Secret Realm
In the town closest to the Star Dou Great Forest, a gray-haired boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a leather jacket, was eating noodles at a noodle stall on the street. Pedestrians came and went on the street. Because it was located next to the Star Dou Great Forest, the town had a large flow of people.
The gray-haired youth was Ning Buhui, who had been training in the Star Dou Great Forest for more than three months. While eating noodles, he thought about the things he needed to do on this trip. First, he needed to send a letter to Spirit City to let them know he was safe, which he couldn't forget. Then he would buy some daily necessities, and then continue his journey back to the Star Dou Great Forest until the seed selection competition for the Spirit Hall tournament began.
Over the past three months, Ning Buhui's leveling up has not been smooth; he has only leveled up a little over one level, and the speed has obviously slowed down compared to before.
This is unavoidable. Ning Buhui's body has been strengthened multiple times by the Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda, and the amount of Soul Power it can hold is more than twice that of Soul Master of the same level. Therefore, the Soul Power required for leveling up is also greater.
The first two months saw him advance from forty-two to forty-three smoothly. But in the entire third month, his Soul Power only increased by less than half a level. The Soul Power required to go from forty-three to forty-four was almost twice as much as before. Even if he used 25,000-year-old Soul Beast as a whetstone every day, the speed at which he accumulated Soul Power could not match the rapid progress he made from thirty-six to forty in the rocky mountains. He calculated that at this rate, it would take at least two or three more months to go from forty-three to forty-five. If he encountered another bottleneck in between, it would take even longer.
After finishing the last bite of noodles and placing the money on the table, Ning Buhui got up and walked towards the Spirit Hall's headquarters in the town. He didn't go in, but simply handed the letter to a soldier at the post station, asking him to deliver it, before turning around and continuing towards the Star Dou Great Forest.
That evening, he chased after a wounded 20,000-year-old Stone Armor Rhinoceros deeper into the valley. The rhinoceros charged into a narrow crevice he had never traversed before. The crevice was extremely narrow, with the stone walls on both sides almost touching, allowing only one person to pass sideways. Ning Buhui hesitated for a moment, but still followed. The bloodstains of the Stone Armor Rhinoceros extended all the way into the depths of the crevice. He squeezed through sideways, and after walking several dozen steps, the space suddenly opened up before him.
At the end of the narrow crevice was a small depression surrounded by a circular stone wall, about ten feet in diameter. In the center of the depression was a stone platform, covered with dense patterns, resembling some kind of ancient soul-guiding array. Scattered on the ground around the platform were several broken jade pieces, with a faint light flowing across them.
Ning Buhui walked over, squatted down, picked up a piece of jade, and examined it. The jade was slightly cool to the touch, and the patterns on it were exactly the same as those on the stone platform. He turned the jade over and saw a line of very small characters. It was not a modern script, but it was very similar to the script in the ancient Soul Master's notes that he had seen in the Spirit Hall's library.
He spent a long time trying to decipher the words, but could only make out a few. "Supreme... Enter Here... Trial..."
Trials.
Ning Buhui stood up and looked around. This depression was surrounded by stone walls on all sides, with no other exit except for the narrow crevice he had just entered through. This place should be the ruins of an ancient secret realm, requiring the completion of some kind of trial. The Stone Armor Rhinoceros must have mistakenly entered this secret realm, causing the realm's restrictions to be activated.
He returned to the stone platform and collected the scattered jade pieces one by one. There were seven pieces in total, of different sizes, which together could form a complete circular pattern. In the center of the pattern was a palm-sized groove, shaped like a key.
Ning Buhui hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to go and explore the secret realm. Since it was a trial, there would definitely be rewards, and he had been feeling that his cultivation speed was too slow lately.
He pieced together the seven jade pieces and placed them on the stone platform. Suddenly, the patterns on the platform's surface lit up, spreading outwards from the center and bathing the entire platform in a pale blue light. Immediately afterward, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble, and dense patterns appeared on the stone walls of the entire depression, merging seamlessly with the platform. These patterns climbed up the stone walls, reaching the top and transforming the entire depression into a closed dome. A flash of white light, and Ning Buhui was nowhere to be seen nearby.
Ning Buhui from the dizziness of the teleportation and found herself standing in the center of a wide-open complex of buildings.
