Jiang Chen didn’t think that Ji San’s actions were inappropriate. His brother had no way to contact Jiang Chen while the latter had been in seclusion. Challenging the seventh obelisk was the natural course for Ji San as he was was ranked in the third quadrant and didn’t have much time left in the Pagoda. He would’ve been ejected by now if he wasn’t granted six more months after grasping the sixth obelisk. He’d succeeded in challenging the seventh obelisk with whatever time he had left. Jiang Chen was genuinely happy for him.

It seems Brother Ji’s assimilation of the true dragon’s blood has gone perfectly. I’m certain he has broken through to emperor realm by now and awakened another part of his heritage memories. It’s given him a great boost in both his martial knowledge and martial dao realm. Grasping the seventh obelisk was only the natural next step.

Ji San was granted one more year after comprehending the seventh obelisk. He now had more time to cultivate within the Pagoda.

Brother Ji is being sensible. Testing his mettle within the secret realm of battle is definitely the best course of action. He has already done all he can within the secret realm of heritage. He won’t be able to make any more significant breakthroughs right after reaching emperor realm, so it’s better for him to find inspiration in real battle. 

Jiang Chen approved of these actions greatly. After all, Ji San wasn’t like him. Jiang Chen didn’t need to worry about the lack of inspiration even if he continued to stay within the secret realm of heritage. The knowledge from his previous life had given him an advantage that others could only dream of. There wasn’t even an inkling of worry in his mind when he sat down in front of the seventh obelisk. He was extremely confident that this challenge would pose no trouble for him.

This wasn’t blind confidence, but Zhang Moheng and the others couldn’t help but think that young lord Zhen had been a little too rash. The three looked at Jiang Chen from afar, curiosity and doubt writ all over their faces. 

Can he really do it?

Jiang Chen sent his consciousness towards the seventh obelisk.

“Welcome to the seventh obelisk challenge. This obelisk is called the Prehistoric Flame Obelisk. You are given one month to pass the test and obtain a single prehistoric flame essence,” a voice announced blandly.

The Prehistoric Flame Obelisk? 

Jiang Chen’s heart trembled. The prehistoric flame was a type of heavenly fire, and also one of the oldest fire sources in the world. 

How is the obelisk connected to the prehistoric flame? 

He began the test with such questions in mind, but the truth didn’t elude him for long. The powerful flame was contained within the obelisk. It emitted the might of the flame which tempered the contestant’s consciousness. This was both a test and also a rare opportunity to strengthen oneself.

One’s consciousness would definitely be several multitudes stronger after suffering through a month of arduous tempering by the prehistoric flame. However, it would be a much greater fortune if one obtained a single spark of the prehistoric flame essence for themselves. One could refine a single spark and strengthen its flame, helping it eventually grow into a blazing fire. The prehistoric flame was ranked thirty six among countless heavenly flames. It was a frighteningly powerful heavenly flame. In the ancient times, there were a few occasions in which an entire sect was razed into ashes by a single prehistoric flame. Jiang Chen treated the test with all due seriousness after hearing this description. 

In the beginning, it was only a tiny flame that was no stronger than a candle flame. Despite its size, it would actually cause an enormous amount of destruction if materialized. Jiang Chen didn’t dare to take it lightly. He linked his consciousness to the obelisk and allowed the flame’s power to temper it freely. He didn’t feel much strain for the first seven to eight days as there wasn’t much movement to the flame. However, Jiang Chen could feel the minute changes as the flame evolved with each passing second. The changes were miniscule, but persistent.

On the ninth day, Jian Chen could feel a great change in the flame’s intensity. Its impact on his consciousness had also increased by four times. Previously, the flame had only been as small as a candle fire, but it had now bloomed into the size of a lotus flower. 

Mm. The prehistoric flame has begun its evolution. 

The common cultivator would probably be satisfied if they merely withstood the flame’s test, but Jiang Chen wouldn’t be done with just that. He continued to observe the changes within the flame. The prehistoric flame didn’t change much in form, but its flickering movement brimmed with profound meaning. The extremely famous prehistoric flame had its own unique characteristics, and the ability to grasp and control them was the main test of this obelisk. How was one supposed to absorb the essence if one couldn’t even understand its main characteristic?

