Lían moved deeper into the lake.
He settled beneath the surface, allowing the surrounding water to quietly flow around his body.
He closed his eyes.
His breathing gradually slowed.
Spiritual energy began circulating through his meridians.
The water surrounding him continuously supplied him with elemental energy, replenishing the spiritual energy he had exhausted during the previous battle.
Little by little—
his depleted spiritual energy began to recover.
---
Meanwhile—
at the edge of the lake—
a figure stood silently.
Several talismans were held between his fingers.
His gaze remained fixed upon the calm surface of the lake.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...Alright."
He slowly raised the talismans.
"...Let's begin."
The talismans suddenly ignited.
One after another—
faint spiritual light spread across the surface of the lake.
The light rippled outward.
Strange patterns briefly appeared across the water before disappearing beneath the surface.
---
Beneath the lake—
Lían's eyes suddenly opened.
His gaze sharpened.
*...Another one.*
He immediately stood.
The water around his severed leg began gathering.
It condensed.
Compressed.
Then—
a temporary limb formed from water.
Lían flexed it once.
The water remained stable.
He flexed it again.
The temporary leg responded to his movements almost like a real limb.
*This will do.*
He slowly rose toward the surface.
The water parted around him.
A moment later—
Lían stepped onto the surface of the lake.
His sword was already in his hand.
One leg was flesh.
The other—
was entirely formed from condensed water.
He carefully tested his balance.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
he stood completely still.
His eyes narrowed.
The surroundings were quiet.
Too quiet.
Lían tightened his grip around his sword.
*...This opponent feels different.*
He couldn't explain why.
There was no obvious presence.
No overwhelming killing intent.
Nothing that revealed what kind of opponent was waiting for him.
But—
something about the silence felt wrong.
Lían's expression became serious.
*Whatever comes next...*
*I'm ready.*
Across the lake—
the figure holding the talismans smiled.
The first talisman suddenly burst into flames.
**WHOOSH!**
Lían's eyes narrowed.
The battle began.
---
And then—
another.
And another.
The endless trial continued without mercy.
Some opponents were cultivators.
Others—
were demon beasts.
Each opponent was different.
Different techniques.
Different abilities.
Different instincts.
Different ways of attacking.
Lían fought against a swordsman who specialized in close-quarters combat.
A cultivator who could fill the entire battlefield with raging flames.
A woman who manipulated countless strands of razor-sharp metal.
A bird demon beast that attacked from the sky with feathers sharp enough to pierce through stone.
A massive wolf that relied entirely on terrifying speed and explosive movements.
A serpent capable of concealing its presence beneath the earth and striking without warning.
A bear whose overwhelming physical strength forced Lían to rely almost entirely on his water techniques.
Every battle forced him to adapt.
Every victory came with a price.
Sometimes—
he won without suffering any serious injuries.
Other times—
he barely survived.
His understanding of his Water Control Art became increasingly refined.
He no longer needed to consciously think about every movement of the water.
He simply did it.
Water platforms appeared beneath his feet naturally.
Thin blades of compressed water formed along his sword.
Streams wrapped around his opponents.
Currents accelerated his movements.
The surrounding water became an extension of his body.
His Aquatic Water Body continued replenishing his spiritual energy whenever he fought near a sufficient amount of water.
And whenever his injuries became too severe—
he used one of his restoration opportunities.
The moment he requested one—
his body returned to its original condition.
Every wound disappeared.
Every broken bone was restored.
Even the leg he had lost returned completely.
But—
each restoration came with a price.
One of the five opportunities disappeared.
Five became four.
Four became three.
Then—
three became two.
And finally—
two became one.
Lían remembered every single restoration.
He remembered every wound.
Every moment when he had been forced to use one.
He understood now how precious those opportunities were.
He couldn't afford to waste the final one.
---
Time continued to pass.
Battle after battle.
Cultivator after cultivator.
Demon beast after demon beast.
Lían's sword became faster.
His reactions became sharper.
His understanding of combat grew deeper.
He learned how to fight opponents who were faster than him.
Opponents who were physically stronger.
Opponents who possessed strange abilities he had never encountered before.
He learned when to attack.
When to retreat.
When to use the environment.
When to conserve his spiritual energy.
And when—
to gamble everything on a single opening.
The endless trial continued.
There was no time to rest for long.
No opportunity to become complacent.
Every new opponent demanded something different from him.
Every battle exposed another weakness.
And every victory forced him to grow.
Then—
the sixty-seventh battle began.
---
The battlefield was a vast lake surrounded by broken trees and shattered earth.
The remnants of the previous battlefield had been completely erased.
Only the endless body of water remained.
A massive serpent suddenly emerged from beneath the surface.
Its enormous body stretched across the lake like a moving mountain.
Dark scales covered its entire frame.
Its long body twisted through the water.
Its cold, vertical pupils locked onto Lían.
Then—
its enormous jaws opened.
Rows of terrifying fangs emerged from its mouth.
Lían's expression became serious.
*...Another demon beast.*
The serpent suddenly lunged.
The battle began.
---
Lían fought the serpent for nearly an hour.
Its body was incredibly durable.
Its thick scales resisted almost every attack.
Its enormous tail could split the surface of the lake apart with a single sweep.
Worse—
its venom could corrode spiritual energy.
Several times—
Lían came dangerously close to death.
But he adapted.
