Although... Relying on his memories of rebirth, Ye Chen frantically boosted his personal strength, even propelling the overall power of the Light Base City and the Huaxia Base City far beyond where they were in February of the first dark year of his past life.

He himself had reached Level 6200, and at full power, he could slay monsters tens of thousands of levels higher! This level of strength had taken him seven or eight years of struggle in the apocalypse to attain in his previous life!

Yet, he had done it in just one year now! However, strength could be increased with precious treasures like crystallized meat.

Combat skills, however, required day after day of grueling practice to truly integrate into one’s very bones! Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "I will personally retrieve the relic later.

You will distribute the secret manuals from the ancient martial arts civilization, allowing all internal members of the Guilds to cultivate them!" Xu Tianguo was momentarily stunned and replied, "You're going personally? This relic primarily tests combat skills, and the difference in innate physical strength doesn't play a huge role." Ye Chen waved his hand, "I know." Xu Tianguo wanted to say more but ultimately held his tongue.

Subsequently, Ye Chen, along with Bailong and others, as well as Island Master Ziyun from the Xuanyuan Clan, left the Base City directly. They boarded the Eight-Winged Black Scaled Flood Dragon and arrived at a forest area in Henan Province.

From a distance, the forest was teeming with monsters, densely packed—all sorts of insect monsters and snake monsters swarmed the area. As the Eight-Winged Black Scaled Flood Dragon swooped in, the earth was entirely shrouded in shadow, causing the entire forest to plunge into darkness.

RUMBLE!!! The massive body of the Eight-Winged Black Scaled Flood Dragon landed heavily, causing the ground to shake slightly.

All the insect and rodent monsters were terrified and scattered in panic, instantly emptying the entire forest. The Eight-Winged Black Scaled Flood Dragon raised its head, feeling a bit smug.

It strode forward, and the towering trees beside its claws looked as minuscule as blades of grass, being crushed underfoot. It walked directly toward the edge of a lake.

Ye Chen moved swiftly and leaped down first, with Bailong and the others following, entering the area as if it were their own private garden. After only a few steps, they touched a watery, wave-like spatial layer.

Passing through it, the scenery before them vanished, replaced by a majestic palace! This palace soared tens of thousands of feet high, standing as imposing as a mountain, possessing a magnificent aura that was suffused with a violet-gold hue, radiating luxurious elegance and noble majesty.

In front of the palace lay a vast square paved with white jade stones. Currently, several hundred figures occupied the square; some were gathered in twos and threes, exchanging words, while others sat alone, frowning in deep thought.

As Ye Chen and his party arrived, the previously harmonious atmosphere of the square instantly fell silent. Like startled sparrows, everyone stood up, gripping their weapons, their eyes fixed on the newcomers with cold, defiant gazes.

The Guild Leader? Everyone's expression froze in disbelief.

Ye Chen walked forward calmly, his steps unhurried, with Bailong and the others flanking him. The several hundred people remained frozen for a long moment.

Then, a middle-aged man stepped forward, walking quickly. He glanced cautiously at Ye Chen, his eyes filled with deep respect.

During the siege battle when the Base City was established, the strength Ye Chen displayed, and the sheer spirit he possessed, had thoroughly conquered everyone! He clasped his fists and said, "Greetings, Guild Leader.

May I ask the reason for your visit?" Before Ye Chen could speak, Bailong, who was beside him, laughed and interjected, "Of course, we’re here to claim the relic! Are we just sight-seeing?" The middle-aged man’s expression became slightly awkward.

He moved aside, gesturing, "Guild Leader, please." Ye Chen nodded and stepped forward. Within this relic of the Doutian Civilization, passing the first trial granted the right to reside within the relic grounds.

Passing the second level allowed one to enter the inner chambers for rest and view basic martial arts secret manuals. Only by passing the third level could one officially claim ownership of the relic.

Most of the people in the square were members left behind to garrison the Base City. As they walked deeper, those around them, recognizing the identity, all nodded respectfully to Ye Chen.

"Greetings, Guild Leader!" Bailong surveyed the crowd and quipped, "These rascals don't greet me with such enthusiasm." At his words, everyone shot him a dirty look. It was clear they had a good relationship normally; otherwise, they wouldn't dare be so casual.

If not for Ye Chen standing nearby, they would have already been playfully joking with Bailong. Ye Chen stopped and looked up.

At the far end of the square, there was an arched bridge, like the Milky Way passing the moon, connecting the square to the center of the palace. In front of this bridge stood a black stone stele, ancient and rough-hewn.

In reality, this was a virtual server, built primarily with titanium alloy, making it incredibly durable! Ye Chen approached the black stele and saw three golden bars displayed upon it.

Seeing Ye Chen about to challenge it personally, the surrounding people’s interest soared. They crowded around curiously, craning their necks and standing on their tiptoes to watch.

There wasn't even a whisper, only the sound of uneven breathing. In the ensuing silence, Ye Chen turned to look at Huang Lu, Huang Feng, and Zi Wan, who had come with him.

"You all come and try too." Huang Lu and the others were startled, then, under the gaze of elders like Island Master Ziyun, they walked forward, their faces a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. Huang Feng asked Ye Chen curiously, "How does this work?" His tone was slightly respectful.

