Second Trial: The Bronze Palace

For a moment, Ying Bing was momentarily lost in thought.

Some memories she had swept into a corner and didn't want to think about resurfaced uncontrollably from the depths of her mind.

What if the rankings are the same as last time?

Soaking in a hot spring... and you have to wear those kinds of clothes...

Ying Bing remained expressionless, her slender fingers curling up as she gripped Heavenly Frost tightly.

"Oi, Ice Block?"

Li Mo waved his five fingers in front of her eyes.

Ying Bing raised her eyes, her face serious, and said:

"I've never tried it, and I never will."

"??"

Little Li scratched his head, which was full of question marks.

Why has the art style of Ice Block suddenly changed?

That's weird.

"Call..."

Ying Bing let out a soft breath and looked up into the depths of the secret realm.

The aura of the Blood Phoenix Essence was drawing ever closer.

Those images in her mind will never happen...

Boom--

The soaring white light dissipated, leaving only a portal in place.

Through it, one can vaguely see rows of bronze steps, which do not seem to be products of this era.

Above the steps are five palaces.

Each palace is simple yet magnificent, distinct from the exquisite style of the Great Yu era. Its form is rugged and majestic, inspiring awe.

All the palaces were suspended in the air.

"This should be... the structure from the Great Shang Dynasty."

"The former Great Shang worshipped Bronze Divine Tree, with a hundred birds as its totem, so it's reasonable that the Blood Phoenix would be loyal to it."

Someone spoke up.

Li Mo looked in the direction of the voice and found it was Senior Brother Ouyang, the chief disciple of Ruyi Peak.

These words caused an uproar among the crowd, their eyes filled with shock and immense excitement.

The secret realm of the Great Shang still exists today, and it is so well preserved.

The fortuitous opportunity hidden within are probably far beyond everyone's imagination!

[The second test: Ascending the Azure Clouds.]

[Those who enter the fourth palace will witness creation and immortality.]

The trial was very simple.

The bronze staircase and the four-tiered palace are a test in themselves.

It shares a similar concept with the Heaven-Ascending Stone Steps.

Whether you understand or not, just keep climbing.

Creation and immortality!

Who dares to speak of destiny?

Who dares to claim immortality?

Such a boastful tone, coupled with the mysterious suspended Bronze Palace, actually made the crowd believe it somewhat.

So they all stepped out and went inside the gate.

"This secret realm is not quite what I expected?"

Little Li felt that something was amiss.

Why does the secret realm feel like an entrance quiz?

The first trial was nothing more than a test of combat strength and cunning, and even had a hint of deliberately inciting people to fight.

The second level featured something similar to the Heaven-Ascending Stone Steps.

This wasn't just a wild idea he came up with based on his experience reading novels.

He's been to some legitimate places to learn about the tradition.

The inheritance site below Clear Abyss didn't have any messy trials at all.

Those not chosen for the inheritance will never even reach the place of inheritance.

Is he overthinking it?

Once everyone had entered, the portal disappeared.

But those standing at the front looked at each other for a moment, and none of them went up first.

Nobody wants to be the first to stick their neck out.

Who knows what might happen once they go up there? Everyone wants others to go first and test the waters.

"Hmph, judging from your appearance, you're nothing but a bunch of scoundrels who sell their wares."

Bai Jinghong walked up the steps with her head held high and a proud expression on her face.

Upon reaching the first floor, he merely frowned.

There was nothing else unusual.

The people behind him exchanged a glance before following him.

At this juncture, the few remaining members of the Clear Abyss Sect stood together. Apart from Li Mo and his two companions, only Ouyang and a True Disciple from another peak remained, along with Tie Qi.

Li Mo and Ying Bing walked ahead of the group.

He stepped onto the first step, and the answer became clear.

This is different from the Heaven-Ascending Stone Steps.

The Heaven-Ascending Stone Steps are a test of aptitude; the stronger the aptitude, the less pressure one feels.

But once you step onto these stairs, there's no pressure or anything like that.

"Is it just a simple staircase leading to the palace?"

That's what I was thinking.

Li Mo felt as if someone was whispering in his heart, but upon closer listening, it seemed as if they were not there.

He glanced at the others out of the corner of his eye and found that they didn't seem to be acting strangely either.

It seems the real test will take place in the palace...

"Hahaha, money... so much money, and heavenly materials and earthly treasures, divine weapons!"

Suddenly.

Some people, their faces beaming with ecstasy, staggered toward the edge of the steps.

Then he lost his footing and fell.

The abyss below was very deep; there was no sound of him landing, and it was unknown whether he had been transported outside the secret realm.

"Um?"

Li Mo was confused.

Then, in a flash, he saw stacks of bright red banknotes laid out in front of him.

Li Mo: "..."

The illusion lasted for a moment and then disappeared.

What I'm saying is, the money from your past life, you can't spend in this one.

"Money?"

"I just saw an illusion too, it was a divine weapon..."

Is this test of whether one can control their greed?

None of those who made it this far were fools; they quickly learned what the real test was.

Therefore, not many people fell after that.

A moment later.

Most people successfully climbed to the front of the first palace.

Boom--

The palace doors opened, revealing a brightly lit interior.

Inside, countless rare treasures, divine weapons, spirit medicine, fist-sized pearls, and chunks of pure gold filled the entire palace.

Gurgle--

"My goodness, how much wealth must that be...?"

"My sect's treasury doesn't even have one percent of that."

"Pure gold! One tael of pure gold can be exchanged for ten taels of gold. It's piled up like a mountain here!"

Those present were all worldly people, and many of them often said that they regarded money as dirt.

But wealth can be a powerful motivator; how many people can truly resist worldly temptations?

Practicing martial arts is very expensive!

In some ways, having money is even more important than having talent.

[Kneel and kowtow to enter this gate.]

The meaning of the stone tablet is very simple.

After kowtowing a few times, you can go inside and claim your wealth.

Correspondingly, this also means giving up the opportunity to continue the test.

Many people hesitated, but eventually some couldn't resist any longer.

"Damn it, I risked my life for this, isn't it? With this wealth, what can't I get?"

"Even if the things that come later are better, they might not belong to me. Why don't we split this money?"

"Perhaps the things in this first palace are the best?"

Of the fifty people, more than a dozen entered the palace.

There are about thirty people left.

"Just dung."

Bai Jinghong raised an eyebrow slightly and continued walking forward.

As Tie Qi gazed upon the wealth within, his breathing became heavier, but seeing the unmoved figure, he finally stopped in his tracks.

"Brother Li, you... aren't you interested in these things?"

"Interested."

"Then why..."

"This is far too little."

Li Mo shook his head slightly.

Tie Qi: "??"

Can you even speak human language?

Even if Brother Li has some wealth, he couldn't possibly compare to the riches of this palace.

He definitely doesn't care; he's just saying that on purpose.

Ying Bing, of course, needed no further explanation.

Ice Block finds counting money quite enjoyable, but only if she watches it grow little by little.

Ouyang also seemed uninterested in money.

Senior Brother Xiao Bao...

The things inside aren't as valuable as he is.