Divine Dragon Realm. The Celestial Palace.
The doors of the Time Chamber hissed open. A cloud of white steam rolled out, smelling of burnt time and ozone.
Jiang Chen walked out. He looked older—not physically, but in his eyes. He had spent Seven Years inside the chamber (Seven Days outside) cycling energy. He stretched his arms. His joints popped like firecrackers.
[Cultivation: Dao Sovereign (Level 1).] [Status: Stabilized.]
He had successfully broken through. He was now a Saint, an existence that stood at the peak of the mortal world. But he suppressed his aura immediately. To the naked eye, he still looked like a mortal scholar.
"System," Jiang Chen asked. "What is the situation outside?"
[Status: Critical.] [The Three Regions (North, East, West) have mobilized.] [Three 'Old Monsters' (Dao Sovereigns) are currently besieging the Twin Peaks Fortress.] [Shield Integrity: 40%.]
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. "Three Sovereigns? They woke up fast."
He stepped out of the palace, ready to go down and test his new power. But just as he reached the balcony, the sky ripped open.
Outside the fortress, the war was raging. The Blood Ancestor (North), Golden Arhat (West), and Abyssal Kraken (East) were pounding the Star-Steel barrier. "Break!" The Blood Ancestor roared, unleashing a river of blood. "The turtle shell is cracking!"
Suddenly, the world froze. A terrifying pressure descended from the Center of the Merged Map—the point where the Four Regions met.
RUMBLE.
The ocean boiled. The earth split. The sky turned purple. A massive landmass rose from the depths of the new central ocean. It wasn't just an island. It was a continent, shrouded in chaotic grey mist. Ancient ruins pierced the clouds. Broken swords the size of mountains littered the landscape.
[System Alert: Ancient Hidden Realm Detected.] [Name: The Fallen Emperor's Battlefield.] [Grade: Ancient Era (pre-Great War).] [Resources: God-Tier.]
Every cultivator on the battlefield stopped fighting. The Old Monsters stopped their attacks. Their eyes bulged with greed. "That aura..." The Golden Arhat trembled. "That is the aura of a Great Emperor! An Emperor who died during the Era of Chaos!" "An Emperor's Remnant!" The Blood Ancestor licked his lips. "If I devour that, I can break my lifespan limit!"
The Three Old Monsters abandoned the siege immediately. They flashed toward the rising island, desperate to be the first inside.
The Rejection
The Blood Ancestor was the fastest. He turned into a beam of blood light and rushed the island. "It's mine!"
BANG.
Just as he touched the grey mist surrounding the island, a golden barrier materialized. It didn't just block him. It swatted him away like a fly. The Blood Ancestor, a Dao Sovereign, was blasted backward for ten miles, vomiting blood.
"What?!" The Golden Arhat stopped mid-air. "A restriction?"
A massive stone tablet rose from the mist, displaying glowing red runes. The writing was ancient, but the intent was clear to all.
[THE EMPEROR'S PROVING GROUND] [Requirements for Entry:]
Cultivation: Minimum Golden Core.
Age Limit: Must be Under 50 Years Old.
Warning: Those above the age limit will be erased by the Laws of Time.
Silence. Dead silence.
The Blood Ancestor (3,000 years old) stared at the tablet. The Golden Arhat (2,500 years old) stared at the tablet. The Kraken (5,000 years old) roared in frustration.
"Under 50?!" The Blood Ancestor screamed, shaking with rage. "Impossible! Who reaches the high realms under 50?! This is a prank!"
In the cultivation world, a 50-year-old was barely a toddler. Most Golden Cores were 60. Most Nascent Souls were 200. Most Void Treaders were 500+. To find someone strong enough to survive an Emperor's Battlefield but young enough to enter... was nearly impossible.
The Opportunity
On the balcony of the Celestial Palace, Jiang Chen read the tablet. A slow smile spread across his face.
"Under 50?" Jiang Chen checked his own bone age. [Body Age: 21.] (He transmigrated young).
He looked at his disciples. Ye Kai: 19. Su Ling: 18. Wei Wu: 17. Little Black & Purple: Beasts (Age is counted differently, usually allowed).
"System," Jiang Chen laughed. "Is this a bug? Or is the universe handing me the win?"
[Analysis: The Emperor likely wanted to find a Successor, not an old fossil.] [This restriction eliminates 99% of the world's top experts.] [However, the Divine Dragon Sect's specialized training (Time Chamber) means your disciples have the strength of 100-year-old monsters but the bone age of teenagers.]
Jiang Chen looked down at the battlefield. The Old Monsters were furious, but they were helpless. They couldn't enter. That meant they had to send their Disciples.
But the Blood Soul Sect's "Young Geniuses" were barely Early Golden Core. The Vajra Temple's "Young Monks" were maybe Mid Golden Core.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen had 3,000 Elite Golden Cores and Three Holy Sons who were effectively Void Treading combatants (due to their gear and skills), all under 20.
Jiang Chen flew down to the Fortress Wall. The disciples bowed. "Patriarch!"
"The war has changed," Jiang Chen announced, pointing at the floating island. "The Old Monsters outside can't get in. They are too old. They are rotting."
"But we..." Jiang Chen spread his arms. "We are young."
"Elder Xing," Jiang Chen ordered. "You are over 50. You stay here and guard the Fortress. If the Old Monsters try to attack while I'm gone, activate the Turtle Shell."
"Yes, Patriarch." Elder Xing bowed.
"Ye Kai. Su Ling. Wei Wu." "Here!"
"Assemble the Elite Battalion (3,000 Disciples)," Jiang Chen commanded. "We are going on a field trip." "The Old Monsters want the Emperor's Treasure? We will take it right in front of their faces."
The gates of the Divine Dragon Fortress opened. But this time, it wasn't an army of 50,000. It was a small, elite force. 3,000 Disciples, all wearing black Star-Steel armor, riding flying swords. Leading them was a massive Black Warship (rebuilt from the Central Continent hull).
Jiang Chen stood at the bow of the ship. He looked at the Three Old Monsters hovering in the distance.
The Blood Ancestor glared at him. "You... you are going in?" He sensed Jiang Chen's bone age. Twenty-one. "A Sovereign... at twenty-one?!" The Ancestor felt like vomiting blood. "How?!"
Jiang Chen waved at them. "Don't worry, Seniors. I'll take good care of the treasure." "You guys just wait here and knit sweaters. It might take a while."
"YOU!" The Golden Arhat raged. "Send the disciples! Send every young monk we have! We cannot let him take the Legacy!"
The North, East, and West scrambled to assemble their "Youth Teams." But compared to the disciplined, armored, and monstrously strong Divine Dragon Elites, they looked like a ragtag militia.
Jiang Chen turned to the Floating Island. The barrier shimmered gold. "Let's go," Jiang Chen ordered. "Destination: The Ancient Battlefield." "Mission: Loot everything."
The Black Warship accelerated, piercing the grey mist. They passed through the barrier effortlessly. The Old Monsters could only watch in jealous rage as the Divine Dragon Sect entered the candy store, locking the door behind them.