Li Yun let out a helpless smile as he clearly sensed the turtle’s disdain.
"Let me see just how tough that shell of yours really is," he muttered.
Purple lightning instantly crackled around his body. In the blink of an eye, he unleashed the low grade profound rank Dominant Thunder Palm.
Bang.
A massive palm of purple lightning slammed down squarely onto the turtle’s shell. Dust and debris billowed into the air, yet when everything settled, the turtle remained completely unscathed. There was not even the slightest mark left behind by the attack.
"Are you joking with me?"
Li Yun stared in disbelief. The turtle’s defensive power had far exceeded his expectations.
"If lightning doesn’t work, then I will try flames."
His expression hardened as he began circulating the Sun Refining Scripture. In an instant, blazing qi surged through his body, and he unleashed the high grade mortal rank Blazing Dragon Fist, a technique he had mastered to the true meaning stage.
A roaring crimson dragon coiled around his right arm as he drove his fist straight toward the turtle’s head.
Bang.
The turtle did not even bother to react. It took the blow head-on, and the outcome was exactly the same as before.
No damage. Not even a scratch.
"Damn it, this turtle’s shell is absurdly strong!"
Li Yun cursed under his breath. Nearly seventy percent of the turtle’s massive body was protected by that shell. What made the situation even worse was that whenever Li Yun tried to attack the remaining exposed areas, such as the head or limbs, they would immediately retract and vanish into the shell.
That left him with only one possible target.
The shell itself.
And no matter how hard he struck it, he could not leave even the faintest mark.
Li Yun frowned deeply and fell into thought. He knew this turtle could not truly be invincible. The Eternal Sky Trial was designed for the disciples of the Soaring Cloud Sect, and if his judgment was correct, those disciples would have been around the fifth level of the Xiantian Realm when they faced this trial, which was roughly comparable to his own strength.
That meant the turtle must have a weakness.
The real question was not whether it could be defeated, but how to kill it.
Li Yun pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his own forehead.
"Idiot. Use your left eye’s ability."
Only then did he remember that he had already awakened the Nine Tribulations Divine Eye.
Fixing his gaze on the giant turtle, Li Yun activated the divine eye. A faint purple glow spread across his left pupil, and in an instant, the flow of qi within the turtle’s body was laid bare before him. As he pushed the ability further, scrutinizing every detail, he finally noticed something unusual.
There was a tiny area on the turtle’s shell where qi did not circulate at all.
That spot was still on the shell, but it lay right along its outer edge. Until now, Li Yun had been relentlessly attacking the center of the shell, subconsciously avoiding that area without even realizing it.
In truth, the qi-less region was incredibly small. Even if someone aimed for the shell deliberately, the chances of striking that precise point were extremely slim. It required absolute accuracy and perfect timing to exploit it.
"If this really is its weakness, then I still have a chance," Li Yun muttered, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
He extended his index finger and stepped forward, arriving directly before the turtle. The turtle sensed no danger at all, and even if it did, it showed no intention of reacting. It merely continued to lie there, prepared to take the attack head-on.
Li Yun moved carefully toward the section of the shell where qi failed to flow. Then he closed his eyes and focused entirely on his index finger. In the next instant, a pale gray-white aura gathered at the tip of his finger, and an incomparably sharp sword intent burst forth.
This was the first time Li Yun had ever used his sword intent seed.
He had no sword in this place, so his finger would have to serve as the blade.
As the sword intent condensed further and further, the pressure it released grew increasingly terrifying. A few breaths later, that pressure reached its peak, with all the sword intent within Li Yun’s body converging onto a single point.
"Take this!"
With his left divine eye still glowing purple, Li Yun thrust his finger forward, striking the exact point on the turtle’s shell where the qi did not flow.
Whoosh.
Crack.
One cracking sound rang out, followed by another, and then another. Before Li Yun could fully react, fractures spread across the entire shell. In the next instant, the shell shattered completely, breaking into countless fragments. The massive turtle vanished along with it, collapsing into scattered pieces of light.
"I did it... right?" Li Yun thought, staring at the aftermath in stunned disbelief.
"Congratulations. You have passed the third trial."
The moment the thought crossed Li Yun’s mind, the familiar hollow and ethereal voice rang out once more. Almost immediately after, brilliant sacred light descended from the air, enveloping his body.
"I wonder what the reward for the third trial will be," Li Yun murmured, a trace of anticipation rising in his heart as he bathed in the radiant glow.
Roughly five minutes later, the sacred light slowly faded, and Li Yun’s figure became fully visible again.
Without wasting any time, he examined himself carefully, searching for any changes.
After a brief inspection, Li Yun quickly realized that the qi within his body had grown noticeably more condensed and refined.
At the same time, his perception had sharpened to an astonishing degree. If he were to face opponents in the future, this heightened awareness would allow him to spot flaws in their attacks almost instantly, making it far easier to neutralize them.
However, the greatest surprise lay elsewhere.
Turning his attention inward, Li Yun discovered that his sword intent seed was trembling on the verge of transformation. It was only a single step away from evolving into true sword intent. There was no doubt that this near-breakthrough was one of the rewards granted by the third trial.
"I wonder what the fourth trial will be like," Li Yun mused.
He was clearly satisfied with the reward he had received, and a pleased smile spread across his face as he calmly waited for what was to come next.
The fourth trial would be the ultimate trial.
As long as he passed it, he would gain the qualification to observe the Secret Art imprints left behind by the ancestors of the Soaring Cloud Sect.
"All three preliminary trials have been completed. Now evaluating the trial participant’s score."
The ethereal voice sounded again.
"First Trial: Endless Starlight. Score achieved: eighty-two points."
"Second Trial: One Hundred Thousand Vicious Beasts. Score achieved: ninety-five points."
"Third Trial: Fatal Strike. Score achieved: eighty-five points."
"Total score: two hundred sixty-two points."
"Congratulations. You have met the requirements to participate in the ultimate trial."
"Detecting the trial participant’s current condition. Preparing to activate the ultimate trial."
The voice spoke with astonishing speed, finishing several long announcements within the span of just a few breaths.
As the final words faded, a strange fluctuation of energy spread through the space, enveloping Li Yun’s body as it began to scan him thoroughly, signaling that the ultimate trial was about to begin.
However, just as the strange energy finished scanning Li Yun, the hollow and ethereal voice echoed once more.
"It is regrettable. Although the trial participant’s score meets the required standard, his cultivation has not yet reached the Qi Sea Realm. As a result, the ultimate trial cannot be activated. According to the established rules, the trial participant will bypass the ultimate trial and be sent directly to the Soaring Cloud Holy Land."
"No need to take part in the ultimate trial?" Li Yun was briefly taken aback by the announcement. A heartbeat later, a clear look of delight appeared on his face.
To be honest, the first three trials had already been unimaginably difficult. By all logic, the fourth trial, known as the ultimate trial, would be even more brutal. Li Yun knew his chances of clearing it were, at best, no more than fifty percent.
Now that he was being allowed to skip it entirely, how could he not feel pleased?
Yet, even as joy rose within him, a trace of regret also followed.
The rewards he had gained from the first three trials were extraordinary, and he had been genuinely curious about what kind of benefits the ultimate trial might offer. Unfortunately, his current cultivation fell short of the requirements, leaving him no choice but to give up.
"When I break through to the Qi Sea Realm in the future, if I get the chance, I will return to the Eternal Sky Heavenly Tablet and attempt the trial again," Li Yun thought silently.
"I want to see for myself what that so-called ultimate trial is truly like."

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