Trial Begins

Suddenly, a dazzling white light, like a sharp sword, shot straight into the vast sky. Immediately after, a massive "Yellow" character appeared on the mysterious God Testing Stele.

This strange and peculiar sight, like thunder from a clear sky, caused the surrounding crowd to exclaim in astonishment. And the one who triggered this astonishing anomaly was a female disciple of the Crimson Sun Sect.

The woman wore a hood, her face lightly covered by a veil as thin as a cicada's wing, making it difficult to discern her true appearance. However, the disciple appeared calm and composed, showing no signs of panic. Only a hint of irrepressible excitement flickered in her slightly trembling eyes.

The woman from the Crimson Sun Sect glanced at their Senior Brother Hong, then gracefully walked towards the stone platform, passing through the protective barrier without any obstruction.

The woman casually glanced at Zhang Tie, but without a word, she sat down cross-legged on her own, closed her eyes, and began cultivating.

As soon as the Crimson Sun Sect woman sat down, another extremely brilliant pillar of white light, like a dragon emerging from the abyss, shot straight into the sky once more. Immediately, the pillar transformed from its initial pure white to a vibrant, blood-red hue. A strikingly clear red "Profound" character then appeared on the God Testing Stele.

Zhang Tie looked up again. The person before him was none other than the imposing Senior Brother Hong of the Crimson Sun Sect. His face was filled with arrogance, his expression suggesting that everything was under his control, as if it were all natural and expected. He then strode towards the teleportation array with powerful steps.

Senior Brother Hong reached the protective barrier and stepped through without hesitation, as if it were effortless. He then stopped steadily a few dozen feet away from Zhang Tie. The dozens of people outside also stopped their tests, quickly forming a line, holding their breath, their eyes sharp, as if they all sensed that something spectacular was about to happen.

"Hand over all your tokens, and I might spare your life," Senior Brother Hong said, his eyes like lightning, staring intently at Zhang Tie with a stern voice.

The Crimson Sun Sect female disciple, not far from Zhang Tie, also heard the commotion. She suddenly stood up, positioning herself to the left of Senior Brother Hong, forming an implicit pincer movement.

"You want the tokens? Why don't you come and get them yourself? But I should warn you beforehand, this is an ancient teleportation array left from antiquity. If we were to fight here, and I accidentally destroyed some of the runes or formations within the array, do you have anyone capable of finding the materials to repair it and restore it to its original state?" Zhang Tie remained calmly seated on the ground, without even lifting his head, and continued unhurriedly, "Of course, if you believe you have the ability to kill me instantly, then by all means, give it a try."

"Hmph! Can't you be like a real man and fight Senior Brother Hong honorably outside? Hiding here like this, what kind of man are you!" the Crimson Sun Sect woman behind Zhang Tie exclaimed angrily.

"Heh heh, you, a Body Cultivator covered in unsightly lumps, are talking to me about what it means to be a man? No wonder you're wrapped up so tightly. Are you ashamed to show your face?" Zhang Tie said with a mocking smile, his lips curling.

"You shameless bastard!" The red-robed girl seemed to have her scales ruffled, her emotions instantly losing control. Her pretty face turned red, her eyes wide with anger, and she immediately began to curse, "I will tear you to shreds!" With that, she rushed forward recklessly, intending to fight Zhang Tie to the death.

"Enough! This debt will be settled for now. We'll settle it after the trial ends," Senior Brother Hong said with a stern shout, his brow furrowed. Although the red-robed girl was filled with rage, she dared not disobey. She could only suppress her anger and return to her original spot resentfully, but her chest still heaved, clearly showing her lingering fury.

"The Crimson Fire Sect is truly different from others. Your tempers are all so fiery, always shouting about fighting and killing, trying to take lives. What great authority you wield," Zhang Tie sneered, continuing his mockery. Senior Brother Hong merely snorted and said no more, but his expression grew more somber, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, the onlookers reluctantly returned to their original positions, re-formed their lines, and began to continue their tests one after another.

In less than an hour, all the tests were completed. There were eleven people with Yellow-grade aptitude, and only two with Profound-grade. Of course, this did not include Zhang Tie, as most people were almost certain that Zhang Tie only had Yellow-grade aptitude.

The other person with Profound-grade aptitude was a rather peculiar individual. His hair was disheveled, his skin pale as if recovering from a long illness. Beneath his thick eyebrows were a pair of long, narrow eyes, a high-bridged aquiline nose, and blood-red lips, giving him a particularly eerie appearance.

He wore a black robe, and on his back was a pitch-black coffin much larger than himself. At first glance, it was certain that this was a disciple of the Corpse Refining Sect.

From the moment Zhang Tie saw the disciple of the Corpse Refining Sect, his mind was filled with questions: Why do these guys always carry such heavy coffins? Aren't they tired? Why don't they put them in their storage bags? Is it impossible to store them? Is it for the sake of looking cool?

Zhang Tie shook his head, trying to clear these chaotic thoughts from his mind and not dwell on them. The current situation was that both sides were roughly evenly matched in strength. Therefore, there would be no conflict within the teleportation array for the time being, and it would be difficult to easily provoke a fight outside. Thus, everyone waited quietly for the moment the trial would begin.

And so, everyone busied themselves with cultivation, remaining peaceful. Although several more sect disciples arrived during this time, including one from the Hundred Blossoms Sect, none of these latecomers possessed Yellow-grade or higher aptitude in Body Cultivation.

The long wait of nine days finally came to an end.

Just as everyone was immersed in the tranquil time of sitting and cultivating, suddenly, the nine stone pillars on the teleportation array simultaneously emitted dazzling white light. Immediately after, the runes on the entire teleportation array began to glow with mysterious spiritual light, like awakened serpents. The surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, and began to surge into the two mouths of the central monster on the teleportation array, which looked like a gaping maw, as if being swallowed by a whale.

After about fifteen minutes, while everyone was still in a state of extreme shock, the bodies of everyone within the teleportation array were instantly enveloped by a soft white light, and then disappeared without a trace in an instant. At the same time, the nine stone pillars on the teleportation array simultaneously erupted with even more brilliant white light, shooting straight into the sky.

And at the end of the light pillar's space-time, the outline of another mysterious space could be faintly glimpsed. There, palaces were scattered like stars, innumerable. Moreover, these palaces were intricately carved and exquisitely decorated, breathtakingly magnificent, as if they were the residences of immortals.

Just as everyone was feeling incredibly surprised and shocked by the dreamlike scene before them, the white light pillar and the strange scene at the end of the sky suddenly vanished completely, as if everything here had always been so peaceful and tranquil, as if nothing had ever happened.

And as this group of powerful Body Cultivators was teleported away, the gap in strength between those left behind immediately became clear. Whether in terms of numbers or strength, the Corpse Refining Sect and the Thousand Puppet Sect held a significant advantage.

A fierce battle instantly erupted like a volcanic eruption. Fireballs, ice cones, flying swords, giant hammers, puppets, zombies, and all sorts of other spells and magic artifacts filled the entire space like a shower of flowers. Laughter, shouts, and cries mingled in chaos. Fleeing figures were like startled birds, while pursuers were like ravenous wolves, the scene utterly chaotic.

Meanwhile, miles away, a dark-skinned, ordinary-looking youth looked back, listening to the sounds of intense fighting from the vicinity of the teleportation array. A slight smile played on his lips as he muttered to himself, "Hmph, the tokens are all gone, and they didn't pass the test. I wonder what these people are still foolishly lingering there for, watching the excitement." With that, he took to the wind, his figure like lightning, disappearing without a trace in a few breaths.