Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Realm of Trials

"Senior Brother, is it just the two of us teaming up?"

"I've recruited a few other brothers. Including you and me, there are five of us," Luo Mao replied quickly. "The other three all possess strength surpassing that of ten tigers."

Hearing this, Xu Chen quietly set down his teacup.

"Senior Brother, my strength is not yet even equal to three tigers. I wouldn't be of any use if I joined. If the team gains anything, I wouldn't have the face to claim a share," Xu Chen said earnestly. "I'm sorry, Brother Luo."

He rose, preparing to leave. He was not one to serve as a mere mascot for others, and as for the fortunes or treasures within, he had little use for them at present.

"Junior Brother Xu, please don't go. I've already discussed it with the others—everything we earn will be split evenly," Luo Mao said, quickly getting up as well.

"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Luo," Xu Chen replied sincerely. "For people like us, luck is a fleeting thing, but strength is real. I cannot accept reward where I have rendered no service. Perhaps when my strength has grown, I can join you in the future."

"Very well," Luo Mao said, feeling a pang of regret. He truly believed this junior brother possessed a touch of fortune.

Leaving the teahouse, Xu Chen wandered through the marketplace, purchased some daily necessities, and then hired a flying carriage to return home.

By then, twilight had fallen, casting the entire Daxi Sect in a divine, golden glow that filled Xu Chen with a sense of sacred beauty.

Arriving home, he found that the wine monkey chef had already prepared the meal.

"You’re back just in time."

Within the Sacred White Space, Xu Chen once again pushed open the doors to the Six Forms of the Sacred Ape.

"Your grandfather is here!"

Without another word, Xu Chen charged at his doppelganger and engaged in combat.

After eighty moves, the doppelganger stomped on Xu Chen’s face.

"Little sprout, you finally have the qualifications to be taken seriously," the doppelganger remarked. "To defeat me, your strength must reach at least eight tigers, and your energy circulation needs to become more penetrating."

There was a hint of approval in the doppelganger's gaze as he looked at Xu Chen.

Hearing this, Xu Chen’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Eight years, and you’ve finally said something useful," he exclaimed.

Yet as he grew excited, the doppelganger’s previously approving look turned mocking and disdainful before his very eyes.

"Look how excited you are, as if you already possess such strength," the doppelganger sneered, pressing his foot harder, and Xu Chen's head exploded, his body collapsing.

Ten breaths later, Xu Chen once more pushed open the door.

"How can I make my force more penetrating?" he asked.

"Little sprout, are you asking me?" the doppelganger responded. "Beat me, and I'll tell you."

The tone made Xu Chen frown. He keenly sensed that the earlier remark might not have been spoken by the current doppelganger.

He continued the challenge, and though again he managed eighty moves, the doppelganger’s attitude remained unchanged.

After fifteen consecutive attempts, Xu Chen collapsed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, he awoke to the buzzing of his disciple token within his storage pouch.

Retrieving it, a message appeared directly in his mind.

"The five great sects of Leizhou have established two trial realms. The lower trial realm holds a million aliens at the Blood and Qi stage; the higher trial realm holds three hundred thousand aliens at the Treasure Body stage. Within the trial realms, there are fortunes and magical artifacts. Disciples may form teams to enter, temper themselves, and seize opportunities. Those who excel within will receive additional rewards from the sect."

"Given the timing, it's likely some have already entered," Xu Chen thought as he put away the token and prepared for a day of cultivation.

Opening his front door, he found a massive, golden figure standing outside.

"Junior Brother Xu! Did you get the sect announcement?"

"Shall we team up?" Niu Dali’s face was full of excitement.

"Brother Niu, with my current strength, I'd just be cannon fodder," Xu Chen said. "You should go—I’ll just stay home and train."

Truth be told, he wanted to go, but at his current level, any random alien in the trial realm would likely outmatch him.

"Junior Brother Xu, I know your strength, but it’s a shame not to go," Niu Dali insisted. "I’ve heard that upon entering the trial realm, everyone receives a realm talisman. If you encounter danger, just crush the talisman and you’ll be transported out."

"If we team up, I’ll lead the charge and you’ll support. We’ll be invincible!" Niu Dali waved his large hand, lost in his own vision of glory.

"And if we run into more than three aliens?"

"Then we run!"

"Brother Niu, you’d best find someone else, or another bull to team up with," Xu Chen sighed.

"Alright, but if you ever want to enter, be sure to find me," Niu Dali said, turning to leave.

"Of course," Xu Chen replied.

After breakfast, Xu Chen immersed himself in cultivation.

For some reason, he felt the Daxi Sect was especially lively that day. In the skies above, one flying spirit beast after another carried passengers overhead, their numbers several times greater than usual.

But none of this concerned Xu Chen. He focused solely on practicing the Twelvefold Wave Body-Tempering Method.

Three days later, the Daxi Sect had grown noticeably quieter. Nearly seventy percent of the disciples at the Blood and Qi stage had departed for the trial realm.

Outside the capital of Leizhou, on a vast plaza nearly twenty miles square, tens of thousands of disciples from the five great sects had gathered.

The gates to the trial realms stood in the center—two portals, each a hundred yards wide and towering into the clouds, allowing tens of thousands to pass through at once.

Batch after batch of disciples entered the trial realm, while at the same time, groups of wounded disciples were transported back out.

High above the plaza, several powerful divine senses conversed with one another.

"Our Dragon Elephant Grand Sovereign is truly determined to cultivate a new generation of strong warriors. In the past, the worthless aliens were simply used as fertilizer for the flowers."

"But now, opening a trial realm at such great cost to nurture our best disciples."

"And that's not all—the aliens within the trial realm have all been strengthened, their power raised by at least two levels. Haven’t you noticed? Apart from the most outstanding disciples at the Blood and Qi and Treasure Body stages, the average entrant can’t even kill a single alien."

"Furthermore, injured aliens recover quickly inside. The Dragon Elephant Grand Sovereign plans to keep this trial realm open for the long term."

"I’ve heard he’s purchased another batch of aliens from the front lines. They'll be brought in soon."

As these divine senses conversed, yet another group of injured disciples appeared below, many missing limbs and wearing expressions of terror.

While the trial realms surged with activity, Xu Chen’s cultivation was progressing ever more smoothly.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

Most of the disciples who had entered the trial realm had now returned—almost all of them bearing wounds. A few, less fortunate, would never return.

Those who remained inside were mostly the talented and battle-hardened, each of whom had reaped rewards from their time in the realm.

Xu Chen was training on the grass outside his home when a cloud lark carrying Niu Dali landed by the small river nearby.