Don't Mess with that Turtle-Chapter 36 - 035 Trial_1

36: Chapter 035 Trial_1

36 -035 Trial_1

A crisp sound rang out, and Su He was interrupted from her inner vision and opened her eyes to a golden token before her.

The token had the characters for “trial” on the front, and the back shone with a bright aura.

The voice of Su Huanian sounded from the Immortal Sword above Turtle Mountain, “Go and participate in the trial.

Should you pass, you will inherit cultivation techniques.

There are three stages to the trial, give it your best—the rewards await at each stage.”

Su Huanian had just been meditating when Xia Dali’s Flying Sword Messaging arrived, bringing Elder Ge’s token.

This was an opportunity bestowed upon Su He to practice Elder Ge’s Turtle Tao Spell, a compensation from the sect.

After the voice finished playing, the Sword Light on Turtle Mountain flashed, carrying the entire Turtle Mountain into the air, detaching itself from the turtle shell.

Since she was to participate in the trial, she naturally could not rely on her Immortal Sword or Turtle Mountain.

She must rely on her true abilities.

As the Immortal Sword carried Turtle Mountain away, only Su He remained on the water’s surface, in her turtle form.

Unsure of how long she had been meditating, the sky had already turned pitch black.

Clouds concealed the moonlight tonight, and the token shimmered in the night sky.

A mix of anticipation and nervousness rose in Su He’s heart, reminiscent of the feeling one gets before a blind date.

She swallowed the token, waiting for the trial to commence.

The darkness of night deepened, the forest was as serene as Elephant Water, quiet as ever.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a fleeting sense of murderous intent in her drowsy consciousness jolted Su He awake.

She followed her senses and looked in the direction it came from.

A black-clothed figure emerged from the forest on the shore, a mask on their face and an Immortal Sword in hand, watching her with a malevolent gaze.

Did this masked guest harbor murderous intent, were they another unpleasant visitor like Qiao Ling, or was it part of the trial?

Su He dared not jump to conclusions but leaned towards the latter.

After all, Qingyuan Gate was reputed as a righteous sect.

It had its flaws, but not to the extent of being excessive.

Especially after today’s commotion, with Su Huanian’s sword intimidating the Law Enforcement Hall, everyone knew this turtle had backing.

Even those coveting the Divine God Turtle’s flesh and essence blood would think thrice before acting.

Unless it was an assassin sent by another sect not wanting Qingyuan Gate to acquire a Divine Beast.

But that possibility was small.

If that were true, what difference would there be between Qingyuan Gate and a sieve?

Regardless of the nature, the water was Su He’s battlefield.

Su He quietly parted the water and swam towards the center of Elephant Water.

Suddenly, a sword ring sounded from behind her, and a sharp Immortal Sword thrust towards the base of her tail.

A despicable attack aiming for the base!

Su He quickly flipped to the side, her Turtle Shell Skirt Saw blocking the sword, while her claws flicked up a band of water, whipping it towards her assailant like a belt behind her.

The person who struck did not succeed and immediately retreated.

Su He’s whip came later but arrived first, snapping with the sound of thunder, grazing the assailant’s lower back.

A scream followed as the black-clothed person was flung away, skimming the water’s surface twice before getting up and vanishing into the night, clutching their back and gasping from the pain.

The night air suddenly filled with murderous intents.

One, two, three—a total of three, including the one she just whipped.

Three murderous intents, two on shore, one in the water.

Su He narrowed her eyes.

If this was a trial, then the trial official was likely acting with personal emotions.

As far as Su He knew, she hadn’t provoked anyone.

Those with vested interests might be acting on emotions, perhaps because she had taken a trial spot that was meant for them, or maybe they were like that Qiao Ling character.

She would fight first and ask questions later!

Su He dived underwater, the water bands wrapping around her as she stealthily maneuvered.

Water currents, the night sky, and a dark turtle composed a perfect stealthy form.

Turtles didn’t need training—they inherently knew how to conceal themselves.

“Second brother, go to the shore!

It’s underwater!” shouted the initial black-clothed person from the shore.

It was already too late!

“Boom!” A huge column of water surged towards the sky.

Su He, who had been submerged thirty feet below, suddenly accelerated upwards, her shell looming like a mountain, abruptly striking the black-clothed person who was lying in wait to ambush below the water’s surface, sending them hurtling away.

Mid-air, a water whip as thick as a bucket whipped across, landing an “S” shaped strike!

“Snap!”

