The tube didn’t care about Tethra’s difficulties and just started scanning his body with red light. The red light of the scan lengthened to match his body. Those bloody red light then go from his head to his chest, his waist, his feet, and back again to head by the reverse order. This scene looks normal because in the Post-Flood Earth, there was already a scan like this too. The machine let out a monotone voice after a moment.

“No qi detected. Another scan is required, please wait” The despair that could be felt when Tethra heard that there was really no qi in his bodies can be compared to a kid that discovered that he/she is an orphan. Even another scan couldn’t give him anymore hope here.

“Scan completed. Found a foreign power inside the user’s body. Foreign power rated higher than qi confirmed. Preparing the highest level special trial for user. This trial will test fighting power equipped with qi. The reward will be based on the time user take to complete the trial. Failure in completion means failure in getting the special reward. User, please prepare in advance.”

The monotonous voice of the machine now seemed like an angel’s choir to Tethra. He actually had a foreign power inside his body! He at one time felt the he is a defect and different from the mass because he couldn’t cultivate. Even the most untalented mortals can absorb qi, but he couldn’t. Now that he knew that he actually had a power like qi in his body, he became giddy. So it was actually the foreign power that rejected the qi, not his body itself. Because the foreign power is rated highed than qi, by absorbing qi it maybe will weaken the foreign power.

He finished his conclusion because he didn’t want to think too much as long as he had something like qi. Maybe it is stronger than qi? Rated highed doesn’t mean stronger but rarer and Tethra knows that common sense. But now, he needed to thank the machine for telling him of this foreign power. So he just did what any other people did to thank others. He jumped and hugged the tube.

“User, please refrain from getting close to the machine before ready. Please prepare quickly, the test will start in 10 minutes” The machine again spoke with that flat voice. Tethra stopped hugging the machine and get back to his position before. The machine was cold to him! He shivered a little bit.

“Prepare? Preparing is for the weak!” Tethra smirked while talking like that. Truthfully he didn’t even come here prepared. What could he prepare in these last minutes now? Better act like a cool guy for now. Maybe he could think of something later. Better not worry about it in the meantime.

The 10 minutes passed away gracefully and slowly like a butterfly, and for certain, boringly for Tethra, because he didn’t have anything to do. While waiting, he tried some of his Runic Works. The Runic Works still worked, but the shine of Qi Attraction Finger was consumed by the darkness around him. Playing with his shining finger, Tethra finally found salvation in the form of dull loud voice by that cold machine.

“10 minutes has passed. User, please step inside the tube. Further information will be sent later.”

The tube then opened with a sliding door. The cold metal door then closed as soon as Tethra stepped inside the tube. The inside of the tube is quite wide, with lots of things to see. Metal, metal, metal button, metal, metal, and metal. Yeah, there is nothing interesting here. Just as he was about to react to something, his surroundings changed like a broken channel. It blurred for a while then it became a barren land.

The barren land is filled with crack here and there. Not a sign of living being or even a thing. Tethra was already used to the lonely scenery. First, the forest, then the darkness, now this barren land. Those scenery were so lonely that he got used to it fast. But, the loneliness disappeared as soon as a being appeared. The being at first appear hazy in front of Tethra, but it soon became tangible. The monster with 4 hooves looks like a raging rhinoceros. Just magnify them 4 times and poof, you get the monster that Tethra faced.

With flame-filled eyes and 2 demonic horn that felt like it could stab anything to death, the monster intimidated Tethra instantly. The monster stepped hard on the ground like a sumo master. The ground trembled just because of one step from that monster. Just seeing this Tethra really wanted to beat his past self for being too arrogant.

No anxiousness, not preparing anything, like taking a fun trip. He should have prepared more. Though he knew he couldn’t prepare more because he already came unprepared, he still scolded his past self because he now really needed the feeling his past self felt when he was not facing this big monster that brought immense presence just by being near it.

Tethra felt fear for the first time since he come to this world. He always met humans and even though they have overwhelming power, the outside is still the same. When he read those xianxia novels describing how the monsters the MC met overwhelmingly scary, overwhelmingly strong, carrying overwhelming pressure, spreading overwhelming aura, he thought that it was exaggerated. And the transported MC who met them often seen being scared for a long time before being saved by the plot armor.

He often thought that if he met those humongous monsters, he would be able to overcome his fear easily. Those monsters are nothing in his eyes before because he never saw them for real. In his imagination and from the tactics used by the overpowered MCs, he could imagine all sort of scenario he can use to counter the monster if he ever met them. Now all of that thinking got crushed just by this encounter.

Those big hooves that could easily crush him to meat paste, the sharp pointed horn on its nose that could pierce him in one go, the metallic sheen on its skin that make the skin look as hard as damascus steel, and especially that intimidating eyes that petrified him from the get go. Now that he saw it himself, he believe that overcoming fear is not as simple as many MCs make it to be. He couldn’t even bite his lip to fight his fear.

The huff from the monster we should call temporarily the rhino monster woke him up from his petrification. He realize that he needed to fight it without even hearing the instructions from the trial’s machine because there were only the two of them here. He waited for the instructions while stepping back carefully to prepare for the worst. By stepping back, he could build momentum when running forward or adding the distance between them if he want to escape.

“This is a monster named Bladed Rhino. It is a 6th grade monster. We reduce its physique so that people below Revolving Qi stage has a chance to defeat it, approxximately 0,01%. The monster’s abilities and skills will be the same as the real one. Now please start the battle now” Just now that he realized the meaning of highest level of special trial. It was not that he had no hope. It’s just that, the hope is too small. He already knew the rank of the monsters in this world from Elder Pan.

There are the 1st rank, usually for the first cultivation stage the 2nd rank for the second cultivation stage, the 3rd rank for the third cultivation stage, and so on. Because the fifth cultivation stage is already considered an Elder here, most of the small family heads usually have the fifth cultivation stage, the Core Forming stage. Even more so the sixth cultivation stage, they are usually the ancestors of the small family heads that failed in breakthrough to the Immortal realm.

Now you know how Tethra felt. The gap between sixth cultivation realm and Tethra is as wide as the Grand Canyon. Tethra already confirmed that his physique when using Icarus is at the peak of Qi to Strength stage, the third cultivation stage. That’s why he got petrified at first just by its presence alone. It is already amazing enough that he only got petrified, not falling to his butt. Tethra knew that he could escape this test just by being dead here. He would get sent out just by failing this test. But, he didn’t want to waste those time he used to pass the earlier trials.

Determination filled his eyes. He shall stand tall. He shall not fall now. And just then he would have the qualification to stand at the peak of the world. With that, he started running approaching the monster while shouting to affirm his goal.

“What 6th grade monster! You will be the first to fall by my hand!”