Chapter 1503: 1503
Chapter 1503 (Raw 1483): Road of Trials
With some anticipation and anxiety, Xiao Chen stepped onto the road of trials . He would pass if he reached the end .
Where was the end?
After walking for a while, Xiao Chen found the first set of doors, which had ancient dragon motifs carved on it .
Before he could reach out to push it open, the doors opened by themselves .
The instant the doors parted, a cold wind blew . A large hall lay beyond .
Xiao Chen hesitated for a moment before stepping in . “Dang!” The moment he crossed the threshold, the stone doors immediately fell shut, closing tightly .
After trying to push the doors open again, he found that doing so was impossible . This was a road of trials that only permitted one to go forward and not backward .
Now, Xiao Chen took in the hall before him . Eighteen statues were arranged in a circle encompassing most of the vast space .
One had to go through this circle of eighteen statues to get through this hall .
Xiao Chen had seen many such statues before . As long as someone walked over, these seemingly stiff statues would immediately come to life . One had to defeat them .
The statues before Xiao Chen were neither human nor dragon but some strange beast that he had never seen before . The shape of the beast was unusual, and they looked very ferocious, glaring at him furiously .
The protruding black eyes were very striking .
“Let’s see how strong the first test’s puppet war beasts are!”
Without much thought, Xiao Chen quickly entered the circle, then cautiously faced these strange statues . However, to his surprise, they did not come to life .
Just as he started to wonder, the eyes of the eighteen ferocious beast statues all lit up and glowed with golden light .
Before Xiao Chen could understand what happened, the gazes of the beasts gathered into beams of light shooting towards him .
“Whoosh!”
“That’s really fast!” Xiao Chen exclaimed to himself as he dodged hastily . The beams of light brushed by him .
“Dang!”
A few more beams followed right away . Xiao Chen could not dodge in time and could only draw a Divine Weapon to block .
In the end, the force from the light beam numbed his arm, compelling him to retreat continuously .
“What a strong force!”
The light beams could not be blocked . Xiao Chen realized that this test focused on the trial taker’s Movement Techniques and reaction speed . It was not what he initially expected: defeating these statues .
This made things easier . Eighteen beams of light shot about this tight space . To others, this was extremely difficult, but Xiao Chen was different .
His Fish Dragon Art excelled at dodging in tight spaces, so he put away the Divine Weapon and executed the Fish Dragon Art .
Xiao Chen became like a fish in water, gently wiggling his body as he dodged the many beams of light .
“Rumble…! Rumble…!”
Just as Xiao Chen was about to cross the circle, the statues moved . The light beams shooting out turned even more unpredictable .
Xiao Chen’s initially relaxed expression sank as he entered deep thought .
Clearly, trying to figure out a pattern was just a pipe dream . The real way to clear the test was to cross it in one go .
With that thought, Xiao Chen’s eyes narrowed and fixed on a particular statue .
Just as that statue intercepted Xiao Chen, he gently kicked off the ground . His body changed from that of a fish to a dragon . His originally nimble figure suddenly displayed absolute tyranny .
Xiao Chen overflowed with a berserk force . The Immortal fish shows hundreds of variations, becoming a dragon in one leap .
“Whoosh!”
Xiao Chen, who soared up, moved extremely fast . All the statues raised their heads, and the beams of light became like a net in the air .
However, the light beams struck only Xiao Chen’s afterimages . Just as the statue in front was about to shoot a beam of light, the ferociously advancing Xiao Chen suddenly somersaulted in the air and pushed off the statue’s head, leaping over it .
The instant Xiao Chen made it out of the circle, the statues stopped moving and remained still .
“Clap! Clap! Clap!” Applause resounded, and a handsome middle-aged man walked out from the darkness . Golden light flickered in the depths of his eyes .
“Not bad . You can pass this test by not getting struck ten times . You did not get struck even once and used only one hour to come out . I truly did not expect this . ”
Xiao Chen was speechless . If he had known this, he would not have tried so hard .
Performing a cupped-fist salute, Xiao Chen asked, “You are?”
