147: Chapter 147 Martial Arts Challenge on the Bone Platform

Inside the secret realm, the scramble had fully unfolded.

When the towering Bone Gate appeared before everyone, those who had originally been watching from the periphery, like a school of sharks that had smelled blood, rushed forward almost in unison.

Among them were disciples of great families, elites from sects, and young powerhouses temporarily transferred from the military.

Most of these people were no mediocrities.

Those selected to enter this batch of the team at least proved that the powers behind them were strong enough, and their own strength was by no means weak.

However, the opportunity at the front of the Bone Gate was ultimately limited.

The few who truly reached the front line first—Lin Mo, Zhou Jingyue, Azerbaijani own, and Shen Zhihan—occupied the most critical positions, closest to the Bone Gate, and were the first to come into contact with the oppressive aura overflowing from the crack in the gate.

Those behind who wanted to squeeze forward were immediately blocked by the powerhouses who had taken their positions earlier.

"Move aside!"

"The position in front is ours!"

"Don't block the way!"

"Whoever arrives first gets it; what right do you have to cut in line!"

"Take another step forward, and don't blame me for being impolite!"

The crowd quickly became restless.

Auras began to collide, and long-suppressed greed was almost entirely exposed at this moment.

Many people understood that the Martial Demon Inheritance was behind the gate.

This was not an ordinary opportunity, but something that could change the destiny of a generation.

Everyone wanted to give it a try.

No one wanted to miss it.

Thus, the atmosphere in front of the Bone Gate became sharp within just a few breaths.

The first to strike were some impatient young Awakeners.

Most of them wanted to rely on numbers and momentum to push forward, attempting to force their way into the trial range of the Bone Gate.

The atmosphere at the Bone Gate had been stretched to the limit.

The first to make a move was a young man wearing a cyan martial robe, with the emblem of some medium-sized sect embroidered on his chest. He was an Early Fourth-Order, not the strongest in the crowd, but he had the advantage of rushing quickly.

He pushed away a rogue cultivator blocking his path with a palm, and without stopping his steps, squeezed toward the Bone Gate.

"Move aside!"

The rogue cultivator who had been pushed away stumbled two steps, his face darkened, and he struck back with an elbow.

The two people's auras collided, emitting a muffled explosion. The surrounding people subconsciously backed away, but more people took advantage of this gap to squeeze forward.

"Don't block the way!"

"The position in front is ours!"

"Whoever arrives first gets it; what right do you have to cut in line!"

"Take another step forward, and don't blame me for being impolite!"

The voices became increasingly noisy, and the collisions of auras became increasingly dense.

Some drew their weapons, some condensed their cultivation techniques, and some secretly activated their traits; everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Jingyue stood in the front row, his hand on the hilt of his sword, watching the chaos behind him with cold eyes.

He did not turn around, because he knew that what was truly important was not these people behind him, but the Bone Gate in front of him that was slowly opening.

Azerbaijani own stood beside him, a look of disdain hanging on the corner of his mouth: "A bunch of people who haven't even seen the gate clearly, what are they fighting for?"

Shen Zhihan did not speak; her gaze remained fixed on the crack of the Bone Gate.

The oppressive aura overflowing from the crack in the gate became thicker and thicker, like an invisible hand, slowly pushing open that stone gate which had not been opened for a thousand years.

Just at this moment, someone could not hold back.

A burly young man squeezed out of the crowd, his whole body wrapped in earth-yellow light; that was his trait, Earth-Type Strengthening, Early Fourth-Order.

He strode toward the Bone Gate, attempting to rush in before everyone else.

"I'll go first!"

He rushed to the gate in three steps and reached out to push the half-open stone gate—

Then, he disappeared, his entire person as if swallowed by some kind of power, directly sinking into the darkness behind the gate.

The crowd instantly exploded!

"He went in!"

"Hurry and follow!"

"Can't let him take the initiative alone!"

A dozen people rushed out simultaneously.

Disciples of great families, elites from sects, and young powerhouses from the military rushed toward the Bone Gate, scrambling over one another, fearing that being a step slow would mean missing a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

The darkness behind the gate was like a giant mouth, swallowing them one after another.

