[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-248":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269894,4431,"Chapter 248: Candidate","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-248",248,"\u003Cp>The starry sky stretched infinitely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountains on the ground also stretched endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the clouds, the Hall of Heroic Souls had subtly changed—each heroic soul had added its own color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stars adorned heroes and history, while the rising and falling roars of beasts across the wasteland gave this night a living hue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, murals had appeared depicting the tales of heroes: ancient sages busying themselves in alchemical chambers, judgmental knights hunting evil across the wasteland, and the fearless hero standing alone against the colossal beast that held up heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the first young man stepped in cloaked in shadow, he was naturally awed by the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stretching before him were mountains beyond the ancient hall; beneath the unobstructed cliffs floated boundless white clouds, and occasionally, giant birds and flying dragons rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sight reminded the onlookers of the cloud-city from myths, yet the tranquil wind and scenery, the statues and murals each telling stories and history, felt more like the realm of the gods in legend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is the Hall of Heroic Souls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold voice sounded beside him; beneath the dais, a black-armored knight silently regarded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t block the way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, other shadows entered through individual void-gates, stepping onto this vast stage resembling an ancient arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the number of entrants was especially large—young figures from every corner of the world stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They differed in race and age; among them were beast-touched, elves, and even towering giants forcibly shrunk to human size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One, two... when the shadows reached twelve, no new entrants appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Li En did not see any absurdly abnormal lives, so he did not kick anyone out—but having seen through the shadows, he was satisfied with this haul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These newcomers all looked incredibly strong; no wonder they were selected across continents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, Li En naturally spotted several familiar faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Laina stepped in dazed, naturally blocked by the crowd. Notably, she was not the youngest here—a tiny floating elf quietly perched on her shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hela stepped in and immediately stared at the man on the dais. The man still regarded the youths with his usual careless demeanor, but Li En sensed his inner unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to Rosalind’s attack, Lex had finally decided to take some responsibility; otherwise, it might have been Li En himself standing on this stage in this guise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Li En might truly not have been able to hold the line this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Silence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The calm words echoed throughout the hall, their thunderous resonance shocking every onlooker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was only the beginning—only now did everyone notice the young warrior on the dais.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood there with arms crossed, wearing a silver mask; though his expression was calm, he radiated overwhelming pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some in the crowd showed signs of shock—they might have recognized the figure from legends and tales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My candidates, don’t give the seniors’ students a reason to laugh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did they notice void-gates opening one by one, as individuals entered the hall, some hurried, others slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newcomers seemed to know each other; they exchanged greetings and stepped aside, as if yielding the “center stage”—this suggested the event was not new, and even carried unspoken procedures and rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Silence. This is the place of Heroic Souls’ legacy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En’s shadow had dissipated; since the “class reunion” was formed, he had become a public figure serving as a liaison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike previous Heroic Soul successions, this one was made more formal because the candidates’ status was exceptional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Li En did not trouble Dainya—he introduced the basic situation himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be blunt: I’m taking a disciple. The Hall of Heroic Souls says you’re eligible as candidates. Whether you’re accepted? That’s my call.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li En was halfway through his introduction, Lex suddenly interrupted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still had his arms crossed, scanning left and right—his domineering presence was unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, unlike Suhl’s approachability or Kuku’s scholarly air, this was plainly official business.\u003C\u002Fp>",665,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3096c8ebc8f6e291eeeb76d39f112d10ff94e09ab4ae224e7503a50c6cbe2a11","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-249","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-247",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]