Chapter 9

Consciousness Studies was essentially the analysis of self-cognition; with study, one could fully master oneself, making it Chen Ping's top priority.

Evolutionary Studies paired with Science—one explored the path of evolution, while the other summarized and systematized existing worldly forces.

Dominion Studies, a knowledge almost every lord entering the Hall of Knowledge would choose, enhanced a lord’s capabilities.

Divinity Studies, the ability to explore and master divine powers.

Dimensional Studies, a core discipline pursuing the secrets of the highest dimensions, and one of Chen Ping’s hopes for returning to his original world.

Each of the Nine Disciplines alone was an ocean of immense knowledge, impossible to fully master even if one spent their entire life on it.

Having more choices wasn’t necessarily good, because the demands on the practitioner would also rise accordingly.

If one became too distracted, it would ultimately result in being broad but not profound.

But Chen Ping wasn’t particularly worried.

What was Heaven’s Way rewarding diligence for?

If effort guaranteed returns, why not study until you dropped?

This was a talent even more unreasonable than equivalent exchange—after all, it didn’t demand how much you had to give in return...

Chen Ping immediately focused on mastering the core of the Nine Disciplines.

He temporarily set aside the peripheral details.

Those were things he could later deduce and expand upon through continued study.

Time passed.

Each person who entered the Tower of Knowledge existed within an independent space.

The more one studied, the longer the duration could be extended.

Four days later, Seeing Seeing Natasha was the first to leave the Tower of Knowledge.

Five days later, the bespectacled man Lu Fei also exited the Tower of Knowledge.

Six days later, the mysterious individual who had entered last left the tower.

Seven days.

Eight days.

A full ten days later, Chen Ping finally appeared outside the Tower of Knowledge.

Standing before the gates of the Hall of Knowledge, Chen Ping now felt completely different from when he first arrived.

His mastery of knowledge made him appear far more mysterious than before.

His eyes seemed to contain mysterious vortices; others who stared too long might even feel drawn in.

"I can't believe so much time has passed."

Chen Ping hadn't expected to spend ten days inside the Hall of Knowledge—adding the half-day trial, that made eleven days total.

Outside, over a week had already passed in the territory trials.

But considering the gains from this journey, the slowed progress of his domain was acceptable to Chen Ping.

He was confident that upon his return, his territory would experience explosive growth.

A temporary slowdown was merely preparation for a stronger push later.

"It's time to leave."

Chen Ping turned around, silently thinking the words "leave," and instantly a vortex appeared before his eyes.

He glanced back at the Hall of Knowledge and noticed, within the open doorway, a faint, ethereal figure had appeared at some point.

A pair of calm eyes gazed at him; when they met his gaze, the figure vanished.

Puzzled, Chen Ping did not linger and stepped into the vortex.

12: Potential Rivals and Friends

Grayish-white buildings stood neatly and orderly arranged.

Identical stone slabs paved straight streets.

From afar, this territory exuded an air of strict precision.

Even on the building walls, the gaps between each layer of bricks and tiles aligned perfectly on the same horizontal plane.

If Chen Ping saw it, he’d only conclude the lord here was a terminal case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

At the very heart of the territory, inside a square-shaped lord’s hall,

Lu Fei, the bespectacled prince, sat silently behind his desk.

Before him stood two rows of six heroic spirits each, possessing different abilities.

These six heroic spirits each managed different aspects of territorial affairs.

By the standards of a basic-level territory, this number and configuration of heroic spirits was extraordinary.

Yet given that Lu Fei was a descendant of Wang Ling, it seemed quite normal.

"Once the patrol train arrives, look up the information on a certain lord—Chen Ping."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"After you find it, formulate a plan to strike against him."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Before the first assessment arrives, the territory must reach level five."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The heroic spirits respectfully acknowledged Lu Fei’s orders.

As a descendant of Wang Ling, Lu Fei had great prestige and an even greater sense of superiority.

His territory was structured like that of a future royal domain.

