.
.
The crimson sky trembled.
Thousands of stone warriors stepped forward in perfect unison.
Boom... Boom... Boom...
Each footstep shook the ancient battlefield.
Sylvia's face turned serious as she gripped her jade sword.
"There are too many..."
Lin Tian slowly drew his iron sword.
His fighting spirit surged.
"We'll have to break through."
Lucien calmly observed the approaching army.
His crimson-gold eyes glowed faintly.
The Divine Eyes of Destiny activated.
Instantly, the world changed.
Every stone warrior was connected by countless golden threads of spiritual energy.
At the center of the battlefield...
One massive thread linked them all.
Lucien smiled.
"So that's the core."
The ancient voice echoed once more.
"First Trial."
"Defeat the Stone Legion."
"Time Limit: One Hour."
"Failure..."
"...Death."
The moment the last word fell—
The entire legion charged.
Thousands of stone blades filled the sky.
"Careful!"
Sylvia dashed forward, her sword releasing crescent-shaped arcs of moonlight.
Moonlight Sword Art – First Form!
Boom!
Several warriors shattered.
But dozens more replaced them.
Lin Tian leaped into the air.
His sword flashed like lightning.
One...
Five...
Ten warriors crumbled beneath his attacks.
Yet the army seemed endless.
Lucien remained where he stood.
He hadn't moved a single step.
Lin Tian frowned.
"What are you waiting for?"
Lucien ignored him.
Instead, he continued watching the golden threads.
Every movement...
Every fluctuation...
Every pulse...
Finally—
He saw it.
Hidden beneath the battlefield, nearly a thousand meters away, rested a fist-sized crystal.
Every stone warrior drew power from it.
Destroy the crystal...
Destroy the army.
Lucien smiled.
"So simple."
He raised one finger.
Void Qi gathered at its tip.
The surrounding space twisted violently.
Sylvia glanced back in confusion.
"Your Highness?"
Lucien pointed toward the distant horizon.
"Watch carefully."
A tiny black beam shot from his fingertip.
It didn't attack the warriors.
Instead...
It pierced straight through the battlefield.
For a moment...
Nothing happened.
Then—
CRACK!
A deafening sound echoed beneath the earth.
The hidden crystal exploded.
The golden threads connecting every stone warrior snapped simultaneously.
One by one...
The stone warriors froze.
Then...
They collapsed into piles of rubble.
Silence.
The battlefield was empty.
Sylvia stared in disbelief.
"You..."
"You found the formation core?"
Lin Tian's expression grew solemn.
He had been focused on fighting.
The Crown Prince...
Had solved the trial instead.
The ancient voice returned.
A hint of surprise could almost be heard within it.
"Trial Cleared."
"Evaluation..."
Golden light descended upon the three.
Lin Tian
Combat: S
Intelligence: B
Overall: A
Reward: Heaven-Grade Spirit Pill.
Sylvia Evermoon
Combat: A
Intelligence: A
Overall: A
Reward: Moonlight Spirit Scripture.
Finally...
The light fell upon Lucien.
For several seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then the entire realm shook.
The ancient voice spoke again.
This time...
Its tone carried genuine astonishment.
"Lucien Draven Noctis..."
"Combat: Unknown."
"Intelligence: SSS."
"Composure: SSS."
"Overall..."
The voice paused.
As though unable to determine his true value.
Finally—
"Evaluation..."
"...Beyond Measurement."
The stars above erupted into dazzling light.
A black jade token slowly descended into Lucien's hand.
Arcturus gasped.
"Your Highness..."
"That token..."
Lucien examined it.
Ancient characters were engraved across its surface.
Heir Candidate.
Before anyone could react...
The entire secret realm trembled.
Far above the floating palaces...
One of the golden eyes slowly opened.
A voice filled with curiosity echoed across the endless sky.
"Interesting..."
"After ten thousand years..."
"Someone has finally received the Heir Candidate Token."
"Let's see..."
"...whether you're worthy of inheriting everything I left behind."
A faint smile appeared on Lucien's face.
He looked toward the heavens.
"For someone who's been dead for ten thousand years..."
"You're quite talkative."
The entire realm fell silent.
Then...
Laughter echoed across the sky.
It was the first time in ten thousand years...
That anyone had dared answer the Forgotten Sovereign.