Chapter 412: The Second Trial of the Seven Kill

Xu Jin stepped onto the Sheng character star path and felt a flash of light, as if passing through a barrier, before instantly stepping out.

Ahead, Dong Zhao was watching him, his eyes filled with unmistakable astonishment.

Dong Zhao understood Xu Jin's extraordinary nature.

The battle in the Fifth-Rank Spirit Martial Star Domain had left an indelible impression on Dong Zhao.

Later, he even helped Xu Jin break through to the Sixth Rank.

Dong Zhao knew Xu Jin was extraordinary.

But Xu Jin's performance today once again shattered the upper limit of what Dong Zhao thought he knew.

Too powerful.

Too mysterious.

Combining all the information gathered over this period, Dong Zhao was now one hundred percent certain: Xu Jin, from Jinshan Dao Academy, was stronger in combat than he was.

This was also the source of Dong Zhao's confidence when facing Zhang Lin, the Seventh-Rank of the Tianyang Star Temple.

Dong Zhao had confidence in his own strength, but also clear self-awareness—he could not defeat Zhang Lin, another top-tier genius at the Seventh Rank.

But with Xu Jin added, it was different.

The next instant, Liu Qingzhu stepped out, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xu Jin, light swirling in strange, inexplicable ways.

In the past decade, the wisest thing she had done was to swallow her pride, even offer herself willingly, and personally bring Xu Jin, the top disciple, into the Feiyan Palace.

The rescue in the Spirit Martial Star Domain, helping her break through, even granting her the Eighth-Rank Willow-Fluff Star Pattern—each act brought explosive gains.

Especially the Eighth-Rank Willow-Fluff Star Pattern, which instantly made her a prized asset in her family.

But so far, she had only taught her family Willow-Fluff Star Patterns below the Seventh Rank.

Originally, she had begged her grandfather and grandmother just to get the family to grant Xu Jin a Willow-Fluff Star Pattern above the Fourth Rank.

And the upper limit of her family's Willow-Fluff Star Pattern was only mid Sixth Rank.

Now, receiving a Seventh-Rank below pattern was already an excessive return.

Precisely because of this, Liu Qingzhu's status within the Liu family had skyrocketed.

She was now one of the decision-makers of the Liu clan.

In the distance, others had appeared in other Star Gate zones.

Those who entered the Sheng character Star Path passed through the fastest.

In the neighboring alien Star Gate zone, five had already passed.

Xu Jin's heart stirred; he waved his hand, and several streaks of starlight shot out in all directions.

BOOM!

An invisible spatial barrier appeared, blocking the starlight Xu Jin had launched in all directions.

The Star Gate's spatial barrier still existed.

This disappointed Xu Jin.

He had assumed that after clearing the first trial, the Star Gate's spatial barrier would vanish—and he'd take the opportunity to eliminate a few aliens first.

The three of them—himself, Dong Zhao, and Liu Qingzhu—could work together well enough to kill a Seventh-Rank.

Now, they could only wait.

In various Star Gate zones, people had begun passing through the Star Paths.

The Sheng character Star Path was the fastest—just step in and you're through.

Those who entered the Si character Star Path were instantly slain; those who entered the Chi character Star Path were expelled.

Those who entered the other four Star Paths were still struggling within them.

But it didn't last long.

After dozens of breaths, people began stepping out from the Zheng, Shang, Huan, and Jing character Star Gates.

The situation of the first trial gradually became clear.

The Zheng character Star Path summoned a phantom of equal strength to the entrant—defeat it to pass.

The Shang character Star Path unleashed a barrage of attacks from all sides—survive to pass, die if you fail.

The Huan and Jing character paths tested willpower or spiritual soul cultivation.

Those who passed could step through.

Those who failed either died or were expelled.

These four Star Paths still had those eliminated.

Suddenly, Dong Zhao and Liu Qingzhu's gazes sharpened, pointing toward the opposite spatial zone.

They had passed the Star Path and could see the conditions in the opposite star region.

It was Sun Fu, the peerless genius of the Tianyang Star Temple, whose Star Path had suddenly manifested a massive Si character!

The moment the Si character appeared, everyone's expressions turned grim.

Zhang Lin and the other Tianyang Star Temple geniuses even held their breath.

If Sun Fu died here, the loss to the Tianyang Star Temple would be enormous!

Sun Fu, as the Tianyang Star Temple's peerless genius, was destined to rise directly to Eighth Rank—a pillar of the sect.

Dong Zhao, Liu Feiyan, and Xu Jin all turned to look.

Their emotions were complex.

They hoped Sun Fu would meet disaster and die, weakening the Tianyang Star Temple.

