Chapter 274: The Complete Treasure List of the Trial Field

The Armored Guardian stared at you intently, the red light deep in its eyes surging and intertwining.

An inexplicable fluctuation emerged, causing the entire Ghost Realm Trial Field to tremble slightly. Clearly, your test results had exceeded the Armored Guardian's comprehension.

As a puppet, it would have been imprinted with a set of rules and a great deal of common sense by its master. This was the only way to keep it from breaking down when faced with diametrically opposed commands.

But precisely because of this, the Armored Guardian's current reaction was all the more intense.

An eighteen-year-old Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch?

Did that make any sense at all?

Even the most baseless myths and legends of the ancient era wouldn't dare invent such a thing!

The red light in the Armored Guardian's eyes roiled as it mobilized the power of the entire trial field to test you over and over again.

...

Watching the Armored Guardian's reaction and feeling the tremors throughout the Ghost Realm Trial Field, you weren't surprised.

No one would be able to remain calm after learning your true age and cultivation.

The Armored Guardian's reaction was actually quite restrained. At least it hadn't frozen in utter disbelief—it was a puppet, after all, devoid of a living creature's emotions. Good thing the testing method relies on the divine soul, otherwise I would definitely be accused of faking my age...

You thought to yourself that an eighteen-year-old Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch was simply too bizarre. Fortunately, the Ghost Realm Trial Field's method of detecting true age targeted the most fundamental essence of the divine soul, making it impossible to hide.

Unless one went through reincarnation, allowing the power of samsara to wash over the essence of their soul and wipe away all traces of time.

But going through reincarnation didn't just wash away the marks of time—it also erased one's memories.

And without memories, it was equivalent to cultivating all over again from scratch. At most, their innate aptitude would be a bit higher. Reaching the Deity Transformation Stage at eighteen would still be impossible.

Even... even if memories were somehow retained and only the traces of time deep in the soul were erased, returning to the Deity Transformation Stage by the age of eighteen was still highly improbable.

Going from Qi Refining to Deity Transformation still took time, even without a single bottleneck. This was especially true for the leaps from Core Formation to Nascent Soul, and from Nascent Soul to Deity Transformation. A slight delay would cost decades. Eighteen years old? Impossible.

You waited patiently for a shichen before asking, "Well? Is the test over?"

The Armored Guardian looked at you, the red light in its eyes gradually fading.

...

"Dharma cultivation aptitude test complete—"

"Race: Human. Age: Eighteen."

"Cultivation: Fifth Tier Early Stage."

"Status: Abundant potential, surging origin. Divine soul strength significantly exceeds Heavenly Monarchs of the same tier."

"Evaluation: An anomaly in the world, reincarnated immortal, unpredictable lifeform."

"Test Result: Pass."

...

"Hmm?"

You listened to the Armored Guardian's assessment.

Passing the test was no surprise. Although your Deity Transformation Stage cultivation defied all logic, it didn't violate the rules of the Ghost Realm Trial Field, and your age met the requirements. Unless the Heavenly Monarch who created this trial field came back to life, no one could stop you from participating.

"An anomaly in the world? What does that mean? And an unpredictable lifeform? Has one appeared in the Human Realm before?"

You stroked your chin, a little curious.

You had a general understanding of reincarnated immortals. In the early ancient era, when the channel between the Human Realm and the Upper Realm was still open, there were rumors of immortals from the Upper Realm reincarnating into the Human Realm. However, no one had ever seen one, making the rumors impossible to verify.

Moreover, even for a reincarnated immortal, reaching the Deity Transformation Stage by eighteen in the Human Realm's current cultivation environment would be incredibly difficult.

The near-ancient era couldn't compare to the ancient era. Resources were depleted, and many Fifth Tier or even Sixth Tier resources had long gone extinct.

...

"Trial-taker, shall we begin testing your other aptitudes..." the Armored Guardian asked.

This was the advantage of a puppet. No matter how inconceivable the situation, it could still recover quickly.

"Let's test them."

You nodded slightly. It was all part of the trial field's procedure, and you didn't mind seeing it through.

Whoosh—

The red light in the Armored Guardian's eyes surged once more.

This time, the test evaluated your other aptitudes. Whether it was body cultivation, soul cultivation, ghost cultivation, talisman cultivation, or formation cultivation, you received an extremely high potential rating in all of them. Body cultivation, in particular, was on par with your dharma cultivation. Once my cultivation goes up, all my aptitudes improve across the board...

Zhou Qing thought.

...

"Trial-taker, you have passed the tests..."

