Before long, Zhao Xuan and his group finally arrived at the small-scale relic site located within the western range of the Wutong Mountains, just outside Tongcheng.
Fortunately, the relic wasn't hidden deep within the mountains—
if it had been, the Tongcheng Ability User Guild wouldn't have had the strength or resources to develop it anyway.
Small relics like this one were usually handled by city-level guilds,
while medium relics required provincial-level guilds to cooperate.
For instance, the medium relic located above North Lake in Jia City—
the weakest creatures that appeared inside were Tier 3 beasts,
and many of them reached Tier 4 or Tier 5.
A single city could never handle that kind of danger.
Only by pooling the combined strength of the entire province could such a relic be properly explored and maintained.
As for large relics—those required the power of the entire nation to develop.
Back to the present.
At the relic entrance, the scene was bustling with energy.
The air was alive with conversation, and the area was packed with ability users.
Most of them were Tier 2,
with a smaller portion being Tier 3s—the strongest individuals allowed to enter.
"Guildmaster!"
"Guildmaster!"
The moment Lian Jie arrived, heads turned in unison.
Respectful greetings echoed throughout the crowd.
Naturally, this attention extended to Zhao Xuan, who stood beside him.
"Hey, who's that young guy next to the Guildmaster?"
"No idea. I've never seen him before."
"Could he be from one of Tongcheng's elite families? Maybe another rich young master like the Di family's eldest daughter, who showed up this morning for the relic trial?"
"Hmm, that's possible."
"Tch, you've got to hand it to these young ones nowadays. That Di girl—she blasted her way up to the eighth stage earlier today! Shame she couldn't pass it in the end."
"Still, she showed us something none of us had ever seen before."
"Yeah—nine Tier 3 Xuanbirds at once. Just hearing that gives me chills. I can barely handle one, maybe two if I'm lucky."
"I can only manage two as well. That girl's insane."
"She's just eighteen—barely graduated high school—and already that strong? Unbelievable."
The onlookers whispered among themselves, their eyes full of awe.
"Di family's eldest daughter?"
Zhao Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Di Ruqing.
If he wasn't mistaken, she would be his biggest rival in the upcoming National Exam.
"According to Guildmaster Lian," he thought,
"the seventh trial requires defeating six Tier 3 Xuanbirds.
If she reached the eighth stage, that means her strength is already enough to handle six Tier 3s at once… A formidable opponent indeed."
Fragments of information about Di Ruqing surfaced in Zhao Xuan's mind.
Daughter of Di Wenbin, the Tongcheng Governor.
A student of Fengming High School.
Awakened Armament Haki during her third year.
Possesses the Logia Magma Fruit.
He had picked up these details from the casual chatter of his classmates,
and though they might have been rumors—
there was a saying for that: "Where there's smoke, there's fire."
As Zhao Xuan was thinking about his potential rival,
Lian Jie led him all the way to the relic's entrance.
There stood eight towering stone monuments, each carved with intricate, mysterious patterns.
The first seven stones glowed faintly gold,
while the eighth remained dark.
These stones represented the eight trials within the relic.
Each one lit up when a challenger passed its corresponding stage.
If all eight shone at once—it meant someone had cleared the entire relic.
Lian Jie turned to Zhao Xuan, his tone kind but firm.
"Zhao Xuan, my young friend… the rest is up to you."
"I'll do my best."
Zhao Xuan nodded.
Under the gaze of the growing crowd, he stepped boldly toward the stones.
He reached out—
placing his hand on the crystal sphere before the first monument.
A hum filled the air—
Then—
A crack of light split open,
and Zhao Xuan was pulled into the rift, vanishing completely.
At the same moment, the seven glowing stones dimmed,
signaling that the next trial sequence had begun.
"The young man really is the Guildmaster's candidate for the relic trial!"
"I wonder how far he'll get."
"Since the Guildmaster himself brought him here, his strength must be impressive."
"But who is he? Which family is he from? I've never seen him before."
"His name's Zhao Xuan!"
The voice came from a tall, broad man with a booming tone.
Immediately, heads turned.
"Cao Hu! You know that guy?" a Tier 3 user asked curiously.
Cao Hu nodded.
"Remember yesterday when I had to come back to Tongcheng to handle a quick job? I took on a Tier 3 examination task—and he was my target."
"Wait, what? You tested him?"
"What happened?"
"Cao Hu, don't tease us—just tell the damn story!"
"Yeah, quit stalling! Spill it!"
The crowd pressed closer, curiosity piqued.
Cao Hu exhaled and rubbed his chest, wincing a little as if remembering an unpleasant bruise.
"Well… I barely stepped onto the stage before he kicked me off it. Two kicks. The entire fight didn't even last three seconds."
Silence.
Then—
An uproar.
"WHAT!?"
"You're kidding!"
"Cao Hu, the Tier 3 examiner—beaten in three seconds!?"
The crowd burst into shocked exclamations.
And not far away, a young woman with elegant features stood quietly amid the noise,
listening intently to every word Cao Hu said—
her eyes narrowing slightly,
a faint spark of intrigue flickering within them.
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