Cultivating Immortality: I Have a High-Martial World

Chapter 133 First in the Sequence, I'll Take on Ten!

After Li Zhenqian left.

Wan Xun's face also showed a conflicted expression.

His strength is not weak; he has reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and ranks among the top twenty cultivators participating in the ruins.

However, he was already struggling to pass the second test.

Although he had Li Zhenqian with him as a burden, after witnessing the huge gap between himself and Lin Chen, he began to doubt whether he could pass the third test.

After much deliberation, he finally made up his mind.

He walked up to Lin Chen, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Brother Xu... I know my strength is only mediocre..."

"But I have to consider whether this relic is my only chance in this life... If I don't risk my life, how can I possibly glimpse the Golden Core or even the Nascent Soul realm?"

"If I am lost... could you please trouble Brother Xu to bring the message back to Changchun Gate?"

Lin Chen remained silent after hearing this.

In his view, whether Wan Xun could pass the third test was still a 50/50 chance.

But the choice is entirely up to the individual; Lin Chen cannot decide the fate of others.

Lin Chen then cupped his hands and said:

"Fellow Daoist Wan, at times like this... just act according to your conscience!"

……

A moment later, more than a dozen cultivators took the Golden Essence Pills and left one after another.

At this moment, there were exactly thirty cultivators remaining in the space.

Even the weakest among them had the cultivation level of the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, and they were all people who were very confident in their strength.

As the exit passage closed, that cold voice echoed through the space once more.

"The third test will begin next: the Puppet Forest."

"All cultivators participating in the assessment, please try your best to pass the higher levels of the challenges, as this will affect your subsequent scores and rewards."

"All cultivators, please enter the assessment room..."

As the cold voice fell, exactly thirty doors opened up in the space.

Without hesitation, Ghost Eye Child, Li Tianhan, and the others each chose a door and entered.

Lin Chen glanced at the countdown on his arm.

There are less than ten minutes left before we return to Earth.

So he didn't rush in, but waited in the space for a while.

The remaining twenty-nine cultivators quickly entered the gate, leaving only Lin Chen in the space.

And the countdown on his arm also went to zero.

Lin Chen's gaze shifted.

……

The Great Xia Kingdom, Martial Arts Palace.

Upon returning, Lin Chen held a nanobag in both hands and handed it to Wang Lishan.

Wang Lishan almost dropped the nanobag after receiving it.

"What's in here? Why is it so heavy?" Wang Lishan asked in surprise.

"Open it and take a look?" Lin Chen kept it a secret.

After Wang Lishan opened the nanobag, he found that each of the bricks and tiles inside was heavy.

After examining one in his hand, Wang Lishan exclaimed in surprise:

"These are all foreign metals? High-grade foreign metals?"

Lin Chen nodded and said, "More or less. I guess it's a fourth-tier heterometal, but we'll need to do some testing to confirm..."

Wang Lishan fell silent upon hearing this, then weighed the nanobag in his hand.

"How heavy... how much do these foreign metals weigh?"

"About 200,000 jin..."

"Where did you get so much foreign metal?"

"These were found in the secret realm, and this is only a portion... There are at least ten times that amount in the cultivation world, but I can't bring them back for the time being."

Lin Chen was somewhat helpless; although he was quite strong.

But at most, they could only lift items weighing around 200,000 jin (approximately 10

Bringing back this nanobag was already quite a struggle for Lin Chen...

Wang Lishan was completely stunned.

Two hundred thousand catties of fourth-order exotic metal... This is equivalent to several years' worth of production for the entire Great Xia Kingdom.

There are only a handful of martial realms capable of producing heterometals, not to mention the significant risks involved in mining them, so the output is truly low...

This 200,000 jin of fourth-order exotic metal alone is enough to forge nearly a thousand exotic treasures and arm thousands of Martial Spirit level experts.

Lin Chen said there are ten times the stock in the cultivation world, which means it's enough to arm tens of thousands of martial spirit experts.

So, the problem now isn't a lack of exotic metals, but a lack of Martial Spirit level experts!

It's no exaggeration to say that as long as Lin Chen brings this batch of exotic metals back...

For the next ten or even several decades, the Great Xia Kingdom will not lack foreign metal weapons.

Because there simply aren't that many powerful individuals who can use it...

Thinking of this, Wang Lishan decisively said:

"Lin Chen, we will forge this batch of exotic metals into rare treasures and send them to the front lines of the Martial Realm as soon as possible..."

