Chapter 718 – A Shocking Trial Ground
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"I've finally passed." Lin Ming let out a breath of relief. That test had not been easy at all. When Lin Ming had passed the general level smelting trial, he had been young, thus the enemies he faced were correspondingly weaker. Even so, it had cost Lin Ming a massive amount of time to pass it, and if he hadn't brought enough Vermillion Bird blood essence with him, then it might have been nearly impossible to pass the smelting trial in any reasonable period of time.
But now, Lin Ming's age and cultivation had risen. Facing the king level smelting trial qualifier, it hadn't been as difficult to pass. This proved that the rate Lin Ming grew had exceeded the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple's expectations of someone from the royal line.
"Sir Temple Spirit, I have a question I would like to ask you. Those several successors and princes I fought, just how old were they?"
This was the question that Lin Ming most wanted to ask. He desired to know how his talent compared to those geniuses of the Ancient Phoenix Clan and just what degree the disparity between them was.
The Temple Spirit said, "Trial Challenger, your skeletal age is at 21 years. The difficult of your corresponding test should also be at the 21st rank. However, because your bloodline density is lacking, the true difficulty of your test was somewhat higher. Your matches were all 24 or 25 years old. They were all outstanding heroic elites of the Ancient Phoenix Clan's Royal Family. However, when their phantoms faced you, their energy and cultivation were also under heavy suppression; they were in no way at their peak condition. Thus, it is impossible to assess your talent in comparison to theirs.
"I understand."
Lin Ming wasn't too surprised by this. In the Ancient Phoenix Clan, their resources and talents were far from what the Sky Spill Continent could compare with. For instance, the Nirvana Dragon Root was a rare and precious heavenly treasure that all Life Destruction masters of the Sky Spill Continent would go stark mad for. However, thinking about it some more, that Nirvana Dragon Root was in truth some unwanted medicinal herb kept in the Demon God Imperial Palace's medicine garden by the Demon Emperor before he ascended into the Realm of the Gods. Although it's value had surged because of the tens of thousands of years that had passed, when it was truly contrasted to the great sects within the Realm of the Gods with incomparably vast legacies, it wasn't even worth mentioning.
There might be some half God Beast bloodline genius out there, using medicines and pills daily with a value that far surpassed the Nirvana Dragon Root. What they trained in were high-level Realm of the God's cultivation methods that were in no way inferior to Lin Ming's, and they would even have the guidance of old beings from the Realm of the Gods whose cultivation far surpassed that of the Divine Sea's. Lin Ming didn't find it strange that there would be many such individuals whose own comprehensive talent even exceeded his own.
Destiny was also a part of one's talent. For a martial artist to be born in a great sect of the Realm of the Gods, or perhaps even a Holy Land, that too was a part of their destiny.
But for Lin Ming, although he originated from the lowliest of mortal backgrounds in one of the three thousand boundless worlds, simply one of a trillion trillion ants scurrying about, he still didn't believe that his destiny was any less than that of an outstanding young elite from a Realm of the Gods Holy Land.
This was because…he had the Magic Cube.
Although the current Lin Ming hadn't been able to perceive the secrets of the Magic Cube, he had a faint feeling that the Magic Cube might be one of the greatest treasures within the entire universe. As he grew stronger in the future, he would be able to unlock more and more of the Magic Cube's powers, bringing him that much closer to the peak of all martial arts.
"Trial Challenger, we are here…" As the Temple Spirit spoke, the space around Lin Ming began to suddenly twist. A slight dizzying vertigo overcame him, and in the next moment he was sent up to a broad platform.
This platform was shaped like a massive circle, at least 10 miles in diameter. On its surface, there were a variety of mysterious, ancient runes engraved within; these were clearly array symbols.
However, what surprised Lin Ming was that he hadn't seen a good number of these array symbols before. Lin Ming believed that he was skilled in understanding ancient array formations, but facing the patterns and marks on this platform, nearly everything here was completely unknown, making him feel a bit helpless.
Was this an array formation laid down by the Ancient Phoenix Clan?
"Sir Temple Spirit, are these the grounds for the king level smelting trial?" Lin Ming looked at the entire round platform. This platform emitted a simple, vast energy; it was startling. In addition to these mysterious, ancient runes, Lin Ming wouldn't be surprised if it was something similar to the Seven Profound Valleys' Ten Thousand Killing Array.
Of course, this Ancient Phoenix Great Temple's array formation was like the difference between heaven and earth compared to that of the Seven Profound Valleys.
However, the Temple Spirit shook its head and said, "This is not the site of the king level smelting trial. Rather, it is the transmission altar that leads to the king level smelting trial…."
The Temple Spirit's words were unhurried without any hint of emotion behind them. But as Lin Ming heard them, he was completely shocked!
What!?
This was only a transmission array!?
A ten-mile-wide transmission array covered in countless mystic runes!
Heavens! Where would such a transmission array lead to!?
In the broken world of the Demon God Imperial Palace, Lin Ming had seen a massive, ancient transmission array that was hundreds of feet high with 108 grooves for true essence stones. With all sorts of array symbols covering it, it had been a large-scale array formation.
