The silhouette of the stone gate held nothing particularly remarkable, and its material was entirely mundane. Only the objects hanging from the gate possessed a somewhat peculiar quality.

Three fist-sized "bells" resembled the clappers used in temple gongs, though significantly smaller and crafted from very unusual materials.

The bell furthest to the right was constructed of stone, tied with a red cord to hang silently before the archway.

The middle bell was fashioned from ordinary paper, a light breath capable of setting it swaying back and forth incessantly.

The bell situated to the left—Qin Fen wasn't even sure it qualified as a bell. It lacked a red cord, instead constantly emitting a gentle plume of white mist. Viewed closely, it retained the shape of a bell, which naturally dissipated entirely with the slightest breeze.

The echoing voice of Gao Yuan did not sound again. Qin Fen gazed at the plaque standing beside the archway, which detailed the requirements for this examination.

The conditions here were exceptionally simple: strike one of these three bells, and in doing so, produce the resonant sound characteristic of a metal gong.

Each of the three bells carried a distinct reward.

Striking the Stone Bell would earn one Tuotai Dan provided by the Sacred Martial Hall.

Striking the Paper Bell would yield one Sheng Sheng Zao Hua Dan and one Sheng Hua Beast Egg from the Sacred Martial Hall.

Striking the Mist Bell: Those who signed the Inner Sacred Martial Hall contract could browse any technique in the Jue Xue Ge (Pinnacle Techniques Pavilion), along with generous gifts. Those retaining rights under the Outer Sacred Martial Hall contract could gain three days of access to the Jue Xue Ge to observe any martial arts at will, plus generous gifts. Those signing the basic Outer Sacred Martial Hall contract could gain half a day of access to the Jue Xue Ge for observation, plus generous gifts.

Note: A practitioner on the basic Outer Sacred Martial Hall track who succeeds in striking the Mist Bell is entitled to demand a revision of the contract after the half-day observation, becoming a member of the Inner Sacred Martial Hall.

"The Mist Bell?" Yang Lie tilted his head back, shaking it lightly. "A wisp of fog, shaped like a bell but possessing no body—how does one strike it?"

Brooks reached out toward the Mist Bell, his fingers immediately dispersing the white vapor upon contact.

"Heh heh…"

Caesar chuckled twice. The rewards offered for striking the Mist Bell were undeniably tempting. However, looking at the creator of these three trials, it was clear they never expected a newcomer to succeed.

The Jue Xue Ge—the name alone suggested it housed numerous superior martial arts.

Any technique deemed a 'pinnacle technique' by the sacred martial ground of the Sheng Wu Tang must surely be priceless currency outside these walls?

The young man in white looked up at the Stone Bell before him, his finely arched eyebrows rising slightly. To expect someone to strike a stone bell and elicit the sound of metal—the designer of this trial had certainly thought of something!

Brooks adjusted the brim of his hat to the right, then raised his hand and lightly tapped the young man's shoulder. "Excuse me, please."

"You…"

The young man in white stared at Brooks in astonishment. Was he actually going to strike the Stone Bell? This stage was clearly a test of a martial artist's control over their true energy—only by achieving an exceptionally high level of energy vibration, utilizing the precise frequency of Zhenqi at the moment of impact, could one conjure the sound of metal even once.

"Kaitian," Yang Lie leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "Do you have confidence? If not, perhaps I should go first. Otherwise, you might shatter it, and I won't even get a chance to try."

"What did you say?" Brooks turned back to Yang Lie, casually raising his left hand, resting his index finger easily over his middle finger, and flicking it forward…

Ding…

The stone bell swayed gently in the air a few times, and the pleasant, metallic collision resonated around the stone archway. It actually rang? The young man in white watched Brooks dumbfounded. To make a stone bell produce the ringing clash of metal required a level of Zhenqi control that was far from trivial.

"What?"

