Chapter 1670 - Second Stage of the Trial

“Ah, how should I put it? Your elders must have told you before about how important luck is to martial artists. Without luck, even peerless geniuses would meet an untimely death. And how does one improve one's luck? By defeating other peerless geniuses and seizing what they possess.” The slovenly man scratched his head, then grinned.

“Winners keep on winning. You’ve heard that, right? Think of it as a luck snowball. But defeat means your luck gets stripped away, bringing endless uncertainty. As for whose luck is stronger...” He shrugged. “I can’t tell. That depends entirely on you.”

In response, angry shouts rang out one after another.

“Is this the time for such nonsense? I refuse to get eliminated here.”

“What kind of twisted trial is this? I won’t let anyone steal my luck.”

For them to have come this far, all of them possessed the most outstanding cultivation among the younger generation. They were no strangers to the concept of luck. Naturally, they knew the slovenly man was not speaking lightly.

Each of them was blessed with great fortune. Though invisible, their journey until now, the countless fortuitous encounters they had seized, was proof enough. Otherwise, why had these opportunities fallen to them and not to others?

It was because their luck was strong. After all, the heavens had smiled upon them.

“This is mine. Don’t even think about it. Get lost!”

“

Keke

, this is interesting, but that old man never said that we can only snatch one. So, come to me.” A woman in a long red dress manifested a large, fiery hand and seized a swathe of the streaks of light.

Everyone, especially the martial artists around her, was stunned.

Was that allowed?

She alone snatched over a hundred numbered tokens.

Suddenly, several other outstanding figures also sprang into action, their moves grand and imposing, displaying the immense strength that placed them above others, seizing numerous numbered tokens.

The Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights also made their moves.

Each of the knights was powerful enough to control an entire battlefield. Their combined might was overwhelming; in moments, more than a thousand tokens fell into their hands.

“

Hah

, let’s get moving too, or they’ll be all swept up.” Ju Ye laughed out loud and moved.

Chen Fan did not hesitate. A massive hand of qi shot out, swift as lightning, grabbing at the numbered tokens. In just a few breaths, more than a hundred were already in his grasp.

Just as he was about to collect them, a terrifying stream of qi rose to the sky, striking his large hand.

“

Hmph

!” Chen Fan snorted coldly—a shockwave burst from his mouth, a compressed sonic blast crashing into the incoming qi.

Rumble!

A terrifying explosion boomed, sweeping countless numbered tokens to the sides. Those who had been hoping to snatch a token nearby immediately erupted in furious shouts.

In the blink of an eye, the scramble ended. All five thousand numbered tokens were gone. Yet when everyone saw the outcome, chaos erupted.

Five thousand numbered tokens should mean five thousand spots; however, barely over a thousand people held a token of their own. Most of them possessed only one, while the rest had been hoarded by extraordinary experts like the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights.

With a casual move, these people could seize hundreds of tokens. Ordinary participants had no chance to interfere.

Voices rose in condemnation as many turned toward the slovenly man, hoping he would intervene.

“How could they do this? They snatched all the numbered tokens. This is cheating, it’s against the rules!”

“That’s right. Trying to monopolize all the spots. What scumbags!”

“I don’t recall ever saying you can’t take more than one,” the slovenly man replied lazily. “Since I didn’t forbid it, it’s obviously allowed.”

“What? How could this be? Isn’t this up to luck? On what basis are they allowed to snatch so many?”

“Because you’re unlucky,” he said flatly. “And because you’re weak. What else could it be?”

“Our sect’s seniors have also participated in the Immortals Assembly in the past. We’ve never heard of such a test. This is unfair!”

“Exactly. This is ridiculous!”

“I’ll report this to the Heavenly Court!”

“Shut up!” The slovenly man lost his patience and shouted coldly, “You bunch of losers couldn’t even seize a token, and you want me to be put on trial? You never heard of such a test because you hadn’t run into me yet. I’m the one presiding now, so that’s your bad luck. If you want someone to blame, blame yourselves for your weakness. Otherwise, why did they get tokens while you didn’t?