That was the greatest transmission array Lin Ming had seen to date. But now, compared to this transmission array around him. It was absolutely overshadowed like an ant to an elephant.
This array formation was ten miles wide! Spreading out his perception, Lin Ming discovered dozens of fist-sized grooves around him. As for the transmission altar itself, that was a thousand feet high!
The entire altar seemed carved from burning red jade. Lin Ming had never seen this jade-like material but he could feel the vibrant energy rolling off from it.
This sort of transmission array…
Lin Ming glanced at the Temple Spirit. If the Demon God Imperial Palace's transmission array could send someone billions of miles away, then this transmission array could send someone trillions or even tens or hundreds of trillions of miles afar!
"Sir Temple Spirit, just where does this transmission array go to? If I can't complete the smelting trial in half a year, I would rather not enter," Lin Ming uneasily asked. If he went so far away, returning probably wouldn't be easy.
"Trial Challenger, I cannot guarantee when you will complete the smelting trial. The king level smelting trial is considered one of the core cultivation resources of the Ancient Phoenix Clan, and is divided into several stages. You can only continue to the later stages if you complete the first stage of the smelting trial. Once you finish the first stage of the smelting trial, you may also return. But, as for how long it will take you, I cannot tell."
"What's the fastest time that a martial artist of the Ancient Phoenix Clan completed the trial?" Lin Ming quickly asked.
"The fastest was…72 days!"
As the Temple Spirit spoke this number, even though its nature was that of indifference, there was still a trace of respect and reverence in its tone. 72 days was a terrifying number.
"72 days…I understand." Since there were people that could complete the trial in 72 days, then Lin Ming was confident that even if he couldn't match that number, three months also wouldn't be a problem.
The Temple Spirit shook its head and said, "Trial Challenger, 72 days for completion of the trial is not an Ancient Phoenix Clan Prince from my Nuyan Family. That individual had a perfect Phoenix Clan bloodline. That is, half of his bloodline came from humanity and the other half came from a Phoenix. His perception, talent, none of that can be measured with common sense. Perhaps you might not even have the qualifications to pass the very first stage of the smelting trial in 72 days."
Perfect Phoenix Clan bloodline?
Lin Ming sucked in a deep breath. From the very first time he had stepped onto the road of martial arts, taking each step by step until he reached where he presently was, he was now finally able to approach those peak talents from the Realm of the Gods.
Now, he would finally traverse the same path that the heroic young elites of the Realm of the Gods once tread, climbing towards the true peak of martial arts!
Everything had to restart from zero. The road was now underneath his feet!
Lin Ming's entire body burned with a brilliant fighting spirit. If he didn't come into contact with the Realm of the Gods, then he would never see where the peak of all martial arts lay!
"I don't need to finish in 72 days. As long as I can pass within half a year—that's more than enough! Beam me up!"
"Good! It shall be as you wish."
As the Temple Spirit finished speaking, from above the skies of the massive altar, hundreds of fist-sized crystals slowly fell down, fitting themselves into the grooves of the altar.
Lin Ming had never seen these red energy stones before. But from the energy fluctuations, he could sense that these crystals were incomparable to true essence stones or Blood Demon Crystals.
This was also within reason. In order to mobilize such a terrifyingly large transmission array, how could ordinary energy stones possibly be enough?
These red crystals were absolutely priceless. If just the consumption to transmit a young elite was so high, then the training resources they received could be imagined.
No wonder the Ancient Phoenix Clan held such strict requirements to qualify for the king level smelting trial. In order to train a single member of the Royal Family, this required a massive amount of resources. Even with Lin Ming's talent, he still hadn't obtained the qualifications easily.
Bang!
The red crystals erupted with energy. The entire transmission altar suddenly shook as all of the array symbols upon it lit up in dazzling succession!
A beam of fiery-red light shot out from the altar, straight into the skies. As Lin Ming stood on the transmission array, he felt an endless and terrifying pressure fall over him with overwhelming force, suppressing him to a nearly unbearable degree.
Heavenly Demon force field—open!
Lin Ming simultaneously released the Death God and Asura force fields. With their support, Lin Ming was just barely able to withstand this immense pressure.
This secretly shocked Lin Ming. "This transmission is truly extraordinary. If a normal Xiantian martial artist were to stand here, they would explode from the pressure!'
Bang!
The transmission array suddenly trembled. More and more red energy surged forth, covering the entire altar.
In the next moment, Lin Ming felt his body suddenly accelerate in a dizzying motion as the world spun around him. This acceleration was so sudden and fast that Lin Ming felt as though he would barf out his organs. Rays of red light wrapped around Lin Ming, the void shattered, and he was tossed into this incomparably chaotic space flow!
Having experienced this scene previously, Lin Ming's eyes lit up. This was also an opportune time for him to further hone his Concepts of Space and Time!
The chaotic space flow that Lin Ming faced this time were even more violent and terrifying than before. But Lin Ming's strength had greatly increased from the past, and his understanding of the Concept of Space had reached a very deep degree. Even if he couldn't directly withstand the violent space flows, he still had ways to avoid it, ensuring that he would be safe.
