Most importantly, under the protection of the Earth Core Source Pearl, those earth-attribute creatures underground were trembling in fear, none daring to approach within the range of the Earth Core Source Pearl.
Though Jiang Chen had not yet fully unleashed the terrifying earth pulse, the Earth Core Source Pearl's own power alone was enough to send many subterranean creatures fleeing in panic, practically soiling themselves.
And so, the fifth trial — the Gravity Cloud Cavern — was passed by Jiang Chen with astonishing ease.
He had spent barely more time than he had in the fourth cavern.
In terms of how effortless it felt, it was even more so than the fourth.
When Jiang Chen emerged from the fifth cavern, everyone was dumbfounded. Those elders who had predicted his failure stood rooted to the ground, struck dumb as wooden chickens.
They had predicted that this young man could not pass the fifth trial, and while there had been some emotional bias behind those predictions, they genuinely did not want to see Jiang Chen succeed.
Even if the young man could ultimately make it through, he should have been utterly exhausted. How could he possibly appear looking so composed and full of vitality?
This completely overturned their understanding of things and left them psychologically incapable of accepting what they were seeing.
"Brother, well done!" After some time to recover, Yan Qingsang had slowly regained his energy and began cheering for Jiang Chen.
Seeing Jiang Chen breeze through five consecutive trials with such ease, even Yan Qingsang couldn't help but feel genuine admiration. Before Jiang Chen's identity had been revealed, Yan Qingsang had always assumed his talents lay solely in alchemy and his exceptional knowledge of ancient jade. It was only after learning the truth about Jiang Chen that he had developed a keen interest in his martial cultivation talent, which eventually turned to pure respect.
But witnessing Jiang Chen pass through five trials this effortlessly made him truly realize that this young man from the human territories possessed martial talent that genuinely surpassed his own — and not by a small margin.
Jiang Chen's almost divine ability to modify and improve formations, his skill at providing guidance — even someone as proud as Yan Qingsang could only gaze upon such talents in awe.
"Perhaps, in Huang-er's fate, a real turning point might appear through his efforts?" A hopeful fantasy suddenly sprouted in Yan Qingsang's heart.
If Jiang Chen could kill Xiahou Zong, Yan Qingsang would absolutely not object — he would even celebrate with unbridled joy.
However, Xiahou Zong was hailed as the foremost genius of the Eternal Sacred Kingdom, and killing him would not be easy.
Even so, a seed of hope had been planted in Yan Qingsang's heart. At the very least, it made him feel that while Xiahou Zong might seem invincible to them, he was not necessarily so to Jiang Chen.
"Jiang Chen, keep going!" Yan Qingsang cheered from the bottom of his heart, his mind shouting, "If you can defeat Xiahou Zong and save Huang-er, I, Yan Qingsang, will absolutely drink myself silly at your wedding!"
This was the first time Yan Qingsang had seriously considered the matter. He felt that if it actually came to pass, he would be perfectly happy to play the role of the bride's elder brother.
Jiang Chen, meanwhile, had already entered a state of complete focus, paying no attention whatsoever to the commotion of the outside world.
In the blink of an eye, he had entered the sixth cavern of the Nine-Turn Cloud Caverns.
This sixth cavern was the Illusion Cavern. All manner of illusions, phantasms, deceptions, and beguiling false images designed to captivate the mind.
Only, those who entered this sixth cavern had no idea what awaited them. Everything they saw, everything they heard, seemed utterly real.
Upon entering, Jiang Chen expanded his divine sense to its fullest, carefully observing his surroundings.
Looking ahead, he saw a vast expanse of water stretching out to the horizon, with no end in sight.
Along the edges of the water lay scattered bones and skeletal remains of every kind.
"Hmm? What is this place?" Jiang Chen had seen many things since entering the Nine-Turn Cloud Caverns, but a body of water like this was a first.
Suddenly, a voice drifted through the void.
Looking more carefully, the voice was coming from the shore, where a figure sat fishing in silence, as though they had been waiting there for a thousand years, ten thousand years.
"Lost one, this body of water is impossible to cross. Look upon it — what floats upon its surface are all the cultivators who attempted to force their way through."
The voice was flat and indifferent, as though the affairs of the world meant nothing to it.
Jiang Chen paused, then looked toward the water. The previously calm surface had begun to ripple with a gentle breeze, and where the wind touched, the water wrinkled outward. Around those ripples, circles upon circles of bones drifted to the surface — countless skeletons floating there, never to find rest in the earth.
"Lost one?" Jiang Chen frowned. "Are you talking about me?"
"Is there another human here? Human, let me ask you — you have labored to cultivate the martial path. Do you know what lies on the other shore, that sacred place?"
"I don't know."
Jiang Chen had no intention of falling into the other's rhythm, so he offered a simple, noncommittal answer.
Stepping to the water's edge, he kept his divine sense fully open and studied the area carefully. This stretch of water looked misty and ethereal, cloaked in an air of profound mystery.
"Young man, turn back. The world of martial cultivation has no room for fantasies. If you don't even know what the other shore is, do you still have the courage to stake your life on this gamble?"
"Young man, the end of the martial path lies in this very body of water. Turn back, and you'll find shore."
Hearing this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but let out a wry laugh. "Where do you find the confidence to declare that this is the end of the martial path?"
Jiang Chen had originally found this voice only mildly annoying.
But after hearing it spout such grandiose nonsense, he found himself laughing in spite of himself.
Then, in a sudden flash of insight, he realized — perhaps this was an entirely different kind of test.