Upon hearing Huangshan’s words, Ye Chen couldn't help but frown. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Huangshan and said, "I want to see what the Divine War Candidate Martial Competition is like. Can you take me along on your boat?"

"You want to watch the competition?" Huangshan gave a wry smile. "Forget about you, even I desperately want to see it. You must know, the Divine War Candidate Martial Competition is held only once every six years, and it’s the most exciting event!"

"Every time the Divine War Candidate Martial Competition is held, all the combat geniuses from the seventy-two islands are gathered at Dragon Emperor Island in the inner sea, where they engage in a spectacular battle. Achieving a top-three spot qualifies one to become a Divine Hall Emissary Candidate, and the champion can even be favored by a grand figure from the Divine Hall and taken as a disciple! However, each participant only has five quotas to bring five accompanying people. Every quota is extremely precious and is reserved for the closest individuals, so it’s incredibly difficult!"

"Furthermore, none of the Divine War Candidates travel by boat; they ride the Divine Hall's flying craft. (Mobile access) You might not know this, but the outer sea is filled with numerous sea beasts of immense power. These sea beasts never dare to attack the islands, but once someone from the island ventures out to sea, their fate is perilous. Even Elder-sama dares not go out to sea," Huangshan patiently explained to Ye Chen.

"Flying craft?" Ye Chen's heart gave a jolt, but he quickly regained his composure. Although this primitive tribe migrated from Earth by the ancient Yellow Emperor, their combat technology remained in the cold weapon era. However, judging by the books from the white-haired old man, it was evident that some high technology existed on the island, though it was held by a select few at the top.

From Huangshan’s explanation, his initial plan was disrupted. His original idea was to first integrate into this primitive tribe, then utilize local technology and navigation charts to travel by boat to the inner sea, where local guidance would reduce the risk of attack.

But now, this method was clearly unfeasible. His options were either to befriend a Divine War Candidate or to become a participant himself! With his current strength, he was certainly qualified to compete.

Ye Chen gradually felt the challenge mounting…

Based on his estimation, with his current strength, his survival rate in the Level Six Ruins was only 30%! Fortunately, he had passed the old white-haired man’s test, a success largely attributed to the Bodhi Sutra obtained from the Atlantean civilization. This text had elevated his previous mortal, Eighth-Order mindset to that of a Second-Order Sage, allowing him to suppress the dense baleful aura within his body. The restlessness and aggression inherent as after-effects of slaughter were thus kept deep within his heart.

Otherwise, he might have been perceived as a grave threat by this primitive tribe and subjected to a concerted attack. Being surrounded on the island and facing sea beasts outside would have left him with nowhere to turn. Moreover, Ye Chen knew from his prior knowledge the strength stratification within this Xuanyuan Divine Tomb!

Here, there were ten distinct tiers!

Each tier equated to 100 levels of physique in the outside world!

The Tenth Tier meant 1000 levels!

Breaking through the Tenth Tier marked one as a King-Grade expert, equivalent to a Divine Hall Emissary! The white-haired elder on the island was a powerhouse exceeding 1000 levels!

On the six major islands of the inner sea resided figures of immense power—experts classified as Divine Grade within the Divine Tomb. Externally, they would possess physique levels of at least 10,000! And on Dragon Emperor Island, at the core of the inner sea, resided one expert at 100,000 levels!

This sheer concentration of power was enough to make Ye Chen wary. If that 100,000-level expert were mobilized, his only recourse would be to activate his Superman mode and flee.

"Now that I’ve managed to integrate into the primitive tribe and gain acceptance, I cannot use Superman mode in front of others anymore! This tribe strongly rejects outsiders. Once I activate Superman, physical characteristics like horns growing from my head will manifest, pushing me beyond the human scope. I would be met with rejection and a collective assault!"

Ye Chen understood the local customs well through his research. "Unless facing a life-or-death situation, I cannot engage Superman mode. For now, I must rely solely on my native strength to fight! With my 600-level physique, I calculate that I rank as a mid-stage, First-Tier King-Grade expert here!"

"Now, I must either find a Divine War Candidate, curry favor with them, and have them take me to the inner sea, or find another way to become a participant myself. My current strength is sufficient for participation; the standard here is Sixth Tier, meaning a physique level of 600 in the outside world is enough!"

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then looked at Huangshan. "I want to participate in the Divine War Candidate competition. How can I do that?"

Huangshan looked at him with surprise. "You’re strong enough?"

Ye Chen nodded slightly. "According to your standards, I’ve reached Sixth Tier."

Silence.

The room instantly fell into absolute stillness.

After a long pause, Huangshan and his son, Huang Lu, stared at Ye Chen with utter astonishment. "You... you’ve really reached the Sixth Tier?"

Ye Chen frowned slightly. "Is there a way for me to prove it?"

Huangshan eyed him skeptically. It was hard to imagine that this short figure, only reaching his waist, possessed the prowess of a Sixth Tier warrior. Such strength was exceedingly rare even across the entire island!

