Chapter 408: Heavenly King Realm Experts? How Powerful Are They?

Chapter 408: Heavenly King Realm Experts? How Powerful Are They?

September 7th, 2024

Su Chen didn't mind the accommodations; as long as they had a place to stay and rest, that was enough.

The Wind Cliff City provided tents, and each team was assigned one.

The two middle-aged men, Tian Lan and Duan Hanchuan, resided on the left side of the tent.

Su Chen and his three companions squeezed into the right side.

The group purchased some food in Wind Cliff City, and Dongfang Yong was about to take some to the two middle-aged men.

Tian Lan was still tolerable; at least she was cultivating and comprehending her martial arts.

The other middle-aged man, Duan Hanchuan, had a scruffy beard, looking rather unkempt.

He lay there, occasionally opening his eyes, but they seemed empty.

His demeanor suggested that he had seen through the affairs of the world, and nothing could catch his attention.

For Dongfang Yong, bringing Tian Lan and Duan Hanchuan along meant adding combat strength to the team.

He didn't want the team's overall strength to be significantly weaker than the others during the qualification trials.

If the entire team performed poorly in the trials, not only would they fail to make a good impression, but they might also end up embarrassing themselves.

With such a poor performance, they might even attract disdain from others.

Su Chen didn't bother with these concerns; none of it mattered to him.

To reach Jingbo Immortal's secret realm, he couldn't rely on others.

The exceptional strength of these people meant they wouldn't need a stranger like him to join them.

Even Tian Lan, who Su Chen heard was a Celestial Spirit Realm expert after reaching the Heavenly King Realm, wouldn't need his help.

Most likely, she was at the Sixth Stage, and there was a high chance she had just entered it.

Su Chen's current thoughts revolved around his own Sixth Stage Perfect Realm strength, further enhanced by the power of fate.

He wondered what level he could reach.

If his abilities were exceptional, perhaps he could rely on himself to obtain the opportunity to enter the secret realm.

As night fell outside, Su Chen lit a lamp inside the tent.

He was sketching a map in his hand.

It was still early, only just reaching the hour of the dog.

Today's harvest had excited Dongfang Yong and the others.

With a few more days like this, they would have enough to cover the registration fee.

"Today, so many Golden Demons died in that area; the surrounding demons will definitely be on high alert," Su Chen said softly, his voice barely audible.

"If we want a significant harvest tomorrow, we must change regions."

The sun would rise early tomorrow, and the group had to set out. They needed to make plans in advance.

Other tents were also lit with candles.

Some discussed martial arts cultivation, while others planned for the next day.

Many were playing and joking around.

This time at night was a period for everyone to relax.

Do as you please.

Moreover, they had just finished their evening meal, and resting now wouldn't be comfortable.

Martial artists might not mind these conditions, but sleeping in such a situation wouldn't be particularly pleasant.

Inside the tent, Su Chen and Dongfang Yong exchanged a few words.

Lying beside them, Duan Hanchuan, with his eyes closed, spoke up.

"Put out the lamp and shut up."

His voice was hoarse, giving off a sense of having endured countless hardships.

It was still early, and many were still eating their evening meal.

Moreover, Duan Hanchuan's words were indeed unpleasant.

This statement was essentially a blatant rebuke.

A normal person hearing this might feel dissatisfied.

Duan Hanchuan and Tian Lan did nothing all day, relying solely on Su Chen and Dongfang Yong's four to earn the registration fee.

They spent the entire day in the tent, sleeping for eight or nine hours.

Seeing that Su Chen's group wasn't moving, Duan Hanchuan scowled and stood up to extinguish the candle.

"If you have any nonsense to spout, go outside and say it."

The tent fell into darkness again.

It was early spring, a time of lingering cold, often colder than winter.

Martial artists might not fear this, but on a cold night, anyone would feel uncomfortable.

When the cold wind blew, it was bound to be unpleasant.

Before Duan Hanchuan finished speaking, he didn't wait for Dongfang Yong's group to respond and continued.

"Forget it; you all stay outside tonight. I'm annoyed by the sound of your breathing.

You have a quarter of an hour; get out immediately."

It was unclear what had provoked him, but he suddenly changed his attitude.

As they hesitated, Tian Lan beside him spoke up.

"My senior brother is tired; please leave quickly.

Staying outside for a few nights won't cause any significant harm to martial artists."

