Facing the Abyss as a Demon Cultivator

The Day of Awakening.

Chu Xiu sat at his desk, observing his classmates around him.

There were thirty-four students in the classroom, all participating in the Awakening Trial.

It was said that nearly three-fifths of the entire school had signed up this time, the highest ratio in years.

Chu Xiu and his peers, along with students from other schools in Jiang City, totaling five thousand, would be teleported by the Awakening Array to the same Abyssal world for the trial.

At the podium, their homeroom teacher, Tao Lei, was emphasizing the final points of caution.

“Students, you are about to participate in the Awakening Trial.”

“I know you are all well-versed in matters of the Abyss, but since it concerns your lives, I must reiterate.”

“The Abyssal worlds are remnants of worlds once devoured by the Abyss, lingering shadows under the influence of Abyssal power.”

“No one knows what you will encounter. The Abyss is filled with randomness and uncertainty. You might be hunted by wild beasts that have lifted their evolution restrictions and can grow indefinitely. You could be surrounded by fanatical demon worshippers, or you might enter a world submerged by oceans.”

“But what is certain is that no matter which world it is, it will be extremely dangerous. There is no paradise where you can pass the trial easily!”

Tao Lei's words heightened the already tense atmosphere among the students.

Seeing the fear in their eyes, Tao Lei softened his tone: “However, if you are well-prepared, you can greatly increase your chances of survival.”

“Does anyone remember the ‘Three No’s Principle’?”

“No panic, no infighting, no risk-taking,” someone answered from below.

“Exactly!” Tao Lei nodded. “I won’t dwell on not panicking. You all know that remaining calm is the top priority in any situation. In some worlds, losing your rationality can even attract terrifying entities.”

“What I want to emphasize is the latter two points: No infighting! No risk-taking!”

“In the Abyssal worlds, unity and mutual assistance are paramount! Only by working together and helping each other can you maximize your chances of survival!”

“Although the Abyss is beyond the protection of law, countless cases have proven that infighting only leads to total annihilation!”

Tao Lei tapped the blackboard heavily.

Most of the students below listened attentively, though a few remained indifferent.

To them, the Abyssal world was a place where the weak were prey to the strong. Useless classmates would only become burdens. Their best use would be as cannon fodder to clear the path and act as shields.

The teacher’s emphasis was nothing more than politically correct rhetoric.

Those who thought this way were mostly students with high Energy Levels or those from affluent families who had bought survival equipment for them in advance.

Tao Lei knew that the long-established worldview of these students couldn’t be changed with a few words, so he continued.

“Lastly, ‘No risk-taking.’”

“You might have seen online stories of people obtaining rare treasures during the Awakening Trial. It’s true that the drop rates in the trial worlds are much higher than usual, but do not take risks because of this!”

“Nine out of ten treasure hunters don’t survive!”

“As Awakeners, you will have plenty of opportunities to grow gradually. There’s no need to rush.”

“What you should do is avoid combat as much as possible and find a safe hiding place immediately.”

“Only if you awaken a B-level or higher Talent, or a high-level combat Profession, should you consider exploring more benefits in the trial.”

Tao Lei’s words reminded Chu Xiu of an online case.

There was an Awakener named Zhang Quan whose Talent and Profession were ordinary, but he accidentally obtained a legendary growth-type treasure during his Awakening Trial and became a hot new star.

Then he mysteriously died.

No one knew who ended up with that legendary treasure, as there weren’t many high-profile fools like Zhang Quan.

“The teacher is right; those treasures aren’t something I should consider. Survival is the key.”

Chu Xiu thought to himself.

The homeroom teacher continued to talk, repeating familiar points until the clock struck nine. He then led the students to the playground.

Here, a huge Awakening Array had been drawn, and all five thousand students gathered around it.

Most were wearing ordinary clothes, but a few had unique equipment, such as spears, greatswords, or even enchanted firearms.

These students mostly stood in small groups, forming distinct circles separate from the others.

In the Abyss, only items tainted with Abyssal aura could be teleported, and such items were extremely expensive. Many students had to start with nothing but their clothes.

Chu Xiu's family was not wealthy, and all they could provide was a set of ordinary clothing.