"How about this," Huangshan deliberated. "There is a Divine Stone in the center of the village. According to Elder-sama, anyone who can move that stone, and do so faster than a Fifth Tier Thorn Hound Beast, is considered a Sixth Tier warrior," Huangshan said after a moment’s thought.

Ye Chen nodded slowly. With the scarcity of technological equipment in this primitive tribe, this reliance on physical feats for verification, rather than direct scanning to assess cell strength and thus physique, made sense.

"Let’s go!" Huangshan looked at him with a strange expression, never expecting that an outsider he casually picked up during a hunt would possess such formidable power!

Huang Lu, still submerged in the sorrow of heartbreak, was momentarily drawn out by Ye Chen's strength, seemingly forgetting his grief.

Ye Chen understood their reactions. After all, enhancing one's physique in such a primitive setting was immensely difficult. Becoming a First Tier warrior was enough to qualify as a professional hunter for trading and hunting, placing one in a comfortably well-off household within the village.

A Second Tier warrior was comparable to the owner of a multi-million dollar enterprise in the outside world.

A warrior like Huangshan, at the late Fourth Tier, held immense prestige and was considered extremely wealthy, able to hunt high-level monsters with a high survival rate!

This was precisely why becoming a King-Grade Divine Hall Emissary was so unattainable and worthy of such reverence!

The three walked together, and soon arrived at the center of the village. Before they even reached the large square, Ye Chen and the others saw it entirely surrounded by a dense crowd. Suddenly, gasps of astonishment and sharp intakes of breath erupted.

"Heavens, a seventeen-year-old kid can actually lift it? That’s incredible."

"Isn’t that from Dongniu Village? They certainly have talented people emerging!"

"This child’s future is boundless; truly amazing!"

Exclamations of wonder and praise filled the air, followed by enthusiastic applause, seemingly initiated by someone in the crowd.

Huangshan looked around in confusion. "What’s happening? So much excitement?" He walked over, and several people spotted him, laughing. "Dashan, come look! Dongniu Village has nurtured a genius! So young, and already a Sixth Tier warrior—unbelievable!"

Huangshan paused, then quickly moved closer. The crowd automatically parted a path for him, a testament to his high standing in the village.

Yet, no one noticed that Huang Lu, who had been showing interest moments ago, suddenly turned pale, his expression rapidly darkening, like a gourd withered by frost, utterly dispirited.

As the crowd dispersed, Ye Chen moved forward and saw, at the center of the square, encircled by onlookers, a youth about 2.8 meters tall. His skin was dark, his muscles dense and powerful. His bare torso showcased bulging muscles like coiled dragons, radiating explosive strength. He had thick brows and striking eyes, handsome enough to attract many women even in the outside world.

The youth stood with his knees bent in a firm stance, his face flushed red from exertion. Before him rested a square, golden stone, about a zhang in diameter, with two handles on the left side. He gripped the handles, pouring all his strength into slowly raising the eastern side of the stone off the ground!

The stone’s material was clearly unique; a normal stone of that size would weigh no less than 30,000 G! (Note: A 600-level individual can lift 300,000 G, which translates to 30,000 G due to the Divine Tomb’s tenfold gravity!)

Thump!

The youth’s arms trembled slightly as he slowly lowered the stone. Although he hadn’t lifted it high, merely managing to shift it indicated the strength of a Sixth Tier warrior!

The youth stood proudly, surveying the crowd, his eyes carrying a hint of triumph. Not far beside him, a girl with healthy, wheat-colored skin and delicate features suddenly rushed forward. She held a silk towel and wiped the sweat from the youth's face, her eyes sparkling with gentle amusement…

Standing next to Ye Chen, Huang Lu’s body stiffened. His face instantly turned ashen, and the blood in his body felt as if it had frozen over. His lips were completely drained of color.

That gentle smile—who did it pierce the deepest?

Unnoticed by anyone else, he silently clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and slowly bowed his head. A savage rage burned in his core, like a violent beast roaring in his heart, yet tearing him apart with every surge.

All the astonishment from the crowd sounded excruciating to his ears, like sharp knives stabbing into his heart, carving out drops of bright red blood.

Is this the loneliest moment for a person—to face the entire world alone?

He suddenly felt a strong urge to cry but stubbornly bit down on his lip, remaining silent.

Suddenly, a broad, warm palm patted his arm. Huang Lu flinched and turned to see Ye Chen, his expression calm, patting his arm with a gesture of quiet comfort.

With Ye Chen’s perceptive judgment, combined with Huang Lu’s earlier remarks, he instantly recognized that the youth was Huang Lu’s rival in love, and the girl was the one Huang Lu had admired for a long time.

To witness the girl he loved most wiping sweat for another man right before his eyes—what profound sorrow was that?

Standing next to Huangshan, he whispered quietly, "Lifting that stone means I’ve reached the Sixth Tier warrior level?"

Huangshan withdrew his gaze from the youth. Hearing others mention "Dongniu Village," he seemed to recall something and turned to glance thoughtfully at his son. Then, hearing Ye Chen’s question, he nodded. "Go ahead. As long as you move it!"

Ye Chen nodded slowly and walked out. (To be continued~~~~