The Three Trials (Part One)
The Purgatory Elder hovered in mid-air, his voice calm, yet it rang clearly in everyone's ears.
At the summit of Sword Peak, all the Cultivator pricked up their ears, partly to hear the specific details of the Dragon Phoenix Ranking selection, and partly out of respect for the Void Realm Great Expert.
"Everyone, I believe you all know very well that the Dragon Phoenix Ranking is not just a stage for young Cultivator in Yanling Commandery to compete. Its main purpose is to determine the qualifications for entering the Hundred Emperors Tomb's Mausoleum. Therefore, the Dragon Phoenix Ranking selects and promotes the most outstanding geniuses. Only in this way will you not disgrace Yanling Commandery in the Hundred Emperors Tomb' Mausoleum."
Purgatory Elder's words were calm, but they stirred the emotions and ignited the passion of everyone present.
Although there is open and covert competition among the various Sect within Yanling Commandery, if they were to venture out and enter the Hundred Emperors Tomb, where young experts from the Thirteen Commanderies of the Great Qin Empire would gather on the same stage, then the Cultivator within Yanling Commandery would naturally unite as one.
"Alright, enough with the nonsense. According to the rules, before each Dragon Phoenix Ranking selection officially begins, participants must Three Trials to determine their eligibility," Purgatory Elder said without saying much more, getting straight to the point and announcing the content of the trials.
Purgatory Elder's words invigorated everyone present Three Trials was a rule of the Dragon Phoenix Ranking, and many of them were well aware of it.
The threshold for participating in the Dragon Phoenix Ranking is very low. In the entire Yanling Commandery, there are at least seven or eight thousand qualified people, if not ten thousand. Therefore, the Three Trials challenge is designed to eliminate most of the weak and leave only the most outstanding few.
"The first challenge: The Wolf Pack Trial!" Purgatory Elder announced. With a gentle wave of his hand, a massive painting appeared, depicting millions of wolves howling towards the sky, each one incredibly lifelike.
"Everyone participating in the Dragon Phoenix Ranking selection must go inside; don't even think about killing all the wolves inside. If you can last for the time it takes to brew One Incense Stick of tea, you've passed the first test."
Purgatory Elder's words brought undisguised joy to everyone present. A pack of wolves? Perhaps an endless pack of wolves would be terrifying to ordinary people, but who among them wasn't a accomplished genius? Why would they fear such a pack of wolves?
Even if, as Purgatory Elder said, it was impossible to kill all the wolves, it should still be able to sustain them for the time it takes to brew One Incense Stick of tea.
Seeing the knowing looks on everyone's faces, Purgatory Elder's lips curled into a wicked smile. He continued, "Furthermore, let me tell you something else: the weakest wolf in this pack is Five-Star Monster Beast, and the strongest have even reached the level of Fairy."
"...".
Purgatory Elder's words froze the smiles on everyone's faces. They could hardly believe their ears. The weakest was at least Five-Star Monster Beast? And the powerful ones had even reached the level of Fairy?
How is this possible? An endless, enormous herd? Doesn't that mean a pack of beasts at least at the Innate Realm?
"Alright, now those who still have the courage to go in, go ahead. You have ten breaths to choose," Purgatory Elder said, drawing a circle of light in the air with his finger as he looked at the drastically changed expressions on everyone's faces.
Some stepped forward, some retreated. The weakest of them were Five-Star Monster Beast? An endless horde of them—just thinking about it sent chills down one's spine. However, many confident, even arrogant individuals stepped proudly into the circle of light.
Ten breaths is not short, but for many people struggling with their inner turmoil, it feels incredibly long. To go in or not to go in? Endless Demon Wolf await, and going in might mean never coming out alive.
"Are you kidding me? Who but someone who has reached the Deity Transformation stage could pass such a test?"
"That's right, I can't let my life be wasted here."
"No! I don't want to participate! There's also Fairy Demon Wolf level!"
Many people retreated step by step, looking in horror at the halo drawn by the Purgatory Elder, as if they could see endless Demon Wolf rushing out at any moment. They wanted to get a good ranking on the Dragon Phoenix Ranking, but the first of the Three Trials was already terrifying.
Ten breaths passed in the blink of an eye. Ignoring the thoughts of these Human Heart, when the time was up, Purgatory Elder flicked his finger.
An irresistible attraction emanated from the scroll filled with Demon Wolf, and all the Cultivator stepped into the light circle were sucked into the scroll.
In a flash, Zhuge Xiang reappeared to find himself standing on a vast, boundless grassland. In the distance, he could see a dark, imposing pack of wolves rushing towards him like a tsunami...
Although the scroll is not large, it contains a world within it, just like the Asura Purgatory Diagram from before. These Cultivator participated in the Dragon Phoenix Ranking assessment appeared randomly in the world of the painting. In the painting world within a radius of a thousand miles, unless Luck are extremely lucky, it is difficult to encounter other people.
"The time it takes to brew One Incense Stick of tea? I really wish this time could be extended..." Without the ability to Devourer's Treasure in actual combat, Zhuge Xiang could only use the Azure Nether Blade. Instead of retreating, he charged towards the wolf pack, secretly feeling somewhat disappointed.
The more Demon Wolf Zhuge Xiang slays, the more experience he gains. Zhuge Xiang wishes he could stay here for three days and three nights without leaving.
When others heard about the strength of these Demon Wolves and the fact that it would only take the time it takes to drink One Incense Stick of tea, they were all horrified and trembling with fear. Most of them didn't even have the courage to step into the world of the painting. But Zhuge Xiang did the opposite. He wished that these Demon Wolves would be even stronger and last even longer. It's estimated that no one else would have such a thought except for Zhuge Xiang.
With his Blade Intent fully unleashed, Zhuge Xiang wielded the Azure Nether Blade, unleashing an incomparably domineering Blade Qi that slashed fiercely into the wolf pack, sending corpses flying everywhere. The scene was truly bloody and gruesome. However, the continuous system notifications made Zhuge Xiang burst into laughter.
"Ding! Killed Five-Star superior-grade Demon Wolf, gained 5200 experience points."
"Ding! Killed Five-Star Low Grade Demon Wolf, gained 1800 experience points."
"Ding! Killed Six-Star superior-grade Demon Wolf, gained 25,000 experience points."
Zhuge Xiang's cultivation has reached the Eighth Layer of Return to Simplicity Realm. When he kills monsters of a higher level, he receives a bonus to Experience Points. The greater the difference in cultivation level, the more experience points he receives. Similarly, the experience gained from killing weaker opponents will be less. With Hu Ge's current cultivation level, killing a Low Grade -Five-Star Demon Wolf would only yield a mere 2,000 experience points.
Even so, Zhuge Xiang continued his fierce battles, albeit slowly, but his Experience Points on his Character Interface steadily increased... (To be continued...)
P. S.: I was incredibly busy until very late today, setting a new production record, but I'm completely exhausted. I'll stop here for now and go to sleep. I have to go to the market to buy raw materials at 6 AM tomorrow. Please subscribe and vote! Your support is my biggest motivation to keep writing!