Zhou Yan could only suppress his inner demons; eradicating them completely was not an easy task.
Zhou Yan continued to inscribe array patterns onto himself.
He began to recall what he had learned in the past, from his initial encounter with formations to his later studies of array patterns and individual runes.
Xu Long was forging a very unique path, treating himself as the core of an array. He inscribed powerful array patterns within his own body, granting him formidable defense and excellent offensive capabilities.
Zhou Yan did not need to follow Xu Long's method entirely; he could advance his own strength by leveraging his unique conditions.
Zhou Yan had ample time. He started to experiment one by one, attempting to imbue himself with the formations and array patterns he had learned to enhance his attacks, defense, and speed.
Zhou Yan was still struggling against his inner demons. The heroes he summoned were in a similar predicament, though their inner demons were not as monstrous as Zhou Yan's.
Many had already defeated their inner demons and moved on to the second trial.
Yue Fei had even passed the second trial and was now on the third.
The second trial tested one's character, while the third assessed their talent. These were naturally not difficult for Yue Fei and others.
The most challenging trial was the first one. Successfully passing it made the subsequent trials considerably easier.
Especially for Zhou Yan, he was unsure if he could even pass the first trial.
His inner demons were too strong, so much so that he himself could not eliminate them.
Yet, Zhou Yan persevered and improved. As time passed, his progress was significant.
However, his inner demons, much like Zhou Yan himself, possessed remarkable recovery abilities and numerous life-saving techniques. Even when heavily injured, they could find opportunities to heal and then, like resilient cockroaches, engage Zhou Yan in battle once more.
But Zhou Yan was not the only one troubled by inner demons; many others were trapped in a similar plight, unable to extricate themselves.
Days turned into weeks. After half a month, Yue Fei was the first to successfully complete all the trials and obtain the treasures from one of the Divine Treasury Palaces.
The palace contained an abundance of riches, including a divine-tier cultivation technique – a true treasure of the Divine Realm, which Yue Fei had acquired.
In addition to the divine-tier technique, there were several pseudo-divine artifacts, top-tier scrolls, and skills, totaling over a dozen rewards – all incredibly precious and rare.
Most importantly, Yue Fei had gained the recognition of the entire Divine Treasury Palace, transforming it into a magical artifact. This palace itself was a pseudo-divine artifact of the peak quality.
All thirty-six palaces were of the same caliber. Those who successfully passed the trials could claim their respective palaces.
Zhou Yan, still engaged in the first trial, sensed that Yue Fei had successfully completed his.
This was because Yue Fei had been teleported away by a powerful force and then returned to his territory.
"The Lord is still undergoing trials," Yue Fei, having returned to his territory, seemed to sense that his Lord was still undergoing trials.
This expedition had yielded more than just rewards; Yue Fei’s cultivation realm and combat power had both significantly increased.
Upon his return, Yue Fei immediately rejoined battles, launching extermination campaigns against other factions.
Zhou Yan's territory eliminated many territories daily. His enemies were numerous, with only a few dozen remaining on the Canglan Continent.
Once all enemies on the Canglan Continent were annihilated, Zhou Yan would begin his conquest of other worlds.
The Ancient Imperial Dynasty and the Dark Imperial Dynasty were the two most important targets.
But currently, Zhou Yan was still diligently pondering how to destroy his inner demons.
More than half a month had passed. Zhou Yan had neither failed nor succeeded. Although his strength had improved considerably, he still couldn't eliminate his inner demons in one go.
Zhou Yan continued to strive, searching for a solution, and the results were quite good. Zhou Yan's combat power increased daily. Conversely, his inner demons weakened with each passing day. After such a prolonged battle, Zhou Yan had not stopped attacking; even through attrition, he could wear down his inner demons.
This was the only method Zhou Yan could conceive of, and it was hardly an ideal one.
In any case, Zhou Yan's current strength far surpassed that of his inner demons, and his recovery abilities were also significantly greater. This was a war of attrition.
A few more days elapsed, and more heroes successfully passed their trials, receiving all the rewards from the Divine Treasury Space before being teleported back to their territories.
Another half month passed, and Xu Long finally underwent the Divine Treasury Space trial, successfully obtaining the rewards from an entire Divine Treasury Palace.
"This was not easy," Xu Long's strength increased significantly after receiving his rewards. He felt that in another century, he might be able to contend for the Divine Realm.
"More than a dozen palaces have disappeared; it seems these individuals have departed," Xu Long observed the vanishing palaces before also teleporting outside to await them.
Shortly after, Old Man Feng also emerged, having received his rewards from the Divine Treasury Space.
Upon teleporting outside, Old Man Feng encountered Xu Long and remarked, "You're quite swift, aren't you?"
"Only a bit faster than you. This trial is not about who is stronger but who passes quicker. In fact, those who are too powerful might find it even more difficult," Xu Long replied.
"There's still plenty of time. I see many heroes from Zhou Yan's territory have already left. I envy that lad; he managed to claim thirty-two of the thirty-six palaces for himself," Old Man Feng said.
"We owe a lot to him this time; without him, obtaining rewards so easily wouldn't have been possible," Xu Long stated.
The two began to wait. After some time, Old Lady Feng also emerged, but Qian Shun and Zhou Yan had not. They waited for another half month, and then Qian Shun finally appeared.
"Why hasn't that Zhou Yan fellow emerged yet? I thought I was the last one, but it turns out he is," Qian Shun exclaimed.
Qian Shun spoke of the Divine Treasury Palaces, mentioning that only Zhou Yan's central palace remained, while all others had vanished.
Suddenly, Zhou Yan transmitted a message to Xu Long and the others, saying, "Help me send a message to Ziwei Academy. Tell them I won't be back anytime soon; it might take me a year or so."
Qian Shun and the others were astonished. Qian Shun quickly asked, "Holy crap! You're not still stuck in the first trial, are you?"
However, no further response came from Zhou Yan.
Qian Shun asked, "What do we do?"
"Help him out. Zhou Yan wouldn't get into trouble. He can still transmit messages, which means he has a way to pass. From the situation, it won't be easy, but I can feel that once this fellow emerges, he will be invincible," Xu Long said.
Xu Long had immense faith in Zhou Yan. Associating with such a figure would undoubtedly bring them great benefits.
"I also believe Zhou Yan won't encounter any accidents. I still want to buy the Divine Visage Pills from him; this time I finally have enough money," Old Lady Feng said. She had received many protective items, more than enough to afford a Divine Visage Pill.