Chapter 11: The First to Clear the Trial—The Seventh Prince Is Dumbfounded!

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“How long do the elders think it will take them to clear the trial?”

“In my estimation, at least an hour. After all, the record for this trial has remained unbroken for several thousand years.”

“Heh heh, why don’t you all make a guess as to who will come out on top?”

“I have high hopes for Jiang Churan. With a Heaven-grade aptitude, her natural comprehension should be exceptional.”

“Indeed. Jiang Churan should have no trouble taking first place. Li Wudao and Qi Xingyu will likely come in second and third, though it is difficult to say which of them will rank higher.”

The elders and peak masters chatted with great interest, having all but decided that Jiang Churan would claim the top spot.

…………

Within the illusory realm.

With his comprehension enhanced a hundredfold, Li Wudao read ten lines at a glance. In the time it took to finish a cup of tea, he had memorized the entire text backward and forward until every detail was engraved in his mind.

In barely a quarter of an hour, he had already grasped the core principles of the incomplete technique.

Not only that, he had even extrapolated some of the missing sections.

Had too much of the mental cultivation method not been lost, he might even have had a chance to restore it completely.

“The incomplete technique was barely worthy of being called a top-grade Yellow-tier method. Now, it should have entered the lower Profound tier. That ought to count as clearing the trial, right?”

With that thought, Li Wudao began circulating the technique he had deduced.

In the next instant, the small space around him shattered into countless pieces and sank into endless darkness.

When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to reality.

Li Wudao rose to his feet and looked around at the assembled disciples. Everyone else remained deep in sleep, showing no sign of awakening.

“Looks like I was the first to clear it……”

With a hint of smugness, Li Wudao quietly made his way over and sat down in front of Jiang Churan.

He wanted to see how long it would take someone with the bearing of an empress to awaken.

His abrupt rise immediately drew the attention of everyone present.

“It’s Li Wudao! He was the first to clear the trial!”

“No wonder he’s a Heaven-grade genius. He truly is formidable.”

The outer disciples watching from the sidelines were somewhat surprised. They could only tell that he was impressive, without understanding what his achievement truly represented.

“How long has it been? How could he have awakened already? Could he really have comprehended the technique?”

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The fastest disciple ever to clear this trial took more than an hour. Hasn’t he been inside for only a quarter of an hour?”

“I also find this suspicious. Look—even Jiang Churan, who possesses Heaven-grade aptitude, has yet to awaken. How could someone with Earth-grade aptitude have accomplished this?”

“That is not necessarily so. Aptitude and comprehension are two different things. Although disciples with outstanding aptitude often possess decent comprehension as well, there will always be exceptions. Otherwise, what would be the point of our founder establishing a comprehension trial?”

“Regardless, I refuse to believe that anyone in this world could possess such monstrous comprehension.”

On the viewing platform, the peak masters and elders stared in utter astonishment as they launched into heated debate.

One group was convinced that Li Wudao had used some special method to break out of the illusory realm and had cheated. Another believed that his comprehension was extraordinary and that he was a peerless genius.

In the end, they argued until their faces flushed and their necks bulged, with neither side willing to yield.

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“All right, that’s enough. With so many disciples watching, what kind of behavior is it to bicker like this?”

Sect Master Murong Yan put an end to the elders’ quarrel.

Then, still puzzled, he turned to Elder Wu Ming. “Elder Wu, did this boy use some special method to forcibly break through the illusory realm?”

“The Illusion Sea Mirror is a treasured sect artifact, a mid-grade Heaven-tier spiritual weapon. With my strength driving it, even a Martial King could not break through the illusory realm in such a short time. There is no way a young man could have done so.”

Wu Ming was equally perplexed, but he still shook his head firmly.

The path of martial cultivation consisted of nine major realms:

Body Tempering, Blood Shifting, True Essence, Martial Grandmaster, Martial King, Martial Venerable, Martial Emperor, Martial Saint, and Martial Sovereign………

Each major realm was further divided into five minor stages:

Early, middle, late, peak, and perfection.

Given Li Wudao’s age, no matter how heaven-defying his talent might be, it was impossible for him to rival a Martial King—unless someone had possessed his body.

Yet the young man’s aura was extremely faint, and his bearing was unmistakably youthful. Nothing about him suggested such a thing.

“Moreover, if that boy had forcibly broken through the illusory realm, I would certainly have sensed it. My body would also have suffered a degree of backlash. None of that has happened.”

