The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 444 The Fifth Test
Suppressing the cultivation level of cultivators participating in the test will amplify the gap in martial arts skills between cultivators and the masters of immortal mansions, but there will definitely be some mechanism to compensate for this.

The master of Kaiyang Immortal Abode set up the tests to select a worthy successor to receive the immortal destiny, not simply to satisfy his own perverse pleasures.

The fifth challenge is difficult, but it won't be too difficult; there will definitely be a way to complete the challenge.

Based on his experience from previous trials, Wu Chang discovered that the Kaiyang Immortal Palace's trials were not simply tests of the participants' abilities in a particular area; similar to the training room at the Yongguang Research Institute, they also enhanced the participants' corresponding abilities.

Apart from the first trial, many cultivators gathered at the entrances of the other trials, repeatedly attempting to complete them.

Trying to overcome obstacles can improve one's character and enable cultivators to remain calm in the face of danger.

Trying to pass through the Perseverance Gate more often can increase a cultivator's stamina and judgment in battle.

Wu Chang passed through the gate too easily, and didn't notice much. However, the large stone blocking the gate had a peculiar structure that was difficult to destroy with ordinary spells. It was likely that, in addition to being a hard threshold for cultivation level, it would also help cultivators adjust the exertion of their spells.

The fifth trial is probably not just a simple sparring match, but also a way to train the cultivators in combat skills and enhance their martial arts abilities.

As for how much martial arts skill he needs to improve to complete the test, he needs to enter it first and see for himself.

Perhaps sensing Wu Chang's need, An Rong said:

"Sect Leader Tang, the fifth trial is different from the previous rounds. Although the test takers are still tested alone, other cultivators can observe during the test. Since you have not tried the test before, I will give you a demonstration to get you started."

Wu Chang nodded, and led Eileen a few steps back, making way for the central area of ​​the wooden building.

Just as he expected, the fifth trial was more like a teaching session than a test, as evidenced by the fact that other cultivators were allowed to observe.

The scholar and the drunkard also withdrew. When only An Rong and the avatar of the Immortal Abode Master remained in the central area, a transparent barrier enveloped the two of them, and the fifth trial began.

The moment the trial began, the Immortal Abode Master's avatar unleashed a terrifying killing intent, reaching the level of Origin Power, almost taking form.

Its danger level is so high that those with weak willpower will convulse and feel cold hands and feet when targeted by the killing intent. They will wish they could turn around and run away. If they are even weaker, it would not be surprising if they were scared to death.

Amidst the deadly danger, no one would consider this merely a test. Even Wu Chang, an observer, believed that the Immortal Abode Master's avatar was intent on taking An Rong's life.

The moment the murderous intent erupted, the master of the immortal mansion had already struck first with his spear, which was both fast and ruthless, piercing straight into An Rong's chest.

An Rong took three steps back, swung his halberd to parry the force.

The master of the immortal mansion was filled with a strong desire to attack. His straight thrust was blocked, but he immediately changed his move, drawing an arc with the tip of his spear and aiming straight for An Rong's right shoulder.

An Rong reacted at least two beats slower than the master of the immortal mansion, and could only defend and counter each move.

The master of the immortal mansion's spear technique was clean and crisp, without a single superfluous movement, showing a touch of returning to simplicity. In terms of martial arts skills alone, he was at least a fraction as skilled as the wooden carving of the Martial Star Lord.

Don't underestimate the power of a mere fraction of his skill. You should know that the martial arts of the Wuqu Star Lord wooden carving are almost at the pinnacle of martial arts, bordering on power. Even a fraction of his skill is equivalent to an S-level skill.

An Rong, whose cultivation was sealed at the Spirit Control Realm, was completely unable to resist. The gap between the two was widening, and if this continued, it would only lead to a slow death.

However, there was one thing that puzzled Wu Chang. Perhaps An Rong's challenge was just to demonstrate the testing process to him. Even with his master-level skill in using cold weapons, he could tell that An Rong had not gone all out and was holding back a lot. But the scholar and the drunkard on the side watched intently and carefully.