After soaring through this space flow for an unknown period of time, even someone with Lin Ming's endurance consumed 70-80% of his true essence. Finally, he felt his body shake as he was kicked out from the space channel!
Then, Lin Ming was able to clearly gaze at the scene before him. This was the true king level smelting trial!
Lin Ming was thoroughly shocked. Prior to this, he had imagined many times just what the king level smelting trial would be like. Perhaps it was similar to the Ten Thousand Killing Array, or the King's Cage, or maybe even the Road of Emperor, but he never thought it would be like this…..
This was actually a city! A city filled with people!
Chapter 719 – Timeworn Phoenix City
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Right in front of Lin Ming was an incomparably vast and deep valley. Lin Ming stood right on the top of a cliff hundreds of thousands of feet high. The cliff walls were smooth like polished mirrors. If one didn't have the ability to fly, then perhaps even a Revolving Core martial artist would be unable to climb this.
Looking down from the top of the cliff, he saw an endless mist of hazy clouds, extending off into the distant horizon for thousands of miles. But, within this fog, he could make out several mountains that were hundreds of thousands of feet high, towering into the heavens as if they were pillars supporting the vault of the world.
A magnificent, crimson castle city was nestled within these mountains. Its walls were several hundred feet high, grand and majestic, and above the city massive flaming birds shuttled back and forth. On top of these flaming birds rode riders wearing scarlet sets of armor with lances in their hands.
Besides these fiery birds, there was a massive spirit boat being ferried forwards by ten Golden Crows, their bodies wreathed in flames. Each of these Golden Crows were much larger than the Vermillion Birds of Divine Phoenix Island, their twin wings each extended 200 feet out and their backs wide enough to fit 10 people standing side by side.
At this time, this massive spirit boat headed forwards into that giant, crimson castle city. As Lin Ming stood 100 miles outside, he could clearly hear the resounding cry of phoenixes, a melodious and valiant song that echoed endlessly between the heavens and earth.
"What a great divine city!"
Lin Ming sucked in a deep breath. Although he already knew that outside of the Sky Spill Continent there was the three thousand boundless worlds as well as the even greater and more illusory, unattainable Realm of the Gods, knowing was one matter; seeing with his own eyes was another altogether.
This scene was simply staggeringly breathtaking; it was only inferior to the phantom of the God Beast he had seen in the Eternal Demon Abyss.
As Lin Ming turned around, he saw that the Temple Spirit was following behind him, its form rippling like a water mark. "Trial Challenger, this is Timeworn Phoenix City. It is my Nuyan Family's king level smelting trial site. You may enter."
"Timeworn Phoenix City….Nuyan Family…"
Lin Ming's eyebrows arched upwards. He asked the Temple Spirit, "Sir Temple Spirit, the Nuyan Family is only part of the Ancient Phoenix Clan. So would that mean that the other trial challengers of other clans and families are also converged within Timeworn Phoenix City?"
The Temple Spirit replied, "Yes."
So it was true…. Lin Ming sucked in a deep breath of cold air. If he wasn't wrong, then the Sky Spill Continent's Ancient Phoenix Clan only comprised the Nuyan Family branch. But, within the Realm of the Gods, there was the much greater true Ancient Phoenix Clan. There was even a possibility that the Ancient Phoenix Clan was a Holy Land-rank influence within the Realm of the Gods!
"Come, I shall lead you into the city," the Temple Spirit said. Then, a blurry light wrapped around Lin Ming and they flew together towards that colossal city.
After half an incense stick of time, Lin Ming arrived at the great castle city. As he reached the city gates, he saw that they were 1000 feet high, and at the very top there were three massive golden words emblazoned on a huge signboard: Timeworn Phoenix City!
These three words emanated an unbelievably inexhaustible and vigorous aura; just looking at it made his mind blur. Even though Lin Ming was confident in the firmness of his own willpower and mind, he still didn't dare stare for too long.
"This sign…"
The Temple Spirit said, "The above words on that signboard were personally written by the Third Patriarch of the Ancient Phoenix Clan; within it is contained the root Laws of all fire-attribute energies. Normally, if a martial artist looks at it they will feel dazed
Even those who have formed a battle spirit are no exception."
"I see…." Lin Ming was startled. It wasn't said which family clan this Ancient Phoenix Clan Third Patriarch came from. It was possible that he was the Third Patriarch of the Ancient Phoenix Clan from the Realm of the Gods. It was hard to imagine just what boundary such a person would have reached.
"Come, let us enter," the Temple Spirit said before slowly floating forward.
The great road leading to Timeworn Phoenix City was over a mile wide. Along the way, there were a number of martial artists sporadically scattered about, all of them wearing red. In his black clothes, Lin Ming stuck out like a sore thumb.
As Lin Ming sensed the cultivation of those young heroic elites he saw along the way, he was secretly surprised. Nearly all of them were at Revolving Core or even at Life Destruction. There were several who were at the Xiantian realm, but they were obviously under 20 years of age. They didn't break through to the Xiantian realm any later than Lin Ming.
