chapter 30 - Return Before Sunset
The words on the monument remained in everyone's mind even after they left Soul Burial Valley.
Seventh Day Begins. Return Before Sunset. The Beast Forest Trial Will End.
Morning light had already touched the edge of the forest, but no one felt relieved. Dawn had come, yet the silence after Soul Burial Valley followed them like a second shadow. The broken weapons had sunk back into the earth. The mist had withdrawn. The dead no longer whispered from behind the trees. But every disciple who had survived understood one thing clearly: the valley had not simply let them go. It had remembered them.
Yao Chen walked at the front of the group, his right hand hidden inside his sleeve. The black closed-eye mark on his palm no longer spoke, but its presence remained. It pulsed faintly from time to time, like a wound that had learned patience. Xue Lian walked beside him, close enough to notice every small change in his breathing. Lin Xiao and Huo Yuan followed behind them, both exhausted, though neither wanted to admit it openly. Qing Lin and Feng stayed near Radha, while Krishna walked lazily at the rear with his spear over one shoulder.
Behind them came Bai Wujin, Luo Qingyin, Yu Cang, and the surviving disciples from the other academies. The group was not friendly. Too much had happened for that. But after the Night of Dead Souls, no one was foolish enough to pretend they were strangers who had merely crossed paths.
The Beast Forest had changed.
Before entering Soul Burial Valley, the forest had been violent and restless. Beasts had stalked the shadows. Ancient trees had hidden poisonous vines. Even the wind had carried killing intent. But now, as Yao Chen passed, the trees became still. Spirit beasts hiding in the distance lowered their heads and retreated without a sound. Roots withdrew from the path before his feet reached them. Even the insects stopped crying when he approached.
Lin Xiao noticed it first. He looked left, then right, then leaned closer to Huo Yuan. "Is it just me, or did the forest become polite?"
Huo Yuan's eyes swept across the shadows. "It is not politeness."
"Then what is it?"
Luo Qingyin answered from behind them. "Recognition."
Lin Xiao turned. "That word keeps sounding worse every time someone says it."
Luo Qingyin's gaze remained on Yao Chen's back. "Soul Burial Valley was not only a forbidden area. It was part of the forest's buried memory. He survived it, released part of it, and carried part of it out. The forest knows."
Yu Cang's expression darkened. His robe was torn, and his face still looked pale from the coffin chamber. The arrogance he once carried had not disappeared, but fear had entered it and made it uglier. "Or perhaps the forest is reacting to what he stole."
Bai Wujin glanced at him. "Speak less."
Yu Cang's eyes turned cold. "Sovereign Academy now protects Dao Realm Academy?"
"No," Bai Wujin said calmly. "I protect my ears from stupidity."
Lin Xiao almost laughed, then remembered he was too tired and gave up halfway.
Yu Cang's fingers tightened around his bone fan, but he did not attack. Not yet. Everyone could see his thoughts. Yao Chen had obtained the Ancient Weapon Mark. He had received Valley Recognition. He had survived the deepest coffin. To greedy eyes, each of those was not karma, not burden, not danger. They were treasures.
The path ahead widened as the forest thinned. In the distance, a faint column of light rose toward the sky. That was the exit formation. Once the sun touched the western ridge, it would close, and anyone still inside the Beast Forest would be trapped until the academies reopened the trial grounds.
They had time.
But not safety.
Halfway toward the exit, the air suddenly sharpened. Several figures stepped out from the trees ahead. They wore mixed robes from smaller academy groups and wandering clans that had joined the trial under the protection of the five academies. Their eyes moved immediately toward Yao Chen.
One of them, a broad-shouldered youth carrying twin axes, spoke first. "Yao Chen of Dao Realm Academy."
Yao Chen stopped.
The youth looked at the others behind him, then smiled in a way that made his intention clear. "We heard the monument changed because of you. Soul Burial Valley opened, and you came out alive. Hand over half of what you obtained, and we will let you pass."
Lin Xiao stared at him in disbelief. "You waited until after the haunted valley to rob us? Your timing is heroic in the worst possible way."
The youth ignored him. "All of you are exhausted. We are not."
Huo Yuan stepped forward, flames curling around his fists. "Try."
