Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology
Chapter 35: Round 3 of the Tournament Begins!

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Round 3 of the Tournament Begins!

Xuanke Temple.

Grand Commissioner Institute’s Main Hall.

The square paved with white marble was now occupied by more than forty Taoist disciples.

Some were dressed in luxurious robes, some carried treasure swords, and others gathered in groups of three or four, surrounded by fierce evil ghost soldiers.

Li Xuan was among them, standing next to one particular individual.

This person had undergone an incredible transformation, with a flame-shaped mark on his forehead.

Song Lin glanced at him and immediately recognized that it was a blessing.

Blessing is a type of advanced spell, granting a specific state to a person.

For example, the [Heavenly Official’s Blessing] could accelerate cultivation speed and improve the success rate of comprehending spells, lasting for ten days.

Song Lin had seen blessings before in the Ghost Market, they were expensive, rivaling the cost of alchemy.

Alchemy, artifact refining, consecration, and blessing are all extremely popular secondary professions.

They generate wealth like flowing water.

Those gathered around formed distinct small groups to varying extents.

Most were organized by departments—the Taoist disciples from the manor were dressed lavishly, those handling administrative affairs showcased an assortment of magic artifacts, while the warehouse group seemed more disorganized, led by a young man with crimson hair.

Others, like the protagonist, chose to be solitary—either due to poverty like Song Lin or believing their power was enough to stand alone.

Song Lin quietly observed the crowd.

These people were not allies; rather, they were potential enemies.

Over the past month, Song Lin had familiarized himself with the basics.

Passing the Three Trials wasn’t solely reliant on individual ability; some chose to form alliances, while others exploited loopholes in the rules to sabotage competitors.

Clap!

Lost in thought, Song Lin suddenly felt a hand pat his shoulder.

Song Lin turned; behind him stood a smiling chubby man.

"Oh? Lin Yang, fellow Taoist!"

"You’ve been doing quite well recently!" Lin Yang said with a smile.

Lin Yang was the former steward of the Dharma Altar Warehouse, and their relationship wasn’t too bad. Lin Yang hadn’t expected Song Lin to inherit his role.

"Haha, just luck, pure luck." Song Lin replied with a smile.

"So, what do you think? Are you confident?" Lin Yang asked.

Lin Yang seemed well-prepared, his plump skin covered with inked patterns deeply etched into his flesh—a clear application of some kind of divine skill.

"Depends on the situation."

The crowd continued to gather.

Lin Yang didn’t bother mingling with that cluster of geniuses either.

The two casually struck up a conversation.

The young man near Li Xuan was Chi Yang, the direct disciple of the warehouse steward Xuanming. It was said this man was born in flames, possessing extraordinary talent, and was one of the warehouse’s most promising Taoist disciples.

Another was a black-haired brute with tattoos carved into his face, shrouded in a sinister mist.

This man was named Wang Ziye, an expert in the Skill of Summoning and Collecting, commanding a camp of soul-gathering ghost soldiers, and a disciple of the Capital Management Master.

There was also a pale-faced young man emanating an eerie yin energy, even more formidable.

He was the temple master’s direct disciple, Shi Yinhua. Rumor had it he was born from a corpse, possessing innate Yin Yang Eyes and specializing in all kinds of yin-based spells.

The three were collectively known as the Xuanke Three Heroes. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

The future stars of Xuanke Temple.

These three had the most Taoist disciples flocking around them.

Nearly everyone believed they would undoubtedly succeed in passing the trials, leading many to curry favor.

Whoosh!

As people chatted, the sky suddenly darkened.

A bright day instantly turned into pitch-black night.

Everyone looked up to see dark clouds spreading for miles, pressing down on the city as if to crush it, with countless disheveled ghost soldiers weeping and wailing within.

Yin wind howled, ghostly energy emanated chillingly.

The temperature plummeted by dozens of degrees.

The dark clouds took on the shape of an enormous human face.

The facial outline belonged to a dignified middle-aged man, with a crescent moon-shaped mark on his forehead.

"Greetings, temple master!"

Everyone bowed in respect.

This was Master Jiuyou, temple master of Xuanke Temple.

The enormous human face stretched across a hundred meters, its intimidating gaze locked on everyone, suffocating them under immense pressure.

"Rise!"

The temple master commanded with authority.

With that, the black cloud-like face opened its gaping mouth.

Whoosh!

A colossal suction force surged forth.

Bodies were uncontrollably drawn upward.

Song Lin shivered inwardly.

With just one move, the temple master rendered him entirely powerless.

Resistance wasn’t even an option.

Soon, everyone was swallowed into the mouth.

A whirlwind sensation overwhelmed them.

Once their eyes opened, they were greeted by an expanse of endless flames.

Above their heads burned fire, flames surrounded them in all directions, and beneath them churned scalding magma.

The crowd stood on a floating piece of land within the magma.

Nearby were other small chunks of land, where groups of individuals stood on the sides and to the rear.

Some were shrouded in blood energy, eyes like stars, with floating red light above their heads.

Others were half-human, half-demon Taoists, or accompanied by demons—these likely hailed from demonic cultivation-focused Taoist temples.

The Xuanke Temple faction appeared more orthodox, their members dressed in feather robes, exuding immortal energy.

Noticing Song Lin’s confusion, Lin Yang whispered to him, "These are Taoist temples managed by Mei Mountain Jungle. The ones nearby belong to Chaozhen Temple—they practice the Corpse Dissolution Technique."

Goodness, those seemed even stranger.

The so-called Corpse Dissolution involved abandoning the flesh in pursuit of cultivation, also known as Shedding to Ascend.

In essence, it was a form of self-destruction—whether by fire, water, or blade. Song Lin felt a sense of relief, fortunate not to be recruited by this temple.

"Haha, Yuzhen, fellow Taoist, long time no see!"

A white-haired Taoist, leading Xuanke Temple’s delegation, greeted the cultivators from Chaozhen Temple.

"Greetings, Jingling, fellow Taoist. It’s been a while." The other replied with a smile.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while.

"Cleanse with water, refine the body with fire, immortals ascend, ghosts and gods accompany, Twenty-Eight Constellations walk with me. A thousand evils and impurities, protect my True Spirit!"

A dignified chant reverberated through the heavens.

First emerged a three-hundred-meter-long paper bridge.

The paper bridge extended from one piece of land to another.

Above it roared fiery clouds, below surged magma, producing sharp swords.

Forget the likelihood of being impaled by blades if one fell; the sheer heat alone was unbearable.

This was the First Trial: the Nether Bridge.

The second trial involved the Netherworld River—fire retreated, giving way to a torrent of yellow oil-like liquid, while surrounding flames persistently scorched the substance.

The third trial, Fire Sea Hell, was pure flames and magma.

"The Three Trials Conference, commence!"

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