Chapter 289: The Divine Nine Trials Begin, the Asura God Trial Starts

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A flash of crimson light illuminated the stone platform as a surge of energy shot toward the nearby stone pillar.

At first, the pillar emitted a white glow, which then shifted to yellow, and finally to purple.

As the colors changed, the light ascended along the pillar until it halted midway up and began emanating a black glow.

A stream of dark power descended into Tian Guocheng's forehead, leaving a deep black mark between his brows.

"How was it?" Everyone immediately gathered around him.

In an instant, information about the divine trial flooded into his mind.

The black-level trials carried the possibility of failure, with death being the price for failure.

Of course, correspondingly, the rewards for black-level trials were quite substantial.

"I've received the Black-Level Four Trials. Each completed trial grants different rewards. However, I can't discuss deeper details until you all obtain your own trials," Tian Guocheng explained.

Tian Chao snapped impatiently, "What's with all this secrecy? Just tell us—is there any danger? What are the rewards?"

Tian Guocheng clarified, "There is some danger, but the rewards are extremely generous. Unless you also receive a trial, there are things I'm not allowed to freely discuss."

Ning Tianchen interjected, "This kind of mechanism goes beyond the realm of soul masters. What Guocheng says is true. Everyone should try obtaining their own trial."

At this point, there was no need to hide the existence of divine trials or deities.

Tian Guozhen was next, stepping forward to drip his blood onto the stone platform.

His talent far surpassed Tian Guocheng's, and the pillar ultimately emitted a red glow, granting him the Red-Level Four Trials.

The specifics varied depending on the deity. Since the God of Light's ninth trial didn't require servant sacrifices, Tian Guozhen, despite receiving the red-level trials, was not considered a divine servant in the traditional sense.

"Haha, Guocheng, looks like my trial is one level higher than yours," Tian Guozhen laughed.

No one was surprised.

After all, wasn't Tian Guozhen known as the Snow Mountain Sect's number one genius?

"Guozhen, wait—"

Before Tian Chao could finish, Tian Guozhen patted his shoulder. "Tian Chao, I suggest you give it a try too. Some things can't be discussed with those who haven't obtained a trial yet."

Tian Guocheng and Tian Guozhen's explanations were identical, so Tian Chao stopped pressing the issue. He proceeded to drip his blood onto the platform, and soon his trial was revealed.

He received the Black-Level Four Trials, the same as Tian Guocheng's.

According to the God of Light's intentions, the attributes of Tian Guozhen and the others were completely incompatible with his divine trials. The fifth trial would be impossible for them to complete with their ice-attribute soul power.

However, recognizing their considerable talent, the God of Light granted them appropriate trials.

If they managed to complete five trials, Tian Chao and Tian Guocheng's trials would have likely extended beyond four stages.

"It's your turn now," Tian Chao urged with a smile.

Qi Hua chuckled. "Let me go first to test the waters."

With that, he stepped forward, cutting open a wound on his arm and letting the blood drip onto the stone platform.

One second, two seconds… A full minute passed, but the stone pillar remained unresponsive.

"Could it be that I did something wrong?" Qi Hua began to doubt himself.

Just as he prepared to cut another wound, Ning Tianchen stopped him. "Third Elder, this trial might only be effective for younger soul masters. Your age and strength may exceed the upper limit for receiving a trial."

Qi Hua's actions had been flawless; the lack of response from the pillar indicated that the deity simply hadn't granted him a trial.

"I see," Qi Hua said awkwardly as he stepped aside.

"Ning Tianchen, why don't you go first?" Ning Rongrong suggested with a bright smile.

Ning Tianchen shook his head. "Rongrong, you go ahead."

He had already received the Asura God Trial. Attempting to gain another divine trial might displease the Asura God.

After all, the Asura God was one of the Great God Kings. This unknown deity was most likely a First-Rank Deity, far inferior to a God King.

Without hesitation, Ning Rongrong approached the stone platform, lightly slicing her arm with a small knife.

The moment her blood dripped onto the platform, the pillar erupted with dazzling light.

Almost instantly, the white glow turned red and continued to shift in color.