With abundant resources, early development posed no problem for him.

Lu Fei's attention had never been on passing the lord trials.

His goal was to dominate the lord trials, gathering subordinates and laying a solid foundation for his future rise.

The outstanding Lords from this trial were all destined to become his future subjects.

However, Chen Ping was not included among them.

After returning to her domain, Lu Fei secluded herself for two days, integrating the knowledge she had acquired into her territory to strengthen its power.

Only today did she reappear.

But no matter what, his mood could never be as calm as it once was.

Because the moment he closed his eyes, that name shining with golden light and Chen Ping’s indifferent gaze would surface in his mind.

"I hope you can still maintain that arrogance when my army sets foot on your land."

"In this trial, no matter who it is, they will kneel beneath my feet."

Being utterly crushed by Chen Ping in the Knowledge Hall's assessment caused a shift in Lu Fei’s mentality.

He couldn't accept this outcome, especially since the eighth stage that had completely blocked him was cleared by Chen Ping in just one minute.

This was nothing short of humiliation!

Having been suppressed by Chen Ping in what he considered his strongest field, Lu Fei now desperately wanted to capture Chen Ping and humiliate him thoroughly.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Chaos Sea.

Within a lush forest of green jade-like trees, elven girl Seeing Seeing Natasha stepped out from her Lord’s Hall.

The little elf steward appeared before her with a laugh.

"My Lord, you're incredible—your knowledge has made upgrading the territory much easier."

"Hehe, Mifal, I wouldn't say I'm anything special."

As Seeing Seeing Natasha spoke, Chen Ping’s image involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

That handsome, composed young man had passed every trial so effortlessly.

Compared to him, both Seeing Seeing Natasha and Lu Fei seemed ordinary.

The outstanding lords from this trial were all predestined to become his future vassals.

But Chen Ping was not included in that group.

After returning to his domain, Lu Fei secluded himself for two days, integrating the knowledge he had acquired into his territory to strengthen his power.

Only today did he reappear.

Yet no matter what, his mood could never be as calm as it once was.

Because the moment he closed his eyes, that name shimmering with golden light, along with Chen Ping’s indifferent gaze, would surface in his mind.

"I hope you can still maintain that arrogance when my army marches upon your land."

[90] "In this trial, no matter who stands before me, they will kneel beneath my feet."

[91] Being crushed by Chen Ping in the Knowledge Hall assessment had altered Lu Fei’s mindset.

[92] He couldn’t accept this outcome—especially the fact that Chen Ping had cleared the eighth gate, which had blocked him so completely, in just one minute.

[93] It was nothing short of humiliation!

[94] Having been suppressed by Chen Ping in what he believed was his strongest field, Lu Fei now desperately wanted to capture Chen Ping and humiliate him thoroughly.

[95] Meanwhile, in another part of the Chaos Sea,

[96] within a forest of lush green jade trees, the elven girl Seeing Seeing Natasha stepped out from her lord’s hall.

[97] Her little elf steward appeared before her with a laugh.

[98] "My lord, you’re incredible! Your knowledge has made upgrading the domain much easier."

[99] "Hehe, Mifal, I wouldn’t say I’m anything special."

[100] As Seeing Seeing Natasha spoke, Chen Ping’s image involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

[101] That handsome, composed young man had passed every trial so effortlessly.

[102] Compared to him, both Seeing Seeing Natasha and Lu Fei seemed ordinary.

[103] "Someone like him is bound to be one of the shining stars of this trial."

[104] "Mifal, prepare a generous gift for me. Once domain trading opens, I’ll need to send it to someone."

[105] "Yes, my lord."

[106] Watching the little elf depart, Seeing Seeing Natasha climbed to the top of the canopy.

[107] From here, she could overlook her entire domain.

[108] Seeing Seeing Natasha decided that once Max appeared, she would trade with him for information on Chen Ping.

[109] The Lord Trial tested not only a lord’s strength but also their ability to form alliances and navigate politics.