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Chapter 60: Chapter 60 The First Place! New Record!
"Damn it! So freakishly fast!"
Tuoba Lie shouted furiously as Luo Cheng overtook him, pushing himself to chase at full speed.
"Sword Heart Realm!"
The delicate-looking young man fixed his eyes intensely on Luo Cheng’s back.
Both of them pushed their speed to the extreme.
Yet, they could only watch helplessly as Luo Cheng drew farther and farther away.
Soon, they couldn’t even see a trace of Luo Cheng’s shadow!
"This is way too fast! Could he have some kind of treasure that makes him immune to the Heart Refining Gorge’s effects?"
Tuoba Lie looked frustrated, thoroughly unwilling to accept the situation.
Tuoba Lie had assumed that, given his robust constitution, the top spot in the Heart Refining Gorge trial would be his without question!
The delicate-looking young man shook his head slightly, his crisp voice breaking the silence:
"Impossible! With Transcendence Realm cultivation, there’s absolutely no way he could be immune to the suppression of the King’s Will. If he had a rare treasure, the Xuanyuan Sect elders would have surely detected it."
"Then what’s going on here?"
"I don’t know."
The two exchanged glances and stopped talking.
Clearly, first place was now out of the question. At the very least, they had to fight for second place.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Both accelerated to their limits, rushing deeper into the gorge.
The length of the gorge was unknown. Luo Cheng sprinted wildly for nearly fifteen minutes before finally glimpsing a light ahead.
Inside the gorge, it was dim and murky. But outside, it was a completely different scene.
Outside was a vast, open valley, where colorful blossoms blanketed the ground and mist from the clouds radiated hues of rainbow light. Cranes and spirit monkeys echoed their cries.
The sky was a flawless blue, resembling a polished sapphire and utterly free from blemish.
In the valley, several Xuanyuan Sect elders, along with a dozen competitors exempted from the first trial in the Heart Refining Gorge, were present.
Qin Yuanfeng stood near a long-bearded Outer Elder of the Xuanyuan Sect, warmly engaged in conversation.
The middle-aged man with the long beard was none other than Qin Yuanfeng’s uncle, Qin Douyuan!
While chatting, Qin Yuanfeng periodically glanced toward the gorge’s exit, impatience flickering coldly in his eyes.
Before the trial, he had specifically instructed Lu Yan to "properly teach Luo Cheng a lesson"—to ensure he wouldn’t make it out of the Heart Refining Gorge!
Calculating the time, Qin Yuanfeng’s plan should have already come to fruition!
"This is the price of offending me. Blame yourself for your lack of self-awareness. Hmph!"
Qin Yuanfeng sneered inwardly.
Chirp!
Suddenly, a series of crisp cries resounded high in the sky.
A fierce gust of wind swirled as a giant bird, pristine white and stunningly majestic, resembling both an eagle and a crane, descended into the valley.
From the bird jumped down more than ten figures.
These people all bore a white cloud insignia on their chest, marking them as Outer Disciples of the Xuanyuan Sect.
"Why are you all here?"
Chen Xuan, the elder responsible for the examination, asked.
"Elder, we just completed a sect mission and heard today’s entrance trial had started. We came to watch the fun."
One of the Outer Disciples who was familiar with Chen Xuan answered playfully.
Chen Xuan replied, "You can observe, but don’t disrupt the examination."
"Of course."
The young disciple speaking glanced toward the gorge exit and asked, "Has anyone come through yet?"
Chen Xuan answered, "It’s only been the time of half a stick of incense. No one can be that fast. In past records, the quickest to pass the Heart Refining Gorge took nearly two-thirds the time of a stick of incense."
Another elder chuckled and said, "I wonder who will take first place this time."
Hearing this, everyone revealed their anticipation.
The Heart Refining Gorge is a test of a martial artist’s overall qualities and potential.
Generally, the faster one passes the Heart Refining Gorge, the greater their accomplishments tend to be in the future.
Huh!
Suddenly, Elder Chen Xuan’s eyebrows twitched.
At the same time, a figure rushed out of the gorge’s exit.
"Someone’s out!"
"So fast! It’s only been the time of half a stick of incense. They’ve broken the past record!"
"Hurry, check who it is!"
All the examining elders were stunned.
Passing the Heart Refining Gorge in half a stick of incense was unprecedented.
"It’s him!"
In the crowd, two people simultaneously reacted with shock.
The person stepping out was none other than Luo Cheng.
The moment Luo Cheng exited the gorge, he was dumbstruck by the breathtaking scene before him.
