Yuki felt sick. She looked at the rotting corpses around her and wanted a bath. “I killed them all! Let me bathe!” 

“Alright.” The voice sounded out with a bit of humor in it.

Yuki saw her world transform into a hot spring bath, and her eyes lit up. She was about to strip when she paused and asked: “No one can see me in here, right?”

“No. This entire place is separated from the mystic realm you were in. So even those who are watching the others outside can not see in.” The voice replied. 

Yuki sighed with relief as she stripped down. She would not do this if the voice was male, but since it was female, she had no issues. She started washing up and was just about done when the voice once more entered her ear. “Little Fox, you should undo your technique and wash your tail. It is not looking so good.”

Yuki was half standing up when she paused and sat back down. She undid her transformation technique and looked at her poor tail, which was matted with bits of zombie. 

She took an hour caring for her tail before finally settling into the hot bath. She could feel her bones and muscles relaxing as the warmth of the water settled in. She had killed hundreds of thousands of zombies for who knows how many days. She had lost count completely since it was hard to tell the time of day in a place where the sky never changed.

Water trickled down Yuki’s neck as she leaned back and stretched her arms. She stared up at the wooden ceiling overhead and wondered just what this place was. Nothing seemed like an illusion. It was as if everything here was real. “Hey, since I am going to be doing the third trial anyway, can you tell me what this is all about? The soul consumption technique, the strange aura that I can not seem to suppress, all of it. Were you a demonic cultivator?”

“No, well, I guess it would be close to it. However, I think you are not one to judge when you have both spiritual qi and demonic qi in your body. While I have no idea how you were able to have two dantians and how you have been cultivating both qi’s as you are. 

“What you are cultivating is the asura’s path. A path that walks through the blood of others, gaining strength by consuming the souls of those you kill. What you have done so far was get your body prepared for the final trial. Each trial needs you to kill your opponents. The aura around you is the killing intent and blood lust you are accumulating with each kill. As for hiding this, it will come naturally. When you gain my full inheritance after completing the last trial, you will learn everything that needs to be learned.” The voice answered.

“I see. Asura huh? So You are basically making me into a killing machine?” Yuki asked. She did not mind as long as she could gain strength, and so far, she had gained a lot in the last trial.

“In a way. An asura shows no hesitation in killing their enemies. They show no hesitation in slaughter and find joy in it. The act of bloodshed can go two ways. One way is someone who has lost their mind to the joy of killing, while the other is restrained but still uses the power of their enemies to strengthen themselves. You walk the path of blood. How you act is up to you. How you wish to gain strength is up to you but know this. Cultivators fear a real asura. I was feared to the point that the top sects and hidden families sent thousands of their own to try to kill me, only to end up dead at the end of my blade.

“Do not fear death. Do not fear killing. Do not fear the path of blood, as it will only benefit you in the end. But as someone of the same race, I will ask you.” The voice paused for a moment before continuing: “Do not kill the innocent. No power comes from slaughtering the masses.”

Yuki was silent. She had no qualms with what was said, but the last part was what surprised her the most and made her wonder even more who this person was. But she did know one thing at this time, and that was…. “Don’t worry. I will never kill those who do not wish me harm. But…. There is one group or groups of people I will need to kill. My clan, my village, and everyone in it were either killed or taken away. My family. My friends. All of them. Why this is, I do not know, but I do know that no matter how many corpses I need to walk over, I will continue forward until I kill them all.”

“I see…. I guess the village was unable to stay safe….” The voice mumbled the last of her words so low that Yuki could not hear. “Then, once you have rested for another day, you will undergo your last trial. The next trial is basically the same but this time…. You will be killing humans.”

- - -

“Four days….” Elder Nishikawa was still staring at the stone wall that Yuki had disappeared at and wondered if she was okay. For a young girl who had already gone through so much, she could only hope that no matter what happened, she would be safe. She bit the tip of her finger and wondered if she should just barge into the mystic realm, even if it meant she would be detected by those she had been hiding from for so long. 

The sect master placed his hand on Elder Nishikawa’s shoulder and said: “Give it time. If she is undertaking a trial of some kind, then it might take more time. I promise I will not close this mystic realm until she comes out. Just do not do anything stupid. You bringing danger to yourself is not something she would want, right?” 

“Tch!” Elder Nishikawa turned her head and glared at the old man. She hated it when he made sense!