Sovereign of the Three Realms

Time was money in the world of martial dao. Advancing along its path was like rowing a boat upstream, whereupon not advancing meant that one was going backwards.

Even if Jiang Chen had the extraordinary advantage of having retained the memories of his past life, he didn’t dare rest on his laurels at all.

He’d trained diligently everyday during the three months in the mystic quadrant, and his efforts had been rewarded. Three months of hard practice had enabled him to grasp the first level of the Nine Transformations.

The exterior of Jiang Chen’s body now was as if a layer of armor. Although it wasn’t up to the level of the Firelizard’s scales, the level of defense it provided meant that those with a similar level of strength to him would find it difficult to harm him.

With this level of protection and the protection from the Firelizard skysilk armor, it meant he had dual layers of insurance. If the current Jiang Chen called himself number two in defense amongst his peers now, then absolutely no one else had the right to call themselves number one!

“The second level of the Nine Transformations of Demons and Gods is one of refining the flesh and blood. The trials of this level will surely be tenfold more arduous than those of the first level. Humans are made of flesh and blood, and the refinement of these two will surely be accompanied by agony on the level of purgatory flames.”

Jiang Chen had long since been mentally prepared that the path of body refining wouldn’t be an easy one to travel.

He’d have to undergo these trials if he wanted to create an indestructible body on par with that of the demons and gods. If a piece of jade isn’t cut and polished, it cannot be made into anything. The art of body refining was the same as cutting jade, the material being something that had to be thoroughly tempered.

He deployed the metal essence force from the magnetic power and pierced his skin with it to let it sink into his flesh and blood. The pores on Jiang Chen’s body immediately opened as beads of sweat the size of beans speckled on his forehead.

This feeling was as if countless steel needles had all suddenly stabbed into his flesh and blood. That kind of heart-wrenching pain made even a person of strong determination like Jiang Chen almost cry out in pain.

“Hold it in! If I want to become a man above all, then I need to be able to endure agony that others cannot. Although I have the memories of my past life, the potential of this body isn’t high. If I don’t put forth hard effort and steel myself over and over again to form solid foundations, the gap between me and the other disciples with renowned talents will become ever apparent as my level rises.”

Jiang Chen was trying so hard and was willing to endure so much because he’d always had a sense of looming danger.

He knew he had his advantages, but this advantage of memories from another lifetime wouldn’t be able to ameliorate the insufficiencies of this body in an instant.

Even though Jiang Chen had defied the heavens to change his own fate several times, and was likely at the apex of existence in the sixteen kingdom alliance. However, the world was vast, and he would never be satisfied with a small piece of land at the size of the sixteen kingdom alliance.

Therefore, Jiang Chen didn’t dare let up for even a second in the reforging of his body and internal structure.

“Just as an innate constitution could’ve appeared in Long Juxue in this mere sixteen kingdom alliance, then there must be many more stronger geniuses in this world. My vision will absolutely not be confined by this alliance. The four great sects are just a stepping stone for my rise. If I set my standards at the level of the four great sects, then I would truly be abandoning all hope for myself.”

Jiang Chen would use this harsh reality to spur himself onwards whenever he thought about giving up.

“The potential of my body is likely that of an ant once I leave the sixteen kingdoms and enter the Myriad Domain, not to mention the Upper Eighth Region. I may very well fall down in some place one day if I don’t continuously improve.”

With last time’s experience, Jiang Chen’s demands on himself had become more strict.

“Come, let the reforging from this metal essence power become even fiercer!” A hint of a crazy smile appeared on Jiang Chen’s mouth as the metal essence power redoubled, once again surging into his body.

“Hiss…” Jiang Chen sucked in a cold breath.

Twice the metal essence power surged into his body all of a sudden, and Jiang Chen spasmed uncontrollably. Enormous pain spread throughout every nerve in his body.

It was said that there were eighteen levels of hell. The pain he was currently going through was absolutely placing him within it.

Jiang Chen shook his head and sent sweat flying, trying his best to keep his mind clear. Boundless pain could numb one’s nerves and make one’s reactions become slower.

Jiang Chen repeated his actions again and again.

He spent the first night since arriving in the earth quadrant in the midst of self-mutilating training. When day broke, Jiang Chen opened his eyes and sensed the changes brought about from his training.

“One reaps no more than what he has sown. If it wasn’t for this pain, how would I be able to forge the indestructible golden body then? Think of a phoenix being reborn from the flames. People only see its beauty from rebirth, but who knows the pain and agony it suffers through when it’s bathed in flames?”

Jiang Chen got up and walked to the yard outside, lightly breathing in the morning air and feeling the abundant spirit power ripples in the earth quadrant.

“The earth quadrant is already thus, the sky quadrant is likely even more wondrous. It’s a pity that brother Xiao Fei isn’t here. It will be quite lonely over these three months without a bosom friend I can truly talk to.” Jiang Chen sighed lightly, but didn’t lose himself in the sorrow of Xiao Fei leaving.

He took a look at the hour and realized it was about time.

Jiang Chen had truly become a loner this time around as he traveled to the area of the Hundred Challenges Arena.

This Arena was originally an ordinary facility, but many mechanisms and formations had been built into it at its bottom when it was designed.

