Chapter 440 - 234: Divine Soul Trial! Jiang Che Ignites the Arena! The Final Trial Begins

"After the assessment begins, Illusion Beasts will continuously spawn in the Illusion Realm and besiege you!"

"At first, the Illusion Beasts that appear will be at the Bone Forging Realm. Afterward, their strength will gradually increase to the Refining Organ Realm, the First Layer of True Master Realm, and even higher!"

"Not only will their strength increase, but as time goes on, the number of Illusion Beasts will also continuously increase!"

"The first wave will be one, the second will be two, followed by four, six, and eight... until they are endless, completely overwhelming you!"

Hearing these cruel rules, the faces of many disciples turned deathly pale.

’Not only will their strength increase, but their numbers will also multiply? How could we possibly win later on?’

"What you must do is give it your all, slay the Illusion Beasts, and survive in the Illusion Realm!"

"Dying in the Illusion Realm does not mean you will truly die. Your Divine Soul will be unharmed, but you will be instantly teleported out of the array, and your assessment will end!"

"The final rankings will be determined by how long you last inside the array! The longer you last, the higher your rank!"

The rules were simple and brutal, yet they were the best test of a Martial Artist’s overall combat skills and ultimate potential.

"Now... enter the array!"

Following the official’s command, several thousand young prodigies surged like a tide toward the mist-shrouded array.

Jiang Che blended into the crowd, his expression calm.

In his mind, he had already devised his strategy for the day.

’My performance in the first two stages was already impressive enough. I’m currently holding a solid position at the top of the rankings.’

’For this stage, I don’t need to go all out. I just need to play it safe and steady to ensure I make it into the top ninety-nine.’

He subconsciously glanced toward the high platform, at the three True Mastery Realm Great Powers with their unfathomably deep auras.

’Most importantly... I absolutely cannot transform into my Black Armor Form!’

’If my combat record is too ridiculous, like slaughtering high-tier True Master Realm monsters in the Illusion Realm, it will inevitably attract the attention of those three Great Powers. If they then get a sudden whim and use their Divine Thought to forcefully probe my secrets, even with the Concealing Breath Treasure Pearl, there’s no guarantee I’ll be completely safe.’

’Concealing my strength is the wisest path.’

Having made up his mind, Jiang Che took a deep breath, followed the stream of people, and entered the array.

VMMM—

A dizzying sensation of weightlessness washed over him as the world spun.

When Jiang Che opened his eyes again, the surrounding clamor had completely vanished.

All he could see was a world of hazy, gray mist. The ground beneath his feet was hard and barren. There was no one else in sight, and the silence was dreadful.

’So this is the Asura Illusion Realm...’

Jiang Che stretched his limbs. The True Qi in his body flowed freely, not suppressed in the slightest.

He stood quietly in place, silently activating his [True: All-Seeing Eye] and vigilantly observing his surroundings for any movement.

"ROAR—"

Before long, the mist ahead began to churn.

A wild wolf the size of a calf, its entire body condensed from gray mist, slowly emerged from the fog, baring its tusks.

Its eyes glinted with a bloodthirsty red light as it stared intently at Jiang Che.

Jiang Che swept it with his Divine Thought, instantly discerning its true nature.

’Late-stage Bone Forging Realm.’

’Too weak.’

The Illusion Beast wolf let out a low growl, kicked off with its hind legs, and transformed into a gray shadow as it pounced murderously toward Jiang Che!

Jiang Che didn’t even raise his eyelids. He simply lifted his right hand casually and threw a punch from a distance.

BANG!

Without even needing to use True Qi, the simple force of the gust alone was enough. The ferocious wolf exploded in mid-air, turning into a cloud of black smoke that dissipated into the mist.

’First wave, over.’

Jiang Che retracted his hand and waited, his expression blank.

About ten breaths later, the mist ahead began to churn once more.

This time, it wasn’t a wolf that emerged, but two agile, ape-like monsters wielding bone clubs.

The aura they emanated was clearly a cut above that of the previous wolf.

’Early Stage of Refining Organ Realm.’

’And there are two of them now.’

The two apes let out a bizarre shriek and, with perfect coordination, moved to flank Jiang Che from the left and right.

However, in Jiang Che’s eyes, an attack of this level was no different from child’s play.

His footwork shifted subtly, his phantom-like form leaving an afterimage in his original spot.

In the next instant, two muffled thuds rang out almost simultaneously!

The two apes had only charged halfway, unable to even see their enemy’s move, when their chests simultaneously caved in. They instantly disintegrated into clouds of black smoke.

Jiang Che dusted off his hands and continued to wait for the next wave of Illusion Beasts.

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