Could it be that the cultivators in the world instance plane are all so poor in martial arts that they can't even see this level of restraint?
But what happened next made him understand the reason.

As An Rong was pressed closer and closer by the master of the immortal mansion, just when he was about to be unable to resist, An Rong found an opening and suddenly changed his move.

He continued to use all the power he had reserved in the Spirit Control Realm on his halberd, attempting to use the force of the shattering strike to deflect the Immortal Mansion Master's thrust and sever the left hand of the Immortal Mansion Master's clone.

The idea was good, but his movements were not concise enough, and the pre-attack was too obvious. The Immortal Abode Master easily withdrew his spear, spun around and easily avoided An Rong's slash. Taking advantage of An Rong's missed attack, he used the same force and the same move to strike An Rong's left arm.

The shot didn't sever An Rong's left arm, but it still caused him considerable discomfort. A slight cracking sound came from his left arm, indicating that the arm bone was broken.

The barrier surrounding the competition area shattered, and An Rong, his left hand dangling, retreated with a pale face.

Although An Rong failed the test, Wu Chang had already figured out the trick.

It is almost impossible to defeat the Immortal Abode Master's clone with basic martial arts skills. A head-on confrontation with martial arts skills would only lead to a slow death, just like An Rong did in the early stages.

However, the Immortal Abode Master's clone has a mechanism: the power he uses will only be the same as that of the test taker, and he will wait for the test taker to make the first move.

The only way to defeat the avatar of the Immortal Abode Master is to seize this sliver of opportunity.

First, use a normal competition to set up the situation and guide it to the state you want to achieve. Then, seize the opportunity and unleash the energy within your body that has been suppressed to the Spirit Control Realm in an instant, delivering a blow that turns defeat into victory.

Seeing An Rong's sparring match, Wu Chang understood the significance of the first few trials in the Kaiyang Immortal Mansion.

Courage is the courage that the test taker must accumulate, enabling them to remain calm and composed in the face of danger. In the fifth level, this translates to being able to withstand the immense killing intent unleashed by the Immortal Abode Master's avatar and to perform at one's full potential amidst such danger.

Perseverance is meant to help test-takers get used to maintaining their fighting spirit and not giving up in battles they know they can't win, and to finding and seizing opportunities for victory.

Despite being outmatched in martial arts and facing endless suppression from the Immortal Abode Master's clones, An Rong was still able to use himself as a pawn to complete the plan and deliver a decisive blow that turned the tide of battle. This was Yi Guan's objective.

Simply throwing a blow is not enough; hitting the enemy is not the goal, but killing the enemy is.

The goal of the fourth trial is to ensure that the final blow delivered by the test-taker is strong and ruthless enough, using spiritual power restricted to the Spirit Control Realm to unleash the highest possible damage and achieve a one-hit kill.

Apart from the initial trial of righteousness that leads to the Immortal Abode, all the other trials are paving the way for the fifth trial.

An Rong clutched his left arm and said with a wry smile:

"I had some insights from watching Master Tang fight before. This time, after passing the tests of perseverance and strength again, I have indeed gained something. I thought I might be able to complete the fifth test this time, but it turns out I still don't have enough skill."

He sighed and said, "It can only be said that the destiny of Kaiyang Immortal Mansion is indeed not meant for me. I will have to ask Sect Leader Tang for help. Sect Leader Tang, did you see clearly the method for completing the test that I just demonstrated?"

Wu Chang nodded, "I see clearly, but there's one thing I don't understand. When you were setting up your plan, how did you determine that the Immortal Mansion Master's clone would definitely fall for it?"

Before An Rong could answer, the scholar and the drunkard who were watching had learned something from An Rong's challenge and began to vie for the next chance to challenge him, fearing that the other party would beat them to it and steal the immortal destiny that should have been theirs.