All around were crumbling stone pillars and collapsed halls, with withered vines climbing the grayish-blue bricks. Above, there was no sky, only a grayish-white dome, as if sealed off by some force. He looked around, and from the remaining architectural layout, he could vaguely discern that this was once the ruins of a grand sect. The foundation of the main hall was still there, and although most of the nine stone pillars were broken, they still stood stubbornly. Only the foundations of the side halls remained, their stone steps overgrown with dark green moss.
He walked a few steps toward the main hall and saw a line of words carved on the stone steps. The writing was badly weathered, but it was still legible: Supreme Sect.
He explored the surrounding halls and confirmed that this was a sect long since lost to history. According to records, in ancient times, the Supreme Sect was the largest sect on the Douluo Continent, with countless disciples and even the titled experts were merely elders. Its secret techniques were unparalleled in the world. But that was a very, very long time ago, so long that no one remembers its name anymore. Like many ancient sects, it was submerged in history, leaving only a few unknown ruins.
Ning Buhui withdrew his gaze and pieced the seven jade pieces back together. The moment the jade pieces came together, a deep hum resounded from the depths of the main hall. He held the jade pieces and walked forward, passing through the broken stone pillars and entering the remaining portico of the main hall. At the end of the portico was a huge stone wall, covered with dense patterns, with a palm-sized groove in the center, the shape of which perfectly matched the pattern formed by the jade pieces.
He pressed the jade piece into the groove. The patterns on the stone wall instantly lit up, spreading from the center outwards and dyeing the entire stone wall a deep blue. Then the stone wall silently slid open to both sides, revealing a passage leading underground. A faint light shone through the end of the passage.
Ning Buhui walked down the passage. The passage wasn't long; after a few dozen steps, it came to an end. At the end was a huge stone chamber with a very high dome and walls covered with bas-reliefs. In the center of the chamber was a stone platform, on which floated a jade slip the size of a palm, its surface shimmering with a ghostly blue light. He approached the platform, and the light from the jade slip reflected on his face, allowing him to see the words engraved on it.
"This is the trial ground for disciples of the Supreme Sect. Those who enter this trial must pass eighty-one levels before they can leave. Those who fail can use the scenery inside to cultivate diligently and can start the trial again until they give up."
Ning Buhui picked up the jade slip, its surface smooth and warm to the touch. Besides the lines of text, there was another, even smaller line. "Our sect is the foremost sect of ancient times. Disciples' trials are based on real combat. The trial grounds will Simulation opponents of corresponding strength according to the challenger's Martial Soul attribute, Soul Power Level, and fighting style. Those who successfully complete all trials will receive a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!"
He put down the jade slip and looked around the stone chamber. The reliefs on the four walls of the chamber depicted various Soul Beast and battle scenes, some of which he recognized, others of which he had never seen before. He could feel that the stone chamber was filled with extremely dense Soul Power, heavier than any place he had felt in the valley. This space was sealed by some kind of extremely powerful restriction, and he could not get out unless he passed the trial.
Ning Buhui a deep breath, put the jade slip into her ring, and turned to walk towards the huge stone door at the end of the stone chamber. The door was engraved with a fierce-looking Soul Beast, and the lintel was inscribed with three words: First Trial.
He pushed the stone door open, and it slid open slowly. Behind the door was a spacious stone chamber. In the center of the chamber, a huge Stone Armor Beast lay on the ground, its dark yellow vertical pupils slowly opening. Thirty thousand years old. It was almost exactly the same as the Stone Armor Rhinoceros he had chased today, but it was larger and its Soul Power fluctuations were deeper.
The Stone Armor Beast stood up and pounced on him.
Ning Buhui gritted his teeth, and all four of his Soul Ring lit up simultaneously. Butterfly Dance Flowing Radiance, Vine Armor Spring Life, Wind Thunder Wing Shadow, and Bear Iron Wall —four auxiliary Soul Skill were activated at once. He dodged the first charge, and his Second Soul Ring lit up, Vine Locks the Nine Nether Regions, unleashing nine chains. His Third Soul Ring lit up again, Thunder Prison Imprisons Wind Unleashed. His Fourth Soul Ring lit up last, Bear Spirit Curse landing on the Stone Armor Beast. With a slash of his right arm, Void Rending Slash into the gaps in the armor plates on its neck.
The stone gate closed behind them. The trial had begun.