Everyone held their breath, staring in awe at the scene before them.

Soon, the light transformed into a brilliant golden hue, and a warm aura emanated from the two divine statues behind them. The temperature within the palace became as warm as spring.

Feeling the warmth, everyone quickly removed their fur garments made from spirit beasts.

Then, the golden light descended onto Ning Rongrong's forehead, etching a golden mark between her brows.

"This is the Divine Nine Trials," Ning Tianchen exclaimed, stunned.

Originally, he had intended for Ning Rongrong to piggyback on the Asura God Trial, but fate had led her to obtain the Divine Nine Trials instead.

After all, Ning Rongrong in this timeline had received far more opportunities than in the original timeline. With a head spirit soul bone and a flight-capable leg soul bone, her self-preservation abilities and cultivation far surpassed her previous incarnation.

"Ning Tianchen, I—"

Before Ning Rongrong could finish her excited statement, Ning Tianchen made a gesture to silence her.

Tian Guozhen immediately understood and turned to Qi Hua. "Elder Three, we'll need to stay here for a long time to complete our respective trials. You should return to the sect and report our safety to the sect leader so they won't send anyone to look for us."

Qi Hua hesitated, reluctant to agree.

If he returned alone, he might be accused of abandoning Tian Guozhen and the others and fleeing back to the sect.

According to the sect's rankings, Tian Guozhen outranked him. Returning under such circumstances would inevitably invite scrutiny.

Tian Guozhen handed over a token symbolizing his identity.

The Snow Mountain Sect's specially crafted tokens could detect whether the holder was still alive. With the token, Qi Hua's return wouldn't raise suspicions.

"If I leave, how will you all get out? This area is filled with powerful spirit beasts, and the slightest misstep—"

Qi Hua didn't finish, but everyone understood the gravity of the situation.

Tian Guozhen reassured him. "The person overseeing our trials possesses immense strength, Third Elder. You don't need to worry about us being unable to leave the Extreme North. Besides, I have the map with me."

Qi Hua realized that the upcoming discussions needed to exclude him.

With that understanding, he didn't linger further. Taking Tian Guozhen's token, he quickly left the hall.

…

"Rongrong, you've obtained the Divine Nine Trials?" Ning Tianchen asked.

Ning Rongrong was astonished. "Ning Tianchen, how do you know about deities?"

The rising temperature in the hall caused sweat to mat Ning Tianchen's bangs together.

Tian Guozhen noticed the blood-red Asura mark on his forehead and chuckled. "Hahaha, it seems you've already received a divine trial before us."

As he spoke, a hint of envy for Ning Tianchen's opportunity crept into his voice.

Ning Tianchen didn't conceal the truth. "I stayed in Slaughter City for a while. My performance there caught the attention of a deity, which led to me receiving a divine trial."

"Rongrong, whose divine trial did you receive?"

Ning Rongrong nodded thoughtfully before replying, "It's the God of Light. Ning Tianchen, do we both have nine trials?"

Since the Asura God Trial hadn't been fully revealed, Ning Tianchen avoided answering directly and instead asked, "By the way, what's your first trial?"

"The content of the trials hasn't been revealed yet. After receiving the divine trial, we only learned some information about the deity, but nothing about the trial itself," Tian Guozhen explained honestly.

As everyone pondered, the content of their first trial suddenly appeared in their minds.

At the same time, Ning Tianchen's consciousness was pulled into a blood-red ocean.

This was still Slaughter City, but it differed from the version he knew.

"Lord Asura," Ning Tianchen bowed deeply to the man before him.

The Asura God turned around, his face expressionless. Yet to Ning Tianchen, he appeared as terrifying as a demon from hell.

"I haven't decided on your trial content yet, so your first trial will utilize the God of Light's venue. You must ascend to the four-hundredth step within two years. I expect you not to exceed the time limit."

"Steps?" Ning Tianchen was confused.

The instructions lacked clarity, offering no context or location, leaving him unsure of what was being asked.

The Asura God offered no further explanation. "You'll understand when you ask the others. When you reach the four-hundredth step, the first Asura Trial will be complete. Of course, like the other inheritors, you must complete all nine trials."

