Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 429 429: Arriving at the Destination

Ye Qingchen glanced around, only to find the vast grassland was now completely empty. A quick calculation surprised him; a full day had passed. He didn't know how far he had fallen behind, but he knew that if he didn't hurry, he would likely lose his chance at the final victory.

At that moment, a path appeared on the grassland. Ye Qingchen pushed his Mystifying Steps to their limit and raced along it.

The Central Celestial Academy's assessment truly is one of a kind!

Sometimes, what appeared to be success was, in reality, taking him further away from the ultimate victory. If the Spiritual Qi Infusion had lasted just a bit longer, he might have reached the sixth layer of the Martial King Realm. But then, he would have had no hope of catching up to the main group.

After half a day of pursuit, a palace abruptly appeared before his eyes. The palace was simple yet majestic, its architectural style completely different from any modern building. It must have stood for countless years. Ye Qingchen was also certain that the palace hadn't been there just moments before. It had only appeared when he arrived at this spot.

Ye Qingchen hesitated. Based on his experience, a palace like this was bound to hold valuable items.

With my Dual Pupil Martial Soul and my expertise in formations, if I go inside, I can definitely claim every treasure for myself. However, that would take a lot of time, and I might not make it to the final test.

On one side were potential treasures; on the other was the race for the final victory. He only hesitated for a moment before resolutely choosing the latter.

Entering Central Celestial Academy is the fastest way for me to get news about Qin Yue. Compared to that, any treasure is dull and insignificant. These treasures are still just a possibility, but even if a peerless, heavenly treasure was laid out before me, I would refuse it without a second thought if it meant giving up my chance to find Qin Yue!

What Ye Qingchen didn't know was that he had inadvertently passed another of Central Celestial Academy's tests. There were indeed treasures inside the palaces, placed there to tempt the participating students into exploring them. The palaces were also rigged with various mechanisms. While none were lethal, they were more than enough to cause significant delays.

Ye Qingchen ignored the palace that had appeared and continued straight down the path. As he advanced, various other palaces and secret chambers appeared around him. He even saw some Martial Artists emerging from them, laden with spoils. But none of it was enough to distract him. He had already wasted too much time during the Spiritual Qi Infusion. He couldn't afford a single delay now.

"A Treasure! I actually got a Treasure!"

A wild laugh boomed across the plains, causing every Martial Artist who heard it to whip their heads around.

Above Spiritual Artifacts were Treasures. The difference in power between them was as vast as the gap between the clouds and the earth. For example, an ordinary first-layer Martial King Realm cultivator with a Treasure could easily defeat a third-layer expert! Such was the power of a Treasure.

So, when the Treasure appeared, it sparked shock and envy in everyone, driving them to madly search the other palaces. Compared to the vague prospect of entering Central Celestial Academy, obtaining a Treasure was undoubtedly more tempting.

Ye Qingchen heard the news. While he envied their luck, he knew how precious Treasures were. The fact that one had appeared at all meant Central Celestial Academy had been extremely generous. Finding another would be nearly impossible. Besides, even if there were more, he wouldn't waste his time on them.

In an instant, news of the Treasure's appearance spread like wildfire throughout the Secret Realm. This drove the Martial Artists into a frenzy. They began frantically searching every palace, and fierce battles frequently erupted over their findings.

Across the entire Secret Realm, only Ye Qingchen was focused on the journey.

Perhaps that wasn't entirely accurate. While Ye Qingchen was the only one who had been solely focused on the journey from the very beginning, Feng Yuan had also started to hurry onward during the latter half of the trial, giving up on exploring any more palaces. This wasn't because Feng Yuan had reached a state of enlightenment where he could ignore worldly treasures. Rather, he had gotten very lucky. In the first palace he entered, he had obtained a Treasure!

However, the formation guarding it was also extremely powerful. Even though Feng Yuan was a third-grade Array Master, it still took him nearly a full day to break the formation and claim the Treasure.

It was a golden staff. After a brief refinement, Feng Yuan was astonished to find it was a perfect match for his own Metal Attribute. Although Feng Yuan didn't know any staff-based Martial Techniques yet, simply using this staff to amplify his Spiritual Energy could increase his combat power more than tenfold. Feng Yuan couldn't imagine how much his combat power would skyrocket once he fully refined this Treasure. Furthermore, he estimated that with this Treasure and his strength at the sixth layer of the Martial King Realm, he would no longer have to fear Ye Qingchen!

"Ye Qingchen, I will make you repay the humiliation you dealt me twofold!" Feng Yuan snarled through gritted teeth. He then began to speed up, intending to block Ye Qingchen's path before he reached the end.

I'll let him think victory is within his grasp, and then I'll strike, shattering all his hopes. I'll make him lose his spot in the competition amidst endless bitterness and regret.

Feng Yuan also understood that Treasures were incredibly rare. Getting one was already an incredible stroke of luck; searching for another would likely be a waste of time. After all, as a city lord's son, ordinary treasures barely caught his interest.

Ye Qingchen continued to race forward. He noticed that fewer and fewer palaces were appearing around him, which made him realize this stage of the trial was likely coming to an end.

And just as he suspected, after another half-day of travel, a pinpoint of light the size of a fingernail appeared in his line of sight. As he drew closer, Ye Qingchen could finally see that it was a swirling vortex of energy.

"That must be the finish line. This Central Celestial Academy assessment is really interesting!" Ye Qingchen said, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the energy vortex.

Aside from the time he lost during the Spiritual Qi Infusion, he hadn't wasted a single moment exploring the palaces. As long as he passed through this energy vortex now, he would secure a spot in Central Celestial Academy.