Chapter 213: Inherited Immortal Artifact, Stars As Chess Pieces
Within the grand hall.
Old Black Tortoise looked at Ning Qi with eyes full of hope.
He had awakened part of his inheritance memory and knew how glorious the True Martial Realm once was. But precisely because of this, he felt even more pained. If he didn’t know, it would be fine, but after knowing of even vaster heaven and earth, he could only be trapped in the Martial World awaiting death. That feeling was indescribable.
Time and again, he had watched the people of the Martial World enter the trial with hope, but without exception, they all failed.
He had already despaired.
This time emerging from seclusion was merely symbolically opening the True Martial Hall, yet he hadn’t expected to welcome Ning Qi as such a pleasant surprise.
Ning Qi nodded solemnly.
He had already understood the causes and effects. After knowing that the enemy they faced was a colossal entity like the Mountain Sea Realm, even though he had confidence in himself, he still hoped to seek any possible help. If he could obtain the True Martial Immortal Sect inheritance before his eyes, the hope of breaking the situation would naturally greatly increase.
He asked:
“Senior Mysterious Turtle, what exactly is the content of this inheritance trial?”
But he saw Old Black Tortoise slowly shake his head:
“I do not know the specific content.”
Ning Qi was stunned.
Hadn’t many trial-takers from the Martial World entered before?
Old Black Tortoise explained:
“Those who enter the trial, if they fail, will have all related memories erased.”
Ning Qi’s heart shook.
He then heard Old Black Tortoise continue:
“I do not know the specific content, but the inheritance trial is nothing more than those few items: comprehension, combat power, willpower. This is the trial standard that many Spirit Realm immortal sects use to select inheritors, and the True Martial Immortal Sect is no exception.”
Ning Qi slightly relaxed.
If that was truly the case, his chances were greatly increased.
“Young Ning, you must go all out and exhaust every effort to obtain a better trial evaluation. This relates to how much authority you can ultimately have over the True Martial Hall! The True Martial Hall is the inheritance immortal artifact of the True Martial Sect!” This was Old Black Tortoise’s hope.
His words fell.
Ning Qi’s pupils abruptly contracted.
Immortal artifact!
Anything that could be associated with immortals was absolutely not simple.
He had never imagined that the True Martial Hall was actually an immortal artifact. Even though Old Black Tortoise had said before that the True Martial Hall was now damaged, even a damaged immortal artifact far exceeded Ning Qi’s imagination and absolutely possessed extraordinary power.
At the same time.
He also grasped another piece of information from Old Black Tortoise’s words.
The trial evaluation was related to authority.
“In other words, if I cannot fully control the True Martial Hall, it will continue to select inheritors in the future?” Ning Qi asked.
Old Black Tortoise nodded:
“Naturally. The True Martial Immortal Sect wants the most outstanding inheritor. For example, if you only obtain a B-grade evaluation, you might only gain twenty to thirty percent authority. Afterward, you would also have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of selecting inheritors for the True Martial Immortal Sect until someone is fully acknowledged by the True Martial Hall.”
Ning Qi immediately understood.
This was the fire seed of the True Martial Immortal Sect.
Old Black Tortoise before his eyes, as a seed inheritor, probably also had a very small amount of control authority over the True Martial Hall. Some secret techniques regarding life poison and world will from the ancient era of the Martial World had likely flowed out from here. Otherwise, just relying on Old Black Tortoise, who could be considered ‘native-born’ in the Martial World, probably couldn’t produce such secret techniques.
Ning Qi rarely felt moved.
The inheritance of a hegemon-level immortal sect of an entire Spirit Realm, plus an immortal artifact—even placed in the Spirit Realm, it would be enough to make countless cultivators green with envy and frenzied. Even Integration Realm and Dao Integration Realm great powers would make a move.
Fortunately, they were now in the Martial World.
The Mountain Sea Realm also did not know that the True Martial Immortal Sect inheritance was hidden here.
Taking a deep breath, Ning Qi adjusted his emotions.
Under Old Black Tortoise’s encouraging gaze, he took a step forward, and his figure had already entered the light gate.
“You must succeed.”
Old Black Tortoise silently prayed. He stared intently at the golden portal, not daring to relax for a moment.
……
Ning Qi felt a powerful force surging around his body, as if detecting something. Then, the surroundings fell into darkness.
When he opened his eyes again.
He heard earth-shattering shouts of killing coming one after another. Terrifying auras made Ning Qi’s soul tremble. He had no doubt that the owners of those auras could send him through reincarnation hundreds of times just by casually blowing a breath.
Ning Qi looked over.