“Ah Xiu, find me as soon as we enter the Abyss,” Zhang Qingshan reminded him one last time.

“Don't worry,” Chu Xiu nodded firmly.

Once all the students stepped into the array, a blinding light shone above them.

In the next moment, the array brightened, and five thousand students disappeared from their original spot.

“Buzz—”

With a deafening hum, Chu Xiu felt his body lift off the ground, and the space around him began to warp and twist as if he were traversing through endless dimensions.

Before he could react, he crashed heavily onto the ground.

“Bang!”

The rough texture of gravel pressed against his palms, and the impact made his knees ache slightly.

Dizziness washed over him like waves, but he fought the urge to retch and forced his eyes open.

The glaring light pierced his retinas, creating halos in his vision. Chu Xiu quickly lowered his head, taking a while to adjust to the intense brightness.

He squinted, surveying his surroundings.

He seemed to be in a long-abandoned bedroom. Dust covered the floor, the wooden bed in the corner looked about to collapse, its paint peeling, and the bedding had lost its color, with only faint cartoon patterns visible.

Chu Xiu sat against the wall. Above his head was a window with only the frame remaining, and hot, dry air blew in continuously from outside.

Propping himself up, he glanced out the window. He saw dilapidated high-rise buildings, yellow sand sweeping through the streets, and a lifeless, post-apocalyptic scene.

It appeared he was in a large modern apocalyptic city.

Suddenly, a massive shadow swiftly passed below, startling Chu Xiu into quickly retracting his gaze.

“That seemed like... a giant bird?”

No, it was a creature more terrifying than a bird. Even from the brief glimpse, Chu Xiu had seen the sharp bone spurs growing from its back, an unnatural feature for any normal creature.

He began to organize his thoughts:

“I should be in an apartment building, around the twentieth floor. This seems to be a post-apocalyptic world with mutated creatures. It's still unclear if there are any local survivors.”

As Chu Xiu pondered, faint text appeared before his eyes.

[Trial participants are being datafied...]

[Datafication complete. Loading world information...]

[Loading complete.]

[Current World: β-21272417]

[World Danger Level: Seven]

[Area Danger Level: Three]

[Trial Mission: Survive for Seven Days]

[Challenge Missions: 1. Accumulate 100 kills of F-rank creatures 2. Kill any D-rank creature 3. Destroy one nest]

[World Mission: Kill the Zombie King in the central city area]

[Note: Completing the trial mission will return you to your world. Challenge and world missions will remain active for thirty days. Trial participants can re-enter the world at any time after the cooldown period to continue their attempts.]

Seeing the text before him, Chu Xiu silently marveled.

“It seems this trial is quite challenging, with an area danger level reaching three! And there are three challenge missions and one world mission.”

Typically, most trials had a danger level of one or two, with some lucky ones even encountering a level zero.

Of course, the higher the danger level, the better the rewards for completing the trial.

Challenge and world missions offered extremely high rewards and allowed multiple participants to complete them together, with contributions automatically judged based on performance.

The difference was that there was only one world mission, and once someone completed it, others would lose the opportunity.

Naturally, these missions were incredibly difficult, and few could complete them during the trial phase.

However, passing the trial would leave a [Beacon] in this world, allowing re-entry at any time.

So, Chu Xiu's current goal was simple.

Survive!

“This should be a zombie apocalypse world,” he began to think.

“Based on the giant mutated creature I just saw, the zombies here are likely not the slow-moving targets from movies but rather formidable beings.”

“The system's tasks are clearly listed in order of difficulty, with the later tasks being harder but offering better rewards.”

“Should I just try to survive for seven days, or attempt the higher difficulty tasks?”

The answer to this question depended on what kind of [Talent] and [Profession] Chu Xiu awakened.

Knowing this was the moment that would decide his fate, Chu Xiu took a deep breath and opened his character panel.

[Name] Chu Xiu

[Rank] F-rank Level 0 (0/100)

[Physique] 0.94 [Spirit] 2.25 [Energy Level] 0.81 [Equipment] Worn cotton clothing

[Profession] Heir of the Demonic Path

[Talent] Perfect Refinement