Sovereign of the Three Realms (WN)
chapter-288

Chapter 288: The Trial of Talent, Jiang Chen’s Choice

The trial of talent was much more simple and straightforward.

Jiang Chen had undergone something similar in the Eastern Kingdom.

Although there were slight differences in testing potential and testing level of training, it was more or less the same.

“May I inquire which tests you would like to undertake?” When the organizer of this trial saw Jiang Chen’s participant token, he recognized the genius from the first trial and so his tone and gestures all became uncommonly polite.

He was deathly afraid that he might give offense to this genius with the slightest bit of inappropriateness in his tone, and that the other would remember him because of that and implicate his sect for it. If this genius rejected his sect because of him, then the forefather of his sect would certainly scalp him and pull out his tendons for it.

There were tests of martial dao, pills, glyphs, formations, and taming spirit creatures in the trial of talents.

According to the rules, the second trial would also run for ten days.

However, if one were to participate in every test, that still wouldn’t be enough time.

Therefore, all participants had to make a decision.

They should make the best use of these ten days to choose the tests that they had the most confidence in. Otherwise, if they wanted to participate in all of them and attend to one thing whilst losing sight of another, they would end up with nothing in the end and fail to display their best talents in the trial.

“I will only participate in the test of martial dao.”

Jiang Chen’s goal was very clear, his ultimate goal was martial dao.

As for the other talents, he felt no need to test them at all. Within the range of the sixteen kingdoms, he didn’t feel that anyone existed who would be able to measure up to him with the other talents.

There was no need to test them.

The organizer started and immediately smiled, “Good, you’re the genius of the trial of heart alright. Your dao heart is as resolute as a boulder and different from others!”

He was indeed different from others, most other participants would choose at least two or three tests.

Jiang Chen was the first to choose only one test.

One had to know that those participants who dared choose only one meant that he had the utmost daring and vigor.

After all, choosing only one test meant forcing one down a desperate path.

If his results were subpar, then he wouldn’t have the chance to continue participating in the selection and would be disqualified immediately.

But if he’d chosen two or three, he’d still be able to look forward to the other tests even if he failed in this one.

Participants would be able to continue as long as one of their tests met the standard.

“Just one?”

“This genius of the heart is indeed invincibly confident.”

“Tsk tsk, a genius indeed. Geniuses always do things differently from others.”

“If this genius has uncommon talents, then a miracle will have been born in our sixteen kingdoms, one that has arisen from the mundane practitioners!”

“Indeed! For a mundane practitioner to have this level of talent, he is on par with the premier geniuses of the sects! For a genius such as this, if given enough time, he will walk a further path than the sect geniuses and create even more miracles!”

“Precisely, a mundane practitioner makes progress through grueling and arduous conditions. The difficulty inherent in this is not something that a privileged sect disciple can measure up to.”

As the voices conversed, Jiang Chen had arrived in front of a cave with the organizer.

“The test of martial talent is one that tests your control, affinity, and mastery over the powers of nature. The powers of the five elements are present in nature, and that is exactly what this test is focusing on.”

“There are countless caverns here, and each one embodies the power of one of the elements. These caverns are divided into three difficulty levels, easy, intermediate, and difficult. Participants are to decide upon a level of difficulty and remain within it to perceive the power of nature. The greater the difficulty and the longer you remain within the cavern means the greater your potential in this area.”

“For instance, if you select a metal attribute cavern, then you will receive boundless testing from the element of metal within.”

“Is all clear?”

Jiang Chen nodded; the rules weren’t hard to understand.

“Mm, since you understand, then begin selecting the difficulty of your test. If you choose the easy level and remain within for three days, that will be considered a pass and you will be noted as one with lesser spirit potential.”

“If you pass the intermediate difficulty level, you will be noted as one with intermediate spirit potential.”

“If you choose the difficult level and remain within for three days, then you will possess superior spirit potential.”

“This should be relatively clear as well?”

Jiang Chen chuckled, “Difficult is the highest level? How is one tested if born with an innate constitution?”

Although Jiang Chen didn’t possess an innate constitution, he was still rather curious.

“Haha, if it’s an innate constitution, then one would definitely have superior spirit potential. With the foundation of superior spirit potential, an innate constitution would absolutely give rise to unusual phenomena in the earth and sky, so it’s not difficult to discern. Besides, the senior executives of the sects naturally have their ways of testing innate constitutions. However, innate constitutions are a once in a hundred years occurrence. In all these years, I’ve only heard of the Purple Sun Sect happened to pick up a treasure.”

