Sovereign of the Three Realms

Jiang Chen turned in his answer on the fifteenth day and successfully passed the test. He had been the fastest among the young lords in the first and second obelisk test. The outside world had waited in anticipation for his next achievement. Unfortunately, it took him until the fifteenth day to pass the third test. This greatly diminished the crowd’s enthusiasm.

“It seems that young lord Zhen is still limited by his cultivation level. His observation skills isn’t up to par for the analytical test.”

“Heh. That’s to be expected right? How can the other geniuses compete if he excels at everything?”  

Emperor Peafowl smiled without saying a word. He didn’t seem fazed by the results. In fact, he suspected that Jiang Chen had taken such a long time on purpose. Of course, nobody could really know for sure as Jiang Chen hadn’t emerged yet. The three obelisk tests were merely a preliminary test, but some were already eliminated at this stage. Six cultivators from the Ranking of Young Lords failed to pass the test within half a month and were given the boot.

Ji San also exhibited some potential. It only took him thirteen days to finish all three obelisk tests. He was ranked twelfth among the geniuses who made into the secret quadrant, while Jiang Chen’s rank wasn’t a true reflection of his abilities.

A voice sounded in the ears of the geniuses who had passed the three Veluriyam Obelisk tests.

“Candidates may now choose to continue or give up the challenge. If you give up, you’re allowed to cultivate in peace until your time limit is up. If you continue, you are given an opportunity to increase your time limit in the pagoda.

“You’ll be given an extra month if you pass the fourth obelisk test within fifteen days. An addition of three months is given if you pass the fifth test, six months if you pass the sixth test, one year if you pass the seventh test, and two years if you pass the eighth test. However, if you manage to pass the ninth obelisk test, you’ll be given an opportunity to enter the Six Palaces of Heritage in tandem with another two years in the pagoda.

“The Six Palaces of Heritage is the vital core of Veluriyam main pagoda. If a genius inherits the legacy within the palaces, his abilities will be recognized by the pagoda, making him the next master of the pagoda. There are three secret realms within Veluriyam Pagoda, but the realm of heritage is most vital to the pagoda. The Six Palaces of Heritage contains the core legacies of the secret realm.” 

The Six Palaces of Heritage? The hearts of everyone present began to palpitate, including Jiang Chen. Emperor Peafowl had told him about the cavern-like nature of the pagoda. It was an enormous quadrant filled with secrets of unfathomable depth. Not even the ancients had ever explored the pagoda in full. No one truly understood the Veluriyam Pagoda. Not even a great legend like Emperor Peafowl had been able to conquer the pagoda in his youth. This was a testament to its mysteriousness and strength.

“Some of you might be curious about the Six Palaces of Heritage. Frankly, it doesn’t appear at every Veluriyam Pagoda Gathering. It only appears when the pagoda senses a great change of fates of the heaven and earth. It has only appeared three times throughout the history of the pagoda.”

This piqued Jiang Chen’s curiosity. How did the voice know that this was the third appearance of the Six Palaces of Heritage, as the voice had obviously obviously implemented since the ancient pagoda was first built?  However, it didn’t take long for him to understand why. The pagoda was designed so that every single step and every single detail was automatically controlled by a formation. Jiang Chen was in awe once he realized this. What a monstrous formation. The amount of minute detail within this formation is simply unimaginable.

Jiang Chen wasn’t unfamiliar with formations. He’d become quite adept in the art of formations after he inherited the Ancient Crimson Heavens Sect’s legacy. This was the exact reason why he knew how difficult it was to realize every single detail found within the pagoda. The progenitor who built the Veluriyam Pagoda must be an extraordinary being. The common empyrean cultivator would never be able to build such a miraculous quadrant. Jiang Chen even suspected that the progenitor of this quadrant had a cultivation beyond that of the empyrean realm. But this was nothing but conjecture.

