Chu Tian never expected the Divine Sea Palace... to be a trial ground.
Looking at the people before him, Chu Tian didn't know what to say.
"Little brother, why don't you go in too! Once you're here, you can only leave by passing the trial, otherwise, like our ancestors, you won't be able to leave!"
The one holding the long spear spoke, revealing the crux of the matter.
However, his expression grew somber as he spoke.
"What?"
Chu Tian was taken aback. This was quite a serious situation.
But he had to enter. Since he was here, he had to find a way out.
If it was a trial ground, then... there must be something good, right?
"Are there any dangers I should be aware of?"
Chu Tian found the remaining four people to be quite amiable.
Moreover, their gazes were filled with curiosity as they scrutinized him from head to toe.
He guessed it was due to his identity.
It had been an unknown number of years since any outsider had entered this place.
Chu Tian, a native of Blue Star, naturally piqued the interest of these four natives.
"The threats in this Divine Sea Secret Realm come from two sources: firstly, the Celestial Beasts hidden within the mountains and forests, and secondly, the [Natural Formations] within the secret realm."
Upon hearing them mention Natural Formations.
Chu Tian's expression flickered.
He had some understanding of natural formations.
After all, he had two formation masters by his side.
He recalled Lin Ran and Miao Zuo discussing natural formations.
The power of formations originated from heaven and earth.
However, most of them required human manipulation.
They also needed formation materials to set them up, as well as spiritual energy crystals and other items to replenish the formations, which were the necessary price for defying the heavens.
Yet, there were some wondrous aspects in heaven and earth.
Nature's exquisite craftsmanship formed formations with certain powers.
These could be confinement formations, illusion formations, or even killing formations, with varying degrees of power.
Hearing them say that natural formations were the most dangerous here, Chu Tian immediately felt that this Divine Sea trial ground was extraordinary.
According to them, those who could pass the trial here must be exceptionally powerful beings.
Chu Tian guessed that those legendary great gods had likely undergone trials here and emerged victorious.
"Damn it, trying to trick me! Your Third Uncle Chu will break through this trial and crush you once I get out!"
Chu Tian's expression shifted. He knew...
The Palace Master of the Divine Sea Palace must have known the perilous nature of this place.
That's why he altered the teleportation portal's direction and threw him here.
Thinking of this, Chu Tian clasped his hands towards the four individuals.
"Then I'm going. If I get out, I will flatten this Divine Sea Palace and welcome you back to Blue Star!"
Just now, when Chu Tian saw them speaking to him, they all looked dispirited when they mentioned why they were staying here, and even yearned for Blue Star.
So, Third Uncle Chu here made them a promise.
He was the only outsider to enter this place in countless years.
These four people, thinking he must have some extraordinary abilities.
Their eyes lit up upon hearing his words.
But they quickly dimmed, as they recalled Chu Tian mentioning earlier that he had been tricked into falling into this place.
This meant he was not a seed.
Nor was he truly here to participate in the trial.
Every ten years, the people here would initiate a trial.
Their children would all participate.
The hope was that someone would be recognized and obtain an opportunity.
To leave this blessed land, akin to a birdcage.
Alas, generation after generation had passed.
None of them had left, and...
The number of clan members decreased with each generation.
Perhaps in a few more years, this place would return to desolate silence.
Chu Tian understood their thoughts and said nothing more.
He strode towards the rift.
"Wait, little brother, take this. You likely don't have it. This jade slip is a must-have for the trials here. Inject soul power into it, and you can check your location and find some useful information.
During the trials, our ancestors also had a rule of snatching each other's jade slips, which served as a judgment of victory.
But... now it can only be used as a map."
The person holding the brush, who looked like a judge, stopped Chu Tian and handed him something.
Chu Tian took it and thanked him.
Without hesitation, he leaped deep into the rift.
His body was immediately swallowed by the mist. Chu Tian felt a sense of weightlessness.
However, this weightlessness wasn't a descent, but rather an ascent.
"How strange. I clearly jumped down, but it feels like ascending!"
Chu Tian marveled.
The next moment, he found himself on a grassy plain.
The air here was moist and fresh. He took a deep breath, and his entire body felt exceptionally comfortable.
Looking around, he saw rolling mountains and ridges everywhere.
The vegetation was lush and verdant.
The vitality here was many times better than on Blue Star.
Spiritual energy...
Not to mention, it felt almost viscous.