Gao Yuan clapped his hands onto the control panel, staring at the chiming Stone Bell struck by Brooks in surprise. It wasn't entirely unexpected for him, a man who spent considerable time in the Wu (Martial) Trial, to manage the Stone Bell. But the manner in which he struck it…

While distracted in conversation, without dedicating one hundred percent of his focus, he casually flicked it and it rang?

Brooks stepped back to the side, making an elegant, gentlemanly gesture of invitation.

Yang Lie mimicked Brooks, stepping forward and lightly raising his hand, tapping the Stone Bell with the back of his hand.

Ding…

"Another one…"

Gao Yuan sank heavily back into his seat, looking up at the ceiling. "These young people, each setting records in the Wu Trial, indeed possess the qualifications to strike the Stone Bell."

Bai Sheng’s lips curved into a faint, wry smile. "Back then, I actually managed to shatter the Stone Bell."

"And weren't I the same?" Gao Yuan turned, meeting the bitter smile with one of his own. Ding… ding… ding…

The young man in white watched with wide eyes as one martial artist after another approached, each giving a casual flick that elicited the metallic sound from the Stone Bell.

"Could it be…" The young man looked suspiciously at the Stone Bell overhead, wondering if, despite its appearance, the stone surface was merely a veneer over an iron core? Otherwise, how could everyone strike it so casually?

"My turn."

Caesar moved, but this movement was unlike the casual ease of the others; it possessed an unprecedented, immense presence! The young martial artist felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. The floor, merely constructed of fitted stone slabs, visibly bounced and knocked against each other with crisp sounds the moment Caesar exerted himself.

An Emperor's rage shakes the earth!

What is this brat doing? Gao Yuan sat bolt upright, staring blankly at Caesar's apparent madness. Why did these young people participating in the Three Sacred Martial Trials all seem mentally unstable? It was just striking a Stone Bell; did it require making the earth shake? As this thought flashed through Gao Yuan's mind, Caesar lunged lightning-fast toward the Stone Bell, his arms fully extended. The vertebrae along his spine rose and fell like rolling waves as he swung his right fist outward.

Dong… dong… dong… A punch of incredibly fierce momentum struck the small Stone Bell, yet instead of pulverizing the bell, which was barely the size of a fist, it produced the ancient, resonant sound of a temple gong being struck by a wooden clapper.

"Incredible…"

Gao Yuan stared blankly at the monitor. The force of this single punch could easily shatter a stone tower, let alone a small Stone Bell. Yet, this savage force, capable of annihilating anything, failed to crush the small bell; instead, it produced a series of ancient temple chimes. The control over that power was arguably the absolute pinnacle achievable for someone his age.

"My turn now." Xue Tian stepped forward in a flash to stand before the Stone Bell. He placed his thumb on the guard of his Iai-giri sword and executed the simplest Battōjutsu (sword-drawing technique), slicing fiercely into the Stone Bell.

Ding…

"This… this is the young man who spent less than a minute in the Wu Trial?"

Gao Yuan pinched his own thigh hard. Just after Caesar's punch struck the Stone Bell, a specific frequency was still vibrating within its chime. If another martial artist tried to strike the bell now, even one capable of making it ring, there was a ninety-nine percent chance they would shatter it. To then overlay a metal sound onto the frequency established by the preceding strike—this difficulty wasn't just doubled or tripled; it was exponentially harder, especially calculating the exact moment to intersect the previous frequency. Even knowing it, matching and superimposing it was exceedingly difficult.

"Amazing!" Bai Sheng gasped, his eyes twitching uncontrollably. Xue Tian wasn't merely following Caesar's strike; while striking, he was simultaneously utilizing Caesar's frequency and shifting it, leading it to become his own. Otherwise, the sound produced should have been a dong-dong sound, yet he managed to shift it back to a ding-ding sound. This single alteration made the feat several times more difficult than simply following up.

