Chapter 290 The last level, the test of the line of sky

Before Xu Ting could even stand firm after retreating, Yan Leizi suddenly looked at Lin Che and said loudly, “Little friend Lin Che, why don’t you also try this Heaven’s Pass? I’d like to see what kind of anomaly a Pure Nirvana (Late-stage) Great Perfection cultivator will exhibit when facing the Battle Character Scroll.”

As soon as he spoke, the entire venue fell silent.

Everyone’s gaze focused on Lin Che—he was already a pre-determined powerhouse and didn't need to participate in this assessment, but since Yan Leizi spoke, he clearly wanted to witness his foundation.

Lin Che withdrew his gaze from Blood God Child, smiled indifferently, “Since the Palace Lord has commanded, this junior naturally obeys.”

He slowly stepped onto the bluestone platform. Unlike Wang Lin and Xu Ting, he didn't even intentionally focus his mind, but merely casually looked up at the “Battle” character on the screen.

The moment his gaze touched the “Battle” character, written with iron strokes and silver hooks.

There was no sign of divine sense being released, no anomaly of aura fluctuations; Lin Che seemed to merge with that “Battle” character.

The million armored phantom warriors on the screen all paused, then bowed in unison towards Lin Che's direction. The overwhelming killing intent instantly receded, transforming into a gentle calmness, like a soft ribbon.

“This… this is…”

Lie Yunzi, who had just sat down, abruptly stood up again. The whisk in his hand fell to the ground with a “thud,” and his pupils widened.

“En… entered a meditative state?”

The surrounding Battle Clan elders rubbed their eyes, thinking they had seen wrong. From the moment Lin Che looked up to his aura resonating with the Battle Character Scroll, it wasn't even half a breath!

“Not even one breath! How could he do it?!”

An old monster exclaimed in shock, his voice trembling.

Xu Ting’s five breaths were already astonishing, and Wang Lin’s one breath was almost heaven-defying, but Lin Che completely bypassed all processes, as if the Battle Character Scroll was inherently a part of him!

The “Battle” character on the screen suddenly erupted with brilliant golden light, ten times more intense than the anomaly Xu Ting had triggered earlier!

A vast surge of primordial power, like a rushing river, poured into Lin Che’s body through an invisible connection.

Unlike Wang Lin and Xu Ting, this primordial power did not dissipate in his body at all. Instead, it fused with the profound crystal power within the God Extinguishing Sword, emitting a clear, melodious sword hum.

Lie Yunzi stared intently at Lin Che, his hands clenched into fists, knuckles white: “Impossible… absolutely impossible! The primordial power of the Battle Character Scroll is incomparably overbearing. Even my Battle Clan ancestors, upon first contact, needed one breath to activate it. How could he…”

Before he finished speaking, he saw Lin Che slightly raise his hand and flick his fingertip.

The “Battle” character on the screen actually transformed with his fingertip's movement. As the strokes flowed, it materialized into a miniature longsword, with red and golden light interwoven on its blade, precisely the phantom of the God Extinguishing Sword!

“Activating the Battle Character to transform into one's own object… this level of control…”

Yan Leizi gasped, his gaze towards Lin Che completely changed. This was no longer just talent, but an absolute crushing dominance over the “Battle” Dao.

Ten breaths passed in an instant. Lin Che withdrew his gaze, and the anomaly on the screen instantly subsided, as if it had never appeared.

Lin Che’s expression was calm, as if he had merely glanced at an ordinary painting. He nodded slightly towards Lie Yunzi, “Senior, this junior has made a fool of himself.”

Lie Yunzi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat tight. After a long moment, he finally managed to squeeze out, “Qua… qualified…”

His gaze towards Lin Che held both shock and undisguised disbelief. How could such a person appear in the Luo Tian Star Region?

Could he have been sent by the Immortal Clan Seventy-Two Prefectures?

Lin Che turned and walked off the bluestone platform. As he passed Wang Lin, he whispered, “The Dao of Battle lies in the heart, not in the characters.”

