Deep within the Hidden Dao Mountain, a dark fissure resembles the gaping maw of a giant beast.

A dense aura of demonic energy lingered around the rift—this was the entrance to the Trial Grounds.

Legend has it that there are fifty layers of space beneath the rift, each inhabited by magical beasts of varying strengths. The deeper you go, the stronger the beasts become, and the more precious the opportunities they present.

"This trial ground is the most frequent training ground for cultivators from the Central Region," Ling Chen said to Xiao Chen, standing at the edge of the crevice and gazing at the faint roars coming from below.

"How about we have a competition to see who can go down to the deepest level?"

Xiao Chen looked at the surging demonic energy within the crack, his spear intent stirring slightly: "Alright."

The two exchanged a glance and then leaped into the crevice.

The first level is a rocky cave, filled with fist-sized "Rock-Toothed Beasts," their bodies as hard as stone, possessing only the strength of the early Golden Core stage. Upon seeing someone intrude, they roared and pounced, densely packed like a tidal wave.

"Too weak."

Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow and swept his rusty iron spear lightly. The spear wind was like an invisible scythe, instantly sweeping away a group of rock-toothed beasts in front of him. Stone chips flew everywhere, and not a single one could get close.

He didn't even use his gun; he easily tore through the beast horde with just his physical strength and marksmanship.

Ling Chen was not slow either; his longsword transformed into a streak of white light, shattering the rock-toothed beasts wherever it passed.

The two walked one after the other, almost stepping on the herd of beasts. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they passed through the first level and landed on the second level.

The second level's magical beasts were silver wolves, mid-stage Golden Core cultivators; the third level's were armored bears, late-stage Golden Core cultivators... The two moved extremely fast, like two streaks of light shuttling between the levels. Those magical beasts that ordinary cultivators found troublesome were like clay chickens and earthenware dogs in front of them.

In less than half an hour, the two arrived at the sixth floor.

At the entrance to the sixth floor, sat an old man with white hair and beard. On the stone platform in front of him was a beast cage, inside which lay a crimson "Flame-Patterned Leopard" with bloodshot eyes, exuding the demonic aura of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Young friends,” the old man looked up, his voice hoarse, “if you want to go beyond the sixth floor, you must first get past this hurdle.”

Beyond the sixth level of the Trial Grounds, magical beasts are no longer scattered but appear in large numbers. Several years ago, a few groups of arrogant sect disciples recklessly ventured in.

As a result, they were torn to pieces by the beast horde. The sect leaders made a scene at the Hidden Dao Mountain Council, whereupon a rule was set: a gatekeeper would be stationed at the entrance to the sixth floor, and only those who could prove their strength by killing a Nascent Soul demonic beast alone could enter.

“No problem.” Ling Chen raised his longsword, about to make a move, but saw that Xiao Chen had already moved.

Xiao Chen did not move, but pointed his fingers at the cage. A wisp of spear intent, refined to the extreme, pierced through the cage bars in an instant and landed precisely on the Flame-Patterned Leopard's brow.

"Awooo—"

Before the Flame-Patterned Leopard could even struggle, it collapsed to the ground, its breath extinguished.

The old man's eyelids twitched. Although this Flame-Patterned Leopard was only in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, it had thick skin and flesh. Even a late-Nascent Soul cultivator would have to put in some effort to kill it. Yet this cultivator killed it with a single finger.

Ling Chen was also taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, "Brother Xiao is still so fast." Without further ado, he waved his hand and unleashed a sword aura at the other ice-patterned python that had just been released from the cage, killing it instantly as well.

Seeing this, the old man stood up and made way for the entrance, sighing, "The younger generation is truly formidable... It is a blessing for the Central Region to have geniuses like you."

Upon entering the sixth level, the demonic aura suddenly intensified several times over. Swarms of "bone-winged bats" blotted out the sky, each possessing the strength of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and they swarmed towards the two upon seeing them.

Xiao Chen unleashed his spear intent, his rusty iron spear dancing into a streak of black light. Wherever the spear shadow passed, the bone-winged bats turned to ashes. Ling Chen's sword intent formed a shield, protecting his body, while his sword energy swept across the area, clearing away the bat swarms on both sides.

The two worked together seamlessly, descending the stairs, constantly increasing the number of floors: ten, twenty, thirty...

From the thirtieth floor onwards, the magical beasts had reached the Nascent Soul stage; though fewer in number, they were far more ferocious. Ling Chen stopped on the thirty-second floor.

Although his sword intent was strong, it had been greatly depleted in the continuous fierce battles, and he was already somewhat powerless when facing the "Thunder Prison Lion" in the early stage of the Void Refinement realm.

"Brother Xiao, this is the best I can do." Ling Chen wiped the sweat from his brow, gazing into the deeper darkness below. "Below are at least peak-stage Void Refinement level magical beasts, you..."

"I'll try again." Xiao Chen's breathing was also a little erratic, but his eyes were bright. "We've come all this way, we should at least see what's at the bottom."

Ling Chen nodded and stopped trying to persuade him: "Take care. If you feel weak, come up immediately."

Xiao Chen responded and turned to step into the thirty-third floor.

The next six floors became increasingly difficult for him. The thirty-fifth floor had the "Poisonous Scaled Flood Dragon," the thirty-sixth floor had the "Blood Shadow Tiger," and the thirty-seventh floor had the "Golden Ape."

Each of them was at least a mid-stage Void Refinement demonic beast, fearless of death. Xiao Chen relied on the changing nature of his spear intent, sometimes as sharp as thunder, sometimes as solid as the earth, and forcefully broke through.

When he stepped into the thirty-eighth floor, a pressure far exceeding that before rushed towards him.

Within the three-layered space, three "Dark Netherworld Wolves" were lurking, each possessing the strength of a peak-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Their fur was as black as ink, their eyes glowed green, and corrosive saliva dripped from their fangs as they stared intently at the intruder.

"Hiss—who is that? How could they possibly get down to the thirty-eighth floor?"

"Judging from his aura, he's at most at the late stage of the Void Refinement realm, right? A late stage Void Refinement cultivator fighting a three-headed, peak-stage Fusion Realm demonic wolf? Is he insane?"

Each level of the trial grounds has a light screen reflecting the scene above. At this moment, the cultivators above the thirtieth level all saw the scene on the thirty-eighth level through the light screen, and they all gasped and started discussing.

Although the Central Region is strong, the late-stage Void Refinement Realm is already at its limit when challenging the peak Integration Realm, let alone one against three!

"He exudes the intent of a spear! Such refined intent!" an experienced cultivator exclaimed in surprise.

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