"However, the quantity of this foreign metal is far too large. The excess can be used to create even more martial arts puppets to ensure your safety in the cultivation world!"

Lin Chen nodded after hearing this. He could never have too many martial arts puppets!

Afterwards, Lin Chen gave a detailed account of some information about the cultivation world, and then went to his room to cultivate in seclusion.

There are seven days left until the next crossing.

Lin Chen's goal is to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment!

……

In the blink of an eye, seven days have passed.

In the specially built training room, Lin Chen sat cross-legged, circulating the Everlasting Spring Technique.

With each cycle of energy circulation, dozens of spirit stones around him turned into dust, and the pure spiritual energy within surged into Lin Chen's dantian.

With such an astonishing speed of cultivation, the spiritual energy and true essence within Lin Chen's dantian became increasingly abundant.

The foundation-building altar also became increasingly solid.

Finally, when Lin Chen's dantian could no longer hold any more spiritual energy, and his entire body's aura became full and rounded.

He opened his eyes.

"Foundation building complete, finally achieved!"

Lin Chen carefully sensed the spiritual energy within his dantian, a hint of confidence flashing in his eyes.

"After breaking through to the peak of Foundation Establishment, my true essence and magical power are in no way inferior to those of a Pseudo-Core Formation cultivator!"

"Next, I had a better chance of passing the test."

He glanced at the countdown timer on his arm.

There are less than 4 hours until the next crossing.

……

Martial Arts Palace, Time Travel Room.

Wang Lishan then provided Lin Chen with a great deal of equipment and treasures.

He called Lin Chen aside, a smile on his face, and said:

"Two days ago, following a decision by the highest meeting, your ranking in the sequence plan has been raised by three places..."

"Officially ranked, number one in the sequence!"

At this point, Wang Lishan's eyes also showed a hint of emotion as he said:

"To have just advanced to the Martial Spirit level and already rank first in the hierarchy—this is truly unprecedented!"

"According to the rewards of the Sequence Plan, the first in the sequence will receive more resources, including the remains of a Martial Spirit, guidance from a martial arts master, and the essence of flesh and blood from a fourth-tier demonic beast..."

"Haha, but these probably won't be of much use to you, kid. They're just a symbol of honor."

Lin Chen remained noncommittal after hearing this.

Indeed, he is now receiving almost full support and top-tier resources from the state.

Even though he was ranked first, he didn't enjoy as many resources as others.

Therefore, the title of being number one in the series was just an honor for him.

"Oh right, there's also the essence of flesh and blood from fourth-tier demonic beasts... After you break through to Martial Spirit, the effects of third-tier demonic beast flesh and blood are greatly reduced, but you can barely absorb the essence of fourth-tier demonic beast flesh and blood."

Wang Lishan handed over a small box.

Lin Chen opened it and found a fist-sized piece of flesh inside, weighing about a pound.

Compared to the flesh and blood of third-tier demonic beasts, the essence of fourth-tier flesh and blood is a darker color.

At the same time, the enticing aroma made Lin Chen want to swallow it whole.

But he knew that the energy contained in this thing was too terrifying, and with Lin Chen's physical condition, swallowing a whole piece would only cause him suffering.

A hint of heartache flashed in Wang Lishan's eyes.

"This fourth-tier demonic beast is comparable to a Martial Lord or even a Martial King... and its blood and flesh essence is extremely precious, so don't waste it!"

"Even for me, the quota for this thing is not much."

Lin Chen nodded after hearing this. This pound of fourth-grade flesh and blood essence was enough for his cultivation needs for the next five months.

"Uncle Wang, once I become a Martial King, I'll personally go to the Martial Realm to kill fourth-tier demonic beasts... At that time, I'll have as many of these as I want!" Lin Chen chuckled.

Wang Lishan rolled his eyes after hearing this, but didn't refute it.

In his opinion, if Lin Chen became a Martial King, he might actually be able to do it.

Lin Chen then made some preparations for his transmigration.

Maintaining the posture of passing through, there are almost no flaws from the outside.

Until time resets again...

……

The relics of Emperor Yuanzong of Jin, a mysterious space.

Lin Chen opened his eyes, and nothing had changed.

At this moment, he was the only one left in the space; the other cultivators had all chosen their own challenge rooms.

"Everything is ready. Let's begin the third stage of the assessment!"

Lin Chen entered the last room...

As soon as I stepped into the room, there was a loud bang behind me.

An unknown weight of stone wall collapsed, blocking Lin Chen's escape route.

Before them lay a long, dimly lit path, with only the faint glow of the luminous pearls on the stone walls.