Picked up a treasure? Jiang Chen smiled. He knew of course that the organizer was speaking of Long Juxue with the azure phoenix constitution.

He also knew that having an innate constitution in a small place like the sixteen kingdom alliance was indeed a rare thing.

But one had to say that with Jiang Chen’s breadth of vision, a mere innate constitution wasn’t much of a big deal.

In his past life, which of his disciples hadn’t possessed an innate constitution?

To those who were at the level of the heavens, an innate constitution was just a basic requirement. One wouldn’t even have the face to show themselves in front of everyone else in the heavens without possessing even an innate constitution.

“Alright, please make your selection now.”

“The difficult level and the fire and ice attributes.” Jiang Chen had long since made his decision.

“What?” The organizer was startled.

Since the genius in front of him had quite a bit of pride, the organizer didn’t think much of him selecting the difficult level.

The rare thing was that he had selected the two attributes of fire and ice.

Everyone knew that fire and ice didn’t mix, just like oil and water didn’t play nicely with each other!

There was limited martial dao knowledge within the sixteen kingdoms. Most martial dao practitioners could only develop potential in one attribute.

Only particularly special geniuses could develop two attributes.

The advantage of an innate constitution was that they were born with perfect affinities for all five elements, and possessed complete potential with all five from birth.

“Is there a problem?” Jiang Chen thought he’d made a mistake when he saw the organizer express his shock.

The organizer hastily waved his hands, “No, no problem at all.”

However, the organizer privately cursed, this genius was simply too perverse. The difficult level was his first reaction, and he’d chosen two attributes that were the antithesis of each other.

Setting aside the results of this test, this heaven defying method of testing was already enough to cause jaws drop in shock.

“Can it be that all geniuses are freaks?” The organizer smiled wryly in his heart.

Indeed, in the organizer’s eyes, Jiang Chen’s decision was simply too odd.

“Alright, can we begin now?” Jiang Chen wasn’t much interested in the organizer’s emotional changes and just wanted to get through the testing.

“Of course you can, right away.” The organizer laughed ruefully. “Look over there, those two caverns are the difficult level testing sites. One of them holds the spirit vein of heavenly fire, another the spirit vein of heavenly ice. Remember, the difficulty level of this test is exceedingly high and the environment will be quite abominable. Hurry and leave if you cannot withstand it, don’t lose your life in there.”

The organizer spoke a reminder out of good intentions.

Jiang Chen’s gaze swept in a meaningful way around the caves.

He lifted his foot and stepped into the cavern with the spirit vein of heavenly fire. He decided to start with the attribute of fire!

Once he set foot inside, Jiang Chen suddenly felt that he’d gone from spring to summer. A fiery feeling immediately spread throughout his entire body.

There was another world within the cavern. It was a sea of colorful and radiant rosy clouds wherever he cast his gaze. It was if the very air was a fiery red.

This feeling was like he’d suddenly gone from an icy cavern to the mouth of a volcano.

Jiang Chen could feel his very pores shriveling with the heat. Waves of heat beat down on him as the flaming clouds around him continued to gather, forming a fiery tornado of cloud that roiled towards Jiang Chen.

This feeling was as if the great waves were lashing the beaches, making Jiang Chen’s breathing speed up slightly as well.

Although this level of heat wave wasn’t fatal, the continuous burning, continuous increase in temperature, and continuous feeling of being baked alive was enough to slightly discomfort Jiang Chen.

He’d have to stay within this environment for a full three days before he could be considered as having passed.

Jiang Chen circulated the qi within his body to refine the heat wave that was continuously beating down on him. The currents of fire attribute essence continuously injected themselves into Jiang Chen’s spirit ocean beneath his guidance.

“Mm? The essence of this fire attribute is this pure?” Jiang Chen also felt slightly surprised when he started absorbing it.

The purity of the fire attribute power within this cavern wasn’t the least bit inferior to spirit rank fire attribute medicines, and it was approaching the purity level of saint rank medicines.

“The organizer said that the testing site of the difficult level embodied a spirit vein of heavenly fire. Can it be that the heavenly fire is concealed within the depths of this cavern?”

As these thoughts went through Jiang Chen’s mind, he activated the Lotus of Ice and Fire in his body and six red vines grew out around him after a short while.

Each of the vines grew swiftly and each of the lotus petals were enough for three to four fully grown men to lie on them.

There were twenty to thirty petals on each of the lotuses.

Sensing the sustenance within the fire spirit power, the six lotuses immediately displayed great vitality like they were foodies having starved for millions of years. They began to furiously soak in the great feast in front of them and absorb the fire spirit power within the cave.