As they scrambled for the prize, they were also wary of Wu Chang. However, Wu Chang believed that the two men were not up to the task of completing the fifth trial, so he gestured to them, saying:
“Everything has its order of arrival. Since you two arrived before me, you should naturally enter the test before me.”

After hearing this, the two men felt a great deal of goodwill towards Wu Chang. They cupped their hands in greeting, exchanged a few polite words, and then continued to scramble for the item.

In the end, each of them made three moves, and the scholar was defeated, falling behind the drunkard.

During their sparring session, Wu Chang recalled their identities based on his memory.

The seemingly ordinary drunkard is actually Su Wangyou, the sect leader of the hidden sect, the Golden Scale Sect, and is known as the Drunken Immortal. He is a true grandmaster.

However, unlike other reclusive sects, during the time when spiritual energy dissipated, the Golden Scale Sect suffered a decline in talent. Like the Tang Sect Master, Su Wangyou only managed to obtain the position of Protector in the Human Alliance and failed to squeeze into the core power circle.

Su Wangyou entered the central area and began the fifth test.

The drunkard, the scholar, and An Rong all challenged the fifth level more than once, and by referring to each other, they found that their problem-solving approaches were similar.

The drunkard's choice was also to first feign weakness and wait for the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

During the battle between the drunkard and the Immortal Abode Master, Wu Chang discerned some clues. Many of the attacks the Immortal Abode Master made against the drunkard were very similar to, or even the same as, the moves he used when attacking An Rong.

Not only are the moves the same, but the scenarios in which they are used are also similar.

He instantly understood why An Rong and the Drunkard could manipulate the actions of the Immortal Abode Master's clone through their schemes, thus pushing the battle to the point where they desired it.

It turns out that the avatar of the Immortal Abode Master does not possess intelligence. He is like a program, like a BOSS in a game, and will unleash corresponding moves based on the actions of the participants.

To control the actions of the Immortal Abode Master's avatar, one needs to constantly challenge and memorize all of the Immortal Abode Master's avatar's action patterns, and then find a way to break through them.

The only difference is the number of moves.

Even the most complex bosses in the game only have a dozen or so skills, but the martial arts techniques of the Immortal Abode Master's clone probably number no less than a thousand. Memorizing this set of skills would be quite difficult, and sometimes even the slightest mistake could drastically alter the Immortal Abode Master's clone's response, disrupting the skill cycle and causing all previous arrangements to fail.

To ensure consistency, the drunkard and An Rong had many similarities in their fighting style, especially since one used a halberd and the other a spear, both long weapons, making their fighting styles even more similar. This is what made Wu Chang notice the clue.

Wu Chang said, "Is the pattern of the Immortal Abode Master's clones fixed to some extent?"

An Rong exclaimed, "As expected of Sect Leader Tang, he has rich combat experience and discovered the key after only watching twice."

"This is the answer to your previous question. We are looking for this pattern, and then, to a certain extent, we can manipulate the actions of the Immortal Abode Master's avatar to create an opportunity for us to deliver the final blow."

While the two were talking, the drunkard had already completed his plan, and he chose to make his move two moves earlier than An Rong.

The drunkard chose to thrust his spear straight at the Immortal Abode Master's chest, but he was not as determined as An Rong. His movements were affected by the Immortal Abode Master's murderous aura, and he paused for a moment when he made his move.

This brief pause even allowed the Immortal Abode Master to strike first, without needing to dodge, his spear hitting the drunkard in the chest and sending him flying.

The drunkard clutched his chest and struggled to sit up from the ground. Before he could say anything, he immediately swallowed a pill to begin healing.

An Rong explained:
"The damage caused by the Immortal Abode Master's clone is not just a full-force attack from a Spirit Control Realm expert. Being hit by his full-force attack will also be affected by immortal techniques, causing the meridians of the test taker in the hit area to be temporarily sealed, and it will take a week to fully recover."

"This past week, I failed a challenge and had some of my meridians sealed off, which is why..."