However, this wasn't all Xue Tian accomplished! Gao Yuan stared intently at the Iai-giri sword being sheathed. This man had never used his fists or body to touch the Stone Bell from beginning to end; he achieved everything through his battle blade. Using a medium (the sword) to strike another medium (the bell) and elicit a sound while building upon the preceding strike—this was infinitely harder than using his bare hands. A fist is part of the body. Using an external object to strike another external object…

Gao Yuan truly didn't know how to evaluate Xue Tian, nor how to judge this group of martial artists who treated the intensely difficult challenge of the Stone Bell as if they were merely playing around.

The Stone Bell ceased its swinging and its chiming.

The young man in white looked at Qin Fen, who still hadn't made a move to strike the Stone Bell, and then back at the Stone Bell itself.

I cannot be the last one to strike it! The young man's eyes flashed with sharp brilliance as he struck the Stone Bell with his fingertip, his movement like lightning.

Qin Fen gave a weak, faint smile and simultaneously closed his eyes.

Pa…

The expected metallic collision did not occur. The instant his fingertip contacted the bell, the thin stone wall shattered.

This… The young man stared blankly at the broken Stone Bell.

Gao Yuan was also stunned. The Stone Bell was broken? Alas! This kid was too hasty. Even if he gave it his all, he might not have struck the bell correctly. Why rush? He would just have to switch to another Stone Bell; this damaged one was clearly useless…

Dong… dong…

The melodious, ancient temple chime sounded at that moment through the speakers in the monitoring room, echoing long under the surveillance of the four walls.

"This is…" Gao Yuan, without noticing his own action, collapsed straight into his chair, staring blankly at Qin Fen standing before the ruined Stone Bell.

Just now. Just moments ago.

Gao Yuan had personally witnessed Qin Fen walk casually to the broken Stone Bell, reaching out with even less effort than Brooks. He tapped the shattered bell with his index finger. As a result, this bell, which was now significantly harder to make chime metallically due to its damage, emitted the exact sound achieved by Caesar's focused, full-power punch after only a few casual taps from Qin Fen.

"How is this possible?"

Gao Yuan stared at Qin Fen on the monitor as if viewing a monster. Was this the man who cleared the Wu Trial in less than a minute in a frenzy? The difficulty of that casual tap on the broken bell, making it resonate with the temple sound, was no less than the difficulty of Xue Tian manipulating the Iai-giri blade to alter the bell's tone.

"These two were the fastest…" Gao Yuan felt as if his neck was filled with molten lead, twisting his head slowly toward Bai Sheng. "They actually…"

Bai Sheng’s face showed a mixture of shock and joy. Qin Fen had not disappointed after all! The natural grace in his every movement was far superior to the performance he gave at the New Recruit Competition. If Caesar and the others were ascending like rockets, Qin Fen's power was climbing with the thrust of a laser beam.

Xue Tian leaned against the wall, cradling his Iai-giri, looking at the Paper Bell. "Old Qin, not bad. Interested in challenging the paper one?"

"Of course," Qin Fen said, glancing at the introduction beside the archway. If the first strike hadn't promised the Tuotai Dan, he would have skipped the first trial and gone straight for the second, the Paper Bell.

"Try to hit the same sound you just made," Xue Tian said, sounding a bit like someone who didn't have to do the work himself. "Making a clanging sound like striking iron, I could probably manage that too."

Qin Fen smiled. "Then you still have to ring it. I wouldn't mind an extra Sheng Sheng Zao Hua Dan and Sheng Hua Beast Egg."

Xue Tian gave him a thumbs-up. "Alright! For Old Qin, I'll shamelessly go for it too—at worst, the sound won't be quite as pleasant!"

Qin Fen smiled and turned his gaze toward the White Mist Bell on the far left.

"What is he trying to do?" Gao Yuan cried out in the room. "The way he’s looking at the Mist Bell—he looks eager to try it!"

Bai Sheng felt a chill run down his skin, goosebumps covering every inch of his body. Was Qin Fen really going for the Mist Bell? How was that possible? Their previous guess that he’d strike the Paper Bell was based entirely on luck. Was he being overly confident? Arrogant?

"The Paper Bell?"

