Right before the angry cultivator's sword strike could clash against my palms, six ethereal chains burst out of the altar in the center of the courtyard and wrapped around us.

I struggled against the bindings but it was useless. The chain wasn't wrapped around my body, but something inside it. The sensation was cold and uncomfortable.

I noticed with a frown that there was one more chain than there were people present. Following the sixth chain I saw that it led to a shadowy corner of the courtyard. A person who had been invisible was gradually revealed as they fought against the binding of the chain.

A shiver went down my spine as I realised we had never been alone. If I'd tried to claim the treasure this person could have ambushed and killed me without me realising a thing.

The next moment, I saw the wisp inside the tablet begin to glow brightly before racing up into the sky above the altar. The figure of a woman began to take shape.

She was ghostly, partially see through. Her face was pale with sharp features and cold eyes. Her black hair hung down to her waist in untamed curls and she wore a robe that was black as night.

"There will be no needless shedding of blood here. If any of you wish to claim my inheritance you must instead pass my trial. However, I warn you that if you choose to do so, you may die or become crippled," she rasped as though it was her first time speaking with a human voice.

"I don't care about a stupid inheritance of some ancient bitch," the man in front of me hissed. "I just want to kill this trash bastard for what he did to me on that mountain!"

That outburst was his final mistake. The ethereal chain seemed to constrict around him. As it tightened, his face twisted in shock, then agony, and finally complete stillness as his life force suddenly vanished.

I had no idea what happened and I'd witnessed the entire process firsthand. This ghostly woman was simply too terrifying.

"No! You evil witch, what did you do to Senior Brother Li?" the female cultivator cried in outrage.

Her eyes narrowed and the chain trapping the female cultivator tightened. She screamed and writhed in pain, but the chain stopped and her screams faded.

However, she was still alive. It seemed that these chains were a terrifying torture tool or executioner's blade in equal measure. After that, her eyes still burned with hatred but she didn't struggle again.

I gulped, vowing to myself that I wouldn't speak out of turn until we were out of this place. I didn't want to find myself on the receiving end of that instant death technique.

On the other hand, my doctor's curiosity was piqued. The chain was able to manipulate the man's life, yet it didn't seem to connect to his physical body or even his dantian.

Another mystery of this world that I would need to unravel. Perhaps obtaining this woman's inheritance would give me a clue? I was now more determined than before to obtain the objects on the altar.

"What does this trial involve, honoured ancestor?" I asked in the politest voice I could muster.

Her expression brightened at my words and she turned to face me. "Wonderful, at least one of you has some manners," she said, clapping her hands together with a warm smile.

There was no trace of the earlier malice remaining, making me wonder if this ancient cultivator suffered from some sort of bipolar disorder. Then again, many of the powerful cultivators I'd met seemed to be prone to mood swings, even if they were simply apparitions of the past.

That fellow from the cave who'd randomly declared me his inheritor after trying his utmost to slaughter us all came to mind. It was the artifact he'd given me which led me to these ruins in the first place, so I wondered if they were connected.

"To answer your question, the trial is rather simple. I will place you into a state between this world and the spirit plane, where you will face a challenge to your mental fortitude. You will understand once it begins. You are free to decline, but if you do so you will lose your chance to claim my inheritance," she explained, throwing a stern glance at the person who'd been hidden in the shadows as she did.

"Why would we risk death for a crusty old book and a flag?" the second male cultivator who'd attacked us asked.

"Tch. Youngsters these days truly lack manners," she muttered, though I noticed she didn't use the chain to torture him. "I'll give you a hint, though with how lacking your perception is I doubt my inheritance would be of much use to you anyway.

"In life, I was known as the Binding Soul Empress, a name that struck fear into the hearts of the living and the dead alike! I alone discovered the method to sense and trap the souls of the dead into artifacts, giving me a unique power that none of my rivals possessed."

My eyes shot open as soon as she said that. I already had a suspicion given the function of the array we'd seen, but the woman had confirmed it with her words.

Binding Soul Empress.

It was a name that inspired fear and respect in equal measure. As she said, it was a power I'd never even heard of. Was it truly the case that since her death no one else had managed to unravel the secrets she had?

The Blossoming Heavens were already proving their value, with many unique techniques and treasures that were unheard of in the outside world. I had to obtain this inheritance no matter the cost.

If I was able to manipulate the soul, it should have many applications for healing. I had seen how easily she had snuffed that man's life out, so surely the opposite should be possible too.

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"I am willing to enter the trial," I declared, being the first of the five of us to do so.

Shortly afterwards, the shadowy figure followed suit. "I will also enter, though you should know better than to disrespect your superiors, ghost."

I raised an eyebrow, expecting a harsh reprimand from the woman, but she simply snorted, ignoring the remark.

"I will sit this one out," Wang Ren said. "My heart and mind are still in turmoil from recent events. I'm not sure this trial is suited to my strengths. I am sure you will succeed where I cannot, Sect Leader."

I nodded, understanding his decision. It would have been useful to have two opportunities to potentially snatch the inheritance, but I wouldn't force Wang Ren to do anything he didn't want to.

"Hmph. I bet this trial is nothing special. I will enter and claim your treasures," the female cultivator hissed.

