Chapter 375

Emperor's Ear Drum!

Upon hearing these three words, the faces of all the Wu people before the altar changed strangely.

Li Rui also slightly narrowed his eyes.

At this moment.

Nie Siming and the others descended from the high platform and came to Li Rui's side.

Yuan Xiong whispered to Li Rui: "Legend says the ancestors of Wu crafted twelve immortal weapons based on the Twelve Ancestral Gods, and the Emperor's Ear Drum is one of them."

"It is said the Emperor's Ear Drum resonates with a warrior's soul."

"The louder the drumbeat, the stronger the warrior—ignoring realms, or rather, allowing all to compete on equal footing."

Li Rui raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had never heard of such a mysterious immortal weapon before.

'Truly, the world is vast, full of wonders beyond imagining.'

Yunzhou is remote, immortal weapons are rare, and smiths are rarer still; nearly all are killing tools—never before have I seen one like the Emperor's Ear Drum.

As the giant hesitated.

Suddenly.

A solemn voice rang out: "Permitted."

It was the King!

Unseen moments ago, the King had reappeared, standing beside him was the Grand Shaman.

A murmur swept through the crowd.

Both the King and the Grand Shaman had appeared together.

The weight of this contest had increased immensely.

The giant's heart sank.

He had not expected this matter to draw the attention of the King and the Grand Shaman—the pressure was unprecedented.

He took a deep breath.

His expression returned to normal.

Selected to challenge the Yu Kingdom's delegation, he was already exceptionally strong—a top contender for victory in this year's Sai Mu Gathering.

Li Rui was merely a warrior who had just entered the Primordial Realm.

He had nothing to fear.

Moments later.

A dozen giants carried a massive drum, ten zhang tall, to the altar.

'Is this the Emperor's Ear Drum?'

Li Rui looked up at it.

According to Yuan Xiong's earlier words, this drum required no mallet—it resonated through the warrior's own essence.

Truly mysterious.

He couldn't help but study it more closely.

At that moment, a eunuch beside the King spoke in a shrill voice: "The contest begins!"

As the host nation.

Tu Xuan must go first.

His gaze was more resolute than ever—previously he sought only a reward, now he fought for his own future.

The Emperor's Ear Drum could only be struck by the annual Champions of Tian Nan.

The Champions of Tian Nan were the strongest among Wu's youth each year.

The prestige was evident.

Striking the Emperor's Ear Drum brought not only supreme honor, but also a divine boon.

The Emperor's Ear Drum could cleanse the marrow and refine the sinews, purifying the heart and mind.

Otherwise, it would not be revered as one of Wu's Twelve Divine Weapons.

Tu Xuan slowly walked to the Emperor's Ear Drum, closed his eyes, and stood still.

The crowd before the altar, especially the young military officers of the war faction, held their breath in tense anticipation.

One incense stick passed.

Dong!

A deep, resonant drumbeat, piercing the soul as if echoing from ancient eons, shattered the silence before the altar.

Dong, dong, dong!

The drumbeats continued.

At once, the official recording the results shouted: "Three hundred li!"

Hearing this number.

The warriors standing nearby wore expressions of delight.

Nie Siming spoke up: "The Wu people judge by the distance the drum's sound travels, recorded by Listening Stones. The highest recorded is six hundred li; three hundred li is already an excellent result."

Li Rui stared at the purple jade in the official's hand.

Clearly.

That was the Listening Stone Nie Siming mentioned.

Tu Xuan, upon hearing the three hundred li result, grinned.

This was already an impressive achievement.

He finally had the leisure to glance mockingly at Li Rui.

As if to say: still time to surrender.

Li Rui smiled faintly.

Amid a thousand stares, he strode forward toward the Emperor's Ear Drum, brushing past Tu Xuan.

Tu Xuan muttered coldly:

"Yu man, don't even manage to strike the drum."

Li Rui said nothing, hands behind his back, strolling casually to the Emperor's Ear Drum.

'Young man.'

Tu Xuan's attempt to disrupt his composure was crude.

For an old fox like him, it had almost no effect.

Mimicking Tu Xuan, Li Rui slowly closed his eyes and began to coax his true qi to resonate with the Emperor's Ear Drum.

In an instant.

A strange sensation rippled through Li Rui's heart.

At this moment.

He felt as if standing on a desolate land, ancient as primordial times.

Vast, primeval.

Around him, five-colored divine light shimmered.

Gold, green, blue, red, yellow.

'Corresponding to the Five Elements?'

A flash of insight crossed Li Rui's mind.

So the so-called resonance of the Emperor's Ear Drum was merging with the Five Elements' energy within the drum.

'Could it be—'

The thought of activating the Five Spirit Body Refinement Art flashed through his mind, then vanished.

Ridiculous.

This was Wu's grand sacrifice—thousands of Wu warriors were present, not to mention the King and the Grand Shaman themselves.

