Chapter 417: Ju Xuan

More and more people have passed the fourth trial, Heart Kill, but under Xu Jin's observation, the only one so far who has perceived the Divine Dao's True Meaning is Gao Jie Ju Xuan of the Jin Zhu barbarians.

This surprised Xu Jin.

It didn't make sense.

According to the information provided by the State Tutor, the Divine Dao's True Meaning was granted by the Ultimate Dao Emperor and the Founders of the Wood Spirit Palace and Sumeru Palace to their successors for ascending to the ninth realm.

Now it has been placed in the Seven Kill Secret Realm.

But if the Jin Zhu barbarians end up taking it, wouldn't that be a huge joke?

Wouldn't the Ultimate Dao Emperor and the two palaces' Founders be incredibly foolish?

Would the Ultimate Dao Emperor and the two palaces' Founders do something so stupid?

Absolutely not!

Xu Jin firmly believed this.

Thinking this way, Xu Jin became less worried.

Moreover, Xu Jin wasn't speculating blindly—he had grounds for his reasoning.

Previously, when Xu Jin was at the fifth realm in the Lanshan Star Region, he obtained two Divine Dao's True Meanings from the Star Deities, and to this day, he still didn't know how to use them.

Where to use them!

But the process by which he obtained them held extremely important reference value.

Xu Jin hadn't directly collected those two Divine Dao's True Meanings.

He had collected them through the Star Official's Seal.

Without the Star Official's Seal as a medium, Xu Jin couldn't have collected the Divine Dao's True Meaning at all.

Not to mention that drawing down the Divine Dao's True Meaning required many conditions, such as the statues of the Star Deities.

From this, Xu Jin inferred that the reception of the Divine Dao's True Meaning must involve other conditions.

It wasn't something you could just pick up like a stone once you spotted it.

If it were, Xu Jin estimated most of the Divine Dao's True Meanings would end up in the hands of the eighth-rank Ju Xuan.

His strength was right there.

That would be outright arming the enemy.

The Ultimate Dao Emperor wouldn't make such a mistake.

With this thought, Xu Jin reminded himself again.

Discovering the Divine Dao's True Meaning didn't guarantee you could immediately collect it.

He still needed to be cautious.

Suddenly, Xu Jin's heart stirred, and he directly transmitted a message to Mountain Head Dong Zhao: "Mountain Head, when you came, did the State Tutor give any instructions on how to collect the Divine Dao's True Meaning?"

"The State Tutor said you must pass the fifth trial, then activate your strongest source-type star pattern to sense it; when collecting, simply activate your source-type star pattern," Dong Zhao replied, his method extremely simple.

Xu Jin suddenly realized—he had entered too early; the State Tutor hadn't had time to brief him.

But such a simple method could still be figured out on one's own.

"Mountain Head, does the State Tutor know that barbarians can enter the Seven Kill Secret Realm? Aren't they worried the Divine Dao's True Meaning will be taken by the barbarians?" Xu Jin couldn't help asking his lingering concern.

As he spoke, he glanced at the eighth-rank Ju Xuan, clearly worried about him.

Mountain Head Dong Zhao paused, then laughed, "Don't worry—anyone can collect the Divine Dao's True Meaning, but barbarians cannot."

"Why?"

"The State Tutor said it's due to bloodline restrictions."

Xu Jin understood at once.

No wonder!

So there was this innate limitation—that must be the fundamental reason the Ultimate Dao Emperor and the two palaces' Founders sent the Divine Dao's True Meaning here.

With bloodline restrictions, even if the barbarians found it, they couldn't take it.

With this answer, Xu Jin felt greatly reassured.

When competing for the Divine Dao's True Meaning later—with others, especially the eighth-rank Ju Xuan—he needn't fight to the death.

Step back, let him fight for it—he can't take it anyway.

Then seize the opportunity to collect it later.

The elimination rate in the fourth trial, Heart Demon Kill, was extremely high.