As Lin Ming arrived at the entrance to Timeworn Phoenix City, a soldier dressed in fiery armor stopped him. "Identify yourselves! Name and origin!"
At this time, the Temple Spirit fluttered down beside Lin Ming. It said without feeling, "Ancient Phoenix Clan, Nuyan Family Protector from Sky Spill Continent. The trial challenger's name is Nuyan Ming."
Nuyan Ming?
Lin Ming was startled before relaxing. He was a disciple of Divine Phoenix Island and he had also obtained the inheritance of a single blood drop of the Ancient Phoenix from the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple. He could at least be considered an honorary Nuyan Family member.
"Nuyan Family?" The city gate guardsman showed a thoughtful expression. He took out a jade slip, glanced at it, and then said with some surprise and consternation, "The Nuyan Family has not sent any fellow clansmen to the Royal Family smelting trial for 150,000 years!"
"Yes!" the Temple Spirit replied. Then, a simple token emerged out of thin air in front of it. The front of the token had the design of a phoenix in nirvana, and the back of the token and a single word written in the Realm of the God's language—Nuyan.
The city gate guardsman looked at Lin Ming strangely. He then took the token and nodded, "You truly are of the Nuyan Family line. You may enter."
Lin Ming stepped into Timeworn Phoenix City with the Temple Spirit. As Lin Ming formally entered the city, he felt a great vague pressure come pressing down on him. This caused all of the true essence within his body to immediately weaken by at least 20%.
Looking up in the sky, he could see countless red clouds surging in the heavens, constantly forming a variety of mystical patterns that seemed as if they contained the endless profound principles of the universe.
"The fire origin energy here is…too rich, too pure!" Lin Ming gasped. He felt that what he breathed in was not air but the purest and most primal of fire origin energies!
This fire origin energy perhaps shouldn't be described with the word "rich." Rather, it was power that was closest to the Law of Fire!
"If I train here, it can't even be described as twice the result with half the effort…." Lin Ming sighed with emotion. The great sects and Holy Lands of the Realm of the Gods were truly flush with resources, but as to what degree it was, it was hard to consider with just his imagination. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he could only sigh for the disparity that existed between the mortal world and the Realm of the Gods!
In Timeworn Phoenix City, even if one didn't train, one would always be undergoing a baptism of fire energy, making the energy within their dantian even purer! If one supplemented this with cultivation, the ease of perceiving the Law of Fire could be imagined.
Especially for the people here; they all had a formidable bloodline power. Their own compatibilities with the Law of Fire were extremely high to begin with!
"Follow me, I shall bring you to the Timeworn Phoenix City Protector. He will guide you to the first stage of the Royal Family smelting trial."
Lin Ming followed the Temple Spirit to the Temple of Protectors. Along the way, they passed by many red-clothed young men and women. If any one of these people were placed in the Sky Spill Continent, then they would be existences that Duanmu Qun, Feng Shen, and Lan Xin wouldn't be able to compare with by far.
"These people all come from the Realm of the Gods?" Lin Ming asked.
"No…." The Temple Spirit shook its head. "Most of these people come from similar mortal worlds like the Sky Spill Continent. Only a small portion of them come from the Realm of the Gods.
"The Realm of the Gods is an incomparably broad land. But there are even more people within it. When someone decides to practice martial arts, their lifespan will become longer, and the number of descendants they leave behind will swell in number. After a long time, even the near unlimited resources of the Realm of the Gods would find it hard to support such a great number of people. At times, there will be some branch families of certain sects and clans that will pass through space cracks, entering into the lower mortal realm where they settle down. The Ancient Phoenix Clan within the Sky Spill Continent was in this situation."
As the Temple Spirit spoke, Lin Ming was suddenly enlightened. So that's how it was!
Humanity's ability to multiple was truly terrifying. If a martial artist lived for 10,000 years, they could have dozens or even hundreds of children. These children would have their own children, and then the rate of population would increase exponentially. Quickly, a sect's spiritual land would not be able to bear this. At that point, it would be a wise choice for a branch of that sect to settle down in the world of mortals.
"So, the Sky Spill Continent Ancient Phoenix Clan's Nuyan Family was also the same?" Lin Ming had never understood why various ancient ruins from the Realm of the Gods had appeared within the Sky Spill Continent. For instance, the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, Road of Emperor, Eternal Demon Abyss, or even the various array formations of the Demon God Imperial palace, all of them came from the Realm of the Gods.
"Yes! Once upon a time, the Sky Spill Continent also had a brilliant and storied past. Although it was not comparable to the Realm of the Gods, it still had its moments of magnificence…." As the Temple Spirit spoke to here, it seemed reluctant to keep talking. Lin Ming also didn't want to push the subject. He had a faint feeling that 100,000 years ago, a time at which the history of the Sky Spill Continent had been wiped out, it also had something to do with the fall from brilliance that the Temple Spirit had implied in its words.
