The small fishing village looked exactly the same as it had in Wang Chen's memories—humble wooden shacks, weathered rooftops, and narrow dirt paths leading toward the endless stretch of ocean. Yet today, the air felt heavier… as though an invisible shadow loomed over the entire settlement.

Everywhere Lin Huang looked, people were clutching their belongings tightly against their chests. Mothers gripped their children's hands with white-knuckled desperation, eyes wide with fear as they stared toward the horizon—toward whatever direction they hoped salvation would come from.

Hundreds of faces.

Hundreds of emotions—terror, confusion, denial, desperation.

Lin Huang scanned all of them one by one.

"Cowards," he muttered silently. "All of them are cowards."

He didn't need to ask to understand what was happening here. The panic, the hurried movements, the frantic whispers—this village was on the verge of collapse. Something terrible was coming. Whatever test their master had prepared… this had to be the beginning of it.

He was just about to dismiss the entire village as "good-for-nothing human baggage"—

—when a lone figure caught his eye.

At the far end of the village, half-hidden behind the shadow of a crooked fence, stood an old man with his back straight and his feet planted firmly into the ground. He was thin, visibly aged, his clothes tattered, yet his stance radiated unshakable resolve.

His eyes burned with battle intent—fierce, unwavering, unyielding.

Those eyes said one thing:

Even if I am the last person standing, I will protect this village.

Even if I must give my life, I will not flee.

The sight stopped Lin Huang cold.

Wang Chen, watching from the waiting space outside the illusionary realm, felt his own heart tremble faintly.

Even though he'd only spent a short time with Old Man Fang in the real world, the old man's unwavering courage had carved itself deep into his memory. Fang stood in stark contrast to Wang Chen himself—fearless of death, while Wang Chen dreaded it more than anything.

That contrast hit him hard.

Lin Huang, seeing Old Man Fang's lone figure, felt something heavy stir inside him—an emotion he rarely felt, buried so deep he had almost forgotten its existence.

Admiration.

Pure, raw admiration.

Meanwhile, beside him, Li Mei also noticed the man standing resolutely at the village's edge. But unlike Lin Huang, she remained unmoved. She had lived far too long, watched too many heroes rise and fall, seen too many brave souls charge valiantly toward hopeless ends.

To her, bravery was meaningful…

But powerless bravery was nothing but a tragedy.

She only felt pity.

Her gaze drifted up toward the glowing timer hanging above them—its cold numbers counting down relentlessly.

The seconds slid closer and closer to zero.

And when the timer finally struck that moment, the illusion would fade.

The world would return to its natural state.

And they would face whatever threat awaited them—

together or alone.

Li Mei hadn't spent even a second merely gawking at her surroundings.

From the moment she arrived, her mind had been working like a divine machine—observing, deducing, analyzing.

All at once, countless mysterious structures of reality brushed against her senses…

The Ten Thousand Lower Laws.

The Thousand Great Laws.

The Hundred Supreme Laws.

And above them all—

even the Ten Transcendental Laws.

She could feel them—coiling through the sky, weaving into the earth, binding the world with invisible threads. These laws were not illusions. They were real—alive—buzzing with ancient authority.

A soft breath escaped her lips.

"This isn't an illusion at all…" she whispered, awe stirring in her eyes. "This is a real world… with real people and real life flowing through it."

That realization alone shook her heart.

The more she observed, the more she understood—she wasn't in the Seven Convergence World anymore. She wasn't even near it. They had been transported to a completely different realm, one governed by its own vast cosmic rules.

And yet one thing made no sense.

"I felt no trace of spatial fluctuation," she murmured, brows knitting with frustration. "Not even the faintest ripple of teleportation laws. So how…?" Her voice grew soft. "How did Master send us here?"

This question alone gnawed at her.

Even with her deep understanding of Heaven and Earth—even with the knowledge of the Upper Realm's highest Dao—she simply could not unravel this mystery.

Just what kind of existence is Master…?

The final seconds ticked away.

Then—

a calm voice echoed directly into their minds.

