Chapter 636 346: 3-Dragon Cauldron Appears

Su Chen's eyes flickered. That meant Qin Yun wasn't the only one the Sun had made contact with back then.

"Did Qin Yun know the truth from the beginning, or was she also deceived, only realizing she had been tricked when things started feeling off?" he wondered.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but ask, "Just an acknowledged one, not a Chosen One. Is it worth your risk?"

"You don't understand," the Prison King explained helplessly. "This place is inside the Flame Fire. The heat is unfathomable, and it contains a constant Erosion Power. Although we chose its weakest moment to enter, we still suffered significant injuries just forcing our way in.

"Even so, moving around in here is a struggle. According to the Residual Spirit, if we can become acknowledged ones—even at the lowest level, the Single Dragon Manifestation—we'd be able to traverse this place unimpeded."

"Traverse this place unimpeded?" Su Chen realized something. The Prison King's fear of him wasn't just because he had stood toe-to-toe with the Spirit of Sun without getting killed, but rather because of the Residual Fire surrounding his body. It was already incredibly difficult for these people to squeeze in and survive here, let alone move freely. In the Prison King's eyes, Su Chen's current state probably looked like he was forcefully resisting the area's Erosion Power to move about.

"If gaining the acknowledgment of a Single Dragon Manifestation allows one to move freely here, what if it were higher? Could I enter and exit at will without consuming Divine Blood?" Su Chen couldn't help but wonder. With a questioning tone, he asked, "What you're telling me now is what the Residual Spirit told you, right? Since he deceived you, can his words still be trusted?"

The Prison King hurriedly replied, "Please rest assured, we actually didn't believe him at first either, but he really knows this place like the back of his hand.

"For example, the shadows of this palace can maximize your avoidance of the Flame Fire's erosion. Another example is an Energy leak about twenty to thirty kilometers east of here, where we previously recovered our conditions. There are many other details as well.

"If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have trusted him and taken the risk."

Su Chen looked thoughtful. Although the Residual Spirit wasn't left behind by a deceased Sun Tier, it indeed understood this place well.

"I wonder if he has a way to let me directly see the class requirements," Su Chen suddenly thought, but then he couldn't help shaking his head. The Residual Spirit was still in the hands of the Ancient Kings. Even if it had a way, there was no way for him to find out.

Su Chen changed the subject. "Is there no conventional way to gain acknowledgment? Did you have to resort to that taboo method?"

"The conventional method is too difficult." The Prison King smiled bitterly. "Our Talents aren't exactly low; we're all at the Star Amber level, and one or two even have a single Divine Dawn. Pitifully, we don't even qualify to trigger the trial. We're too old; the Spirit of Sun looks down on us."

"The Spirit of Sun has an age limit? Didn't the Sun say... Oh... That guy deceived the Ancient Kings and stoked their greed. What exactly is he trying to do?" he pondered. Deducing a little more information and keeping it in mind, Su Chen continued asking, "How does one trigger the trial?"

The Prison King considered it. "According to the Residual Spirit, if your qualifications are sufficient, triggering the trial is very simple. As long as you climb to the very top of this pyramid, the Spirit of Sun will naturally test you."

"Just climb up?" Su Chen felt a stir in his heart as the Prison King continued explaining.

"But under normal circumstances, even if one meets the age requirement, only a True Radiance Talent is worthy of attention. Someone at the Divine Dawn Level can at most gain the lowest tier of Single Dragon or Dual Dragon acknowledgment, but they won't qualify to compete to become the Chosen One."

"A Divine Dawn Level only meets the minimum requirements? Meaning I can only gain the Dual Dragon acknowledgment at best?" Su Chen frowned slightly. "Did the Residual Spirit say how one becomes the Chosen One?"

"It said that Talent, strength, and aligning with the Spiritual Heart are all necessary. None can be lacking." After answering, the Prison King carefully asked, "Do you want to try it too?"

"Can't I?" Su Chen retorted nonchalantly. "If one fails to trigger the trial, will the Spirit of Sun fly into a rage?"

The Prison King shook his head. "If it's a normal trial, then no. Even if you fail, you'd be expelled at worst." He then added with a wry smile, "Only things like using taboo methods to try to bypass its assessment, or causing destruction here—such as forcing entry—will incur its wrath."

"I see..." Su Chen mused aloud.

Inwardly, he found it genuinely strange. "With my Dual Divine Dawn Talent, no matter how high the Spirit of Sun's standards are, surely I could at least gain a Single Dragon Manifestation acknowledgment. But why didn't that guy react just now? It didn't even offer a trial. Or is it because of the Residual Fire on my body? This thing came from the Residual Spirit and was identified by the panel as Sun Residual Fire, yet the Residual Spirit doesn't seem to have been left by a deceased Sun Tier. Then how exactly did it master this Residual Fire? Or could it be that this Residual Fire caused the Sun Spirituality to misjudge me, which is why it didn't administer a trial?"

He had too many questions and couldn't figure them out, so he could only suppress them for now. However, since there was no danger, he was definitely going to see what this trial was all about.

"I understand. Wait here for now." Su Chen turned to leave, and the Prison King hurriedly pleaded, "When you head out, please, you must take me with you."

"I have yet to verify whether what you've said is true or false," Su Chen replied without agreeing.

Helpless, the Prison King could only watch him leave.

***

Leaving the Prison King behind, Su Chen arrived at the main path and climbed the metal stairs. He truly hadn't expected to run into the Prison King here.

"I wonder what the Residual Spirit's exact origins are, to be able to master the Residual Fire," he mused.