The middle-aged man smiled and said, “When I was alive, I was a cultivator of the Azure Dragon bloodline . After I died, I was attached to the Azure Dragon Palace . I can be considered as half an Item Spirit . I am responsible for the test of the first trial . ”
After saying that, the middle-aged man waved his hand grandly, and seven or eight secret manuals and some things that looked like Secret Treasures appeared before him .
“Full marks . This is the reward for you . The secret manuals are Movement Techniques . The others are Innate Profound Tools that enhance Movement Techniques and speed . ”
Xiao Chen felt happy that there was such a good thing . “Even before finishing the road of trials, I can get a reward?”
“Of course . You are a person of my Dragon Race . Even if you do not pass the trial, I have to give you some benefits, right?” the middle-aged man said with a smile, appearing very amiable .
So Xiao Chen did not stand on ceremony but picked what he wanted, having already decided .
No matter how good the secret manuals were, Xiao Chen would need some time to cultivate them . However, that Innate Profound Tool thing was different . After refining it, he could immediately use it .
From a long-term perspective, the secret manuals were definitely better . However, what Xiao Chen lacked the most now was time . He did not know when the Demonic Calamity would arrive, and he would no doubt face a lot of trouble during his egress .
“Senior, what is an Innate Profound Tool? Can you explain it to me?” Xiao Chen asked .
The middle-aged man nodded . “Outside the abandoned land, the skill of refining has already developed to its peak . The Secret Treasures of your world are equal to Spiritual Treasures of the outer realm . Above Spiritual Treasures are Profound Tools . Profound Tools can be classified into two types—Acquired and Innate—both of which are separated into three grades .
“Even the most ordinary Innate Profound Tool is more powerful than the Emperor Grade Secret Treasures of the Kunlun Realm . Needless to say, the three Innate Profound Tools before you are much more so . ”
Xiao Chen entered deep thought and reached a rough understanding . Then, he chose a pair of wings .
“This is a copy of the Azure Dragon Divine Wings . However, among Innate Profound Tools, it is peak Superior Grade . You have pretty good eyes . ”
Extending his hand, the middle-aged man passed the imitation Azure Dragon Divine Wings to Xiao Chen and put away the secret manuals and other Profound Tools .
After Xiao Chen left a Spiritual Mark on the Profound Tool, he started to refine it . Eventually, this pair of imitation Azure Dragon Divine Wings turned into a beam of light and entered his body .
Instantly, it felt like a fire was burning inside him, rampaging everywhere .
Just as Xiao Chen felt uncertain, this fire split into two and moved to his shoulder blades .
He felt an intense pain in his back as if volcanoes were about to erupt there .
After a very long period of suppression, this energy finally broke free . A pair of azure dragon wings burst out from Xiao Chen’s back .
“Whoosh!”
The azure-colored dragon wings flapped gently, and a strong wind blew . Then, Xiao Chen crashed into the ceiling with a loud ‘bang . ’
His head met the ceiling with great force, causing him to cry out in pain and fall back down .
The middle-aged man was not surprised . He smiled and said, “While your pair of Azure Dragon Divine Wings is just an imitation, it still possesses exceptional might . Just a gentle flap can bring out the might of a strong wind . If you have an extraordinary flame, you can use this pair of wings to intensify the flame’s might explosively . ”
Xiao Chen retracted the Azure Dragon Divine Wings, rejoicing when he heard that . Unexpectedly, aside from increasing his speed, this pair of Azure Dragon Divine Wings still had such an effect . It truly had boundless potential .
“These Azure Dragon Divine Wings still have other effects . You will come to understand them in the future . However, remember this: outside the abandoned land, wing-type Profound Tools are extremely precious . Even if it is just an ordinary Innate Profound Tool, it will cause a huge commotion, so do not carelessly reveal it . ”
Xiao Chen nodded and performed a cupped-fist salute . “Many thanks, Senior . ”
“You are too polite . Friend, here is a hint . The next trial will test your eyes . Remember: before you go in, do not get distracted . If you have any Eye Techniques that can boost your vision, immediately execute it upon entering . You do not have much time . ”
The middle-aged man was rather gracious . He gave Xiao Chen another piece of advice before Xiao Chen left .