Lin Ming had long thought something was strange. Although ancient texts could last thousands of years at most, the large sects should have methods to preserve their history. For instance, specially crafted jade slips. It shouldn't have been possible for everything that happened 100,000 years ago to suddenly vanish.
'I wonder what the matter with the Eternal Demon Abyss is. There are obviously life forms from the Realm of the Gods that reside there. Above the Eternal Demon Abyss there are also the Road of Emperor, King's Cage, and the 12 Skysplit Towers; all of that should have been built by those existences within the Eternal Demon Abyss. But why did they do that and why had they retreated to the Eternal Demon Abyss and never left? Is this related to the fall from glory that happened 100,000 years ago?'
Lin Ming remembered that tens of thousands of years ago, there was a massive, beastly claw that emerged from the Eternal Demon Abyss, instantly killing 12 Emperor-level powerhouses. He also remembered that ancient great beast he had seen in the 1000-mile forbidden zone; its body had spanned for thousands of miles. And there was even that goddess in her tomb sleeping, unblemished and undisturbed for all those years. Without a doubt, these were not mysteries that should exist in the Sky Spill Continent or Holy Demon Continent.
What kind of secret was there in the Eternal Demon Abyss? Lin Ming felt that he had just glimpsed the very tip of the iceberg. Well, at least he now knew generally how the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm and Eternal Demon Abyss had come about.
"We're here. This is the Hall of Protectors. Trial Challenger, I shall wait for you here until you have completed the first stage of the trial or are eliminated. Perhaps you might even die…." The Temple Spirit finally stopped at a red-domed building that was hundreds of feet high. On the very top of the dome, there was a massive statue of a phoenix, its wings spread out in flight as if it were living creature trapped there in time.
"You may enter."
"Thank you, Sir Temple Spirit." Lin Ming took a deep breath and walked into the flame-hued Hall of Protectors. In the deserted corridors, his footsteps echoed loudly.
Chapter 720 – Ancient Phoenix Totem
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Within the Temple of Protectors, Li Ming saw several red-clothed martial artists milling around in the main hall. The majority of them were humans, but there were also some Fey and other races. They all had different surnames and origins, yet, they all shared a single common ground, and that was that they all had the bloodline of the Ancient Phoenix.
"Are you new?" As Lin Ming stepped in, a red-clothed martial artist walked up to greet him, speaking with the common language of the Realm of the Gods, "Where are you from?"
"Sky Spill Continent, Nuyan Family's Nuyan Ming." Lin Ming replied.
"Sky Spill Continent? So you're also from the world of mortals. Me too! Hahaha, let me introduce myself, I am from the Yellowright Family, Yellowright Min." The diminutive red-clothed martial artist smiled with a sense of warmth and camaraderie when he heard Lin Ming was also from a mortal world.
Lin Ming discovered that on Yellowright Min's chest, there was a badge there with the word 'Yellowright' written on it, surrounded by burning flames.
Within the hall, everyone else had badges on their chest too, labeling and displaying their respective families and clans. But, near the center of the hall, there was a group of six young martial artists that seemed slightly different from the others.
They clustered into an isolated group, completely ignoring the other martial artists around them.
"Heh, those six fellows are from the Realm of the Gods." Yellowright Min noticed where Lin Ming's eyes were and he curled his lips in disgust. He said with a true essence sound transmission, "Those Realm of the Gods fellows all have an ingrained sense of superiority so they stay in their little clique and don't bother conversing with the rest of us. They think that their status compared to ours is the same as nobles compared to commoners!"
Yellowright Min's voice held an obvious hint of irony as if he viewed these six people with a great deal of disdain.
"Realm of the Gods?" Lin Ming's eyes widened.
"Coming from the Realm of the Gods doesn't mean all that much." Yellowright Min shook his head. "This Timeworn Phoenix City is also located in the lower realms. In the Realm of the Gods, there are special Royal Family smelting trial sites. If they were truly the top talents of the Phoenix Clan, then there's no way they would have come here!"
"Oh?" Lin Ming was startled, "So you're saying that this Timeworn Phoenix City is not the Ancient Phoenix Clan's best trial area? I heard that Timeworn Phoenix City's signboard was personally written by the Third Patriarch of the Ancient Phoenix Clan?"
"Well, yes, that's right, but that's because the Third Patriarch also came from the lower realms and he completed his Royal Family smelting trial at Timeworn Phoenix City. The most outstanding heroic youths of our lower worlds of mortals aren't necessarily much worse than those from the Realm of the Gods. Come, let me introduce you to the others."
As Yellowright Min spoke, he led Lin Ming around to meet some of the other martial artists from the mortal world. "This is Man Ka, he's from the Kobe Star, and this is Wu Yuan, he's from the Sky Cicada Continent… "
The few people that Yellowright Min introduced generally nodded coolly at Lin Ming. All of these individuals were the most favored children of heaven in their own worlds; it wasn't strange for them to be prideful. Rather, it was Yellowright Min whose jovial nature was different from everyone else.