"Is this the Divine Sea Secret Realm? I never imagined the spiritual energy here to be so abundant! Huh... the plants here are so peculiar!"
At Chu Tian's feet, a plant resembling a four-leaf clover swayed in the wind.
But it wasn't a four-leaf clover, because Chu Tian discovered it actually had five leaves.
Furthermore, spiritual energy flickered around it.
Chu Tian's sudden appearance here seemed to startle it. It leaned sideways, tilting away from Chu Tian, against the wind.
This immediately piqued Chu Tian's curiosity. He was about to crouch down when...
A figure appeared and landed in front of the grass.
With incredible speed, the figure snatched the five-leaf clover, pulling it out by the roots.
Chu Tian was stunned...
He cursed inwardly: Damn it, stealing right under my nose? Stealing my stuff?
Although he didn't know what that grass was.
But seeing the speed of the snatching, and the peculiar appearance of the five-leaf clover, he knew it was no ordinary item.
Instantly, anger surged within him. He straightened his semi-crouched body and stared intently at the person before him.
"Thanks! See ya!"
The person was dressed in plain cloth, with a hair tie on their head, appearing like a scholar.
At this moment, they revealed a row of white teeth and smiled at Chu Tian, then waved goodbye.
With a movement, their body transformed into a shadow, heading towards the distant forest.
Chu Tian, however, stared blankly as the figure disappeared.
"Damn it, it's a chick. Oh well, a true man doesn't fight with women."
Chu Tian rolled his eyes. The person just now, despite wearing men's clothing.
It couldn't escape Chu Tian's notice.
That person likely thought their disguise was quite good.
Even their voice was deliberately deepened.
Unfortunately, such a disguise could only fool idiots or virgins.
Lin Yu, who had worn a large robe and disguised herself as an old man, was seen through by Chu Tian. Let alone her simply wearing men's clothing.
Chu Tian observed the surrounding environment again.
Then, he took out the jade slip that person had given him from his storage pouch, intending to check his current location.
However, just as he took out the jade slip, a rustling sound was heard.
A woman landed directly in front of Chu Tian. Seeing him, her expression changed.
As her feet touched the ground, she drew the long sword from her back, holding it protectively in front of her chest.
Chu Tian's expression shifted. Why was there another person?
But this woman was something else. He nodded inwardly, realizing that the natives here had decent strength.
From the aura emanating from her, he could tell she had reached the Reincarnation Realm.
"Who are you, and why have I never seen you before?"
She maintained a defensive posture, clearly wary of Chu Tian's unfamiliar presence.
There were few people here, and she knew everyone who had entered the trial this time.
They were all companions she had grown up with.
Chu Tian's expression remained impassive as he glanced at her.
Just as the woman was about to speak again, Chu Tian stomped his foot.
Boom...
A shockwave erupted, and he transformed into a projectile, hurtling towards the distant dense forest.
"Ah... such speed, such... sturdy physique. Where did this person come from?"
Seeing Chu Tian fly off with sheer physical strength, the woman exclaimed.
Her face changed drastically. She thought if this person was also here for the trial, then they... were in danger.
Because she had heard that a long, long time ago, when their ancestors participated in trials, it was a matter of life and death.
While they, the natives, had lived in peaceful days here for countless years.
Although trials were conducted every ten years, most were for collecting spiritual herbs to take back.
Watching Chu Tian's disappearing figure, the woman secretly pondered.
The speed and physique of this person were definitely superior to hers.
Even... in her memory, the four guardians of their clan didn't seem to possess such powerful physiques.
However, fortunately, that person's cultivation realm didn't seem high, only their physique was abnormal.
He hadn't reached the level of the four guardians.
The four guardians in her mind were the ones who had sent them in.
But... this person was far more formidable than them.
Thinking of this, the woman broke out in a cold sweat.
She sheathed her sword and returned it to her back.
"He probably has no ill intentions, right? If he had murderous intent, I might have already lost my head!"
The woman muttered, becoming more fearful the more she thought about it.
She had just harbored killing intent towards him. If they had fought, she would likely have been the one to die.
"No, I must tell them immediately! Never provoke this outsider."
The woman's eyes flickered, and she chose a direction, also disappearing into the forest.
...
At this moment, Chu Tian had arrived at the foot of a mountain peak.
He leaped onto a giant ancient tree, activated stealth mode, and took out the jade slip again.
"Won't anyone bother me this time?" he thought.