"Good. Now that you've familiarized yourselves with the environment, let me explain what this test is about."

"Master!"

"Teacher!"

Lin Huang and Li Mei shouted at the same time, startled. Their heads snapped upward, eyes scanning the skies, but there was no sign of Wang Chen anywhere.

From the monitoring area, Wang Chen watched their shocked faces and chuckled softly.

This test was turning out to be far more entertaining than he expected.

But an instant later, his expression sharpened. He leaned forward slightly, voice growing solemn.

"There's only one minute left," he said. "So listen carefully."

His tone left no room for argument.

"One minute from now, this world will be invaded by the Abyssal Demons. Your task is simple—protect this village from being annihilated. Understand?"

Li Mei's breath hitched.

"Abyssal Demons…" she repeated as though the words themselves were poison. Her pupils trembled violently.

She had read that name only a handful of times—yet every record in the Upper Realm described them with fear and reverence.

Abyssal Demons.

The calamity of a hundred thousand years past.

The destroyers of myriad races.

Entities so terrifying that even the Heavenly Courts themselves had fractured under their assault.

And now—

"We have to… protect this village from those demons…?" she whispered, face turning solemn.

The weight of the task sank into her bones like ice.

On the other hand, Lin Huang had no idea what "Abyssal Demons" were, but the moment the words left Wang Chen's mouth, a subtle chill crawled across his skin.

He stared at the goosebumps rising along the back of his hand.

"Am I… afraid?" he muttered to himself, bewildered.

The thought startled him. Fear was something he rarely felt.

But after a second, he shook his head firmly.

No. This wasn't fear.

It was instinct—his body responding to some deep, primal danger hidden within that name.

Whatever these Abyssal Demons were, his very blood seemed to recognize them.

While both disciples processed their emotions, Wang Chen's voice cut through the air again—calm, steady, and mercilessly direct.

"You may have already noticed—your cultivation is gone."

Both Li Mei and Lin Huang nodded subconsciously, grim expressions emerging on their faces.

They had felt it from the moment they arrived. But now that a battle was imminent, the reality hit them like a cold tide.

How were they supposed to fight… like mortals?

Wang Chen instantly saw what was going through their minds. With a slight sigh and the tone of someone who had expected this reaction, he continued,

"As cultivators, we don't realize it, but the farther we climb, the more warped our perceptions become. Bit by bit, without noticing—even geniuses become dependent on power. Their wills become fragile, like paper soaked in rain."

His gaze sharpened.

"I don't want my disciples to be glass cannons. This test will temper your character and your mental state. Only those with unshakable will can dominate the heavens."

He let his words sink in for a moment. The distant wind howled faintly, carrying the weight of the looming threat.

"This world has rules of its own. Understand this well—this isn't just a test. It is an opportunity I have specifically prepared for you. As for how you escape or overcome this world…"

His gaze softened just enough to hint at a smile.

"That will depend entirely on your actions."

Li Mei's heart thumped.

Lin Huang held his breath.

Even now, they couldn't tell if this was supposed to motivate them… or frighten them further.

"And as for the nature of this opportunity…" Wang Chen said with a mysterious tone, "Try saying: 'Status.'"

Lin Huang didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out,

"Status!"

The air in front of Lin Huang's retina rippled and blue window flashing with otherworldly light materialised in front of him.

"What is this..?" Lin Huang muttered out loud in disbelief as he scanned the window in front of him, it was his first time something like this, class, levels? What was going on?

Li Mei on the other hand examined everything seriously, she knew whatever information this window was displaying it was going to be very crucial in completing the upcoming test.

Not only them, at this time, Wang Chen was also taking a look at their status window using his special privilege.

[Class: Sword God (Ultimate)]

[Level: 1]

[Strength: 11]

[Agility: 12]

[Perception: 13]

[Physique: 14]

[Mana: 55]

[Class Skills: …..]

"What the hell is this tower..?" Wang Chen's eyes almost popped out of their eye sockets, this was his first time seeing such absurd stats at level one and moreover Sword God class, an ultimate grade class on the first try.

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