Chapter 970: Soul Trial

John's gaze flickered for a moment. He could tell the mysterious man already had the answer to that question. When it came to someone as powerful as this man, it wasn't surprising that he was able to see through John's actions, and notice that he was holding back.

"I see," so that is the case," the Prime Shadow said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I never would have believed such a level of combat talent to be possible, but I would be an old fool to ignore my eyes and senses just because of past beliefs."

"What is your reason for appearing here?" John asked. He had no idea who the man was, only a guess, and had no idea of his intentions. He still didn't know if he could trust the Shadows of Death Guild yet, and was not going to reveal all his cards just yet.

"My reason?" the Prime Shadow mused with a smile. "Like I said, you were expending far too many spirit crystals to power this formation. You know, I designed this trial so that no one could enter it from the outside, to avoid interference as much as possible. Even for me, getting inside was almost too much of a hassle. You really caused this old man to work quite hard today," he said, sighing as if he was truly tired from the task.

John titled his head to the side, unable to understand this man at all. The old man smiled, then waved his hand to the side. A burst of power surged from his hand, sweeping aside mountains of debris miles away like it was nothing. John's gaze flickered again at the old man's incredible display of power, done so casually as if it had taken no effort at all.

"The exit is over there. Take it, and move on to the next trial," the Prime Shadow said. "And do be sure to complete the next trials as expediently as possible. No more of this turning a life and death battle into a training exercise nonsense, am I understood?"

After a long silence, John nodded his head, acknowledging this frighteningly powerful old man's request.

"Good, then off you go," the Prime Shadow said, his body vanishing like a ghost a moment later. John stared at the empty space the man had just been, eyes narrowed again.

'I didn't even feel in which direction he left. It was like he truly disappeared. How scary.'

John shook his head at the sudden and unexpected disruption of his trial, and then sped towards the exit the old man had pointed out. He landed, and after a bit of searching, found a stairwell, one that was completely easy to miss, descending into the ground below. He descended down the stairs, at which point he found another formation portal appeared before him, and then entered it.

...

Outside the trial realm, mixed expressions appeared on the faces of those watching as they noticed the mysterious old man appear, instantly erasing the Devil with a snap of his fingers. The sound then cut off, leaving the guildmembers with only the visuals of what was happening within

"Who is that old man?" a youth exclaimed, asking for clarification.

"Is this supposed to be part of the trial?" another asked, just as confused.

While the youths and even the older members discussed the unexpected event, only the oldest members of the guild, like the Grandmaster, stared at the screen with a look of surprise and also reverence. Zuri glanced at the Grandmaster and could tell that the Grandmaster knew who it was based on his expression.

"Who is that man?" she asked curiously.

The Grandmaster's expression disappeared, returning to his normal calm expression.

"I'm afraid you do not have clearance to learn of that," he said, shaking his head.

Zuri looked back at the screen, eyes going wide with realization. Even the Guildmaster of the guild was known to her, what he looked like, who he was. There was only a single person this old man could be; the rumored first Guildmaster of the Shadows of Death, the one who had established the guild tens of thousands of years ago.

...

Flash!

A flash of light appeared and then faded as the Prime Shadow returned to his previous location, sitting opposite the Guildmaster.

"Was that necessary?" the Guildmaster asked.

"Someone had to put a stop to his horrifying spirit crystal expenditure," the Prime Shadow shrugged, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.

"Good tea," he smiled, eyes returning to the screen showing John's movements through the trial.

"So, will he pass the trials?" the Guildmaster asked.

"The physical trials, and even the soul trial should be of no concern to him," the Prime Shadow said.

"Even the soul trial is of no concern?" the Guildmaster said, clearly surprised. "That's the trial that was nearly the death of me. Is his soul that strong?"

The Prime Shadow shrugged, causing an exasperated sigh to come from the Guildmaster.

"The only trials that he could fail are the verbal trial, and the pain trial" the Prime Shadow said.

"The verbal trial? That wasn't too hard of a trial from what I recall," the Guildmaster mused, recalling when he took and barely passed the Heaven's Shadow trial.

"Youths these days are filled with notions of being heroes, selflessly sacrificing themselves for the greater good, putting themselves in harm's way to save a damsel in distress," the Prime Shadow said. "That is not a bad thing per se, but for an assassin, such an attitude will only result in a swift demise. One must have both the power and the will to do what needs to be done."

"I see," the Guildmaster said, nodding his head. Neither of them knew John's personality, and so failure in that trial was possible. Just as in the other trials, failure there meant death.

"As for the pain trial, that was the true and final trial that despite several hundreds making it that far, only you managed to pass it in the end," the Prime Shadow said.

The Guildmaster shivered lightly, as if recalling that trial was a true nightmare.

"You really are a monster for creating such a trial," the Guildmaster said with displeasure.

The Prime Shadow shrugged.

"Passing the trial meant becoming the next Guildmaster," he said, sipping his tea without a care. "Only those who can withstand the most hellish of pains can be trusted with such a position. If the Guildmaster was to be captured and break under torture, with the information known, it would mean the absolute end for everyone in the guild."

The Guildmaster fell silent, unable to argue against the Prime Shadow's comment.

"And with the talent this boy has shown, will you interfere if he fails one of the trials?" the Guildmaster asked. "Will you preserve this heaven-defying talent, or will you allow him to perish like all the others?"

"The others who died within this trial did not receive preferential treatment," the Prime Shadow said, face calm. "Giving him such treatment would be akin to spitting on their graves. The only way he will make it out alive is to successfully pass all the trials, as you did all those years ago."

The Guildmaster stared at the Prime Shadow for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the screen as John stepped into the next trial, appearing in an entirely new place brimming with life and light.

"The soul trial," the Guildmaster said. "Let's see if this boy lives up to your expectations."