*Slash* *Shatter* *Thump* *Boom* *Swish*

If not for the fact that Bai Qi had actually advanced to meet the [Legged Snake of the Depths], which still refused to talk or introduce itself, as most actual Saint Beast would have done, the second clash ended in the same manner as the first one.

In the same manner as would end the third, fourth, and even tenth clash between man and beast. Bai Qi's aura gathered in a defensive dome between him and the [Fake Dragon], attempting and failing to stop the claws of the latter's left foreleg. Then he would counter with a punch infused with qi to the utmost capacity of his body, stopping the attack but still sent sliding back because of the difference in power.

But, for the observers, experts as they were, there was a noticeable difference. With each exchange, Bai Qi would slide back less than before, even if by an inch, and the [Legged Snake of the Depths] would take a moment more to recover from it, giving Bai Qi a chance to return to his starting position and then even advance, inch by inch, forcing the beast to actually stop moving forward, even take a small, half-step back as to have the distance to strike.

Understanding this by the third exchange and confirming it by the fifth, Bai Qi's smile started changing. From the plastered fake one to an honest one, one coming from the fact that he was adapting to his opponent and was slowly gaining parity.

Not advantage, he reminded himself, as even a fully-trained and peaked Warrior Lord would be troubled to subdue a beast, that while a 3rd level Saint one was actually related to dragons, making it a danger comparable to a 4th level one, the latter enough to crush weaker or unsuspecting Warrior Kings.

*Slash* *Shatter* *Thump* *Boom* *Swish*

And yet, the 15th exchange would dispel Bai Qi's worries while confirming his thoughts about this being just a test, something akin to the weaker beasts from before or the illusion he had fallen prey to. After all, this time, Bai Qi would barely take a half-step back after his fist crashed with the beast, while the latter took an entire step back, indicating that Bai Qi had surpassed the [Legged Snake of the Depths] pure power.

Unbeknownst to him, this 15th exchange would surprise all observers, neither of which he could sense, even with his improved senses. Bai Qi would later learn that from this moment, the elders observing him acknowledged him as a chosen by the [Fairy]. And while some didn't take it well, especially Xun Guo, who would reveal such fact to Bai Qi after everything finished, it didn't change the fact that he had surpassed a test meant for 8th or even 9th level Warrior Lords, all while being a strong, genius, even demon-tier genius (or dragon-tier as the [Palace] and most of the [Great Forest] region preferred to call them), but still a 4th level one though.

*Slash* *Shatter* *Thump* *Boom* *Swish*

*Slash* *Shatter* *Thump* *Boom* *Swish*

*Slash* *Shatter* *Thump* *Boom* *Swish*

*Slash* *Shatter* *Thump* *Boom* *Swish*

*Slash* *Shatter* *Thump* *Boom* *Swish*

Another five clashes later, the situation differed immensely from the start. One could say that it was the exact opposite, even if it was still Bai Qi's aura, the one to be shattered by the beast's claws.

While at the first winning clash, the difference amounted to barely half a step, by the 20th clash between man and beast, Bai Qi's punch made the [Legged Snake of the Depths] slide back by almost three feet, making even the most of the dubious observers acknowledge the fact that Bai Qi's raw power was actually above the Saint Beast.

*Crack*

Not only did Bai Qi make the [Fake Dragon] slide back, but a cracking sound, accompanied by a small amount, nearly unnoticeable even when close, of rock powder, the remains of a single scale of the enormous beast, fell on the black, comprised of nothing but the Spirit-tier [Midnight Granite] battleground.

And so, when the beast pronounced its first words since the start of the battle, not a single observer, not even the ones wishing for Bai Qi's failure, could find in themselves the strength to dispute them.

"A single broken scale in a setting where I can only use sheer physical prowess-" The beast's voice was raspy and low, almost as if stone slowly ground against stone, but still, Bai Qi noted that it belonged to a female of her species, even if no one could actually tell the sex of such a beast, "-such was the test, and you, youngster, a male of your species... You have passed."

***

A [Saint], a realm that most higher- or superior-tier plane cultivators considered nothing but a starting cultivation.

A [Saint], a realm that most middle- or intermediate-tier plane cultivators considered nothing but a dream.

A [Saint], a realm, even when known, nearly none of the cultivators of a low-tier plane considered possible, hoping nothing but at least catching a glimpse of a true [Saint] during their lifetimes.

