It had been three months since my return to the Imperial Palace! Frankly, I hadn't expected the trial in the Forbidden Land of Kings to be completed in such a short time.

Not only that, but I had also found the Luminous Pearl within the forbidden zone—quite the haul, indeed. Of course, my early emergence from seclusion greatly surprised Jiuyao Chongyang, the Divine Matron, and the others.

My reappearance marked the addition of another master at the Seventh Heaven Realm in the Demon Dragon Empire. This was an event of profound significance.

Currently, the measure of national strength among the continent’s nations was based on the number of masters at the Seventh Heaven Realm. Now, the Demon Dragon Empire had gained another.

This was equivalent to acquiring another super expert comparable to a nuclear weapon. Not to mention that I had also found the Luminous Pearl!

Inside the Palace of Quiet Contemplation! Jiuyao Chongyang could barely conceal his delight and excitement as he carefully handled the blue pearl: “Is this the Blue Luminous Pearl?

Even just holding it, I can feel a mystical power surging within.” “Worthy of being an ancient divine artifact,” the Divine Matron agreed, equally mesmerized. “With this, we can summon heroes.” “En,” I said with seriousness.

“I truly wish we could reach the Snow Domain quickly.” “Your Highness should wait patiently,” Jidu advised. “Everything is prepared now; we only await the arrival of the Crimson Moon season in August.” “There’s no use rushing it now,” Jiuyao Chongyang added.

It was said that the moment I entered the Forbidden Land of Kings, Jidu and the others had begun making all the necessary arrangements. They were simply waiting for the Crimson Moon season to arrive.

However, I soon remembered that both my sword and my Hundred Battles Saber were damaged inside the Forbidden Land. “Right, Father Emperor, my weapons were both destroyed in the forbidden zone,” I continued.

“Does the Royal Family have any other effective armaments?” “What!” Jidu’s shock was considerable. “Both Your Highness’s Hundred Battles Saber and the Lightning Sword are destroyed?” “They are,” I sighed.

“I don’t know what nature that surge of battle energy inside me possesses; it’s more volatile than gunpowder, exploding at the slightest provocation, which consequently blew up my weapons...” Following this, I recounted everything that happened to me in the Seventh Heaven Realm. “To think Your Highness’s internal battle energy is so tyrannical,” Jidu stammered.

“Both the Hundred Battles Saber and the Lightning Sword were crafted from materials meticulously selected by Lu Tong; their strength is several times greater than weapons like the Reinforced Frost Blade.” “……” The Divine Matron was equally aghast. “Heavens, Your Highness actually defeated all Seven Dark Guardian Beasts?” Jiuyao Chongyang’s expression also changed drastically.

“Those are the Seven Dark Guardian Beasts!” “Incredible,” Jidu breathed. “If these words hadn't come from Your Highness’s own mouth, this old official would never dare believe it.” “Worthy of being Your Highness; he encounters all manner of strange and unusual things,” the Divine Matron quickly reconciled, a look of relief washing over her.

“It seems this Luminous Pearl must be found by someone destined for it.” “Heh heh! Perhaps!” In truth, I had become largely immune to the bizarre occurrences happening around me.

“It seems ordinary weaponry simply cannot withstand Your Highness’s battle energy,” Jidu remarked, subconsciously glancing towards Jiuyao Chongyang. “My Son,” Jiuyao Chongyang seemed hesitant for a moment, but then spoke with gravity, “It seems the only weapon suitable for you is the Blade of the Overlord.” “The Blade of the Overlord.” I was quite surprised.

“Isn't that the weapon only successive Sun Demon Sovereigns are permitted to wear?” “Indeed.” Jiuyao Chongyang nodded. “I originally intended for you to inherit the Sun Demon Sovereign Armor and become the Sun Fiend among the Nine Luminaries, but too many things transpired, and you inadvertently became the Fire Fiend.

Emperor Jiuyao seemed quite wistful. “However, the Fire Fiend Armor was completely destroyed twenty-five years ago, and neither that armor nor the Phoenix Sky Demon Armor is currently in the palace.

In my view, you must temporarily make do with wearing the Sun Demon Sovereign Armor.” “Is that appropriate?” I hesitated slightly. “If I wear the Sun Demon Sovereign Armor, what about Father Emperor?” “Silly boy,” Jiuyao Chongyang chuckled.