“Remember, you must conquer all nine obelisk tests to enter the Six Palaces of Heritage. The tests have to be done in a sequential manner. You are not allowed to skip any of the tests. If you manage to enter the Six Palaces of Heritage, you shall gain an opportunity that nobody else will ever receive: a second admission to the Verluriyam Pagoda. Once you’ve entered the first palace, you shall be granted a second admission to the pagoda, even if you failed the first palace test. You will also be granted one more admission with every subsequent palace you enter. Once you’ve entered the sixth palace, you shall be granted three more admissions.

“Do not think that this is absurd. Those who find their way into the Six Palaces of Heritage will all be seen as future lords of Veluriyam Capital. Geniuses like these will only be seen once in every thirty to fifty thousand years. It is only natural that they would be granted a few more admissions to the pagoda.” The voice continued to speak indifferently. “The Six Palaces of Heritage has appeared for third time because it has sensed a great change in the heaven and earth. There is someone among you with a great destiny ahead. It could be a single person, it could be two people, or it could even be a group of people.  

The geniuses were flabbergasted. A second opportunity to enter the Veluriyam Pagoda? More admissions for every subsequent palace entered? And three when one reaches the sixth palace? This overturned everything they knew about the Veluriyam Pagoda! This was information that the seven great emperors weren’t even aware of! Didn’t he say that the Six Palaces of Heritage has appeared thrice in history? Why wasn’t this information passed down the generations?

“If you find this strange, it’s because all information of the Six Palaces of Heritage is kept an absolute secret. If you failed to qualify for an entry into the palace, all memories of it will be wiped off from your mind when you leave. This is why information regarding the palace has never been brought to light.” The voice quickly answered the questions within everybody’s mind.

Jiang Chen was still at a loss for words. The person who designed the Veluriyam Pagoda had done so with extreme prudence. Everything was calculated. No detail was left unchecked.

“Alright, you may now make your choice. The extra time given as prize for taking on the Veluriyam Obelisk challenge may seem extremely tempting, but please keep in mind that you will be ejected from the quadrant if you fail any of the tests. Also, all memory of the Six Palaces of Heritage will be wiped from your mind.”

Many were in a dilemma. Were they going to continue the challenge? Or were they going to take the safe path and cultivate until the time limit was up?

Jiang Chen had no need to mull over such decisions. The challenge was much more attractive to him than anything else. He was filled with enthusiasm. He felt compelled to explore the entire pagoda. He didn’t have enough information about the Divine Abyss Continent to link it to the world from his previous life. There were simply no leads. It was evident that the pagoda was no common secret realm. He was convinced that this was his chance. Maybe… the pagoda has traces of ancient secrets that I can use as a lead? He was resolute. He must proceed with the obelisk test.

“Brother, are yo-… are you going to take on the fourth obelisk challenge?” Ji San noticed that Jiang Chen was walking towards the fourth obelisk.

Jiang Chen nodded. “Brother Ji, what about you?”

Ji San grit his teeth. “I will make the gamble as well. The obelisk test will no doubt be equally as rewarding as a peaceful cultivation. I will be ejected from the quadrant if I fail, but rich rewards have always come with an equal danger. How can I expect big rewards without first taking big risks?

Jiang Chen was fond of Ji San’s fighting spirit. “A daring attitude is required to walk the path of martial dao.” 

Ji San now looked to Jiang Chen for all advice and opinion. He could refine the true dragon blood even if he was ejected from the Veluriyam Pagoda anyways. However, entering the main pagoda was a once in a lifetime event. He possessed some ambition for the Six Palaces of Heritage, but he wasn’t too hopeful that he could somehow make it into the palaces. But even though he knew that his chances weren’t very high, a tiny, restless flame had already begun smoldering within him. He also felt some anticipation for what was to come when he looked at Jiang Chen. He was certain that the Six Palaces of Heritage had only appeared because of Jiang Chen.  It was merely a conjecture as he had no proof, but he believed what his instincts had told him.

If one insisted that he give a reason, it would be due to the numerous heaven defying acts that Jiang Chen had achieved. The Pinecrane Pill, the Longevity Pill, the defeat of Pillfire City, his rank in the Pagoda Battles, and the true dragon blood... Looking back on these events, Ji San had no choice but to admit that Jiang Chen was the bearer of a great destiny. His brother was a genius that he would forever look up to!