Of the 210 participants in the fourth trial, over a dozen corpses had already been seen, including several sixth-rank cultivators.

These people were all too greedy.

They must have failed the fourth trial, used their substitute-death chance to re-enter, and failed again.

But most still had sense.

They simply chose to leave.

After an hour and a half, the fourth trial ended; among familiar faces, Xu Jin saw Ning Yuchan, Cui Jing, and Liu Qingzhu, but not Ying Ge or Ji Hongli, nor the Chen Guo Dao Academy prodigies like Wang Rusong and others.

They must have been eliminated.

But since he hadn't seen their corpses, that was fortunate.

【Seventh Kill Fourth Trial, Heart Demon Kill, concluded. 136 passed.】

Suddenly, starlight appeared in the sky.

Seeing this text, the elite who passed looked strangely composed.

Of the 2,100 participants, nearly ninety-five percent had been eliminated by the fourth trial—this elimination rate was too high.

Don't forget, these participants were already the top geniuses from all corners of the mortal world.

Xu Jin counted: among the 136, 124 were mortal humans, 12 were Jin Jiao barbarians.

At this moment, all combatants were within Xu Jin's spiritual sense range, and their cultivation bases were immediately clear.

Among the 136, there was one eighth-rank and fifteen seventh-ranks.

Of the fifteen seventh-ranks, four were Jin Jiao barbarians; two each from the Three Star Palaces and the Two Palaces; only one from Chen Guo.

Dong Zhao had already introduced them to Xu Jin.

Luo Shui Marquis Song Shoujie, one of the Three Kings and Seven Marquises of Chen Guo's top geniuses from many years ago.

Seventh-rank, fifth layer.

Sixth-ranks were even more numerous—most remaining participants were sixth-ranks, totaling ninety.

Fifth-ranks were rare, only thirty.

Fourth-ranks had been eliminated entirely.

The information for the fifth trial had not yet appeared in the sky.

But Dong Zhao glanced at the human cultivators and said, "All of you, the barbarians are now entering the fifth trial, which concerns inheritance. Judging from the current situation, the fifth trial is likely an open test.

All of you, after it begins, shall we first eliminate the external enemies?" Dong Zhao proposed.

Upon hearing this, Ju Xuan coldly glared at Dong Zhao; the mortal humans present also turned to him.

But Xu Jin secretly gave Mountain Head Dong Zhao a thumbs-up.

Mountain Head Dong Zhao had excellent strategic vision.

"Eliminating the external enemies first is indeed excellent! Why don't Chen Guo's seventh- and sixth-ranks go first, hold off the barbarian eighth-rank, then surround and annihilate the other seventh-ranks before focusing all firepower on the eighth-rank?" said Zhang Lin of the Tianyang Star Palace.

Dong Zhao had no reply.

If this strategy were executed, Chen Guo's forces would be completely wiped out.

He had calculated: eleven human seventh-ranks, all top geniuses from their respective factions, each capable of challenging higher ranks; though Ju Xuan was strong, six or seven of them could surely eliminate him at minimal cost.

In terms of sixth- and fifth-rank strength, the mortal humans held a clear advantage!

If they united, they could exterminate all the Jin Zhu barbarians at extremely low cost, then divide the Seven Kill Secret Realm among themselves.

But now, Zhang Lin's single sentence shattered any possibility of unity.

Dong Zhao had strategic vision, but he wasn't foolish.

Abandoning the fight for the Divine Dao's True Meaning would only make Chen Guo weaker in the future.

So after making the suggestion, he fell silent.

Watching this, the eighth-rank Ju Xuan of the Jin Zhu barbarians chuckled coldly.

To be honest, when Dong Zhao first proposed this, he had been afraid.

But now, he was no longer worried at all.

The Sacred Ancestor's teachings had said: mortal humans are many, but they forget righteousness for profit—unworthy of fear!