I was surprised she could still have such an attitude after how loudly she'd screamed in pain earlier. However, I understood that if Wang Ren had been killed I might feel the same way towards the ancient cultivator.

Her companion also elected to join. "I will give this trial a go. This mighty Ren Wulong has never backed down from a challenge," he stated, puffing out his chest.

"Very well. Remember that I warned you of the risks from the beginning. The objective of the trial will be clear once you are inside. Let us see if any of you are worthy of my life's work," she said with a wave of her hand.

I immediately felt myself becoming drowsy. My vision blurred and then went black. Rather than passing out, I felt as if my consciousness had been dragged into another place.

When I could see once more, I realised I was standing on a stone platform surrounded by fog and mists. There seemed to be four paths stretching out in each of the cardinal directions.

The destinations were clouded in mist. I could barely see further than a metre out from the platform in every direction. Every now and then I saw a sudden shift in the mists, but it could've been my imagination. They were too subtle.

There were no obvious instructions, but the woman had said this was a mental trial. I suspected that choosing the correct path was part of the task, but how was I supposed to do so?

My first instinct was to use my energy vision to inspect each of the paths. Perhaps there would be something I couldn't see with my eyes which might reveal the answer.

What I saw instead wasn't a clue to solving the trial but something even more shocking. In every direction as far as I could sense there were thousands of wisps of all colours and sizes.

When she had spoken about the connection between our world and the spirit plane I had thought it was a euphemism, but perhaps it was a real place. I stopped sensing the energy and the wisps vanished.

Looking down at my own body, I realised it had disappeared. Or rather, it had never existed in the first place.

Had this woman taken our souls out of our bodies and sent them into her trial with a single thought? That was a terrifying ability—one I wanted for myself.

Once I'd acclimated to the fact I was simply a soul wisp like the thousands of others around me, I turned my focus back to the trial. I wondered how I was 'seeing' anything at all without eyes, but that was a rather unimportant detail.

I used my energy vision to look at the wisps once more. I wondered if something about their behaviour, size, or colour might give me the answer to solving the trial.

Unfortunately there didn't seem to be any discernable pattern to how they were arranged. With no clues, I decided that I would simply choose a path at random and start moving.

The bubble of visibility travelled with me. The mists ahead parted as I advanced down the stone path, gathering behind me at the same time.

I tried to move backwards and return to the platform. When I attempted to do so, I found that the fog refused to part.

I could enter it and move blindly, but I suspected that would be a risky move. Who knew what dangers might await my soul inside that fog?

Instead I continued to advance, remembering the woman's warning. Inside her trial the possibility of dying or becoming crippled was real, which meant I would face danger.

I didn't need to imagine what the danger might be because at that moment something shot out of the mist towards me. It was a red wisp around the size of those that had been trapped in the skeleton array.

I tried to cycle my qi and form a defence, but nothing happened. I panicked as the wisp drew towards me.

The only thing I could do was imagine myself as unbreakable, hoping that my thoughts might influence this form if my qi wasn't present. The wisp crashed into me.

I felt an intangible wave of force rippling through myself. It was an odd sensation. The red wisp was bounced off, flying back into the mist.

I noticed it was slightly smaller, while I felt a little more… I wasn't sure. I didn't have a word to describe the feeling but it was a positive one.

The fact that my impromptu defence had worked and that this was supposed to be a trial of mental fortitude were important clues. I knew that the mind was powerful, having used it in my poison qi technique.

Body, Dantian, Soul. Three powerful sources of strength that every cultivator seemed to tap into when using their techniques.

I continued my advance. Every now and then a soul wisp would shoot out of the mist and attack me. Each time I imagined myself as an unbreakable bastion.

They bounced off harmlessly, diminished in size. Every wisp I repelled made me feel a little stronger and more confident.

Suddenly two wisps shot at me together. I panicked, but used the same method as before. This time however, only one was repelled.

The other wisp stuck to me and I felt myself growing rapidly weaker. I felt as if I was going to disappear in moments.

I tried to imagine myself as more solid. Perhaps that way my soul would no longer be drained. It didn't work.

My vision grew blurry. What was I supposed to do? I assumed that if my soul was completely absorbed I would die for real.

That was a fate I refused to accept. 'I'm sorry, but you started this,' I thought as I tried something new.

Rather than defend, I imagined my soul as a whirlpool, drawing everything nearby into it. The effect was immediate.

My vision returned to clarity as I felt a sudden influx of strength. The flow of soul energy between the attacking wisp and myself felt tangible.

We entered a tug of war, each of us trying to drain the other and assimilate their strength. At first I was on the back foot.

I wasn't used to battling in this way and this strange soul overpowered me at every turn. The more I failed, the more I learned.

Soon I found myself able to counter its small shifts in momentum. Gradually I took control of the soul flow.

I saw the other wisp flickering. Suddenly it attempted to break the connection and escape into the mist, but it was too late. Don't blame me for finishing what you began, little soul.

The moment it broke the connection I took control. The wisp began to unravel and all of the energy was sucked into my soul. I felt a massive increase in strength, incomparable to the previous times.

If they were like having a sip of water, this was like downing an entire cup in a single gulp. Not only had I managed to emerge unscathed through the first major challenge, but I felt stronger for it.

With renewed confidence I continued forward, hoping that the reward was worth this life-and-death struggle.

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