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Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: The Zhou Clan’s Test

Lin Feng stood before the towering gates of the Dragon Sovereign Pavilion, his **Starforge Spear** gleaming under the Great Thousand World's vibrant skies. His cultivation had surged to the Heavenly Sovereign Realm, Initial Stage, powered by the Star Sovereign System 2.0, its **Infinite Energy Body** granting endless attacks without draining Yuan Power or stamina. With 420 Breakthrough Points (BP) and a debt of 50, Lin Feng's system shop, instant mastery, and disturbance detection remained his secret weapon, hidden even from Zhou Qingyue, his first wife, whose dual cultivation in the Blackwater Forest bound them through the Love Crystal's power. Driven to fulfill his vow to marry her, he now faced the Zhou Clan's trials, unaware of their ties to Zhou Yuan or the broader legends of Xiao Yan and Mu Chen. His only idol, Lin Dong, guided his ambition, the **Celestial Crescent Tablet** a spark of the Martial Ancestor's legacy.

The system pulsed: **[Mission: Pass the Zhou Clan's Test to Prove Your Worth. Reward: 400 BP, Saint-Tier Offensive Art—Starfall Barrage.]** Qingyue's words echoed—prove himself or die trying. The Dragon Sovereign Pavilion, the Zhou Clan's stronghold, buzzed with prodigies, its halls adorned with dragon motifs. Lin Feng, posing as a wandering cultivator, entered as a guest challenger, his lower-realm origins drawing skeptical glances. The Zhou Clan, ignorant of his bond with Qingyue, demanded he face three trials: combat, spirit, and resolve.

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### The First Trial: Combat

The combat arena was a coliseum of jade, packed with Zhou Clan disciples. Elder Zhou Tai, a Heavenly Sovereign Realm, Middle Stage elder, oversaw the trial. "Defeat our chosen champion," he declared, "or leave in disgrace." The champion was Zhou Hao, a smug disciple at the Heavenly Sovereign Realm, Initial Stage, wielding a dragon-scale spear. The system marked him as a disturbance target for his arrogance and sabotage of rivals. **[Disturbance Target: Zhou Hao. Reward: 50 BP.]**

Zhou Hao struck first, his spear summoning a dragon phantom. Lin Feng's **Infinite Energy Body** unleashed a relentless storm of **Shadow Star Thrusts**, each starlit arc undiminished. Zhou Hao's phantom faltered under the barrage, and Lin Feng's **Celestial Crescent Slash** shattered his spear, sending him crashing. The crowd gasped, Elder Zhou Tai's eyes narrowing. **[Disturbance Neutralized: 50 BP. Current BP: 470 (Debt: 50).]**

As Lin Feng stepped back, a familiar figure watched from the stands—Qingyue, her silver hair shimmering, her expression torn between pride and unease. She vanished before he could approach, her heart still wrestling with the Love Crystal's lingering love.

A minor villain emerged—Chen Yao, a Zhou Clan lackey at the Nirvana Realm, Peak Stage, who sabotaged challengers for bribes. The system pinged: **[Disturbance Target: Chen Yao. Reward: 30 BP.]** Chen Yao tried to poison Lin Feng's water, but **Starlight Sense** detected it. Lin Feng confronted him in the arena's shadows, using **Starlight Mirage** to confuse him and a single **Iron Star Fist** to knock him out. **[Disturbance Neutralized: 30 BP. Current BP: 500 (Debt: 50).]**

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### The Trial of Spirit

The second trial was a spirit array, a labyrinth of illusions testing mental fortitude. Lin Feng entered, his **Starlight Sense** cutting through visions of demonic beasts and collapsing stars. At the array's core, a spectral dragon tested his will, its voice echoing: "Why do you seek the Zhou Clan?" Lin Feng, driven by his vow, replied, "To claim my future with Zhou Qingyue." The dragon relented, impressed by his resolve.

As he exited, Xue Wuya's black mist flickered at the pavilion's edge, his Heavenly Sovereign Realm aura seething. "The boy grows closer to her," he muttered to an unseen ally, the Abyssal Monarch's plans intensifying. Lin Feng, unaware, sensed danger, his system silent on Xue Wuya's power.

The final trial—resolve—was a duel against a Zhou Clan elder's projection, a Heavenly Sovereign Realm, Middle Stage construct. Lin Feng bought a new skill: **[Starlight Nova (Offensive Skill, 150 BP). Instant Mastery Applied. Debt: 200 BP.]** His **Infinite Energy Body** unleashed **Starlight Nova**, a radiant explosion of starlit spears, shattering the projection. The system chimed: **[Mission Complete: Zhou Clan's Test Passed. Reward: 400 BP, Starfall Barrage. Current BP: 750 (Debt: 200). Cultivation increased to Heavenly Sovereign Realm, Middle Stage.]**

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### A Step Closer

Elder Zhou Tai, grudgingly impressed, allowed Lin Feng to stay as a guest, but whispered to aides, "He's a lower-realm upstart. Watch him." Qingyue approached Lin Feng in a secluded garden, her eyes conflicted. "You're reckless," she said. "My clan will never accept you. The Great Thousand World is no place for vows alone." Lin Feng smiled, unwavering. "I'll prove them wrong, Qingyue. I'll marry you."

She turned away, hiding a blush, the Love Crystal's bond tugging at her. Xue Wuya's shadow loomed, his next move imminent. Lin Feng's second and third wives, tied to Xiao Yan and Mu Chen, awaited in the upper realm's depths, their paths converging as the Abyssal Monarch's threat grew. With his **Infinite Energy Body** and Lin Dong's legacy, Lin Feng stood ready, his system a hidden star lighting his path to greatness.

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