Chapter 468: Heaven Passage Pillars
Long Chen hung his head and did not look at them. He knew that the Demon Generals were talking about him right now.
Compared to a prodigy like Zhao Wuji, they must not think that I have as much potential. But so what? As long as I can get the one hundred thousand Heavenly Passage Pills, I’ll be able to progress in the future without worries. Then I can enter the training grounds of the Ancient Demon Domain and my cultivation will progress quickly.
That was Long Chen’s objective for entering the Ancient Demon Domain.
The other objective was the Martial Alliance.
When he had just arrived, he had killed many members of the Martial Alliance. He had no faction backing him, so he would be done for if any investigations traced him to that incident. That was why entering the Ancient Demon Domain was a good choice.
Furthermore, places with more experts were excellent for him to fully utilize his potential.
Time passed.
Very soon, it was almost time to begin the second round. Demon General Typhoon flew up to the sky once more and he announced, “The break is almost over. I’m sure your wounds from the Black Prison are mostly healed by now.”
He looked around, and since no one objected, he continued, “No one has any issues; that’s very good. Now, I shall begin explaining the rules of the second round. I’m sure everyone can see the seven black pillars here! They are very famous in the Ancient Demon Domain; they’re called the Heaven Passage Pillars!”“Heavenly Passage Pillars?” Long Chen had a faint feeling that they were related to the Heaven Passage Realm.
Demon General Typhoon continued, “The Heavenly Passage Pillars are targets for all Heavenly Passage Realm cultivators to test their strength! I’m sure many people have heard of their function, so I’ll only give you a brief explanation. Attack the Heavenly Passage Pillars with your most powerful attack, and the louder the sound from the pillars, the stronger your attack is! That’s right! This round tests your attack strength! The strongest cultivators will progress to the next round! The ability to attack is the foundation of a person’s capability, because strong attacks usually determine the winner of a fight! That is why this is a true test of your capabilities! There will be no shortcuts!”
Attack the Heavenly Passage Pillars with your strongest attack? And the Heavenly Passage Pillars will make a noise? Long Chen privately made a mental note of Demon General Typhoon’s words. At the same time, he eyed the Heavenly Passage Pillars. Does that mean that even if someone is at the Ninth Passage Stage, they can’t destroy the Heavenly Passage Pillars since they are at the Heavenly Passage Realm?
This meant that the materials used to make the Heavenly Passage Pillars were terrifying too.
The crowd started to discuss as they gazed at the pillars in awe.
Demon General Typhoon continued, “After the first round in the Black Prison, seven thousand people remain out of the eighty thousand participants. In the second round with the Heavenly Passage Pillars, only ten percent will progress too. The Ancient Demon Domain will pick the seven hundred people who can generate the loudest sound to enter the third round! The rules are simple, but qualifying will not be simple because you need to beat the ten people next to you!”
Ninety percent of participants would be disqualified once more. It was a brutal process.
Although they knew the Ancient Demon Domain was a difficult faction to enter, the crowd was still pale. They all looked at each other and saw the worry in each other’s eyes.
Whether they would enter Ancient Demon Domain all depended on whether they could risk it all.
“While the rules are brutal, the reward will be abundant if you progress to the next round. I will now announce the rewards!
“First, every person who qualifies will receive fifty Heavenly Passage Pills!”
This number was almost three times more than before. That meant that they would get a total of seventy Heavenly Passage Pills!
Greed ignited within them.
Heavenly Passage Pills were the most important resource for cultivators at the Heavenly Passage Realm. Many people found themselves unable to progress because they lacked Heavenly Passage Pills!
“The top one hundred people will receive three hundred Heavenly Passage Pills each, and the top ten will receive a thousand! Third place will receive six thousand, second place will receive ten thousand, and first place …”
Demon General Typhoon glanced at Long Chen and Zhao Wuji and smiled. “The champion will receive thirty thousand Heavenly Passage Pills! Let’s watch and see who gets the thirty thousand Heavenly Passage Pills!”
The temptation of Heavenly Passage Pills filled the dejected crowd with battle spirit once more. Victory all depended on this moment! Instead of feeling dejected, they had to work as hard as they could to fight! It was possible to succeed by accident, and if that happened, they would be set for life.
It was easy to become one of the enforcers of the Martial Alliance, but difficult to become a disciple of the Ancient Demon Domain. There were millions of Martial Alliance enforcers, but there were only about ten thousand Ancient Demon Domain disciples.