With that, Ning Tianchen's consciousness returned to his body.

It wasn't that the Asura God hadn't finalized the trial content—it was that the original trial grounds had already been fully utilized by Tang Chen.

After all, who could have predicted that Tang Chen would fall during the final ninth trial?

Thus, the Asura God needed to construct new trial grounds for Ning Tianchen, which would take considerable time.

…

"Ning Tianchen, are you alright?" Ning Rongrong waved her hand in front of him.

Snapping out of his daze, Ning Tianchen asked, "Where is your first trial taking place? My trial location aligns with yours."

Ning Rongrong pointed behind her.

Following the direction of her finger, Ning Tianchen was astonished to discover that an endless staircase had appeared in the great hall at some point.

The length and width of the staircase were clearly larger than the empty hall, yet it still fit within the palace. Clearly, this was a divine technique—extending the internal space of the great hall.

"I need to climb to the 330th step within two years to pass the trial," Tian Guozhen said.

Tian Chao and Tian Guocheng both had to reach the 250th step.

Ning Rongrong's goal was the 200th step.

Ning Tianchen shrugged and sighed. "I have to climb to the 400th step."

The difficulty of the divine trial was related to the physical condition of the soul master. As an auxiliary-type soul master, Ning Rongrong's physical strength was far inferior to that of battle soul masters. Yet even reaching the 200th step felt like an insurmountable chasm for her.

As Ning Tianchen approached the staircase, he could clearly sense the powerful light energy continuously cascading down from the top of the steps.

Stepping onto the first stair, he felt nothing at first, but as he continued climbing, the pressure on his body grew heavier with each step.

On his first attempt, he only managed to climb fifty steps before stopping.

"Our individual goals should be our respective limits," Ning Tianchen said. "However, if we merely keep trying without pushing ourselves, we'll never reach our targets."

Tian Guozhen chimed in, "Exactly. I think we can undergo resistance training. First, we try climbing the stairs to find the critical point that suits us best, then focus on cultivating there for extended periods. Under high-pressure conditions, training our soul power will be greatly beneficial, potentially achieving several times the effect of training outside."

"At the same time, during cultivation, we'll gradually adapt to the pressure from the stairs, which will help us complete the trial."

Everyone agreed with his idea and began climbing the stairs, searching for their optimal positions.

Tian Chao and the others, with their robust physiques, reached the 180th step on their first attempt. Tian Guozhen was even more outrageous, charging straight to the 231st step.

As weapon-type soul masters, Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong lacked the physical strength of beast-type soul masters.

Relying solely on her own strength, Ning Rongrong could only climb to the 50th step, with her ideal training position being around the 30th step—far from her target.

Ning Tianchen barely made it to the 200th step, still halfway from his goal of 400 steps.

However, the higher they climbed, the greater the pressure increased with each step. Though it seemed like half the distance remained, the actual gap was enormous.

Retreating back to the 150th step, Ning Tianchen noticed Ning Rongrong's worried expression and quickly consoled her. "Rongrong, you've never undergone physical training before, so you'll benefit from a 'newbie boost.' In other words, your progress will be extremely rapid in a short period of time."

"So don't worry too much. Once you get this 'newbie boost,' you'll be able to advance multiple steps at once."

His words weren't baseless.

Back when he trained his body, his physical strength skyrocketed in just six months, almost improving daily. However, as training time increased, the rate of improvement slowed significantly, reaching only a fraction of what it was initially.

Ning Rongrong was like a blank sheet of paper. At the start of her physical training, her improvement would undoubtedly be fast.

"Brother Tianchen, I understand," Ning Rongrong said, her eyes now filled with hope and anticipation instead of disappointment.

After reassuring her, Ning Tianchen sat cross-legged and began resistance training.

His "newbie boost" had long passed, so he could only rely on resistance training to forcibly squeeze out his body's potential if he hoped to reach the 400th step within two years.

"Friend, I feel we can complete climbing our respective steps within a year," Tian Guozhen said with a smile.

With the Snow Mountain Mammoth martial soul, as their soul power levels increased, their physical strength would naturally improve even without additional training.

