Murim Recurve

Unlike all the wooden houses in the Withered Courtyard, this was the sole three-storeyed building. Moreover, it occupied the housing space of at least four normal houses combined. It was a massive building relatively speaking.

The moment she stood before it, Ki'Nua could feel her heart rate accelerate as if she was sprinting through a forest trail. It was odd, for she was currently in a dream. So, the sense of realism unnerved her.

For a moment, Ki'Nua was unable to differentiate the dream from the real world. If someone told her she had been transported to the place in the real world, she would have believed it immediately.

After all, the chillness of the night, the faint wind that brushed past her, the gentle warmth radiated from the lanterns hung all over on the sides of the road she traversed, and finally, the prickling sensation she felt as she walked on the road, everything was exactly as if she had walked in the same place in reality.

She looked at the three-storeyed building before her, hesitant to set foot within as she looked at Ju'Tha, noticing the other party was faintly trembling. There was the emotion of zealous worship hidden amidst fear. 

Ki'Nua unconsciously gulped as Ju'Tha motioned at her with a respectful show of hands, "Please head inside. It is not wise to keep the Master waiting."

"R-Right," Ki'Nua nodded as her body turned rigid. Even though she wished to escape from the place, having arrived at the place numerous times, Ki'Nua realised that she had no other option but to comply. After all, she was currently in her dream.

Even if she were to escape now, as long as she slept, she would return to the place again. So, as long as the connection between them existed, Ki'Nua couldn't escape from the Withered Courtyard.

After taking in a deep breath, Ki'Nua took a step forward, placing her right foot on the first step. There were four steps to traverse before she could move through the house's entrance.

A formless pressure immediately impacted her, causing her to lose her balance and be thrown back. Ki'Nua stared with a blank expression as she was unable to make sense of the situation.

"Please try again," Ju'Tha stood at the side, saying with a tone of respect, treating Ki'Nua as her superior for some reason, "The Master is testing your mettle."

"Fine," For some reason, Ki'Nua didn't wish to relent. She was already deep into it, so in such a state, she just decided to see what will happen to her. She wasn't a character that would curl up in fear for too long.

Beyond a limit, she was the type to spring back with full force. Ki'Nua stood up with a start, pumping herself as she approached the flight of stairs, placing her leg on the first step. Now that she was prepared, when the formless pressure slammed into her, she curled her body accordingly to resist it, preventing herself from losing her balance.

In the same manner, Ki'Nua took the second step, feeling the pressure increase once again, almost overwhelming her. She began to sweat buckets, feeling that her body was on the verge of giving up.

"Ugh," She grunted, unwilling to give up so soon as she tried to scale up the third step. There were only four steps. So, she had already scaled up halfway. But, before she took the next step, Ki'Nua felt her head spun.

She seemed to be on the verge of fainting.

'I am already asleep. Then, why would I faint? This is a dream. So, in that case, is this a contest of my willpower?' Her expression firmed as Ki'Nua shouted, "If it's a contest of willpower, I am not that weak to give in."

Her vision cleared up as she took the third step, still able to bear the pressure that multiplied by twice. But, it seemed she was about to lost consciousness any moment. Before she lost consciousness, Ki'Nua shouted as she took the final step, noticing how the pressure had vanished immediately.

She then looked around, intending to see the expression of Ju'Tha for some reason, noticing her figure had disappeared.

The surroundings were eerily silent as she peered into the house through the open door, gulping as she took a step forward, entering the house. She stopped immediately, noticing a flight of stairs before her. There wasn't the living room she had expected, nor was there a floor to greet her. It was just a field of vacancy, as if the entire ground had caved in.

There was just a small path enough for her to take a couple of steps. And, trailing from it was a flight of stairs, proceeding deep into the ground as a spiral.

And, the lower one went, the darker the surroundings got, causing her to jitter like crazy from tension. Ki'Nua continued to descend through the flight of stairs, ignorant as to where she got all that courage from.

If it was the usual her, she would have refrained from proceeding lower in the flight of stairs. She would rather wait a fair distance away than take the risk. But now, something was urging her to move, giving her the necessary courage, and boldness that almost bordered recklessness.

That was the reason she did whatever she did in the Withered Courtyard. Her breaths turned slower and colder as Ki'Nua proceeded deep into the ground through the flight of stairs, now slowly surrounded by darkness that seemed like it would devour her any moment.

But slowly, a blue radiance was emitted from further below her, lighting up the surroundings steadily as she proceeded downward. As she continued forth, her surroundings lit up, becoming brighter and brighter.

The flight of stairs stopped as Ki'Nua arrived at a balcony of sorts, peeking out into a massive open area. And, seated before her on the ground was a figure that was a vortex of Ghost Qi. Just the figure's eyes were as big as her.

But the moment she looked at the face of the figure, Ki'Nua was stunned into silence, rooted to the spot in shock before she kneeled instinctually, "I greet our race's First."