Chapter 163: Chapter 138: Breakthrough to the 6th Layer of Foundation Establishment, Profound Celestial Immortal Palace (2)

Each one possessed the strength of an eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator and attacked Xiao Chen directly, wielding a greatsword.

Scenes like this were unfolding simultaneously across the entire outermost layer of the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace.

Hundreds of trial-takers from various regions were desperately holding on under the onslaught of the puppets.

Although these three puppets couldn’t use Magic, they were incredibly tough and completely impervious to magical attacks.

With the limited space in the hall, it wasn’t long before many Cultivators started sustaining injuries.

Lin Ping’an held up a Round Shield with one hand and waved a Command Flag with the other, huddled in a corner. ’Good thing I learned a bit about Defensive Arrays. Otherwise, I would’ve been toast today.’

In the adjacent chamber, however, was a powerfully built youth wielding a Xuanhua Axe. He swung it in an impenetrable flurry, effortlessly parrying all the puppets’ attacks.

Others relied on Talismans to buy time.

Some relied on their Spirit Beasts, engaging in a chaotic brawl.

Yet one young man stood out from the rest.

Relying on his monstrous strength, he actually tore all three puppets to pieces, one after another.

’Just as I expected, the Elder was right. The materials used to forge these puppets have decayed, so they can be dismantled by force.’

As the puppets fell, the wall before him rose, revealing a corridor.

The young man strode out and looked up above the corridor, where two lines of small text had appeared.

The second line was his name.

Chu Yuebin—Rating: Excellent, Time: Two Quarter Hours.

’What? Someone beat me to first place?’

Chu Yuebin’s gaze shifted upward to the first line of text.

Chen Xiao—Rating: Excellent, Time: One Quarter Hour.

.

"Chen Xiao?"

Chu Yuebin’s brow furrowed. He racked his brain but realized he’d never heard that name before.

’That’s strange. There aren’t any prominent families named Chen near the Jingkong Sea. Could he be a Cultivator from the direction of Ten Thousand Immortals Island?’

Both the Jingkong Sea and Ten Thousand Immortals Island were located in the Eastern Domain.

A little over two hours ago, in the region of the Jingkong Sea near Ten Thousand Immortals Island, a pillar of white light had suddenly shot up into the sky. An intense Spiritual Qi Tide had then swept across the land for hundreds of miles.

This immediately attracted a large number of nearby Cultivators.

Afterward, everyone was shocked to discover that the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace, which was supposed to open only once every hundred years, had opened ahead of schedule for some unknown reason.

That was why so many Cultivators had entered the Secret Realm.

’Oh well. Having a rival makes things more interesting.’

Chu Yuebin shook his head and strode through the corridor.

Then, a fork in the path appeared before him, with one way leading left and the other right.

At the same time, a beam of white light shone down.

A monotone voice then rang out: "Chu Yuebin, congratulations on reaching the second trial. Please pass through the forked paths and enter the Heart Inquiry Hall within four hours."

"Exceeding the time limit will be considered a failure. The timer starts now."

At the same time, a stone tablet stood in the middle of the path. On it was written the subject of the second trial: Luck!

The rules were simple: only one path led to the Heart Inquiry Hall, and no matter which one was chosen, a person had to walk to the very end to learn the outcome.

Trial-takers had to rely on their luck to choose the correct path.

At the very bottom was a message from the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace: The Immortal Palace has no need for an heir with bad luck.

Back in the day, when the Chu Family’s ancestor first came here, he had unfortunately chosen the wrong path and was so furious he cursed up a storm.

But now in Chu Yuebin’s generation, he was well-prepared. He immediately took out a Spirit Fish.

The moment he released it, the Spirit Fish shot away to the left, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

’Excellent! With this Path-finding Fish, I’ll definitely clear this trial the fastest, close the gap from the first trial, and surpass Chen Xiao.’

Chu Yuebin immediately took out a Tier Two Feiyu Talisman and stuck it to his leg.

There were Restrictions within the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace that forbade Sword Flight.

But with this Talisman, he could run twice as fast as an ordinary person.

He ran to the end of the corridor without stopping.

Chu Yuebin immediately looked up.

A line of small text materialized.

Chu Yuebin—Rating: Excellent, Time: Two Hours.

A normal Cultivator could barely run the entire course in four hours, but thanks to his Feiyu Talisman, he had cut that time in half.

However, when his gaze moved higher, he was instantly dumbfounded.

Anping—Rating: Excellent, Time: Five Quarter Hours.

’And who the hell is Anping?’

Chu Yuebin was baffled. There was no prominent family named An near the Jingkong Sea, either.

’Where the hell did these people pop up from?’

’Where the hell did this Chen Xiao come from?’

In an adjacent corridor, Lin Ping’an was also stroking his chin, thinking in bewilderment.

As soon as he saw the details of the second trial, he had immediately performed a divination on the spot.

He easily determined that the right path was the correct one.

Besides, as everyone knew, Escape Techniques were essential for survival.

For that reason, Lin Ping’an had cultivated three different Escape Techniques. One of them, the Body Traveling Secret Evasion, was designed for precisely these kinds of situations where Sword Flight was impossible.

However, when he checked the rankings, he was surprised to see another master in first place.

Chen Xiao—Rating: Excellent, Time: Three Quarter Hours.

*Hiss*... ’To think someone could be that fast. The world of cultivation is far too dangerous, just as I thought.’

Lin Ping’an instantly felt the pressure. ’If this turns into a death trap, doesn’t that mean I won’t be able to run away?’

’No, this is unacceptable. After this, I must double down on practicing my Escape Techniques. Until I make a breakthrough, I absolutely can’t go adventuring like this again.’ 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

His mind made up, he cautiously pushed open the door and stepped into the third trial: the Heart Inquiry Hall.

The moment he entered, Lin Ping’an saw a painting of a bustling city.

He suddenly forgot who he was, feeling as if he had been pulled into the world of the painting.

Inside the painting, he began to live out the life of a mortal.

He was born into an impoverished family, suffering constantly from hunger and cold.

After struggling to grow a little older, an Immortal Master who came looking for disciples declared that he had no Spiritual Root, and his path to immortality was hopeless.