His sneer deepened. “Report me? Cry all you like. What do you think the Heavenly Court is? A garbage reception center? You losers with neither skill nor fortune want to compete there? Wake up.”

The crowd fell silent under his tirade. When they finally recovered, they glared at him, fury burning in their eyes.

You’ve gone too far!

Even if you are presiding over the trial, you can’t humiliate us like this!

Calling us losers time and again. Your father’s a loser!

Even so, no one dared to resist. Faced with a monster like him, even their elders would be powerless.

Someone pointed indignantly at Qing Chan and the others. “Then what about them? They didn’t seize tokens either. Chen Fan gave them theirs.”

“Did I say that’s not allowed? I said anyone without a token is eliminated. I don’t care whether you snatched it or received it.” The slovenly man sneered coldly, “Besides, don’t you get it yet? Your luck is bad. That’s the truth. Why couldn’t you make a friend strong enough to help you?”

That single sentence silenced everyone.

“Enough. I won’t bother my breath on you anymore. Those who were eliminated get lost quickly. Don’t delay my next test.”

The eliminated hesitated, faces filled with unwillingness. In the end, they left one by one.

“Congratulations. You all were lucky enough to stand out earlier. Very good. I was only planning on eliminating half of you. But look at this. Ninety percent of you are already gone. This sure saved me a lot of time. Still, this isn’t enough.”

“What? Not enough? Does he want to eliminate everyone?”

“Is he planning to end the tenth realm’s competition before it even begins?”

An uproar spread through the crowd.

The slovenly man ignored the crowd’s murmurs and continued, “The tenth realm only has ten spots. Leaving over a thousand people is still far too many.”

Everyone shuddered involuntarily.

“I’m sure you’re all well aware. Even if you enter the tenth realm, there’s no guarantee you will keep your spot. People from other realms will cross over to compete. You know why. Whether you accept it or not doesn’t matter.”

His gaze was merciless. “Instead of letting you enter and get crushed, having your spots taken in humiliation, I’ll stop you here. Even the weakest failures from other realms are stronger than you.”

Many expressions stiffened. However, experts like Chen Fan and the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights remained unmoved. Given their strength, other realms held no terror for them.

“Pay attention to the next test, as this doesn’t just decide whether you enter the tenth realm. It determines whether you can join the Heavenly Court. As you all know, the fundamental purpose of the Immortals Assembly is to select talents for the court. The tenth realm is only one path.”

“What’s the next test? Hurry up and start.”

“It tests your comprehension of the great Dao,” he replied pointedly. “You can be weaker, but we don’t accept idiots. Sit down cross-legged and reveal your understanding. I’ll decide who passes.”

The crowd sat down cross-legged without a word.

Boom, boom, boom!

Immediately, powerful auras erupted in quick succession—countless laws intertwined above their heads, forming images of the great Dao.

Those who had come this far, no matter if they were strong or weak, were peerless geniuses. The sight of them manifesting their comprehension of the great Dao was spectacular.

For a while, countless Dao visions vied for dominance, dazzling and oppressive.

Among them, the comprehension of the commander of the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights was the most overwhelming. He manifested his great Dao, an image of slaughter. The heavens seemed to turn into a battlefield, war cries echoing endlessly.

Their Dao image occupied half the sky, crushing the others beneath its weight. However, several figures rose to the sky, their images clashing with the great Dao image of the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights.

One of them was that woman in a red dress. A great Dao image depicting a sea of flames reaching the skies firmly blocked the expansion of the knights’ image, carving out her territory.

Meanwhile, the woman in green manifested a sword of unparalleled sharpness above her head. The great Dao image of the knights expanded, and every part that infringed upon her domain was shredded.

Meanwhile, the young master who seemed to be in his mid-twenties also unleashed his comprehension of the great Dao, which was like primal chaos itself. No one could truly discern what he had comprehended.

Ju Ye’s Dao took the form of a desolate wasteland, bleak and vast, firmly blocking the advance of the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights’ dominion.