“I always intended for you to become the next Sun Demon Sovereign. It's just that, given your achievements, wearing the Sun Demon Sovereign Armor is somewhat beneath you, but for now, we must make do.” “Your Highness should just use it for now,” the Divine Matron laughed.

“When we snatch the Phoenix Sky Demon Armor from someone else later, you can just return it to the Emperor.” “Ha!” I paused slightly. “Snatch?” “Precisely,” Jiuyao Chongyang confirmed, his face etched with admiration.

“Look around, how much of the equipment our Demon Dragon Empire possesses was not acquired through seizing it from others?” “It’s not the first time Your Highness has done so,” Jidu added with a hint of sly amusement. “We just wonder who will be the unlucky one next time.” Sweat dropped.

What were they even saying? They were treating me like some master of banditry!

But thinking it over, the armaments of the Black Flag Army, and later the Phoenix Sky Demon Armor, the Thunder Armor, and the considerable amount of other gear seized by the little one—it was true, they had quite a collection. This was also the primary reason the Demon Dragon Empire had grown so rapidly.

“Everyone is well aware that our Demon Dragon Empire was founded on robbery,” the Divine Matron said with a strange smile. “So much so that later on, anyone considering war with us would first think about how to ensure a swift escape after defeat.” “And so,” Jiuyao Chongyang lamented, “we haven’t managed to seize any high-grade equipment from the Church for a long time now.” “……” Now it was my turn to be dumbfounded.

These people had actually gotten addicted to looting. But their words jogged something in my memory!

I quickly reached into my spatial pouch and pulled out a large pile of items. This included the Trident Water-Splitting Stinger from the Dark Skeleton Spirit, the massive hammer from the Dark Yellow Springs Master, and the Great Saber from the Dark Bull Demon King.

Plus those forty-nine strange, glowing crystal stones. “Divine Matron, you are highly knowledgeable.

Can you identify what these things are?” “Ah! These are—” The Divine Matron was greatly astonished.

“These are things I seized after clearing the Seventh Heaven Realm.” “Is this… is this the Trident Water-Splitting Stinger from the Dark Skeleton Spirit?” the Divine Matron stammered. “And this must be the Yellow Springs Hammer of the Dark Yellow Springs Master.” “And this one,” Jidu carefully lifted the gleaming Great Saber.

“This is the Great Saber of the Dark Bull Demon King!” “My heavens, you didn't actually kill them all, did you?” Jiuyao Chongyang stared at me as if he had seen a ghost. “……” I looked back at Jiuyao Chongyang, momentarily stunned.

“Did Your Highness really kill them all?” Jidu’s voice was peculiar, edged with a tremor. “For a trial, if I don’t kill them, is there another way?” I asked instinctively.

“Thud!!” The Great Saber in Jidu’s hand and the Great Hammer in Jiuyao Chongyang’s hand both struck the ground simultaneously. They stared at me as if petrified.

“You actually killed them all,” Jiuyao Chongyang muttered. “Did I do something wrong?” I vaguely sensed I might have committed an egregious act.

“What is this old official supposed to say?” Jidu was caught between laughter and tears. “When this old official reached the Seventh Heaven Realm, I couldn't withstand five moves from the Dark Bull Demon King before nearly dying.

I had no choice but to activate a teleportation scroll and forcibly exit the Seventh Heaven Realm. As for His Highnesses Xingye and Xingzhan, they fought the Dark Bull Demon King for a full twenty rounds, and then the Seventh Heaven Realm automatically transmitted them out.” “So, the standard for the heavenly trial is set by how long one can last against the guardian beasts?” “How could this be?” I finally understood what I had done.

“General, you mean to say…” “You rascal, what am I supposed to say to you now?” Jiuyao Chongyang’s expression was complex. “Now that even the guardian Dark Bull Demon King has been killed by you, how are future generations supposed to train in the Seventh Heaven Realm?” “So you mean…” I was flabbergasted.

“I killed the instructors guarding the stage?” “……” The Divine Matron looked at me as if I were an idiot. “Only Your Highness could pull off something like this,” Jidu admitted, defeated.

“Now the Seven Dark Guardian Beasts are all slain by you.” “How will anyone train in the Forbidden Land of Kings in the future?” Jiuyao Chongyang looked visibly distressed. “Well!

