Chapter 57: Entering the Realm of Trials

Upon hearing these words, Xu Chen inexplicably thought of his parents at the front lines.

Those great families were always well-informed; they would never allow their disciples at the Blood and Qi stage to enhance their combat power at this juncture without reason. They must have received advance notice of something.

The beast carriage sped along swiftly, and before long, they arrived at the Trial Realm Plaza outside Leizhou’s capital.

Compared to his last visit, Xu Chen felt there were even more people at the plaza this time, making it livelier and more bustling than before.

The carriage came to a stop at the Da Xi Sect’s quarters.

“Brother Xu, my life is in your hands,” Li Chengfu said, his eyes full of hope as they stood before the Trial Realm’s teleportation gate.

“Don’t worry, I promise you’ll find the thirty thousand spirit coins for this month more than worth it,” Xu Chen replied calmly, exuding the demeanor of a true expert.

Before accepting this commission, Xu Chen had investigated thoroughly—the most powerful foreign race creatures in the Trial Realm possessed, at most, the strength of one dragon and five tigers. With his current abilities, even if he couldn’t defeat them head-on, he could easily lead Li Chengfu to safety. Besides, he didn’t believe this scion of an immortal aristocrat would lack life-preserving treasures, not with both hands adorned with rings of power.

Seeing Xu Chen’s unruffled composure, Li Chengfu finally relaxed. After purchasing two realm tokens by the portal, he led Xu Chen into the teleportation array.

A swirling dizziness overtook them, and when it subsided, the two found themselves by the bank of a mighty river.

The river stretched more than thirty yards wide and its waters churned with violent currents.

“Brother Xu, when we encounter the foreign races later, leave two of those with less than one dragon’s strength for me. The rest are all yours,” Li Chengfu said, scanning the surroundings. “Any objections?”

“Understood,” Xu Chen nodded.

Just then, Xu Chen suddenly drew the Thousand-Forge Blade from his back, blocking an ice arrow that had been loosed at Li Chengfu.

With a resonant bang, the ice arrow shattered into a spray of frost.

“The Trial Realm is truly perilous!” Li Chengfu muttered, nervously rubbing the ring on his finger, a trace of panic in his expression.

“With me here, you have nothing to fear,” Xu Chen reassured him, gazing off into the distance. The archer had fired from beyond the range of his senses.

“I really ought to master a blood and qi cultivation method specialized in archery,” he mused. “Come, I’ll take you to dispatch our first foreign foe.”

With that, Xu Chen dashed swiftly toward the direction of the arrow’s flight, Li Chengfu following close behind.

Relying on the Earth-Listening Thousand Phantasms technique, Xu Chen blocked any arrows aimed his way with the Thousand-Forge Blade. As they neared the ambusher, Xu Chen pinpointed the foe’s location and surged forward in a blur.

He found a short, blue-black-skinned foreigner, not half a man’s height, bow in hand, terror etched across his face.

With a casual palm strike, Xu Chen stunned the creature, snatched away its bow, and kicked it down from the tree to land at Li Chengfu’s feet.

“Try him. He should have about eight tigers’ strength,” Xu Chen said.

“This one doesn’t count—you injured him with that kick,” Li Chengfu replied regretfully.

“Then finish him off anyway. I’ll find you another opportunity,” Xu Chen said, leaping down from the tree to study their assailant.

“He doesn’t seem to be from the Madheart Tribe,” Xu Chen observed.

“No, he’s just some minor foreign race shipped in from the front. The name hardly matters,” Li Chengfu replied, drawing a sword and stabbing it cleanly into the creature’s brow.

“Recently, over ten million Blood and Qi realm foreigners were sent from the front lines into this pocket world,” Li Chengfu continued, flicking the blood from his sword. “Considering the new rules set by the great families, I suspect something major is about to befall our human race.”

“No need to speculate. We’ll know soon enough,” Xu Chen said, his gaze sweeping the distant woods. “Come, let’s use this time to strengthen ourselves.”

The two ventured deeper into the gigantic forest, every tree so immense it would take three men to encircle its trunk, many towering dozens, even hundreds, of yards tall. In this vast wood, tens of thousands of foreign beings hid among the shadows.

A great river sliced through the forest’s heart. By its banks, Li Chengfu panted heavily, staring at a blue-skinned, tusked foreigner more than a yard tall. At the creature’s side lay another of its kind, chest caved in, dead beyond doubt.

Xu Chen, meanwhile, lounged on a massive boulder dozens of yards away, idly watching the scene unfold.

They had been here three days and suffered over a dozen ambushes, every one deftly neutralized by Xu Chen, who always left two weaker foreigners for Li Chengfu to finish off himself.

“This scion truly lives up to his reputation for extravagance,” Xu Chen mused.

The Thousand-Forge Blade, once slung across his back, had now been replaced by a precious treasure-grade warblade. During one rescue, an enemy had wielded a magical weapon—though unable to activate it with spiritual power, it was still too much for Xu Chen’s regular blade, which broke at the first clash. Afterward, Li Chengfu had carelessly tossed him a treasure blade as a reward.

From afar, he watched as Li Chengfu once again engaged a foreign foe.

“Don’t get in a slugging match with him,” Xu Chen advised as the fight unfolded. “Your raw blood and qi are slightly weaker, but your stamina is far superior—wear him down with hit-and-run tactics.”

Taking his advice, Li Chengfu changed strategy, and after two long hours, finally wore down his opponent’s strength and slew him with a decisive blow.

“Whew… whew…” Li Chengfu collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

“Brother Li, your combat power has grown again—congratulations,” Xu Chen said, helping him to his feet.

“All thanks to your protection,” Li Chengfu replied with a wave of his hand. A gleaming gateway appeared before them, and Xu Chen followed him through with practiced ease.

Beyond the light was a secluded, idyllic estate—Li Chengfu’s private spatial sanctuary. No sooner had they entered than Li Chengfu shed his robes and slipped into a hot spring.

“Brother Xu, I’ve met many who, upon sudden enlightenment, bring their blood and qi foundation technique to the level of heart and mind as one,” Li Chengfu remarked from the steaming waters. “But I’ve rarely seen anyone whose combat prowess is so innately formidable. The way you dispatch foreign foes—it’s as if you’re a seasoned veteran of decades on the battlefield, only your cultivation’s been set back to the Blood and Qi stage.”

He couldn’t help but envy Xu Chen, recalling vividly the time Xu Chen had single-handedly wiped out dozens of foreigners.

They had stumbled into a small foreign tribe, its ranks over a hundred strong; even discounting the weak, the rest were all at least as strong as nine tigers. Li Chengfu had been ready to activate his realm token and flee, but Xu Chen had charged in instead.

On the battlefield, Xu Chen moved with unhurried ease, each palm strike felling an enemy. In the end, he’d even left the two weakest for Li Chengfu.

“Perhaps the heavens saw my lack of talent and compensated me in this one area,” Xu Chen replied from his reclining chair, his tone languid.

“According to my family’s standards, I’ve killed thirty-two foreigners so far—sixty-eight more to go. I aim to reach my quota within the month.”

“As you wish,” Li Chengfu replied.

As night fell in the small world, Xu Chen returned to the room arranged for him and entered the Sacred White Space.

No matter how busy with missions, Xu Chen never neglected his cultivation.

Within the Sacred White Space, he practiced the Tiger Transformation of the Blood and Qi Foundation Method. Once that was complete, he entered the smithy behind the wooden door to forge weapons, and afterward, turned to alchemy.

Half a month passed in a flash. By then, Li Chengfu was no longer flustered in battle against foreigners. Under Xu Chen’s guidance, his true combat power had steadily risen.