The War God Hall

The distant yellow-furred bear nodded to itself, musing, "Ji Ning truly has a remarkable talent for the sword. This single strike alone is barely enough to match the power of a Wanxiang Adept. But if that's all he has, he won't pass the first level. He needs to unleash the full power of an early-stage Wanxiang Adept… to shatter the wooden post within a single incense stick's time!"

To pass the first level of the War God Hall, one had to possess the offensive power of a Wanxiang Adept.

This was already the simplest test the artifact spirit could devise. A true trial would also test combat experience, willpower, movement techniques, and many other aspects. After all, a real enemy wouldn't just stand there like a wooden post, waiting to be cut down.

…

"Even with the Rainwater Sword Domain, my Northsea swords can't sever that post." Ji Ning immediately put away the Northsea swords.

"Lesser Thousand Sword Formation."

Ji Ning retreated ten zhang, and over seven hundred flying swords materialized around him, gleaming with a hazy white light. The power of his Zifu lake surged into them… After being converted and condensed, a single, incomparably sharp sword-light coalesced before him.

This sword-light almost seemed to take on the form of a flying sword.

"Back when I fought Beizi Shan, I was only using perfected Xiantian-level energy. Now, with the power of a Zifu lake, the power of this Lesser Thousand Sword Formation has increased dramatically." Ji Ning could feel the sharpness of the sword-light before him. Its power alone could probably match his previous full-strength close-combat attacks.

"Rainwater Sword Domain!"

Thin, silky rain began to fall around him, enveloping the surrounding hundred zhang in the Rainwater Sword Domain.

"Go." With a thought from Ji Ning, the sword-light before him vanished, transforming into one of the silken rain-threads. This thread of rain shot through the ten-zhang distance in an instant and grazed the surface of the wooden post.

Chi!

A wound appeared on the post, about half a fingernail's depth.

"Excellent!" Ji Ning was overjoyed. Another strand of sword-light condensed before him.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Each strand of sword-light melted into the Rainwater Sword Domain the moment it shot out, becoming another thread of silken rain that sliced at the distant wooden post, leaving fresh scars. The deeper the post was cut, the harder it became to sever… The Yuan energy in the Zifu lake within Ji Ning's body was being consumed rapidly. The wound on the post grew larger and larger.

After a long time.

Bang! A thread of rain-light sliced across the post, and the post was severed cleanly. The top half fell to the ground.

"I succeeded." Ji Ning was overjoyed. He quickly turned to look at the incense stick behind him. It was more than half-burnt.

"Congratulations on your success." The yellow-furred bear walked over. "Do you wish to challenge the second level of the War God Hall?"

Ji Ning's heart stirred.

The second level of the War God Hall?

From what he understood, successfully passing the second level only allowed one to choose Mortal-ranked treasures, the same reward as the first level. As for the danger…

"Senior, how dangerous is the second level compared to the first?" Ji Ning asked.

"Far more dangerous," the bear said bluntly. "This first level was the easiest test. Starting from the second level, it won't be so easy. They won't just stand there and let you hack at them. And I won't give you any pointers either. You just go in and fight… kill! If you feel your life is in danger, you can immediately use the token talisman to teleport out. Teleporting out means you lose."

"Are you willing to use your second attempt to challenge the second level?" The yellow-furred bear looked at Ji Ning.

"Second attempt?" Ji Ning was startled.

The bear said, "I urge you to think it over. Your Fiendgod Body Refining is already at the Xiantian perfection stage. You might break through at any moment. Once you do, these two attempts for a Xiantian lifeform will be gone forever, wasted if unused."

Ji Ning pondered.

"I'll give it a try," Ji Ning said with a smile.

"Go, then." The bear said.

Whoosh!

Ji Ning vanished from the first level of the War God Hall.

But just ten seconds later…

Bang! Ji Ning reappeared on the first level, sent flying backward to crash heavily onto the ground. His beast-hide armor was torn, and several bloody gashes marked his body. By the time he landed, the wounds had already healed.

"You lost." The yellow-furred bear looked at him.

"Both the first and second levels give a Mortal-ranked treasure upon success." Ji Ning stood up angrily, his beast-hide armor automatically repairing itself. "Why is the second level so much harder?"

As soon as he had entered, he was ambushed by dozens of strange beasts that looked like black leopards. He was caught off guard, and when he tried to fight back, he realized each one of those black leopards was as strong as Beizi Shan! He had unleashed every technique he knew, but he only lasted a little over ten seconds before he had to give up. If he hadn't, those black leopards would have torn him to shreds.

"The War God Hall has ten levels. Each level gets progressively harder," the yellow-furred bear growled. "This was set by the master. Shouting at me won't change a thing."

"So, there's no difference between passing the second level and passing the first?" Ji Ning retorted.

"There is a difference."

The bear said, "By passing the first level, I'll give you a large selection of Mortal-ranked treasures and equivalent valuables to choose from. Among them will be some top-grade Mortal-ranked treasures."

"If you pass the second level, you can choose from the full collection of everything in the Treasure Hall that is worth the same as Mortal-ranked treasures. Among them are some very special, very unique items… Although they are only Mortal-ranked treasures, some are more valuable than ordinary Earth-ranked treasures."

Ji Ning understood.

"Go on, head to the Treasure Hall." The yellow-furred bear extended its furry paw and grabbed Ji Ning's hand.