The Armored Guardian looked at you and said, "Since the beginning of the near-ancient era, you are the 9,631st trial-taker to pass..."

"Your aptitude ranks first among all trial-takers," the Armored Guardian declared.

Hearing this, you weren't surprised.

Back in the sixth simulation, as an eighteen-year-old Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator, you already had the strongest aptitude of anyone in the Ghost Realm Trial Field.

Let alone now, as an eighteen-year-old Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch.

"Is there any chance for me to become the master of this trial field?" you asked.

Since the near-ancient era, many Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs had attempted to take control of the Ghost Realm Trial Field.

After all, the countless treasures and resources within it were unique and incredibly precious, even by ancient standards.

Yet a hundred thousand years had passed, and the trial field was still here, never having been claimed.

"Take control of the trial field..."

The Armored Guardian's eyes flared with red light again. It didn't answer immediately.

"Oh? So it's actually possible?"

Your interest was instantly piqued. If refining and taking ownership of the Ghost Realm Trial Field were impossible, the Armored Guardian would have said so directly.

But its current reaction meant that there were conditions to claiming the trial field; they were just so absurdly difficult that no one had fulfilled them to this day.

"My master once left a command: the master of the Ghost Realm Trial Field will appear in the trial field in the distant future..." the Armored Guardian suddenly said.

"Appear in the trial field?" You frowned, having no clue what it meant. This requirement was far too vague.

But no matter how much you pressed afterward, the Armored Guardian offered no further answers.

"Forget it. I'll deal with it later."

You didn't pry any further and instead asked, "What about the reward for the aptitude test...?"

The only reason you cooperated so readily with the Armored Guardian during every aptitude test was for the subsequent rewards.

Even at the Deity Transformation Stage, there were still plenty of treasures on that list that appealed to you.

"Given that the trial-taker's strength has reached the Deity Transformation Stage, this reward list will encompass all treasures and resources within the trial field. The trial-taker may choose any three items..." the Armored Guardian said.

"Not bad, not bad."

You rejoiced inwardly. Passing the aptitude test as an eighteen-year-old Deity Transformation cultivator really did warrant different treatment. Not only had the reward list expanded to include every single treasure in the trial field, but your allowance had also increased from one item to three.

The Armored Guardian looked at you and gently waved its right hand.

Whoosh— Scenes condensed and floated before your eyes.

You first looked at the topmost reward on the list—the one with the highest value.

"The number one ranked item... is actually not the Sword Lord's Manuscript..."

Your expression changed slightly. In the past few simulations, every time you viewed the reward list after the aptitude test, the Sword Lord's Manuscript had been ranked first. Even the World-Crossing Immortal Ark was listed below it.

But now?

You looked at the new number one treasure.

"The Heavenly Sword Sheath!"

You were startled.

A sheath? The sheath of the Heavenly Sword?

You naturally knew what the Heavenly Sword was. It was the Sword Lord's personal weapon.

At the end of the sixth simulation, when the Purgatory Demon Sovereign descended upon the Human Realm, the Heavenly Sword left behind by the Sword Lord immediately appeared. With a single slash, it completely obliterated the Purgatory Demon Sovereign's physical body and divine soul.

How terrifying was that? "The Heavenly Sword Sheath is actually in the Ghost Realm Trial Field?"

"Which means the Heavenly Sword at Heavenly Sword Peak is nothing more than a bare blade..."

You looked at the first-ranked Heavenly Sword Sheath and steadied your nerves a bit.

Although the Heavenly Sword Sheath was terrifyingly powerful, you wouldn't necessarily be able to use it.

In the sixth simulation, you had lived at Heavenly Sword Peak for a long time, yet the Heavenly Sword had never come to you on its own.

Rather than choosing the Heavenly Sword Sheath, you were much more interested in the Sword Lord's Manuscript.

Logically speaking, the Sword Lord was a Sword Cultivator, so the manuscript he left behind might not be of much help to you.

However, if the Sword Lord truly was a manifestation of your golden talent 'Legend of a Generation', then the Sword Lord's Manuscript might record crucial information.

And since you had three picks, you naturally included the Sword Lord's Manuscript in your choices.

Even if it didn't contain any critical information, you were still highly intrigued by the Sword Lord. Especially now that you had stepped into the Deity Transformation Stage, you might find some guidance for your future cultivation within the manuscript.

The path after the Deity Transformation Stage was arduous. You might just find the hope to advance further in the Sword Lord's Manuscript.