Qin Fen rotated his shoulder joints. In his state of Huan Xue Chong Sheng Zhen Xiantian (Blood Renewal True Innate), with his blood energy honed to its peak, he had a chance to ring the Paper Bell. For a martial artist who had been in the Huan Sui (Marrow Replacement) stage for nearly three months, striking it wasn't a difficult feat.

"Huh?" Gao Yuan stared at Qin Fen on the screen, baffled again. If this young martial artist truly intended to strike the Paper Bell, he should be placing his hand on it now, slowly feeding resonant Zhenqi into the paper structure until a special energy circulation formed, effectively turning the Paper Bell into an external part of his body before striking it suddenly.

"What is he doing?" Gao Yuan was perplexed. The young martial artist wasn't placing his hand on it, just looking up quietly at the Paper Bell. Why wasn't he—

Dong… dong… dong…

Gao Yuan wondered if he was hallucinating. Qin Fen raised his hand and slapped the Paper Bell, almost like an open-handed strike against someone's cheek, and yet the Paper Bell actually emitted the ancient temple sound.

"Huan Xue Chong Sheng Zhen Xiantian peak…" Gao Yuan stared blankly at Qin Fen. "And a Ten-Star martial artist…"

Bai Sheng also swallowed repeatedly. The minimum requirement to ring the Paper Bell was the Huan Xue Chong Sheng Zhen Xiantian realm. For practitioners within the Sacred Martial Hall, this level wasn't earth-shattering. But to reach this level so young—and the peak of it!—that was an entirely different concept!

"Limitless potential!"

Gao Yuan gazed dazedly at Qin Fen on the screen. This young man possessed strength comparable to the monster in the Sacred Martial Hall! No, perhaps his strength upon entering the Sacred Martial Hall was equal to that monster's entry strength back then.

Bai Sheng nodded repeatedly. Possessing power equivalent to the monster who entered the Sacred Martial Hall in his youth, Qin Fen fully deserved the assessment: "Limitless potential!"

"Pity…" Bai Sheng nodded, then shook his head. "This kid signed the basic Outer Sacred Martial Hall contract…"

"What?"

Gao Yuan felt dizzy. In this small monitoring room today, he had endured shocks more intense than fighting a master martial artist.

"Such talent, and he only signed the basic contract?" Gao Yuan glared coldly at Qin Fen. "This kid doesn't think he's so talented that the Sacred Martial Hall will set a precedent for him, does he? If that’s what he believes, he's likely going to regret it."

Gao Yuan sat up straight, a proud arrogance rising within him—the inherent pride of a member of the Sacred Martial Hall. "The Sacred Martial Hall never lacks geniuses! And genius does not guarantee one can become a Divine Beast-level expert!"

Bai Sheng nodded in sincere agreement. The Sacred Martial Hall never bends its rules for any martial artist simply because they possess extraordinary talent. Even Shangguan Chuanqi and Hades, the rising stars of the younger generation, were permanently barred because the Sacred Martial Hall refused to make exceptions for them.

Qin Fen stepped up before the Mist Bell, gazing upward, intently studying the swirling mist before him.

"This thing…"

Yang Lie watched Qin Fen with curiosity, as well as the high-tech fog structure. This object represented a vast difference from the Paper and Stone Bells. The latter two were at least solid; if they were solid, sound could be produced upon impact.

But this object… Caesar shook his head repeatedly, clearly unconvinced. This possessed no physical form, and a mere touch would cause it to dissipate completely. There was only one way to make it ring.

Zhenqi emission! Caesar recalled the time the White Tiger struck Qin Fen from afar, turning him into scrap.

"Exactly! Only Zhenqi emission can temporarily materialize the Mist Bell, allowing it to collide with one's own Zhenqi to possibly generate sound," Brooks stated gravely. "However, the method described earlier is considered a high-level application even within Zhenqi emission; simple external emission won't suffice. Can Qin Fen even achieve Zhenqi emission, let alone a high-level maneuver…"

Solomon remained silent, merely shaking his head lightly. This was far, far more difficult than the previous challenges. Qin Fen's current attempt would likely fail.