Chapter 710 - 382: The Reason I Must Win

"Whatever you do, don’t refuse," the Residual Spirit urged, its voice distinctly hurried. "This place is fundamentally about selecting the most outstanding individuals to become the Chosen One. Refusing is tantamount to cowardice. It means forfeiting your right to compete for the title of Chosen One, and you will be immediately expelled from the Cultivation Residence."

"That’s a trap," Su Chen thought, momentarily speechless. "If I defeat him, can I become the Chosen One?" he asked aloud.

"It’s not that simple," the Residual Spirit replied negatively. "There are only two recognized candidates so far. The Spirit of Sun couldn’t possibly make its choice based just on this. Besides, you only possess Twin Divine Dawns. Being granted an exception to receive the recognition of three dragons is already a miracle.

"This kind of selection won’t conclude for at least a few hundred years."

The Residual Spirit couldn’t quite fathom why Su Chen constantly assumed it would be easy to be chosen by the Spirit of Sun.

"Then how can you make me the Chosen One?" Su Chen seized the opportunity to press further.

"That... is somewhat complicated," the Residual Spirit deflected, its tone turning vague once more.

Su Chen deliberately reinforced his facade of being "eager to become the Chosen One as quickly as possible" before turning his thoughts to assessing his opponent. "He has the True Radiance Talent, is a Tier Seven Professional, and hails from the Abyss Realm. I wonder how many Holy Professions he possesses."

Glancing at his interface and sensing the Secret Artifacts within his body, he noted that his Permanent Body had been strengthened again. With his doppelganger and going all out... he could probably temporarily elevate a specific Secret Artifact to the Morning Star grade. Even if he couldn’t maintain it for long, it should be enough to deal with this guy, right?

As he calculated his odds, a number suddenly appeared on the virtual screen in front of him, counting down.

Su Chen realized that this place wasn’t exactly a safe haven; it was just that no other recognized candidates had appeared yet.

"Challenge accepted."

The next moment, the Ancient Kings watched as ripples surfaced across the temple doors in front of Taixuan Tianyi. His palm, pressed flat against the door, sank entirely into the ripples.

Zhenwu Ancient King’s eyes flickered. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed Taixuan Tianyi’s arm, seemingly intending to follow him inside. Unfortunately, for him, the door remained as unyielding as a rock.

"Hmph," Zhenwu Ancient King scoffed coldly.

At that same moment, a high-pitched dragon’s roar echoed from above them, accompanied by a burst of rolling shockwaves.

"Why did the Spirit of Sun suddenly move? Could it be related to this challenge?"

With a flash, the Profound Celestial Ancient King appeared high in the sky. Looking down, his eyes betrayed a hint of astonishment.

On the platform atop the tower, a dragon’s head emerged. Surging purple flames twined together to form an illusory scene. Two figures gradually materialized within the arena. One was clearly Taixuan Tianyi.

As for the other... The Profound Celestial Ancient King’s gaze turned solemn. However, as the figure fully formed, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed. Judging solely by appearances, this person was not Su Chen.

The other Ancient Kings materialized beside him.

"To alert even the Spirit of Sun and draw Spiritual attention... it must be three dragons facing three dragons," the Profound Celestial Ancient King murmured. They were all experienced enough to know that an ordinary battle between recognized candidates couldn’t possibly attract Spiritual attention.

"That’s not right. If Twin Divine Dawns managed to trigger Three Dragon Shadows, why didn’t Zhen Yu mention such a massive anomaly?" Hanhai Emperor frowned.

"Three Dragon Shadows isn’t a common occurrence. The commotion was quite significant when Taixuan Tianyi last gained recognition. If Zhen Yu was waiting at the bottom of the tower, he definitely would have noticed," the Profound Celestial Ancient King said, his eyes flashing thoughtfully. "But he only witnessed it once, and that was from the unknown powerhouse."

"Could it be that the person in the temple and the unknown powerhouse we’ve been assuming are actually the same person?" Holy Cauldron Ancient King suddenly interjected.

"The same person?" The expressions of the others shifted slightly. It seemed... that was indeed a genuine possibility.

The so-called "unknown powerhouse" was merely a deduction they had made. In truth, they had no idea what the other party’s actual strength was.

"If it really is Su Chen..." Hanhai Emperor began, his voice low and solemn, "then he’s played us all for fools."

Not only that, but it would also mean their previous assumption—that someone could surpass the age requirements to gain recognition—was entirely dashed.

"However, even that Residual Spirit failed to deduce the other party’s identity earlier, which proves just how extraordinary their methods are," the Profound Celestial Ancient King said, shaking his head. "There’s no need to arbitrarily pin this on Su Chen."

"Let’s just watch," Zhenwu Ancient King said, crossing his arms as he looked down at the two phantom figures below. "Appearances can be disguised, but fighting styles and traits are incredibly difficult to conceal."

The Bronze Ancient King remained silent, faint copper-green gears turning within his pupils. The scene before them was merely an illusory mimicry. None of the other Ancient Kings could see through this illusion to determine if the combatants were disguised, and neither could he.

However, unlike the other Ancient Kings, he could collect behavioral data and cross-reference it with Su Chen’s known behavioral metrics. Some subconscious actions were hard for even the individuals themselves to notice.

Meanwhile, the moment Taixuan Tianyi stepped through the temple doors, Su Chen’s Cultivation Site underwent a subtle transformation. It expanded inch by inch, quickly shifting into a rugged landscape of jagged rocks.

More than that, a piercing dragon’s roar echoed from above. As both men looked up simultaneously, a massive dragon’s head descended over them.

"Spiritual observation? How is that possible?!" Taixuan Tianyi exclaimed in shock. Staring at the unfamiliar figure before him, he demanded in astonishment, "You also achieved Three Dragon Shadows? But you only possess Twin Divine Dawns. How could you possibly trigger Three Dragon Shadows?"

Ever since he entered this Flame Space, he had encountered far too many bizarre anomalies.

Su Chen naturally did not answer. He merely observed his opponent in silence. Before the other man had even entered, Su Chen had utilized the Shadow of the Past to make comprehensive micro-adjustments to his own appearance.

He was meticulous in every detail—even the color of his pupils was slightly paler than his true hue.

Although Taixuan Tianyi was shocked, another thought surfaced in his mind. His gaze gradually grew heated as he locked onto Su Chen.

Since this guy had triggered Three Dragon Shadows, he absolutely had to possess Fire-igniting Ash. With Fire-igniting Ash in hand, Taixuan Tianyi could immediately leave this place and make his escape!