Wang Lin was startled. Looking at his retreating figure, he suddenly gained a deeper understanding of the words “steadfast heart.”

After the deathly silence on Thunder Pond Square, a thunderous discussion erupted.

“Less than one breath! Senior Lin Che’s methods are simply divine, aren’t they?”

“The Battle Character Scroll is like an obedient child in front of him!”

“Xu Ting and Wang Lin are already incredibly talented, but compared to Senior Lin Che, they’re like a small witch meeting a great one!”

Lie Yunzi picked up his whisk, but he couldn't smooth out the threads on it no matter what.

He looked at Yan Leizi, his voice a little dry: “Fellow Daoist Yan Leizi, what is the origin of this Lin Che…?”

Yan Leizi smiled bitterly and shook his head: “Perhaps, he doesn't belong to this Luo Tian Star Region at all.”

His gaze looked towards the sky, as if it could penetrate the clouds, seemingly having already guessed that Lin Che’s identity was definitely not a simple one.

“Since that’s the case, let’s begin the final One-Line Sky.”

Lie Yunzi waved his sleeve, and the Battle Character Scroll transformed into a streak of light, returning to his palm.

A sudden gust of wind swept all the previously unqualified cultivators into the high-altitude teleportation array. Amidst the flashing light, one hundred forty-seven people were reduced to one hundred twelve.

“Three trials have passed. Those who remain are all elites.”

Yan Leizi rose, his voice shaking the square, and said indifferently, “The original Six Paths of Reincarnation were meant to test one’s Dao heart, but now that the number of people is sufficient, we will directly enter One-Line Sky!”

Yan Leizi pointed his fingertip at the sky and said indifferently, “One-Line Sky is the final trial, where success is judged by slaughter.”

“The top ranked will be the leader of a hundred immortals, and the top thirty-six will be called Heavenly Stars! All of you who enter will be in a phantom body; even if you fall, it will only slightly harm your main body, without affecting your foundation.”

As his voice fell, Yan Leizi took out an octagonal wooden piece from his storage bag and tossed it into the air. The wooden piece suddenly expanded to ten zhang in size, with colorful iridescent light flowing, like a suspended glazed treasure mirror.

“Enter the bluestone!”

As Yan Leizi’s voice faded, the one hundred twelve cultivators in the field all stepped onto the thousand-zhang bluestone, sitting cross-legged.

Immediately, Yan Leizi cast a seal, and the treasure mirror’s iridescent light cascaded down, seeping into everyone’s bodies like fine rain.

In an instant, including Wang Lin, all the cultivators’ eyes lost their focus, and their minds sank into an boundless illusion.

Yan Leizi looked at Lin Che’s position, stroked his beard, and slowly said, “Little brother Lin Che, since the One-Line Sky assessment has begun, then, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Whether you can become the First Immortal depends on whether you can become the strongest.”

Lin Che nodded slightly, then cupped his hands in salute towards Yan Leizi in front of him: “Since that is the case, then this junior will personally enter this place.”

“Good luck to you.”

…The dense forest obscured the sky, and the branches and leaves of towering ancient trees intertwined like a net, allowing only a few beams of light to penetrate, casting dappled shadows on the ground covered with decaying leaves.

Poisonous insects rustled through the fallen leaves, and the distant roars of unknown exotic beasts made the jungle even more eerie.

A flash of colorful light, and Wang Lin’s figure appeared behind an ancient tree.

He lightly tapped his toes, silently landing on a branch three zhang high. The Heart Restraint Art instantly activated, making his aura more silent than a withered leaf.

“The trials in the Demon Spirit Land are a hundred times more perilous than this.”

Wang Lin’s eyes were sharp as an eagle’s as he scanned his surroundings, knowing well that the most taboo thing here was to rashly spread out one’s divine sense.

Sure enough, a moment later, a reckless divine sense swept from the east. As soon as it touched the treetop where Wang Lin was hiding, it suddenly dissipated, followed by a short scream.

“He died quickly.”