Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 439: Earth-shattering (2)

Wu Yuan and Xiong Yuan traversed hundreds of li through a passage, finally emerging onto a vast floating plaza. Towering walls of gleaming metal stretched in all directions, spanning a thousand li.

At the far end of the plaza stood ten small teleportation arrays, each one clearly leading to a different challenge zone.

Over a dozen Amethyst Cradle cultivators maintained order, their watchful eyes scanning the area. Among them stood a Void Refiner Eminence in white robes. The man's aura was palpable, radiating an intimidating power.

"Xiong Yuan," the white-robed elder chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity. "What brings you here?"

Protectorate Xiong Yuan responded with a grin, his tone light but purposeful. "Old Luo, I've got a task to handle. This lad here, Wu Yuan, I hope you can arrange an early run through the Dark Star for him."

The elderly man's gaze shifted to Wu Yuan, who stood respectfully to the side. His eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "Oh? An early run? Just joined our devil hall, have you?"

Members of the devil hall could perceive each other's identity tokens. The white-robed elder, a supervisor of the Dark Star, was intimately familiar with the exceptional talents in the Origin Blood World. Wu Yuan's face, however, drew no recognition. This could only mean one thing – he was a recent addition to their ranks.

"Protectorate Luo’s insight is indeed remarkable," Wu Yuan said, bowing slightly.

The elder waved off the compliment. "Spare me the flattery. Since Protectorate Xiong Yuan brought you here personally, you must be quite capable." His voice took on a matter-of-fact tone. "Head to Teleportation Array Nine. The last challenger just died in there, which actually saves us the trouble of teleporting him out."

The last challenger just died in there? Is he trying to intimidate me? Wu Yuan mumbled inwardly. Outwardly, he maintained his composure, bowing once more.

"Understood!" With a fluid motion, Wu Yuan crossed dozens of li in an instant, stepping into Teleportation Array Nine. A brilliant flash of light engulfed him, and he vanished from sight.

Protectorate Xiong Yuan chuckled, a hint of reproach in his voice. "Old Luo, there's no need to scare the youngster."

The white-robed elder remained unperturbed. "If this small scare is enough to shake his confidence, I doubt he'll survive the Bloodforge Battle," he stated calmly. His eyes narrowed as he continued, "Now tell me, where did you fish him up from? You seem to value him highly. He should be capable of clearing level five, no?"

The elder's voice took on a contemplative tone. "I sense a strong vitality from his body, a fourth-degree immortal root perhaps? His soul seems quite formidable too."

He shook his head, tempering his initial assessment. "Nevertheless, a strong immortal root doesn't mean much. He appears rather young; his Dao comprehension should only be fairly average. I hope he doesn't fail to complete level five at least."

It was clear the elder didn't think highly of Wu Yuan. In his eyes, the boy was simply too young.

Protectorate Xiong Yuan's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Level five? Old Luo, just you wait and see. This time, you're in for a real surprise."

Intrigue flickered in the elder's eyes. "Oh? So confident? Could it be that this is a top-tier genius High Immortal Wu Tian discovered, capable of clearing level seven?"

Xiong Yuan's smile widened, but he offered no further explanation.

Astonishment crept into the elder's voice. "He's really that strong?" He knew Protectorate Xiong Yuan was not one for empty boasts.

With a wave of his hand, the elder conjured a shimmering light screen before them. It projected a vivid image of Wu Yuan within the Dark Star, visible only to the two of them. The Amethyst Cradle custodians and Golden Core disciples preparing for their turn had no access to this.

"Not even sixty? So young," the elder murmured, subtly surprised. He could only get a general estimation of Wu Yuan's age before. But within the Dark Star, he could perceive Wu Yuan's information in greater detail.

"He is indeed very young," Protectorate Xiong Yuan smiled. He had long read through the intel provided by Daoist Long regarding Wu Yuan’s profile.

A sense of relief washed over him. This confirmed that Wu Yuan had been truthful about his age, at least.

"He's about to begin," the white-robed elder announced, his attention fixed on the projection.

...

Inside the Dark Star, Wu Yuan materialized in a spherical space roughly a thousand li in diameter. Blood-red metallic walls enclosed the area. Despite this, the entire space was as bright as daylight, making it all the more eerie.

Wu Yuan's eyes scanned his surroundings, the Star Spirit's voice still echoing in his mind. Level one? He thought, taking in the bizarre environment.

