534 Double Torture

The mountain was about the size of Mount Tai on Earth, but it was so much tougher.

With Himmel Soan’s current capability, he couldn’t make any impact, which was quite shocking.

“This is a test of my physical strength and tenacity, isn’t it?” Himmel Soan asked the earth guardian.

The earth guardian nodded in satisfaction. “It’s very clever of you to notice that right away.

“Yes, that’s the aim of this test. You must keep digging. The shortest time in history was two days.

“He didn’t rest for a moment in those two days and used his full strength in each strike.”

The earth guardian kept digging as he spoke.

He had reduced his cultivation to Himmel Soan’s level and couldn’t dig much faster than the latter. It was probably the longest and most tiresome test of the first trial.

Himmel Soan had that feeling as soon as it started. He couldn’t take a break for the next two days and had to exert his full strength with each blow.

The idea alone made one tired.

That was the historical record.

If Himmel Soan wasn’t as talented as that person, it would take him three or even four days to complete the trial. He could only imagine how exhausted he would be.

More importantly, Himmel Soan wasn’t digging alone.

He had to compete with the earth guardian.

He could still see the guardian, but once he dug into the mountain, the earth guardian would go out of his sight. He wouldn’t know how far the latter had achieved.

He would be wondering if he was fast enough to win the competition.

The question was a torment on his mind.

With the strain on both his body and mind, if he didn’t have a strong will, he would soon break down.

“I won’t lose!” said Himmel Soan.

While he was talking, the earth guardian had dug 10cm into the mountain.

Himmel Soan knew he had to catch up with the guardian.

He concentrated his spiritual essence on the shovel. The ordinary-looking shovel glowed as if it was made of white jade.

Clank!

Sparks flew everywhere. He almost exerted his full power. If the shovel landed on someone, they would be finished.

However, it had minimal effect on the mountain, and the dent was only 1cm deep.

Neither spoke again, both of them focusing on the digging.

The earth guardian was close to the earth element, which made him a lot more efficient than Himmel Soan.

In less than fifteen minutes, he disappeared into the mountain, leaving a human-sized opening behind him.

Himmel Soan had dug over 22 yards, but his forehead was covered with cold sweat.

He had lost count of how many times he had waved the shovel. The impact cracked his palm. It hadn’t been long, but he already felt tired.

What he didn’t know was that when he disappeared into the mountain and was busy digging the tunnel, an honest-looking, bald man was lying on the ground on the other side of the mountain.

It was none other than the earth guardian.

“Earth, you’re so sly!” The water guardian appeared next to him.

“That’s not being sly. That’s how my trial is designed,” said the earth guardian. He looked into the distance. “Wood, if you’re here, stop hiding. You’re on my territory. You can’t hide from me.”

The wood guardian appeared.

“You always ask the candidates to compete with you, but you never do any digging. You only lay here and pretend to regret your failure. You’re so cunning.” The wood guardian rolled his eyes.

This wasn’t the first time. He and the water guardian were used to this scene.

“My trial is to prepare the candidates for what’s coming next. Apart from physical strength and tenacity, they also need to have perseverance.

“If he can’t stand digging blindly and wants to come out to see how I’m doing, he’ll be considered giving up the test. I’ll eliminate him right away.

“You, of all people, should know. Without perseverance and the ability to withstand loneliness, a cultivator will never grow,” the earth guardian said seriously.

His trial was the easiest and hardest of the five. It was a test of one’s willpower.

If Himmel Soan couldn’t get through this process, he would fail.

If he couldn’t withstand the loneliness, lost confidence, or worried about being slower than the earth guardian, he would come out to check up on the earth guardian. Doing that would make him fail the test.

The test was both on his body and mind.

In the next couple of days, all he would see was the shovel and empty tunnel he had dug.

One could only imagine the torment, especially when he had a competitor.

If his opponent moved faster, all his effort would be futile. The idea alone would make one waver.

“Who could have known that you’re the most cunning one of the five? So many people have been set up by you.” The wood guardian shook his head.

“That’s not my fault. They fell for it because they weren’t clever enough. Apart from all the things I said before, there’s another layer to my test, but none of the candidates have ever noticed it. I’m so disappointed!” The earth guardian sighed.

The other two guardians were confused.

Another layer?

Even they didn’t know anything about it.

Although the five guardians all lived here, they didn’t have a lot of interactions. The mutual promotion and restraint between the five elements made them uncomfortable when they stayed together for too long.

If they hadn’t been impressed with Himmel Soan, they wouldn’t have shown up here.

They had no idea what the other layer was.

“What are you talking about?” the wood guardian asked.

“I’m not telling you. It’s up to that young man to find out.”