Martial Saint!

Three Suns Secret Realm.

"Senior, please speak?"

All in all, Lu Chenzhou's successful breakthrough to the Sixth Realm was inseparable from the help of Three Suns Palace. A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring; his slaying of the Demon Emperor was also his way of repaying that favor.

The Three Suns Immortal's gaze was as divine as a god's.

Her eyes left Lu Chenzhou.

"Little friend Lu, you have comprehended the Lightning Dao, haven't you?"

"Yes, Senior, impressive eye."

"Hahaha, though I am dull of aptitude and took a thousand years of cultivation to reach the middle stage of the Seventh Realm, I have at least lived long—seen many people and things. Especially after dealing with the Lightning Demon Venerable for so many years, I'm fairly familiar with this Dao."

"Senior, you're being modest. To a Qi Refiner, to reach the Seventh Realm in a thousand years already makes you a supreme genius."

A Seventh Realm Qi Refiner has a lifespan of three thousand years.

Eighth Realm, six thousand years.

Great Power, a lifespan of ten thousand years.

These are just the basics.

If one possesses special secret arts or treasures for extending life, it's normal for Great Powers to live tens of thousands of years.

In the Great Wilderness, lifespan is not a rare thing.

As for gods, theoretically, their lifespan is infinite.

They do not die of old age.

Only death by external disaster awaits them.

The Three Suns Immortal smiled helplessly and said, "To be honest, before meeting you, I was actually rather proud. I heard you have been cultivating for less than one Jiazi?"

"Yes."

Lu Chenzhou was born in 2005.

It is now 2058.

By society's calendar, he is only 53 years old.

His bone age is even less.

Receiving confirmation, both the Immortal and the Cold Moon Immortal involuntarily gasped, unable to suppress a sense of powerlessness.

A Sixth Realm at just over fifty...

Is this person really human?

The Yaochi Immortal stared at Lu Chenzhou.

She recalled herself in her early fifties.

Apparently she was only a Grandmaster.

Among Da Xia's Absolute Peak experts, she was on the older side; her entry to the Heavenly Realm was through sheer accumulation. But because of her unique cultivation technique, her lifespan was the longest—no less than that of a Qi Refiner.

The Immortal said, "Less than two Jiazi is fine. You must have seen that palace—that's the Aurora Palace, left behind as the inheritance of our ancestor, the Aurora Empress. I wish to ask little friend to enter and retrieve a treasure for us."

Lu Chenzhou asked doubtfully, "Since it's your ancestor's inheritance, have you not entered it yourselves?"

The Immortal and Cold Moon Immortal exchanged glances.

The Immortal gave a bitter smile: "Our ancestor once apprenticed to the Chasing Sun Dragon Emperor. Her path was the Speed Extreme Dao, one of the Three Great Extreme Daos, and also the hardest among them to comprehend.

If you know of the Chasing Sun Dragon Emperor, you'll know he rarely took disciples. The world assumes the Dragon Emperor was eccentric and liked to be alone, but in truth, it was because he couldn't find a suitable core disciple. Before his death, he left only three disciples worthy of inheriting his legacy."

Lu Chenzhou was left speechless.

He had heard this from his senior brother.

The Speed Extreme Dao was truly difficult.

But he didn't expect it to be so exaggerated.

No wonder, among the Three Great Extreme Daos, the Speed Extreme Dao was so rare. By comparison, there were many Power Extreme Dao cultivators.

The Immortal said, "To enter the Aurora Palace, you must be under one hundred years old, and have comprehended one of these three Daos: Aurora, Wuji, or Lightning.

According to our ancestor's inheritance, these three Daos are all variants of Speed Extreme Dao. If none can be comprehended, it means no affinity with her legacy.

But these three Daos are so difficult, so ever since Three Suns Palace's foundation, very few young people have cultivated them. Even if someone barely meets the requirements, they often fall short in terms of age or strength and return empty-handed."

Lu Chenzhou finally understood.