Thirty thousand Heavenly Passage Pills? I lack Heavenly Passage Pills right now, and due to being a Dragon Warrior, I consume ten times more pills than a regular person every time I progress one stage. Ten thousand Heavenly Passage Pills won’t last me very long. That is why I must be champion this time too! thought Long Chen.
The more outstanding his performance was, the more resources he would receive.
Since I’m already here, I should do my best! Long Chen was feeling optimistic.
Demon General Typhoon continued, “Everyone, line up in front of the pillar that corresponds to the first number of your serial numbers!”
During registration, Long Chen had received a serial number with seven as the first number. Therefore, he lined up in front of the seventh Heavenly Passage Pillar. Huangfu Qi stood in front of him because they had registered consecutively.
For convenience’s sake, they would take their turns according to their numbers. Since Zhao Wuji had previously cut in line and registered before Long Chen, he was now arranged to stand between Huangfu Qi and Long Chen.
“Thank you for your help, Senior Liu!” Zhao Wuji smiled at the disciple who had made the arrangement.
“It’s nothing. When you get number one later, you just need to treat us to a good meal,” said the disciple, who left with a smile.
After Zhao Wuji’s arrival, the mood turned sour quickly.
Huangfu Qi did not like him at all, and when she saw that he was now standing between her and Long Chen, she glared at him and said, “You’re a bad person! You cut in line! You jerk! You asshole!”
Zhao Wuji and Long Chen choked at the last insult. Zhao Wuji’s face turned a deep shade of red, and despite how adorable Huangfu Qi was, he scolded her coldly. “Shut your mouth, girl!”
“What kind of a man are you, fighting a little girl?” Long Chen stood in front of him. “If you think you’re that strong, we’ll see how you do against the pillar! Let’s see if you can get first place.” Long Chen smirked, as if trying to provoke him.
“You’re Jiang Cheng, right? Are you challenging me?” Zhao Wuji stopped and stared at him darkly.
“What’s the point of challenging someone like you?” Long Chen gave a small smile and comforted Huangfu Qi, completely ignoring him.
Zhao Wuji clenched his fists tightly.
The booming noise of the Heavenly Passage Pillars will make you understand what true strength really is. I’ve killed a Fifth Passage Stage master, so do you think I’ll be weaker than you at the First Passage Stage? My uncle isn’t here today, but if I don’t get number one, we’ll lose face … That is why I must be number one! A bright fire burned in his eyes.
Then, according to Demon General Typhoon’s arrangements, the second round began. Since Long Chen had registered late, it would be some time until his turn.
Long Chen noticed that the dozen or so Demon Generals had dispersed and were now standing next to the seven pillars. With them as the judges, the winners of the round would easily be determined. He saw that the Demon Generals each had a notebook for records. They would likely record a score based on the sound they heard, then compare all the scores to determine the top seven hundred participants!
Since these qualifiers were held every year, they likely had a perfect scoring system.
The participants began their attacks. Long Chen looked at the pillar in front of him and saw that there was a teenager standing in front of it.
Long Chen could not see his face because his back was towards him, but he could see the teenager trembling. However, the teenager knew that his success depended on his next attack, so he gritted his teeth, took several steps back, and exploded with his most powerful attack!
It was an immense fist technique unleashed with his Second Passage Stage strength. The fist seal turned into a gigantic sprinting tiger, which crashed into the pillar! Ripples radiated away from the pillars, making the black cloak of the Demon General standing behind the pillar fly up.
Long Chen heard a soft sound from the pillar, but it quickly died down.
Because this was the first strike, no one knew if it was considered loud. Though from the teenager’s expression, he had not achieved his goal and he descended dejectedly. The next guy replaced him.
The Demon General recording the score never looked up. After hearing the sound created by the first person’s attack, he recorded the score and then did not move.
The second teenager was also at the Second Passage Stage, though the sound he caused was only very slightly louder than the previous guy.
The subsequent participants performed on a similar level. The worst participant failed to make any sound at all, while the loudest result came from a Fourth Passage Stage Beast Warrior who exploded with his most powerful attack. The gentle cry from the pillar lasted three whole breaths!
This was the best result from Long Chen’s section. The other sections also had similar results.
Very soon, the second round was coming to an end. The top three of the previous round were closing in on the pillars.
This would be the most exciting moment of the second round!