The youth's smile faltered slightly, but greed pushed him onward. "You think we do not know? He must be weakened. No one survives a hidden objective without paying a price."
Yao Chen looked at him quietly. He did not draw Sai Ka. He did not draw Si Ka. He did not even release the Primordial Flame.
Bai Wujin walked forward instead.
The broad-shouldered youth frowned. "Bai Wujin, this has nothing to do with Sovereign Academy."
Bai Wujin's aura descended like a mountain.
The youth's knees bent.
Luo Qingyin raised one hand. Space folded gently around the ambushers, not harming them, only locking their escape paths. Xue Lian's Frost Yin Flame spread thinly across the ground, sealing their feet in a ring of pale frost. Huo Yuan smiled without warmth. Lin Xiao rested his saber on his shoulder.
The youth's face turned white.
Bai Wujin looked at him and said, "If you want what he obtained, enter Soul Burial Valley and ask for it yourself."
No one spoke.
The youth lowered his axes.
The frost vanished. Space returned to normal. Bai Wujin stepped aside and continued walking as if nothing had happened.
Lin Xiao watched him for a moment. "I still hate calm enemies, but I admit they are useful."
Bai Wujin did not turn back. "We are not enemies today."
"Today," Lin Xiao muttered. "That word is doing a lot of work."
The group continued.
By afternoon, the forest became brighter. Sunlight pierced through the trees in long golden lines. The oppressive feeling of the Beast Forest slowly weakened, replaced by the distant sound of voices. Disciples from different directions were gathering toward the same exit. Some limped. Some carried injured companions. Some clutched beast cores or spirit herbs with exhausted joy. But when they saw Yao Chen's group, their expressions changed.
No one blocked them again.
Near sunset, the exit formation finally appeared in full. It stood between two ancient stone pillars at the edge of the Beast Forest. Beyond it lay the outer trial platform where elders of the five academies waited. The formation rippled like water, and through it, Yao Chen could already see countless figures gathered outside.
The moment he stepped through, the entire trial platform fell silent.
The elders had been waiting for survivors. They had expected wounded disciples, scattered reports, perhaps a few arguments over rankings. They had not expected Yao Chen to emerge calmly from the Beast Forest with Bai Wujin, Luo Qingyin, Yu Cang, Xue Lian, Lin Xiao, Huo Yuan, two children, and two unfamiliar young travelers behind him.
They had not expected Soul Burial Valley to let anyone return.
The Dao Realm Headmaster stood at the center of the platform, his hands behind his back. His expression was calm, but his eyes changed the moment they landed on Yao Chen. Elder Mu and Elder Gu stood behind him, both unable to hide their shock. On the other side, the Yu Academy elder's face darkened when he saw Yu Cang injured and silent. The Sovereign Academy elder looked at Bai Wujin with sharp concern, while the Transcendent Academy elder studied Luo Qingyin's pale face.
Then the trial monument awakened.
The enormous black stone that had recorded the rankings for generations began to tremble. Names that had been carved across its surface flickered violently. Scores rose, vanished, and reformed. Several elders stepped forward at once.
"What is happening again?"
"The monument is recalculating."
"Impossible. The trial has ended."
A beam of dark-gold light shot from the monument into the sky. The platform shook. All conversations died.
Slowly, words appeared.
Dao Realm Academy: Yao Chen.
Trial Status: Survived.
Hidden Objective: Soul Burial Valley Completed.
Ancient Weapon Mark: Confirmed.
Valley Recognition: Granted.
Soul Merit: Unable to Measure.
Final Rank: First.
The last word struck the platform harder than thunder.
First.
Not among Dao Realm Academy disciples.
Not among outer disciples.
First in the Beast Forest Trial.
Then the monument cracked again.
A thin line split through its center, deeper than before. Several elders inhaled sharply. The Yu Academy elder's expression twisted with anger and disbelief.
"Impossible!" he shouted. "A single disciple cannot obtain Soul Merit beyond the monument's measurement. He must have interfered with the trial formation."
The Dao Realm Headmaster finally turned his eyes toward him. "Careful."
The Yu Academy elder froze for a breath, but quickly recovered. "Headmaster, this concerns all five academies. Soul Burial Valley is a forbidden trial zone. If your disciple seized something that affects the balance of the academies, he must explain himself."
Yao Chen remained silent.
