Desire of the demon

Li Huo looked at the countless disgusting snakes, scorpions, and other creatures slithering on the ground. He had to move through them to reach the second level. The purpose of the first level was to gauge a person's willpower.

If he panicked, screamed, or showed a high level of fear, he would be disqualified.

Truth be told, they weren't poisonous, but would a normal person care about that? After all, a normal person wouldn't know which snake or scorpion was dangerous and which one wasn't.

Li Huo moved through them calmly. Outwardly, he appeared composed, but countless thoughts raced through his mind.

Why had he regressed? Did the being that regressed him enjoy seeing his miserable life?

On second thought, could he even trust the system? What if the process of selecting an heir was all nonsense?

He wasn't a fool—far from it ,he knew the system was trying to divert the topic by changing the conversation but he didn't care much about it,Even though he appeared easygoing and agreed with whatever the system said, it was all an act. Even his rage was a performance to gauge the system's intentions.

He knew he was a good actor, but he didn't believe he could fool the system. Maybe the system gave him information? Perhaps it was designed to show him some favor, but he didn't know for sure. All he could do was make some blind guesses.

He shook his head, pushing the messy thoughts aside. Even if he understood the system's intentions or the motives of the being that regressed him, what could he do? Dance in front of that being? Even if he knew the truth, he wouldn't be able to act on it. He was weak at this moment, and that was the truth.

Lost in his thoughts, he cleared the first level and stood before the door leading to the second level. After a moment, a green light illuminated above the door, indicating he had passed this level and was eligible for the next one.

He looked around the neat room. In contrast to the previous level, which had been filled with countless snakes, scorpions, and other disgusting creatures, this room was tidy and contained only a small machine with a note beside it and a thin needle placed on the other side.

He picked up the note and started reading in bold letters there was a statment written in the note : Drip your blood on the machine to gauge your blood vitality.

Blood vitality was an important factor to determine if he could progress smoothly through the three stages of body refining. If his blood vitality was low, he would be stuck in the three stages of body refining, much less advance to the next level, the three stages of internal energy.

An average person had a vitality score of 7 points, according to the machine. A good blood vitality score would be 10—not outstanding, but above average. To pass this round, he needed a minimum of 10 points of blood vitality.

Li Huo picked up the thin needle, gently pierced his ring finger, and squeezed it, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the designated area of the machine.

After a brief wait, the machine displayed the number 17, indicating he had 17 points of blood vitality which was considered excellent.

A moment later, the machine flashed "Passed," meaning he could move on to the next level.

Li Huo walked through the door and entered the third level, where he saw a pulling cart with a round boulder atop it and a note attached to the side.

As always, he read the note. It instructed: Pull the cart to the finish line without dropping the boulder.

The goal of the third level was straightforward: to gauge how much control the participants had over their bodies.

Without wasting time, Li Huo stood in front of the cart, gripping the handle firmly, making sure not to drop the unsteady, boulder.

He pulled the cart carefully , then dropped the boulder where it was supposed to be dropped.

Truth be told, the third level didn't mean much; they could train him to have better control over his body, while willpower and blood vitality were qualities that couldn't be compensated for in a short time.

As soon as he dropped the boulder, the final gate opened, granting him passage outside.

He stepped into a large playground-like area with a stage in the middle. Looking around, he noticed no one was in sight.

So, I'm the first one to pass their seemingly nonsensical test, huh?

Soon, a gate opened, and a man in baggy clothes walked out, clapping for him.

"Congratulations! It seems you're the first one to pass this test. You're lucky to now be considered among us martial practitioners."

He bowed slightly and introduced himself. "My name is Zhang Wei. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name, young participant?"

Li Huo replied shortly, "Li Huo."

"My, my! It seems you're quite dissatisfied with how we operate," Zhang Wei said, his tone apologetic but with a wry smile. "For that, I apologize. This is how our organization works."

[Why does he give off a weird vibe?] The system asked

"Beats me. I never met him in my previous life."

"Are you making the participants uncomfortable again, Zhang Wei?" a heavy female voice called from behind him.

Zhang Wei jumped and hurriedly waved his hand. "I wasn't making anyone uncomfortable, I swear, Sister Hua!"

"So, is this the participant who came in first?"

She extended her hand for a handshake and smiled politely. "My name is Hua Rong, but they call me Sister Hua around here."

"Li Huo," he replied, shaking her hand.

Sister Hua looked at Li Huo, and he returned the glance, taking in her appearance. She had silky black hair with obsidian black eyes she wore a tank top, baggy pants, and boots. Her skin was as white as a swan, and she had a well-defined, muscular build.

Meanwhile, Sister Hua observed Li Huo he also had black hair and black eyes with a mole on his chin and two moles on his neck she also pondered why he looked so feminine with that daunting name.

Snapping them out of their thoughts, countless gates opened, signaling the arrival of other participants who had passed.

"Okay, it's time to make an announcement," Sister Hua said sweetly to Li Huo as she made her way to the stage, with Zhang Wei following closely behind her.