But they also hoped he would survive.

If such a top-tier genius lived, he would become another key force against alien elites.

On Sun Fu's Star Path, the Si character transformed into terrifying starlight, strangling him from all sides, leaving him no escape.

But Sun Fu was utterly calm.

Flames erupted around him, like a terrifying sun, blazing to an extreme.

Vast waves of star energy exploded rapidly, striking each terrifying streak of starlight that strangled.

Attack as defense!

The flames around Sun Fu and the Si character starlight continuously flared and faded.

A Seven-Star Spirit Armor on Sun Fu's body also blazed with brilliant light.

Two breaths later, Sun Fu tumbled out of the Star Path, appearing in the second trial's space.

The moment he fell out, he spat blood profusely; the Seven-Star Spirit Armor on his body shattered into fragments.

The next instant, the other Tianyang Star Temple members who had passed surrounded Sun Fu, shielding him tightly, fearing attack from the Chen Guo Dao Academy, while mid-rank Star Healing light rose around him.

Xu Jin and the others would never do such a thing.

First, it would only make the aliens laugh; second, killing Sun Fu under these circumstances would surely provoke the Tianyang Star True Person to seek vengeance.

In all Star Gate zones, people were gradually emerging from the Star Gates.

This situation continued for half an hour.

After half an hour, starlight reappeared above the Seven Kill Secret Realm.

【The first trial of the Seven Kill has ended. Those who failed to pass will be expelled.】

The moment the starlight appeared, dozens of figures were blasted out of the Seven Kill Secret Realm as streaks of light.

【First trial of the Seven Kill completed. Successful passers: 1,453.】

【Second trial of the Seven Kill will open in one hour.】

The appearance of the starlight left Xu Jin and the others deep in thought.

Two thousand one hundred participated in the first trial.

More than thirty percent were eliminated.

Xu Jin first glanced at his own Chen Guo Dao Academy disciples: originally gathered at 64, now only 52 remained.

The elimination rate was close to twenty percent, but still under it.

On the Tianyang Star Temple side, originally gathered at 142, now only 99 remained.

A solid thirty percent eliminated. The neighboring Jin Zhu aliens had started with 169 participants.

After the first trial, only 121 remained.

Their elimination rate was also barely under thirty percent.

Thus, other Star Gate zones must have elimination rates far exceeding thirty percent.

The Chen Guo Dao Academy's eighty percent pass rate was thanks entirely to Xu Jin.

More importantly, among the eliminated Chen Guo Dao Academy disciples, very few had died.

Because few had stepped onto the Si character Star Path.

Other factions had far more deaths.

Notably, Xu Jin noticed that every Seventh-Rank who entered had passed—no Seventh-Rank had been lost in the first trial.

Even when encountering the Si character Star Path, they could break through with raw power!

This gave Xu Jin an idea.

It seemed certain aspects of the Seven Kill Secret Realm were not absolute.

Jin Zhu alien's Eighth-Rank Ju Xuan had also passed smoothly.

One hour later, starlight reappeared above the Seven Kill Secret Realm.

【Beneath the earth, beneath the stars, talent is supreme: understand the earth, understand the heavens, understand the Dao, understand the human heart. You who passed the first trial are all those destined by this True Person. If you possess sufficient talent, you will not leave empty-handed.】

【Second trial of the Seven Kill: Understanding】

In my early days traveling the small worlds, I cultivated a survival star technique called the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake. I now impart it to you all.

The Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake has four levels. Master the first level, and when facing a fatal crisis, you may substitute your death once and teleport a hundred meters away. Master the second level, and when facing a fatal crisis, you may substitute your death once and teleport a kilometer away. Master the third level, and when facing a fatal crisis, you may substitute your death once and teleport ten thousand meters away.

Master the fourth level, and when facing a fatal crisis, you may substitute your death once and teleport anywhere beyond a hundred li at will.

You have twenty-one days. Those who master the first level may pass and gain one chance to be reborn after being eliminated in the Seven Kill Secret Realm. Those who master the second level may pass and gain two chances to be reborn after elimination. Those who master the third level may gain three chances to be reborn after elimination.

Mastering the third level is already rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns; the fourth level is not required.

The second trial of the Seven Kill Secret Realm, Enlightenment, will open in a hundred breaths. Once opened, each space will display a demonstration of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake. During the period of contemplation, no attacks or interference against others are permitted.

Violators will be erased.

A countdown appeared instantly in the sky of the Seven Kill Secret Realm.

All participants in the realm now wore expressions of excitement.

A survival secret technique.

The Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake is an absolute survival secret technique.