The second attacker didn’t even have a chance to react before being smashed back into the water.

Blood spewed from their mouth,

As the other two black-clothed people onshore saw this, their expressions drastically changed and they made a sudden move toward the water’s surface.

Su He turned and fled.

Although she had the upper hand, Su He could feel it.

She could confidently beat one black-clothed person, and she’d likely be undefeated against two, but against three acting together, she’d take hits.

Especially the one who had shouted earlier—Su He faintly felt a threat emanating from him.

Being a turtle for two years, Su He had instinctually learned: it was okay not to catch prey or to be hungry, but getting injured was absolutely forbidden.

The three came together, converging on Su He’s position.

The brains of these three were odd—obviously, if they worked together, they could overpower him, but instead they chose to split and attempt stealth attacks and got counter-attacked by Su He.

It was just that she lacked outstanding offensive methods, otherwise, she would dare to fight even under the assault of all three.

That’s not right, Su He suddenly realized.

One should never assume the enemy to be foolish.

Three cultivators with evident combat experience couldn’t possibly be ignorant of the art of cooperative attacks.

This was a trial!

Only a trial would match her against opponents of nearly equal combat power, but only slightly stronger.

She could handle the three separately, but together, they were too much for her.

Was the trial objective…

to reach a safe area before they could converge?

That must be it.

Judging from the initial positions and movements of the three, was the safe area to the west?

Or was it about reaching a specific spot in the west within a certain time while preventing three interceptors?

Su He set off, knowing no black-clothed person could stop her, but once the three converged, it would be troublesome for her.

Truly cunning—this trial appeared deceptively simple, yet the brilliance lay in forcing her to see the trial rules for herself.

That might actually have been the real trial.

Testing her understanding!

This was a trial related to the inheritance; testing combat power was meaningless.

The fundamental aspect was the comprehension required to receive the inheritance.

Having realized this, Su He turned and walked away.

Westward, always westward!

He would not allow the black-clothed people to hinder him in the slightest.

Su He strode across the water with his Water Control Divine Skills pushed to the limit, moving as swiftly as if in flight.

Behind him, the three black-clothed men exchanged glances, understanding each other’s thoughts: no need to waste any prohibition spells since the Turtle Mountain Cave Mansion, where the Divine God Turtle could leave its shadow, was no longer there; just chase him directly!

Pressure him into Elder Ge’s courtyard.

It would be best to take the opportunity to avenge those two whip strikes!

Anyway, as long as it’s not killed, it’s fine!

A turtle and three men, one chasing and the other fleeing, their target surprisingly consistent, heading westward.

The dark clouds dissipated, and the moon rose above the willow tips.

Unknowingly, they had left Elephant Water, and Elder Ge’s courtyard became clear in sight.

It should be there; for some reason, Su He had a faint feeling that this was his destination!

Wilderness surrounded them, a lone, isolated courtyard – it couldn’t be anything but the destination.

Su Hua crashed headlong into the courtyard.

The golden token in his mouth trembled slightly and he spat it out; while the word “trial” remained unchanged on the front, the back now had an additional line of text: First Challenge!

Su He laughed.

So, after completing a challenge, a confirmation would appear on the token?

Indeed, the task was to flee into the courtyard despite the black-clothed men’s interference.

In a special space, the unkempt Taoist’s eyes lit up—He’s here!

The token feedback indicated that the turtle had entered the first challenge of the trial.

So anxious?

He must have received the token not long ago, right?

It seems the bloodline of this turtle is pure.

Xia Dali must be quite impatient, initially expecting to haggle with him, demanding a lower difficulty for the challenges.

After all, he had expressly stated that the cultivation technique would not be passed on easily, which was almost equivalent to a rejection.

But unable to withstand Xia Dali’s incessant pestering, the three challenges came to be.

But there’s no way this turtle can pass all three challenges.

Those challenges were remotely designed by me to protect the courtyard, and I’m well aware of this.

Separated by space, he could not observe the specific situation of the trial in the courtyard, but he could sense it slightly and make minor adjustments.

At this moment, that turtle must have been flattened, getting pummeled by puppets, right?

As soon as Su He entered the courtyard, he suddenly felt his limbs become incredibly heavy, as if a mountain bore down upon his back.

His entire turtle form was sprawled on the ground.

It was gravity!

The gravity in this small courtyard was at least thrice that of the outside!

Puppets wielding hammers and sickles attacked from all sides.

Their movements were agile, completely unaffected by the courtyard’s gravity.