Hearing this, Su Chen's patience wore thin.

"If there's no significant harm, why don't you two go outside instead?"

The atmosphere in the tent became tense.

"My senior brother doesn't like sleeping in the cold outdoors. Is that reason enough?"

Su Chen heard this and immediately scoffed.

"What does it matter if he doesn't like us? We don't like resting outside either, so you guys can go out."

Inside the tent, Tian Lan seemed to be holding back her laughter upon hearing these words.

"Who are you to compare with my senior brother? If my senior brother doesn't get a good rest, even your life won't be enough to make up for it, given your status and position."

"If you say another word, I'll slap you right here and now."

Upon hearing this, Su Chen was already prepared to spar with her.

He wanted to see the strength of this Heavenly King Realm expert in this region.

As expected, he was at the initial stage of the Sixth Stage.

Su Chen was really curious and wanted to test his skills.

However, Dong Fang Yong, who was beside him, hurriedly pulled Su Chen away.

Xu Ru Feng, who was on his side, and another disciple also helped push Su Chen out.

Although they were nominally teammates with Tian Lan, the three of them were well aware of the situation.

If Tian Lan and Duan Hanchuan got angry, they wouldn't give them any face.

With the three of them pushing and pulling, Su Chen also left the tent.

"Brother Su, don't be impulsive. After all, we still need to rely on others," Dong Fang Yong added, having more to say.

He wanted to tell Su Chen that provoking Tian Lan and Duan Hanchuan could lead to humiliation or even severe injuries.

Seeing that Su Chen had just dared to argue with Tian Lan and Duan Hanchuan, Dong Fang Yong was worried that speaking up would make Su Chen impulsive again.

"Brother Su, there are still many tents outside the city. We can just go into another one to rest. It's just that the bedding is slightly torn, but other than that, there's nothing wrong with it."

Su Chen didn't argue further with them.

As long as Tian Lan and Duan Hanchuan didn't affect his fundamental interests, that was enough.

But if there was an opportunity, he still wanted to spar with them.

He wanted to see how capable these two arrogant middle-aged men were.

They found another tent not far away.

After lighting the candles, Su Chen continued to discuss the arrangements for the next day.

Today's series of actions had made the three of them absolutely convinced of Su Chen's abilities.

Even if they had doubts before, the facts would tell them that Su Chen was right and they were wrong.

So at this moment, Su Chen's arrangements faced no further obstacles.

Dong Fang Yong and Xu Ru Feng chimed in, mainly to clarify the situation better.

After all the arrangements were made, there wasn't much else of importance.

It was still early, and it would be a long time before midnight.

The four of them started chatting casually, talking about trivial matters.

"That disheveled Duan Hanchuan, he's really powerful, huh? You guys seem a bit afraid of him."

Hearing Su Chen's casual remark, Dong Fang Yong quickly shushed him.

"Brother Su, please keep your voice down. He's not someone we can provoke casually.

In the Golden Armor Kingdom, many people know him.

If he can get back on his feet, countless factions will immediately treat him as an honored guest.

Brother Su, you must be careful with your words."

Hearing Dong Fang Yong's words, Su Chen simply nodded in agreement, not arguing further.

"Such a powerful person, how did he end up like this, so disheveled?

Did he lose his mind?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Fang Yong began to share some of the news he had heard.

Xu Ru Feng and the other disciple on the side also leaned in, curious.

They both knew that Duan Hanchuan and Tian Lan were not ordinary.

They could tell from the attitudes of other martial artists towards them.

But the reason behind it was something the two of them truly didn't know.

"It's said that Duan Hanchuan is from the Thousand Lakes Tower. He was the senior brother of that generation.

After growing a bit older, he took his junior brothers and sisters out to roam the world.

And they really made quite a name for themselves.

But when he turned thirty-one, he suddenly became like this.

Confused and disheveled.

It's rumored that his mental state shattered because of a woman, destroying his proud spirit.

However, it's said that the path he's on is called the path of ruin.

But if he completes it, his cultivation realm will take a leap forward."

Xu Ru Feng, who was beside them, listened with genuine interest. "Is there really such a thing as the path of ruin?"

Dong Fang Yong nodded.

"I can't say for sure what the truth is.

But many people say that as long as Duan Hanchuan regains his spirit.

Even just changing into clean clothes, he can stand up again.

He might even become a Grandmaster-level martial artist.