So they have a mountain of treasures,

But the descendants just don't measure up.

Next,

The Three Suns Immortal explained the Aurora Palace's situation to Lu Chenzhou. To enter, there are three requirements:

First, a Speed Extreme Dao variant.

Second, under two Jiazi.

Third, at least Fifth Realm strength.

For Martial Artists, the latter two are not difficult. There are plenty of Great Grandmasters under 120 years old in the Xia Realm.

But for Qi Refiners, it's nigh impossible.

After the explanation, the Immortal felt uneasy.

To be honest, she had no confidence that Lu Chenzhou could pass their ancestor's trial. This was just a desperate gamble. Lu Chenzhou's age and cultivation were excellent, but judging from her sense of his Lightning Dao, he was only at First Rank. According to records, completing the trial required at least Fourth Rank mastery.

The trial allows at most a month.

Even if Lu Chenzhou's talent was heaven-defying, advancing from First to Fourth Rank in such time was unrealistic; it was putting him in a bind.

If she knew that Lu Chenzhou had only just learned the Lightning Dao in the past few days, she'd be even more despairing.

Lu Chenzhou looked toward the Yaochi Immortal.

"Senior, shall I give it a try?"

The Yaochi Immortal nodded slightly.

"It's up to you."

"Then I shall try."

Lu Chenzhou made up his mind.

Upon learning this was the Aurora Empress's world, he had already been scheming to get his hands on a Speed Extreme Dao inheritance.

He had full confidence in comprehending the Speed Extreme Dao himself.

But it would take time.

At the moment, the Demon Saint was approaching.

He wanted to increase his strength as much as possible.

Especially his ability to escape.

Following normal cultivation procedures, there wasn't enough time.

The Three Suns Immortal smiled:

"Alright, little friend Lu, just do your best. Don't worry, to accommodate us descendants, the Empress's inheritance poses almost no danger for someone of your ability."

Lu Chenzhou turned into a bolt of lightning and flew toward the Aurora Palace.

The Yaochi Immortal found a place to recover her energy.

She looked up toward the outer heavens, her gaze grave.

"They're almost here."

The Cold Moon Immortal gazed at the Aurora Palace.

"Let's hope for a miracle... Otherwise, we unfilial descendants will only leave the inheritance behind here."

They had already resolved to leave this world.

The Three Suns Immortal sighed: "Cold Moon, while the Demon Race has retreated, gather all the survivors and bring them to the Capital City. Whether this succeeds or fails, our homeland will become a wasteland."

The Demon Saint has the power to destroy a world.

If they stay in the Capital City, perhaps they can protect a few.

"Alright."

Elsewhere.

The Xia Realm Grandmasters were also watching the Aurora Palace.

Chatting with Three Suns Palace disciples.

They too knew this was a land of inheritance.

"Lu Heavenly King, may you achieve victory in one stroke!"

"That's right, let's show the Otherworld what we're made of."

...

Aurora Palace.

This was the most magnificent building Lu Chenzhou had ever seen, towering nearly ten leagues tall and stretching a hundred leagues long, shrouded in resplendent rainbow light, like the fiery tail of a phoenix streaking across the sky.

A cool female voice rang out.

[Non-females are not permitted to enter the Aurora Palace.]

"The Immortal never mentioned this?"

Lu Chenzhou was stunned.

An inheritance, yet they cared about gender? Just as he hesitated, considering whether to change his form to that of a woman, the voice called out again:

[Fifty years old—permission granted to enter.]

The doors opened.

Lu Chenzhou looked suspicious, muttering:

"I'm a man."

Inside the Aurora Palace was a world of its own.

"Huh, this is actually a Cave Heaven Treasure—no smaller than the inheritance cave of Blue Mountain left in the Xia Realm."

Of course, it still couldn't compare to the Primordial Mountain Cave Heaven.

Before him stretched the boundless starry sky.

There was neither east, south, west, nor north beneath his feet.

"Chirp chirp."