Immortal mountains thousands or tens of thousands of times more majestic than True Martial Mountain stretched out, with immortal mist swirling within. Spiritual waterfalls hung like inverted starry rivers, spiritual herbs and exotic flowers were everywhere, and countless spiritual beasts and immortal birds soared within. Even the faint figures of true dragons and heavenly phoenixes could be seen.
His breathing stilled.
Such an immortal holy land was now erupting in an utterly miserable world-shaking great war.
“True Martial Ancestor, surrender at once!” Two extremely terrifying figures descended, and everything around distorted. Ning Qi couldn’t even look directly at their figures.
Amid the myriad immortal mountains.
An equally terrifying figure stepped out.
Ning Qi similarly couldn’t see his form clearly, only vaguely sensing it was an elder with a majestic stature. The elder said nothing and instantly teleported heaven and earth, enveloping the two and taking them to a newly opened secret realm. There, he fought two alone, his aura overwhelming the heavens.
With these three gone.
The remaining experts were still extremely terrifying.
Ning Qi saw great powers grasping stars with one hand and smashing them into the immortal mountains, shaking heaven and earth; cultivators manifesting supreme supernatural powers, transforming into heaven-spanning three-headed six-armed giants that tore true dragons apart; and supreme experts setting up heaven-shaking great formations, summoning countless heavenly fires to incinerate the immortal mountains…
His mind and heart trembled.
The scene before him was truly too terrifying.
This was an utterly miserable cultivator great war, the Spirit Realm War!
One great power after another struck, their methods piercing the heavens, far beyond what the current Ning Qi could aspire to. And those cultivators swarming like locusts made one’s scalp numb—even the most insignificant small fry was stronger than Ning Qi.
He understood that the invaders of the Spirit Realm War were at least at Purple Mansion Realm cultivation at the lowest.
From the terrifying whispers around him, Ning Qi discerned the identities of the previous two.
“Mountain Ancestor, Sea Ancestor.”
His spirit shook as he already understood what the scene before him was.
“This is… the memory playback of the Mountain Sea Realm’s invasion of the True Martial Realm back then.”
Ning Qi’s emotions surged.
Hearing Old Black Tortoise say it was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes was another.
Miserable, magnificent, brutal.
This was Ning Qi’s impression of the Spirit Realm War.
“This is a struggle for the Dao—advance or retreat. If the True Martial Realm doesn’t devour others, it will be devoured by others.”
This thought arose in Ning Qi’s heart.
The war scene before him had gradually calmed.
He then realized he was in a starry sky.
A majestic voice resounded through the starry sky:
“As my True Martial inheritor, you must face this as enemy. Do you wish to proceed with the trial?”
Ning Qi immediately understood.
This was vaguely the first intangible trial: courage. After seeing the enemy so powerful, one could still continue the trial—at least qualifying as exceptional. But don’t think this choice was simple. The previous memory playback wasn’t a simple projection; it carried soul impact. Those terrifying auras were almost substantial, easily chilling Martial Saints to the bone.
In fact.
What Ning Qi didn’t know was that among the many Martial Saints in the Martial World who saw this scene, ninety percent didn’t even have the qualification to muster the courage to participate in the trial.
Fortunately, this was not difficult for Ning Qi.
“Proceed with the trial.” His mind had completely calmed.
Power wouldn’t make him fearful; it would only give him stronger motivation.
Given him enough time, what was an immortal?
As Ning Qi’s words fell.
The starry sky before him began to change.
He felt his vision infinitely rising, as if he had become a heaven-spanning giant. The originally massive stars instantly became minuscule, like… chess pieces one by one.
And on the distant opposite side of the starry river, a hazy figure seemed to stand with hands behind back.
Ning Qi’s heart shook.
“Is this using the starry sky as chessboard and stars as chess pieces for a match? Winning over the person opposite passes this stage? Or just enduring long enough?”
What a grand setup!
But the hazy figure opposite made Ning Qi even more alarmed. He vaguely felt this figure resembled the True Martial Ancestor from the previous scene.
At the same time, he noticed a massive stellar hourglass.
“Those who pass three stages may obtain True Martial Hall authority and inheritance based on performance. First stage, begin.”
The majestic voice reminded once, then completely vanished.
Ning Qi gazed at the star chess pieces ‘beneath’ him, pondering how to break the situation. With no hints, he could only explore himself.
“Could it be testing chess skills?”
As he pondered.
The hazy figure opposite waved a hand, and a star rumbled into motion. Under Ning Qi’s astonished gaze, that star instantly transformed into a heaven-spanning divine sword wreathed in frost, slashing over with astonishing power. Several stars on Ning Qi’s side were immediately extinguished.
