"It should be Ouyang Canjian. Among those in the Martial Ancestor late-stage field, he is the most likely to pass the trial."
Among the five, an elderly man with yellow brows spoke.
"I actually think it'll be Xu Tianjian. After all, Ouyang Canjian isn't exactly a junior anymore."
Another elder among the five spoke up — this one had jet-black hair, sharp eyes, and a fierce-looking face.
"So what if he isn't a junior? We all witnessed Ouyang Canjian's talent back in the day. Back then… among his contemporaries, not a single junior of our Totem Dragon Clan could compare to him."
"We even sent someone to persuade him — told him not to suppress his cultivation just to compete for the top spot among Martial Ancestors. With his talent, he could have competed for supremacy among the half-god tier," the yellow-browed elder said.
"Then why did he still suppress his cultivation? Isn't that because he lacked confidence? Ouyang Canjian was certainly dazzling back then, but the juniors of that era simply cannot compare to the juniors of today."
"The current generation is universally acknowledged as the strongest in all of history. Even the Age of Gods was ushered in because of them."
"And as the young master of the Cloud Sky Sword Pavilion, Xu Tianjian's strength is truly formidable. Among the juniors of our Totem Dragon Clan beneath the half-god tier, I'm afraid only Long Feiyang could fight him — and even then, victory is far from certain," the black-haired elder said.
"Whoever passes the trial, it doesn't really matter. What I hope is that there are others in the other fields who can also pass."
"The power of this place has weakened remarkably this time — it's the best opportunity to break through. I hope they don't let all our preparations go to waste. If even they can't break through…"
"Then we'll have no choice but to draw in talents from across the entire vast Cultivation World. And that would take far more than a single honorary token to accomplish," said an elder seated at the head of the table.
This elder was quite short — barely four feet tall — but his snow-white beard stretched over thirty feet long, floating around his body like a massive white serpent.
The moment this elder spoke, everyone present nodded in agreement.
They all understood the true purpose of this Strongest Trial.
…
Meanwhile, those outside were already growing restless, even grumbling among themselves in secret.
They hadn't come here to participate in the Strongest Trial — they had come to watch the show.
But they couldn't see a thing. They didn't even know the precise locations of the participants.
It felt like a completely wasted trip.
But had they known that even the Totem Dragon Clan itself couldn't observe the specific details within, they would have felt considerably better about it.
There was, however, one person who could see certain things happening inside.
She was the mysterious woman Chu Feng had encountered in the valley.
This mysterious woman had been secretly following Chu Feng ever since the True Dragon Star Domain under the control of the Situ Spirit Gate — all the way here.
Now she hovered high above the void, a mirror suspended before her.
And what appeared within the mirror was a dense forest, with a figure darting swiftly through the trees — none other than Chu Feng.
"Ling'er, you've arrived."
The mysterious woman spoke softly.
"Hehe, I knew I couldn't hide from the young miss."
The space behind the mysterious woman trembled, and a figure materialized — it was none other than Ling'er, the one skilled in the art of spirit formations.
Ling'er had left to handle some matters, but upon returning to the valley, she had found the letter the mysterious woman left for her.
Following the mysterious woman's instructions, she had used a special method to locate her.
"Did everything go smoothly?" the mysterious woman asked.
"Very smoothly. But young miss — why have you been following him this whole time?"
Ling'er curiously directed her gaze toward Chu Feng in the mirror.
It was the first time she had seen their young miss take such a personal interest in an outsider — tracking him all the way here.
"I'm still deliberating whether to recruit him under our banner," the mysterious woman said.
"Him? How can that be? We absolutely cannot have dealings with outsiders — how could we possibly let him join us?"
Ling'er was shocked. Her surprise stemmed from the fact that her young miss knew this rule even better than she did.
It was their own Master's decree.
"He possesses a Heaven-tier bloodline," the mysterious woman said.
"So what if it's a Heaven-tier bloodline?" Ling'er was confused. Heaven-tier bloodlines were everywhere — what was so special about that?
"A Divine Emperor-grade," the mysterious woman added.
"What?" Ling'er froze. It took a moment before she recovered.
"Young miss, surely you mean he has a Heaven-tier bloodline, Sacred King-grade, right?" Ling'er's eyes were already filled with awe.
She knew from her young miss just how extraordinary a Sacred King-grade bloodline was — it was the highest bloodline grade among Heaven-tier bloodlines, something of legendary status, nonexistent in the current era.
But a Divine Emperor-grade? She had never heard of such a thing, so she assumed her young miss had simply misspoken.
"A Divine Emperor-grade," the mysterious woman emphasized.
"Divine Emperor-grade? What kind of grade is that? Why have I never heard you mention it, young miss?" Ling'er asked.
"It is a grade that surpasses even the Sacred King-grade," the mysterious woman said.
"Heavens — such a grade exists?"
"Young miss, are you telling the truth? He… possesses that kind of talent?" Ling'er clearly found it hard to believe.
"I saw it with my own eyes. It was an ancient bloodline testing tower that produced the result. And after delivering its verdict, the tower itself crumbled apart," the mysterious woman said.
"Oh my — there's actually a junior like this in the current era?"
"Divine Emperor-grade!!!" Ling'er murmured to herself. Then, as if something suddenly clicked, her expression changed drastically. "Young miss — this Age of Gods that has opened… it wouldn't happen to be because of him, would it?"
"That's exactly what I've been suspecting. So now you understand why I want to recruit him under our banner?"
"If his talent falls into the hands of those people, it will become extremely troublesome," the mysterious woman said.
"Of course we should recruit him! Even our sect doesn't have anyone with this kind of talent — not even the young master compares to him, right?" Ling'er's eyes were practically shining now as she looked back at the mirror, sizing Chu Feng up with fresh interest.
"But without Master's permission, I wouldn't dare make the move. So I'm observing his character first," the mysterious woman said.
"And how is his character?" Ling'er asked.
"So far — not bad."