Boom!
An invisible, soundless explosion erupted between Evan Chu and Lord Jun Yang. In the next instant, Evan's eyes stung sharply, but his indomitable will didn't falter—instead, it only burned stronger!
You think you can crush me, Evan Chu, with just a look? Dream on!
On the other side, Lord Jun Yang showed no outward reaction, but after meeting Evan Chu's gaze, he had still taken half a step back.
A simple movement—half a step back. What did that mean? Others might not get it, but Henry Lin understood perfectly!
"Hahaha! Good! Good kid, I like you!" Lord Jun Yang laughed heartily.
Seeing Lord Jun Yang's smile, Henry Lin felt genuinely pleased. Jun Yang might look friendly, but inside he's proud as hell—there aren't five people in the entire Frostbane Dynasty he'd actually approve of. Even Henry himself, with similar rank and cultivation, never made the cut.
Henry Lin was actually older than Jun Yang by several generations, but his talent was a lot weaker.
But now, it was obvious—Jun Yang had taken a liking to Evan Chu at first sight. Henry had already planned to hand Evan over to Jun Yang. Even though Jun Yang isn't the strongest of the Seven Thrones, and the Blazing-Flame Legion isn't the fiercest in Frostbane, when it comes to training and tempering newcomers, Jun Yang and his legion are absolutely the best fit for Evan.
"Senior brother, are you alright? You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that! With our current cultivation, staring down a powerhouse like that is just asking for pain. The Star-River Dominion isn’t as simple as you think. I know you rose fast in the Immortal Realm and God Realm, and your talent is insane, but the Star-River Dominion is different. Senior brother, you’ve gotta learn to rein it in." Violet Thunder scolded.
"Mm, I got it."
Evan Chu gave a bitter smile—he'd really paid the price just now. If the person he'd stared down hadn't been an ally from the Frostbane Dynasty, but some powerhouse from another dynasty, that single glare could've killed him on the spot.
Strength! Still way too weak...
This time, including Evan Chu and Lord Thunder, there were 145 Saints from all the Small Worlds. Now, they were about to face Frostbane Dynasty's trial—how they performed would decide their future cultivation resources and battle assignments.
At the very top of the Frostbane Dynasty stands the Holy Emperor, then come the Hall Masters of Punishment Hall, War God Hall, Asura Hall, and Shadow Hall. Below them are the Seven Thrones and their legions, in charge of defending Frostbane or expanding its territory, gathering Starstones and Star Crystals.
Under the Seven Thrones are eighteen commanders, one hundred and eight deputy generals, and then the regular captains and soldiers.
That's Frostbane's entire fighting force. Besides them, there are people who handle business, trade, and diplomacy with other dynasties—usually cultivators with low strength but sharp minds.
So, before joining the Frostbane Dynasty, everyone faces the Purgatory Threefold Trial. Pass it, and you become a golden seed—free to choose any path and be groomed as a future Hall Master or Throne Lord. Fail, and your score decides which department you'll be assigned to, helping keep the dynasty running.
Don't think the Purgatory Threefold Trial is some easy thing. Every hundred years, when Frostbane brings in new recruits from the Small Worlds, less than half survive all three gates.
And in the endless wars of the Star-River Dominion, on the brutal road to power, even fewer make it. The Frostbane army might look huge now, but every soldier here has survived countless deadly sieves—while the ones who died in the process outnumber the living by thousands, even tens of thousands of times!
This is the brutal competition of the Star-River Dominion...
"Everyone, rest up! In three days, the Purgatory Trial begins. Rewards will be announced then—get ready to fight! A new journey, a new future, is waiting for you!" Henry Lin ordered.
With that, Henry Lin sent a squad captain to escort Evan Chu and the others to a city outside Frostbane Imperial City to rest. According to Lord Thunder, until they passed the Purgatory Trial, they were still outsiders.
A dynasty can survive endless ages only by upholding iron laws—especially in the Frostbane Dynasty, where 'rather lack than spoil' is enforced to the extreme!
In over ten thousand generations, Frostbane has produced only three Frostbane God-Venerables. Other dynasties see this as decline and mock it, but Frostbane has grown stronger through adversity, winning more and more respect.
Right now, Evan Chu truly understood what 'Frostbane' meant. He couldn't help but admire the dynasty's founder. As long as these iron laws remain, even if the trial world never produces another top star cultivator, Frostbane will never fall.
Of course, Evan Chu is here now! One day, he'll stand at the very top of the Star-River Dominion and prove to all the races and powerhouses: Frostbane Dynasty may have produced only three such figures, but it has the strength to rule the Dominion!
In the hall set aside for their rest, Violet Thunder was quietly playing chess, looking totally at ease.
"You don't seem nervous about the Purgatory Trial. Have you done it before?" Evan Chu asked.
Violet Thunder laughed, "Senior brother, don’t joke! I’ve never done it. I came to the Frostbane Dynasty before as your Destiny Guardian, but that was only at the lowest level—never met any deputy generals, commanders, Thrones, or Hall Masters. Only heard about them, never saw them."
"So why are you so chill? You really think you’ll pass that easily?" Evan Chu couldn’t help it—his junior always acted so confident no matter what.
Back in the Three Realms, your power was unmatched, but now we’re all ants. You’re way too relaxed before the trial.
But Violet Thunder just smiled mysteriously. "Senior brother, honestly, it's you who should be worried, not me!"
"What do you mean?"
"The Purgatory Trial sounds scary, but it's really for the Saints from ordinary worlds. How strong can they be? You know their cultivation—real fighting power is only about as good as Chase Chu. Should we really be worried about this kind of trial?" Violet Thunder grinned.
What we should worry about is if you shine too brightly in the trial—then all the hidden old monsters might crawl out to fight over you. Me? I’m not worried. As long as I follow you, even if I don’t get the main prize, I’ll get some scraps! For the Third Person, this trial isn’t a threat or a test—it’s basically... welfare.
Exactly—welfare. All those rewards are basically set aside just for you. You should be worrying whether to fight for every prize and draw attention, or keep a low profile and avoid trouble. If you go for it, the fallout could be a real headache!
Compared to Violet Thunder, Evan Chu was looking further ahead—and now he realized, this really was a tough dilemma.