Chapter 1 The Trial Begins

Beside him, Li Miaozhen looked at her senior brother's almost frenzied expression and clenched fists, and couldn't help but shake her head helplessly.

Although her senior brother was the Holy Son of the Earth Sect, he never seemed to recognize his own limitations. Alas, it had always been this way.

"With the rules explained, the preliminary round of the Heavenly Pride Battle officially begins!"

Accompanied by Xu Weizhou's loud announcement, the preliminary round of the Heavenly Pride Battle officially began. Xu Weizhou himself flew to the side as if he had completed his mission.

In fact, his mission was indeed completed. What followed was the stage, or rather the battlefield, for the heavenly prides.

In the end, whoever could break through the encirclement and laugh last would depend on their own abilities… In short, unless something unexpected happened, there would be no need for him, the host, to take action.

And since its inception, the Heavenly Pride Battle had never encountered any unexpected events.

As Xu Weizhou flew to the side, a rumbling sound came from beneath the square.

Some people were shocked, their faces full of panic, not knowing where the noise came from, while others were calm and composed, seemingly aware of what was about to happen.

As the rumbling sound grew louder, the entire square, paved with marble, began to sink.

Eventually, it sank to a depth of more than ten meters. Looking down from above, the square now resembled an ancient Roman Colosseum.

Beside Chen Xiao was a man who looked simple and honest, tall and strong, with a rough and old face.

This burly man was named Wang Dong, and he was as passionate as fire. He had only known Chen Xiao for a short time, but he had already begun to pour his heart out to Chen Xiao, even telling him his childhood name.

Moreover, he said that he and Chen Xiao hit it off right away and that he would look after Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao smiled and remained noncommittal. He would not trust this seemingly honest man. After all, once the free challenge stage began, everyone would be enemies.

And the more people like this who seemed simple and honest, the deeper their schemes were. They might stab you in the back at a crucial moment.

Such a person was not even as good as Li Shouzhen, who was open and aboveboard, practically writing the words 'I want to kill you' on his face.

Of course, Chen Xiao didn't care about either type of person. In the face of absolute strength, any schemes or tricks were useless.

When the square stopped falling, Wang Dong patted his chest and said, "That scared me to death. I thought it was an earthquake just now!"

It had to be said that his rugged face, coupled with his frightened appearance, was somewhat incongruous.

"It seems that the test of the Four Forces is about to begin. Be careful yourself."

Chen Xiao kindly reminded him.

"Don't worry, it's all a piece of cake. I'm going to win a place in the Heavenly Pride Battle. How could this little test possibly stump me?"

Wang Dong said with a nonchalant expression, very proudly.

Just then, a gust of Gang wind, from who knows where, suddenly blew over. Chen Xiao loudly reminded, "Be careful!"

The azure Gang wind was like a sharp blade, arriving in an instant, right in front of Wang Dong.

Wang Dong did not dodge. He let out a loud shout, and a layer of rock-like armor suddenly appeared on his body!

The Gang wind swept past, and the rock armor remained motionless, with only a few cracks appearing, but it did not truly harm Wang Dong.

"I told you, it's all a piece of cake!"

Wang Dong winked at Chen Xiao. Looking at him now, he looked like a small mountain turned into a spirit.

He had the strength of the Divine Sea Realm Perfection, so resisting this Gang wind was naturally not a problem.

However, not every heavenly pride who came to participate in the preliminary round had his strength.

After the first round of Gang wind swept through, screams rang out in the square.

There were many broken arms and legs, but these were not the worst. The worst were those whose bodies were directly split in half…

But overall, the vast majority of people still managed to avoid the first round of Gang wind.

However, the test of the Four Forces did not give people a chance to catch their breath. The second round of tests arrived in an instant.

Pools of black flames appeared on the ground of the square. The flames appeared very quickly, and the positions were random.

Some people were unable to dodge in time and were burned by the flames. Then, the flames would follow the surface of their skin, gradually devouring their bodies.

Another group of people lost their lives. Next were the tests of water and lightning.

The water could instantly freeze people into ice cubes, while the lightning directly blasted people into ashes, their souls scattered.

Of course, those who were eliminated were those with insufficient strength.

In general, those with the strength of the Divine Sea Realm could safely survive these four tests.

Some cultivators who did not have the strength of the Divine Sea Realm also successfully passed the test by relying on luck or magical treasures.

At this time, of the seven or eight thousand people, only about five thousand remained.

Although many had died, there were even more survivors.

"Hahahaha, it seems that the test of the Four Forces is not as difficult as the legends say!"

"I heard that in previous Heavenly Pride Battles, only a little over half of the people could pass the test of the Four Forces. Now it seems that our generation is very strong!"

"The test of the Four Forces is over. Next, we will enter the free challenge stage, right?"

The heavenly prides discussed among themselves. Some were proud, and some were complacent.

There were also some who scoffed, such as Li Shouzhen, the Holy Son of the Earth Sect.

"Hmph, a bunch of bumpkins who haven't seen the world, thinking that the test of the Four Forces is over so quickly? Hehe, naive. The real test has only just begun!"

Li Shouzhen said proudly with his arms crossed.

"The real test has only just begun? What do you mean? Isn't it already over?"

Before the voice of doubt could fade away, dazzling array patterns lit up beneath everyone's feet.

After the array patterns flashed, everyone was teleported to the edge of the square.

In the center of the square, a circle of white-practice-like moat appeared. The moat was about two or three meters wide, and the water inside was exactly the kind that could freeze people into ice cubes!

*Boom*

Just as everyone was surprised, a layer of black flames suddenly appeared on the river's surface. Immediately afterward, streaks of lightning arcs, like small snakes, also filled the entire river surface.

As for the Gang wind, it was even more indispensable, rising from the river's surface and soaring into the sky, directly eliminating the possibility of flying over it.

"What, what's going on?"

Someone asked in confusion.

"Hey, look, that moat is moving!"

Someone shouted loudly, and everyone immediately realized that the moat was slowly spreading outward, along with the flames, lightning, and Gang wind on it.

"Hehe, I told you, the test of the Four Forces has only just begun!"

Li Shouzhen grinned, "The moat will continue to spread. Only by passing through the moat filled with the Four Forces and entering the small island in the center can you pass. Otherwise, the moat will eventually spread to our feet…"