148: Sorry, it exploded again.

When the golden light representing Lin Tian, with an unstoppable, crushing momentum, fiercely broke through the barrier of the third level and reached the 'fourth level'—a Domain still unknown to everyone—outside the guixu pagoda, the grand stone hall, which had been filled with clamor and discussion, once again fell into dead silence.

Everyone's faces were etched with the same expression—

Numbness.

Yes, numbness.

After successively experiencing two 'miracles' that completely subverted their understanding, two 'easy record-breaking' events, their brains had completely crashed. They no longer knew what expression or language to use to describe this... monster, which was utterly beyond their comprehension.

As for the City Lord, City Lord, after a brief moment of daze, a true flame of expectation ignited in his eyes for the first time!

The first three trials tested pure, absolute 'hard power.' Lin Tian's ability to pass them with overwhelming force, while shocking, was still within the realm of 'comprehensible.'

However, the fourth trial was different!

He took a deep breath and, through the broadcast array, introduced the rules of this fourth trial in a solemn and proud tone to Lin Tian inside the pagoda and to everyone present.

"Your Highness Lin Tian, congratulations on reaching the fourth level, the 'Chamber of the Heart Source'!

"This trial no longer tests pure strength or speed, but rather... 'control'!

"Before you is an 'Energy Conduction Core' crafted from 'Void Realm Crystal' from the ancient era. Inside it contains nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine energy nodes, each ten thousand times finer than a strand of hair."

"What you need to do is meticulously and precisely inject your own power into this core, like peeling silk from a cocoon, and, in a specific sequence, sequentially illuminate all nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine energy nodes!"

"This trial tests your absolute, meticulous control over your own power! A hair's breadth of difference will lead to a thousand miles of error! If the energy injection into any single node deviates, the entire core will instantly become chaotic, and the trial will be declared a failure!"

"Its highest record was also set by an ancient prodigy, taking... the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn!"

City Lord's voice was full of confidence.

He didn't believe it!

He didn't believe that a person's power could be both overwhelmingly dominant and meticulously precise to such an extent! These were fundamentally two completely opposite attributes!

That boy relied on brute force in the first three trials. But in this trial, brute force would absolutely not work!

He was bound to suffer a crushing defeat here!

...Inside the pagoda, on the fourth level.

Lin Tian listened to the long, complex introduction of rules, and for the first time, his handsome brows furrowed slightly.

He looked at the gigantic 'Energy Conduction Core' floating in mid-air, its internal structure as intricate as a vast star river, and, in a volume audible to all observers, he impatiently muttered to himself.

"A lamp-lighting game?"

"Too troublesome."

"I... am in a hurry."

Too... troublesome?

Hearing this extremely impatient remark, City Lord outside the pagoda almost spat out a mouthful of old blood!

This was the fourth trial of the guixu pagoda! This was the ultimate test of a Martial Artist's control! This was... However, before he could finish his internal grumbling.

The next second, the scene that unfolded on the monitoring screen shattered all his grumbling, all his confidence, all his wishful thinking, in an instant, by an even more terrifying, even more unreasonable... absolute violence!

On the screen, after the black-clothed youth said, "I am in a hurry," he did not, as expected, cautiously begin to attempt to inject energy into the core.

He simply walked forward.

Then, he simply, unremarkably, threw a punch at that precious 'Energy Conduction Core,' which had been passed down for thousands of years and served as one of the core arrays of the guixu pagoda.

That punch was still as casual, as nonchalant as ever.

But within it, it contained the power of the 【Pangu Body】—a power capable of making heaven and earth change color, and all things submit!

"No—!!!"

Outside the pagoda, the moment City Lord saw this, his eyes nearly burst from their sockets, and he let out the most mournful and desperate scream of his life!

He wanted to stop him, but it was too late!

...Boom!

The moment that seemingly unremarkable, fair fist touched the giant crystal core, with its myriad runes flowing within.

The entire core seemed to be instantly infused with the most primal, most violent Chaos energy from the very beginning of the Universe's creation!

There was no process of 'sequentially illuminating' those nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine energy nodes at all!

They were, at the same time, forcibly... filled! Overloaded! by that invincible, utterly unreasonable terrifying power!

All the runes, in an instant, changed from their original warm blue to a dazzling, blood-red color, signifying energy overload!

Immediately... with an incredibly crisp, heartbreaking 'CRACK' sound, like the shattering of the most perfect work of art.

That 'Energy Conduction Core,' which had been passed down for thousands of years and was of immeasurable value, along with the 'Ancient Record' sealed within it for thousands of years... together, exploded into... countless sparkling points of light, like stardust, dancing in the air... Outside the pagoda, there was dead silence.

Everyone stood frozen as if under a spell, staring blankly at the slowly dissipating brilliant points of light on the screen, their minds a complete blank.

He... he blew it up?!

He... he actually... destroyed the trial item?!

"Pfft—!"

City Lord City Lord could no longer withstand the successive blows, each enough to utterly shatter his heart. He clutched his chest, violently spat out a large mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

He pointed at the screen, his lips trembling, and let out a scream even more mournful and filled with endless grief and indignation than when his nephew had died.

"My... my Pagoda Heart!!!"

"That was... that was an heirloom passed down from the ancient era!!!"

However, just as the City Lord's mental state completely collapsed, and the entire trial ground descended into Chaos due to this 'violent breakthrough' that subverted everyone's worldview.

A voice, even older and more distant than any before, as if it had traversed eons of time and space, began to slowly resound throughout the interior of the guixu pagoda without any warning.

"...Detecting... power exceeding the limits of the rules..."

"...Judging... passed..."

"...Hidden trial... 'Immortal Battle Soul'..."

"...Activating."