Chapter Thirty-Three: The Secret Realm

Chen Fan felt as though time and space were shifting; the scenes on either side twisted and warped endlessly. He still maintained his posture, stepping forward, yet aside from the stone gate, the world before him had utterly changed.

He stood atop a stone platform, where the bright, clear sky from before had vanished, replaced by a gray, mist-laden dome, shrouded in countless veils through which the sun could not be seen. In front of him lay a staircase, while the sides and rear of the platform dropped away into a bottomless chasm. In the distance, black mist loomed, faintly revealing the blurry outlines of towering structures, yet their forms were indistinct.

Chen Fan pinched his thigh hard to assure himself he was not dreaming, still feeling a sense of awe. “How did I arrive here in an instant? Could this be the true relic of the Star Gate, where the treasures are hidden?”

Spatial transference—such a power was beyond imagination. He clutched the black ring tightly in his hand. The ring was the key to entering this mysterious place, but he wondered how he could ever leave. He turned to test whether he could walk back through the gate, only to find the stone door had become an inert fixture, stripped of any function like a magical passage.

“Only entry, no exit?” Chen Fan drew a deep breath, turned his gaze forward, and stepped onto the staircase.

He soon found himself inside a vast, circular plaza with no roof, surrounded by immense stone pillars inscribed with golden characters in a script he did not recognize. The architectural style echoed that of the previous ruins.

At the center of the plaza stood something as tall as two men, resembling a statue. As Chen Fan approached, he saw that the so-called statue was a tangled loop of red stone, reminiscent of a Möbius ring.

As he drew near, the red crystal began to glow, and a clear voice sounded from within: “Do you wish to activate... the Yuan Shang Geng 62 Trial Grounds... and begin the trial?”

Chen Fan found it even more peculiar—the language spoken was unfamiliar, yet he understood it perfectly. A trial?

His lips twitched. He quickly backed away; the plaza’s edges led to bottomless abysses, but directly ahead lay a stairway. When he reached the edge, intending to ascend, he was halted by an invisible, transparent barrier that blocked his path.

“So... I have only one way forward?”

Chen Fan gripped his sword and returned to the red crystal. “Activate!”

As his words echoed, the red structure suddenly radiated an intense scarlet light.

“Trial participant—power standard assessment...”

“The trial begins!”

At that moment, Chen Fan’s vision blurred, and a figure appeared upon the plaza. The person was completely clad in dark red armor; Chen Fan could only see two crimson eyes beneath the helmet.

One hand hung low, while the other held a sword across his neck, staring at Chen Fan from afar. The sword was ancient and black, exuding formidable power.

The armored figure said nothing, but slowly raised his blade.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, he charged at Chen Fan, slashing horizontally with his sword.

Chen Fan saw only a flash of black light—the figure arrived in the blink of an eye. He hurriedly raised his own sword to parry.

Clang!

Pain shot through Chen Fan’s palm; despite being prepared mentally, he could not hold onto his iron sword, which was knocked high into the air.

“What tremendous strength!” Chen Fan was aghast. His power had advanced rapidly in recent days—not only had his cultivation reached the fourth stage of martial arts, but he had mastered the first form of the Star Body Forging Technique, greatly enhancing his physique. He believed he had no rivals at his level.

Yet before this armored man, he seemed feeble, unable even to grip his sword securely. His swordplay was still not perfected.

The opponent swept his blade again, spinning with ferocious speed, and sent another diagonal slash toward Chen Fan.

Chen Fan dared not underestimate him. He unleashed the Lightning Movement technique, a skill at the micro-perfection level.

“Thunder Flash!”

Like a bolt of lightning, his body shifted sideways.

Rip!

His clothes were torn open, revealing the soft armor beneath, and a sharp pain surged in his chest. Had it not been for the armor, he might have suffered a grave wound!

“How is this possible?!”

Chen Fan gasped in pain, deeply alarmed. His micro-perfected movement skill had allowed him to easily handle stronger beasts at the third stage, yet now he could not evade this man’s blade.

“What kind of trial is this? Can a fourth-stage martial artist even pass?!”

He gritted his teeth and endured the agony.

“Thunder Flash!”

His feet moved like the wind, quickly widening the distance.

But the opponent crouched, gathering force, and charged forward in a blur of black light, closing the gap in an instant.

His sword arced over his brow, delivering a ferocious chop!

Chen Fan immediately rolled aside, then used “Thunder Flash” to further escape.

Clang!

The armored man’s blade struck the ground, ringing with the sound of metal.

From afar, Chen Fan stared at the figure, cursing inwardly. Always dodging, he felt his anger building.

“Thunder Flash!”

He darted forward at top speed, seizing the chance to attack.

“Nine Suns Dominant Tiger Fist!”

This fist technique had allowed Chen Fan to kill bloodthirsty tiger beasts before; he was confident in its power.

Yet unfortunately, though his skill reached micro-perfection, it was no match for the opponent’s sword. Every inch shorter was an inch more dangerous.

Moreover, Chen Fan fought only with his fists.

“I should have had the blacksmith craft a pair of gauntlets!”

But regret was useless now.

He moved swiftly, employing Thunder Flash repeatedly.

Relying on the treasure-grade armor beneath his clothes, he baited his foe, enduring several blows to finally create an opening. With a “Tiger’s Claw Strike,” his fist landed forcefully on the armored man!

Boom!

Chen Fan’s punch was terrifying—a micro-perfected technique unleashed with full force sent his opponent flying.

The figure crashed to the ground.

“Thunder Flash!”

Chen Fan clenched his teeth, ignoring his pain, and flashed forward once more, fists poised for a devastating blow.

Never one to show mercy while he had the advantage!

“Tiger’s Claw Strike!!”

The secret technique, now at micro-perfection, multiplied its power tenfold; his fist smashed into the armored man’s head.

Crack!

The helmet caved in instantly, and the sword gripped tightly dropped with a clang.

Chen Fan rained down blows until a voice announced, “Trial successful,” finally allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I won!”

Though he wore treasure-grade armor, Chen Fan was badly wounded, his body covered in bleeding gashes. His fists were mangled and bloody, exposing white bone.

“If not for the armor, I’d have died long ago!”

In that moment, Chen Fan understood deeply the importance of weapons and armor.

His eyes shone with determination; both martial skills at micro-perfection had advanced during the duel, though he still had far to go before mastering them fully. The Nine Suns Dominant Tiger Fist was slightly ahead in progress.

Swish!

The armored figure dissolved into black smoke, leaving only the ancient black sword lying on the ground.

Chen Fan’s eyes lit up; he hurried to retrieve the black sword. It appeared plain, nothing special at first glance.

He then picked up his own steel sword, flung aside during the battle, only to find a new notch had appeared on its blade.

Comparing the two, his silvery steel sword was clearly inferior.

“My sword isn’t treasure-grade, but it’s a fine weapon. Yet after just one clash, it bears a notch. This black blade must be at least treasure-grade—could it be my reward for passing the trial?”

Chen Fan was ecstatic.

He looked around once more, seeing a shimmering light at the stairway ahead.

He hurried over.

The transparent barrier was now gone.

Chen Fan climbed the stairs, entering a platform of white jade.

Not far ahead stood three pillars, each as tall as himself, with different objects placed atop them.

He walked to the central pillar, where a jade slip rested.

Picking up the jade slip, his expression grew solemn.

As he took the slip, part of his mind naturally entered it, and all the information within flooded into his consciousness.

“A Three-foot Sword?”