Chapter 31: The Joseon Dynasty (Part 7)

The Trial of a Hundred Kingdoms has begun.
In the very center of Xuanling City stands a magnificent and vast plaza, entirely paved with white jade.
The plaza is filled with young men and women.
Thousands of people, yet not a single sound is uttered.
They all gaze ahead with awe, their eyes filled with anticipation.
The Trial of a Hundred Kingdoms takes place in a secret realm.
Within this secret realm lie both opportunities and demonic beasts.
Seizing opportunities earns points, slaying demonic beasts earns more points, and only those with the highest scores can enter the Xuan Yuan Holy Land.
Simple and brutal.
A pillar of light shines across the white jade plaza, piercing the heavens and earth.
When the pillar of light disappears, everyone vanishes as well.
......
Su Chen opens his eyes again, finding himself in an unfamiliar environment.
He stands atop a large, black mountain, gazing into the distance.
This secret realm is vast.
Like a small world.
Su Chen murmured, "Is this the method of a powerhouse above the Profound Realm?"
Truly terrifying, beyond human comprehension!
Su Chen began searching for opportunities.
The Profound Spirit Secret Realm was a means for the Profound Origin Holy Land to recruit disciples, so naturally, they weren't stingy. It contained countless precious treasures that were difficult to find outside; obtaining them was an opportunity, regardless of whether one joined the Profound Origin Holy Land.
This was why, besides the Hundred Kingdoms, many other forces participated in the trials.
Not long after, Su Chen encountered a demonic beast.
It was a large serpent with jet-black scales, clinging to a high mountain, blending seamlessly with its color. It opened its two dark red pupils, staring at Su Chen.
"It's a beast no weaker than a sixth or seventh level Spirit Sea Realm expert!"
Su Chen was surprised, a fighting spirit appearing in his eyes: "It's said that where there are strange beasts, there's a high probability of finding rare treasures!"
Rare treasures—he was very interested!
Just as Su Chen's thoughts settled, the terrifying serpent swung its tens-of-meters-long body, its hard scales scraping against the mountain rocks, leaving deep marks.
The serpent lunged at the python, intending to swallow the tiny human whole.
A fierce wind howled, sharp as knives and swords.
Su Chen sprouted a pair of ice wings from his back, dodging the serpent's attack. The serpent missed its target, its head slamming into the opposite hill, shattering into pieces.
"Such terrifying strength! No wonder it's a rare species!"
Su Chen was greatly surprised and immediately took out the superior-grade spirit spear that Li Hongwen had given him.
This was the weapon Li Hongwen himself had always used, which he had given to Su Chen.
Ordinary weapons couldn't penetrate the black-armored serpent's defenses.
A superior-grade spirit weapon could!
Su Chen thrust his spear into the black-armored serpent's abdomen, piercing its hard scales. Blood gushed out, and in agony, the serpent went berserk, its massive tail lashing out, shattering hills into pieces.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Chen's spear transformed into hundreds of shadowy strikes, relentlessly piercing the serpent's body.
When the serpent retaliated, Su Chen fled; when he found an opening, he counterattacked.
After an hour of this struggle, the serpent bled dry and could no longer move. Su Chen stripped the serpent of its spiritual runes and inner core.
This was a rare species; it could fetch at least a million gold coins.
After killing the serpent, Su Chen returned to the spot to search for the so-called treasure.
And he actually found it.
On the high mountain where the Black-Armored Scaled Serpent resided, there indeed lay a treasure: a fist-sized piece of Black-Armored Crystal Marrow, worth a million gold coins.
Su Chen was overjoyed, and his points increased to 300.
This place was truly a treasure trove!
"In my next life, I'll come back here again!"
Su Chen decided to manage this place well in this life; any treasures he couldn't obtain, he would retrieve in the next!
For the next period, Su Chen began to wander freely within the secret realm.
He encountered some other contestants.
Unfortunately, most were not very friendly.
Su Chen was forced to retaliate, stealing their treasures.
He also encountered some immature treasures. Su Chen didn't take these, but instead hid their traces and marked them, intending to retrieve them in his next life.
As he walked, Su Chen sensed an anomaly.
"A treasure has appeared!"
Su Chen's eyes lit up with surprise.
Sure enough, a golden light floated in the distance.
It was a stone tablet!
It was covered with densely packed runes.
Su Chen saw streaks of light rushing towards the stone tablet.
Among them, he encountered a young prodigy, about the same age as Su Chen, but with a cultivation level of the sixth level of the Spirit Sea Realm, a level higher than Su Chen's.
The young prodigy seemed to have no hostility towards Su Chen. After introducing himself as Ao Jin, he began to explain the secrets of the stone tablet to Su Chen.
It turned out that the stone tablet was called the Xuan Yuan Ancient Tablet. It was said to contain the imprints of many cultivation techniques and supernatural abilities obtained from the battles of the Xuan Yuan Holy Land. Whoever seized the Dao Platform could connect to the Xuan Yuan Ancient Tablet and comprehend its mysteries.
"It is said that someone once comprehended a King-level or higher inheritance within the Xuan Yuan Ancient Tablet!"
Su Chen was greatly shocked upon hearing this.
As they chatted, the two arrived near the Xuan Yuan Ancient Tablet.
The area was already packed with people. Below the Xuan Yuan Ancient Stele were 108 lotus-shaped platforms, all of which had been occupied long ago, seemingly without any empty spots.
Ao Jin rushed towards one of the platforms, tossing Su Chen a message:
"These platforms are stolen. Only those with the strength can defend them!"
Seeing Ao Jin fighting with his enemies for a platform, Su Chen didn't hesitate. He found a seemingly weaker genius, a third-level Spirit Sea Realm cultivator, and directly attacked, trying to snatch it.
"I am a descendant of the Thunderstorm King! You dare to steal my platform?"
The young man recognized Su Chen as the genius who had defeated his opponent in the genius battle that day. Knowing he was no match, he directly threatened him.
Su Chen sneered, defeating him in a few moves, sending him crashing down from the platform.
Everyone here has a prestigious background.
If you're weak, then obediently get down there.
Su Chen didn't take the young man's parting words to heart, simply occupying the platform and waiting for the Xuan Yuan Ancient Stele to open.
Soon, Su Chen spotted his acquaintance, Lin Wu. Lin Wu had also arrived and challenged a prodigy guarding the platform, defeating him.
There were also geniuses from the Canglan Kingdom and the Moman Kingdom.
Upon seeing Su Chen, those people immediately turned and ran, fearing they'd be killed if they were too slow.
Su Chen sneered inwardly.
You can run away one day and hide the next, but can you really escape the next?
He'd assumed the geniuses from those two countries were too intimidated to participate.
Unexpectedly, they still had some courage.
If they met again, he'd just kill them!
Soon, the assignments for the 108 Dao Platforms were completed.
Of the 108 geniuses, the one Su Chen valued most was a gentle-looking young man in white.
He actually possessed the cultivation of the ninth level of the Spirit Sea Realm!
This was truly unbelievable!
You must know that even after Su Chen restarted his cultivation, his current level was only the fifth level of the Spirit Sea Realm!