"This is so laughable, Miss Li. You hold such a high status in society, yet you deliberately make things
difficult and take advantage of someone like me because of some trivial matters? Do you really want to
continue this? Are you not afraid that others will think that you are a narrow-minded person with a short
fuse? You should care more about your reputation," Rocky said without a shred of provocation.
Hearing this, Michelle was rendered speechless. She was a bit baffled that Rocky was trying to make
him look like an insignificant person while intentionally boosting her standing. On the surface, it seemed
that he did not want to offend her, but Rocky actually mocked her subtly for being narrow-minded. At
the same time, since there were so many people watching, if she indeed bared her fangs in public, they
would certainly think that Rocky was right.
"Humph! Whatever. Anyway, just mind your own business next time!" Left with no choice, Michelle had
to let the incident go. Afterward, she also left in a hurry.
"That girl is unbelievable! I don't care if she is the core disciple of the Flying Feather Pavilion. She is
way too arrogant!" After Michelle left, Eunice was not able to suppress her emotions and express her
irritations.
"Well, at least it became clear that she is not the one we are looking for." Judging from Michelle's
behavior just now, Rocky was sure that she wasn't one of the Godly Geniuses who was just disguising
as a human.
Eunice also nodded, agreeing with his conclusion.
However, Carla, who was also there, could not help but ask what the two were talking about. "You two
were looking for someone?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Look! It should be our turn anytime now," Rocky replied and tried his best to
immediately change the topic so that Carla could not ask anything more.
Fortunately, just a moment later, the numbers of Rocky and the two women were called. Aside from
them, Michelle, Moore, Holden, and several other low-stage Spiritual Emperors were also called.
When the batch of participants was announced, the spectators immediately discussed among
themselves.
Among the twenty candidates in this group, many of them were new Spiritual Emperors from various
forces in the Ethereal Region. Of course, among them, the strongest one was Michelle, who ranked
first among the low-grade Spiritual Emperors in the first round of the tests.
However, the potential of the Imperial Soul was not solely decided by one's level of strength. It was an
innate talent. Hence, at this point, it was very hard to know whose Imperial Soul would have the highest
potential.
Obviously, the spectators also had their own guesses and were rooting for a specific Spiritual Emperor.
If they would base their selection on strength, the most probable ones to excel were Michelle, Holden,
Moore, and Carla since they were recognized as extremely powerful Spiritual Emperors in the entire
Ethereal Region. It meant that they were supposed to be the most talented ones.
"Everyone, please enter into the Imperial Soul Testing Array one by one," the Spiritual Emperor of the
Di Clan, who was in charge of the testing array, instructed. Then, he opened the entrance of the
Imperial Soul Testing Array with his own spiritual power.
Afterward, Rocky and the others directly entered the array. As soon as they stepped in, they were sent
into separate spaces.
"Inside the Imperial Soul Testing Array, your Imperial Souls will go through eighteen floors. The first six
floors are classified as the human pass, where the basic strength of your Imperial Souls will be tested.
The next six floors are called the earth pass, which is also known as the devil pass. On these floors,
the willpower of your Imperial Souls will be tested. As we all know, the willpower of one's Imperial Soul
is controlled by its owner. Hence, the willpower of the candidate will directly affect the Imperial Soul.
Therefore, if one doesn't have a strong mind, chances are he will go berserk, and at the same time, the
power of the Imperial Soul will greatly weaken.
Then, the last six floors are classified as the heaven pass. I will warn you that it is very hard to
overcome them. In fact, since ancient times, only ten Spiritual Emperors from the Di Clan were able to
reach the heaven pass.
Now, listen carefully and follow my instructions. Calm yourselves and gradually release the power of
your Imperial Souls to materialize them." As Rocky heard the instructions that echoed in the space
where he was in, he immediately closed his eyes and sat on the ground with his legs crossed. Then, he
slowly released his Imperial Soul.
Eventually, streams of power mixed with orange light continuously overflowed from his body. They
intertwined with each other and gradually transformed into a blurry soul shadow in front of him. At this
point, Rocky could not clearly see the shadow itself, but it exuded a sense of arrogance and a
domineering aura.
