"Wakey, wakey, little sleepiy! The m has arrived! It's time to wake up and face the challenges of today. Hehehe."

  A pyful voice echoed in Yuan's ears as he slept. The tone carried a hint of amusement, teasing him awake.

  Still half-asleep, Yuan groaned softly, humming zily as he tried to bury himself deeper into sleep. But before he could drift off again, the once amused voice returned,only this time, its tone was far less pleasant.

  "Wake up, brat. We don't have all the time uhe heavens… or perhaps we do. But if you insist on sleeping, be prepared to face the sequences."

  The moment those cold, ruthless words reached Yuan's ears, an icy dread crept up his spine. His body tensed instinctively, and he jolted upright, his once drowsy mind now fully awake.

  Blinking rapidly, he looked up at the Azure Ghost. Then, realizing he had likely angered his senior, he quickly bowed his head and saluted, his voice filled with sincere respect.

  "Good m, Senior! This child has been careless and angered you. Please be patient with this one!"

  The Azure Ghost chuckled, clearly amused by Yuan's rea. Waving his hand dismissively, he let out a lighthearted ugh.

  "Angered? Hardly. I simply wao wake you up, and I succeeded. That's all there is to it. Now the's move on,there is much to do before we face the rial!"

  Hearing that they had other matters to attend to before the trial, Yuan tilted his head in fusion.

  "Senior, what other things must we do?" he asked, curiosity shining in his eyes.

  The Azure Ghost smirked, his voice carrying an air of authority.

  "Oh, nothing too difficult,just ensuring that you don't meet an untimely end the moment you step into the rial. You see, the rial is always focused oher bat or survival. You might have to flee from a powerful beast, battle one directly, or survive in an enviroeeming with monsters. The problem is…" The ghost's smirk deepened. "You are far too weak."

  Yuaement dimmed slightly at those words, but the Azure Ghost tinued.

  "Right now, you are helpless in the face of true power. If you enter a beast beyond your strength, no pn in the world will save you. Against absolute power, cleverness alone is useless. That's why before we move on, we o fix that weakness of yours."

  Hearing those words, Yuan's earlier fusion was repced with excitement.

  "Senior! Does that mean… I will bee stronger?" he asked, his eyes lighting up with anticipation.

  The Azure Ghost let out a knowing chuckle.

  "Hehe, look at you. The moment I mention training, your excitement fres up instantly. Well, I was the same when I first learned my first martial teique." The ghost's expression turhoughtful. "However, we don't have much time for true training. I 't teach you fist or sword teiques,fist teiques require time to temper the body, and you don't have a sword to practice with. Even if we tried using the Green Royal Key as a on, it wouldn't work."

  The ghost folded his arms before tinuing.

  "So instead, we will focus on something far more important,fleeing. Running away is the most crucial skill for survival. No matter how strong an oppo is, if you escape, you live to fight another day. And as luck would have it, you have entered me, a master of survival."

  The Azure Ghost's tone shifted to one of pride and arrogance, his azure fmes flickering like an amused grin.

  "Heaven itself must have blessed you, child. Because under my guidance, you will learn the fi methods of survival,methods that have saved me from tless life ah situations. By the time I'm doh you, , no cultivator, and no for this world will be able to catch you easily!"

  "Heh, disappointed, aren't we?" The Azure Ghost chuckled, a mischievous glint flickering in his spectral eyes. "Hehehe… You think fleeing is weak? Let me tell you a little story, boy."

  His voice grew lower, his tone filled with dark amusement.

  "Once, I found myself surrounded by ten cultivators, all stroha the time. They thought they had me ered. In the end, only six of them walked away."

  He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.

  "Yes, I killed four of them… and used that opportunity to escape."

  Yuan's breath hitched. Fainst ten oppos strohan him?

  The Azure Ghost's fmes flickered as he tinued.

  "Do you want to know how I did it?"

  His grin widened.

  "I id traps. Everywhere. These arrogant fools were so sure of their victory, they didn't even sider the possibility of a scheme. One of them fell first,dead in an instant. The others? They were enraged, blinded by fury, rushing toward me like wild beasts."

  His flickering form crackled as he relived the moment.

  "But, do you know what happened ? Just whehought they had me ered,I had something prepared."

  The Azure Ghost ughed, his amusement growing.

  "Hehe… I lured them into a perfect trap! They were so focused on me, so obsessed with revehat they failed to notice what y ahead. In their moment of hesitation,I struck."

  He raised a hand, mimig the motion of a deadly blow.

