Chapter 960 – Test
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Of the nine top grade saint artifacts, the Phoenix Blood Spear, the Sunpierce Sword, and the Sun Shooting Bow were of the highest quality. The Phoenix Blood Spear was faintly superior to the Sunpierce Sword; it could be considered the most powerful saint artifact here.
As for the ring, the necklace, the vestment, and so forth, because they were defensive or accessory types saint artifacts, their supposed value should be higher. However, due to fact that their quality was far inferior to the Phoenix Blood Spear, there was no way to compare the actual value.
On Lin Ming’s first attempt, he actually went toward the most precious of the nine top grade saint artifacts. How could this not cause everyone’s eyes to bulge out of their heads?
“That idiot, I estimate that he will last 10 breaths at most.” A lackey laughed out loud from behind Huang Yuegong.
“10 breaths is overestimating him too much. I think five breaths is his limit and his soul will also be damaged in the test, possibly affecting his future cultivation.” Another lackey guffawed. In front of them, Huang Yuegong only swung his fan, smiling without speaking.
“If his cultivation is affected, then it’s affected. In any case, rotten wood cannot be made into a carving.”
As the two lackeys bantered with each other, five breaths of time soon passed. Shortly after, 7-8 breaths of time passed. However, the light of the Phoenix Blood Spear only grew brighter, showing no signs of dimming down.
“Five breaths of time have passed already.” Jun Yunrue coldly said. While she did think that Lin Ming was a bit too reckless in going straight for the Phoenix Blood Spear, she wasn’t going to let Huang Yuegong’s hanger-ons belittle Lin Ming like this. After all, Lin Ming was someone that Fairy Feng placed in high esteem. Even if he couldn’t take a top grade saint artifact, taking a medium-grade saint artifact shouldn’t be a problem; he might even have a chance of obtaining a high-grade saint artifact. As for a top grade saint artifact, it wouldn’t be too unseemly as long as he could withstand the test for some time.
“Haha, it seems I spoke too soon. This Junior-apprentice Brother Lin really does seem as if he can last for 10 breaths of time.” The lackey that said Lin Ming would only last for five breaths of time laughed. But as he spoke, another two breaths of time passed. Ten breaths of time passed in total.
The lackey frowned. The words he had just spoke were tossed back in his face, and his complexion became ugly. However, following that:
11 breaths of time.
12 breaths of time.
13 breaths of time…
As time passed one breath at a time, the faces of the two lackeys became increasingly ugly. Someone that could stay in the dazzling light of a top grade saint artifact was indeed a top character. They would be able to at least enter Vermillion Bird Hall. This proved that Lin Ming’s talent surpassed the both of them.
Of course, compared to someone like Huang Yuegong who was even ranked in the upper echelons of Phoenix Hall, this sort of talent was still far from being enough. Huang Yuegong swung his fan and smiled, “You too have looked down on others too much. The junior-apprentice brother that Junior-apprentice Sister Jun brought here is quite good. After raising him a bit, it’s a settled matter for him to enter Vermillion Bird Hall; he even has some hopes of entering Phoenix Hall. At that time, he will be considered my junior-apprentice brother. I will help him out so that he won’t have to struggle too much. For someone that ascended from the lower realms, their vision, inheritance, and Concepts will inevitably be lacking.”
Huang Yuegong pleasantly smiled, casually taking the role of a senior directing a junior. He appeared open-minded as if he were a likable elder senior-apprentice brother.
Jun Yunrue said, “Then I’ll thank Senior-apprentice Brother Huang in place of Junior-apprentice Brother Lin.”
The disciple surnamed Zhang hurriedly added in, “Junior-apprentice Brother Lin is really lucky. With Senior-apprentice Brother Huang’s guidance, his cultivation will definitely soar.”
“Haha, no need speak such flattery.” Huang Yuegong smirked. As they spoke, 20 breaths of time had already passed.
20 breaths of time already faintly and steadily surpassed their expectations.
But it didn’t end there.
This was followed by:
30 breaths of time.
35 breaths of time…
Huang Yuegong looked up at the Phoenix Blood Spear in the sky, his eyes flashing with surprise. This ordinary martial artist from the lower realms was actually able to last inside the test for such a long time?
As for the two lackeys that were previously mocking Lin Ming, they were already stunned silent. Song Baifeng was also dumbfounded. He guarded Saint Artifact Pavilion for many years, and certainly understood just what lasting 35 breaths of time meant.
Saint Artifact Pavilion was in itself a spirit artifact. It could change the flow of time in its inner world, reaching degrees of 10:1 or even 100:1. Lin Ming was in the test for 35 breaths of time, but the truth was he might have already been tested for half an hour.
Even an ordinary Phoenix Hall disciple could only support themselves for around this period of time. This was proof that after reaching the Divine Transformation, Lin Ming would enter Phoenix Hall and become a true core disciple!
If Lin Ming could hold on longer, that meant he would have chances of obtaining a high-grade saint artifact. That was a high-grade saint artifact! Song Baifeng guarded Saint Artifact Pavilion for so many years, accumulating a great deal of wealth from extortion and blackmail, but he still didn’t have something as luxurious as a high-grade saint artifact.
This brat just rushed toward the Phoenix Blood Spear without a word. He thought this Lin Ming that ascended from the lower realms was a hot-blooded, stupid youth, but he never imagined he would really be so fierce.
“Junior-apprentice Brother is this strong?” The young disciples around Jun Yunrue glanced at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.
“No wonder Honorable Master values him so highly. Although he is someone that ascended from the lower realms, he is still far more powerful than we are.”
