If I can't take this last step, then let me be trash again!
Evan Chu knew that with this step, there were only two possible outcomes: true success, or complete failure.
Trash—Evan Chu was no stranger to that word. Though he'd left it behind years ago, he would never forget that once, he was the guy everyone called worthless.
Every look he saw, every mocking laugh he heard, burned him with shame and fury. That's why he swore he would become stronger—the strongest!
If you don't want to be bullied or laughed at, you have to stand at the very top—make everyone too afraid to mock you, too awed to look down on you! Evan Chu had made up his mind early on: if he ever became trash again, he'd rather die.
That's why he stepped forward without a trace of doubt—he'd rather die on the path of the strong than bear the name 'trash' again!
Boom!
As he took the final step, the crushing pressure of the ninth tier slammed down, exploding one of Evan Chu's feet—blood and flesh flying everywhere.
Evan Chu's tightly clenched lips left a row of teeth marks, with blood seeping out. The pain was beyond what any human could bear—even an ancient behemoth would have fainted from agony.
Perfect Blood! Evan Chu suddenly remembered the hidden power within him—the fused bloodline of countless divine-beast royals.
A body forged by Perfect Blood means not just strength, but countless hidden mysteries.
Now, a stark white bone was planted on the ninth tier of the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase. His flesh might have been shattered, but Evan Chu's proud spirit endured!
Again—charge!
Evan Chu poured all his strength into his right leg, suddenly stepping onto the ninth tier of the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase. The next instant—bang! Another explosion of blood mist, his body shattered from toe to thigh.
Now he had no legs, no feet—just two jade-white bones braced on the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase. Evan Chu laughed—laughed with pride.
He, Evan Chu, was no weakling, no trash. Now, he'd passed the test—he'd succeeded!
Whoosh! A beam of brilliant light burst forth, bathing Evan Chu in starlight. The power he'd spent was rapidly restored, and he accelerated the rebuilding of his body.
Everyone who saw this sucked in a cold breath. Only after a long silence did the first person finally speak.
He...he did it. He actually did it!
It's unimaginable—a person like this...
If he can lead us, how far could the Frostbane Dynasty go?
We might soar straight to the heavens—I feel like Frostbane Dynasty might have to change its name soon!
Trenton Zhan's last words left no doubt—maybe one day, Frostbane Dynasty will be called Frostbane Holy Land!
No one actually said that last sentence aloud, but they all firmly believed it—one day, it would happen. Even if Evan Chu's current realm was still far from the true peak, his talent and pride had already conquered everyone!
He's stronger than any of us ever imagined—the reward for this trial should be doubled!
Yes, Palace Lord!
Jun Yang finally let out a breath—he'd truly worried Evan Chu might fall right on the ninth tier. If that happened, his mistake would have been serious.
Xiang Lie gave a reminder, and Jun Yang waved again. In the starship space he controlled, Evan Chu's domain was bathed in even stronger starlight. At that moment, Evan Chu not only recovered all his strength and injuries, but grew even stronger.
What's the third trial? Who did you arrange to face him? At this moment, Night Dream was especially concerned about this, and so was everyone else.
I've arranged for a late-stage Saint Lord powerhouse to wait for him. Once he crosses the Star Gate and enters the Star Sea, he'll need to defeat that Saint Lord in order to refine the Star Core.
A Saint Lord powerhouse? Are you crazy? He's only mid-stage Saint—wait, how is he late-stage now?
Lin Hai hadn't even finished speaking before everyone noticed—Evan Chu's realm had risen another level! He'd only just emerged from the Trial World, and now his cultivation speed...
Of course the Saint Lord powerhouse isn't just a simple opponent. I specifically instructed him to fight Evan Chu at the same realm level, forcing him to unleash all his potential.
If that's the case, I think even a Saint Lord-level expert might lose. Savage Blade, this one's yours!
What? Palace Lord, you want me to go?
Why, do you expect me to go instead? Night Dream shot him a look, and even Savage Blade didn't dare argue.
That's right. After his breakthrough, he's now early-stage Saint Emperor—but in front of Night Dream, that's not enough! Even though on paper Night Dream is only a bit higher, the gap is huge.
But the higher the cultivation, the less the realm matters—the real test is comprehension of Stellar Power, mastery, battle intent, and explosive potential.
In these areas, Savage Blade is no match for Night Dream. In front of him, he's just a slightly stronger ant, which is why he's only a King, while Night Dream is a Palace Lord.
Savage Blade didn't dare hesitate. As soon as Jun Yang tore open a rift in the starship space, he slipped inside.
This is a bit terrifying—if Palace Lord wants me to act, there must be a reason! Even though my cultivation is only enough to fight him, I can't take this lightly.
Thinking this, Savage Blade drew his personal weapon—the Ghost-Seeking Crazy Blade! Countless Saint Sovereigns had died to this blade, yet now he was using it against a newcomer to the Star River Holy Domain.
Meanwhile, as the starlight bath ended, Evan Chu stood before the Star Gate leading to the Star Sea.
Beyond the Star Gate lay an independent space, completely separated from the outside world—a core secret domain of Frostbane Dynasty.
This was the Origin Star Sea, filled with countless Star Cores gathered here by Frostbane Dynasty's strongest experts using incredible methods.
The purpose was to reward those who had just entered the Star River Holy Domain or distinguished themselves in battle, letting them choose a Star Core aligned with their own attributes.
Standing before the Star Gate holding tens of thousands of Star Cores meant you were a King—Savage Blade!
Even though there were tens of thousands of Star Cores in the Star Gate, not everyone could absorb them freely. Even if the attributes matched, it was impossible to do so—most were accumulated over countless years by Frostbane Dynasty, and some could rival the ones on the Star Ranking.
So, entering the Star Gate required extremely strict conditions. In this trial, only Evan Chu had the opportunity to go in.
The others, including Lei Zun, even if they passed the final assessment, would only receive ordinary Star Cores as rewards—at best, low-grade or mid-grade Star Stones.