Now, with the added pressure from the stairs, their bodies would only grow stronger at an accelerated pace.

Ning Tianchen shook his head. "The pressure here is highly beneficial for cultivation. So, I don't recommend completing the trial within a year. I suspect that once the trial is finished, the pressure from the stairs will disappear. Losing this valuable cultivation ground would be a significant loss for you."

Tian Guozhen found his reasoning sound. "Alright, then we'll wait until near the end of the trial period to attempt completion."

…

Outside World

After nearly a year, formal negotiations between the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Snow Mountain Sect had officially begun.

Previously, the envoy sent by the Snow Mountain Sect had only established a bridge of communication between the two sects. Today, the leaders of both sects formally met within the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

After everyone took their seats, Ning Fengzhi asked first, "I wonder where Rongrong and Tianchen are currently? We haven't received any news from them in a long time."

Since Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong entered the Extreme North Ice Plains, they had completely lost contact with the outside world.

When Tian Qi returned, they hadn't thought to send a message to the sect. Now that they had begun their divine trials, they wouldn't leave the Extreme North anytime soon.

The Snow Mountain Sect leader, Tian Ruyang, gave a subtle glance. Third Elder, Tian Qi, stepped forward and said, "Lord Ning, the two geniuses of your sect are currently still in the Extreme North, undergoing some kind of trial alongside three of our sect's geniuses."

After hearing his explanation, Ning Fengzhi turned to Sword Chen Xin. "Sword Uncle, what kind of trial is this?"

Chen Xin wasn't entirely sure.

However, he understood Ning Tianchen's personality. With Ning Rongrong in tow, he wouldn't take unnecessary risks. Choosing to remain in the Extreme North to continue cultivation likely meant they had encountered some special opportunity.

Moreover, with the two sects' cooperation imminent, the Snow Mountain Sect had no reason to lie.

Tian Ruyang smiled and assured him, "Lord Ning, rest assured. The three geniuses of our sect are currently safe, and I believe your sect's two geniuses are fine as well."

"For them, this might be an incredible opportunity. Allowing them to stay in the Extreme North is the right choice."

Ning Fengzhi gradually relaxed and stopped obsessing over the matter, turning his attention instead to discussing cooperation between the two sects.

…

In Slaughter City

After prolonged battles, Tang San and Hu Liena had both achieved ninety-nine consecutive victories.

Just one more match, and both would complete their hundred-win streak, qualifying them to enter the Hell Road.

Before the hundredth match began, the two gathered to discuss strategies.

Notably, since she hadn't consumed Bloody Mary, Hu Liena's condition was much better than in the original timeline.

"Hu Liena, did your friend tell you anything about the Hell Road when they left?" Tang San asked.

Hu Liena shook her head.

When she met Ning Tianchen, he had already completed over ninety consecutive victories. Moreover, his attitude toward her had been rather cold. Despite her persistent questioning, he only mentioned the Hell Slaughter Arena, saying nothing about the Hell Road.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Before truly entering the Hell Road, who knew what it looked like?

After exiting the Hell Road, one would gain the God of Slaughter Domain, completing their trial. Slaughter City was such a dreadful place that anyone who left wouldn't dream of returning.

After some thought, Hu Liena recounted the day Ning Tianchen opened the Hell Road to Tang San.

"That day, no one survived leaving the Hell Slaughter Arena. Thanks to my friend's warning, I didn't go to watch the fight. But when the arena reopened, my friend had already disappeared, leaving behind only the uncollected bones in the audience seats."

Tang San analyzed gravely, "The Hell Road must be some kind of secret to the Slaughter City, which is why the Slaughter King doesn't want anyone to witness its opening."

"Regardless, once we complete our hundred wins, we'll also experience the opening of the Hell Road. By then, we'll uncover this secret."

Hu Liena asked, "Tang Yin, how about we brave the Hell Road together?"

From Bibi Dong, she had learned that the Hell Road was incredibly perilous, and she had no confidence in tackling it alone.

Tang San smiled. "Of course. Our immediate priority is to complete the hundred wins. I've heard that for the hundredth match, the Hell Slaughter Arena arranges strong opponents. Be careful."

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