Jiang Chen’s consciousness grew increasingly resilient in tandem with the intensity of the prehistoric flame. He was fully immersed in that frame of mind. 

The prehistoric flame is a heavenly fire from the ancient times with a mind of its own. Absorbing its essence is an task easier said than done. One must begin by understanding its nature, then communicate with it, and slowly absorb and harmonize with it…

He was so immersed that he no longer noticed the passage of time. The minutes and seconds quickly passed by. By the twenty eighth day, the prehistoric flame had reached its final and most ultimate form. The obelisk was fully immersed in a sea of flames. Jiang Chen’s consciousness was like a dragon, twisting and meandering among the sea of flames, in search of the prehistoric flame essence. A bright flash suddenly appeared within his consciousness.

A crimson light had just shot across his sea of consciousness. A great force immediately surged across his consciousness in pursuit of the crimson light.  Moments later, the crimson light transformed into a miniscule speck of flame and was drawn into the sea of consciousness, becoming one. Jiang Chen blew a gentle sigh of relief. 

It’s done.

That was the prehistoric flame essence that he’d been searching for the past thirty days. The sea of fire that covered the obelisk was merely an image created by the prehistoric flame essence. The obelisk hadn’t actually been covered by an intensely burning prehistoric flame. If an prehistoric flame really combusted into a sea of flame, it would be enough to destroy half of Veluriyam Capital. Even though it was merely an image, it was still an intense test to one’s consciousness. The test not only tempered one’s consciousness, but also one’s perception. Finding the single spark of true essence within a sea of imagery was something easier said than done. Capturing and refining the prehistoric flame essence meant completion of the test.

The seventh obelisk shone in a mesmerizing cyan when Jiang Chen opened his eyes. He’d conquered the seventh obelisk! Zhang Moheng and the others had been observing for over a month in the distance. Their faces were full of shock when Jiang Chen conquered the obelisk test. Two more had joined their cohort. One was Li Jiancheng, and the other was Shui Rutian. The latter had just come back from another secret realm, while the former was waiting for his turn to challenge the seventh obelisk. The seventh obelisk and the subsequent obelisks could only host one challenger at a time. 

Li Jiancheng carried a sombre expression as all kinds of emotions filled him. It was evident that Jiang Chen’s success had pressured him greatly. After all, he was the champion of the Ranking of Young Lords. Two had conquered the seventh obelisk already. It would be humiliating if a champion like him failed to follow suit. Jiang Chen didn’t act too cordially towards both of them. He nodded at them slightly and walked right past them.

“Brother Zhen, please wait.” Zhang Moheng couldn’t resist calling out.

Jiang Chen stopped dead in his tracks. “What is it?”

Zhang Moheng smiled wryly. “Brother Zhen, will you be challenging the eighth obelisk?”

Jiang Chen responded with a bland smile. “Maybe.”

There’s no way Jiang Chen would ever tell him anything of substance as they weren’t even acquainted. Such information shouldn’t be shared with mere strangers. Zhang Moheng didn’t dare to chase the matter after seeing Jiang Chen’s distant expression. He laughed awkwardly and said nothing else.

If Jiang Chen did what was expected, he would visit the other secret realms after conquering the seventh obelisk, but he chose not to after some careful thought. He decided to go after the eighth obelisk after some slight preparations. The difficulty of the seventh obelisk gave him confidence that he had a good chance at conquering the eighth obelisk. There was some difficulty to the seventh obelisk, but it had been nothing too precarious. He still had innate potential that wasn’t fully utilized yet. It was the reason why he believed that he still had energy left within him to go for the eighth obelisk.

Time waits for no one. If I visit the other secret realms, three to five years will pass in a blink of an eye. I have no qualms with spending that much time, but the situation outside could turn sour at any moment. Moreover, I’ve also promised the Coiling Dragon clan lord a Pinecrane Pill. The Five Elements Augmentation Art might lose its potency if I take too long. 

Jiang Chen was someone who held onto his promises. He would never go back on the promise he made to the clan lord. 

Thus, he made the decision to conquer the eighth obelisk so that he could move on to the ninth. One would only be granted entry to the Six Palaces of Heritage after one conquered the ninth obelisk. He would gain a re-entry chance to the Veluriyam Pagoda in doing so. He would be able to leave the pagoda without worrying about coming back in. 

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