Chapter Ninety-Five: The First Challenge!

After slaying thousands of star beasts, Yang Ye and his group finally arrived beneath the towering spire.

The tower was constructed from weathered stone blocks, its surface covered in dark green moss, giving it a blackened appearance from afar. It soared nearly a kilometer high, tapering from a broad base to a narrower top, resembling a swallow tower and shaped like a rectangle, with a base stretching over a hundred meters.

Surrounding the stone tower were numerous wooden and thatched huts, as this area was relatively safe. Since approaching within a hundred meters of the tower, Yang Ye and his companions had encountered no more illusory star beasts. However, the star energy here was noticeably thinner compared to the foot of the mountain.

Yang Ye keenly sensed that the tower itself, like a cultivator, was absorbing the star energy from the surrounding space.

The tower’s entrance was a square stone doorway, and looking inside from outside revealed a blue glowing ring several meters in diameter at its center.

As Yang Ye and his group arrived, the cultivators residing in the houses beneath the tower all gathered outside, numbering in the hundreds. They curiously examined the thirty or so newcomers. Those with strong boundary expansions could restrain themselves, but some young men and women couldn’t help but fix their gazes on Long Xiaoqing.

“Are you Inspector Ye?” a middle-aged Western man in a black robe stepped forward, his handsome features framed by a warm smile as he spoke fluent Chinese.

This man was a cultivator in the early stages of the Super Star realm.

Yang Ye nodded. “And you are?”

The middle-aged man smiled. “You can call me Felix. My family in America has a close relationship with the Xia family.”

Yang Ye smiled back. “So you’re Mr. Felix. I’ve heard of you from Xia Li.”

Felix laughed happily. “Mr. Yang, are you planning to lead your people through the trial?”

Glancing around at the crowd, Yang Ye nodded. “I want to give it a try.”

Felix said frankly, “To be honest, it’s hardly worth it. Although death inside isn’t real death, killing the illusory elites grants no benefit unless you succeed in passing the trial. Previously, all Super Star cultivators united here have never succeeded even once.”

After speaking, Felix shook his head.

“Thanks for the warning, but I still want to try.”

With that, Yang Ye took Long Xiaoqing’s hand and stepped into the stone tower.

“Over thirty Super Stars! I wonder if they can succeed.”

“Dream on! Previously, twenty-eight Super Stars entered and all were expelled in less than half an hour. Now there are only two more; don’t even think about it.”

“I’ve heard outside that this Ye fellow is formidable, having killed seven Super Stars in one go. All the Super Star cultivators from China have been slain by him.”

“True, but they lost over ten people themselves—killed eight hundred enemies but suffered a thousand casualties.”

“Why don’t we place a bet?”

“I bet they’ll all be expelled within half an hour. The wager: ten early-stage stellar beast cores.”

...

As Yang Ye led his group into the tower, the cultivators below began to gossip and even set up bets. For them, gambling was the most thrilling pastime in the secret realm.

No one believed Yang Ye’s group could pass the trial, as no one wagered on their success. Felix accepted all bets.

Earlier at the mountain’s foot, Yang Ye had learned the details of the trial from Samir.

Once the thirty-plus people entered the tower, the square stone door behind them suddenly vanished.

Then, a voice filled with ancient weariness echoed: “The first checkpoint of the stone tower simulates the simplest trial among Earth’s various assessments.

“Earth has birthed 110 human civilizations in total. Aside from the 51 destroyed before their trials, the Earth civilization has undergone 59 trials.

“Therefore, this tower has 59 levels. After passing a level, it becomes invalid for you, allowing immediate access to the next. Each successful trial grants a reward.

“Though difficult, remember that this concerns the survival of Earth’s humanity. During the trials, you will face enemies from various extraterrestrial races—beast tribes, mechanical clans, and spirit entities, each with different combat styles. Passing the trial allows you to gain battle experience and increases your chance of success.”

After the voice faded, Yang Ye scanned the dark stone walls and was the first to step into the glowing ring.

Moments later, all thirty-three of them had entered.

They found themselves in a vast desert.

Three blazing suns hung in the sky, radiating intense heat, raising the temperature well above one hundred degrees Celsius—enough to instantly cook an egg.

Yet, to Yang Ye and his companions, this environment was not harsh. Even without using star energy, their bodies could withstand such heat unharmed.

Samir had already described this scenario to Yang Ye, and Zhou Hun and the others outside had also heard from Samir’s subordinates.

Sure enough, within three minutes of their arrival, sand dunes around them exploded open one after another.

“Boom... boom boom...”

After a series of dense explosions, the rising sand was swept away by hot winds.

A thousand soldiers clad in yellow armor appeared around them.

Zhou Hun and the others immediately drew the swords and knives Yang Ye had distributed.

Not far off, a black-armored general wielding a battle axe sat astride an exotic beast resembling a qilin, his cold gaze fixed on Yang Ye’s group.

The black-armored general said nothing but raised his battle axe and swung it.

The thousand yellow-armored soldiers raised their short-handled axes and charged, shouting as they surged toward the sand dunes where Yang Ye’s group stood.

Most of these soldiers were in the Stellar realm, including nine Super Stars, while the black-armored general mounted on the beast was at the Galaxy realm.

Watching the advancing army, Yang Ye thought that it was no wonder the previous Super Star cultivators had all failed the trial despite uniting.

Just killing these thousand soldiers would likely cost them over ten casualties, and the ten or so survivors facing the Galaxy realm general together would be almost impossible to defeat.

Earth remained a closed environment, unlike the cosmic races forged through brutal battles and competition.

Earth’s cultivators, in terms of both combat power and will, were far inferior to these battle-hardened warriors.

Yet this was the easiest checkpoint in all trials!

It showed how extraordinarily difficult passing the trials truly was.

Without waiting for Yang Ye’s command, Zhou Hun and the others charged down the dunes to engage the thousand yellow-armored soldiers.

Yang Ye, Long Xiaoqing, and Nezha stood atop the dune, focusing their gaze on the black-armored general ahead.

“Master, Sister Xiaoqing, you don’t need to worry about me,” Nezha said, pulling a talisman-covered paper from his pocket and pressing it to his forehead with a smile.

Then, Nezha vanished from sight.

It was clearly an invisibility talisman.

“Xiaoqing, I’ll go first. If I can’t defeat him, you take over.”

After Nezha disappeared, Yang Ye said to Long Xiaoqing.

“All right,” she nodded.

“Whoosh—”

Yang Ye leapt forward, charging straight at the black-armored general.