Before the Dao Realm Headmaster could speak, Luo Qingyin stepped forward. Her face was still pale, but her voice was clear. "Yao Chen did not interfere with the trial formation. Soul Burial Valley awakened on its own."
The Transcendent Academy elder looked at her. "Qingyin, speak carefully."
"I am speaking carefully," she replied. "If not for Yao Chen, most of us would have died before the second watch. If not for him, the dead army would still be bound. If not for him, the deepest coffin would have opened."
The platform went completely silent.
The Sovereign Academy elder turned to Bai Wujin. "Is this true?"
Bai Wujin's answer was simple. "Yes."
The weight of that single word was enough. Bai Wujin was proud, but he was not known to flatter others. If he confirmed Luo Qingyin's words, then the matter could not be dismissed as Dao Realm Academy protecting its own.
The Yu Academy elder's face became uglier. "Yu Cang?"
Yu Cang lowered his gaze.
That silence answered more than words.
The Dao Realm Headmaster looked back at Yao Chen. His voice was calmer now. "What did you bring out?"
The question caused every elder's attention to sharpen.
Yao Chen lifted his right hand slightly, then stopped. Xue Lian noticed the movement and looked at his sleeve. She knew what lay beneath it. The black closed-eye mark pulsed faintly, hidden from view.
Yao Chen answered, "A command seal, soul merit, and karma."
Several elders frowned.
The Yu Academy elder sneered. "Karma is not an item."
Yao Chen looked at him for the first time. "That is why cultivators often take it too lightly."
The elder's expression stiffened.
The Dao Realm Headmaster's eyes deepened. After a long moment, he nodded. "The rankings will stand."
"Headmaster!" the Yu Academy elder snapped.
"The rankings will stand," the Dao Realm Headmaster repeated, and this time his aura moved.
It was not violent. It did not crush the platform. But every elder present felt the warning inside it. Dao Realm Academy would not hand Yao Chen over. Not for questioning. Not for pressure. Not for greed disguised as fairness.
Elder Mu looked at Yao Chen with complicated eyes. The boy who had once answered a medicine lecture question now stood before the five academies with Soul Merit the monument could not measure. Elder Gu's gaze moved toward Yao Chen's hidden hand, sensing faint flame fluctuations that made his heart tighten.
At that moment, the trial monument shifted again. More names appeared beneath Yao Chen.
Sovereign Academy: Bai Wujin. Final Rank: Second.
Transcendent Academy: Luo Qingyin. Final Rank: Third.
Dao Realm Academy: Xue Lian. Final Rank: Fourth.
Dao Realm Academy: Huo Yuan. Final Rank: Fifth.
Dao Realm Academy: Lin Xiao. Final Rank: Sixth.
The disciples gathered across the platform erupted into whispers.
"Dao Realm Academy took four of the top six?"
"Yao Chen is first?"
"What happened inside Soul Burial Valley?"
"Why is his Soul Merit unable to measure?"
Mo Tianyu stood among the Dao Realm disciples in the distance, arms crossed. He had not entered Soul Burial Valley, but he had seen the monument crack during the trial. Now, watching Yao Chen return alive and claim first rank, his expression became unreadable. The pride in his eyes did not vanish. It sharpened.
"So you went even further," he murmured.
The rivalry between them did not end with the arena.
It had only been pushed into a larger world.
Near the edge of the platform, Qing Lin and Feng looked overwhelmed by the crowd. Radha quietly placed a hand on their shoulders. Krishna stood beside her, still wearing that careless smile, though his eyes moved briefly toward the cracked monument.
The Dao Realm Headmaster noticed them. "Who are these two?"
Yao Chen answered, "Qing Lin and Feng. Their family was killed during the trial. They followed us out."
The lie was simple.
The headmaster studied the children, then nodded once. "They will be protected until their situation is confirmed."
His gaze then moved to Radha and Krishna. "And these two?"
Krishna smiled politely. "Travelers."
Radha lowered her eyes slightly. "We wished to seek entry into Dao Realm Academy. The forest opened before us, and we were drawn into the trial area."
The explanation was thin.
Too thin.
But neither of them looked nervous. That made it stranger.
The Yu Academy elder immediately seized the chance. "Unregistered outsiders inside the trial grounds? This is another violation!"