Lin Ming didn't mind. He secretly noted down everyone's age and cultivation. Nearly everyone here was under 25 years old, and they all had a cultivation around the Life Destruction realm. From each of them, Lin Ming could feel the same powerful energy and aura; anyone that could arrive here was not an ordinary elite of their generation!
At this time, a slightly aged voice echoed out in the temple, "Everyone, head to the Ancient Phoenix Totem training ground!"
"Ancient Phoenix Totem training ground?" Lin Ming was surprised. He glanced over at Yellowright Min."
"Hehe, It's finally time. You're quite lucky. Everyone else here hadn waited all day to enter the Ancient Phoenix Totem grounds and to choose their own training area to comprehend the Laws. You've made it just on time! This Ancient Phoenix Totem is Timeworn Phoenix City's treasure!"
As Yellowright Min mentioned the Ancient Phoenix Totem, his two eyes began to brightly shine. "These totems were left behind by some unrivaled powerhouses of the Phoenix Clan. Some of these totems were shaped in the primal chaos of the forming universe. These stone totems are called treasures that can touch upon the very source of the Great Dao. If you can thoroughly comprehend them, you can become someone within the entire Realm of the Gods with one of the deepest understanding of Laws!"
One could become an individual with the one of the deepest comprehensions of Laws within the Realm of the Gods just by meditating on these totems? Lin Ming was a bit surprised. That seemed too exaggerated to him. "What exactly are those primal forming chaos stone totems?"
Listening to Lin Ming's query, Yellowright Min revealed a look of deep longing. In a respectful tone, he slowly said, "In the legends, before the universe was conceived, all there was in existence was chaos; the three thousand boundless worlds and the Realm of the Gods hadn't yet formed. This is the so-called primal forming chaos. These stone totems are carved from the traces of source energy and principles during the time when the primal chaos was taking form. In Timeworn Phoenix City, there are three of these primal forming chaos stone totems! Each one contains a trace of the root of all Laws!"
Hearing Yellowright Min's explanation, Lin Ming was notably shocked. If this was true, then Yellowright Min's views from before weren't exaggerated at all.
"Would a primal chaos carved stone forged in the beginning of the universe really be left behind in the lower world of mortals? Wouldn't the major forces of the Realm of the Gods be envious? In Lin Ming's view, these sorts of stone totems should only appear in the core training areas of a Realm of the Gods' Holy Land.
Yellowright Min said, "These stone totems, although they are extremely precious, aren't up to the specialized standards of the Realm of the Gods. The primal chaos of the forming universe was endlessly broad with a limitless, and there was an unending amount of source energy; countless of these sorts of stone totems were shaped at that time. The three stone totems of Timeworn Phoenix City are only a square foot in size. As for those stone totems in the Realm of the Gods' Holy Lands, they are far, far larger, and the inherent mystical principles contained within are even more profound."
"I see…" Lin Ming said with an understanding nod, "Thank you Brother Yellowright."
"Hahaha, we martial artists of the lower realms must mutually support each other!"
As Yellowright Min and Lin Ming conversed, they finally made their way to the transmission array where the Ancient Phoenix Totem was.
This was the center of the entire Timeworn Phoenix City. Because of the limited resources and the massive amount of outstanding heroic elites, every round of meditation was only allowed to last for three days. The reason that Yellowright Min and the others had been waiting here was to be next in line.
Within the Ancient Phoenix Totem training grounds, a red-robed old man was already waiting there. As he saw all the young elites arrive, he said, "This is your first time coming to the Ancient Phoenix Totem training ground. Here, there are a total of 35 Ancient Phoenix totem stones. All of you have two hours to choose which totem stone you would like. In order to prevent conflict of choice, all of you will be judged on your attainments in Laws and Concepts, and the ones with the highest comprehension will have the first choice."
"After you choose, everyone can enter their training area to meditate for three days. Three days later, no matter what you have perceived or what result you have, you must leave. Now, let me give you some choice advice. The primal forming chaos stone totems are excellent, but if you wish to perceive them it is simply impossible with your qualifications. Do not aim too high. Now, we shall start comparing comprehension of Concepts to decide the priority of choosing!"
Chapter 721 – Test of Laws
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When the red-robed man spoke about comparing comprehension of Concepts, all of the young elites' eyes present began to shine with a brilliant light. All of them were outstanding individuals of their generation and they all had absolute self-confidence in their understanding of Laws.
When such extraordinary youths gathered together, it was natural for them to wish to outdo each other, all of them hoping to have a chance to show off their superior abilities.
And this comparison of Concepts was exactly the best opportunity to do so.
"Haha, a competition of comparing our Concept of Fire? I have complete confidence in this!" Yellowright Min excitedly rubbed his palms together, as if he couldn't wait to start.
All of the young elites present seemed eager to start. The red-robed old man didn't bother with any more small talk; he drew out a red picture scroll from his spatial ring.
This picture scroll seemed to reveal an atmosphere that made one feel the vicissitudes of life. It was tied together with a simple red thread.
"That's the Ancient Phoenix Testament!"
