The moment Lin Chen's words fell, the entire Black Wind Valley erupted with killing intent. Zhao Lei's face twisted with rage and triumph, and he waved his hand wildly, roaring at the top of his lungs. "KILL HIM! TEAR HIM TO PIECES! LEAVE NOT A SINGLE BONE IN HIS BODY INTACT!"
The pitch-black Foundation Establishment puppet floating behind him lit up with a blood-red glow, and a terrifying, oppressive aura exploded from its body. It moved faster than the eye could see, its fist wrapped in dense black spiritual power, slamming straight toward Lin Chen's chest with the force of a landslide. This was a full-power strike from a Foundation Establishment level killing machine, strong enough to shatter mountains and crush any Qi Refining cultivator into pulp.
At the same time, the eight peak 9th level Qi Refining geniuses rushed forward from all sides, their blades drawn, their spiritual power blazing. They activated the killing array they had set up around the valley, and the surrounding mist thickened, forming sharp wind blades that shot toward Lin Chen from every direction, cutting off any chance of escape.
Zhao Lei burst into maniacal laughter, his eyes blazing with malice. "DIE, LIN CHEN! YOU ARROGANT TRASH! YOU THINK YOUR FANCY SPIRIT ROOT CAN SAVE YOU NOW? NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW YOU DIED HERE! STEWARD ZHANG PROMISED ME A POSITION IN THE INNER SECT AS LONG AS YOU'RE DEAD!"
The surrounding geniuses laughed along with him, already certain of their victory. There was no way a Half-Step Foundation Establishment cultivator could survive a Foundation Establishment puppet, a killing array, and eight peak 9th level geniuses all at once.
But just as the puppet's fist was about to slam into Lin Chen's chest, the familiar cold mechanical voice rang in his mind.
[Ding! Special location sign-in triggered!]
[Location: Black Wind Valley Killing Array, facing Foundation Establishment level assassination attempt]
[Do you want to complete the special sign-in now?]
A cold, faint smile tugged at the corner of Lin Chen's mouth. He didn't hesitate for a second.
"Sign in."
[Ding! Special sign-in successful! Congratulations to host for obtaining:
1. Cultivation Base Breakthrough: Early Stage Foundation Establishment!
2. High-Grade Heaven-Rank Skill: Puppet Sealing Divine Art!
3. Special Item: Array Breaking Divine Talisman x1!
4. Special Item: Soul Locking Talisman x1 (can trap a person's soul to extract testimony)!
5. Spirit Stones: 200,000!]
Boom!
A boundless surge of pure, golden spiritual energy exploded inside Lin Chen's body, breaking through the final barrier between Half-Step Foundation Establishment and the true Foundation Establishment realm in an instant. His aura skyrocketed tenfold, his dantian forming a solid golden core of spiritual power, his meridians widening and strengthening to a level beyond mortal comprehension. He was now a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator, a realm that most outer sect elders of the Qingyun Sect spent their entire lives trying to reach.
At the exact same moment, the Array Breaking Divine Talisman in his storage bag activated on its own. A blinding white light exploded from his body, shattering the killing array around the valley in an instant. The sharp wind blades dissolved into nothingness, and the black mist cleared away completely.
The puppet's fist slammed into Lin Chen's chest a split second later.
Clang!
A deafening crash rang out, like a hammer hitting a divine steel mountain. The puppet's fist shattered into pieces on impact, the black metal flying everywhere. Lin Chen stood completely unharmed, the golden glow of his Chaos Golden Body wrapped around him like an impenetrable armor.
The entire valley fell dead silent.
Zhao Lei and the eight geniuses froze in place, their smiles gone, their faces pale as paper, their eyes wide with terror and disbelief. They couldn't believe what they had just seen. Lin Chen had not only shattered their killing array with a single burst of light, he had blocked a full-power strike from a Foundation Establishment puppet with his body alone, and even shattered the puppet's fist.
And then they felt it. The aura pouring off Lin Chen now was that of a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator, stronger than the puppet itself.
He had broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm in the middle of the ambush.
This was impossible. No one had ever broken through from Half-Step Foundation Establishment to the true Foundation Establishment realm in the middle of a fight, in the blink of an eye.
"W-what… what have you done?!" Zhao Lei stammered, his legs trembling, his voice filled with uncontrollable fear. He had thought he was walking into a sure kill, but he had just walked into the lair of a dragon.
Lin Chen looked at him coldly, and raised his right hand. The golden glow of the Puppet Sealing Divine Art wrapped around his fingers, and he flicked his wrist toward the broken puppet. A golden beam shot forward, piercing straight into the puppet's core. The puppet froze instantly, its red glow fading, and it fell to the ground with a heavy thud, completely sealed and useless.
In the blink of an eye, their most powerful weapon had been neutralized.
Lin Chen slowly lowered his hand, his eyes cold and sharp as he looked at the trembling geniuses. "You all came here to kill me. Now, it's your turn to pay the price."
He activated the Thunder Dragon Steps, and his figure turned into a flash of blue thunder, moving between the geniuses faster than they could see. Before any of them could even react, thin beams of blue thunder shot out from his fingertips, piercing straight through their dantians, one after another.