He wondered what this trial was testing. Was it climbing floors?
Chu Tian recalled the tower-climbing features in games he used to play.
He took out the jade slip and injected his divine soul power into it.
Instantly, he found that it was like a sea of knowledge, recording a vast amount of information.
It contained maps, introductions to various Celestial Beasts, and information on herbs and spiritual grasses.
He discovered that the five-leaf clover he had just seen was indeed a spiritual grass.
Its name was also fitting, simply called: Five-Leaf Clover!
Seeing this, Chu Tian pursed his lips. He wasn't here to pick herbs, so he skipped it.
Opening the map section, and comparing it carefully with the surrounding terrain, he finally realized that his current location was south of the secret realm entrance.
It was considered the outer perimeter.
The entrance to the second layer of the secret realm was the entire outer circumference.
It was shaped like a ring, contracting inwards.
The very center was marked as "Third Layer Entrance."
"Hmm... is it really tower climbing?"
Seeing the map, Chu Tian was almost certain of his guess.
However, the map also marked many red areas, with more towards the center.
By the end, they were almost a solid mass.
It was marked as: Danger!
Chu Tian looked at the map and saw that there were only two paths to reach the third layer.
One was to take a detour, requiring him to go north, where there was a safe route, completely devoid of dangerous areas.
The other option was...
To traverse it directly!
This was the most time-saving method.
But he didn't know what those dangerous areas entailed.
After considering, Chu Tian ultimately decided to take the detour!
This map was from countless years ago.
After so much time, if the dangerous area was some kind of demonic beast... something called a Celestial Beast here.
After so long, its strength could be anything.
But it might also have died of old age.
However, Chu Tian didn't want to waste energy. He just wanted to leave this place quickly.
Moreover, Chu Tian knew that the native trial-goers would definitely choose this route.
Before entering, someone had instructed them to try and reach the higher levels.
Therefore, they wouldn't linger in the second layer. Since there was a safe passage, everyone would choose this route.
He was unfamiliar with the terrain. Previously, he had been hiding from people to study the jade slip.
Now that he understood it and knew how to play, it was time to...
If not, find some of the native youngsters and try to build some rapport.
See if there was anything he still didn't understand or know.
Without hesitation, Chu Tian leaped down from the ancient tree and nimbly moved in the determined direction.
He needed to make a detour, from the south to the north.
The distance was still quite far, and his landing point was just too unlucky.
However, Chu Tian believed that taking a detour was better than going into those dangerous areas. If he got entangled, he wouldn't know how much time it would waste.
After moving quickly for about half an hour, Chu Tian suddenly noticed a blinking light on the jade slip.
"Hmm? What's this?" Chu Tian was taken aback.
Injecting his divine soul, he discovered that the blinking light could very well be another jade slip.
Which meant there was another person.
Furthermore, Chu Tian found that this jade slip also had a function to conceal himself.
Without thinking, he immediately hid himself, so that the other person's jade slip would not indicate his location.
After moving for another ten minutes or so, he intentionally approached that person.
Upon arriving here, Chu Tian found that the other party was hiding in the grass.
He activated stealth mode and crouched down not far behind that person.
Soon, another light blinked on the jade slip, heading this way.
Quickly, a figure moved to the base of a tree.
"A Biao, is that you?" the latter person called out.
"It's me! A Qin, you're really slow." The person who was hiding in the grass earlier jumped out.
Chu Tian saw these two guys exchange a punch, clearly familiar brothers.
"I'm slow? There are even slower people. They haven't arrived yet, have they?" A Qin said with a smile.
"Not yet, I've been waiting for a long time. By the way... there was a blinking light on the jade slip just now, and then it disappeared. Did someone meet with an accident?"
A Biao frowned as he said this.
"Is there such a thing?" A Qin's eyebrows also shot up.
"Yes, you know, with so few of us now, and so few women, it's hard to find wives. What are we going to do?"
A Biao said with a dejected face...
"You only think about finding wives! By the way, aren't you engaged to your cousin?" A Qin winked.
"Get lost! My cousin is as thick as a barrel. If you want her..." A Biao said dejectedly.
"Sure, I'm not picky. Our generation is like this. What else is there to be picky about? It's all the same with the lights off, just for procreation!"
A Qin was quite open-minded, which left A Biao stunned.
Chu Tian almost burst out laughing.
That line: It's all the same with the lights off! It was exactly what Zhao Lei had said, word for word!