The moment the second trial concluded, space folded around Lin Sheng once again.
Unlike the previous teleportations, however...
This one felt different.
He couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet.
Nor could he sense any walls.
Even his perception field seemed to lose its target.
Darkness.
Absolute darkness.
There was no light.
No sound.
No direction.
His body felt as though it floated endlessly through an empty void.
Even time itself seemed to lose meaning.
Lin Sheng instinctively spread his perception.
Nothing.
His Mental Field, which normally extended hundreds of meters, seemed to vanish into an endless abyss without touching anything.
For the first time since entering the Array Centre...
A trace of caution appeared in his eyes.
Then—
The ancient voice returned.
Its tone was far deeper than before.
Far more solemn.
---
"Congratulations."
"Successor Candidate."
"You have completed the first and second trials with exceptional efficiency."
A brief silence followed.
Then the voice became noticeably heavier.
---
"However..."
---
The single word echoed throughout the endless darkness.
Even Lin Sheng unconsciously straightened.
---
"The third trial..."
"...is unlike the previous two."
"Failure..."
"...may result in death."
---
Lin Sheng's expression immediately changed.
Death?
The previous trials had merely tested knowledge and comprehension.
Yet now...
The trial could actually kill him?
The voice continued.
---
"As recognition of your outstanding performance..."
"...you have earned the right to withdraw."
"Should you choose to leave now..."
"...you shall safely depart."
"You will retain several rewards corresponding to your completed trials."
"Your life shall be preserved."
The darkness remained silent.
Then...
The voice spoke once more.
---
"Or..."
"...you may continue."
---
Lin Sheng almost answered immediately.
"I choose to—"
He stopped.
Leave.
That had almost been his answer.
Surviving was always more important than gambling.
Especially when the success rate was unknown.
He slowly became silent.
His thoughts rapidly circulated.
Rank-4 formation knowledge...
Without it...
His plans regarding the Cross-Continental Teleportation Formation would become drastically more difficult.
Even with the Chip...
Missing the foundational inheritance of a Grandmaster would significantly delay his progress.
He remained silent for several breaths before finally speaking.
"What..."
"...is the survival rate?"
The ancient voice answered immediately.
---
"Twenty-five percent."
---
Lin Sheng's pupils contracted.
One in four.
That wasn't encouraging.
It meant...
Three out of every four challengers had failed.
Or died.
He frowned deeply.
"What exactly is the third trial?"
Silence.
Several breaths later...
The ancient voice answered.
---
"Ordinarily..."
"...revealing trial content violates the inheritance rules."
A pause followed.
---
"However..."
"Your performance exceeded expectations."
"An exception may be granted."
Lin Sheng quietly listened.
The voice slowly continued.
---
"The third trial..."
"...is a test of Spiritual Power."
---
Spiritual Power?
His expression immediately became thoughtful.
The voice continued explaining.
---
"Rank-4 formations differ fundamentally from Rank-3 formations."
"Knowledge alone is insufficient."
"Comprehension alone is insufficient."
"Without sufficiently powerful Spiritual Power..."
"...one cannot manipulate Grandmaster formations."
"Therefore..."
"...only those possessing exceptional Spiritual Strength may inherit Rank-4 formation knowledge before reaching Golden Core."
The explanation finally ended.
Lin Sheng immediately asked another question.
"What cultivation realm may participate?"
The voice answered calmly.
---
"Foundation Establishment."
"Only Foundation Establishment cultivators may undertake the Third Trial."
---
Lin Sheng froze briefly.
Then...
He suddenly understood something.
Qin Fenxing.
That fool...
His original plan had been to leave the secret realm.
Break through to Purple Palace.
Return a century later through the back entrance.
Then challenge the inheritance.
Lin Sheng slowly shook his head.
"He never knew..."
"...there was a cultivation restriction."
Purple Palace cultivators...
Were automatically disqualified.
Meaning...
Had Qin Fenxing succeeded in his original plan...
He would've permanently lost the opportunity to inherit the Rank-4 legacy.
He would've waited one hundred years...
Only to discover the inheritance rejecting him.
Quite unfortunate.
Yet...
Also rather foolish.
Lin Sheng quietly fell into thought.
The surrounding darkness remained perfectly silent.
No pressure.
No urging.
The inheritance patiently waited for his answer.
Time slowly passed.
One hour.
Then another.
Finally...
Nearly several hours had elapsed.
Throughout that time...
Lin Sheng continuously evaluated every possibility.
The Chip simultaneously calculated countless scenarios.
---
Risk Assessment Running...
Known Information Insufficient
Unable to Calculate Exact Survival Probability
---
Lin Sheng frowned.
Even the Chip couldn't provide a definitive answer.
He slowly reviewed everything once more.
Knowledge.
Comprehension.
Spiritual Power.
Suddenly...
A thought appeared.
His Mental Realm.
Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed Spiritual Power corresponding roughly to their cultivation.
Late Foundation Establishment...
Peak Foundation Establishment...
Even then...
Their Spiritual Power remained below his own.
After all...
His consciousness had been strengthened repeatedly through the Chip.
His Mental Realm had already surpassed ordinary Foundation Establishment experts.
Even Purple Palace cultivators would find it difficult to suppress him mentally.
The more he thought...
The more his confidence increased.
He slowly exhaled.
