Chapter 4663 — Dangerous!

"The rules of this West Island Trial are simple: there are no rules. There is no limit on the number of participants, nor on the duration—you may enter early or late, all entirely at your own discretion," Yan Xinlan said.

A murmur of astonishment rippled through the crowd. By the time one reached the Nascent Soul stage, everyone present had taken part in countless trials great and small, and every trial had invariably come with rules of its own—some bizarre and outlandish, others hopelessly convoluted. But a trial with no rules at all, as Yan Xinlan had just described, was something they had never encountered before.

Hearing this, the quick-witted cultivators were already itching to try their luck, each of them beginning to weigh this scheme or that. Since there were no rules, the room for maneuvering was vast indeed. Without careful planning, one might not only fail to take first place—one might well end up suffering a heavy loss.

Yet a small number of them, Wei Zhao included, wore grave expressions instead. No rules sounded like liberty, but it also revealed, from another angle, just how dangerous this trial would be. That legendary ruin of the ancient battlefield was very likely so perilous that no artificial rule could be imposed upon it any longer. Survival, there, was the only thing that existed.

Having taken in everyone's expressions, Yan Xinlan continued: "For this West Island Trial, you will be transported there through a special teleportation formation. As for the way back, that too is through a formation on the other side—so long as you strike the formation's core with true qi, the formation will be activated. But let me remind you all: it is best to act within your means, or else you will not be coming back."

"Not coming back? What does that mean?" Everyone was startled.

"The reason is simple. The longer you delay, the more true qi is required to activate the teleportation formation. We have tested this before: even for a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, one month is already the limit, because by then it would consume all of one's true qi. If the delay is any longer, you can well imagine the consequences," Yan Xinlan said coolly.

At these words, the crowd exchanged uneasy glances. Though there were no trial rules, this condition alone had already set a natural limit on the trial's duration: one month at most. After all, peak Nascent Soul was the highest cultivation permitted in the West Island Trial, and those weaker would have far less time than that.

"Vice Island Lord Yan, that sounds like there is a loophole. Since the teleportation can be opened simply by inputting enough true qi, couldn't we all work together?" someone in the crowd suddenly asked.

"Heh, a lovely thought, but unfortunately it will not work. The teleportation formation admits only one person at a time. To open it, you must input the true qi yourself from within. Having others help you from outside, or scheming to slip in on someone else's activation—none of that is possible. So I hope none of you will be greedy. If you let the time pass and find yourselves unable to get out, then you truly will not get out," Yan Xinlan said, sweeping her gaze over the crowd.

With that, a dead silence fell over the assembly. Everyone's face was unreadable, uncertain. Each person's time limit differed from the next, and if one failed to judge the time well, trouble would follow: emerge too early and one would surely lose out, but linger too long and one would simply be trapped—an even worse fate. A true dilemma.

"May I ask Vice Island Lord Yan, since this trial has no rules at all, how will it be judged who the winner is? This concerns who becomes the princess's husband—there must surely be a clear standard, or the decision will not convince anyone!" someone suddenly called out loudly.

At these words, the whole crowd perked up at once. Many among them harbored the very same designs as Kang Jingming, hoping to seize this rare chance, unseen in a century, to rise to the heavens in a single step.

"Simple. Whoever obtains the most heavenly treasures and earthly rarities in the trial is the final victor," Yan Xinlan answered tersely. Seeing the varied expressions on their faces, she added: "Of course, the treasures you obtain belong to you. West Island will not take a single piece. So there is no need to hide or hoard anything—every item has its corresponding value, converted into spirit jade at the average prices of the great merchant guilds."

Having received this answer, the crowd fell silent. Heavenly treasures and earthly rarities could not in themselves prove anything directly, but in this perilous West Island Trial they could indirectly reveal a person's strength and ability—including, perhaps, fortune and destiny. Measured by this standard, it was reasonable enough.

"Very well, since there are no more questions, line up in order and prepare for teleportation," Yan Xinlan announced at once.

Guided by the West Island disciples, the crowd cooperatively formed a long queue, ready to proceed to the teleportation formation. Just then, a commotion broke out at the back of the line; Wei Zhao looked over at the sound and was struck dumb.

Every eye was fixed on a single figure: Kang Jingming!

But by now he was fully armed. Not only was he wearing an intelligent suit of armor, he was also jauntily shouldering a laser cannon, looking insufferably smug and imposing—like Megatron out of Transformers! By comparison, Xu Lingchong, walking at his side, was utterly ignored.

"What is that? It looks pretty fierce?" The crowd exchanged puzzled looks. They were all natives of Cloudscale Island, and naturally had no notion of such ultra-high-tech contraptions; each of them took it for some divine weapon of extraordinary power. After all, the West Island Trial had never said weapons were forbidden.

At that moment, almost everyone wore a look of baffled awe. Though they did not know what the thing actually was, the swaggering silhouette alone told them it was not to be trifled with, and a measure of wariness crept into their hearts. This was, after all, a rival they would soon have to face!

By contrast, Wei Zhao's and Han Jingyi's expressions were rather subtle.

The others were baffled; these two knew exactly what they were looking at. Han Jingyi, a devotee of technology, needed no explanation, and even Wei Zhao was no stranger to those two items.

He was an assassin by upbringing, after all. Weapons of that kind were not only equipment he might need on a mission—they were threats he had to handle with the utmost caution. How to deal with high-tech weaponry had been one of the key subjects of his training.

Watching Kang Jingming strut about flaunting his might, and especially eyeing that intelligent armor and laser cannon of his, Wei Zhao was all but stunned.

The Central Chamber of Commerce had already whipped up a tide of technology across Cloudscale Island, true enough, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined encountering a scene like this at the West Island Trial. High-level cultivators pitted against ultra-high-tech weaponry—what kind of absurd, mismatched melee was this?!

"Be careful, Brother Wei Zhao. That thing is no good. It looks quite formidable, and this level of technology is definitely not something the ordinary mortal world could possess. Either it is a bluff, or... I fear ordinary cultivators will not be able to withstand it," Han Jingyi said, a hint of worry in her expression. (To be continued...)