Proving Immortality Starting with Hextech Runes

As soon as Chen Xu arrived at the registration area, a slightly cold voice rang out beside him: "Junior Brother Chen?"

As soon as Xiao Muwan finished registering, she walked towards Chen Xu.

She was still wearing that light purple dress, exuding a cool and aloof air.

But today, a layer of sorrow seemed to hang between his brows, and when he looked at Chen Xu, a complex look flashed in his eyes.

"Senior Sister Xiao." Chen Xu cupped his hands in greeting, his tone as usual.

"Hmm... I wonder how well Junior Brother Chen is preparing?" Xiao Muwan asked.

"I'm alright," Chen Xu replied, noticing the fleeting unease in Xiao Muwan's eyes.

"Senior sister seems to have something on her mind?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Muwan's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just shook her head and forced a smile:

"It's nothing. I'm just a little nervous because the trial is approaching. Junior brother... please be careful."

She paused, then added, "If we face off during the trial, don't hold back."

After saying that, she stopped looking at Chen Xu and left in a hurry.

Chen Xu looked in the direction Xiao Muwan had left, his brows furrowing slightly, feeling something was amiss.

"What...is this woman up to?"

After registering, Chen Xu didn't delay any longer and went straight back to the fishpond.

Before nightfall, he took a medicinal bath as usual, enduring immense pain to practice the "Stone Skin Technique".

The trial is imminent; every bit of strength gained is a bonus.

……

Three days later.

When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the main peak square, many disciples of the Cold Pine Sect were already present.

Chen Xu also arrived at the square early.

However, he did not squeeze to the very front, but instead chose a position at the back where the view was still acceptable.

Soon after, other members of the mutual aid society also arrived.

Wang Tiezhu had specially changed into a brand new Taoist robe today, which made him look much more energetic.

But his tightly clenched hands and his darting eyes betrayed his inner tension.

Although Lin Miaoyin came with Wang Tiezhu, she was accompanied by a male cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining, who was presumably a newly made friend.

Xiao Muwan stood on the other side, looking somewhat absent-minded.

For some reason, Chen Xu always felt that the other party was avoiding him, which made Chen Xu wary.

After the disciples waited there for nearly half an hour, the trial grounds slowly rose up.

First, all the Foundation Establishment elders in the sect took their seats, and then Wen Tianhe finally appeared, suspended above the high platform.

As the bell tolled, Wen Tianhe solemnly announced: "This year's outer sect trial begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the square erupted in cheers.

At this moment, a Foundation Establishment elder stepped forward and announced the rules of this trial:

"The cave is filled with mechanical puppets, illusionary traps, and rare and precious materials placed by the sect."

"Defeating a mechanical puppet will yield one of its core Crimson Crystals, which is worth one point. The final ranking is based on the number of Crimson Crystals obtained!"

"The trial will last for one month. No matter where you are at the end, you will be forcibly transported out by the power of the cave!"

Finally, within the cave, the use of talismans and magical artifacts is permitted, as is fighting amongst ourselves; those who fight are solely responsible for their own lives!

Chen Xu remained calm. Thinking of Zhang Erniu, he hesitated for a moment, but still asked Lin Miaoyin for a high-grade healing pill on credit, just in case.

Afterwards, the disciples received the storage bags used to store the Crimson Crystals and entered the trial entrance one by one.

As soon as Chen Xu stepped into the entrance, he felt a strong sense of spatial displacement, and the scene before him changed rapidly.

Once he landed on solid ground, Chen Xu quickly looked around.

What lay before them was not the cramped stone chamber they had imagined, but a very spacious, dimly lit area.

"It actually forms its own space; no wonder it's the work of a Core Formation cultivator..." Chen Xu exclaimed inwardly.

He did not rush into action. To be on the safe side, Chen Xu deployed a wisp of his divine sense to survey the terrain within a fifty-meter radius.

Having used only this much divine sense, I'm not afraid of being discovered astonished.

Within the reach of his divine sense, the terrain appeared in his mind like a three-dimensional map.

Chen Xu moved swiftly and soon spotted two puppets at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Just then, the two puppets seemed to sense Chen Xu's presence as well. Their eyes flashed red, and they swung their metal arms, cutting through the wind as they approached.

What might seem fast to ordinary disciples was still a bit slow to Chen Xu...

Chen Xu was exceptionally gifted in escape techniques and movement skills.

With a slight sway of his body and the aid of his divine sense, the two puppets couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

"Too slow," Chen Xu thought to himself.

He took out the Hidden Bitter Sword, activated the most basic sword technique, and precisely targeted the energy node on the puppet's chest.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

The puppet that was targeted froze abruptly and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The chests of the two puppets split open, and a red crystal rolled out from each one.

"That's it? Isn't it too easy?"

"Or... are these two puppets just an appetizer?"

Chen Xu accepted the two crimson crystals, but he was somewhat puzzled.

However, he overlooked the fact that among the disciples participating in this trial, besides those at the sixth level of Qi Refining, there were also quite a few at the fourth and fifth levels of Qi Refining.

The two puppets were roughly at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining, posing no threat to Chen Xu.

Chen Xu continued to probe forward, but suddenly, he frowned and stopped in his tracks.

Something's strange...

His gaze fell on the corner of the wall on the left. He probed it with his divine sense and found that there seemed to be a faint energy fluctuation emanating from the shadows in the corner.

"Could this be... a hidden entrance?"

Chen Xu's eyes flickered slightly, and he walked over.

Sure enough, in its shadow, there was the outline of an extremely well-hidden door.

If it weren't for the anomaly detected by my divine sense just now, it would have been almost undetectable to the naked eye.

Chen Xu tried to touch it with a wisp of spiritual power, and the hidden door slid open silently, revealing a dark passage leading downwards.

"It really is a dark room. I wonder if there's any treasure inside..."

Chen Xu became wary and probed inside with his divine sense. Only after confirming that there was no danger did he enter.

After Chen Xu's figure disappeared, a sneaky black shadow appeared in the corner.

Zhang Erniu had somehow followed us here. He stared into the dark passageway and muttered to himself:

"So he discovered a secret passage... I thought this kid had found me..."

Then a sinister smile appeared on Zhang Erniu's face, and his figure once again transformed into a black shadow, silently sneaking inside.

At this moment, Chen Xu had already arrived at the end of the passage.

At the end of the stone chamber was a small stone room. In the center of the chamber was a stone platform with a sandalwood box on it.

After confirming that there were no obvious traps or restrictions, Chen Xu was about to reach out and touch the wooden box when a strange black shadow suddenly burst open behind him.

Zhang Erniu's ferocious face appeared in the shadows, a cold glint piercing Chen Xu's back:

"Chen Xu, die!!!"

However, Chen Xu seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.

Just as Zhang Erniu made his move, Chen Xu suddenly turned around, and four talismans appeared in his hand without him even noticing.

"Heh...finally made their move!"