Chapter 265 - 225: Trial, Celestial Monarch Qin

Chapter 265: Chapter 225: Trial, Celestial Monarch Qin

Holding the Token, Zhang Ji passed through the rippling blue membrane of light.

In the next moment, his figure vanished, teleported directly into the Secret Realm.

...

「Within the Nine Marvelous Celestial Extremity Realm.」

Zhang Ji found himself teleported near a valley.

A stream flowed before him, surrounded by a dense forest of colossal trees, each soaring well over a hundred zhang high.

Faint figures moved among the trees, and the ground was dotted with rare, exotic flowers and herbs seldom seen in the outside world.

As a grotto-heaven established by a Void Realm master, the realm was suffused with rich energy, making it highly suitable for life. Since high-level cultivators were barred from entry, its ecological balance was perfectly preserved. For a cultivator in the Molting Realm, simply grabbing a handful of herbs here would be a decent haul.

But that was the most basic of rewards.

However, beyond the exotic plants and fruits, the true prize here was the legacy of Secret Skills left behind by Celestial Monarch Qin.

These consisted of eight Legendary-grade skills and one Myth-grade skill.

The eight Legendary skills were the Eight Marvelous Skills: Fist, Palm, Claw, Leg, Finger, Eye, Evasion, and Control.

These were all techniques for self-preservation.

But the most crucial of all was the single Myth-grade skill: the [Interception] Secret Skill.

It was said to intercept a sliver of life from heaven and earth itself—a supreme technique for seizing the very mysteries of creation.

It was also the very cornerstone of Celestial Monarch Qin’s path to enlightenment.

Back when he was a player, Zhang Ji had never managed to obtain this skill, though some other lucky players had.

So, Zhang Ji knew what it could do.

In the hands of a player, this skill boosted probabilities.

To put it simply, if Alchemy had a twenty percent chance of producing a superior pill, using the [Interception] skill would instantly max that chance out to one hundred percent.

Bloodline synthesis, critical skill strikes, evasion rates... basically, it could be used for anything involving probability.

In the hands of a player, it was a top-tier divine skill.

Of course, it was a Myth-grade skill, after all.

’Zhang Ji guessed that the [Interception] skill’s true function was more like information anchoring.’

’It anchors a specific, favorable possibility observed in the future and then forcibly intervenes to make it a reality.’

Zhang Ji himself could now observe potential future events and interfere with them. With foreknowledge, even a minor alteration could create infinite ripples in the future.

However, locking in a specific outcome was still incredibly difficult for him.

The more factors involved, the more unpredictable the future became. Even observing it was a challenge, let alone anchoring a future event and forcing it to occur.

The sheer volume of calculations was far too immense. Even with his [Prajna Stance] active, the ultimate wisdom it granted would cause his super-brain to crash.

’So, Zhang Ji figured the [Interception] skill must have identified some special universal laws and derived a unique algorithm from them, rather than relying on a brute-force approach.’

With a single thought, all the Combat Crystals from within his [Boundary] Space returned to his body.

Zhang Ji’s strength instantly returned to that of the supreme expert capable of battling a near-death Divine Emperor.

His Spirit spread out, scanning the vast Secret Realm.

His immense Spirit covered a vast area, yet he couldn’t perceive the boundaries of the Secret Realm, nor could he find any of the other students who had come for the trial.

The [Nine Marvelous Celestial Extremity Realm] was immense. Even a true SS-rank expert would need a day or two to explore it completely.

But Zhang Ji had no need for a grid search. The Halo of Fate spun behind his head as he began to predict future possibilities.

He eliminated one incorrect path after another, quickly zeroing in on the right direction.

’Found it!’

The next moment, Zhang Ji stepped forward and teleported thousands of miles in an instant. He flickered continuously, crossing countless landscapes—mountains, rivers, and even oceans.

Within these regions, there were even powerful S-rank beings.

For Molting Realm cultivators, coming here to train meant that a bout of bad luck could get them killed on the spot.

But the Qingcang Sect insisted on using this method to screen for talent.

To high-level cultivators, the concept of ’fortune’ was not some intangible myth; it was a real, tangible force.

Without sufficiently strong fortune, the path of cultivation would be fraught with peril. They would waste vast resources only to perhaps die prematurely, which went against the Sect’s interests.

Therefore, rather than letting them consume vast resources only to die later, it was better to hold a lottery of life and death beforehand. Those who died would become stepping stones for others. The lucky survivors would absorb the fortune and resources of the fallen, ascending to a higher level. It was a culling process, like raising a Gu worm.

’This must be the place.’

A vast, crystal-clear, circular lake appeared before Zhang Ji.

The Interception Secret Skill was hidden beneath this very lake.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Ji plunged into the lake.

The crystal-clear water was utterly devoid of life.

This was because the area radiated a faint, oppressive aura. Any who drew near would suffer an attack on their Spirit, powerful enough to crush their very Divine Soul. Only those holding a Secret Realm Token were immune.

At the bottom of the lake stood a tower, roughly two to three thousand meters tall.

It was not made of bronze, steel, Gold, or any other common metal, but was instead a violet pagoda.

The pagoda had nine floors, each corresponding to a trial. Passing a trial granted the corresponding Marvelous Secret Skill.

Zhang Ji went straight to the entrance on the lowest floor. A restrictive barrier blocked the way, but with his Token, he could pass through it directly.

He stepped forward, passed through the barrier, and arrived on the first floor.

The inside of the pagoda held a world of its own. Zhang Ji found himself in a study filled with all kinds of books.

The figure of a man in pale blue robes materialized—a temporal imprint left behind by Celestial Monarch Qin from his time here.