Well!” I was completely speechless, staring innocently at Jidu. “General, you never told me that surviving twenty rounds was the end condition.” “Ah!” Jidu suddenly realized.

“Well, this old official indeed never mentioned that to Your Highness.” “But Xingye and Xingzhan were nearly finished off by the Dark Bull Demon King back then, barely managing to endure twenty rounds,” Jiuyao Chongyang recalled. “So we assumed…” “We assumed that once Your Highness survived twenty rounds, he would also be transmitted out,” Jidu said awkwardly.

“Although we knew Your Highness was powerful and passing the Seventh Heaven Realm shouldn't be an issue.” “But we never imagined Your Highness would be this outrageously strong,” the Divine Matron added, embarrassed. “I suppose Your Highness killed them within twenty moves,” Jidu asked hesitantly.

“This,” I could only nod awkwardly. My newly mastered ultimate move was indeed devastating!

Once activated, it was an instant kill; I couldn't even stop it if I wanted to. It seemed those seven Dark Guardian Beasts didn't last twenty rounds under my attack before being eliminated.

“Man proposes, God disposes,” the Divine Matron seemed to have figured something out. “It seems the Seven-Layer Stone Pagoda within the forbidden land holds an unknown secret, otherwise, there’s no explaining why Your Highness’s first level was the Dark Woma Patriarch, the second the Dark Twin-Headed King, all the way to the Dark Bull Demon King at the seventh level.” “Perhaps the Seven-Layer Stone Pagoda selects the difficulty of the cultivation stage based on the cultivator’s inherent strength,” Jidu suggested.

“Normally, cultivators train inside the forbidden land while challenging their way toward the Seven-Layer Stone Pagoda, paving the path step by step. Even His Highness Xingye, who holds the record for the lowest time taken, spent a full six years.

“But Your Highness took only two months to travel from the entrance teleportation array to the location of the Stone Pagoda, with almost no obstruction,” Jidu continued. “Perhaps the Seven-Layer Stone Pagoda thus assessed Your Highness’s strength as the strongest challenger, triggering the King’s Trial stages.” “Only this can explain why he faced the Dark Woma Patriarch in the very first stage,” Jiuyao Chongyang realized suddenly.

“No doubt about it,” the Divine Matron stated gravely. “King, King—so this is the true King’s Trial.

Only by this path could this Blue Luminous Pearl be found.” Automatic strength assessment! I was nearly confused.

Did this mean the Ancient Dragon Empire possessed some intelligent system to judge the strength of those taking the trial? If so, the magical civilization of that ancient empire was terrifyingly advanced!

“Haha, haha! It seems this is destiny!” Jiuyao Chongyang was greatly exhilarated.

“I believe the hero summoned by this Luminous Pearl must also be the strongest among all heroes.” “Let the Seventh Heaven Realm be destroyed then,” Jidu said calmly. “Perhaps only this outcome could lead to the finding of the Blue Luminous Pearl.” “Quite right,” the Divine Matron chuckled lightly.

“Your Highness has stumbled upon success again this time.” “……” I didn't know what to say; this must be what they call luck. Truly… But I hadn’t forgotten what concerned me most: “Setting aside that for a moment, do you know what these crystals are, and what material these three weapons were forged from that made them so hard that even my battle energy couldn't destroy them?” “En!” The Divine Matron, Jiuyao Chongyang, and Jidu carefully examined the three weapons.

“It seems they were forged using the alloy forging techniques from the Divine Dragon Empire era,” the Divine Matron said in surprise. “Alloy forging.” I was greatly surprised!

Although I wasn't a blacksmith, knowledge from the modern world told me that the hardest metals in the world were never a single element but composite metals forged from multiple elements mixed together—what we call alloys in modern times. I never expected the ancient Mafa World to have mastered such exquisite forging craftsmanship!

“Yes, this is an extremely ancient and profound forging technique,” Jidu explained with longing. “Equipment forged using alloy techniques are exceedingly rare, top-tier gear.

Items like the Phoenix Sky Demon Armor, the Heaven-Opening Great Sword, the God of War set—they were all made using this technology.” Damn! That impressive!

This isn't simple stuff; I was secretly thrilled! I really struck gold this time!