"It truly is the Ancient Phoenix Testament! I've only ever heard about it in my clan's ancient texts, but today, I've finally seen the real thing!" A heroic elite's eyes shone. This Ancient Phoenix Testament was left behind by a Patriarch from the Realm of the Gods' Phoenix Clan just before he underwent Nirvana. He had written several dozen of these pieces, but there shouldn't be more than two within Timeworn Phoenix City. Besides the totem stones, these were the next-most precious treasures!
Hwaa!
The red-robed old man unfurled the crimson picture scroll and a burning hot energy suddenly emanated outward. On the picture scroll, there was the image of a phoenix hidden within, twisting about as if it would escape the confines of the scroll at any moment.
"Who's first?"
"Me!"
"Me!"
"Me, me!"
Several young elites impatiently raised their hands, waving them about.
"You!" The red-robed old man casually pointed at Yellowright Min. Yellowright Min's face immediately filled with excitement. A chance to perceive the Ancient Phoenix Testament was very rare.
"Stand before the Ancient Phoenix Testament and comprehend the power of the Laws within. I shall judge your individual comprehension, compatibility degree, as well as your attainments in the Concept of Fire. The final outcome shall be decided by me. Now, start."
"Yes, sir!" Yellowright Min stepped forwards, his eyes rapidly widening as he stared steadily at the crimson picture scroll. After several breaths of time, it seemed as if he had fallen into a peculiar trance. Reflected in the pupils of his eyes, all sorts of enigmatic flaming lines began forming, smoldering with all kinds of profound principles.
Yellowright Min stood in front of the Ancient Phoenix Testament for 20-some breaths of time. Then, beside Yellowright Min, several weak orbs of light appeared. These tiny spots seemed very common, but Lin Ming could sense that they were made of the purest fire origin energy, an energy that approached the source of Fire Laws!
After ten more breaths of time, these pale orbs of light slowly converged into Yellowright Min's body before vanishing out of sight.
Yellowright Min shook, suddenly waking up from his stupor. Those brilliant reflections of fire in his eyes faded away, and he dripped with sweat as he gasped for breath in heaving gulps, his eyes filled with excitement.
"Too mysterious! Really too mysterious! If I could read this Ancient Phoenix Testament then I would definitely be able to understand the origin of all Fire Laws!
Yellowright Min's face was filled with happiness and longing. There wasn't just one Ancient Phoenix Testament. As long as his talent was high enough then he would have the chance to enter the Realm of the Gods' Phoenix Clan, and there he could perceive the other Ancient Phoenix Testaments. When that time came, his comprehension of the Concept of Fire would reach an astoundingly high degree.
"Five breaths of Law fusion. The tiny amount of fire-attribute source energy you absorbed is barely passable. Your result is second-level, C-grade," the red-robed Elder said without any expression.
Hearing the red-robed Elders evaluation, Yellowright Ming's burning heart suddenly cooled down with disappointment.
The tiny amount of fire-attribute source energy he had absorbed was just passable…
This evaluation really stung Yellowright Min's ego; he had been very proud of his strengths in the comprehension of the Concept of Fire. In fact, he had even surpassed the potential of an Emperor-level powerhouse and none of his peers had ever been able to catch up to him. Yet his evaluation here today had been classified as "just passable."
"Five breaths of Law fusion can only be considered subpar." Among the other young elites, a young man with scales between his eyebrows muttered, obviously looking down at Yellowright Min's results with disdain.
Yellowright Min's face flushed. He was about to snap back when another man interrupted him, "Stop fighting. Here, results are all that matter. I'll give it a go!"
The martial artist who had spoken was also from the lower realm of mortals. His name was Man Ka and he originated from the Kobe Star. Earlier, Yellowright Min had introduced him to Lin Ming.
Man Ka and Yellowright Min might have come from two different worlds, but as martial artists who came from the lower realms, they naturally banded together when faced with a common opponent.
Man Ka stood before the Ancient Phoenix Testament and opened his eyes as wide as he could. For four breaths of time, he seemed to enter into some strange trance. Then, after another 30 breaths of time, a very weak fire energy formed around him. It slowly converged into his body. Man Ka shook, then awakening from his stupor.
The red-robed man said, "Four breaths of meditation. With the small amount of fire source energy you absorbed, your comprehension of Laws is barely above average. Your result is second-level, B-grade."
Another second-level evaluation…. Ma Ka frowned, obviously not satisfied with his result.
In the group from the Realm of the Gods, the man with red scales between his eyebrows faintly smiled. He said to a grinning, red-clothed young man beside him, "Huo Ping, why don't you go up and try?"
"Haha, I didn't want to go on stage and embarrass myself, but if Brother Long asks me to, then I should humbly accept this opportunity."
The red-clothed young man sounded modest, but his face was fully confident. His wide smile wasn't able to hide the obvious disdain he felt for the others. As he casually stood in front of the Ancient Phoenix Testament, only three breaths of time passed before traces of fire lines and flaming clouds reflected in his pupils. Then, after another 30 breaths of time, all around the red-clothed youth, dozens of rice-sized orbs of luminescent red light appeared, flying into the red-clothed youth as if they were a swarm of birds.