Even if you do not seek the third or fourth level, mastering the first or even second level is a great fortune.

But to Xu Jin, though the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake was a survival technique, it was not as formidable as it first appeared.

First, the first level of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake seemed of little use.

Substituting death and teleporting a hundred meters away works fine against cultivators below the fourth realm, but for those above the fourth realm, a mere thought can carry them a hundred meters instantly, followed by a final strike.

Put humorously, it merely gives the enemy another chance to decapitate you.

Even the second level of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake offers limited benefit—enemies of the fifth or sixth realm can reach a kilometer away in one or two breaths.

But the third level of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake is truly powerful—ten thousand meters away.

A divine survival technique.

This Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake resembles the Blood Puppet technique Xu Jin learned from the Blood God's teachings, but the Blood Puppet technique is only equivalent to the second level of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake, and its crafting is extremely cumbersome.

After using it once, it takes days of effort to craft another Blood Puppet.

Now, the question is whether the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake is convenient to use.

Otherwise, to Xu Jin, it would be a useless dish!

Yet merely from the technique's description, its difficulty was clear.

The hundred-breath countdown vanished in an instant.

As the countdown disappeared, a textual summary of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake appeared above the secret realm, followed by a three-dimensional star pattern of flowing starlight.

Unlike the star patterns Xu Jin and the others had previously studied.

This three-dimensional Seven Kill Escape Dragon Star Technique pattern continuously evolved.

As long as you stared intently, finer details would emerge, and you could even become immersed within it.

Otherwise, merely presenting a star pattern would make it hard for most to even enter the door!

Yet even so, many participants, after studying the first display of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Star Technique, let out wails of despair.

How excited they had been moments before, now how utterly hopeless they felt!

Hard!

Too hard!

Fifth-rank star technique—of course it's hard!

This is still the first level.

The second level should be a sixth-rank star technique; the third level, likely a seventh-rank star technique or star pattern.

Xu Jin looked at it once and immediately analyzed and deduced its structure.

The Seven Kill Escape Dragon Star Technique appeared extremely difficult, but broken down, the first layer consisted of only five star patterns.

If broken down step by step, the difficulty would greatly diminish.

The first step—observing and deconstructing—was already difficult.

But for Xu Jin, who had deduced countless star patterns, it was easy.

After the first viewing, he had already deconstructed five star patterns.

What surprised Xu Jin was that among the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Star Technique, there was a space star pattern!

This was the second space star pattern Xu Jin had encountered, and it sparked his intense interest.

Just as he was about to study and deduce it, Dong Zhao's voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "Xu Jin, you are the unparalleled genius of Chen Guo. I looked at it once and could only discern that it breaks down into five star patterns—but even that requires considerable time.

If you manage to deconstruct it, I would be grateful if you would share your insights with others.

It would help more people pass.

Even if they cannot obtain the inheritance, they may still gain some benefit."

"Agreed."

Xu Jin fully understood Dong Zhao's request.

Dong Zhao was the commander appointed by the Grand National Master for this Seven Kill Secret Realm.

Moreover, all the disciples present were elite of Chen Guo; guiding them now would increase their survival odds in future battles.

In the next instant, Xu Jin immersed his mind into the Can Dou Tai Star Lamp, beginning to deduce and inscribe the five star patterns of the first level of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake.

The rank of the first level of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Stake was not high.

All the star patterns were below fourth-rank.

Thus, Xu Jin's research and deduction proceeded at great speed.

Each star pattern took no more than an hour.

After five hours, Xu Jin had fully researched and deduced the first level of the Seven Kill Escape Dragon Star Technique.

He then selected a low-grade star core and inscribed it casually.

He completed all this in just five hours.

Next, Xu Jin took out five blank star jade tablets and inscribed each of the five deconstructed star patterns onto separate tablets, then silently passed them to Dong Zhao.

Let Dong Zhao handle this.

Xu Jin did not wish to draw attention.

Seeing the star jade tablets Xu Jin handed him, Dong Zhao was startled and immediately whispered, "What does this mean? I haven't even deduced it yet—I estimate I'll need half a day just to deduce the first star pattern."

"Master, I've already deconstructed, deduced, and inscribed all five star patterns of the first level!" Xu Jin whispered back.

In the next instant, Dong Zhao, seated on the ground, widened his eyes and trembled violently, nearly leaping to his feet.

"So fast? All five are done?"

Astonished, Dong Zhao took the five star jade tablets, yet felt a flicker of doubt.

The next instant, as he immersed his mind into them, he froze.

His heart felt like it would burst with despair!

(End of Chapter)