Then looked into the endless darkness.
"I've decided."
The ancient voice remained silent.
Lin Sheng spoke firmly.
"I accept."
"I will undertake the Third Trial."
The darkness trembled slightly.
Then...
The ancient voice echoed one final time.
---
"Very well."
"Successor Candidate..."
"...prepare yourself."
"The Third Trial..."
"...begins now."
The moment the ancient voice declared the beginning of the third trial, Lin Sheng felt an overwhelming force seize both his body and consciousness.
Space twisted.
His vision blurred.
The sensation was identical to being thrown through a teleportation formation, yet strangely different.
This time...
It wasn't merely his body being displaced.
His consciousness itself seemed to be dragged elsewhere.
...
When his vision finally cleared, warm sunlight greeted him.
A gentle breeze drifted across endless fields of emerald grass.
The air carried the fragrance of blooming flowers.
Birds sang peacefully in the distance.
Everything appeared unbelievably serene.
Lin Sheng slowly looked around.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Scattered throughout the meadow were dozens of breathtaking women.
Each possessed flawless jade-like skin.
Their delicate figures were barely concealed beneath thin silk drapes that fluttered gently in the wind.
Their laughter resembled silver bells.
Upon noticing his arrival, they all smiled brightly.
One after another...
They rose gracefully before walking toward him.
"He finally came."
"We've been waiting..."
"So handsome..."
Soft giggles echoed around him.
Before long, they had surrounded him completely.
One gently rested her hand upon his shoulder.
Another traced a finger across his chest.
A third leaned close enough for him to smell the faint fragrance of flowers upon her body.
Their beautiful eyes brimmed with affection.
Their voices were sweet enough to melt ordinary men's hearts.
Yet...
Lin Sheng simply stared at them.
His expression remained completely calm.
Ridiculous.
That single word surfaced within his mind.
His Mental Realm had already undergone countless temperings.
His will had been forged through years of cultivation, constant Chip-assisted deduction, and repeated brushes with death.
This...
Was nothing more than a low-grade mental illusion.
He slowly closed his eyes.
Then—
Boom!
An invisible wave erupted from his sea of consciousness.
His immense mental power exploded outward like a tidal wave.
Crack!
The smiling women froze instantly.
Their beautiful bodies shattered like fragile mirrors.
The surrounding meadow split apart.
The sky fractured.
Mountains crumbled.
The entire illusion collapsed into countless fragments.
Lin Sheng calmly opened his eyes.
"I almost expected something more impressive."
The broken world completely disintegrated.
Darkness swallowed everything.
...
A moment later—
Another scene appeared.
This time...
His pupils contracted ever so slightly.
He stood inside a familiar metallic corridor.
Cold white lights illuminated the walls.
Countless control panels quietly operated nearby.
He slowly lowered his head.
The clothing upon his body...
Was no longer a cultivator's robe.
Instead...
It was the standard exploration uniform of humanity's Stellar Federation.
The uniform from...
His previous life.
Lin Sheng silently looked around.
Everything had been perfectly recreated.
Even the smallest scratches upon the metal walls.
Even the faint vibration beneath his feet.
The bridge.
The observation windows.
The navigation consoles.
Everything matched his memories exactly.
He slowly walked toward the central control platform.
Outside the enormous viewing window...
An endless sea of stars stretched across the universe.
Magnificent.
Beautiful.
Lonely.
A memory surfaced naturally.
The Great Exploration Project.
Humanity's grand ambition.
Officially...
It existed to expand civilization.
To discover new worlds.
To chart unknown galaxies.
To secure humanity's future among the stars.
Unofficially...
Lin Sheng had understood long ago what it truly represented.
Another means for those standing above society to accumulate even greater wealth.
The explorers risked their lives.
The powerful harvested the rewards.
Nothing had truly changed.
Whether cultivation world...
Or technological civilization...
Power always flowed upward.
Lin Sheng sighed softly.
"So even this..."
"...has become material for the illusion."
He quietly observed the familiar bridge.
His expression remained peaceful.
There was nostalgia.
But no attachment.
His previous life had ended.
This life...
Belonged to Lin Sheng.
Slowly...
He raised his right hand.
His vast Mental Power gathered once more.
"You chose the wrong memory."
Boom!
His consciousness erupted again.
The entire spacecraft immediately trembled violently.
Warning lights flashed.
The walls cracked.
Stars outside the window distorted unnaturally.
Reality itself began collapsing.
Crack...
Crack...
Crack...
The bridge split apart into countless fragments.
The illusion shattered piece by piece before exploding into endless darkness.
This time...
Lin Sheng did not immediately move.
Instead...
His perception instinctively locked onto something.
Hidden behind the collapsing illusion...
A presence.
It was watching him.
The darkness slowly receded.
Within the endless void...
A figure gradually revealed itself.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Exceptionally thin.
Dark skin seemed almost fused with the surrounding shadows.
Two curved horns extended backward from its forehead.
Its fingers ended in razor-like claws.
Most unsettling...
Were its eyes.
They glowed with an eerie crimson light.
The instant Lin Sheng met its gaze—
An overwhelming pressure descended upon his sea of consciousness.
Black demonic qi continuously seeped from the creature's body.
Ancient.
Corrupted.
Malevolent.
A single word surfaced instinctively within Lin Sheng's mind.
Demon.