Moreover, based on your experiences in the sixth simulation, not even Heavenly Sword Peak possessed the Sword Lord's Manuscript. It only existed here in the Ghost Realm Trial Field. For my first item, I choose the Sword Lord's Manuscript...

Having made your decision, you immediately began scanning quickly through the rest of the rewards.

"The World-Crossing Immortal Ark... a Profound Heaven Spirit Treasure... a miniature independent world..."

For now, these treasures wouldn't be of much direct help to you. As a treasure used to traverse the boundless Void outside the great realms, you didn't have an urgent need for the World-Crossing Immortal Ark at the moment.

You could absolutely afford to wait until the next simulation, or the one after that, to choose it.

Soon, you spotted the True Dragon Blood, the Blood of the Heavenly Phoenix, and other True Spirit bloodlines.

You had already acquired True Dragon Blood and refined it into your 'Transformation' divine ability. Once you activated the True Dragon Transformation, your combat prowess would skyrocket significantly.

You looked at the Blood of the Heavenly Phoenix. Compared to the Heavenly Sword Sheath, whose utility was uncertain, this drop of Heavenly Phoenix Blood would definitely boost your combat strength.

For my second reward, I'll pick the Blood of the Heavenly Phoenix...

You mused silently, eager to see how much refining this top-tier True Spirit bloodline into the 'Transformation' ability would elevate your combat strength.

...

After locking in the Sword Lord's Manuscript and the Blood of the Heavenly Phoenix, you continued browsing the reward list to decide on your third choice. According to your plan, it would be best to acquire a Fifth Tier High Grade soul-path supreme treasure from this trip to the Ghost Realm Trial Field, using it to evolve your Second Nascent Soul to the level of a Second Primordial Spirit.

Therefore, you narrowed your remaining options primarily to soul-path treasures.

Soul-path treasures were incredibly rare to begin with, but on this list encompassing all the resources and treasures of the Ghost Realm Trial Field, you still spotted quite a few of them.

Including the Nine-Star Ancient Soul Fruit... the Heart of Myriad Souls, and more.

"Hmm? The grade of this Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone has reached Fifth Tier High Grade..."

You soon laid eyes on a soul-path supreme treasure that met your requirements.

The Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone did not belong to the Human Realm. It was born in the Void beyond the realm, nurtured through endless tribulations.

In the ancient era, the primordial spirit of a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch had wandered outside the realm and stumbled upon a soul stone that had endured myriad tribulations, bringing it back to the Human Realm.

Initially, that piece of Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone was dozens of meters across. However, as it was continuously used and consumed, it eventually shrank to less than half a meter before being stored away in the Ghost Realm Trial Field.

This piece of Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone is enough for my Second Nascent Soul to evolve to the Primordial Spirit level.

You pondered.

Whether it was the Second Nascent Soul or the Second Primordial Spirit, they could be carried over into reality and even into subsequent simulations. Coupled with the fact that it would absolutely never betray you, you naturally prioritized nurturing it. Though you had chosen the Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone as your third reward, you still continued scanning the rest of the list.

This time, the reward list included a vast number of treasure resources you hadn't seen before. If you spotted something even more suitable for you, you wouldn't hesitate to swap out the Sword Lord's Manuscript, the Blood of the Heavenly Phoenix, or the Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone.

A shichen later.

You finally finished browsing through all the rewards.

"I'll stick with those three."

Many of the later rewards were quite tempting, but after careful consideration, none of them were good enough to replace the three treasures you had already selected.

It wasn't that they were any less precious, but rather a trade-off made after weighing various factors, such as suitability.

Reining in your thoughts, you looked at the Armored Guardian and said, "I choose the Sword Lord's Manuscript, the Blood of the Heavenly Phoenix, and the Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone."

Faint red light churned deep within the Armored Guardian's eyes as it asked, "Is the trial-taker certain?"

"I am certain!"

You nodded directly.

"The Sword Lord's Manuscript is a special reward. It can only be viewed within the trial field, and cannot be taken away or gifted to another. Can the trial-taker accept this...?" The Armored Guardian looked at you. "Cannot be taken away... cannot be gifted..."

You nodded slightly. "I can accept that."

Having received your confirmation, the Armored Guardian raised its right hand, palm facing up.

A slight spatial fluctuation surged, and three items appeared in its palm.

The leftmost item was a book radiating an ancient, desolate aura. In the middle was a Jade Box, and on the far right was a stone half a meter across, brimming with a soul-path aura.

Whoosh—

With a gentle push from the Armored Guardian, the three rewards arrived in front of you.

Your gaze landed squarely on the Sword Lord's Manuscript, and you immediately began to flip through its pages.