Sea Trials

At first, the section on the artifact-refining technique contained only a few profound and abstruse words. There were no memories concerning this aspect, so Luo Zheng could only slowly feel his way forward on his own.

In the end, Luo Zheng's consciousness stopped before the giant furnace. Of the nine Dragon Shaped Sculptures, only the Azure Dragon had awakened. Its faint gaze looked down upon him, revealing the supreme majesty of the dragon race.

Remembering how his soul had nearly collapsed and disintegrated beneath the Azure Dragon's gaze, Luo Zheng still felt a lingering fear.

Ever since his soul had been tempered inside the giant furnace, its strength had increased greatly.

Now that he was being watched by the Azure Dragon, he could still feel immense pressure. His soul consciousness was suppressed by a tremendous might. It felt as though his physical body had been pinned beneath a great mountain—heavy, leaving him unable to catch his breath.

His soul was now strong enough to withstand the Azure Dragon's gaze, but how could he communicate with it?

Facing this terrifying Azure Dragon, Luo Zheng felt as tiny as a speck of dust. He tried to approach the Dragon Shaped Sculpture, but the closer he came, the heavier his soul felt. It was as though ten thousand thoughts were shouting at him: Run!

To hell with it! Luo Zheng summoned his courage and drove his soul forward in one breath. The closer he got to the Azure Dragon Sculpture, the greater the spatial pressure ahead became. His speed grew slower and slower, as though he were walking through thick mud.

The intense might radiating from the Azure Dragon made Luo Zheng's teeth chatter uncontrollably. Even when he clenched them hard, he could not suppress the urge to retreat.

Yet determination flashed in Luo Zheng's eyes. That courage drove him forward without hesitation. In the end, he withstood the pressure of the Azure Dragon's gaze, successfully drew close, and reached out to touch one of its whiskers.

Before long, a soft dragon roar came from the Azure Dragon's mouth. The giant furnace slowly began to turn, and a wisp of Black Fire separated from the tranquil Black Flame within the furnace and drifted outward.

"Success!"

Sure enough, this giant furnace possessed its own consciousness, and it could communicate with Luo Zheng.

Although Luo Zheng did not know whether this consciousness belonged to the furnace itself or to the Azure Dragon, he had indeed succeeded in communicating with it this time and drawing out a wisp of Black Fire.

In the inn room, Luo Zheng suddenly opened his eyes. Almost at the same time, that tiny wisp of Black Fire leaped out from between his brows and spun once in the air.

The wisp of Black Fire seemed to possess no power at all. Luo Zheng could not even feel any heat radiating from it.

But he did not dare underestimate this wisp of Black Fire.

The Karma Fire Sword was a High-Grade Profound Artifact. After being tempered by Xie Lang's second-grade True Fire for so long, it had merely been burned red rather than destroyed. Yet this wisp of Black Fire had melted the Karma Fire Sword into Iron Essence in the blink of an eye.

Such power completely exceeded Luo Zheng's understanding. He had no way to assess the might of the Black Fire.

It was just a pity that he could not control this Black Fire. If he could bring it out to face his enemies, he would be invincible wherever he went.

The Black Fire soon noticed the blood-colored great hammer before Luo Zheng. After locking onto its direction, it rolled toward the blood-colored great hammer.

This blood-colored great hammer was a Middle Grade Profound Artifact. Compared with the Karma Fire Sword, its grade was a full level lower. However, a hammer was far larger than a sword, so Luo Zheng wondered how much Iron Essence it could produce and whether it would be enough to light up a Dragon Scale.

Under the Black Fire's smelting, the blood-colored great hammer was like a candle meeting an open flame. In almost an instant, it was dissolved by the Black Fire and became a drop of Iron Essence.

"One... one drop? Only one drop!"

Such a massive Middle Grade Profound Artifact had actually been refined into a single drop of Iron Essence? Luo Zheng's mouth fell open, and even his speech became halting.

Although the blood-colored great hammer was lower-grade than the Karma Fire Sword, it was much larger. There was no way it should have produced only one drop of Iron Essence...

Thinking of this, Luo Zheng hardened his heart and pulled several more Mysterious Artifacts from his Sumeru Ring. These were either middle-grade or low-grade, so he might as well refine them all together.

The wisp of Black Fire did not hesitate. In just a few swift passes, it swept away all those Mysterious Artifacts.

The result was equally discouraging. The Middle Grade Profound Artifact could still produce one drop of Iron Essence, but the Iron Essence refined from those low-grade Mysterious Artifacts was pitifully tiny—barely larger than a speck of dust. Luo Zheng had to widen his eyes to see it.

After the Mysterious Artifacts in the Sumeru Ring had been refined, all the Iron Essence gathered together. With great difficulty, they amounted to five drops.

Finally, as the Black Fire swept around them, it carried the five drops of Iron Essence into his mind.

Luo Zheng watched every movement within his mind intently. When the Black Fire sent the five drops of Iron Essence into the Azure Dragon's mouth, the Azure Dragon Sculpture trembled for a while. The second Dragon Scale began to flash with azure light, as though it were about to be illuminated.

