Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 423 423 The Tri-Fork Maze

Liu Changrun's words also calmed Feng Xiao and Xia Chengkai. Indeed, as he had said, this was the fairest method. The test of one's temperament was a given; it was a fundamental quality every martial artist should possess. Only with composure could one go farther. If someone were eliminated for panicking and becoming ensnared within a formation, they would have no one to blame but themselves.

While Array Masters seemed to have an advantage, mastering formations was an endeavor that consumed a great deal of mental energy. This was why, at the same age, Array Masters were often weaker than martial artists who focused solely on cultivation. It was only natural that Array Masters, having traded time for knowledge of formations, should be able to use their ingenuity to break through them. Those martial artists immersed in cultivation could only resort to brute force, so their elimination would hardly be considered unfair.

Realizing this, Feng Xiao and Xia Chengkai instinctively stood up and cupped their fists towards Liu Changrun, saying earnestly, "Senior Liu, to have devised such an examination method, your consideration has been truly profound."

Liu Changrun laughed heartily, proudly stroking his beard as he spoke, "Temperament, on-the-spot reactions… this assessment might seem to be over, but if they become careless because of it, they will suffer a great loss in the subsequent trials. Such basic qualities of a martial artist are embedded throughout the entire assessment process. Let's just watch and see. Those who complete the assessment, even if they fail to enter Central Celestial Academy, have the potential to become lords of their own domain in the future, as long as they cultivate diligently."

Feng Xiao and Xia Chengkai nodded in agreement with Liu Changrun's remarks, but deep down, they couldn't help worrying about Feng Yuan and Ye Qingchen. Feng Yuan, being a third-grade Array Master, should cope with the first round easily enough. However, given his impetuous nature, he might find himself at a disadvantage in the later trials.

Xia Chengkai, on the other hand, was concerned about Ye Qingchen. Although Ye Qingchen was incredibly strong, he was still too young. At under twenty years old, he was among the youngest competitors. How would he cope with such a brutal assessment?

Of course, they were unaware of Ye Qingchen's true situation. If they knew, their jaws would have dropped. From beginning to end, Ye Qingchen was probably the most relaxed person there.

After entering the Secret Realm, Ye Qingchen had immediately begun to meditate. When faced with the first trial's formation, he had easily circumvented it, passing through without expending even a sliver of spiritual energy. As Ye Qingchen continued along the path, a beast or two would occasionally leap out, but they were all easily dispatched by him. The strength of these beasts didn't even reach the Martial King Realm, posing no real hindrance to Ye Qingchen at his current level.

However, the ever-cautious Ye Qingchen grew vigilant in the face of this situation.

Although the previous trial was easy for me, it must have been a nightmare for other martial artists. Now that the difficulty has suddenly dropped, is this designed to lower everyone's guard? But lowering our guard this way seems too frivolous. Anyone who passed the first trial must have a terrifying level of composure and adaptability. They wouldn't just abandon their long-held vigilance over something like this. So, what is the purpose of this setup?

Before Ye Qingchen had time to ponder further, a fork in the road appeared before him, branching into three separate paths. He probed with his divine sense. With its current strength, he could perceive the general landscape within a kilometer, but he detected no anomalies or any signs to guide him.

All three paths looked identical, which meant choosing the right one would be a matter of pure luck. Naturally, Ye Qingchen didn't believe the second trial of the Central Celestial Academy would be a contest of luck. Yet, under the circumstances, there seemed to be no better option than to randomly pick a path.

Ye Qingchen shook his head. I've come this far, so I'll face whatever comes next. I have the Dual Pupil Martial Soul. I refuse to believe I can't break through a situation like this.

With that thought, Ye Qingchen walked directly down the path straight ahead.

After walking for about ten minutes, Ye Qingchen couldn't help but frown. A Killing Formation had appeared before him. It was merely a second-grade Killing Formation, nothing special, but what puzzled him was that it was identical to the one from the first trial. He also recalled that the surrounding scenery was an exact match.

Did I somehow circle back?

Ye Qingchen shook his head. He possessed the Dual Pupil Martial Soul; if he were just walking in circles, his Martial Soul would have surely noticed.

Then there's only one other possibility: I've entered a maze formation. But he quickly dismissed this idea. With his current understanding, an ordinary formation definitely couldn't escape his detection, and Central Celestial Academy was unlikely to set up an advanced formation to test new recruits.

With this in mind, Ye Qingchen became convinced he hadn't taken the wrong path and resolutely entered the Killing Formation.

The same five Redflame Beasts materialized and attacked. Ye Qingchen twisted his body in the exact same way as before and once again bypassed the formation.

It really is exactly the same! What on earth is going on?

Ye Qingchen looked at the familiar scenery, activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, and carefully walked forward. The experiences along the path were identical to the first time—even the turns, the locations of the beasts, and the beasts' strength and appearance were exactly the same.

After traveling for another period, Ye Qingchen once again arrived at the three-way junction.

How should I choose this time?

Ye Qingchen hesitated. I chose the middle path, but it led me through a route identical to the first. Did I make the wrong choice? No… exactly the same? But was it really exactly the same?

He cast his mind back. Although the formations and beasts he encountered had seemed the same, with the discernment of his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, he had noticed a tiny clue. On one occasion, the sequence in which the beasts appeared seemed to have been reversed.

In this dangerous Secret Realm teeming with beasts, a single reversed sequence would honestly be difficult to notice. After all, they were constantly facing beasts. After so many battles, only someone incredibly meticulous would have possibly spotted it.

They seemed the same, yet also different. So were they truly identical or not?

Ye Qingchen gritted his teeth and once again entered the middle path.

This time, Ye Qingchen kept his Dual Pupil Martial Soul activated the entire way, intently observing every scene. Although he eventually arrived at the three-way junction once more, Ye Qingchen was now certain that he had chosen correctly