A swallow with a brilliant purple plumage flew over, barely the size of a fist, lightning crackling around it.

The cool female voice said:

[Without using a Spiritual Weapon, use any means to catch the Lightning Sparrow. Passing the exam grants you three days for this trial; success allows you to move to the second challenge, else you are eliminated.]

As her words fell,

The swallow shot away in a flash of lightning.

In the blink of an eye, it was gone from sight.

He moved, transforming into a rainbow streak in pursuit. Man and bird chased each other across the Milky Way. Soon, once the Lightning Sparrow was within reach, Lu Chenzhou caught it in one swift grab.

[First challenge passed]

The Lightning Sparrow disappeared, transforming into a book.

"Fourth Rank Combat Technique 'Lightning Step'... This first challenge is aimed at Four Realms; with my Sixth Realm cultivation, it was no trouble." Lu Chenzhou thought of the Immortal's words.

The trials continued.

The second challenge, aimed at Fifth Realm.

This one tested neural reaction speed—he passed.

The reward: Fifth Rank Combat Technique 'Immortal Rainbow Sword Technique.'

Swordsmanship like a rainbow—speed is invincible.

The following challenges were similar. The Aurora Palace's tests relied on both cultivation and comprehension in a Speed Extreme-type Dao; having either at a high level made the early trials easy, and the rewards were only mediocre for him.

Soon.

He sped through all the way to the final challenge.

A silhouette composed of rainbow light appeared.

Faintly, it showed feminine features.

[Final trial: Without using a Spiritual Weapon, capture the "Light Chaser" within one month. If successful, you receive the Aurora Palace's ultimate inheritance and become Aurora Palace Master.]

Lu Chenzhou's eyes grew solemn.

[The trial begins.]

The Light Chaser shot ahead like a beam, racing across the galaxy. Lu Chenzhou activated the Kun Character Technique, his qi-blood surging to 260,000, reaching late Sixth Realm standards, Lightning Dao Essence swirling around him as he streaked forward in a flash of lightning.

The chase began.

"The Light Chaser's cultivation is likely at early Sixth Realm; with my late-stage cultivation and Lightning Dao, I have a chance."

Two rainbows blurred across the universe.

Soon, Lu Chenzhou was slapped in the face by reality.

He seemed only a bit slower than the Light Chaser.

But as time passed, the distance grew; he could only watch as the opponent vanished from sight.

Once the effect of Kun Character Technique ended,

His aura fell back to early stage,

Now he couldn't keep up at all.

In his weakened state, he sat cross-legged among the stars, regulating his breath.

"What if I enter the Void?"

He had a flash of inspiration.

It wasn't long before he gave up.

"The rules of this place are entirely sealed by the Aurora Palace; I can't even slip into the Void. Unless I reach Heavenly Realm, breaking the seal by force isn't possible. Now I see why, from ancient times, no one of Three Suns Palace has succeeded."

It was just too hard.

To clear this round,

You'd need to be under 200 years old, above Sixth Realm, and master a Speed Extreme-type Dao—faster than the Light Chaser itself.

"It's a pity. Give me a year, and I'm confident I'd reach Entering Dao proficiency in Lightning Dao. Paired with the Kun Character Technique, I'd have a real shot at catching the Light Chaser."

After many fruitless attempts,

Lu Chenzhou looked helpless.

He announced loudly:

[I forfeit the trial.]

...

Three Suns Secret Realm.

Lin Xia was bragging about Lu Chenzhou.

"Everyone, don't worry. There's no trial my junior brother can't pass. Just wait for his triumphant return."

The Xia Realm Grandmasters were full of confidence.

Nobody understood Lu Chenzhou better than they did.

They'd been through life and death together for over a year.

The Three Suns Palace disciples looked thoroughly unconvinced.

"The Aurora Palace has existed for countless years. In all of Three Suns Palace history, over a hundred Heavenly Realm experts—geniuses beyond number—have failed. Even if Senior Lu is amazing, the chances of him succeeding are slim."