After Elder Wu Ming finished speaking, silence descended.

The elders and peak masters also quieted, exchanging uncertain looks.

Indeed. Even if one of them were caught in the illusion, they would be unable to force their way out in less than half an hour.

How could a mere youth possibly break through an illusory realm created by a Heaven-tier spiritual weapon in such a short time?

Could it be that this boy had truly passed the trial through monstrous comprehension?

If so, it was even more astonishing than forcibly breaking out of the illusion.

As the sect master, Murong Yan was just as lost.

He paced back and forth, pondering how Li Wudao’s result ought to be judged. Then, as he casually raised his eyes, he saw an old man drinking wine in a carefree manner.

The man had not joined the discussion at all. His relaxed posture gave him the air of one who had withdrawn from worldly struggles and lived in complete freedom.

“Peak Master Xia, what do you make of this boy?”

Murong Yan looked toward the old man, faintly hopeful.

Xia Gucheng, master of Eclosion Peak, was the most mysterious of the seven peak masters. His strength was unknown, and he was rarely seen except in passing.

If every peak master had not been required to attend the Profound Heaven Sect’s disciple-recruitment ceremony, they might never have caught sight of him at all.

More than twenty years earlier, he had been personally brought to the Profound Heaven Sect by its Supreme Elder. Only afterward had the sect established its seventh main peak and appointed him its master.

“What is there to agonize over? If you have doubts, simply have him circulate the technique in front of everyone after the trial ends. Wouldn’t that reveal whether it is genuine?”

Xia Gucheng took a swig of wine, propped up his chin, and yawned. He looked half asleep.

He reeked of alcohol. His Taoist robe was wrinkled and crumpled, and his hair was as disheveled as a bird’s nest. He made no effort whatsoever to maintain his appearance.

Dropped into a crowd, he would have been mistaken for a vagrant or beggar. Nothing about his appearance or bearing suggested that he was the master of an entire peak.

“Old Xia is absolutely right.”

Seeing how languid the old man was, Murong Yan shook his head with a bitter smile.

Though Xia Gucheng was the master of a peak, he rarely concerned himself with sect affairs. He lived a carefree life, bearing little more than the empty title of peak master.

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Unlike Murong Yan, who was busy from dawn to dusk. Every matter, great or small, within the sect came to him, making even the slightest attempt to slack off nearly impossible.

Just then, a commotion rose from below.

Someone else had passed the trial.

It was none other than Jiang Churan.

The moment the girl opened her eyes, she saw Li Wudao resting his chin on his hand and staring at her.

“You finally woke up. My legs are practically numb from sitting here.”

The young man grinned.

As expected of someone with the bearing of a Great Emperor—even her comprehension was this powerful.

Fortunately, he possessed a hundredfold enhancement to his comprehension. Otherwise, he truly might have lost to his little maidservant.

“You…… when did you wake up?”

“A while ago.”

“……”

Jiang Churan parted her small lips, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

She had already challenged this trial in her previous life, taking nearly half an hour to pass.

Now that she possessed some experience, she had needed less than two quarters of an hour to become familiar with it, cutting her time in half.

She had thought first place was hers without question.

She had never expected that Li Wudao would beat her to it. The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.

After all, in her previous life, he had been merely a menial disciple, not even qualified to participate in the second trial.

“As expected of someone with Heaven-grade aptitude. Her comprehension is astonishing as well. She was only a cup of tea slower than that boy Li Wudao, yet she still crushed the sect’s five-thousand-year record.”

“This girl’s talent and comprehension are both first-rate. With proper cultivation, she will at the very least become a peak-master-level powerhouse. Perhaps she may even lead the sect to new heights of glory.”

The several peak masters did not hold back their praise, all thoroughly satisfied with Jiang Churan’s performance.

Another three quarters of an hour passed.

Qi Xingyu rubbed his heavy head and slowly rose to his feet.

He looked up and saw only disciples still lost in sleep. Not a single person was standing, and delight immediately spread across his face.

“Hahaha! This prince is the first to clear the trial!”

Just as his excitement peaked, he suddenly felt someone pat him on the shoulder from behind.

Qi Xingyu gave a startled jolt and hurriedly stepped away.

When he turned and saw Li Wudao, he was completely dumbfounded.

“This…… when did you wake up?”

Qi Xingyu stared at him in disbelief, utterly stunned.

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