Shrill, blood-curdling screams rang out through the valley, one after another. The eight peak 9th level geniuses fell to the ground, their cultivation completely crippled, their faces twisted with pain and terror. In less than three seconds, all of them had been defeated, rendered completely helpless.
Only Zhao Lei was left standing, his entire body trembling, his face pale as a sheet, urine dripping down his leg. He had never been so terrified in his life. The trash he had mocked for weeks was now a Foundation Establishment powerhouse, someone he could never hope to stand against.
"P-please! Spare me! Lin Chen! Senior Brother Lin! I was wrong! I was just following Steward Zhang's orders! He made me do it! He gave me the puppet, the array, everything! Please! Don't cripple me! I'll do anything! I'll be your servant for the rest of my life!" He fell to his knees, kowtowing frantically, his forehead hitting the stone ground until it bled.
Lin Chen looked down at him coldly, no trace of mercy in his eyes. "You wanted to kill me, to leave my body in this valley for the beasts to eat. You don't get to beg for mercy now."
He flicked his wrist, and the Soul Locking Talisman shot forward, piercing into Zhao Lei's forehead. Zhao Lei screamed, his body convulsing, as the talisman trapped his soul, locking in all his memories of Steward Zhang's plot to kill Lin Chen. Then, a thin beam of thunder shot out from Lin Chen's finger, piercing through Zhao Lei's dantian, crippling his cultivation completely.
Zhao Lei fell to the ground, unconscious, his life as a genius over forever.
[Ding! Host has defeated the assassination attempt and completed the hidden mission!]
[Reward issued: 250,000 Spirit Stones, Full Access to the Qingyun Sect Core Treasure Vault, and a special upgrade to the Primordial Chaos Divine Body!]
A powerful surge of energy flooded Lin Chen's body, strengthening his physique even further. He could feel his Foundation Establishment cultivation stabilizing, his power growing even stronger.
Over the next two and a half days, Lin Chen traveled through the Qingyun Secret Realm, using his Treasure Seeking Divine Sense and the full map from his earlier sign-in to collect every hidden treasure, spiritual herb, and Qingyun Token in the entire realm. He defeated every powerful demonic beast in his path, seized tokens from arrogant disciples who tried to ambush him, and even found a hidden ancient cave with a set of heaven-rank cultivation techniques left by an ancient immortal.
By the time the three days were up, the giant portal back to the Qingyun Sect opened once again. Lin Chen was the first to step through, appearing in the testing square, his expression calm and indifferent.
The square was packed with the sect's elders and the remaining disciples, all waiting for the results. The moment Lin Chen stepped through the portal, all eyes locked onto him. Elder Li's face lit up with delight, while Steward Zhang's face turned pale with terror, his eyes darting around, looking for Zhao Lei and his group.
One by one, the remaining disciples stepped through the portal, followed by the guards carrying the crippled, unconscious bodies of Zhao Lei and his eight accomplices. The Grand Elder's face darkened instantly when he saw them, and the other elders whispered among themselves, shocked.
The Grand Elder stepped forward, his deep voice booming across the square. "The second round of the selection is now over! We will now count the Qingyun Tokens collected by each disciple! The top 100 will advance to the final round!"
One by one, the disciples handed over their tokens. The highest count among the other disciples was 127 tokens, from a genius from Black Water City, which earned a round of cheers from the crowd. Most disciples had between 10 and 50 tokens, barely passing the minimum requirement.
Then it was Lin Chen's turn.
He stepped forward, and poured a mountain of Qingyun Tokens out of his storage bag, piling up on the table in front of the elders. The entire square fell dead silent. The elders stared at the mountain of tokens, their eyes wide with disbelief, their mouths hanging open.
The elder in charge of counting stammered, his hands trembling as he counted the tokens again and again. Then he looked up, his voice shaking with shock, and announced to the entire square.
"Lin Chen… Lin Chen's total token count is… 1897!"
The entire square erupted into chaos.
1897 tokens! That was more than ten times the count of the second-place disciple! No one had ever collected even 500 tokens in the history of the Qingyun Secret Realm trial, let alone nearly 2000!
Elder Li burst into loud laughter, his face red with pride, while Steward Zhang collapsed to his knees, his face pale as paper, his body trembling uncontrollably. He knew that his plot had failed, and that Lin Chen had all the evidence he needed to destroy him.
The Grand Elder stared at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with awe and admiration. He stepped forward, and announced in a loud voice that echoed across the square. "Lin Chen takes first place in the second round of the selection! He advances to the final round, along with the other top 99 disciples! The final round, the life-or-death arena duels, will begin at dawn tomorrow!"
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers, all chanting Lin Chen's name. The disciples who had once mocked him now lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.
Lin Chen turned and walked away from the square, ignoring the stares of awe and admiration from the crowd. He knew that the final round was not the end. Steward Zhang had a powerful backer in the inner sect, and they would not let this go easily. The final arena duels would be another trap, another chance for his enemies to kill him.
But Lin Chen was not afraid.
Every enemy that appeared was just another stepping stone for him to grow stronger, another chance to gain more rewards from the Supreme Sign-In System.
Tomorrow, in the life-or-death arena, he would shock the entire Qingyun Sect once again.
His journey from trash to Immortal Emperor was only just beginning.