"The third trial is the Puppet Forest... Judging from the name, it should be related to puppets?"

Lin Chen walked forward with ease, and after about a few dozen steps, the surroundings gradually opened up.

This is a closed room with a diameter of approximately several tens of feet.

The surrounding area was made of stone walls, with mysterious formations engraved on them.

After Lin Chen stepped into the room, that cold voice came again.

"Next, let's begin the first round of the third stage: I'll take one shot!"

As the cold voice fell, a door opened in the stone wall in front of Lin Chen.

Then, a figure slowly walked out.

As he got closer, Lin Chen realized that it was a humanoid puppet.

"Puppet Forest, so it means defeating the puppets?"

"Judging from the description of this test, it seems there's more than one puppet to defeat? Interesting..."

Lin Chen quickly thought it through.

The puppet in front of him also burst forth with astonishing speed, rushing towards Lin Chen.

With each swing of the fist, it almost became a blur in mid-air.

Lin Chen raised his protective true essence and withstood the puppet's attack.

The protective true essence vibrated slightly, and Lin Chen nodded slightly.

"Judging by this strength, it's equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the peak of Body Refinement... Sure enough, the third trial is much harder than the second!"

However, reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment still posed no pressure for Lin Chen...

After testing the puppets' attack methods, Lin Chen took out the Demon-Slaying Blade.

He didn't even use the power of the Zhen Dao and the Zhulong; he simply slashed forward!

A blade flashed by.

The blade slashed down from the puppet's head, cutting directly to the top of its thigh.

The entire puppet was cleaved in two by Lin Chen's single strike...

After the puppet was cut in two, the light in its eyes gradually faded, and it lay motionless on the ground.

At the same time, that cold voice came again.

"Passed the first round of assessment, time 5 minutes and 37 seconds..."

"Next, we begin the second round of the third stage. I'll be taking on two!"

As the sound faded, another stone door opened in the stone wall in front of Lin Chen.

Two puppets, exactly the same as the ones from before, came out.

This time, Lin Chen took the initiative.

With a powerful thrust of his legs, Lin Chen charged forward and closed the distance to the two puppets in an instant.

Then, he unleashed two swift and decisive strikes.

The two puppets didn't even have time to resist before they fell to the ground, unable to move.

"Passed the first round of testing, in 7 seconds..."

"Next, we begin the third round of the third stage. I need to take on three opponents!"

The stone door opened again, and three puppets identical to the previous ones emerged.

Seeing this, Lin Chen raised an eyebrow and muttered:

"Is one more '1' added each round?"

"This difficulty is a bit excessive; I'm afraid even other Foundation Establishment cultivators at the peak of their cultivation wouldn't be able to pass this test..."

However, this was still not much of a challenge for Lin Chen.

A few breaths later, the three puppets that had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment collapsed to the ground.

This time, however, the cold voice was different.

"Successfully passed the first three rounds of assessments, with a total time of 5 minutes and 58 seconds. Rating: C+..."

"You have received three low-grade Golden Essence Pills as a reward for your performance evaluation..."

"You may choose to end the assessment or continue participating..."

With a strange noise, a stone platform appeared on the floor.

On the table was a jade box. When Lin Chen opened it, he found three perfectly round Golden Essence Pills inside.

"Wow...the rewards for this assessment are too generous! Just pass three rounds and you get three Golden Essence Pills?"

A fiery glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes.

Three Golden Essence Pills are worth at least 300,000 spirit stones. And they're practically priceless!

"However, these first three rounds alone will probably eliminate half of the thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators..."

Lin Chen muttered to himself.

Although these puppets were no match for him, it was because his martial arts strength had reached the Core Formation stage.

But the other cultivators are all at the peak of Foundation Establishment... It won't be easy for one to defeat multiple puppets of the same realm...

Lin Chen decisively put the Golden Essence Pill into his pocket, then stood still and waited quietly.

Shortly afterward, the passageway leading out of the room was closed.

At the same time, a voice came:

"In the fourth round of assessment, I have to take on four..."

……

A moment later, Lin Chen stood quietly in place, holding the Demon-Slaying Blade.

In front of him stood six puppets comparable to those at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

This round of assessment is called, "I'm going to take on ten!"

Looking at the six puppets in front of him, Lin Chen frowned slightly.

"Just how many puppets are there in this test...? Are they endless?"

Lin Chen shook his head. Even the ancient Golden Yuan Sect couldn't possibly have an endless supply of puppets.