Ahead, mountain peaks stretched endlessly, with countless palatial structures faintly visible among them. Dense Heaven and Earth Essence Energy formed a mist, hanging in the air with countless rainbows enclosing the view.
Amid the drifting clouds and fog, even farther away were mountain ridges and palatial structures seemingly floating in the sky, like the legendary City in the Clouds!
"So this is the Xuanyuan Sect... It’s like a paradise!"
Luo Cheng couldn’t help murmuring in awe.
Such a vision—he couldn’t even have dreamed of it before!
"What is your name?"
Chen Xuan Elder and the other elders approached.
"Greetings, Elder. My name is Luo Cheng."
Luo Cheng responded humbly but firmly.
"Passing the Heart Refining Gorge in half a stick of incense, you’ve set a new record."
Elder Chen Xuan nodded with a smile.
Passing the Heart Refining Gorge at such speed implied he would soon rise to prominence among the Outer Disciples.
Of course, his future success would still depend on personal opportunities and Martial Soul talent.
Luo Cheng was taken aback—a new record?
Had he not been initially lax and momentarily blocked by Lu Yan, his speed could have been 30% greater!
Suddenly, an angry voice cut through the chatter.
"Luo Cheng, where’s Lu Yan?"
Qin Yuanfeng stepped forward with a livid expression, his eyes locked onto Luo Cheng.
He had never imagined the first to emerge from the Heart Refining Gorge would be Luo Cheng, unscathed!
"I don’t know."
Luo Cheng’s tone remained indifferent.
"You!"
Qin Yuanfeng clenched his fists, barely able to suppress his fury.
"Yuanfeng, what’s wrong?"
Qin Douyuan asked softly.
"Uncle..." Qin Yuanfeng exhaled deeply and explained his scheme briefly.
After hearing this, Qin Douyuan laughed, "He’s probably lost somewhere in the Heart Refining Gorge. Don’t worry. In the Xuanyuan Sect, there’ll be plenty of chances to settle scores like this."
Qin Yuanfeng nodded at the logic but looked at Luo Cheng with renewed hostility.
Soon, two more figures came out of the gorge, one ahead and the other following close behind.
Tuoba Lie and the delicate-looking young man had arrived.
"Haha, kid, you lost!"
Tuoba Lie came out first, proudly taunting the young man behind him.
The young man scowled and retorted, "Only by a step! You’re not first anyway!"
Tuoba Lie was rendered speechless by this comeback.
"Excellent! Congratulations to both of you for passing! What are your names?"
Elder Chen Xuan was very pleased.
This year’s batch of disciples was turning out far better than expected.
One person had broken previous records with unprecedented speed, while the other two demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving results that would have been considered top-notch in prior trials.
"Haha! Tuoba Lie!"
"Ling Chulan!"
Hearing Tuoba Lie’s name, Elder Chen Xuan’s eyes briefly flickered with an unusual expression that quickly vanished.
"Amazing! The talent of this batch of examinees is remarkable. Passing the Heart Refining Gorge in half a stick of incense is unheard of—this will shock a lot of people."
"The other two aren’t simple either. Tuoba Lie has a blood vitality as strong as a dragon, clearly a Body Refining Master! I wonder how he compares to Senior Brother Duan."
"Comparing him to Senior Brother Duan is overestimating him! This is just the first trial. Whether they can pass the subsequent stages is still uncertain."
The observing Outer Disciples erupted into heated discussions, voicing differing opinions.
Only one person remained silent, his piercing gaze fixated on Luo Cheng.
Luo Cheng noticed.
It was a sharp-eyed, fair-faced youth.
Luo Cheng didn’t know him and didn’t pay much attention.
Soon, a full stick of incense passed.
Luo Cheng surveyed the surroundings and found that only around 400 to 500 people had successfully passed the Heart Refining Gorge!
Out of over 10,000 participants, only several hundred had made it through—a brutal elimination rate!
And this was only the first trial!
Those injured within the Heart Refining Gorge were carried out as well: a total of one to two hundred, with 40 to 50 severely injured and 13 killed.
Neither Elder Chen Xuan nor the others seemed to care; they merely arranged treatments for the wounded.
After all, these individuals had yet to become Xuanyuan Sect disciples. More importantly, the Sect was no haven of peace; it was a far harsher world. Flowers too fragile to endure storms inevitably wilt sooner or later.
"Lu Yan!"
Qin Yuanfeng spotted Lu Yan and rushed forward to find him severely injured. His shocked voice rang out:
"What happened? Who hurt you?"
Lu Yan’s entire skeletal structure was shattered, rendering him incapable of speech. All he could do was glare in the direction of Luo Cheng.