Who could say if someone here possessed the insight to recognize his origins? To use the Five Spirit Body Refinement Art here was no different from suicide.

Li Rui would never do such a thing.

Even if the Grand Shaman bore him no ill will, caution was always wise.

'Then I'll hold back.'

'He won't even manage to strike the Emperor's Ear Drum?'

'Yu people are all spineless.'

The young Wu warriors, seeing Li Rui standing motionless for so long, could not help but sneer.

Even officials who supported Yu's military intervention grew uneasy, their confidence wavering.

Even officials who supported Yu's military campaign looked uneasy, their confidence shaken.

!

Nie Siming frowned slightly: "That's odd. With Li Lao's talent, surpassing three hundred li should be easy—he shouldn't be unable to strike the drum at all."

Nie Siming furrowed his brow slightly: "That doesn't make sense. With Brother Li's talent, surpassing three hundred li should be no problem—there's no way he couldn't even strike the Emperor's Listening Bone."

They knew Li Rui's strength.

In absolute combat power, he might be slightly weaker than Tu Xuan, a peak Primordial warrior—but in potential and talent, he far surpassed Tu Xuan.

In absolute combat power, he may be slightly weaker than Wu Tu, who is at the peak of Primordial Cultivation, but in terms of potential and talent, he is certainly superior to Wu Tu.

But so much time has passed, and there's still no sign at all.

Strange—truly strange.

Minister Wang felt uneasy: "This Emperor's Ear Bone is odd—could it have nothing to do with innate talent?"

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong said nothing more.

They had never struck the Emperor's Ear Drum themselves; they had no idea what conditions might be like.

"Wait and see."

Yuan Xiong spoke slowly.

At the other end.

A light breeze brushed by.

Li Rui stood still, immersed in the state of Solitary Self, utterly unaware of his surroundings, fully devoted to merging with the Emperor's Ear Bone.

He had been ordered by the Grand Shaman to strike the drum, and he was also part of the Yu Kingdom's envoy delegation.

If he failed to reach three hundred li, it would bring shame upon the imperial court.

This was no small matter.

The next instant.

His true qi spontaneously circulated, and faint mist began to rise.

Those young martial officers around him, who had been laughing loudly, saw this sight and their expressions gradually turned serious.

"It's the Dragon-shaped true qi."

An older officer instantly recognized the origin of Li Rui's strange aura.

He slightly narrowed his eyes.

"A fine Yu Kingdom man—he has some ability."

Yet his expression showed little change.

Since they had chosen to target the Yu Kingdom delegation, they had long prepared thoroughly.

They knew full well the circumstances of each member of the delegation.

Li Rui's Dragon-shaped qi was no secret—they had known it all along.

"So what if he has Dragon-shaped qi?"

"Can he even strike the drum three hundred li?"

Just as everyone leaned forward, some in delight, some in disdain, some in envy—

Dong!

The deep, primordial sound of the drum rang out once more.

Before one note faded, another rose.

Dong, dong, dong, dong.

Each beat seemed to pierce straight into their hearts.

At this moment,

The residents of Witch Court City all raised their heads in unison—they had already heard the Emperor's Ear Drum's sound.

Witch Court was enormous.

Even larger than the capital of the Yu Kingdom.

Its territory stretched a full thousand li—truly a colossal metropolis.

And now, those living at the farthest edges of Witch Court raised their heads in shock.

Some with knowledge recognized it as the sound of the Emperor's Ear Bone.

Precisely because they recognized it, they were even more stunned.

How could the Emperor's Ear Drum be heard here???

And before the altar,

Everyone fell into a terrifying silence, the only sound the echoing drum.

The recording official stared in disbelief at the Listening Stone in his hands, his throat suddenly dry and itchy, his voice hoarse.

He spoke with a trembling voice:

"Eight hundred li!"

Everyone's pupils dilated instantly, thinking they had misheard.

"How much?"

"Eight hundred li!"

At this moment,

Li Rui slowly opened his eyes.

He was about to step back toward Nie Siming and the others,

when a line of small characters appeared before him:

【Congratulations, Host—Achievement Completed: "Fame Resounds Eight Hundred Li."】

【A true man lives to feast from five tripods, dies to be boiled in five tripods—let all the world chant his name. Congratulations, Host—you have risen to fame in the Grand Sacrifice, resounding eight hundred li, making all the world know your name.】

【Task "Fame Resounds Eight Hundred Li" Completed—Reward Calculation In Progress】

【Task Rating: A.】

【Obtained 40 Achievement Points!】

【Name: Li Rui】

【Age: 15】

【Talent: Martial Bone, Extraordinary Comprehension, Insightful Eyes, Great Dream Immortal Travel, Demon Subjugation, Dao Seed】

【Techniques: Long Chun Art, Dragon Soaring Through Nine Heavens, Dragon-Elephant True Qi Power, Five Spirit Body Refinement Scripture】

【Item: Spirit-Ascending Book】

【Achievements: 90/100】

(End of Chapter)