Chapter 1 The First Day
Before the first day ended, out of nearly two thousand trial-takers, twenty-six had already died.
This seemed like a small number, but in this peaceful era, it was still a terrifying prospect!
Although the combat power displayed by these individuals had greatly surprised everyone, the thought of those devoured by demonic beasts sent chills down their spines.
However, after watching the footage of their deaths, most agreed it was their own doing.
Some lacked any vigilance upon entering, treating the trial like a tour. They were ambushed and killed by hidden demonic beasts.
Others clearly felt they had lived too long, actively seeking out demonic beasts to record videos or take photos, hoping to gain clout back in the outside world.
Only a small fraction died due to insufficient strength or bad luck.
Although Chu Yang had scrambled their positions upon entry, they were all situated in a circular pattern around the periphery of this jungle. Anyone who had watched the promotional video knew that the demonic beasts on the outskirts were relatively weak. As long as they didn't court death by venturing further, there shouldn't be major issues.
Even peak-level first-tier demonic beasts could be easily dealt with by a few early-stage Qi Condensation cultivators.
Therefore, the deaths were truly not his fault!
Many people were watching this screen, while Xiong Miao's side was also rushing to connect this footage to the platform.
Chu Yang could only allow the footage from the secret realm to be projected outside. As for how Boss Xue managed it, Chu Yang didn't concern himself with it.
As for those who thought that after the free dissemination of cultivation techniques at the pavilion, with their financial resources and foundations, they could at least contend with Xiong Miao in the cultivation zone, if not suppress them.
Who would have thought that Chu Yang would present another grand spectacle?
They didn't have the broadcasting rights for this demonic beast secret realm trial!
This incident once again proved that as long as Chu Yang was around, Xiong Miao would not fall.
Every time the CEO of Shark Live thought about Chu Yang being kicked out by one of their insignificant super moderators, he almost lost his Dao heart and wanted to commit suicide.
While the demonic beast secret realm trial was in full swing here, the outside world of Xia Nation was filled with confusion.
All nations, whether friendly or antagonistic towards Xia Nation, shared a single question: What were the people of Xia Nation doing?
It was fine when Chu Yang was live-streaming the sale of cultivation techniques. At that time, Xia Nation's leadership hadn't been very involved. With the emergence of the cultivation technique pavilion, it meant that cultivation would soon be universally accessible.
Consequently, they quickly adjusted their strategies, having their soldiers identify their aptitudes and select cultivation techniques.
During the late hours of the night, when fewer people were around, Wang Zhicheng would lead his company members to acquire cultivation techniques.
The matter of cultivation could not be kept secret, as it was already being heavily publicized by various media outlets. However, they made every effort to prevent this news from spreading overseas.
US President Auboden was currently holding a document that was allegedly a top-secret file from Xia Nation.
Xia Nation and the United States had always had an uneasy relationship, and the US had always enjoyed slandering Xia Nation with baseless accusations in various media.
This would then be followed by a counterattack from the Chinese people. Despite being insulted daily, they seemed to take pleasure in it.
However, for the past half a month, the Chinese people seemed to have vanished into thin air. No matter how much provocation they faced, they did not respond.
This made the US side feel extremely uncomfortable, akin to acting shamelessly towards a goddess to get her attention, only for her to completely ignore you.
Looking at the top-secret document in his hand, Auboden, with a stirred heart, opened the file.
"Let me see what my dear Chinese friends have been up to recently..."
However, upon opening it, Auboden was completely dumbfounded!
He trembled with rage, angrily throwing the document on the ground: "Fuck! Shit! What the hell is this? Are you kidding me? Cultivation? You can even make up something like cultivation? Is your intelligence organization only good for this?"
The secretary, who was being berated by Auboden, bent down to pick up the document and said with great helplessness, "Mr. President, although it sounds utterly absurd, this is the result of our rigorous investigation and on-site observation. It appears their entire nation is cultivating!"
"Have the Chinese lost their minds?"
"Mr. President, if we don't believe this, then we are the ones who have lost our minds."
Auboden was taken aback by his secretary's serious tone and, with suspicion, took the top-secret document to read it.
After finishing, he still found it incredibly far-fetched.
"Could it be... spiritual energy revival?"
The secretary stated seriously, "We are not sure, but according to our investigation, apart from Xia Nation, there have been no superpowered individuals appearing anywhere else in the world! There is also a video here that has the highest viewership on various video websites in Xia Nation. You can watch it."
He handed Auboden a tablet, which was playing Chu Yang's live stream before the unveiling of the cultivation technique pavilion, demonstrating the power that could be achieved by cultivating several techniques to the Golden Core stage.
After watching, Auboden had only one thought: "Has Xia Nation's movie special effects become so realistic?"
"Mr. President, allow me to reiterate, this is real! The Chinese people have apparently mastered some means of using extraordinary power, and according to intelligence from our people in Xia Nation, they are close to achieving universal cultivation."
Despite the disbelief, Auboden now began to feel a sense of dread.
The power Chu Yang displayed was incredibly impressive.
Whether it was the hundred-meter-long fire crow, sword flight, or the awe-inspiring Myriad Swords Returning to One, the destructive power seemed terrifying.
He began to ponder whether modern thermal weapons could deal with Chu Yang, but soon his face turned pale, mirroring Wang Zhicheng's expression when he first saw Chu Yang's performance.
"This... this is too fantastical! To eliminate him, we would likely need to deploy hundreds of advanced fighter jets, covering him with the strongest firepower..."
"If all the Chinese people cultivate to this level, hsss... Fuck! No wonder they've been silent for the past half month. They've been secretly developing! This is unacceptable... we must curb this..."
The secretary quickly interrupted Auboden: "Wait, Mr. President, there's no need for this. Their cultivation should be in its nascent stages, and they haven't stated that they prohibit us from obtaining cultivation techniques!"
"Are you an idiot? How could they possibly let us have them?"
"Wait, aren't you going to make a call to them first? What if they genuinely permit everyone to acquire cultivation techniques?"
"Shut up! Do you understand, or do I? Now is our chance to seize this cultivation phenomenon while they are just starting and our advanced weaponry still has an effect on them! I will convene a meeting immediately!"
The secretary fell silent, but inwardly he scorned, "Yes, yes, you understand best, Mr. Know-it-all! You want to seize everything, but is this kind of thing easy to seize?"