In Han Kui's room, Li Xiaoyao and Jingxiang frowned tightly, their eyes squinting into slits.

"The injuries are severe," Li Xiaoyao assessed Han Kui's condition. Although martial artists have exceptional recovery abilities, Han Kui was too badly injured—his ribs were shattered, and his internal organs were damaged. Relying on self-healing seemed nearly impossible.

"It's fine, I've always had tough luck; I won't die," Han Kui said optimistically, forcing a smile.

"But what about your martial arts?" Li Xiaoyao glared at Han Kui, who averted his gaze, unable to meet Li Xiaoyao's eyes. True, he wouldn't die, but would he become a waste, worse than an ordinary person?

"Li Xiaoyao, let's go to the Heize Forest, hunt some beast and exchange their cores for some spirit herbs from the sect," Jingxiang suggested, looking at Li Xiaoyao. Though Han Kui was an outer disciple of the Cang Hai Sect, there were many outer disciples. Without entering the inner sect, one would ultimately remain unnoticed. The sect would only provide a platform with martial arts skills and places for training; only by entering the inner sect could one truly be considered a member of the Cang Hai Sect. Thus, they didn't expect the sect to help Han Kui.

"That won't work; Han Kui's injuries are too severe. Even if ordinary elixirs could heal him, they would still leave side effects," Li Xiaoyao shook his head.

"What should we do then?"

Li Xiaoyao suddenly stood up and turned to walk outside.

"I'm going to the Tianqian Cliff. Wait for me to return." His indifferent voice faded as he exited the room. Jingxiang trembled slightly, clenching her clothes tightly in her hands.

Han Kui smiled foolishly, but the smile in his eyes seemed moist. The Tianqian Cliff—only this guy, Li Xiaoyao, would dare to think of it and actually do it.

Tianqian Cliff is one of the most mysterious and sacred places in the Cang Hai Sect, its reputation ringing even louder than the Life and Death Platform of Wind Valley. Though few people visit the Life and Death Platform, there are still some who do from time to time, but very few dare to set foot on Tianqian Cliff. Even if someone is bold enough to go, they are usually those who are truly obsessed with martial arts or geniuses. In the Cang Hai Sect, many disciples have only heard the name of Tianqian Cliff without knowing what it truly holds.

However, everyone has heard the rumors: if one passes the trials of Tianqian Cliff, they will be genuinely valued by the sect and obtain the treasures they desire. But failing the trial comes with extremely dire consequences.

At the summit of the Cang Hai Sect, there is a stone cave palace, which serves as the passage to Tianqian Cliff. At this moment, Li Xiaoyao has arrived at the entrance of the passageway beneath the summit.

"Outer disciple of Cang Hai Sect, Li Xiaoyao, wishes to go to Tianqian Cliff," Li Xiaoyao shouted toward the entrance of the passage.

His voice echoed along the passage and bounced off the mountain walls. After a moment, a voice returned.

"Come in."

"Understood." Li Xiaoyao replied and then entered the passage.

The passage was somewhat dim, with stone walls carved with various patterns. Li Xiaoyao walked toward a faint light ahead, soon arriving in a stone cave.

The cave contained a stone bed, a desk, and a candlestick, forming a very rudimentary room. At this moment, an old man in a black robe sat motionless on the stone bed with his eyes closed.

"You wish to go to Tianqian Cliff?" The old man's eyes remained closed, and his voice was indifferent.

"Yes," Li Xiaoyao replied.

"What do you seek to accomplish there?"

"My friend is injured; his chest bones are broken in several places, and his internal organs are damaged. I need a pill that can heal his wounds without any side effects," Li Xiaoyao said calmly.

The old man in the black robe opened his eyes, his deep gaze seeming to possess the power to see through Li Xiaoyao.

"I have the pills, but with your Eighth Level of Qi Martial Realm, it will be difficult for you to pass the test of Tianqian Cliff. Show me your martial soul."

Li Xiaoyao nodded, and a phantom of a small snake appeared, but he did not release his dark martial soul.

"Hmm?" The old man in the black robe frowned slightly. His experience was vast, yet he had never seen such a martial soul—like a flying snake, but too thin and lacking the wild aura of a beast martial soul.

"Go through that passage," the old man pointed to a direction in his room where many passages led to different trial locations.