The crowd surged toward the crack like a tide, everyone's eyes red, everyone feeling that as long as they got inside, the Martial Demon Inheritance would be theirs.

Zhou Jingyue and the others were not in a hurry; they stood in the front row, watching those who rushed past from behind, motionless.

"Not following?" Azerbaijani own asked.

Zhou Jingyue shook his head: "The Martial Demon's inheritance is not so easy to snatch. Only true geniuses have a sliver of a chance. With just these people, it is impossible to obtain the Martial Demon's recognition!"

"I heard that Senior Martial Demon has a strange temper; what if he doesn't play by the rules?"

"Then we can only rely on our own luck!"

Azerbaijani own shrugged and said nothing more.

He glanced at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo stood at the very front, his back to everyone, his gaze fixed on the half-open stone gate. After pondering for a moment, he slowly took a step and walked into the darkness.

Zhou Jingyue and the others could finally sit still no longer and immediately followed, stepping into the Bone Gate.

...

Inside the Bone Gate.

It was that burly young man who had rushed in first; his Earth-Type trait was still wrapped around his body, the earth-yellow light particularly eye-catching in the darkness.

He looked around and found himself standing before a bone-white staircase.

The staircase in front of him extended upward, disappearing into the mist in the distance.

"Is this the place of the trial?" He said in a low voice, with excitement in his tone, "It's nothing much—"

His words were not finished, and he suddenly stopped.

Because the earth-yellow light on his body suddenly went out.

His expression changed, and he immediately activated his trait.

However, no matter how he activated it, his body had absolutely no reaction.

His forehead began to sweat, and he went to activate his cultivation technique, to mobilize every bit of power in his body.

But the result made him even more shocked; he discovered that he couldn't even activate his cultivation technique by half a point!

"What's going on?!" His voice changed pitch, and he looked around in a panic.

Behind him, more and more people walked out of the darkness. The second, the third, the tenth, the thirtieth.

They stood before the gray-white staircase, with the same excitement on their faces, and then the same expression froze within seconds.

"My trait... I can't use it!"

A young man wearing a military uniform tried to condense flames, but only a wisp of blue smoke appeared on his hand before it went out.

"My cultivation technique too!"

"What's going on?! What kind of place is this?!"

"Is there some restriction? Who is suppressing us?!"

"It's not suppression... it's a seal! I can't feel my power at all!"

Panic spread like a plague.

Everyone's power had been completely sealed.

Those geniuses who could summon wind and rain outside, those powerhouses who relied on traits to crush their peers, those elites who swept across the battlefield with skills, at this moment, all turned into ordinary people without the power of traits.

Of course, they still possessed terrifying physical fitness that could crush ordinary people.

However, without the power of traits and cultivation techniques or skills, everyone's combat power instantly dropped by a large margin.

"This is impossible!" Someone roared, "My trait is blue! How could it be sealed!"

"What kind of bullshit trial is this! This is a trap! It's a trap!"

"I want to get out! Let me out!"

Someone turned and ran back, attempting to rush out of the darkness.

But there was no road behind them anymore, only endless darkness, like a wall, blocking all paths of retreat.

Just as everyone was falling into panic, a low, ancient voice, as if from the very distant past, slowly sounded in everyone's ears.

"Trial First Layer, Wenwu Bone Platform."

"Those who step on the platform must ask themselves."

"Ask yourself why you cultivate martial arts, ask yourself why you fight, ask yourself what you seek, ask yourself what price you can bear."

"If the answer is acceptable, you may proceed."

"If the answer is unclear, you shall stop."

The voice fell, and the surroundings were completely silent.

The next instant, everyone's expression changed.

"Martial Inquiry?"

"Ask oneself?"

Many people who had originally been tensed with fighting intent, preparing to rush forward directly, were stunned by their first reaction upon hearing these words.

This trial was actually not about fighting first, but asking first?

"What does it mean?" Someone said in a low voice, "Answer questions first, then break through the barriers?"

"What kind of martial arts trial is this?"

"Still have to answer this kind of thing first?"