Krishna looked at him with mild curiosity. "Senior, if entering a dangerous forest without permission is a violation, surviving it should count as sincere regret."
Lin Xiao coughed once, trying not to laugh.
The Dao Realm Headmaster looked at Krishna for a long moment. Something unreadable passed through his eyes. He could not sense their cultivation clearly. That alone was unusual. But he also could not sense malice.
"Dao Realm Academy allows special admission assessments for those who survive trial incidents," the headmaster said at last. "If they have talent, they may enter as outer disciples."
The Yu Academy elder wanted to object, but after the earlier warning, he swallowed his words.
Elder Mu stepped forward. "The girl may be assessed in Medicine Dao."
Radha raised her hand. A small jade box appeared in her palm. Inside lay a pill refined from herbs gathered in the Beast Forest. It looked simple, almost plain, but the moment Elder Mu opened the box, a soft fragrance spread across the platform. Several wounded disciples nearby felt their breathing ease.
Elder Mu's expression changed.
The pill was not high-ranked by appearance. But its medicinal balance was flawless. Too flawless. It was the kind of pill that did not show off because it had no need to.
Radha spoke gently. "I refined it on the way back. It may help those whose souls were shaken."
Elder Mu stared at her for a long moment, then closed the box with unusual care. "Accepted."
The headmaster turned to Krishna.
Krishna scratched the back of his neck. "I am better with a spear than herbs."
As if responding to his words, one of the trial guardians stationed near the platform released a low growl. It was a massive stone beast used by the academies to test combat instinct. Its cultivation pressure was enough to make most outer disciples retreat.
The headmaster's eyes narrowed slightly. "Strike it once."
Krishna walked forward lazily. The stone beast roared and lunged.
He tapped it on the forehead with the blunt end of his spear.
The beast stopped.
For a breath, nothing happened.
Then the massive guardian lowered its head and sat down obediently.
The platform became silent again.
Krishna turned back with an innocent expression. "It seems reasonable."
Lin Xiao stared at him. "Brother Krishna, your definition of reasonable is becoming very suspicious."
Krishna smiled. "I am good with animals."
Radha glanced at him.
He immediately corrected himself. "Stone guardians."
The Dao Realm Headmaster watched him for several breaths, then said, "Accepted."
Just like that, Radha and Krishna entered Dao Realm Academy.
No one understood how strange that moment truly was.
Not the elders.
Not the disciples.
Not even Luo Qingyin, though her eyes narrowed slightly as space around Krishna seemed to forget what it had just witnessed.
The sun finally touched the western ridge.
The exit formation dimmed.
A deep bell rang across the trial platform, announcing the end of the Beast Forest Trial. Disciples cheered weakly, cried, collapsed, or embraced those who had survived. Elders began gathering reports. Injured disciples were carried away. The rankings remained glowing on the monument, with Yao Chen's name at the top like a question no one could answer.
Yao Chen stood apart from the noise.
Xue Lian came to his side. "Are you alright?"
He looked at his covered palm. "I returned."
"That is not what I asked."
A faint smile touched his lips. "Then no. Not entirely."
She did not look surprised. "Good."
He turned to her.
"If you had said you were fine, I would have worried more."
For the first time since dawn, Yao Chen's expression softened.
Above them, the trial monument gave one final tremor. No one noticed except Yao Chen, Radha, Krishna, and the Dao Realm Headmaster.
At the very bottom of the monument, beneath the rankings, a line appeared so faint it was almost invisible.
The one who carries the wound has left the valley.
Then it vanished.
Far away, deep inside Soul Burial Valley, the black coffin remained sealed. Its nine chains were whole. The chamber was silent. Yet beneath the coffin, in a crack too small for light to enter, a trace of shadow stirred.
A voice whispered from within the darkness.
"He did not open the coffin."
Another voice answered, older and colder.
"He carried the wound instead."
The first voice was silent for a long time.
Then it laughed softly.
"Then the memory must awaken by itself."
Back on the trial platform, Yao Chen closed his right hand beneath his sleeve.
The black mark pulsed once.
Senior Brother...
He did not answer.
The sun disappeared behind the ridge, and the Beast Forest Trial officially ended.
Yao Chen had returned before sunset.
But something from the valley had returned with him.