I Can Only Cultivate In A Game-Chapter 145: The Three Trials

Victor's eyes were cold. "Then I'll leave. I don't need your punishments or your so-called hospitality. I'll leave your sect. And your city."

There was a stunned pause and then a few gasps.

But then Elder Mo raised a hand once more.

"Wait. I have a proposal."

All eyes turned.

Elder Mo looked across the room. "If the issue is the sect's face, then let us resolve it internally. Victor can become an official disciple of the Violet Spring Sect."

A wave of murmurs broke out. Zhan Kui snarled.

"He doesn't deserve that title!"

Elder Mo raised his voice. "He will, if he passes the same trials every core disciple must undergo."

The murmurs hushed again.

"If he succeeds," Mo continued, "he will have earned the perks he already enjoys, and this conflict becomes an internal matter—disciples squabbling among themselves. It will not damage the reputation of our sect."

The elders were silent.

It was a clever move. Becoming a disciple meant that his previous actions would be seen in a different light. It would give him legitimacy. And more importantly, it spared KingCamper.

The sharp-nosed elder sneered but couldn't argue the logic. "So be it. If the boy wishes to prove himself, let him take the trial."

Victor had no intentions of joining a sect but he couldn't deny that the perks were nice.

He decided he'd give it a try for now and could just leave later if he wasn't feeling it.

He gave a small nod. "I'll take your trial."

Zhan Kui looked like he was ready to explode. "Elders this is unfair..."

"Silence... the elders have made their decision..."

The meeting was adjourned shortly after.

Victor stepped out into the fading sunlight of the game world with his thoughts whirling.

He had three things to do now: train, prepare, and pass.

Because if they wanted a real disciple...

They were about to get one.

...

...

The sun hovered low in the sky above the Violet Spring Sect, casting long golden rays across the tiled rooftops and sweeping gardens. Victor knelt on the stone platform behind one of the sect's secluded courtyards, opposite Elder Mo, whose hands were folded calmly in his robe sleeves.

"So," Elder Mo began, "you truly intend to walk the path of the core disciples?"

Victor nodded. "They left me no choice."

"No," Mo corrected gently, "You chose not to give your friend up. That was the real test. What lies ahead, however, is not politics. It is fire."

He waved his hand, and a glowing jade token floated out of his sleeve, hovering in front of Victor. Ancient inscriptions flickered across its surface.

"These are the three trials that every aspirant must undertake to become a core disciple of the Violet Spring Sect," Mo said. "Few attempt it. Fewer succeed."

Victor's gaze sharpened.

"The First Trial," Mo began, "is the Trial of Endurance. You will be placed within the Verdant Spirit Furnace, a spirit-tempered chamber meant to test your body's resistance to pain, fatigue, and spiritual overload. You must endure the spirit flames for a full rotation of incense—without activating any defensive techniques. Only passive endurance will see you through."

Victor exhaled. That alone sounded brutal.

"The Second Trial," Mo continued, "is the Trial of Insight. You will be placed in front of the Mirror of Reflection, a spiritual artifact that invades your mind with illusions drawn from your fears, regrets, and suppressed memories. You must walk through them without losing your sense of self. If your mental defense fails... you may never wake again."

Victor tensed. He already knew he carried far too many unspoken wounds.

"And the Third," Mo said, his voice quieter now, "is the Trial of Combat. A battle against a guardian spirit forged from the will of past sect masters. It scales to your realm, but its techniques are drawn from the highest levels of martial knowledge. Even those at the Peak of Nascent Soul have fallen to it."

Victor frowned. "But I'm not even Nascent Soul. I'm at the middle stages of Core Formation."

Mo nodded grimly. "Yes. Most who take the trial are already at the peak of Nascent Soul or even mid Soul Transformation Realm. You are severely underpowered."

"So they set me up to fail."

"Indeed," Mo said bluntly. "But that does not mean you cannot surprise them."

Victor stared at the sky. "How much time do I have?"

"Two weeks," Elder Mo said. "No more."

Two weeks. Not enough to reach the Nascent Soul Realm. Probably not even the late stages of Core Formation.

"I will teach you something next week," Mo said after a moment. "A technique to help with your body's resistance and a way to falsify your aura and mimic that of a Peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. It won't increase your power, but it will fool the Trial Guardian into treating you like one of them."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "That sounds risky. Why exactly would I need to fool a guardian that pretty much increases or decreases in difficulty based on the Cultivation realm of the one it's battling?"

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"It may give you an edge—if used wisely."

He rose. "Until then, focus on cultivating. Gain as much strength as you can. Every advancement could save your life."

Victor nodded once.

Elder Mo left silently with his robes sweeping the floor as he vanished into the mist.

Victor sat down cross-legged in the center of his courtyard. Around him, spirit stones gleamed and he began drawing in the qi-rich air, cycling it through his dantian, refining, compressing and storing.

The world slowed. Time became an abstract flow. His pulse aligned with the spiritual rhythm of the sect as he let out steady breaths.

[ Cultivation Progress: Core Formation Realm (52%) ]

Muscles tensed, spirit strained, and sweat dripped along his brow as the rich qi coiled around his body. Internal pressure mounted with each compressed cycle.

[ Cultivation Progress: Core Formation Realm (55%) ]

The hours passed. He felt hungry probably because he didn't eat for like a day but he ignored it.

[ Cultivation Progress: Core Formation Realm (58%) ]

[ Cultivation Progress: Core Formation Realm (60%) ]

Finally, he exhaled slowly and opened his eyes. The sky above had gone from night to morning.

He had already spent a day in the game.

He reached for the logout interface. It was almost time to return to the real world. He couldn't afford to be late to morning routine.

Just as he prepared to disconnect, a sharp chime echoed through his ears, accompanied by a red notification across his vision.

[ ALERT: A Bounty Has Been Placed On You ]