"Thank you, senior." Li Xiaoyao nodded and stepped into the passage indicated by the old man.

Seeing Li Xiaoyao enter, the old man shook his head slightly. With the Eighth Level of Qi Martial Realm and such a weak martial soul, passing the Tianqian Cliff trial was nearly impossible. The passage he directed Li Xiaoyao to led to the Bell and Drum Cliff, which might be the weakest trial, allowing Li Xiaoyao to exit at any time. However, its difficulty was the greatest.

Considering that Li Xiaoyao was doing this for his friend, the old man chose to let him enter, hoping he would recognize the difficulty and retreat if necessary. The Bell and Drum Cliff had not sounded for a hundred years, meaning no one had passed through that trial for a century.

Li Xiaoyao entered the dark passage, which had many stairs leading upward. After climbing nearly a thousand steps, he arrived next to a stone door. As he approached, the stone door opened from both sides.

"How fascinating," Li Xiaoyao thought to himself, as the view opened up before him.

Fresh air rushed in as Li Xiaoyao stepped out of the stone door, and he found himself on a sheer cliff, with mist wafting through the air, bringing a slight chill.

Above this precipice were eight upright bells and drums, resembling war drums from Li Xiaoyao's past life. These eight bells and drums surrounded an open area in the middle.

"Boom!" The stone wall closed automatically behind him. Li Xiaoyao turned around to see a line of clear, large characters carved into the stone wall.

"As long as I can make one of these eight bells or drums sound, it counts as passing the trial?" After reading the inscription, Li Xiaoyao understood and stepped into the central space surrounded by the eight bells and drums.

Not knowing what mysteries these bells and drums held, he found that he only needed to strike one to pass.

"Ha!" Li Xiaoyao moved and casually punched one of the bells.

"Vroom..." A muffled sound emerged, and a ripple of energy released from the bell, causing Li Xiaoyao to stagger back slightly.

"Hmm?" With a raised eyebrow, Li Xiaoyao took another step forward, increasing the force of his punch to five thousand pounds.

"Buzz, buzz!" A strong humming sound emanated, and the waves generated from the bell spread out, turning into a tangible force that shot back toward him.

"Boom!" A domineering wave hit Li Xiaoyao, sending his body flying through the air.

"Cough, cough." Falling to the ground, Li Xiaoyao coughed a couple of times, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his heart filled with shock.

This is... the Ninth Wave?

A sharp light flashed in Li Xiaoyao's eyes as he realized that the force he had just experienced was indeed the power of the Ninth Wave, and it was far stronger than the force he had struck the drum with. These eight bells and drums could counterattack, and during that counter, the force would multiply.

How marvelous! How could these bells and drums possess such a counterforce?

Li Xiaoyao sat there without rushing to get up, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. Twice, he had only produced a buzzing sound without any response from the bells and drums. The more powerful his strike, the stronger the attack he endured; this seemed to be a deadlock.

"Wait, since this is a trial, there must be a way to pass it. I just haven't found it yet. Moreover, the old man in the black robe knows my cultivation is weak and my martial soul isn't strong; he must have chosen the simplest trial. If I can't even pass this simple trial, how can I speak of martial arts?"

With a determined gaze, Li Xiaoyao stood up. At this moment, he completely misunderstood the old man's intention; this was not the simplest trial but the hardest. The old man hoped he would recognize the difficulty and retreat, but instead, it ignited his persistent martial will.

"Dark Martial Soul." With a thought, Li Xiaoyao released his dark martial soul, instantly deepening his gaze. Under the influence of the dark martial soul, all his abilities, including comprehension, were enhanced.

The sword hummed as thunder roared, crashing against another drum.

"Whoosh..."

"Boom!"

The sound of the sword's cry mixed with the thunderous explosion, rebounding toward him. Li Xiaoyao's sword trembled as a layer of sword energy materialized in front of him, blocking the sharp sword aura that came back at him.

"Zhi, zhi!" His clothes were torn, and a trace of blood seeped from Li Xiaoyao's body. Just as he had anticipated, the rebound sword energy was twice as powerful as the sword energy he had emitted. Even with full defense, he was still injured.

"Let this be a trial for my swordsmanship." Li Xiaoyao did not back down and swung his sword again, striking another bell.