This was a living example!

Xu Jin silently observed the scene, feeling increasingly stifled.

They had let the barbarians laugh at them.

Just as he was furious, starlight flickered again in the sky.

【Seventh Kill Fifth Trial, Struggle!】

【The Dao of Heaven is struggle, the Great Dao is struggle; those who pass the fifth trial shall become my provisional disciples and receive part of my inheritance. I shall have ten provisional disciples.

Within the Seven Star Secret Realm, my youthful illusionary form shall wander; defeat my illusionary form to obtain the Seven Kill Token.

In three days, the Seven Kill Palace shall emerge; those holding the Seven Kill Token may enter the Seven Kill Palace and become my provisional disciples.】

Upon hearing this starlight message, everyone's expressions turned utterly astonished.

Compared to the third trial, the fifth trial was the true killing ground!

The true bloodbath!

At the third trial, many would use their death-replacement chance to leave.

But in this trial, even if they die fighting, most will still use their death-replacement token to respawn and continue fighting!

Fighting for less than one-tenth of the probability.

Others might still leave, but especially the seventh-rank strongholds, they won't depart easily.

They've all been sent with orders—Divine Path True Meaning!

The tasks tied to Divine Path True Meaning rest upon them.

Worse still, under this rule, teaming up becomes utterly impractical.

Because only by obtaining a Seven-Kill Token can one become a registered disciple.

If you team up and acquire one Seven-Kill Token, who gets it?

One misstep, and you turn allies into enemies.

Even plant the seeds of disaster.

Moreover, those of us at fifth and sixth rank are highly likely to become targets for seventh-rank hunters.

"Once it begins, survive first, then seek opportunities to fight," Master Dong Zhao sent to Xu Jin via soul-transmission.

The moment Xu Jin nodded, more stars appeared in the sky.

【The Fifth Trial of the Seven-Kill will begin in five breaths.】

A countdown appeared in the sky.

Instantly, the remaining hundreds each raised their star power.

But the most striking was the eighth-rank stronghold, Ju Xuan.

The instant the countdown appeared, his entire body erupted in starlight; in an instant, he transformed into a blinding golden-white orb, behind him rose forty-seven layers of golden star towers, and the golden horn atop his head blazed so intensely it seemed like a second sun, stealing all other stars' radiance.

This bastard was clearly holding back a massive technique.

The kind of super-massive technique.

Probably an area attack.

Instantly, those nearby panicked!

Even if it's an area attack, this is an eighth-rank stronghold's area attack.

Xu Jin calculated—he was not far from Ju Xuan, only about a hundred meters away.

Any sixth-rank stronghold's attack range was roughly a hundred meters.

Seventh- and eighth-rank ones were even worse.

Xu Jin weighed his options, raised his own star power, began fortifying his defenses, and fixed his gaze entirely on the sky's countdown.

The next instant, the moment the countdown hit zero, the invisible barriers before everyone vanished.

The instant the barriers vanished, the golden radiance accumulated for five breaths atop Ju Xuan's horn erupted like a flood in all directions.

The nearest sixth-rank was merely grazed by the golden light—and instantly dissolved into starlight.

At the same moment, a seventh-rank from the Cang Ming Palace, who was relatively close, fled instantly while spewing blood from his mouth.

As the golden light swept over, at least twenty vanished outright; within a hundred meters, two seventh-ranks were directly blasted by the star technique, grievously wounded and vomiting blood.

Shhh!

Amid the piercing shriek of displaced air, a streak of starlight had already appeared far away before the golden light reached him!

Fivefold Flash-Shift!

The one who fled instantly from the area attack was Xu Jin!

Ju Xuan, still channeling his full power, watched Xu Jin escape, feeling disappointed.

He had thought that at this distance, he could slay this human prodigy!

But no matter—there would be plenty of time ahead!

His true hunting time as an eighth-rank had just begun!

(End of Chapter)