“Yeah. It’s 40 breaths of time already. Even if Junior-apprentice Brother Lin fails now, it’s still a result to be proud of,” Lin Junzhi said, her wide eyes filled with envy as they were glued onto that brilliant light in the sky.
“Not bad, indeed not bad. He is quite the good material.” Huang Yuegong swung his fan, a reluctant smile on his face. He was still able to keep his calm at this time. After all, he lasted in the light of the Sunpierce Sword for fifteen minutes. It was far from what the mere 40 breaths of Lin Ming could compare with.
As everyone was speaking, Lin Ming had already entered a vast white world.
Saint Artifact Pavilion was a world that had more worlds within. Of the 9999 saint artifacts within Saint Artifact Pavilion, each had their own individual world which differed in size depending on their grade.
The Phoenix Blood Spear world that Lin Ming was at was an especially large world. It was about the size of the Forsaken God Clan’s dimensional realm.
In the skies above this world, a huge face emerged. The skies for several hundred miles out gathered together to form this face. Lin Ming could feel a vast aura emitting from it, startling him.
He had only ever felt this type of atmosphere from Fairy Feng. However, Fairy Feng’s aura was far more formidable than the one from this massive floating face.
At this moment, the giant floating face opened its mouth, and a loud and endless voice poured out like a rolling thunderclap. “27 year skeletal age, peak fifth stage Life Destruction cultivation. Placed among the several hundred million disciples and subjects of Phoenix Cry Palace, this cultivation cannot be considered at the peak. However, it is still first class. Coupled with an unknown strength that resides in your body, you have earned the qualifications for me to personally test you.”
“You are Saint Artifact Pavilion’s temple spirit?” Lin Ming’s thoughts stirred as he asked this. The words of this spirit gave Lin Ming a new understanding into Phoenix Cry Palace. To have a peak fifth stage Life Destruction cultivation at 27 still couldn’t be considered at the peak. This meant that there were those at his age who had an even higher cultivation!
It had to be known that Phoenix Cry Palace was only one of the 72 palaces of the Ancient Phoenix Clan. Within the Divine Realm, the entire Ancient Phoenix Clan combined was only a grain of sand in a vast desert, simply not worth mentioning. From the looks of things, his own cultivation speed wasn’t anything special at all. But speed of cultivation didn’t fully represent one’s talent.
Lin Ming was a dual body and essence cultivator, and he also had the Heretical God Seed and Magic Cube within him. His foundation was extremely solid, his grandmist battle spirit neared silver perfection, and he even had a portion of the Primordius martial intent. All of this together made him someone that a normal genius of the Divine Realm couldn’t compare with.
Even facing the vast Divine Realm with the endless and infinite young heroic elites that gushed forth, Lin Ming did not fear any challenger!
“Young man, you are quite smart. Yes, I am indeed Saint Artifact Pavilion’s temple spirit. Or, to be more accurate, I am the artifact spirit. Saint Artifact Pavilion is a spirit artifact and I am the artifact spirit. You’re not bad at all. Not every trial challenger has the qualifications for me to personally appear, but you, you suffice. I will oversee your test and create a test suitable to your skeletal age. If you pass, you may take the Phoenix Blood Spear.”
As this massive face spoke, Lin Ming felt his surroundings suddenly change. He arrived above an endless sea of fire. The flames were limitless, infinite, extending to the endless horizons. The ground was an ocean of lava and in the skies were crimson meteors both large and small. The crimson meteors were bred from burning fire essence energy. They constantly grew in the skies, and once they gained enough size and strength they would fall downwards, bringing with it a trailing tail of flame. Once they crashed they would tear the earth apart, creating a limitless storm of annihilating fire!
This scene was quite familiar.
“This is the second world of the God Transforming Mirror – the space of annihilation. The world contains the second of the nine levels of Concepts within the Flame Laws – the Concept of Annihilation!
“Good. It seems you’ve entered the second world of the God Transforming Mirror before. I assume you did so during the second Ancient Phoenix smelting trial. However, the space of annihilation here is far more formidable than what you encountered at the second smelting trial. Prepare yourself to withstand the baptism of the Annihilation Laws.”
As the artifact spirit spoke, the massive face phantom slowly faded away. A several mile wide meteor that had been concealed behind this face rapidly plummeted through the fading face.
Bang bang bang!
Space trembled. If this several mile wide meteor fell onto the Sky Spill Continent, it would be enough to destroy a province and bring calamity to an entire nation. But now in front of Lin Ming, this was only the first attack!
Lin Ming grasped the Great Desolate Blood Halberd and pointed the halberd blade at the skies. Within his pupils, the image of phantom flames began to flicker, blazing and burning.
When Lin Ming as at Timeworn Phoenix City, he studied the Concept of Fire textures from the Burning Heaven Totem Stone. Now those textures reappeared within his mind one at a time. A trace of a mysterious Concept began to appear in his mind, as if he were gaining insights and faintly becoming aware of something.
Law of Annihilation, Chain of Stars!
Lin Ming roared out and the lava became a massive wave that rose 1000 feet into the skies. The blood halberd in Lin Ming’s hands was like a red divine dragon as it rocketed toward the heavens.
A 10,000 foot long beam of crimson light smashed into the red meteor. It actually pierced through the red meteor and crushed it to pieces!
Bang bang bang!
That several mile wide meteor was split into 7-8 sections, all falling to the earth. Although it’s might was still astounding, it wasn’t able to harm Lin Ming in the slightest.