"On the first floor, you will need to refine the five essential elements in order to pass it," the voice briefly
informed.
These five elements included metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Every one of the candidates would
encounter these and would have to overcome them.
Right after Rocky's Imperial Soul materialized, countless fire columns emerged from the ground and
surrounded his Imperial Soul. In an instant, he felt a strong burning sensation. It was as if he was inside
a fire cavern, and there was a huge chance that he might get burned into ashes at any time.
'I can't believe that this is just the first floor. It's already hard to imagine what's waiting for me later!'
Rocky exclaimed in his heart as he was a bit caught off guard. However, although he was taken aback,
he still tried his best to remain calm.
The very next moment, his Imperial Soul instantly burst out a violent blazing power that rampaged
around his body. Then, the soul rushed into the incoming fire column and began absorbing it with its
own flame power. Not long after, the soul was able to absorb and clear out all of the fire columns.
Of course, the challenge of the five elements was not that simple and easy. In fact, even before Rocky
could take a breather, the ground in front of him suddenly shook and cracked. Immediately after, a
huge stone arm climbed out of the ground and attempted to press him down.
Rocky instantly took action and manipulated his Imperial Soul to resist the attack. However, he did not
expect that the strength of the stone arm was too overbearing. Under such astounding pressure, the
ground beneath his feet eventually collapsed and his body sank in it. He knew that if he did not do
anything, he would be crushed at this point.
"Right! I can try the Stone Transformation Skill in this situation!" Rocky actually learned a magic skill
from one of the senior masters in the Scarlet Heaven Jade, and it was called the Stone Transformation
Skill. In this desperate situation, he suddenly remembered that it might be useful in order for him to get
out of this predicament. In a flash, Rocky's Imperial Soul turned into a stone statue and integrated itself
with the entire ground. With this, no matter how hard the stone arm tried to strengthen its attack and
thrash around, the Imperial Soul remained firm and unmoved.
Not long after, the stone arm vanished. At the same time, Rocky also felt that the power of his Imperial
Soul had increased a little.
"This is great! I did not expect that I can also enhance the strength of my Imperial Soul here!" Rocky
was delighted and a little surprised. He had a deep admiration for the wise and farsighted ancestors of
the Di Clan. Not only was the test able to examine the potential of one's Imperial Soul, but it could also
help improve it.
It seemed that the original purpose of the Imperial Soul Testing Array was to allow the Spiritual
Emperors of the Di Clan to cultivate their Imperial Souls and strengthen them.
Then, just like earlier, before Rocky could react, the ground beneath him changed its structure again.
This time, it suddenly turned into a giant sea, making him and his Imperial Soul sink into a dark and
endless abyss.
However, Rocky was already getting the hang of it. He was not fazed at all and immediately used
another magic technique that he learned from the Scarlet Heaven Jade.
After going through all the tests that comprised the five essential elements, the space eventually
returned to its original state.
"Whew! It looks like I already overcame the first floor!" Rocky exclaimed, heaving a huge sigh of relief.
A moment later, the voice that gave the instruction resounded in the space again. "Now, on the second
floor, the test of desire and emotion will be conducted."
As the name implied, this test would have something to do with one's desires and emotions. However,
for Rocky, who had already experienced countless tragic crises and critical moments in his life, this test
would be very easy to handle. After he was reborn in this world, all his emotions and desires were not
able to corrupt his mind. He would not easily fall for something trivial such as romance and lust.
Therefore, this test might have been the easiest yet for Rocky.
In fact, just fifteen minutes later, Rocky successfully passed the second floor with ease and was ready
for the next one.
Soon enough, he was able to overcome three more floors and eventually reached the last of the first
six floors. He was about to face the last floor of the human pass, which was the body devouring
cultivation.
The body devouring cultivation was actually a test of one's endurance. Spiritual Emperors not only
cultivate their Imperial Souls to gain strength, but also to enhance the souls themselves. After all, when
an Imperial Soul reached a certain level, it could be released to assist its master in combat. Therefore,
it was also of vital importance to give focus on strengthening the Imperial Soul.
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