  "Three more fell. Their corpses still warm. But I didn't stay to enjoy the moment,I had no reason to. Because while I escaped, they had much bigger problems than me. You see, in my desperation, I had guided them toward something far worse thah…

  A slow, eerie chuckle escaped his lips.

  "A Demonic Beast."

  Yuan's body stiffened.

  The Azure Ghost leaned in slightly.

  "A beast so powerful it could erase them with a single swing. While they panicked, I ran. But that wasn't all… I had made sure of something."

  He smirked.

  "I left behind a treasure,one rare enough to tempt both man a alike. You see, this particur treasure gave off a st irresistible to both cultivators and Demonic Beasts."

  Yuan's eyes widened as realization dawned.

  "They didn't just have to fight the beast… they had to fight their own greed."

  The Azure Ghost ughed again, shaking his head.

  "In the end, I don't know how many survived. But I do know ohing… I was long gone by then."

  Yuan was stunned.

  A single man, outnumbered and outmatched, not only survived but sughtered four of his pursuers ahe rest to their doom?

  It was beyond shog,it was terrifying.

  And the Azure Ghost wasn't do.

  "Hehe, now, boy, do you want to know the key to my escape?"

  Yuan swallowed hard, then nodded.

  The Azure Ghost's fmes fred proudly.

  "I used a very special teique. A movement teique unlike any other,ohat I created myself!"

  He stretched out a hand, his form flickering with excitement.

  "This teique is called Azure Dragon Steps. A u crafted by her tha is a movement teique that allows for absolute speed aion. And the best part? Even without purified blood or spiritual energy, the first step still be used!"

  Yuan's heart pounded as the Azure Ghost spoke the name of the first step.

  "The first step,Wingless Dragon!"

  "Azure Dragon Steps, first step,Wingless Dragon…"

  Repeating the words of the Azure Ghost, Yua a surge of excitement flood his mind. A teique with "Dragon" in its name,how could he not be fasated by it?

  Seeing Yuan's eager expression, the Azure Ghost's mood visibly improved. His flickering form crackled with energy, and his voice carried a hint of pride.

  "But that's just the beginning! The first step is merely a foundation. The real brilliance of this teique lies in its ter steps!"

  His azure fmes fred, his voice filled with vi.

  "The sed step,Bone Dragohe third,Illusioned Dragohe fourth,Winged Dragon Step! And finally, the fifth and st step,True Dragon Step!"

  Eaame carried a weight, a promise of unfathomable speed and power. Yuan's breath hitched as the Azure Ghost tinued.

  "Each step surpasses the st. If you master this teique pletely and execute the True Dragon Step, you will move with the speed of a dragon itself!"

  The ghost paused, his tone deepening.

  "But what truly makes the Azure Dragon Steps unique is its adaptability. This teique is crafted in a way that allows the user to utilize external spiritual energy,through spirit stones or other sources,rather than relying solely on their own."

  Yuan's eyes widened.

  "Of course," the ghost tinued, "the higher the step, the greater the price. The Bone Dragon Step alone demands an immense amount of energy, making it nearly impossible to sustain for long. But it is possible."

  The ghost's fmes flickered, a knowing grin spreading across his face.

  "Now, you might be w… if we don't have spirit stones or access to a stable energy source, why am I even teag you this?"

  He chuckled.

  "Well, normally, I could grant you temporary spiritual energy to practice, but that energy would vanish the moment the fourth trial begins. However…" The ghost raised a flickering hand, revealing a familiar object.

  "The heavens have favored us, for we have the Green Royal Key."

  Yuaement surged.

  "The Green Royal Key isn't just a key to the Royal Chamber of the ed Ghost Pri still holds a small amount of spiritual energy,energy that wasn't fully used when sing your senses. And that, my young friend, means you use the Azure Dragon Steps!"

  The realization hit Yuan like a thundercp.

  He could use it.

  He could truly wield a teique that allowed him to move like a dragon!

  Yuan's heart pounded as his face lit up with sheer exhiration.

  "Senior! This child is beyond hoo learn the legendary Azure Dragon Steps! No matter the cost, I will dedicate myself to mastering this teique!"

  Dropping to one knee, his voice rang with unwaveriermination.

  "Please, Senior! Teach me the Azure Dragon Steps!"

  The Azure Ghost burst into ughter, his fmes dang with amusement.

  "Hehehe… o beg, child. I will teach you the Azure Dragon Steps freely, without dition!"

  He lifted his hand, the azure fmes fring like a bea.

  "Now, listen carefully… and prepare yourself!"