Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Trial

The Azure Profound Ancient Domain, a relic shaped by the passage of countless years, bears the weight of innumerable stories and legends. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, this ancient continent was home to myriad powerful beings—humans, demon beasts, and even enigmatic entities of unknown origin. At that time, they coexisted upon this land.

Yet as ages passed, the Azure Profound Ancient Domain gradually declined, its brilliance fading like a dream. Ultimately, it was reduced to fragments, swallowed by the vortex of time and space. Over these long years, countless treasures became buried beneath this ancient earth, unknown to all.

It was not until the rise of the Azure Profound Dao Sovereign—the greatest cultivator of his era on the Azure Profound Continent—that this relic was rediscovered. He set foot upon the ruins, seeking out the remaining fragments, determined to restore the lost domain that had vanished from history for hundreds of millennia.

Alas, the rules within this relic exerted such powerful suppression that even if the Dao Sovereign entered at a realm beyond the Divine Crossing, his cultivation was forcibly reduced to the Nascent Soul stage. The domain itself was fraught with peril. Under such constraints, the Dao Sovereign’s power was barely a shadow of its former might. Still, he managed to gather the fragments of the Azure Profound Ancient Domain, forging them into what is now known as the “Azure Profound Secret Realm.”

Many treasures lie buried within this Secret Realm, awaiting those destined to find them. Moreover, the spiritual energy within the realm is several times richer than the outside world—rumored to surpass even the blessed lands of the Three Sects and Nine Gates. Spirit herbs grow in abundance, making this place a fortune for any immortal sect.

At this hour, midday approaches. Along the sheer cliffs flanking the valley, rows of cloud platforms have been erected, each one crowded with cultivators—no fewer than ten thousand in attendance. The “Floating Cloud Shuttle” comes to a halt on one such precipice, which also bears a cloud platform. Upon the cliff face, three bold characters are carved: “Celestial Dawn Gate.”

The cloud platform merges with the cliff, offering over one thousand three hundred seats. This is the platform reserved for Celestial Dawn Gate. Each immortal sect has its own platform within the valley. It is said that Celestial Dawn Gate once sent over thirteen hundred disciples to the Immortal Sect Joint Examination, achieving an impressive fifth place. Since then, however, they have never fielded so many disciples, and their ranking has hovered within the top ten.

Chu Tiange stood within the cabin, surveying his surroundings. He observed members of the Cultivation Alliance setting up recording stones to capture this grand event, held once every thirty years.

The Three Sects and Nine Gates were nearly all present. The Three Great Sects: Grand Supreme Sect, Unfeeling Sect, Transcendence Immortal Sect. The Nine Gates: Star Pavilion, Celestial Dawn Gate, Moonwater Gate, Mirror Flower Tower, Clear Heart Workshop, Great Sun Sect, Misty Rain Pavilion, Mountain and Sea Island, and Myriad Blossom Valley.

Below these were the second- and third-tier immortal sects, along with several cultivation clans. In total, one hundred and eighteen factions. Among these, the most powerful was the Azure Profound Royal Clan, descendants of the Dao Sovereign’s bloodline and bearing semi-immortal lineage.

Yet almost all royal clan members enter the Transcendence Immortal Sect, since the current Imperial Advisor is its leader.

Of the Three Sects and Nine Gates, only Moonwater Gate and Myriad Blossom Valley had yet to arrive.

Chu Tiange glanced at the disciples of these sects, his brow furrowing. Indeed, the strange force had infiltrated not only Celestial Dawn Gate, but also the other sects and clans. Amidst the crowd of over ten thousand, several hundred figures bore the character “slave” atop their heads.

Disciples of Celestial Dawn Gate arrived on flying swords, some stepping directly onto the cloud platforms from the shuttle, others leaping down.

The appearance of the Floating Cloud Shuttle immediately drew attention; heads turned upward in curiosity.

“Look, that’s Celestial Dawn Gate. It’s said that this time, a Main Peak Master is lowering their cultivation to accompany the disciples into the Azure Profound Secret Realm.”

“How shameless! The Main Peak Master must be at the Forget Worries realm. Are they so desperate for a good ranking?”

On the Azure Profound Continent, major spirit veins are limited, so the ranking in the Immortal Sect Joint Examination decides the priority for selecting them—the higher the rank, the better the veins obtained.

Yet since the Secret Realm’s appearance, no major cultivator has entered personally; the suppression is too severe. Though great rewards await within, every corner harbors danger. For high-level cultivators, the risks outweigh the benefits; should they perish within, centuries or even millennia of cultivation would be lost.

