Many geniuses had gathered in the square outside the Trial Tower.
They watched the Trial Tower, their discussions rising one after another.
"I wonder if Telian can clear the ninth floor this time? Last time, he was only a hair away from defeating its guardian."
"Hard to say. Sometimes, a hair's breadth is a vast chasm. How many geniuses have been stuck at this step for decades or even centuries without making an inch of progress?!"
"Even with a Ninefold Domain, you might not clear the ninth floor."
"Exactly. Of the tens of thousands of Star Level geniuses on Stardust Island, fewer than fifty have cleared the ninth floor."
"Telian has cultivated bitterly for fifty years since his last failure. He'll definitely succeed this time."
"I'm betting he'll succeed too!"
Everyone waited anxiously. Before long, a young man walked out of the Trial Tower.
His aura fluctuated, and his face bore excitement and joy he could hardly conceal.
"Telian, did you succeed?!"
One genius ran up, unable to wait to ask.
Telian did not answer, but the next moment, every genius present received an email at the same time.
[Telian Nuofasen has successfully cleared the ninth floor of the Star Level Trial Tower.]
In an instant, the entire crowd erupted.
"He did it! He really cleared the ninth floor!"
"As expected of Telian! He's so strong!"
"The next floor is the Tenth Layer. Once he clears it, he can join the Apocalypse Secret Region!"
"The prize for clearing the ninth floor is a full 25.6 billion Universe Coins. Telian, you've struck it rich."
"This is a joyous occasion. You have to treat us."
"Exactly! There's no excuse not to!"
The geniuses all stepped forward to congratulate him. Telian raised a hand to quiet them and laughed. "No problem. Let's go to the Mountain and Sea Tower. Everything's on me."
"Great! That's generous!"
"Everyone, eat and drink to your hearts' content. We've finally caught a fat sheep, so we have to take the chance to fleece him."
Telian roared with laughter. "I have plenty of money. I'm just afraid you couldn't eat me out of house and home even if your bellies burst."
Watching this, Ruofeng smiled and nodded, approval showing in his eyes. "Good. Another genius has cleared the ninth floor. Given time, he might well be able to challenge the Tenth Layer."
"Chu Yuan, you should test your strength too. See how many floors you can clear."
"That was just what I had in mind."
Chu Yuan nodded and walked toward the Trial Tower's entrance.
His appearance instantly drew the gazes of the many geniuses.
"Who's that? He looks unfamiliar. I've never seen him on Stardust Island."
"He should be a newcomer. Mr. Ruofeng brought him here."
"He dares to challenge the Trial Tower on his very first day. He must be confident in his strength."
"Now we have a good show to watch. How far do you think he'll get?"
"The first floor, probably. Most newcomers have only recently comprehended a domain. At most, they can clear the first floor."
"Not necessarily. Judging by Mr. Ruofeng's expression, he thinks highly of this newcomer. I bet he can clear the second floor, perhaps even the third."
"The third floor? You must be joking! Even someone with a Triple Domain might not clear the third floor, unless he was already a disciple painstakingly nurtured by some Domain Lord or World Lord. Someone like that could clear six or seven floors in one go."
Telian and his group had originally planned to leave for the banquet, but now they all stayed to watch Chu Yuan's challenge.
Few among them thought much of Chu Yuan's strength.
Chu Yuan walked up to the energy screen at the Trial Tower's entrance and reached out to touch it.
Whoosh.
Soft white light enveloped his entire body. The next second, Chu Yuan was transported into the Trial Tower's interior space.
The space was a vast expanse of white, as though he stood amid clouds and mist.
A voice came from the mist ahead. "Challenger Chu Yuan, newly admitted external member of the Black Dragon Mountain Branch. Please select an opponent: warrior, Mental Master Controller, or illusionist. Defeat your opponent to enter the second floor."
Chu Yuan did not hesitate. "I choose warrior."
As his words fell, the mist ahead gathered and compressed.
