Over ten thousand young men and women stood beneath the arena. At the elder’s words, each produced a smooth white crystal—the White Memory Stone. Though it held no energy, it could record divine sense imprints; in the Netherworld, these stones were everywhere.
Many had ascended to the Netherworld from every realm, but some were too old to qualify and could only watch the selection tournament from the stands. They felt bitter, but there was nothing they could do.
At that moment, a huge white testing screen appeared above the arena—over two meters wide and three meters tall, quietly glowing with soft white light.
Chase Chu was among the crowd, full of confidence for this selection. In the Netherworld, anyone seeking true strength had to cultivate—but cultivation demanded time, a stable environment, and tons of Netherstones.
Time and a safe place were easy enough to get, but Netherstones tripped up most people. For someone like Chase Chu, who’d only recently ascended, raw talent was useless without Netherstones—no matter how gifted, you’d still be stuck at the same level as everyone else.
But this Royal Talent Recruitment Tournament was designed to help people in that exact predicament. That’s why so many came. Chase Chu hadn’t given Princess Serene a single thought—at least, not before arriving. He just wanted to be selected.
If he got in, he’d earn Netherstones and be able to look after Princess Ivy too. Her strength was two whole realms below Chase Chu’s; entering the selection would be hopeless, and she hated showing her face, so she didn’t sign up.
Chase Chu was confident in himself—and now that he’d reunited with his father Evan Chu, he was even more fired up. He wouldn’t let Evan down; this time, he’d put on a show and make his dad proud.
The elder on the stage swept a streak of white light across the testing screen. Instantly, golden characters appeared—the Literary Gate’s question.
“All contestants, the Literary Gate question is now live on the screen. Imprint your answer into your White Memory Stone with divine sense. If you get it right, you pass; if you’re wrong, you’re out—so be ready.
No talking or whispering allowed while answering—anyone caught will be disqualified. Everyone, keep that in mind! Now, let’s begin. You have one hour to solve the question on the screen,” the elder thundered at the crowd.
The screen displayed a prompt: take Princess Serene and the selection tournament as your theme, then compose a couplet. At the end, a few small words asked for an explanation of your answer.
For most, this was dead easy—anyone who’d read a few books could do it. If you could answer, you could explain your reasoning too.
Chase Chu studied the words on the screen and fell into deep thought. Princess Serene was Serene Nether City’s undisputed beauty, and this selection was tied to her marriage. The couplet had to center on those two points, so he had to think carefully.
After pondering for a while, Chase Chu settled on his answer. He slowly imprinted it into his White Memory Stone with divine sense. All around, others did the same. The whole process lasted about half an hour.
Plenty of people had no clue what to write and wore anxious faces. The elder had made it clear: no talking or discussion, or you’d be out for cheating.
But if you couldn’t answer, you’d be eliminated anyway. Some could only scribble random nonsense onto their White Memory Stones. Before long, the elder spoke again.
“I trust you’ve all answered by now. There are too many of you—calling you up one by one would take ages. Instead, just inject Nether force into your White Memory Stone, and your answer will appear on the screen.
Those who get it right will have their answer recorded; those who don’t are out. Don’t doubt the screen’s judgment—it was crafted by the Netherworld’s top alchemists and is one hundred percent accurate.
There are lots of possible answers—the screen will judge each one. Whether you pass or not depends on your own luck. Now, inject your Nether force into the White Memory Stone!”
Evan Chu and Princess Ivy watched Chase Chu from the VIP stands, still a little worried about him. “Are you anxious about whether Chase can get the answer right?” Jade, the Emerald Immortal Empress, asked.
“Just a bit. Back in the day, Chase was a total troublemaker—never cared for poetry or literature. I don’t know exactly what the question is, but seeing so many disappointed faces down there, it’s clearly tough,” Evan said with a wry smile.
“You’re wrong, Evan. Sure, Chase used to slack off, but that was before. Ever since you left, he’s changed completely—training martial arts all day, and when he’s tired, reading everything he can. This kind of test is nothing for him.
I’m not worried about the Literary Gate at all—it’s the Martial Gate that concerns me. Chase hasn’t been here long; even though he’s incredibly talented, he’s short on Netherstones, and there are plenty here stronger than him. I’m afraid he’ll get hurt,” Princess Ivy said.
“As long as he passes the Literary Gate, that’s enough. The Martial Gate is just for show—Princess Serene will definitely choose Chase Chu in the end. I’m sure of it. Otherwise, King Victor Zhao would never be able to face me,” Evan replied.
Now, the screen was overflowing with different answers. The elder couldn’t help but laugh at some of them. With Princess Serene and the selection tournament as the theme, there were endless couplets and poems.
Someone wrote, “Serene, Serene, so beautiful and bright, your pretty face is pure delight. The tournament’s packed with fierce and bold, but I’m the one who takes the gold.”
Another wrote, “Princess Serene, beauty without peer, I came for you to challenge here. Tens of thousands fall before my might—when it comes to skill, I’m number one tonight.”
Someone else wrote, “Princess Serene is truly divine, for her I’ll break through the Literary Gate line. But the question’s too deep, it’s tough to survive—guess this time I’ll barely stay alive.”
All sorts of ridiculous answers flashed across the screen, but very few passed. Chase Chu’s answer appeared too, and when the elder saw it, he smiled in satisfaction.
“Alright, the Literary Gate test is over. If you got it right, your White Memory Stone will glow white. If not, you’re out—be prepared.
Don’t lose heart if you’re eliminated—King Victor Zhao will still treat you well. If you’re strong enough, you can join the army and make a name for yourself. You’ll get plenty of Netherstones,” the elder said.
Instantly, the crowd erupted in chatter. After a few breaths, more and more White Memory Stones began to glow white...