"Did it work?" Luo Zheng's heart surged. If he could borrow the power of these Dragon Scales, his strength would rise substantially.

However, the azure light on the Dragon Scale flickered twice before gradually dimming...

Luo Zheng's expression changed. Could it be that six drops of Iron Essence were required to activate the Dragon Scale?

Yet just as the azure light dimmed, the situation suddenly took a dramatic turn. The entire Dragon Scale abruptly lit up, radiating a verdant glow that was exceptionally beautiful.

Luo Zheng's heart finally relaxed. It seemed that five drops of Iron Essence were enough to activate a Dragon Scale.

At the same time, he suddenly felt surging power flood into every part of his body. He subconsciously clenched his fists and felt strength fill him from head to toe. This sense of fullness almost made him want to scream.

Only after a long while did Luo Zheng's stirred heart calm down. Lighting up two Dragon Scales was certainly excellent, but at this stage, the faster his strength grew, the better. If he could light up several more Dragon Scales in succession, someone like Luo Peiran would probably be sent flying by a single punch!

But he had already refined all the Mysterious Artifacts in his possession. Where could he find more?

Although he had over a hundred Square Crystal Stones, the price of a Mysterious Artifact would certainly not be cheap. At most, he could buy one or two low-grade Mysterious Artifacts. What use would that be?

Just then, his attention turned to the broken flying knife.

Even in such a damaged state, the aura radiating from that flying knife was still astonishing. Its grade definitely could not be low.

After thinking it over, he restrained his impulse to refine the flying knife. If this flying knife truly was extraordinary, refining it casually would be far too wasteful.

For now, he would watch and wait. His immediate priority was still to enter the Azure Cloud Sect.

After composing himself, Luo Zheng closed his eyes and began to rest. The Sea Trials would take place tomorrow. Although the content of the Sea Trials was supposedly only running, Mo Can's words suggested that it would not be so simple.

Early the next morning, Luo Zheng washed up and set out for the Azure Cloud Sect.

When he had registered yesterday, he had not seen many people. Today, however, the Azure Cloud Sect's already narrow entrance was packed with a sea of people.

Some had come on horseback, some on foot, and others were seated atop Flying Carriages.

So many people had completely blocked the not-so-spacious entrance to the Azure Cloud Sect.

Luo Zheng made a rough estimate and found that there were more than ten thousand people.

No wonder the Azure Cloud Sect held the Sea Trials once every month. Each monthly trial actually attracted over ten thousand participants. If the number of registrants over an entire year were added together, it would reach well over a hundred thousand. Even with the Azure Cloud Sect's profound foundation, handling them would probably be a considerable headache.

No matter where one went, a crowd would become noisy and chaotic once it grew large enough.

Luo Zheng stood at the back of the crowd with no unnecessary expression on his face, quietly waiting.

After a while, a Flying Carriage sped out from within the Azure Cloud Sect. A White-Bearded Old Man stood atop it.

After appearing, the White-Bearded Old Man gathered his breath and spoke in a steady voice: "All applicants, please enter the sect in an orderly manner and take part in the sect's Sea Trials. Do not make a loud commotion or shout. Anyone who violates this rule will have their examination qualifications revoked and be expelled. You will be forbidden for life from registering for and taking the Azure Cloud Sect's examination."

The White-Bearded Old Man's voice was not loud, but it was extremely strange, as though it had sounded beside everyone's ears. Every one of the ten thousand people present heard him clearly.

After the White-Bearded Old Man finished speaking, the entire scene instantly fell silent. No one dared make a sound. More than ten thousand people became silent as gold, and one could hear even a needle dropping to the ground.

Having one's examination qualifications revoked and being expelled was a minor matter. At worst, they could return the following month. But being forbidden from ever registering for the Azure Cloud Sect's examination again was an entirely different matter.

The Azure Cloud Sect was the largest sect in the empire and also a sacred land of cultivation. Although the Burning Heaven Empire contained a few small sects, they could not compare with the Azure Cloud Sect in either scale or talent. If one were banned by the Azure Cloud Sect, one's future in this life would effectively end there.

Every candidate taking part in the Sea Trials understood the weight of those words. No one dared say anything more.

Over ten thousand people filed through the Azure Cloud Sect's entrance one after another. They followed the sect's path straight ahead, and after walking some distance and turning a corner, they arrived at a gigantic plaza.

Several Flying Carriages floated around the plaza. The people aboard them were responsible for maintaining order during the Sea Trials.

Once all the Sea Trials participants had gathered on the plaza, the White-Bearded Old Man appeared at its front again. He said, "Presumably, quite a few of those who registered for this month's Sea Trials already know the rules. However, this old man will still repeat them. Run straight ahead from this plaza. Whether you are in the Bone Refining Realm, the Viscera Refining Realm, or the Marrow Refining Realm, keep running until the jade pendant on your chest changes color. Only then will you have passed the Sea Trials and become qualified to take the Azure Cloud Sect's entrance examination."

The rules were indeed simple. There was no requirement for running speed, nor was there a requirement to achieve a certain ranking. One only needed to run far enough for the jade pendant's color to change. After committing the rules to memory, Luo Zheng looked toward the road at the front of the plaza.