With a ten hour flight and the reverse time difference, it was already morning by the time they approached East Xia. Unlike on the way there, they hadn’t encountered any mutated birds, which resulted in a smooth flight.2

Looking at the sea of clouds rendered golden by the sunlight, Chen Chu couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental as he recalled everything that had happened during this trial.1

It had been a journey with few dangers, but many surprises. His cultivation had skyrocketed to the middle stage of the Third Heavenly Realm, and his combat prowess far exceeded his current realm. Under normal circumstances, he was now stronger than an average middle stage cultivator in the Fourth Realm. If he activated the Elephant Fury Rune, he could suppress even late stage Fourth Realm cultivators.5

Or at least, he could suppress them for around twenty minutes; after slaying the Blood Emissary, he had discovered that the amount of vitality the rune consumed to fuel its effect would leave him weakened for at least two days, with the aftereffects getting worse the longer he kept the rune active. This was what had prevented him from picking up any more missions before the trial officially ended.1

Chen Chu leaned his head to the side, gazing out of the aircraft window at the boundless sea of clouds, lost...3