six thousand surpassed six scales, the sect would then select three thousand based on performance, with speed deciding the outcome.
“Let the trial begin!” Elder Ding announced, sweeping his hand.
Mu Heng stepped forward first and strode toward the Gate of Heart.
But before he could enter, Zhang Cheng’s voice boomed across the valley, consumed by hatred. “Liu Wuxie, I challenge you again! Whoever loses this round will die!”
As a cultivator at the eighth-level Transcendent Realm, he could not endure the humiliation of Liu Wuxie striking him aside and trampling him. Even if he passed this trial, that disgrace would stain his life forever. Only Liu Wuxie’s death could erase it.
The surrounding participants froze, turning their attention to Zhang Cheng and Liu Wuxie.
“How do you want to compete?” Liu Wuxie asked, a cold smirk tugging at his lips. Since Zhang Cheng was courting death, he would grant it and make him an example.
In a sect as powerful as the Heavenly Dragon Sect, the unyielding commanded respect, while retreat only bred contempt. That principle never changed. Liu Wuxie had acted boldly from the start, and now even He Yingwu understood his intentions.
If Liu Wuxie climbed step by step, he might never reach the sect’s upper echelons before destruction overtook the True Martial Continent. His only chance was to shine so brightly that even the sect master would notice. That was his true goal.
“We’ll compete on the scales! Whoever lights fewer scales will die!” Zhang Cheng bellowed, his voice thick with madness.
“I accept,” Liu Wuxie said.
This was no longer a competition—it was a wager of life and death.
A murderous atmosphere blanketed the valley. Such a thing had never occurred in previous assessments, but no one moved to intervene. Even Mu Heng looked on indifferently, secretly hoping Liu Wuxie would lose.
Mu Heng entered the Gate of Heart first. As he stepped inside, light screens spun around him, and the scales lit rapidly. In half a breath, eight scales shone brightly.
Gasps erupted from the crowd. To reach eight scales so quickly already marked him as a monstrous prodigy, as the majority of the participants could only manage to light up six or seven scales.
Moments later, the ninth scale lit, and Mu Heng stepped out from the other side of the gate, his face smug as thunderous applause filled the valley.
Though Liu Wuxie had performed well on the Bridge of Heaven, that did not mean he would also succeed here. A high harmony with heaven and earth did not guarantee profound comprehension of the dao.
More participants entered the Gate of Heart. Some lit five scales, some four, and some only one before the gate expelled them. The trial moved swiftly, and by dusk, most had finished.
For such a massive sect, completing the recruitment assessment in a day counts as fast.
Liu Wuxie and Zhang Cheng both remained where they were, clearly intending to go last.
Shen Yue entered and lit nine scales. Several other prodigies also reached nine, though they took longer than Mu Heng.
At last, He Yingwu stepped forward for his turn. His nerves nearly overwhelmed him. This was the final trial, and passing it would set a record as the first Heaven Profound cultivator to clear all three trials. He knew he would never have reached this point without Liu Wuxie’s help against the suppression of the Primal Origin Realm and in the arena.
The number of participants dwindled steadily. Those who failed left the valley with heads hung low. The valley grew increasingly sparse until only two still had to take the trial.
All eyes locked on Zhang Cheng and Liu Wuxie. They didn’t care whose talent was higher; they cared who would win.
Zhang Cheng sneered before striding into the Gate of Heart. As his right foot crossed the threshold, the surrounding laws spun wildly and the scales lit rapidly, five scales in half a breath.
“Zhang Cheng’s talent isn’t bad,” some participants murmured. Though they acknowledged Zhang Cheng’s talent, he was unfortunate to run into a monstrous prodigy like Liu Wuxie.
Older cultivators shook their heads. “He’s too rash, too immature. Without patience, he will never reach greatness.”
It was natural to repay a grudge, but striking blindly without knowing one’s opponent was reckless. Such people often died without ever realizing why.
Everyone could see that Liu Wuxie didn’t rely on luck to go so far. Zhang Cheng should’ve been able to see it as well, but he couldn’t swallow his pride.
The crowd buzzed with differing opinions. Some supported him, while some determined that he was too reckless.
The sixth scale lit, then the seventh. Murmurs spread again.
“Eight scales already! Is he really that strong?” Shock spread even among ninth-level Transcendent prodigies as they began to see Zhang Cheng in a new light. Fewer than thirty had managed eight scales.
“Liu Wuxie is in danger,” sneered Zhang Cheng’s supporters, especially those who had lost astral stones earlier. “Even if he reaches eight, his speed is too slow.”
But Zhang Cheng pressed on. The ninth scale flickered faintly. The valley gasped. Only five had reached the ninth scale before.
“Look! The ninth scale is lighting up!” The discovery shocked everyone in the valley. Only five people managed to light up the ninth scale, and Zhang Cheng now joined their ranks.
Mu Heng’s lips curled faintly. He wasn’t jealous—he was pleased.
Yet the ninth scale flickered briefly, then dimmed, leaving Zhang Cheng hovering between eight and nine. He emerged with a smug face nonetheless. In his mind, half a ninth scale was enough to defeat Liu Wuxie.
Now, only Liu Wuxie remained. If he failed to surpass Zhang Cheng, his performance so far would be nothing—he would die.
Ignoring the crowd’s provoking gazes, he walked steadily to the gate.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the laws whirled violently. In an instant, seven scales lit at once.
The valley erupted in gasps. “The speed is insane!”
When others entered the Gate of Heart, the scales advanced one at a time, but Liu Wuxie had directly lit up seven.
Zhang Cheng’s smirk froze, dread creeping into his face as the eighth scale lit.
High in the air, the three elders exchanged baffled glances. Could such an all-rounded talent truly exist? Mu Heng and Shen Yue’s brilliance was explainable—they had noble birth and guidance from Earth Immortals. But Liu Wuxie was only a Heaven Profound cultivator, without lineage or backing.
The ninth scale lit up before everyone could react.
Zhang Cheng collapsed to the ground, sweat beading his forehead. If Liu Wuxie stabilized the ninth scale, Zhang Cheng had already lost the bet.
Then chaos erupted. “The tenth scale! He lit the tenth scale!”
The valley exploded in disbelief. It had been countless years since anyone managed to light the tenth scale. Though not unprecedented, people had long consigned it to legend.
Mu Heng’s eyes bulged. Liu Wuxie had broken another record in the Heavenly Dragon Sect to light up the tenth scale in the shortest time possible.
“Holy shit! Strange things happen every year, but this year is insane!” Many people clenched their fists in disbelief. Liu Wuxie had monopolized the spotlight in this year’s assessment.
The crowd showed a mix of bitterness, admiration, and jealousy.
When Liu Wuxie stepped out from the other end of the Gate of Heart, his exit marked the official end of the assessment.
“Wuxie, we succeeded!” He Yingwu ran to him and hugged him tightly. They had endured countless hardships across two astral domains, and now they had finally earned their place in the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
No words could fully describe what they had experienced to get here.
……
Far away, a teleportation array on Indigo Bamboo Star flared with light. A group of figures stepped out.
“Find the locals and spread Liu Wuxie’s portrait! Locate him at once!” Duan Li commanded coldly the moment he arrived.
Similar scenes unfolded across other planets, portraits spreading like wildfire. Countless cultivators stirred at the promised rewards and joined the hunt for Liu Wuxie.