Was this the second challenge?

Didn’t he receive any reward first?

Su He was somewhat disappointed.

The three black-clothed men had already charged into the courtyard, swords drawn.

In the special space, the unkempt Taoist faintly sensed three strands of power emerging abruptly.

Should that be Xia Dali’s mentioned Divine God Turtle’s Water Control Power?

Quite a Divine Skill, as if it truly condensed three avatars, really flexible!

If nothing unexpected occurs, this challenge won’t stop him.

But if I let him pass so easily, wouldn’t it belittle my Taoist spells?

The unkempt Taoist pointed his finger, remotely controlling the courtyard’s formation, and the gravity instantly increased to five times heavier.

In the courtyard, Su He, just getting used to the tripled gravity, was pressed down again.

He didn’t rush to struggle, but instead his turtle eyes stared at the three black-clothed men fighting the puppets.

When the gravity increased suddenly, the movements of the three men stuttered; they were repelled by the puppets but quickly adapted and pressed on with their swords.

One of them secretly communicated with a small insect, reporting back to Lu Ming.

“Elder brother, we’ve forced the Divine God Turtle into Elder Ge’s courtyard, but the gravity here is continuously increasing, and there are countless puppets; I’m afraid I can’t hold on!” He slashed a puppet in half, gasping for breath.

Lu Ming, through the cricket in his chest, transmitted a message to the three men: “In my Qiankun Bag, I have talismans that lighten the body; don’t be frugal, break the formation!

Push the Divine God Turtle into the third formation as quickly as possible, then disguise the scene and immediately retreat.”

Within the Prison, Lu Ming clenched his hands, his agitation not visible.

This feeling of strategizing from a distance, of deciding the outcome of a battle miles away, was truly marvelous!

I’m in the Prison, yet my battlefield is hundreds of miles away in Beast Valley.

Sect Leader, Law Enforcement Hall, the Divine God Turtle, and Elder Ge, all are pieces on my chessboard.

This feeling…

inexplicably thrilling!

This time of carefully laid plans shall not fail!

In the courtyard, Su He looked with a rising sense of wonder at the black-clothed men entangled with the puppets.

Was the reward for passing the first challenge having the bosses of the first challenge help him get through the second?

That was a novel gameplay indeed—but wouldn’t that render the existence of the second challenge meaningless?

Defeating the puppets was not the assessment of this challenge!

Su He caught on.

He watched closely the fight between the black-clothed men and the puppets, and a sudden clarity arose in his heart.

That’s it!

The puppets were a mess of techniques, but the three black-clothed men had consistently used only one swordsmanship style from the beginning.

Was this sword technique the actual trial of the second challenge?

Was he supposed to learn swordsmanship?

Su He didn’t have a sword, but he had claws, and if humans could use fingers as swords, why couldn’t a turtle?

The place was rich in Spiritual Energy, the gravity doubled, and there were three black-clothed men to demonstrate—it was indeed an excellent place to practice swordsmanship.

Without accidents, this would be the true content of the second challenge trial and also the reward for passing the first.

Su He narrowed his eyes, intently watching the three black-clothed men fight the puppets, with his focus concentrated on the swords in their hands.

A dice fell from the sky and began to spin.

Five points!

It was like a sudden enlightenment.

The swordsmanship style, which was completely incomprehensible at first, suddenly became somewhat clear, and his claws began to move clumsily at first, then with increasing semblance.

Learning efficiency increased by five times.

The three black-clothed men, struggling, quietly encouraged each other, “Hold on!

These puppets can’t be endless; once we chop them all down and force the turtle into the second formation, our task will be completed.”

In the special space, the unkempt Taoist sensed the trial situation in the courtyard with his eyes closed.

The Child nearby couldn’t contain his excitement, “Ancestor, how is the turtle doing?

Can it pass the first challenge?

You wouldn’t cheat by raising the gravity by thousands of times and even bringing out stone or bronze men, would you?”

The unkempt Taoist waved his hand off, “Nonsense!

Could the ancestor do such a thing?”

If I were to cheat, it would be in the third challenge.

It’s a Divine God Turtle after all; if it can’t even pass the first challenge, others would think I’m deliberately making things difficult, unwilling to pass on the Taoist spells!

But why is this turtle foolishly fighting with the puppet?

Wouldn’t it be easier to use its Turtle Shell to withstand the puppet attacks and push through?

With endless puppets, if it truly cannot pass the first challenge, it would tarnish my reputation!