He has experienced both heights and the depths of the path of ruin, going through all kinds of situations and encounters.

He has the potential to become a Grandmaster."

After hearing Dong Fang Yong's words, Xu Ru Feng seemed to develop a sense of admiration for Duan Hanchuan.

"Is there such a saying about the Path of Desolation?" Su Chen didn't fully believe it, taking it as an amusing anecdote he had heard.

He also understood why Dongfang Yong was so wary of the two of them.

"What do people like this join the team for? Our chances of obtaining the qualification are not as good as other teams. If it's for fame, they are fellow disciples, and it seems unnecessary to borrow this opportunity for the trial, right?" Su Chen voiced his doubts.

But this time, he didn't get an answer.

Dongfang Yong also didn't know what the two of them were seeking.

After resting for a night, they continued to deal with the demons the next day.

Following Su Chen's strategy from the previous night, the demons were eliminated even faster than before.

In just one day, they slew five Golden Demons.

More than the day before.

If they could slay three or four more Golden Demons tomorrow, along with the Great Demons they had already killed, they would have enough to cover the registration fee for the trial.

After another night's rest, the group followed Su Chen's plan and set out to slay demons again.

Not long after noon, Su Chen and his team had slain three Golden Demons.

This was thanks to Dongfang Yong's previous efforts, and it was already sufficient.

There were still six days left until the competition for the spot.

To be honest, Dongfang Yong and the others hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.

Initially, they had some concerns, fearing they wouldn't be able to gather enough by the day of the trial.

They never expected to complete it so early.

As the team leader, Dongfang Yong went to handle the various registration matters.

Su Chen and the other two could finally take a few days off.

During this time, Su Chen not only rested but also often went around to explore the surroundings.

Time passed by quite quickly.

Two days before the qualification trial, the group traveled to another city.

Pine City was a core city in the northeastern region of the Golden Armor Kingdom.

Compared to Wind Cliff City, it was hard to say how much more prosperous it was.

In front of the City Lord's Mansion in Pine City, there was a spacious open area.

This was the location for the annual trials to seize the qualification.

On the day of the trial, Su Chen and his team arrived at the open area at dawn to wait.

However, there were already people there before them.

Not only were the participants of the trial present, but the spectators had also arrived early.

For many commoners, entertainment activities were scarce, or one could even say non-existent.

Being able to watch martial artists compete was a great source of excitement for the common folk.

As the sky gradually brightened, the crowd around them began to grow rapidly.

The last member of the team, Tian Lan, arrived at the open area with her senior disciple, Duan Hanchuan.

The officials and nobles of Pine City stood on a nearby pavilion, enjoying a perfect view of the proceedings.

At the hour of the snake, the trial officially commenced.

In front of the City Lord's Mansion, the City Lord of Pine City began to introduce the trial.

There was one additional rule compared to what Su Chen had heard before.

The average age of the team members had to be below forty years old.

Previously, various countries had set the age limit for martial artists at below fifty years old.

Then, it was discovered that many countries were seeking martial artists close to fifty years old.

In truth, these countries also wanted to give their younger generation a chance to gain experience.

So, an additional age restriction was implemented.

For every martial artist over forty years old, a younger one in their twenties or thirties had to be included.

A total of thirty-plus teams registered for the trial.

With five members per team, there were over a hundred martial artists.

Su Chen listened to the City Lord of Pine City explain the trial rules.

It didn't sound too complicated.

According to the team's registration order, they would gain the corresponding qualification to choose their opponents.

This rule made some sense.

The earlier a team completed its registration, the stronger it was likely to be.

Of course, it could also be due to a wealthy background, with money to spare for registration.

But regardless, as long as they registered early, they had this advantage.

Su Chen's team was quite a bit behind in this regard.

Registering six days in advance was already considered late.

Basically, they could only wait to be chosen by others.

After hearing the entire set of trial rules, Su Chen finally understood.

With so many teams competing, who would the crowd watch?

Without some highlights, no one would pay attention.

Perhaps this was why Dongfang Yong invited Tian Lan.

At the very least, it would draw some attention from others.

For them, gaining some fame would be beneficial for whatever they wanted to do in the Golden Armor Kingdom afterward.

With Tian Lan, a Heavenly King Realm martial artist, on the team, Dongfang Yong felt that at least they would have a chance to showcase their abilities.

She could, at the very least, hold her own against the strong members of other teams for a while.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end