“I’ve heard that Lu Shiqi from Moonwater Gate is involved with a so-called waste from Celestial Dawn Gate, and they secretly bore a daughter. To preserve her reputation, she took the child in as a disciple under the pretense of recruitment.”

The emergence of Celestial Dawn Gate immediately became the center of attention.

“Will Master Xiao appear this time? Rumor has it he broke through Forget Worries and entered Divine Crossing, able to stand alongside the ancient elders of the Three Sects.”

Some gazed eagerly, hoping to glimpse Master Xiao, and especially to see the disciple rumored to have entangled with Lu Shiqi—was he truly extraordinary, perhaps with two heads or three legs?

Alas, the crowd was too vast to discern anything special.

As time passed, massive shadows fell across the valley—Moonwater Gate and Myriad Blossom Valley arrived in succession.

“Which one is the Maiden Peak Master?” A clear voice rang out from above, as a graceful figure landed upon Celestial Dawn Gate’s platform.

“That’s the Second Elder of Moonwater Gate, Master Xuanqing. Her cultivation is no less than mine—late Forget Worries realm,” whispered Xie Miaomiao to Chu Tiange.

The woman was clad in violet robes, her beauty surpassing snow. Her figure was lithe and delicate, her waist slender, her chest proud and firm.

Chu Tiange nodded, inwardly marveling whether Moonwater Gate’s recruitment standards favored those with ample curves. This exquisite beauty was only slightly less stunning than Lu Shiqi.

“I am the Maiden Peak Master, Chu Tiange,” he replied, bowing with clasped fists.

“What? The Maiden Peak Master is the infamous Chu Tiange?” These words subtly reached the ears of other disciples, who looked on in disbelief.

Who said Lu Shiqi’s lover was a waste? How could a waste become Main Peak Master? Nonsense. If he was a Forget Worries cultivator, they would accept it without complaint, deeming it a perfect match.

“So you are Chu Tiange? Interesting—the rumors say you’re entangled with Shiqi. Is it true?” Master Xuanqing eyed him with keen interest.

Chu Tiange, embarrassed, hurriedly shook his head. “Pure rumor. I have no romantic ties with Lady Lu; our relationship is spotless.”

“Young and already at Forget Worries, your cultivation suppressed to Spirit Gathering, yet even I can’t see your true strength. Your realm must be unfathomable, likely above mine. Yet such a man dares act but not admit—I pity Shiqi. You are unworthy as a man.” Master Xuanqing’s lips curled in mockery, her expression colored with disdain.

“…..”

She sneered, turning away toward Moonwater Gate’s platform.

Chu Tiange offered an awkward smile, wiping cold sweat from his brow, only to hear Xie Miaomiao whisper, “Pull up your trousers and deny—now that’s a real man. I have a treasured dual cultivation manual; care to try with me? I won’t need you to recognize anyone afterward. They say the yang essence of immortal bone is a supreme tonic—I’d love to test it.”

Chu Tiange rolled his eyes at Xie Miaomiao.

“What a bore,” she snorted, taking a chief seat.

The sun slid westward, the sky dimming. The sects and clans continued arriving; dusk approached, and soon the Azure Profound Secret Realm would open.

Just then, a peal of bells echoed across the sky, lingering in the canyon.

“Dong!”

With this resonant toll, mountain birds scattered, beasts fled—the scene was majestic, as if heaven itself were collapsing.

Disciples of sects and clans heard the bell, its sound stirring their spirits, refreshing their minds.

Soon after, golden light appeared at the horizon.

As the radiance faded, a carriage approached slowly. Upon it stood an elderly man in starry robes, his hair white, his eyes sharp as lightning, exuding formidable power.

“That’s the Sect Master of the Transcendence Immortal Sect—Master Xuantian!”

Master Xuantian, besides leading the Transcendence Immortal Sect, was also the Imperial Advisor of the Azure Profound Divine Dynasty. Yet this time, his presence represented only the will of the royal clan.

All eyes turned toward him; save for the other two great sects, elders and family heads of all sects and clans smiled respectfully.

“That old fellow—after a century, his cultivation has grown even more. His aura is just shy of Divine Crossing; it won’t be long before he breaks through the barrier,” Xie Miaomiao remarked, a trace of envy in her gaze.

Such cultivators are rare even in ten millennia. The passage from Forget Worries to Divine Crossing has trapped countless practitioners through the ages—many end their lives unable to cross, passing away in melancholy.

Chu Tiange sighed inwardly. Such power—his previous incarnation perished here as well. Of one hundred eighteen factions and over twenty-one thousand participants, few would survive.