Soon, a burly figure took shape.
Like Chu Yuan, he wore Dark Flame Armor and held a Fire Prison Blade.
A helmet covered his entire face, leaving only a pair of cold, scarlet eyes exposed.
The black-armored warrior pointed his blade straight at Chu Yuan and spoke in a hoarse voice. "Newcomer, entering the Trial Tower is proof enough of your talent. Make your move. Let me see your strength."
Chu Yuan swung his Fire Prison Blade, and flames ignited along its edge.
He gave a cold smile. "You won't be disappointed."
Boom!
Chu Yuan pointed with his blade. Flames roared forth as his Third-Level Fire Domain unfolded, forming an enormous fireball!
The vast Flame Domain swept across the entire space, bearing down on the armored warrior.
"A Triple Domain!"
The armored warrior's pupils contracted. Clearly, he had not expected a newcomer to possess a Third-Level Fire Domain.
Flames burned around him as he likewise unleashed a Fire Domain, though his was only at the first stage.
The black-armored warrior charged swiftly toward Chu Yuan, attacking.
His Fire Prison Blade cleaved down fiercely, the wind of its passage howling as it tore through the sea of fire straight toward Chu Yuan's head.
"Not bad speed. Unfortunately, your domain is too weak!"
Chu Yuan stood where he was, neither dodging nor evading.
He merely directed his domain to press down, and the flames engulfed the black-armored warrior, burning him to ashes in an instant.
A Triple Domain against a First-Stage Domain needed no battle at all. Overwhelming force alone was enough.
[Trial challenger Chu Yuan has cleared the first floor! Transport to the second floor imminent!]
The AI's voice rang out. The space trembled slightly, and Chu Yuan vanished from where he stood, appearing in the Trial Tower's second-floor space.
The mist condensed again into another black-armored warrior.
This time, he possessed a Second-Level Fire Domain.
"Trial challenger, be careful. Don't assume you can defeat me just because you possess a Third-Level Fire Domain. Before you, countless warriors with Triple Domains have fallen at my hands."
The black-armored warrior spoke hoarsely.
The corners of Chu Yuan's mouth rose in an icy smile. "Rest assured, I certainly won't be among them!"
Chu Yuan was no wild-grown genius. He had received the legacy of his teacher, World Lord Huoyao, and had undergone systematic training.
Whoosh!
Chu Yuan turned into a streak of fire and shot forward, appearing before the black-armored warrior in an instant and slashing down furiously.
So fast!
The black-armored warrior was startled and hurriedly raised his blade horizontally to block.
Clang!
The two blades collided, and Chu Yuan's strike sent the black-armored warrior flying over a hundred meters.
Before he could steady himself, Chu Yuan clenched his hand. His Third-Level Fire Domain took shape, engulfing the black-armored warrior.
"Hold it back!"
The black-armored warrior roared. His Second-Level Fire Domain erupted, colliding head-on with Chu Yuan's domain.
Billowing flames collided and exploded. Shock waves swept in every direction, and the space shook without pause.
"Hahaha, you can't stop me!"
Chu Yuan laughed and charged forward. His domain pressed down sharply, shattering the black-armored warrior's domain, and the shock wave blasted the warrior away.
"Ash Annihilation Blade: Heavenly Light!"
The Fire Prison Blade sliced through the air and across the black-armored warrior's neck, leaving a line of light as fine as a strand of hair in the void, flashing past in an instant.
Chu Yuan stopped in midair. Behind him, the black-armored warrior's head flew skyward, and his body dissolved into specks of light.
[Trial challenger Chu Yuan has cleared the second floor! Transport to the third floor imminent!]
The space shifted, and the aura of the black-armored warrior formed from the mist soared once again.
"Clearing two floors in a row on your first challenge of the Trial Tower is quite impressive. Unfortunately, you cannot clear the third floor. Go back and cultivate bitterly for ten years before returning."
The black-armored warrior spoke coldly.