He quickly recalled the rules: The ‘levels’ were merely categories of power, not physical floors. All battles across the levels would take place in this singular, enclosed sphere.

The use of ethercrystal weapons, overpowered talismans, and other external weaponry was strictly forbidden during the fight.

Most crucially, after each level's battle concluded, the challenger had the option to leave the combat space.

However, choosing to continue meant accepting a deadly risk: In the first half a breath – roughly three seconds – from the start of the next fight, surrender was not an option. It was victory or death.

In other words, if I can't last even three seconds on a level, I'm as good as dead, Wu Yuan thought grimly. Three seconds hardly seemed like a long time, but for cultivators of their caliber, hundreds of lethal exchanges could occur in a single second.

Now Wu Yuan understood why so many disciples of the Bloodforge Devil Hall perished in the Dark Star. Unlike the Seven Star Luminaries Tower his qi refiner self challenged, where failure meant another attempt, here it was a one-shot deal.

When challenging the Dark Star, one must only fight battles they were confident of winning, always prepared to meet death.

Taking a deep breath, Wu Yuan announced, "Star Spirit, begin the battle." His words rippled through his invisible Domain.

An unseen pressure descended upon the entire combat zone. Right after, countless droplets of obsidian liquid materialized from thin air. They coalesced rapidly, forming a figure clad in dark, forbidding armor. In one hand, it clutched a massive shield; in the other, a wicked saber gleamed. The figure's gaze, visible through its helm, was as cold as ice, fixed unwaveringly on Wu Yuan.

"Die!" The armored figure's roar echoed through the space as it shot forward like a bullet, its speed increasing with each passing moment.

Wu Yuan, however, merely frowned slightly and stood his ground, unmoving.

As the armored figure crossed into the hundred-li radius around Wu Yuan, Wu Yuan’s eyes flashed. "Suppress!" he commanded.

At his mental command, a surge of earthy yellow qi streams erupted from nowhere. They roared through the air, taking on the form of sinuous, earthy dragons as they charged towards the armored figure.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Like a barrage of lightning strikes, the earthy yellow dragons engulfed and annihilated the armored figure in mere moments. The actual battle had lasted no more than half a breath.

Wu Yuan's brow furrowed as he observed the aftermath. The black liquid is gone? A first-stage Spiritual Body cultivator with a sixth-degree immortal root? He can't even control a Domain?

He shook his head slightly. Level one is easy indeed. Even Old Fang could easily clear this level.

A cold, disembodied voice echoed through the combat space. "Congratulations, Wu Yuan, for passing level one of the Golden Core Dark Star. Do you wish to rest?"

Wu Yuan knew that, as per the rules, each challenger was allowed a rest of one hour after each level to restore essentia, ether, and mental energy before proceeding to the next level.

"No need. Next level," Wu Yuan declared in a low, determined tone.

...

Outside the Dark Star, the white-robed elderly man stared in shock at the projection. "Such a powerful Domain, capable of slaughtering a Golden Core cultivator?" he exclaimed, his composure momentarily shaken.

"What do you think?" Protectorate Xiong Yuan's grin widened, a hint of pride in his voice.

The elderly man's eyes remained fixed on Wu Yuan within the projection. "He has definitely reached the True Intent stage," he muttered.

He knew that clearing the first level wasn't particularly difficult. Any Golden Core cultivator with some experience could manage it. But to not even move an inch, killing the guardian with only one's Domain? That was a feat worthy of note.

Moreover, Wu Yuan was a body refiner. Ether couldn't enhance his Domain, generally making it weaker than a qi refiner's. One could only imagine how profound Wu Yuan's Dao comprehension must be to overcome this inherent disadvantage.

The white-robed elder turned to Protectorate Xiong Yuan, his voice filled with a mix of awe and curiosity. "Xiong Yuan, where did you find this monstrous prodigy? Under sixty years old and he's already comprehended the True Intent of a Dao? Moreover, his comprehension of the Dao probably exceeds the first-level True Intent stage."

He continued, his tone thoughtful, "His cultivation has also reached the ninth-stage Spiritual Body phase, hasn't it? Even if he can't make it through level seven, he'll definitely pass level six. Give him a few more decades, and he'll definitely become a Bloodforge Seed."

Protectorate Xiong Yuan's laughter rang out. "A few more decades? Old Luo, watch carefully. You are about to understand what it means to be called a peerless genius."

The elderly man in the white robe was taken aback, but quickly turned his attention back to the projection.

As he watched, a look of utter shock spread across his weathered face.