But above that, a [Saint] title meant far more than that a cultivator had reached the [Integration] minor realm of their Earth Realm cultivation. After all, the word behind the title meant that the cultivator had achieved something akin to holiness for mortals, becoming a paragon of virtue. Or its opposite, often referred to as demons and the [Not-Saints], cultivators basked in the averse-to-any-moral manner of thought, but still, strong enough to champion, even their evil ways, as a path for a cultivator.

In any case, one could say that when called a [Saint], no matter if the [Not-] part was present, while being a cultivator below or even above that realm, carried far more meaning as to signify one's cultivation. It was more of a way to show one's moral compass, either righteous or not. And while it was nothing but dividing the world in black and white, in [Ying] and [Yan], it still was a commonly used way to describe someone, even in superior planes, like the one where Bai Qi, the original one, hailed from.

Bai Qi had never considered himself a Saint, always describing himself as a being outside the commonly-known righteousness and sin. Even if he never allowed himself to follow base desires, at least not on a grand scale, he wasn't actually opposed to the thought. At the same time, he had fought and denied, even if not to their entirety, the demons and lusts of the evil when one chose to tag them as such paths.

Thus, as the [Legged Snake of the Depths] retreated after acknowledging that Bai Qi passed the test, he simply ignored it, not trying to continue the fight, as most righteous idiots would do, at least after having sensed the lingering death still lingering to the latter's claws, a proof of this test being nothing but a kill zone for people deemed not worthy, or, as it often came to be, too weak to succeed.

He wouldn't gloat either, as the equally idiotic followers of a far less righteous path would take - taking the passing for granted, to take his first step forward - all towards his objective, one while being far more benevolent than evil, still stemmed from his own desires, and not from the wish to make everything or anything, better.

***

When the mysterious voice had told Bai Qi that Xie Ru was in danger and that he could help her - if he went along with whatever plan the being behind the voice had - Bai Qi's first reaction had been to think about refusing. Yet, the same voice also mentioned something else, the actual reason behind Bai Qi's sudden acceptance, {...the [Palace] had never stopped attempting to gain better control over the legacy of the Fairy Goddess. And as such, every being that shows some affinity to the latter's [Fairy's First Root], the conduit of all the [Goddess Clearing] might, is recruited, nurtured, and then made to attempt to connect to it via one of the several altars left by the first cultivators to inhabit this lands...}

A legacy of a being lauded as a Goddess! No matter how Bai Qi showed restraint, such a prize was just too interesting for him. And if he could help Xie Ru, someone who, while having mixed feelings about her, still was something like a companion, why wouldn't he?

And so, after clearing what appeared to be just another test to reach the location indicated by the voice, Bai Qi didn't lose any time and started off, continuing on the barely visible path that led him toward the top of the hill.

***

{...this temple is considered nothing but a secondary shrine to the being mortals considered a Goddess, but in all truth, it's the first and main one. Only a few of the [Palace] know of this, and because of that, they send promising disciples, especially the ones that show a connection to the [Root], to conquer it...}

The temple, or shrine, had appeared before Bai Qi without notice. No other challenges, no grand tests, or not even some imposing building, just a simple shed-like structure that appeared from nowhere. One that perfectly blended into its surroundings because of being made of the same [Midnight Granite] as the entire hill.

The voice had left him no instructions on how to act, so Bai Qi chose what appeared to be the simplest but appropriate way.

*Thump* *Bow*

Whatever was the one lauded as a Goddess Fairy, Bai Qi showed his respect by cupping his fist and bowing before entering through the doorless arch that made up the entrance, one that, while just barely some seven feet tall and half of that wide, already occupied over half of the building's front.

*Step* *Step* *Step*

Even if outside the sun was still up, Bai Qi found himself surrounded by darkness as soon as he stepped through the entrance arch. And while any cultivator could illuminate the surroundings with a minimum of qi or use the latter to infuse their eyes and look through the darkness, Bai Qi didn't do so. After all, there was no need to do so.

{Find your way through the darkness, as the stem of a flower that does so through the soil.} Such words resonated in his head as soon as he thought about a light source, and Bai Qi obliged. Bai Qi analyzed the situation for a moment without stopping his movement, entirely sure that if the forces behind all of this wanted him to die, there would be nothing to do.

His interest in a legacy behind a strong power, even if one of an intermediate tier plane, being a good motivation, Bai Qi still didn't allow [Greed] to blind him, and even if he continued forward without stopping, he used all of his means to investigate the surroundings.

Not that it netted him anything, as he had crossed over a mile since entering the shrine, one that looked barely a hundred feet long, and still didn't encounter or even sense anything...