Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

With a hazy, dreamlike light flashing, Song Qingxing's figure twisted like ripples in the trial gate before being sucked in.

After passing through a long spatial tunnel, his view suddenly opened up, and he found himself in a completely unfamiliar space, landing on the edge of a towering cliff. It was pitch black all around, with a bottomless abyss below.

Before him lay a stone bridge less than ten feet wide, stretching straight to the opposite bank, seemingly without end.

"This is... the Path of Thorns?"

Before he entered the path of trials, Li Yuxia told him about the five trials he would experience after entering the gate of trials. These five trials were arranged in the order of the five elements.

These are the Thorn Road, the Flame Demon Purgatory, the Rock Space, the Void Sword Tomb, and the Boundless Sea of ​​Bitterness.

These five trials test the soul, magical power, physical body, swordsmanship principles, and Dao heart, respectively.

Now he is facing his first test.

According to Li Yuxia's description, the Thorn Road is exactly what it sounds like: a road full of thorns, 9,999 feet long, leading directly to the second trial, the Flame Demon Purgatory.

Once on the thorny path, a cultivator's magical power will be completely sealed, meaning that the trial participant can only rely on their own two legs to walk through the thorns.

Don't underestimate these thorns. The sharp thorns on them can not only ignore the physical strength of a cultivator, but also carry strange toxins. Once these toxins enter the body, they will cause intense pain that goes straight to the soul. Cultivators with slightly weaker willpower may collapse at any time.

In addition, these toxins have a strong hallucinogenic effect, and one could easily get lost in the illusion if one is not careful.

In the illusion, you cannot feel the pain caused by the toxins, which makes it easier for the trial participants to become immersed in the beauty created by the illusion, ultimately leading to the collapse of their soul.

However, as long as they can get through this path, their spiritual power will experience an unprecedented increase, which will be the first step for them to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Strictly speaking, only by arriving here can one be considered a true trial participant; all the previous battles were merely to obtain this qualification.

In Li Yuxia's year, five hundred participants took part in the trials, from which five [Dice of Destiny] emerged. Ultimately, three cultivators successfully passed all five trials.

The odds seem pretty high, but unfortunately, apart from their generation, for thousands of years in the past, each generation only had one or two successful people, or even none at all.

The occurrence of three survivors in a single session is a rare occurrence, rarely seen since the establishment of this Trial Path, and even rarer to see two consecutive survivors.

Four people from their class participated in this final trial. Statistically speaking, it would be good if two of them survived.

Having made preparations in advance, Song Qingxing took some stimulating powder beforehand and then stepped forward with firm steps.

The moment his foot landed, countless black thorns suddenly sprouted from the previously empty suspended stone bridge. The poisonous thorns gleamed with a chilling light and coiled around his legs like venomous snakes.

The poisonous stinger pierced his skin, penetrating deep into his flesh and injecting the venom.

At first, the amount of poison was not large, so Song Qingxing only felt a slight stinging pain in his legs, but it did not affect his movement. He summoned the [Traceless Sword] and slashed directly at the thorns under his feet.

Under this sword strike, the thorns melted away like fresh snow, but soon even more thorns emerged.

Clearly, these thorns can be destroyed, and there is a time interval between destruction and regeneration. With the [Traceless Sword] in hand, he can completely cut them down before they fully grow, which is enough time for him to take the next step without injury.

However, he did not want to choose this shortcut.

It wasn't that he had any special fetishes, but rather that Li Yuxia had already told him the true meaning of the "trial".

It is common knowledge that one can break through to the Golden Core stage by walking the Path of Trials and that one has a 100% success rate in overcoming tribulations.

However, the public is unaware of how this "miracle" was achieved.

Only cultivators who have gone through the entire process know that the key lies in these five trials. During the trials, the cultivator's potential can be maximized. The five trials represent a comprehensive and thorough improvement.

These trials are incredibly difficult, and anyone who can endure them all is no ordinary person.

Only if the process is correct will the result be correct. Even if the process is very painful, it must be carried through to the end.

When you are perfunctory in the process, the final result will also be perfunctory in return.

