A Step Ahead, Keeping the Prize for Himself

Even as Qin Wangchuan stood before him, Ma Hongchang's mind remained blank.

He stared blankly at the man with an ordinary aura before him, then looked at the headless corpses scattered all around him, completely unable to connect the two.

Qin Wangchuan looked down at him, his tone still indifferent. "A gentleman should strive for self-improvement.."

Struggle, become stronger.

"Then, take your revenge."

After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned and walked away slowly, his figure quickly disappearing into the depths of the Dense Forest.

It was as if I had just been passing by and accidentally stepped on a few ants.

It took Ma Hongchang a long time to recover from the shock.

The strong smell of blood filled his nostrils, reminding him that this was not a hallucination.

His gaze swept over the corpses scattered on the ground, finally drawing attention to a familiar face.

It's Song Yu'an.

Her head rolled to the ground a short distance away, her eyes wide open, dying with unfinished business.

That face, which he once loved and hated, now only shows final terror.

Ma Hongchang slowly walked over, knelt down, and closed her eyes.

His voice was hoarse and low, as if he were speaking to her, yet also to himself. "Yu'an... you don't have to love me, and you can forget our childhood promise..."

"But you... shouldn't have ambushed me."

His voice trembled slightly, filled with utter desolation. "We... we grew up together..."

After he finished speaking, the forest fell into a Deathly Stillness.

I don't know how much time passed.

Ma Hongchang slowly withdrew his hand, and when he looked up again, his eyes, which had just been full of sorrow, were now filled with unfathomable coldness.

He spoke softly, as if stating a given fact. "But don't worry."

"I will definitely, absolutely will, let Ma Hongsheng go down and keep you company!"

When Qin Wangchuan returned to the group, they had already found the door.

A colossal Stone Giant Door stands silently in mid-air.

The door is engraved with reliefs of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, birds, and beasts, exuding a primordial aura that shakes the soul.

Although tightly closed, it seemed to extend a silent invitation.

"It seems this is the core of the Secret Realm." Yun Zexuan gazed at the giant gate in mid-air, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Just then, a nearly transparent Light Screen quietly formed in front of the door, like a layer of rippling water.

Ye Lingchuan stared at the Light Screen, his brows furrowing slightly. "This Light Screen... is it some kind of test?"

Zhao Lingyun and Yun Zexuan exchanged a glance, their understanding unspoken.

Zhao Lingyun coughed lightly, then bowed with feigned humility, saying, "Please go first."

Yun Zexuan immediately retorted, "No, no, you go first."

The two of them said they would each give way and stepped back.

It wasn't that I was afraid, it's just that last time Zhao Lingyun went to a Secret Realm with Yun Zexuan.

As a result, Yun Zexuan shielded him, which led to a terrible situation!

Anyway, no matter what, Zhao Lingyun has to let Yun Zexuan go first this time.

As the two were deferring to each other, Qin Wangchuan had already stepped forward, his figure instantly disappearing into the shimmering Light Screen, as if passing through an invisible membrane without encountering any obstruction.

Chu Wujiu followed closely behind, striding in as well.

The moment they touched the Light Screen, their bodies paused almost imperceptibly as they felt a resistance.

But the resistance was so weak as to be almost negligible; it was nothing more than a gentle breeze to him.

After easily passing through the Light Screen, Chu Wujiu turned back and sneered, his tone filled with undisguised mockery. "This level of skill, you dare call it a test?"

Seeing that the two passed through easily, Zhao Lingyun and Yun Zexuan no longer hesitated and followed suit.

When it was Xie Qingshang's turn, she saw that the people before her were walking easily and comfortably, so she didn't pay any attention to it.

However--

"Bang!"

With a solid, muffled thud, Xie Qingshang felt as if he had crashed into an invisible wall, his nose turning red from the impact.

Several gazes converged on her, some with surprise, some with inquiry, and a hint of a smile.

Xie Qingshang's cheeks flushed instantly, and heat shot up to his ears.

She awkwardly covered her nose, which had been hurt from the impact, while her other hand carefully explored the Light Screen.

Wherever my fingertips touched, it felt like a viscous, elastic mass of air, blocking my path.

Undeterred, she increased her strength, leaning forward and squeezing in with all her might.

And so, under the astonished gazes of everyone, Xie Qingshang squeezed in rather disheveledly, as if he had been swallowed and then spat out by jelly, with a few strands of his hair in disarray.

Although they were inside, they were filled with doubt.

How can they be so relaxed?

Before she could think, a grand voice resounded in everyone's hearts:

"Those who can withstand the weight of this stone for ten breaths without collapsing may pass."

Above the lintel, light converged, and a huge rock, gleaming with a heavy, earthy yellow luster, materialized out of thin air and crashed down with tremendous force!

"Ten breaths?"

"I can break this broken stone in a single breath!"

Chu Wujiu fighting spirit. Before the boulder had completely fallen, he had already soared into the sky!

On his right fist, Purple Electric Light and crimson Spiritual Power surged and crisscrossed like flames as he punched the boulder!

Boom--!

Amidst a deafening roar, the massive boulder, powerful enough to crush mountains, shattered into dust with a single punch, scattering as it fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, Star Chart composed of countless points of light appeared in front of the door.

The specks of light flew across the surface like shooting stars and disappeared, leaving one bewildered.

Chu Wujiu immediately at his wit's end and consciously stepped aside.

"I'll do it." Yun Zexuan stepped forward without hesitation.

After staring intently for a moment, he suddenly reached out and dropped a few fingers.

Each time the finger touched the ground, a shooting star would freeze in place, and in a moment it would solidify into some kind of Formation Diagram.

With a soft hum, the Star Chart froze instantly, then shone brightly, turning into starlight and disappearing into nothingness.

Having passed the Three Trials, the group has arrived at the Final Trial.

This time it's about fate; guess a single character.

If you guess correctly, you can enter.

"Guess a single character?" Chu Wujiu raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "That's a really broad range!"

Zhao Lingyun pondered and said, "Indeed. There are countless single characters; it really is a matter of fate."

Yun Zexuan calmly analyzed, "We might as well start with the identity of the master of the Secret Realm or the characteristics of this place. Since it was left behind by Ancient Great Power, it might be related to concepts like Dao, Fate, or Heaven..."

Just as everyone was discussing this, Ye Lingchuan, who had been silent all along, suddenly noticed that Qin Wangchuan had taken a step forward.

Amidst the surprised gazes of the others, he calmly began to speak:

"Silk."

The moment the words fell, a beam of white light suddenly burst forth from the Bronze Giant Door!

When the light faded, Qin Wangchuan's figure had vanished from the spot, as if swallowed up by the giant gate.

The door returned to its Myriad Ages, deathly Deathly Stillness, leaving everyone staring at each other, bewildered as to what had happened.

After Chu Wujiu realized what was happening, he immediately looked up to the sky and roared, "No, you really hog all the food!"