An Rong didn't finish his sentence, but Wu Chang and Eileen understood what he meant. It was because of his injury that his strength was weakened, which allowed someone to take the opportunity to poison him and make him accidentally eat the candle worm.

On the way here, the three of them discussed that since they had not caught the poisoner, they would temporarily conceal the fact that Zhu Yinhai was chasing An Rong, pretend that nothing had happened, and make the perpetrator think that the plan had failed, so as to lure the other party into making a second move.

After the drunkard, it was the scholar's turn.

Although the scholar was only a Grandmaster, he was one of the most famous cultivators in the Grandmaster realm. He had the ability to remember everything he saw and to learn something immediately.

Legend has it that he is proficient in all kinds of martial arts techniques and has seen the secret techniques of 80% of the cultivators in the world. He is able to understand and break all techniques, hence the name "Master of All Techniques".

It is said that there are only two ways to defeat him: one is to master a unique secret technique and win on the first meeting; the other is to be of a higher level than the scholar and use brute force to crush him and win.

With the scholar's abilities, the Kaiyang Immortal Palace was tailor-made for him, it couldn't be more suitable.

Unfortunately, his cultivation level was too low. When the drunkard sparred with him, he used spells imbued with the power of origin, which the drunkard was unable to imitate.

The scholar couldn't defeat the drunkard, but he was a professional at dealing with the avatar of the immortal master.

Unlike An Rong and the Drunkard, he was not suppressed by the master of the Immortal Mansion during the planning stage, but was able to hold his own and not fall behind.

In terms of martial arts skills, the scholar is slightly better than the drunkard and An Rong, but he is still only at the top level.

His timing was completely different from An Rong and the Drunkard. He seized the opportunity to attack very well and did not hesitate like the Drunkard. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough and was steadily blocked by the Immortal Mansion Master. He was then speared away and fell off the field.

An Rong said from the side:
"Unfortunately, the strength of the three of us is limited, and we cannot force the master of the immortal mansion to use more moves. When the Kaiyang Immortal Manor was first discovered, there was a martial arts fanatic senior in the Human Alliance who was able to escape the fifth round of trials without getting injured."

"Since discovering this place, he has never stepped out of the Immortal Abode. He has been sparring with the master of the Immortal Abode day and night. It is said that he can hold his own against the master's clone for five hundred moves without being defeated."

"It's a pity that the senior was too immersed in the test and exhausted his energy, dying on the eve of passing the test. If Sect Leader Tang could have witnessed the battle between the Martial Maniac and the Immortal Mansion Master's avatar, the chances of successfully completing the test would have been much greater."

Upon hearing this, Wu Chang frowned slightly, sensing something amiss. To die from exhaustion was a rare manner of death.

He said, "Brother An, you should stay here and recover from your injuries. I need some time to process the details of your battle just now."

He chatted briefly with An Rong, confirming that the martial arts fanatic had died near the fifth trial, before leaving the testing grounds and arriving outside the wooden building.

A martial arts fanatic who could fight the master of the immortal abode for five hundred rounds must have a very deep obsession with martial arts. Such a person should not die without any ties.

He first returned to the hall where he first met the scholar and the drunkard, and continued along the road. He paused for a moment in front of the wooden building where the fifth test was to be held, and then, following his inspiration, continued to walk deeper into the immortal abode.

At a certain point, he encountered an invisible barrier that prevented him from moving forward.

Behind the barrier lies the core area of ​​the Immortal Abode. It is likely that one must complete the fifth round of trials and gain the approval of the Immortal Abode's master before entering.

Although Wu Changren could not enter behind the barrier, his eyes could see the scene within a range of seven or eight meters behind the barrier.

As luck would have it, at the very edge of his field of vision, he spotted a bright red glint of resentment.

His gaze fell upon the resentment, and as his eyes focused on the red resentment, a flash of light appeared before his eyes, as if someone were slashing at his face with a weapon.