He could indeed use shortcuts to traverse the thorny path unscathed, but that would mean giving up a valuable opportunity for advancement. He came here to pursue his ultimate self-improvement, and he would not give up any opportunity that would help him achieve his goal.

On the thorny path, he walked slowly and forcefully, the thorns scraping against his calves, leaving dense bloody welts, and the toxins in his body continued to increase.

When they had walked about a hundred feet, their souls were already feeling a slight stinging pain, but they were still able to persevere.

According to Li Yuxia's account, he started experiencing hallucinations around this point.

It now seems that this varies from person to person, and is probably related to the strength of the cultivator's soul.

Blood rolled down the bloodstains he had made, gradually soaking his cloth shoes. Each step left a bloody mark among the thickets of thorns.

His temples throbbed violently and erratically. The poison had completely invaded his consciousness, and the excruciating pain originating from his soul was like a raging tide, threatening to engulf him at any moment.

His steps became increasingly difficult, his legs felt as heavy as lead, his face turned pale from the pain, and large beads of sweat poured down his face like rain.

"pat"

"pat"

In this silent space, the sound of water droplets rolling down was exceptionally clear, but it was impossible to tell whether it was sweat or blood rolling down.

A lone figure walks along the narrow, straight, thorny ancient path.

It was as if a giant hammer was constantly forging his soul in his mind.

In the end, Song Qingxing was completely numb. Driven by instinct, his body moved forward, and gradually, the scenery around him began to change.

The thorns disappeared, the pain disappeared, and the ancient path beneath our feet disappeared as well.

He found himself in a bustling, ordinary town, full of life and everyday charm, surrounded by people coming and going, laughter, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares.

"This is where?"

Looking at the scene before him, he was filled with doubt. He looked down at his own attire, which was made of coarse linen and was no different from the other vendors around him.

Looking at my own hands, I see large, rough knuckles covered in a thick layer of calluses.

These might be the hands of a lowly laborer, or the hands of an old farmer, but they definitely wouldn't be his hands.

"Illusion?"

If it's an illusion, then there are far too many flaws.

Song Qingxing thought to himself, but his body moved uncontrollably to the breakfast stall.

When the vendor saw him approaching, his face immediately lit up with an irresistible smile. He opened the steaming basket in front of him, revealing slightly yellowed steamed buns, and said, "Would you like a steamed bun, sir? One coin each."

Just as Song Qingxing was about to refuse, his hand involuntarily pulled out two greasy copper coins from his pocket.

"Alright, thank you, sir." The vendor took the coins and deftly wrapped the two fluffy steamed buns in a clean lotus leaf. "If you like them, please come again, sir."

Song Qingxing nodded, took the steamed bun but didn't eat it. Instead, he wandered aimlessly around the town. He hadn't originally intended to buy the steamed bun, but he couldn't quite control his body.

As I walked, I inexplicably came to a somewhat dilapidated thatched house. I pushed the door open and entered. A strong sense of familiarity surged into my heart, and I stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

"An illusion..."

Song Qingxing knew very well that everything before him was an illusion created by the poison entering his body, but he did not know the purpose of this illusion, nor how to break free from it.

Just then, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, cool and refreshing.

He reached out and caught the raindrops, only to find that they were blood-red.

Looking up, the once clear blue sky had turned blood red. The drizzle gradually turned into a downpour. Pedestrians hurried along the street, looking for shelter from the rain, while vendors grumbled as they packed up their stalls.

They all seemed to think it was just a normal heavy rain and didn't notice anything unusual.

The rain poured down, and a layer of water quickly accumulated on the ground, its crimson color glaringly bright. Looking around, the whole world seemed to have turned red.

"There's a huge flood! There's a huge flood!"

A rapid sound of gongs and drums rang out, and a constable dressed in black struggled through the floodwaters and torrential rain, constantly issuing warnings.

In fact, he didn't need to say anything; the townspeople had already noticed the anomaly and began to scramble to evacuate. In an instant, the entire town was thrown into chaos.

The rain intensified, and the floodwaters grew deeper, reaching above knee-level. The powerful force of the rushing water made many people lose their footing.

Song Qingxing stood in the cold "blood water," observing everything coldly like an outsider, without making any move.

