The second trial had always been the place geniuses loved most.
Every genius seemed to enjoy pushing themselves to their limits through this kind of self-torture. Jiang Chen was no exception.
Before, many geniuses from the Eastern Kingdom had come here. Almost none of them stayed inside for even half a shichen before obediently coming out.
Everyone would push themselves to the breaking point, refusing to emerge until they had nothing left.
This trial had essentially become a hidden arena where top-tier geniuses competed against one another.
To see who could hold out the longest.
To see who could slay the most iron-armored flying insects.
In reality, later on in the trial, there was almost no opportunity to target the insects at all. Because the sword qi flew wildly through the air in all directions, completely unpredictable, and could claim the life of any participant at any moment.
Outside the Sword Qi Chamber, the crowd of onspectators was growing steadily.
Because word had spread that Jiang Chen had been inside the chamber for a full two shichen, drawing curious onlookers from all over.
Two shichen — what did that even mean?
Inside the Sword Qi Chamber, every half shichen the intensity of the sword qi attacks doubled. After two shichen, the sword qi inside the chamber should have already reached sixteen times its original power!
If he stayed another half shichen without coming out, the intensity would climb to thirty-two times — doubling again and again!
"Is this Jiang Chen dead in there?"
"Don't be ridiculous. If a participant is killed by the sword qi, the mechanism detects the loss of life signs, stops the attack, and sends out an alert."
"Heh, I'm just curious. Is this Jiang Chen really that strong?"
"Playing the pig to eat the tiger — that Jiang Chen is definitely playing the pig to eat the tiger."
"Man, comparing yourself to others is a recipe for misery. Back when I did the second trial, I tried to show off and stay an extra half shichen. That doubled sword qi nearly killed me!"
"Hey, do any of you know what the longest record for staying in the Sword Qi Chamber is?"
"Heard no one's ever exceeded three shichen."
"I heard Miss Long Juxue stayed in the Sword Qi Chamber for nearly three shichen. She almost made it through the full round of thirty-two-times sword qi."
"Hmph, don't you dare compare Jiang Chen to Miss Long Juxue. He's not worthy!"
"Exactly. Jiang Chen may be playing the pig to eat the tiger, but at the end of the day, he's only a little stronger than an ordinary genius. Miss Long Juxue is a true prodigy born of heaven! An Innate Azure Phoenix physique, a once-in-a-generation talent recognized by a hidden sect's great master. They're not even in the same league."
"Comparing Jiang Chen to Miss Long Juxue is an insult to her!"
At the mention of Long Juxue, many of her fanatics eagerly piled on, tearing Jiang Chen apart without mercy.
It was clear that Long Juxue had enormous popularity among these heirs of the feudal lords. It had to be said — this woman's natural allure was truly extraordinary.
"What kind of nonsense are you lot spouting? My Brother Chen is Brother Chen — does he need to be compared to anyone?" The shout hit like an earthquake.
It was Fatty Xuan, who had just arrived. He was Jiang Chen's die-hard loyalist, and hearing people badmouth Jiang Chen was even less tolerable than being insulted himself.
Standing beside Fatty Xuan was the sturdy-looking Hu Qiuyue.
One was fat, the other was powerfully built — together they loomed like two mountains, exuding an oppressive presence.
Talking trash was easy enough, but actually daring to offend Jiang Chen to his face — they genuinely didn't have the nerve for that. These two were Jiang Chen's closest friends, and offending them was as good as offending Jiang Chen himself.
Another half shichen passed…
Fatty Xuan glanced at the hourglass used to track time — it was already the sixth glass.
Each glass represented half a shichen. That meant this was the sixth interval Jiang Chen had stayed inside the Sword Qi Chamber.
And at this point, the chamber was unleashing sword qi at thirty-two times its base intensity.
Fatty Xuan still talked a big game, but the knuckles he was gripping white beneath his sleeve betrayed the tension he was feeling inside.
"Fatty Xuan, do you think Brother Chen might be in danger?" Hu Qiuyue asked, a note of worry in his voice.
"Does Brother Chen seem like the kind of person who doesn't know his own limits?" Fatty Xuan shot back. That was what he said, but the truth was he had absolutely no confidence. The Jiang Chen of the past had never been this formidable, this extraordinary.
Tackling the sixth interval all at once — among this generation's heirs of the feudal lords, only Long Juxue had attempted it. And even she hadn't made it through the entire duration.
If this hourglass ran out and Jiang Chen emerged, he would have broken this generation's record!
But when Long Juxue had challenged the second trial, she had been at the eighth meridian of true qi, on the verge of advancing to the ninth.
She had entered the Sword Qi Chamber precisely to stimulate her potential, to shatter her bottleneck in one decisive push and break through to the ninth meridian of true qi!
And she had succeeded.
Although she ultimately hadn't withstood the full barrage of thirty-two-times sword qi, she had broken through to the ninth meridian in one triumphant leap, shaking the entire kingdom.