Chapter 511 - 332: Sea God Palace

Chapter 511: Chapter 332: Sea God Palace

These words were a clear rejection of Ruiyue’s request.

The expression on Young Miss Ruiyue’s face, a lady from a prestigious family, instantly soured.

She pursed her lips, her gaze sweeping coldly over Bobo Man and Han Ning before finally settling on Irena, who was still eating and drinking. Without another word, she turned and left.

"Gulp... Was I too harsh? What if Ruiyue causes trouble for you all during the trial?"

Watching Ruiyue’s indignant, retreating figure, Bobo Man plopped down onto the floor, his voice full of worry.

"Don’t blame yourself, Your Highness Prince Bobo Man. Do you really think she’d give up on trying to defeat me again, even if you hadn’t said that?"

Irena snorted. She set down her utensils, her previously relaxed expression gone.

"I’m confident I can beat her. What worries me is that she might find others to help her, just to sabotage Han Ning’s performance in the trial."

Han Ning, sitting at the square table, remained silent.

’He was touched by the worry in his friends’ voices, and it made him feel an even greater urgency to improve his own strength.’

...

「Ten days later.」

At 7:30 AM Deep Sea time, in the southern outskirts of the Sea Goddess Race’s Caiyu City.

The young Beast Masters from the Ten Races participating in the trial were all present and accounted for.

The trial’s host, Clan Leader Lan Xuan of the Sea Goddess Race, stood before the group and announced to the Beast Masters:

"This Sea God Trial is expected to last five years. After you enter the palace, your positions will be randomized. If you wish to travel with companions, please make physical contact with them beforehand."

’Five years...’ Han Ning’s expression was complicated.

He had only been in this world for just over half a year, yet a single trial was going to take five years.

This was largely due to the long lifespans of the Deep Sea Race. The average lifespan of a Beast Master from the Ten Races was over 300 years, so five years to them was like one year to a human.

"Don’t worry, the Alataku People won’t find you that easily," Bobo Man whispered reassuringly, having noticed Han Ning’s expression. "Think about it—their war with the Witch Spirit Race has been going on for over ten thousand years. I also just heard some news a few days ago. The Supreme of Fear’s Spiritual Body isn’t currently in the Main World, so at least for the short term, he won’t be causing us any trouble."

"Besides, the flow of time inside the Sea God Palace is different from the outside world. The ratio is about one to two. So, when two and a half years have passed out here, the trial should be about over. You can rest easy. I’ll help look after everyone else and make sure their training doesn’t fall behind."

"I know. Thank you, Your Highness Prince Bobo Man."

Han Ning had known the trial would take at least three years ever since the banquet ended. He had already spoken with the members of the Tri-Race Alliance; with the Bobo Family’s protection, the Sea Goddess Race’s territory was a very safe place. It was a perfect opportunity for the humans to rest and recuperate, allowing them to cultivate Soul Beasts while also developing their technology.

"Based on previous years, the tasks usually involve reaching a designated location within a time limit, mapping the terrain along the way, and defeating a certain number of Soul Beasts for points. There will probably be team-based combat too. It all mainly depends on what the Secret Realm Manipulator has planned," Bobo Man added.

The Secret Realm was jointly controlled by the Clan Leaders of the Ten Races, so no one would know the specific details of the trial until after they entered.

Lan Xuan looked at the crowd’s varied expressions and finally said in a deep voice, "Did you all hear me?"

"We did!" they roared in unison.

"Good. Full of spirit! Follow me to the Secret Realm Entrance!" Lan Xuan nodded in satisfaction. With a grand wave of his hand, the deep-sea currents stirred. A transparent current enveloped the group, carrying them toward the depths of an unknown trench.

On the way to the Secret Realm, the group broke out into chatter.

"Man, this year’s trial has some new gimmick. I heard the last one was a joint trial with Beast Masters from the Land Races. Who knows what format they’ll use this year? The Clan Leaders’ plans are impossible to predict!" a shark-headed Beast Master lamented.

"Who cares what gimmick they use? As long as you’re strong enough, that’s all that matters." The speaker was a Beast Master from the Red Manta Clan, his head as flat as a pancake.

The Celestial Sea was vast. The current carried them for a full half hour before they arrived at a pitch-black trench, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

Two days prior, the Sea Goddess Race had distributed a device called an "Escape Bubble" to the Trialists. It took the form of a bracelet, which was now fastened silently around Han Ning’s wrist.

If a Trialist were to encounter an attack powerful enough to destroy their Body, or if they actively triggered the bubble, the Secret Realm would automatically use a sliver of the Power of Space to teleport them back to the Celestial Sea, preventing accidental death.

All who came to participate were elite Beast Masters from the Ten Races. This wasn’t a death trial, but rather a highly competitive one, akin to a sports festival for the Ten Races.

Of course, it was said that quite a few Trialists had died in the past.

Casualties were to be expected in a trial like this.

Meanwhile, a dozen or so Deep Sea Beastmasters with somewhat vacant expressions, mixed in with the crowd, also gathered silently at the Secret Realm Entrance.

The muscles in their faces were slightly stiff, and they kept their heads lowered, looking as if they were weighed down by heavy thoughts.

"You have ten minutes to find your companions. After ten minutes, I will open the Secret Realm Entrance." Lan Xuan took out a sapphire-blue conch and casually tossed it forward.

The conch bloomed with a dazzling light in the seawater, and a fissure suddenly tore through the space before them.

"Miss Yelena... Huh? Where’s Miss Lin Ke?"

Han Ning wasn’t fighting alone. Irena was his bodyguard in name, there to protect him for the entire journey. On top of that, Lin Ke had also volunteered to join their squad.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Lin Ke squeezed her way over from the Azure Dragon Family’s contingent, waving to the two of them.