A blinding flash of cold light passed by, and when the light disappeared, he was already consumed by resentment.

The trials in the Immortal Abode are for selecting an heir, not for killing. Many cultivators are injured in the Immortal Abode, but only a handful actually die there. Those who die after completing the trials and passing through the barrier are even rarer.

Just as he guessed, the master of the obsession was none other than the martial arts fanatic senior that An Rong had mentioned.

Wu Chi has ordinary features and an average appearance. He is of medium build and wears simple martial arts attire. He doesn't stand out much from his appearance. If you threw him into the crowd in Zhenyue City and mixed in with those low-level cultivators who weren't even qualified to be cannon fodder, he could blend in perfectly without any sense of incongruity.

His gaze was calm, as if he were not interested in anything. Only when he looked at the wooden building where the fifth round of trials was held would his fighting spirit, which could burn anyone, flash.

The martial arts fanatic's resentment began with his challenge to the avatar of the Immortal Abode Master. It was as if, in his life, there was nothing else more worthy of his obsession.

His resentment was very simple: it was about challenging the master of the immortal mansion time and time again.

An Rong was right. The martial arts fanatic's comprehension and obsession with martial arts had reached a pathological level. Although his martial arts skills were not as good as the Immortal Mansion Master's, they were not far off. Although his final attack could not hit the Immortal Mansion Master, the Immortal Mansion Master's counterattacks were also difficult to injure him.

An Rong and the others failed the challenge because they were injured by the avatar of the Immortal Abode Master and needed to rest for a week before they could try again. However, Wu Chi did not need to.

He only needs to adjust his breathing for a few hours to be able to continue trying the test with renewed vigor.

Wu Chang watched the martial arts fanatic challenge the master of the immortal mansion again and again, three times a day without fail, and the challenge continued for a whole year.

The fact that the martial arts fanatic fought the Immortal Abode Master's clone for five hundred rounds without being defeated is not remarkable in these challenges. What truly makes the martial arts fanatic proud is that he successfully tested out all of the Immortal Abode Master's clone's moves.

No matter how he changed his fighting style, the Immortal Abode Master's clone did not use any new moves.

By this time, he had figured out the avatar of the Immortal Abode Master, so he began his final challenge.

In this challenge, he fought fiercely with the master of the immortal mansion. He didn't need to devise a plan or take advantage of the master's clone's movement patterns; it was a real battle, with each fighting based on instinct.

He not only gained the upper hand, but also successfully suppressed the master of the immortal mansion. Even the master of the immortal mansion had a faint sense of relief on his face, as if he had found the most suitable successor.

But just as the Martial Maniac and the Immortal Abode Master unleashed their strongest attacks, and the Martial Maniac was about to injure his right shoulder as he pierced the throat of the Immortal Abode Master's clone, his body suddenly weakened.

A year of intense challenges kept his mind constantly focused on how to win, and this intense concentration had taken a toll on his mental well-being.

Just as he swung his sword, certain of his victory, his spirit relaxed for a moment. The tension he had been holding in vanished, and the accumulated fatigue burst forth like a flood, instantly overwhelming him.

His final sword strike precisely pierced the throat of the Immortal Abode Master's clone, but before he could dodge the clone's attack, he too was pierced through the throat by the clone's sword.

Although he passed the test, he did not complete the test.

He clutched his throat and forced himself to walk out of the wooden building, arriving at the core area of ​​the immortal abode behind the barrier.

Before he could even see the Immortal's Fate, he died from a fatal throat wound and exhaustion. His body fell forward and just touched the edge of the Immortal's Fate, which healed his body.

Unfortunately, his soul was already dead.

The martial arts fanatic, whose soul died and who was left with only his body, did not meet the conditions for inheriting the immortal destiny. He was pushed out of the barrier by an invisible force, but his resentment remained inside the barrier.

[Truly defeat the avatar of the Immortal Abode Master and obtain the Immortal Destiny of Kaiyang Immortal Abode]

(End of this chapter)