Earth Realm Second Layer, Chen Tonghe.
Chen Tonghe swept his gaze across the crowd, exuding confident arrogance. "Below fifty years of age, I am the only one in the entire Chen family standing at the Earth Realm. Everyone else is at the Profound Realm. I declare that I will take this Young Master position."
With those words, Chen Tonghe entered the Puppet Pass.
A heavy silence fell upon the scene. Chen Tonghe's Earth Realm Second Layer cultivation indeed put immense pressure on them.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Half an hour later, Chen Tonghe emerged from within, his breathing unstable.
Chen Jiuyang sneered, "It took you half an hour for a mere Puppet Pass? Your Earth Realm Second Layer is likely just built up with medicinal ingredients, a mere gilded reed. You dare to boast of taking the Young Master position before me."
Chen Tonghe frowned, his eyes fixed on Chen Jiuyang with ill intent. "Who are you?"
The Chen family members were also somewhat surprised. Chen Jiuyang was even more arrogant than Chen Tonghe.
For Chen Jiuyang, his purpose in coming to the Chen family was to display his strength and seize the Young Master position, hence his arrogance.
Chen Jiuyang ignored him and surveyed the thirty-odd people behind him. "I, Chen Jiuyang, am twenty-three years old, with a Profound Realm Seven Apertures martial cultivation. I am the provincial martial rankings champion. I consider myself the second greatest genius in the Chen family; who dares to claim first?"
The remaining thirty-odd people's expressions shifted slightly. Twenty-three years old with Profound Realm Seven Apertures cultivation was a true genius. Granny Zeng and Chen Gaoming's faces lit up with joy. In just one night, Chen Jiuyang had broken through another acupoint.
"I will be the second to challenge the Puppet Pass. If anyone can surpass my results, I, Chen Jiuyang, will withdraw from the Young Master trial immediately."
Chen Jiuyang was not only arrogant but also intended to completely subdue the Chen family disciples.
The Chen family patriarch nodded slightly. The Chen family had been too comfortable in Mount Shu, resulting in abundant resources but no one capable of taking charge. Chen Jiuyang's personality seemed suitable to lead the Chen family.
With that, Chen Jiuyang directly entered the grand mansion.
Upon entering the mansion, Chen Jiuyang discovered that the Puppet Pass consisted of six rooms arranged in a circle, with each room likely housing puppets of different strengths.
Chen Jiuyang stepped into the first room. Inside were bamboo puppets at the Profound Realm cultivation level, specifically the lowest tier. Chen Jiuyang's divine sense swept over them, revealing that these bamboo puppets were controlled by multiple Profound Realm martial artists behind them, a rather ingenious setup.
These bamboo puppets lunged at Chen Jiuyang, their approach straightforward – they simply advanced towards him.
There was no one present, nor any surveillance. Chen Jiuyang directly unleashed his Pure Yang True Qi, walking forward while simultaneously shooting out silver needles, defeating each bamboo puppet one by one.
In twenty seconds, he had passed the first room.
He moved to the second room, which contained wooden puppets. They were no match for Chen Jiuyang. He cleared it in another twenty seconds, as if strolling through a leisurely garden.
The third room featured ironwood puppets. They were still insignificant, and he passed in another twenty seconds.
Three rooms took Chen Jiuyang only one minute.
The fourth room contained iron puppets. To Chen Jiuyang, they were no different from wooden puppets, only with a higher input of true qi, making them slightly stronger.
He passed again in twenty seconds.
The fifth room housed steel puppets, with a true qi output equivalent to the Profound Realm Six Apertures. They were humanoid, controlled by Grandmasters of the Earth Realm behind them.
This time, Chen Jiuyang no longer used silver needles. Instead, he raised his fists, defeating them one by one. It took him forty seconds.
The sixth room contained alloy humanoid puppets, with a cultivation level reaching the peak of the Profound Realm. This made Chen Jiuyang's eyes gleam. "Time to try the second move."
"Instant Annihilation Martial Dao – Tide Gleam!"
Vast and terrifying Pure Yang True Qi swept through the entire room. In one minute, he pushed back these peak Profound Realm alloy puppets. He walked through the final room at a leisurely pace, releasing true qi as he went.
Chen Jiuyang walked out of the mansion with his hands behind his back, causing all the Chen family members to exclaim in astonishment:
"Three minutes! How is this possible!"
The remaining contestants' faces changed drastically. Chen Tonghe, at Earth Realm Second Layer, had taken half an hour, yet Chen Jiuyang had cleared the Puppet Pass in three minutes. The difference in strength was immense.
The Chen family patriarch's expression showed a hint of emotion. When he had passed this trial, it had taken him over twenty minutes. Chen Jiuyang completing it in three minutes – had his family truly produced a prodigy?
Chen Tonghe's face immediately turned grim.
Chen Jiuyang emerged and said calmly, "I stand by my words. Whoever can break my record, I, Chen Jiuyang, will turn around and withdraw from the Young Master competition."
The remaining thirty contestants' faces darkened, feeling immense pressure. Chen Jiuyang clearing the Puppet Pass in three minutes made it difficult for them to refute his statement.
Granny Zeng's expression was overjoyed. "Jiuyang is truly a peerless genius who refined attributes even in the Profound Realm."
The remaining Chen family disciples participated in the Puppet Pass one after another. It took them several hours, and the best result was eighteen minutes, a full fifteen minutes slower than Chen Jiuyang's three minutes. The gap was terrifying.
The faces of those vying for the Young Master position were not good, but they also felt a sense of admiration for Chen Jiuyang. The Puppet Pass was not easy and had a certain level of difficulty. Chen Jiuyang's three-minute result indicated a vast difference in talent and strength compared to theirs.
Some even began to doubt themselves. They had been called geniuses since childhood and were kept outside the Chen family to be nurtured, all for the purpose of astonishing everyone today and competing for the Young Master position. Who could have imagined that such a monstrous talent like Chen Jiuyang would emerge?
However, they did not lose hope, as there were still four more trials. Chen Jiuyang couldn't possibly crush them in every single one.
The results of the first trial were finalized. The Chen family patriarch's voice was clear. "Next, follow me to participate in the second trial."
"The first trial tested martial force and technique."
"The second trial is the Waterfall Pass. Activate your Qi shields; you must not let the waterfall's water touch your person at all. Everyone can participate in this trial simultaneously. Earth Realm cultivators need to maintain a shield distance of half a meter."
"Whoever can endure until the end will be the champion of this trial."
"Throughout the Chen family's history in the selection of Young Masters, some have used trickery to forcibly increase their cultivation, leading to insufficient true qi. This trial is designed to examine the foundation of the Young Master's martial cultivation."
"No medicinal pills or other means are allowed during the trial."
"Go."
The thirty-two individuals nodded in unison and slowly walked towards the waterfall ahead, activating their Qi shields as they went and then meditating directly beneath the waterfall.
Hundreds of core members of the Chen family stood before the waterfall. The selection of the Young Master position required proving oneself before every member of the Chen family, ensuring their acceptance.
The other Profound Realm martial artists maintained the minimum range of Qi shields, just enough to prevent water droplets from wetting them. Chen Tonghe, an Earth Realm Grandmaster, needed to maintain a half-meter distance to create some balance.
Chen Jiuyang, however, directly opened a one-meter Qi shield.