Ch. 721Crimson Venerable Phantom, Spear-Speed Trial
Chapter Summary: Crimson Venerable Phantom, Spear-Speed Trial
Key Plot Points and Events
- Su Yuan and Chen Shenxiao enter the Crimson Venerable Legacy Space, where they find a suspended crimson ocean and four enormous platforms beneath it.
- All twenty legacy candidates gather, including ten Crimson Truth Pavilion disciples and ten outside participants from major overlord-tier factions.
- Jiang Kaiyi opens the legacy using a red token. The Crimson Venerable Phantom appears and acknowledges that this generation’s candidates are significantly stronger than those from the previous attempt.
- The phantom explains that the Crimson Truth Pavilion’s own disciples have little chance of inheriting the legacy, making outside assistance necessary. He is willing to pass on the inheritance to anyone who succeeds, regardless of faction.
- The first trial is announced: the Spear-Speed Trial. Participants must stand on the first platform and use spears to knock down two million incoming arrows.
- Each participant must deflect at least 100,000 arrows to pass. The arrows carry peak Star-Suppressing Realm power, arrive at extreme speed, and force participants to remain within a one-meter radius.
- The trial tests more than spear speed, also demanding precise footwork, strength control, reaction speed, and endurance.
- The participants take their positions. Chen Shenxiao, despite being a sword cultivator, manifests a spear, surprising Zhang Yuzun.
- The first wave of 1,000 arrows descends. Su Yuan effortlessly knocks them all away with the Purple Abyss Spear. Most participants succeed, though the two Crimson Truth Pavilion disciples struggle.
- A second wave of 3,000 arrows begins as the chapter ends.
Character Developments
- Su Yuan: Remains calm and confident. His power is only slightly suppressed inside the legacy space, leaving him far stronger and more capable than most others. His exceptional spear speed and strength are immediately demonstrated.
- Chen Shenxiao: Shows adaptability by using a spear despite normally practicing the sword. His decision suggests he is serious about competing and willing to adjust to the inheritance’s requirements.
- Zhang Yuzun: Retains skepticism toward Chen Shenxiao because of their past conflict and privately looks forward to seeing him struggle with spear techniques.
- Jiang Kaiyi: Acts as the representative who opens the legacy. His previous experience indicates that even the strongest Crimson Truth Pavilion disciples have been unable to pass the later trials.
- Crimson Truth Pavilion disciples: Their weakness compared with the outside geniuses is emphasized. They are treated less as serious contenders and more as representatives hoping outsiders can obtain the inheritance for the sect.
- Crimson Venerable Phantom: Appears pragmatic and open-minded. Though he regrets the decline of his pavilion, he prioritizes preserving and transmitting his martial arts over restricting the inheritance to his own disciples.
Significant Themes
- Decline and preservation of legacy: The Crimson Truth Pavilion’s descendants are no longer strong enough to inherit their founder’s techniques, forcing them to rely on outsiders.
- Merit over affiliation: The Crimson Venerable values ability rather than lineage or faction, emphasizing that anyone capable of passing the trials deserves the spear technique.
- Adaptability and mastery: The trial tests not only raw power but also technique, movement, precision, and the ability to adapt to strict conditions.
- The burden of inheritance: The legacy is presented as both an opportunity and a painful reminder of how far the original sect has fallen.
- Calm competition among elites: Although rivalries exist, the participants avoid boasting and cooperate with the serious atmosphere of the trial.
Character Interactions
- Jiang Kaiyi respectfully addresses and activates the legacy before the Crimson Venerable Phantom.
- The phantom openly comments on the improved quality of the candidates, embarrassing the Crimson Truth Pavilion disciples.
- The participants from different factions maintain a disciplined, serious demeanor rather than engaging in provocative exchanges.
- Zhang Yuzun and Chen Shenxiao’s old grudge remains evident, but both suppress it during the trial.
- Zhang Yuzun reacts with disbelief when Chen Shenxiao uses a spear, privately expecting him to perform poorly.
- Su Yuan stands apart through his effortless performance, establishing himself as one of the strongest candidates from the very beginning.