“These stars… contain various immortal path spells or supernatural powers?” He instantly discerned the mystery.
Without the slightest hesitation.
His consciousness probed into one star, and Ning Qi perceived that it contained an immortal path spell named Golden Flame Spirit Blade. As long as he comprehended it successfully, he could activate it with the star’s power, erupting with supreme might.
“So, this stage is actually still testing comprehension? As long as one comprehends the spell or supernatural power in a short time, they can extinguish the opponent’s stars, not the chess match I thought before. Then… to achieve a good score, just enduring longer is better.”
“Even… if I extinguish the person opposite as well, I should achieve the optimal score.”
After figuring it out, Ning Qi smiled.
In terms of comprehension, he truly feared no one.
After stepping into the Martial Saint Realm this time, his comprehension had leaped in quality.
He had just perceived that the spells and supernatural powers in these stars didn’t exceed the Martial Saint Realm scope. They only became so terrifying due to the stars’ power amplification. Since so, he feared even less.
Boom!
Another star from the opposite side exploded, turning into a giant finger that successively crushed several of Ning Qi’s stars.
Ning Qi clearly saw.
The opposite starry river was surging toward his side. Once close enough, it would instantly overwhelm him.
He even vaguely sensed the indifferent gaze of the hazy figure opposite.
But he wasn’t panicked.
His thoughts sank into the star containing the Golden Flame Spirit Blade. Streams of spiritual insight surged in Ning Qi’s mind like a spring. After a dozen breaths, that star exploded with a boom. A spirit blade wreathed in golden flames soared to the heavens, successively cleaving four stars opposite.
The person opposite seemed astonished.
After a dozen more breaths, he pointed again. A star turned into a flame giant palm slapping toward Ning Qi’s side, but Ning Qi fearlessly met it. A star transformed into a golden-armored giant, tearing the flame giant palm apart.
He became increasingly adept.
Martial Saint-level immortal path spells posed no difficulty for him, especially after comprehending a few more. By analogy, Ning Qi’s speed grew faster and faster.
The two bombarded each other.
Stars fell one by one, supernatural powers manifested one after another. Ning Qi was not at a disadvantage at all and even vaguely gained the upper hand. From initially losing a few stars due to carelessness, now Ning Qi had gradually overtaken.
The smile at his lips grew denser.
While the hazy figure opposite was clearly very shocked.
He seemingly never imagined there would be such a monstrous prodigy who could exchange blows with him. After all, when this star-comprehending stage was set up back then, no one thought Mana Realm cultivators could pass; at most, evaluation was based on endurance time.
This was some ancestor’s wicked amusement back then.
But now.
Ning Qi completely broke the convention.
Star spells bombarded one after another. The stars before the opposite figure decreased at a slow speed, leaving him astonished inwardly.
But Ning Qi was not satisfied.
“Too slow, too slow!”
The next moment.
Ning Qi split his mind threefold, simultaneously comprehending spells in three stars: a heavenly demon sword qi, a spirit armor path soldier, a pitch-black fist seal. They appeared almost simultaneously, leaving the opposite figure seemingly dumbfounded.
The three spells blasted out, extinguishing the opponent’s spell and then sweeping away over a dozen stars.
This speed was fully over ten times the previous!
Ning Qi nodded in satisfaction.
“Still faster possible!”
He didn’t know what evaluation was needed for full control authority over the True Martial Hall, but he could only go all out.
Stars shone one by one.
Spells exploded in the starry sky one after another.
Ning Qi was having his fill, experiencing in advance the mighty power he currently couldn’t control, through this method.
Not only that.
Every spell here was extremely precious and powerful, making his foundation terrifyingly strengthen at an unprecedented speed.
Mind split fourfold!
Mind split sevenfold!
Mind split tenfold!
When ten stars simultaneously exploded, the hazy figure opposite was completely stunned, even forgetting to activate his own stars.
What the hell… what kind of monstrous prodigy is this!
As the hazy figure was stunned, his heart rarely surged with excitement. Could there truly be hope this time?
The stellar hourglass dripped slowly.
Ning Qi grew ever more exhilarated.
Unknowingly.
The opposite stars had been completely swept away by him, while Ning Qi’s side still had a vast starry river encircling.
“Senior, offense taken.” Ning Qi gave a salute, then commanded the starry river to crush over. The hazy figure, in astonishment, was crushed to fragments by the starry river. He never imagined that after this trial was established, he would one day experience such a feeling.
Ning Qi saw.
The hazy figure seemed to be smiling, with laughter gradually rising, echoing lowly in this starry sky.
Then the majestic voice appeared again:
“First stage passed, evaluation… surpasses top grade, unable to evaluate.”
