Hell-Level Difficulty, This Is Deadly!

Guardian Land, City Lord's Mansion.

This place, which usually had few people, was now surrounded by a large crowd.

No one could refuse the City Lord's Mansion's summons.

And those who refused had only one path: death!

"Later, stay by my side and keep an eye out for a black-haired youth who looks much more composed than the others."

Zhao Chen looked at Wu Yingying and Song Yuqing beside him and quietly reminded them:

"His name is Mu Chen. He was my classmate at Northern Spiritual Academy before I came here."

In truth, this was also a precaution.

It would prevent them from fighting each other, perhaps even to the death.

After all, Northern Spiritual Realm had not seen Spiritual Road Trial participants like them in over a decade.

Moreover, they were all new classmates from the East Courtyard of Northern Spiritual Academy.

Most importantly, Mu Chen had a powerful family background that was even more formidable than the entire Northern Spiritual Realm.

As long as no conflict arose, befriending him was the right choice.

When wandering the martial world, aside from taking blows, one also needed to make many friends.

Who knew? One day, one of his friends might become the Flame Emperor of the Endless Fire Territory, whose name resounded throughout the Great Thousand World, or the Martial Ancestor of the Martial Realm.

With someone like that backing him up, who would dare not show respect?

It was never wrong to look further ahead.

The martial world was not just about fighting and killing; it was also about social ties and worldly dealings.

"Okay, okay!"

Wu Yingying and Song Yuqing memorized the name. Since he was a classmate from Northern Spiritual Academy who had come out with Zhao Chen, his strength probably was not weak.

They had to remember it carefully, lest they start fighting later and accidentally injure an ally.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, three figures emerged.

The man in the middle wore white and looked to be in his thirties. His name was Jiang Jie.

The two behind him wore Blue Clothes and were somewhat younger.

They were clearly three instructors chosen by the Five Great Academies to oversee the five Guardian Lands.

"Everyone, you have been summoned here because the conditions to open the Trial Ground have been met within the stipulated time. Three days from now, the Trial Ground will open. All of you must enter it. Once you complete your tasks and return, you will receive generous rewards."

The white-clothed instructor, Jiang Jie, surveyed the crowd and said in a deep voice:

"In the Life and Death Trial before the Final Spiritual Road opens, only the top thirty will qualify to enter the Final Spiritual Road."

The crowd's pupils contracted slightly. They could vaguely sense that the Life and Death Trial would be extremely dangerous.

Only the top thirty could enter the Final Spiritual Road.

What about everyone else?

"Are you all very curious about what will happen to the rest?"

The white-clothed instructor Jiang Jie chuckled before saying:

"The Life and Death Trial lasts only half a month. If thirty people can make it out, that is already a very good result."

As for everyone else, whether they lived or died would be up to fate.

"I won't participate! Why should I go to the Life and Death Trial to throw away my life?!"

Someone had realized that the Life and Death Trial was a trap.

Rather than go to his death outright, he would rather refuse to participate.

Who said he had to take part?

Upon hearing this, the white-clothed instructor Jiang Jie immediately fixed his gaze on the buzz-cut youth and coldly asked:

"Are you sure you won't participate?"

Good. An opportunity to kill the chicken and scare the monkeys had arrived.

Before every Life and Death Trial at a Spiritual Road Guardian Land began, there would always be some ignorant brat who dared disrupt morale here and attempt to defy the rules of the Spiritual Road.

And such people usually met miserable ends.

"Yes, I refuse to participate in the Life and Death Trial, and I also give up my qualification to continue participating in the Spiritual Road!"

The buzz-cut youth seemed to have long since stopped wanting to remain here. This place was nothing like the wonderful world he had imagined before coming here, where he could slaughter his way through everyone. When reality burst that illusion, all that remained for him was confusion.

"Then..."

The white-clothed instructor Jiang Jie sneered repeatedly and shouted, "Then go die!"

A massive hand suddenly appeared above the buzz-cut youth's head.

With a light squeeze, a living person who had been perfectly fine just moments ago turned into a cloud of blood mist.

The sight instantly terrified many people senseless.

Even Wu Yingying and Song Yuqing, who were standing beside Zhao Chen, were so shocked by the white-clothed instructor Jiang Jie's ruthless move that they took two steps back and hid behind Zhao Chen.

There was no helping it. The gap in strength was simply too great.

The white-clothed instructor Jiang Jie swept his icy gaze across the crowd and said:

"Giving up your qualification for the Spiritual Road examination means choosing death. Whoever wants to die may step forward. I'll give you a hand!"

Entering the Life and Death Trial still gave them a chance to come out alive.

But if they wanted to refuse to enter the Life and Death Trial and give up their qualification for the Spiritual Road examination, then sorry, there was only one path: death!

A voice like that of a demon from hell rang beside everyone's ears.

Thinking of the buzz-cut youth's miserable death just now, many youths who had been considering backing out immediately shut their mouths tight.

Though their legs trembled, none of them dared withdraw.

There was still some difference between dying early and dying late.

Besides, people who loved to smile probably would not have bad luck... probably.

Zhao Chen's expression did not change as he said quietly, "Listen carefully. They'll explain the Life and Death Trial soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone asked about the Life and Death Trial.

Since they were bound to enter it, learning more about it sooner should make them a little safer.

The white-clothed instructor Jiang Jie gave a calm introduction. "The Life and Death Trial grounds contain all kinds of spirit beasts, as well as many rare flowers and herbs. The Crimson Token will automatically record the number and level of spirit beasts you kill inside. At the end, they will be compared together, and the person with the highest score will be the champion!"

"As for what methods you use to obtain points, that is your own business."

The Life and Death Trial did not care about the process.

Only the final score mattered!

This meant that slaughter would be the absolute theme of the Life and Death Trial.

Whether hunting spirit beasts or fighting and killing each other over spoils, slaughter would undoubtedly accompany it all.

In the end, only thirty people could enter the Final Spiritual Road stage.

"Excuse me, Instructor, do the points we gain from killing spirit beasts now count toward the Life and Death Trial?"

Someone was very puzzled by this. If they did not count, then there seemed to be no point in earning them.

"They count. Why wouldn't they?"

Jiang Jie snorted coldly. "But how many points can you gain in these three days?"

Did they really think he did not know the situation in this Guardian Land?

At most, there were only Third-Level Spirit Bodies.

Even Fang Zhong, who had monopolized the missions before, had only three thousand points on his Crimson Token.

What did three thousand points amount to?

Clearly, the three instructors had not noticed Zhao Chen's situation.

Otherwise, they definitely would not have remained so calm.

"Instructor, is our Guardian Land the only one that needs to undergo the Life and Death Trial, or will all five Guardian Lands hold it together?"

The former would bring relatively less pressure.

But it would also make people more uncomfortable.

Why should only their Guardian Land have to undergo the Life and Death Trial?

As for the latter, that would simply be hell-level difficulty—deadly!