Since Ye Chen had slain the Dark Prince and saved the entire Xuanyuan Clan from the brink of annihilation, Ye Chen had ascended to a sacred status in Huang Feng's heart! Later, upon arriving on Earth, from the status of the people around them, he realized that Ye Chen was inherently a monumental figure with hundreds of thousands of subordinates!

One must remember, the entire Xuanyuan Clan barely managed a total population of fifty million. The impatient Bailong answered for Ye Chen, "Just place your palm on the handprint location on the stele, and you will automatically enter the virtual world.

You'll know what to do then." Huang Feng quickly nodded and stepped forward. Indeed, in the center of the black stele, there was an indented handprint, which he placed his hand upon.

Ye Chen and the others watched in silence... Everyone held their breath.

Not long after, Huang Feng’s body trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes. There was a trace of terror in his gaze.

"That was terrifying! The trajectory of that strike was so deviously unpredictable; there was no way to dodge it—it was too frightening!" He was clearly shaken.

"I'll try too," Huang Lu said, rolling up his sleeve and stepping forward. In just a moment, he too was defeated, saying with a bitter smile, "Completely outmatched.

With the same physique, I was slaughtered without any chance to fight back." Afterward, Zi Wan, Huang Jian, and the others tried in turn, but their results were the same. Only Zi Wan managed to last the longest, but ultimately, she failed as well.

Ye Chen turned and asked Bailong and the others, "Which level have you all reached?" Bailong, seeing that Zi Wan and the others had been defeated, felt a surge of pride. "I can pass the first level now.

The second level... I’m just a tiny bit short!" Yue Heng pursed his lips and scoffed, "You only passed the first level a few days ago.

Getting through the second level without half a year is basically impossible." Bailong erupted in fury, glaring with his tiger eyes. "You're not that much better than me!" Yue Heng casually replied, "I could pass the first level three months ago.

I should pass the second level within another month." Bailong roared in anger, "Then let's make a bet! See who reaches it first!" "A bet is a bet!" Yue Heng shrugged.

"The loser has to eat Mo Feng's cooking!" The people around them blinked, confused. However, only the 'insiders,' Zhuge Fan and Ye Zhu, trembled almost imperceptibly, and even Ye Chen’s mouth twitched slightly.

Bailong gritted his teeth and agreed fiercely, "Fine, a bet it is!" The flames of battle blazed in his eyes, so fiercely that even Ye Chen paused to look twice, sensing the bet was strange. This man before him was a madman who would study global languages frantically just to woo a girl.

To master the major languages of the world by the age of 23—that required an unimaginable amount of effort! Yue Heng seemed to recall something and frowned.

His initial ambition vanished, and he suddenly regretted making such a high-stakes wager. Ye Chen glanced at the two, then turned to his sister.

"Which level have you passed?" Ye Zhu giggled, "I passed two levels a few days ago." Ye Chen nodded slightly. He had some understanding of his sister’s combat skills.

After obtaining the inheritance of the Light Emissary, she reached the Red-level Warrior status in just a few months and was on the verge of breaking through to Orange-level Warrior! Her martial arts talent was astonishing!

Now, she must surely have reached Orange-level Warrior! Ye Chen turned to Island Master Ziyun, the white-robed old man, and the others.

"Are you interested in giving it a try?" The reason he had asked Huang Feng and the others to test was precisely to make them recognize the importance of combat skills, and also to give them some experience. Island Master Ziyun and the others saw that Huang Feng and his group had all failed.

Noticing the gazes fixed on them, they felt tempted. Island Master Queguang, however, was the most decisive, immediately stepping forward and placing her slender hand on the black stele.

A moment later… Ding! The first golden bar lit up.

The entire crowd gasped in surprise. Among these people, the vast majority were assassins, martial arts masters, or instruments of war (international mercenaries) in peaceful times, yet only a handful had managed to light up the first level.

They hadn't expected this person, of unknown origin, to achieve it! Just as everyone was wondering—Ding!

The second golden bar lit up. Everyone’s expression shifted from surprise to shock.

These three difficulties were layered, with the second layer ten times harder than the first! The third layer was ten times harder than the second!

"In the entire Base City, only Wutong, Ye Zhu, Vice Guild Leader Huang Tianci, and six others have managed to pass the second level. I didn't expect this person to manage it too!" "Where did the Guild Leader find such a powerful individual?" Everyone began whispering amongst themselves.

In the entire Light Base City, out of hundreds of thousands of people, 1,856 had passed the first level, seven had passed the second, and none had passed the third. A moment later, Island Master Queguang’s body trembled slightly, and she stepped back two paces, her eyes grave.

Island Master Ziyun and the others looked at her in surprise. They hadn't expected that even Island Master Queguang's strength couldn't clear the third level.

They were all people who had cultivated for two to three hundred years, training daily and possessing the highest-level techniques of their clans, yet they still couldn't pass! Subsequently, Island Master Tiangong also stepped up to test.

He also retreated after activating the second level, sighing deeply. He exclaimed, "I never imagined that combat styles could be so exquisitely refined in this world; it’s truly miraculous.

Ziyun, you should try too, but I estimate no one here can break through the final barrier—it’s too overwhelmingly powerful!"