Whoosh!

The two vanished.

The Treasure Hall.

The Treasure Hall was a massive hall. Floating high in the air were countless treasures and curiosities, emanating powerful auras… Although these auras were enough to make one's heart tremble, they were all suppressed by the spells and restrictions of the first master, so they wouldn't harm Ji Ning, who was making his selection below.

"Many treasures and curiosities." The yellow-furred bear looked at Ji Ning beside him and produced a golden tome in its paw. "This golden tome records all the Mortal-ranked treasures and curiosities. You may choose. Make your selection."

Ji Ning took the tome.

On the cover, there were only two Fiendgod script characters: Treasure Hall. He opened the book, which contained illustrations of the treasures and curiosities, along with textual descriptions.

"Unbelievable…" Ji Ning's eyes went wide.

"Compared to the treasures in this book, the magic treasures used by those Zifu Disciples of the Yan Mountains are complete garbage," Ji Ning thought with a sense of utter helplessness. It was like a peasant army encountering a regular army; their equipment wasn't even on the same level.

The weakest treasures in this book were high-grade Mortal-ranked. More than half were top-grade Mortal-ranked.

The first master only left behind the finest Mortal-ranked treasures.

"Wow."

"The Three Talents Venom Banner is absolutely vicious. With this, a Zifu Disciple at perfection could go toe-to-toe with a Wanxiang Adept. Its power probably isn't inferior to a completed Ten Thousand Ghost Banner of Beishan's. And the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner requires the torment and death of countless people. But this Three Talents Venom Banner doesn't require committing such great sins." Ji Ning was amazed.

Even the demonic path had its brilliant treasures! Without committing any sins, it was still possible to refine such a terrifying treasure.

"This one is also formidable. The Nine Yang Sword Formation?" Ji Ning's eyes burned with desire. What made him want it the most was that this treasure consisted of nine flying swords, all of which were high-grade Mortal-ranked!

"The Nine Yang Sword Formation is the best fit for you," the yellow-furred bear said from beside him. "Choosing this is like choosing nine flying swords. Although they are just high-grade Mortal-ranked flying swords, they share the same origin. Using these nine swords as the formation base for your Lesser Thousand Sword Formation… the power of your formation can increase by three to five times! These nine high-grade Mortal-ranked flying swords alone are worth more than dozens of your ordinary Mortal-ranked flying swords."

Ji Ning's eyes burned with desire.

It was excellent quality.

"The Netherfire Bottle?" Ji Ning's eyebrows shot up. "Brutal."

"Water-Fire Primal Ape Staff." Ji Ning's heart raced as he read the description. He was a master of water and fire, and a Fiendgod Body Refiner to boot. This staff was perfect for a Fiendgod.

"The Starlight Divine Needles? A set of thirty-six? With my powerful soul, I'm best suited for controlling a large number of needles." Ji Ning was equally tempted.

Treasure after treasure.

Even if Ji Ning couldn't use them all, he was still tempted. They were all peak quality! The treasures he had obtained from killing Beishan and attacking the mountain lair were simply incomparable to these. He would gladly trade dozens of his Mortal-ranked treasures for just one of these.

What Ji Ning didn't know was that the treasures the first master had ranked as top-grade or high-grade would all be classified as top-grade if judged by modern standards. Even the nine swords of the Nine Yang Sword Formation would be considered nine top-grade Mortal-ranked flying swords.

"Amazing." Ji Ning's heart itched.

He really wanted to grab a whole pile of them.

Ji Ning was beginning to understand the plight of Celestial Immortal Juhua. That poor Celestial Immortal had been able to see these powerful treasures but could never obtain them! If he had been allowed to take them freely, he might have been able to survive his tribulation and ascend to Celestial Immortal!

The first master nurtured his descendants and successors, but he was never doting. Even after his successors died… his rules were inviolable. Want a treasure? Then follow the first master's rules.

"Frozen Three-Eyed Fireworm Eggs? They can hatch a whole race of Three-Eyed Fireworms. An ordinary adult Three-Eyed Fireworm is comparable to a Zifu Disciple! The only downside is that they require a massive amount of spirit materials to feed, and they take a long time to grow, but they can be cultivated into incredibly powerful Three-Eyed Fireworms." Ji Ning's heart grew hot.

"A golem powerful enough to battle a Wanxiang Adept? An indestructible golem? The only flaw is that it requires a massive amount of Yuan energy to operate."

Treasures and curiosities.

Every single one of them captivated Ji Ning and made his heart race.

"Don't let your eyes get dazzled," the yellow-furred bear warned. "The Nine Yang Sword Formation suits you best. A set of nine excellent flying swords, all from the same source… it's very difficult to find something like this out in the wider world. Your Lesser Thousand Sword Formation needs a core, and the core swords should be as strong as possible."

Ji Ning flipped to another page.

Formations? Ji Ning's heart skipped a beat. With the Ji Clan facing boundless threats and having to deal with large groups of Zifu Disciples, the most effective solution was still formations! Formations held the greatest potential for creating miracles!

"The Netherdragon Lockheaven Formation. This large formation is suitable for guarding a tribe or a sect. It consists of five sub-formations…" Ji Ning's heart stirred as he read on, the joy on his face growing more and more intense.

"This is it. This is it!" He was howling inside. "With this, my power can skyrocket, and the power of all the clan leaders can skyrocket too!"