He used the lake.
He used the currents.
He used the serpent's own movements against it.
When the serpent attacked—
he redirected its momentum.
When it attempted to surround him—
he used the water to escape.
When its enormous body swept across the lake—
he used water platforms to leap over it.
Slowly—
he found a pattern in its movements.
Then—
he waited.
He waited for the perfect opening.
The serpent opened its jaws.
Its enormous fangs descended toward him.
Lían's eyes sharpened.
*Now.*
His body shot forward.
The water beneath his feet exploded upward.
He moved directly beneath the serpent's head.
Then—
his sword thrust upward.
**SHHK!**
The blade pierced through the softer flesh beneath its jaw.
The serpent's eyes widened.
Its enormous body convulsed violently.
A deafening roar shook the entire lake.
Then—
the massive creature crashed into the water.
**BOOOOOOM!**
Water surged hundreds of meters into the air.
The enormous serpent thrashed for several seconds.
Then—
silence.
Its massive body slowly sank beneath the surface.
Lían remained standing upon its back.
His clothes were torn apart in several places.
Blood covered his body.
One arm hung limply at his side.
His breathing was heavy.
His vision swayed.
He could barely keep himself upright.
Yet—
he was still standing.
Lían slowly looked around.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
*...Fifty-seven.*
His eyes shifted toward the remaining restoration opportunity.
Only one remained.
His expression became serious.
*I have to be more careful.*
He looked down at the enormous serpent beneath his feet.
Then—
a familiar voice echoed across the battlefield.
**[Sixty-Seventh Opponent Eliminated.]**
The serpent's corpse continued sinking beneath the dark water.
Lían remained standing upon it.
His breathing was heavy.
Blood continued dripping from his wounds.
*...I won.*
But—
something felt wrong.
A faint numbness had begun spreading through his arm.
Lían frowned.
He slowly flexed his fingers.
They responded sluggishly.
*...What?*
He glanced toward the wounds left by the serpent.
A faint dark coloration had appeared around them.
His expression changed.
*Poison.*
The realization came too late.
He had noticed the serpent's venom during the battle.
But—
he had underestimated it.
*I thought it only affected spiritual energy...*
His breathing suddenly became heavier.
The numbness spread farther.
Across his arm.
Then—
his chest.
Then—
his neck.
Lían staggered.
His sword slipped slightly within his grip.
*...How strong is this poison?*
He immediately tried circulating his spiritual energy.
The moment his spiritual energy moved through his meridians—
the poison spread even faster.
Lían's eyes widened.
*Damn it.*
He immediately stopped circulating his energy.
But—
the poison had already spread too far.
His vision began to blur.
The surrounding lake became indistinct.
The sky.
The water.
The serpent's corpse beneath his feet.
Everything began losing its shape.
His legs weakened.
Lían dropped to one knee.
*...My last restoration.*
His gaze instinctively shifted toward the remaining restoration opportunity.
He still had one.
One final chance to restore his body completely.
He could use it now.
He should use it now.
But—
he hesitated.
*Should I use it?*
His breathing became increasingly difficult.
The poison continued spreading through his body.
His fingers trembled.
*If I use it...*
*I'll survive.*
His vision became darker.
*But then I'll have nothing left.*
A brief silence passed.
Lían's expression hardened.
*...No.*
He gritted his teeth.
*I waited too long.*
His body swayed.
The sword slipped completely from his hand.
**CLANG.**
The sound echoed across the lake.
Lían's eyes slowly lost focus.
His body collapsed.
The world fell silent.
---
Endless white.
Lían suddenly opened his eyes.
He remained motionless for several seconds.
His breathing was calm.
His body felt completely different.
No pain.
No poison.
No wounds.
His missing injuries were gone.
His spiritual energy flowed smoothly through his meridians.
Lían slowly raised one hand.
He clenched his fist.
Then—
he looked down at his body.
Everything had been restored.
His missing leg.
His injured arm.
Every wound.
Every trace of the poison.
All of it was gone.
Lían's expression gradually became complicated.
"...Again?"
His voice echoed softly through the endless white.
He slowly stood.
His gaze moved across the empty space around him.
*So...*
*Death really does restore my body.*
His hand moved toward his chest.
His heartbeat was steady.
His body was completely intact.
But—
there was something else.
A thought slowly surfaced.
*Then why didn't I use the restoration before I died?*
Lían fell silent.
He remembered the moment.
The poison spreading through his body.
His final opportunity still available.
And yet—
he had hesitated.
His expression became thoughtful.
*I was afraid of wasting it.*
He slowly clenched his fist.
*But because I hesitated...*
*I died.*
A faint crease appeared between his brows.
*That means the restoration opportunities aren't just a safety net.*
*They're also something I need to know when to use.*
Lían looked toward the endless white.
His eyes gradually became sharper.
*If I'm going to continue this trial...*
*I can't hesitate when the moment comes.*
A familiar sensation suddenly appeared within his body.
Then—
a notification echoed through the endless world.
**[Restoration opportunity consumed.]**
Lían's expression froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
*...So even though I died...*
*It still counted.*
Silence.
Lían slowly exhaled.
"...I really need to be more careful."
He looked toward the empty space before him.
The endless trial had not ended.
The next opponent would eventually appear.
And now—
he understood something far more important than simply how to win.
**He had to learn when survival was worth the cost.**