The red-clothed youth awoke from his meditation and said a bit breathlessly, "That felt great!"
"Three breaths of meditation, the little power of the fire source energy you absorbed can be considered just satisfactory. You, ha have you looked upon the Ancient Phoenix Testaments before?" The red-robed old man calmly asked. His eyes were extremely sharp; he easily saw that this wasn't the red-clothed youth's first time reading the Ancient Phoenix Testament.
"Yes, Sir. I saw it once, just two years ago," the red-clothed youth confidently said. He originated from the Ancient Phoenix Clan within the Realm of the Gods; it wasn't strange for him to have had a chance to have viewed the Ancient Phoenix Testaments at some point.
The red-robed old man said, "If this was your first time witnessing the Ancient Phoenix Testament, then I would have just barely graded you at the third-level, C-grade. But now, you can only be considered at the second-level, A-grade!"
Hearing the red-robed old man's evaluation, all of young heroic elites from the lower realms, in particular Yellowright Min and Man Ka, had extremely ugly complexions. Just a casual youth from the Realm of the Gods had embarrassed them both.
The young heroic elites of the lower realms weren't convinced by this. They all came up one after another, and the result was that the majority of them were at the second-level, C-grade, with a small number of them making it through to the second-level, B-grade.
Such results were truly shocking. All of these young heroic elites present had been peerless youths of their own generations. Now, for them to have such a result, all of them experienced acute mental anguish!
"Brother Nuyan, your comprehension of the Concept of Fire should also be good! How about you go up and give it a try?" Yellowright Min try to encourage Lin Ming to step forward. He was counting on Lin Ming to obtain some magnificent result.
Lin Ming was also left a bit speechless. In the comprehension of Concepts and Laws, he had considered himself quite proficient. But that was only compared to the martial artists of the Sky Spill Continent. If he had to compare himself to these geniuses from the Ancient Phoenix Clan, especially in the Concept of Fire that they all specialized in, then he was completely unsure of himself.
He suspected that if he went up, the most he would obtain was a third-level C-grade result. Third-level B-grade didn't seem likely for him.
'Looks like I won't win the chance to choose first.' Lin Ming shook his head. He didn't mind much. To each their own. What he received would be what he received, whether or not it was too extravagant.
"I'll also try. I haven't seen the Ancient Phoenix Testaments for a long time already; I wonder just what sort of result I'll have." After over 90% of the martial artists had finished, the youth with red scales between his eyebrows finally moved. He walked before the Ancient Phoenix Testament, casually standing there.
"Ugh, just seeing that man's face disgusts me!" Yellowright Min said as he saw the youth's confident expression. But he also understood that since that youth was able to become one of the leaders amongst that group of six from the Realm of the Gods, he naturally had areas where he excelled.
As the youth stood before the Ancient Phoenix Testament, his gaze suddenly focused. As he faced the Ancient Phoenix Testament, it was like he was facing a mortal enemy in a battle where life and death were on the line.
Hu!
Within the temple, a burst of wind suddenly appeared out of thin air. The scales between the young man's eyebrows suddenly shined with a brilliant red line. Then, images of fire began to reflect within his pupils.
"Two breaths of time?" The red-robed old man that managed this test finally began to show some emotion. Any young elite who could start fusing the power of Laws with just two breaths of time would be considered quite good, even within the Realm of the Gods' central Ancient Phoenix Clan.
The young man stood in front of the Ancient Phoenix Testament for a bit less than half an incense stick of time. Then, small bean-sized orbs of red light began to form, lighting up the temple as they wandered about like fireflies dancing in the night sky.
When Yellowright Min saw this, even he had to admit that the difference between him and this red-scaled man was too great. The source energy this man had managed to condense was several times or even dozens of times what he had accomplished!
After several breaths of time, these tiny lights rapidly flew into the red-scaled man's body. Then the man's body began to shimmer with a faint blood-red light. A moment later, he let out a light breath, but not exhausted on the ground, heaving in great breaths like Yellowright Min had been. Instead, he seemed refreshed, in a much more comfortable mood.
Seeing this, Yellowright Min could no longer remain angry. Compared to this red-scaled youth, his own performance that he had been so excited about was probably no different from a country bumpkin messing around. It was no wonder that he had been looked down on by others.
The disparity in origin was simply too difficult to make up!
The martial artists from the lower realms were left with bad tastes in their mouths. This red-scaled youth had obviously looked at the Ancient Phoenix Testaments multiple times before this. As for them, this was their first time gazing upon it. There was simply no way to compare; this was the disparity of resources.
"Two breaths of Law fusion, the moderate amount of flame source energy you absorbed is indeed satisfactory. Your result is first-level, B-grade." The red-robed old man stroked his beard, smiling as he spoke.
First-level, B-grade?
All present couldn't help but be convinced from this. Besides this red-scaled man, none of the other martial artists had achieved a first-level result. Without incident, this should be the best result.
"Now, for those who haven't been tested yet, come up." The red-robed old man glanced over the remaining martial artists who hadn't yet come up for the test, among whom Lin Ming was included.