Just then, a middle-aged man carrying valuables passed by him and said urgently, "Hey, young man, why are you still standing here like an idiot? Hurry up and run for your life!"

After saying that, she didn't care whether he heard her or not, and waded away into the water.

Song Qingxing remained unmoved, staring intently at the sky as if something strange was drawing him there.

Suddenly, the sky was torn open by a pair of invisible giant hands, followed by a deafening explosion, and the whole world seemed to tremble violently.

The next moment, centered on that opening, the sky... collapsed.

"The heavens wept blood and tears, pouring out their northwest. Hence the sun, moon, and stars shifted there; the earth was incomplete in the southeast, hence floods and dust settled there."

Song Qingxing subconsciously read aloud the words he had seen in an ancient book.

This was no ordinary rainstorm; it was the "Blood Rain Catastrophe" that had swept across the entire Purple Imperial Realm, the most devastating catastrophe in the history of the Purple Imperial Realm, which had submerged almost all of the land.

The laws of cultivation were in chaos, and spiritual energy dissipated, directly altering the rules of cultivation in the cultivation world.

The five spiritual roots that were once considered superior have become low-grade spiritual roots, while the single spiritual root, which was once unpopular, has become highly sought after.

The scene before my eyes is remarkably similar to what is recorded in ancient books.

Looking at the people frantically fleeing for their lives, Song Qingxing couldn't help but shake his head.

There is no escape.

All the land will be submerged. Except for powerful forces with deep foundations and powerful cultivators, everyone else will die and become part of the sea of ​​blood. This is a cataclysmic disaster. How could these mortals possibly escape it?

He was the same.

As the water level rose higher and higher, the town's residents were swept away in droves before they could escape to higher ground, their desperate cries echoing between heaven and earth.

Song Qingxing stood there, quietly waiting for the rain to engulf him. The reflection on the water's surface showed a completely unfamiliar face.

This is a catastrophe, unstoppable; death is their final destination.

Throughout history, countless powerful figures have attempted to resist, but in the end, all that remains is a pile of bones.

Even cultivators appear incredibly fragile in the face of the immense power of heaven and earth.

As the rainwater filled his mouth and nose, a suffocating sensation instantly gripped his throat.

Just as his consciousness began to fade, an indomitable spirit from the depths of his soul was ignited.

So what if there's a catastrophe? My destiny is in my own hands!
He swam desperately toward the surface of the water, his magical power gradually reviving. The familiar power returned to his body, propelling him directly into the air. He could see that the town below had long been destroyed, with no one surviving.

One moment it was bustling with noise, the next it turned into a silent, dead zone.

An overwhelming anger welled up inside him.

"Here comes the sword!"

A cold glint appeared from the horizon in an instant. He held his sword in his hand, aiming it at the collapsing sky.

Since Heaven is not doing anything, let it reopen for another day!
"【Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate】"

With a single sword strike, the world silently turned into a vast expanse of white. Then, the floodwaters began to recede rapidly, but Song Qingxing's consciousness grew increasingly blurred.

Before he lost consciousness, he saw a familiar yet unfamiliar corpse in the receding ruins.

Wasn't that the same face he saw in the reflection?
Was he dead, or "he" dead?
Suddenly, everything went black, and the familiar, excruciating pain resurfaced in his mind.

He opened his eyes and found that the thorns, which were originally only as tall as his calves, had somehow spread up to his throat and were tightly binding him.

With a thought, the [Traceless Sword] unleashed its sharpness, directly severing the thorns on his body.

Before he knew it, he was almost at the finish line.

If he hadn't fought back when he was submerged by the flood, he would probably be a corpse by now.

He still vividly remembers that despair and helplessness.

The final strike wasn't driven by confidence, but rather by resentment; unexpectedly, it broke the illusion.

Although the illusion was broken, the strange feeling in his heart never disappeared. If it was an illusion specially created for him, why was it in someone else's body?

With this question in mind, he took the final step. The thorny path behind him suddenly disappeared, and the pain and wounds vanished without a trace. A wave of heat rushed towards him, and he could vaguely hear suppressed roars.

That was the second trial, the Fiery Demon Purgatory!
……

P.S.: Although there are five trials, the pace will be much faster in the later chapters, so please enjoy. (End of Chapter)