A month passed in the blink of an eye,
The group continued with the trial stages. Though the journey was arduous, their progress was immense.
Little did they know, the one manipulating the stages had changed from the Spirit of the Ruins to Chen Shu...
"These few individuals are quite good..."
The Elemental Spirit looked at Fang Si and the others undergoing the trial, its tone filled with admiration.
While not as monstrous as Chen Shu, they were already considered top geniuses of their time.
It sighed and said, "It's a pity... the path to legend is too difficult..."
"Is there really no way to break through?"
Chen Shu asked urgently, hoping to obtain more relevant information.
"No."
The Elemental Spirit shook its head helplessly. "Without a special method, it's unlikely a new legend will appear for thousands of years."
Chen Shu's heart sank. Indeed, there was only the Heaven-Sent Ancient Emperor, who broke through with the blood of the Beast Ancestor.
He clenched his fist and muttered to himself,
"Don't let me find out who did it, or I'll beat them to death!"
"?"
The Elemental Spirit's body trembled, and it said faintly, "Human Emperor."
"..."
Chen Shu was stunned. "It was him? Why?!"
He didn't hold much reverence for him, as he was the Human Emperor from the Ancient Royal Era and had little to do with him.
"To be precise, it was the Human Emperor and the Beast Ancestor who jointly sealed it."
The Elemental Spirit's master was the Elemental Sovereign, whose strength was a notch above the old man's, thus gaining access to more information.
"Perhaps they each had their own intentions."
"..."
Chen Shu frowned. "But this is unfair to us humans."
Although the fierce beasts couldn't rely on talent to reach legend, they could reach legend by devouring bloodlines, while humans truly had no such path.
"I don't know about that."
The Elemental Spirit shook its head. "In fact, although my master is an ultimate powerhouse, he barely interacted with the Human Emperor. That individual was too mysterious."
"Didn't interact?"
Chen Shu was surprised. "Doesn't the Human Emperor ever discuss strategies with you all, or hold human conferences?"
"During the Ancient Royal Era, humanity was divided into different factions, each defending against the fierce beasts around them,"
The Elemental Spirit recalled those days. "The Human Emperor rarely appeared and did not participate in major battles between humans and fierce beasts, like a god in the heavens. The Beast Ancestor on the fierce beast side was similar."
"Perhaps it was a rule set between the two of them."
Both their strengths surpassed legend. Whoever intervened first would mean breaking the rules. Once a large-scale war erupted, it would inevitably lead to the devastation of both races, so they had been extremely restrained.
"Is that so..."
Chen Shu nodded, gaining some understanding.
"The only one who seemed somewhat close to the Human Emperor was perhaps Gu Shun,"
The Elemental Spirit continued, "But even he seemed to have only received occasional guidance from the Human Emperor once or twice."
"He's that mysterious..."
Chen Shu murmured, his curiosity about this powerhouse growing. He then asked,
"Do you know the Human Emperor's Contracted Spirit?"
Beings of that level, above legend, surely had extraordinary Contracted Spirits...
"Apart from Tian Wu, I don't know the others,"
The Elemental Spirit shook its head. "No one has ever seen the Human Emperor exert his full power. Even his life-or-death battle with the Beast Ancestor took place in the starry sky beyond the continent."
"..."
Chen Shu nodded and did not press further.
At this moment,
His expression shifted, and he looked towards Ah Liang and Fang Si, who were undergoing trials.
They had already cleared the highest difficulty of the ruins, essentially obtaining all the rewards.
A higher difficulty would be the legacy trial of the ruins, which was to fight against a quasi-legendary peak Elemental Phoenix.
With a thought, he directly opened a passage and brought Fang Si and Ah Liang over.
"Huh? Chen Shu?"
The two immediately spotted Chen Shu in the center of the lake, a hint of surprise in their eyes.
"You're really fast."
Ah Liang was slightly stunned before he understood, realizing Chen Shu had likely finished his trials long ago.
"How were the rewards? I've improved a lot this past month!"
"I didn't get any rewards from the stages."
Chen Shu shrugged and said indifferently.
"No?!"
Ah Liang's eyes widened, and he immediately said, "You weren't eliminated in the first stage, were you?"
"I..."
Chen Shu was about to speak when he was interrupted.
Ah Liang, suppressing a smile, consoled him,
"But don't be sad. The first stage tests skill mastery. This kind of theoretical operation isn't really suitable for a ruffian like you..."
"I mean..."
Chen Shu glanced at him coolly. "Although I didn't get any rewards, I am the one who gives you rewards."
"Ah?"
Ah Liang's expression froze, failing to react for a moment.
"What do you mean?"
"You still don't understand?"
Fang Si glanced at him. "This ruin now belongs to him!"
She wasn't surprised. Others went to the ruins thinking of obtaining rewards to improve themselves,
But this guy was different.
If he didn't take the entire ruin with him, he probably wouldn't sleep well at night...
"It's yours?!"
Ah Liang's mouth fell open, stunned. "You took over?!"
"The senior Spirit of the Ruins, with its discerning eyes, recognized my noble character and outstanding abilities, choosing me as the inheritor of this ruin."
Chen Shu said with a composed expression,
"Are there any problems?"
This statement pleased the Spirit of the Ruins, significantly increasing its favor towards Chen Shu.
Although he had been a bit of a ruffian earlier, in front of others, he had given it face.
"..."
Ah Liang fell silent, gazing at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, a faint sadness enveloping him.
He had actually thought Chen Shu had failed his trials...
So, this guy had simply stolen the place?
In retrospect, the trials he had gone through were merely child's play...
As time went by,
Old Xie and the others gradually completed their trials. Due to their different strength levels, the rewards they received naturally varied.
However, with Chen Shu's deliberate assistance, everyone received the maximum possible rewards.
At this moment, Chen Shu's close friends arrived at the core area. Their first glance fell upon Ah Liang, who was looking melancholic, as his posture was quite peculiar...
"What's wrong with him?"
Old Xie looked utterly confused, unable to grasp the situation.
"Nothing, just his usual antics."
Chen Shu shook his head. "He's probably having trouble accepting that I've become the inheritor of the ruin. But you all should be able to accept it, right?"
"You became the inheritor of the ruin?!"
Moments later, everyone, mirroring Ah Liang's action, gazed at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, filled with melancholy...
This was more unbearable than killing them...