When they heard the Lord of the Universe say that the "Heavenly Slave Trial" for cultivators at the Near-Sage level would begin next—and would be held once every ten thousand years—everyone reacted differently. Tan Tai Chang Feng and the others didn't care much. They had fought Heavenly Slaves before, and those foes hadn't posed any threat to them. That had been a long time ago, and their strength had improved enormously since then. By sheer power, they were now ten or even dozens of times stronger than before.
Ling Tian, Si Kong Xuan, and the others, however, grew solemn, their expressions even turning grim. They knew that if the Lord of the Universe was launching the Heavenly Slave Trial now, the Heavenly Slaves would be far stronger than they had been before, perhaps even surpassing them in cultivation. Since the Heavenly Slaves were meant to test Ling Tian and the others, their strength would naturally exceed Ling Tian's. Only then could they pose a threat to experts at the Near-Sage level like him.
That made sense. A trial could only be called a trial if it posed some threat to its targets. What was more, this trial had been set by the Lord of the Universe. Ling Tian believed the Heavenly Slaves' cultivation would be considerably higher than theirs. They would pose a real danger, and some might even die as a result. Ling Tian might have confidence in facing any trial, even if the Heavenly Slaves' cultivation was far above his own, but he worried about the other Near-Sage experts around him, such as Hua Min'er. They might not be strong enough to withstand the Heavenly Slave Trial.
That was why Ling Tian's expression had grown so grave, and why he was so worried.
"The Heavenly Slaves' cultivation will