"It seems there really are hidden dragons and crouching tigers among them. How interesting."
Lord Long Zhen smiled faintly but said nothing more. He didn't seem particularly interested in the matter.
At that moment, he turned his gaze back to the formation map, scanning back and forth across the other three arenas. But those three arenas were practically blank, devoid of any information whatsoever.
"Before the Fighting Tower is triggered, the other arenas can't be seen either?" Lord Long Zhen asked.
"Report to Lord Long Zhen — the formation has been affected by the Sacred Dragon Ruins. Indeed, nothing can be observed."
"However, under normal circumstances, the Fighting Towers in the other three arenas should have been triggered as well."
"For some unknown reason, they still haven't been triggered," the old man said.
They had long known that the opening of the Sacred Dragon Ruins would affect their formation.
To ensure the Strongest Trial could proceed normally, they had set the formation to operate automatically from the very beginning. They had established triggering conditions, and the formation would activate once those conditions were met.
So right now, outside, there was nothing they could do.
"What are the triggering conditions?" Long Zhen asked.
"At least eighteen individuals whose strength is recognized by the formation must appear before the Fighting Tower can be activated," the old man said.
"Does each of the eighteen need to meet a specific standard, or are the eighteen most qualified individuals selected from within the arena?" Lord Long Zhen asked.
"To ensure the Strongest Trial proceeds smoothly, the rule is to select the eighteen strongest individuals from within the arena," the old man said.
"In that case, the Fighting Tower not being triggered is actually a good thing," Long Zhen said.
In truth, they didn't really care who would claim the title of Strongest. They only hoped that someone would pass the trials in all four arenas.
The three arenas where the Fighting Tower hadn't opened were the ones where no one had passed the trial. Long Zhen figured that people were probably still undergoing the trial within the Sacred Dragon Ruins. Once they left, the Fighting Tower would naturally trigger.
"Lord Long Zhen, that Evil Monk's subordinates haven't made any moves yet. Could it be that they really did come for the Strongest Trial?"
Suddenly, the old man asked.
As a high-ranking member of the Totem Dragon Clan, he had heard about the Evil Monk's subordinates seeking revenge against their clan.
"Heh…"
Upon hearing this, Long Zhen simply chuckled.
"Right now, our Totem Dragon Clan has five of the Nine-Flag Dragon Warriors present, and Lord Long Junlin is here as well."
"Forget the Evil Monk's subordinates — even if the Evil Monk himself were alive, he wouldn't escape death."
"I'm actually hoping they'll come looking for trouble now," Long Zhen said with a smile.
Back when they had dealt with the Evil Monk, they had only dispatched three of the Nine-Flag Dragon Warriors.
Now they not only had five, but also Long Junlin. Even if the Evil Monk were alive, he truly wouldn't escape with his life.
"That's true as well." At this, everyone present laughed. With the lineup they had here, they truly feared no opponent.
Hum—
Hum—
Hum—
At that very moment, on the formation map, the imprint of a Fighting Tower appeared in all three of the blank arenas simultaneously.
"They've been triggered — all three at once."
The old man was surprised. That imprint only appeared after a Fighting Tower had been triggered, meaning the other three arenas were about to begin their final competitions as well.
But compared to the old man, Long Zhen had become unusually tense.
The triggering of all three arenas meant that the trials of the Sacred Dragon Ruins had completely ended.
If at this point the other three arenas still had no one who had passed the trial, then this cracking plan — three thousand years in the making — for the Sacred Dragon Ruins would also end in failure.
"Lord Long Zhen."
Just then, an elder rushed in, his face still covered in wild elation.
Upon seeing Long Zhen, he immediately spoke: "Lord Long Zhen, wonderful news — people have passed the trial in the other three arenas as well."
"The first trial of the Sacred Dragon Ruins has been broken!!!"
Long Zhen was overjoyed, finding it hard to believe. He couldn't help but ask, "Truly?"
"It's true, it's really true, Lord Long Zhen. You can go see for yourself," the elder said.
"Let's go." Long Zhen immediately set off, and the elder followed him out.
The people who remained here couldn't leave, but they had heard every word of the conversation with perfect clarity.
Wild elation was now written across every one of their faces.
The Sacred Dragon Ruins — they knew what that represented.
When Lord Long Zhen returned to the palace where the ancient sphere was located, he found that all four mechanisms on the ancient sphere had indeed been opened.
The opened sphere had bloomed like flower petals, and suspended above its center was a new sphere.
The moment he saw this sphere, Lord Long Zhen's body trembled slightly with excitement.
This new sphere was much smaller than the blooming one — only the size of a fist — yet it radiated brilliant light in all directions.