However, he didn't know how many puppet enemies there were, so he needed to conserve his strength as much as possible for now...

After drinking a potion of stamina, Lin Chen felt his strength slowly recovering.

So he drew his sword again and charged toward the six Foundation Establishment puppets in front of him.

Blade flashes continued, and after one round of battle, a cold voice echoed in the air.

"Successfully passed the first six rounds of assessments, with a total time of 10 minutes and 36 seconds, rated B..."

"You have received one mid-grade Golden Essence Pill as a reward for your performance evaluation..."

"You may choose to continue the assessment or leave..."

Lin Chen stepped forward and took the mid-grade Golden Essence Pill from the stone platform.

Looking at the smooth, lustrous surface of the Golden Essence Pill, Lin Chen swallowed hard.

"A mid-grade Golden Essence Pill can increase the chance of forming a Golden Core by 40%!"

Unlike Foundation Establishment Pills, a cultivator can only consume one Golden Essence Pill.

Therefore, naturally, the higher the quality, the better!

This mid-grade Golden Essence Pill is extremely precious...

"Could it be that the reward after this level will include a high-grade Golden Essence Pill?"

Lin Chen thought to himself, and continued to wait in the same spot.

……

The sounds of clashing weapons echoed continuously from the enclosed space.

Lin Chen remained completely at ease despite being surrounded by ten Foundation Establishment Perfection puppets.

This is the difference between Core Formation and Foundation Establishment...

After the last puppet fell, Lin Chen quickly took out pills and stamina potions to restore his condition.

Meanwhile, that cold voice echoed again in the room.

"Successfully passed the first ten rounds of assessments, with a total time of 20 minutes and 17 seconds. Evaluation: Lower Grade..."

"You have received a top-grade Golden Essence Pill as a reward for your performance evaluation..."

As Lin Chen had predicted, the reward for this level was a high-grade Golden Essence Pill.

This pill can increase the success rate of forming a core by 50%!

It's no exaggeration to say that having this Golden Essence Pill is equivalent to having an extra Core Formation cultivator...

Lin Chen silently put the Golden Essence Pill into his pocket, but looked around warily.

Because the assessment is not over yet!

He stood there quietly waiting as the exit slowly closed.

"The third test, the eleventh round, objective: defeat a puppet at the early stage of Core Formation!"

As the cold voice fell.

The puppets that Lin Chen had previously destroyed were now starting to move on their own...

Approximately ten puppets at the Foundation Establishment stage moved continuously and eventually joined together, transforming into a giant puppet!

This enormous puppet was a full ten feet tall.

Its entire body is made of black, sturdy metal.

But judging from its appearance, it's far more frightening than the previous Foundation Establishment Perfection puppet...

Lin Chen took a deep breath, looked at the enormous creature before him, and smiled:

"This is getting interesting... a puppet with Core Formation strength?"

The moment the puppet was assembled, it charged fiercely towards Lin Chen.

Like a giant steel man, the ground trembled when he ran...

boom!

The giant puppet unleashed a punch that slammed into Lin Chen's protective true essence.

The force of that punch was probably no less than hundreds of thousands of kilograms...

As the punch was unleashed, Lin Chen's protective true essence began to show fine cracks.

His current protective true essence is not enough to withstand a full-force attack from a Core Formation stage cultivator...

"Hmm, the strength is not bad... but unfortunately, the speed is a bit slow!"

Thoughts flashed through Lin Chen's mind quickly.

He held the demon-slaying sword and slashed at the puppet's thigh.

Boom!

But then a dull thud was heard, and the demon-slaying sword in Lin Chen's hand was knocked away.

The force was so great that even Lin Chen lost his footing and staggered back half a step.

Looking closely at the puppet's body...

An illusory shield enveloped his entire body, protecting him from every angle.

The illusory shield was also engraved with mysterious patterns...

"This puppet even has protective formations engraved on it?"

Lin Chen frowned deeply, a sense of unease settling in his heart.

Even if a puppet relies solely on brute force, it is not a threat, even if it possesses speed and strength comparable to a Core Formation cultivator.

However, with the addition of this protective array, the level of threat increases significantly.

Boom boom boom!

The puppet giant slammed down on Lin Chen, and although it missed, it left several large craters in the ground.

"This puppet would probably be a tough battle even for a true Core Formation cultivator..."

Lin Chen held his breath and snorted coldly:

"But that's not enough to stop me! I'd like to see just how much power your formation can withstand!"

"Zhen Dao!"

(End of this chapter)