Adjusting the formations would cause changes to occur in the Arena.

Jiang Chen looked down and saw that the formations were all sparkling with intriguing light. It was apparent that the formation had activated already.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with formations, but the combination of formations and an arena was a small innovation that Jiang Chen hadn’t come in much contact with in his previous life.

He became a bit lost in thought as he stared at the formations.

“Master Shuiyue arrives!”

The somewhat lackadaisical candidates immediately snapped to attention and stood up. It looked like Master Shuiyue had established quite a bit of authority in the previous three months. The candidates all looked frightened out of their wits. Jiang Chen couldn’t help but wonder, just how badly had these guys been tortured by that woman?

They'd lost all composure the very moment they heard her name.

Master Shuiyue’s stern eyes swept across all five hundred candidates. When her gaze passed by Jiang Chen’s mask, her look seemed to pause purposefully with a severe indication of prejudice. Master Shuiyue’s shrewd eyes seemed to want to peer into his internal heart through his eyes.

Jiang Chen smiled faintly, want to read my mind through my eyes? Dream on!

He’d practiced the Boulder’s Heart and possessed extremely high mental defenses. Even the evil mental eye hadn’t been able to turn him into a golden-colored sculpture on the magnetic golden mountain, so what of a mere Master Shuiyue?

It wasn’t that Jiang Chen didn’t think much of her. In terms of cultivation, this woman was obviously near the peak of the spirit realm, and likely only a step behind Ye Chonglou.

She was someone with whom Jiang Chen could absolutely not fight at the moment.

However, in terms of strength of heart, Jiang Chen didn’t feel that this old woman was stronger than him at all.

He lifted an eyelid with ease and looked openly upon Master Shuiyue. There were a few hints of judgement in his eyes as well.

Master Shuiyue grew uncommonly enraged when Jiang Chen met her eyes. This was because she could feel a flippant flicker in his eyes, as if a lecherous pervert toying with a gentlewoman.

“This country animal is indeed rude to dare look so blatantly upon me and size me up!” Master Shuiyue was heavily incensed. The other had needed only to flick a single glance at her to give her the feeling of being completely exposed to him.

In ordinary times, which sect disciple dared look so openly upon her? Almost all of them evaded her eyes and didn’t dare meet her gaze.

Master Shuiyue greatly enjoyed this feeling of being feared.

This was precisely the reason why she’d had the feeling of being molested when someone else had looked her in the eyes. Jiang Chen actually hadn’t meant that at all.

Of course, as angry as she was, she couldn’t very well openly pin a crime on someone just for looking her in the eyes.

After taking a look around, Master Shuiyue raised her right arm. “Do you see that? Formations have been activated in all of the rings. These rings are no longer ordinary rings. Each of you will spend twenty matches each in the five different types of rings.”

Five rings and twenty matches each happened to make precisely one hundred matches total.

“Alright, I now announce that the second Hundred Challenges Trial officially begins.”

The second cycle officially began with her announcement.

Jiang Chen really was unused to someone murmuring beside him. However, there were advantages to being in the earth quadrant. Those who were looking to cause trouble for him had also decreased as well.

However, they’d only decreased but hadn’t disappeared entirely.

Although Jiang Chen hadn’t purposefully observed things, he could still feel a few looks from the shadows roving over his body.

He’d long since grown used to such furtive glances, so he didn’t pay much attention to them.

“I wonder when will I appear on the first day of the earth quadrant matches?”

There were only five hundred in the earth quadrant, so even if the selection was done at random, the proceedings should move at a brisk pace.

After all, the names of those who were selected and failed wouldn’t go back into the list of names.

Therefore, selecting one name meant that there was one fewer name in the pool.

Jiang Chen did indeed welcome an auspicious beginning on the first day.

His number was selected not long after the matches had begun.

His opponent was also quickly selected afterwards—they were a fourth level candidate.

A fourth level in the earth quadrant was the equivalent of a mid to upper tier genius.

The ring they would battle on was also selected. It was a ring of ice.

The ring of ice was a good environment for Jiang Chen. He could feel the icy air as soon as he set foot on the determined ring. The formation beneath the stage rippled as it sent forth currents of icy power, shrouding the surroundings of the ring with layers of frost.

“Mm, this power of ice isn’t that bad. The defenses of the Firelizard’s armor are enough to withstand it.” Jiang Chen was reassured after he took a small reading. The Firelizard armor would be enough to defend against this level of icy power.

He wouldn’t need to spend any of his inner energy to defend against the cold.

This was absolutely a huge advantage for when two candidates fought. Jiang Chen stood ramrod straight within the ring. He had a dapper air, giving one a feeling of lofty loneliness.

“Damn, this is really cold! This damn ring is freezing me to death! How are we supposed to fight?” A complaint traveled over from the other end.

Jiang Chen’s opponent was a chubby little fatty who seemed like he refined pills on a regular basis. This person was a Myriad Spirit Sect disciple. Judging from his imitation of a meat ball, he was afraid of the cold.

“Brother, I’ve heard of you. I’ve heard that you were invincible with only one move from the ‘Obscure Seal of Life and Death’ in the mystic quadrant!” The little fatty actually slyly made his greetings to Jiang Chen.