Master Xuantian nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping the assembly before settling on the high platforms: “I have come to announce three trials before the opening of the Azure Profound Secret Realm. As a fragment of the ancient domain, it contains both opportunity and danger—ancient demon beasts, foreign races, and evil entities. The journey is perilous; life and death are your own responsibility. Only those who pass the three trials will have the ability to survive within the Secret Realm.”

“Furthermore, this time the Secret Realm will be open for seven months. All participants must hand over one tenth of the spiritual herbs and monster pills they obtain to the Azure Profound Divine Dynasty; the rest will be distributed by the sects and clans.”

“After passing the three trials, I will distribute scoring talismans: slaying a first-tier beast earns ten points, second-tier twenty, third-tier fifty, and fourth-tier one hundred.”

There are three trials.

The first is the Maze Array, testing soul strength.

The second is the Illusory Forest, testing mental fortitude.

The third is most crucial, testing fortune.

Those who pass all three may enter the Azure Profound Secret Realm.

Master Xuantian waved his sleeve, releasing a crystal pagoda that gleamed with dazzling light as it settled in midair.

The pagoda hovered, suspended. Seasoned disciples who had experienced previous joint examinations entered first.

Instantly, a world formed within. Thousands of disciples, thousands of spaces—each surrounded by three puppets.

These puppets emanated spiritual energy, their strength varying between the four stages of Spirit Core, matching the disciples in their space, but in numbers they had the advantage.

“Azure Profound Secret Realm? Fourth-tier demon beasts?” Chu Tiange glanced at the pagoda, asking the woman beside him.

“They have appeared before; many disciples perished. It took the combined might of a dozen prodigies to subdue one, and still the casualties were heavy,” Xie Miaomiao whispered, a hint of barely concealed fear in her eyes.

Demon beasts rank up to seven levels, the seventh matching Divine Crossing cultivators. Fourth-tier beasts are equivalent to Nascent Soul, and stronger than most cultivators at that stage.

“No need to worry. In fifteen hundred years, fourth-tier beasts have appeared only once in the Secret Realm,” Xie Miaomiao reassured him.

On that occasion, Xie Miaomiao and Xiao Yicai entered the Secret Realm for the first time, encountering a fourth-tier beast and nearly perishing young—had they died, the world would have been left with only eight immortal sects.

“Ning Wuque still hasn’t arrived…” Chu Tiange looked around. As more disciples entered the pagoda, each platform was nearly empty. Once the first trial ended, latecomers would lose their chance to be tested, missing entry to the Secret Realm.

Already, some figures were expelled from the pagoda, clearly injured.

Some disciples retreated entirely, abandoning the trial. Others dusted off their hands, having dealt with their puppets.

In just the first trial, several hundred were eliminated; the contest had only begun.

Chu Tiange noted that in many spaces, the number of puppets had changed—from three to four, in some cases even six.

This trial was harsh; nearly a third of participants would be eliminated. The puppets matched the participants’ cultivation, at most only half a step weaker, but many disciples could not withstand the sheer numbers.

Even if they barely survived, grievous wounds would bar them from entering the Secret Realm.

“Those minor sects and small clans will likely be wiped out in the first trial—even if they somehow pass, the second trial will be insurmountable,” Chu Tiange sighed, shaking his head at the fate of many lesser sects.

“Survival of the fittest. For small sects, entering the Secret Realm is as hard as a carp leaping the dragon gate. Even if they get in, with so few allies, how can they compete with the major sects? The Immortal Alliance means well; the Secret Realm is too dangerous, and without companions, it’s easy to fall,” Xie Miaomiao explained.

Chu Tiange nodded—after all, not every minor sect can rise like Celestial Dawn Gate, emerging as one of the Nine Gates in just a millennium.

“I’ll give it a try.” Chu Tiange moved toward the pagoda, having discerned its secret.

The puppet array, by rights, should test the combat prowess of sect and clan disciples.

Yet this trial tests soul strength.

Chu Tiange entered the pagoda, ripples stirring as the surroundings changed.

He found himself in a wide, empty space, three puppets at late Spirit Gathering stage forming a triangle around him.

“So this is the pagoda’s special function? It can reshape space, sending enemies to an unknown region. What a marvelous artifact,” Chu Tiange mused, gazing upward, unconcerned as the three puppets advanced toward him.

“There are two ways to pass this trial. The first is to break all methods with force—when your power surpasses the puppets, destroy them before they split.”

“The second is as I will show.” Chu Tiange spoke, lightly stamping the ground.

Instantly, the three puppets knelt heavily before him.