A World Worth Protecting

1

Presently, in the Worship Palace Pavilion on the sword body of the ancient greenish-bronze sword, Wang Baole was immersed in the examination of his scabbard. After a great deal of thought, he decided to ask Little Missy about the scabbard’s transformation.

“Don’t look at me. There’s no one in the entire universe who knows what’s going on with your scabbard. You should just treat it as a complete mutation and work things out yourself,” Little Missy said hurriedly.

Wang Baole grimaced as he shook his head. He studied the scabbard for a while longer, but to no avail. He finally surrendered. Wang Baole knew that he had gotten himself a great treasure this time though. This lifted his spirits significantly.

<em>It’s probably because my cultivation is still inadequate. Just wait until I reach the Nascent Soul realm. Maybe, when I whip out my scabbard then, a single slash from it would send gods and demons crying for mercy! </em>Wang Baole imagined the heroic figure he would cut then. Spirits high, he got to his feet and stared at the sixth palace ahead of him.

He was willing to give it a shot. However, the terrifying experience he had in the fifth palace told him that the sixth palace would be even more dangerous. The likelihood of him failing was great. Even trying to survive the allocated period of time inside might prove to be challenging.

Without any prior experience in the fourth and fifth palaces, Wang Baole might have just given up trying to survive the sixth. After all, the chances of success were slim. Negligible, even. However… he had managed to scavenge many treasures while in the fourth palace. In the fifth, besides refining his scabbard, he had also dug up quite a few rare materials.

Even though most had been expended during the refinement of his scabbard, the fact that there had been tremendous gains couldn’t be disputed. Wang Baole was caught in a dilemma. He wanted to accept the mission in the sixth palace and continue his hunt for treasures, but he was also worried that he might not make it out alive.

After some thought, Wang Baole coughed. He first gained Little Missy’s favor with passionate declarations, buttering her up with a round of a** kissing, then seized the moment for a few questions.

“Little Missy, is there any way for me to not complete the mission in the sixth palace but be able to teleport back any time I wish, just like what happened earlier?”

“You’re planning to go scavenging for treasures, aren’t you…” Little Missy asked coolly, her tone of voice clearly indicating that she knew exactly what he was thinking. Then, she spoke again, with a voice of great experience.

“So be it. Considering how hard you worked earlier, I’ll help you. Just this once, though,” Little Missy said proudly, like a little princess.

Wang Baole blinked. He knew the underlying message behind Little Missy’s words. Based on his understanding of her, she was probably only capable of performing one last teleportation. That was why she had said what she had said.

“That’s enough!” Wang Baole was overcome with excitement. Out of habit, he showered her with flattery again, continuing until Little Missy was basking in increasing comfort and praise. Then, he took a deep breath and marched towards the grand halls of the sixth palace.

Wang Baole stopped in his tracks just before he was about to enter the sixth palace. He turned and saw Kong Dao before the third palace. He had just been teleported over!

That meant that Kong Dao had successfully passed the test for outer sect disciples in the second palace. What lay before him was the test for inner sect disciples in the third palace!

Should he pass that too, he’d share the same rank and status as Zhao Yameng. Kong Dao lifted his head then as well. He saw Wang Baole standing before the sixth palace in the distance and smiled. He raised his hand in a wave, then sat down and began the healing process.

Wang Baole stared at Kong Dao and at Zhao Yameng, who was in the midst of her cultivation in the fourth palace. Then, he turned and eyed the sixth palace before him. His eyes shone brightly with a strange and intense light. Soon, he sighed.

<em>It’s impossible to pass. I bet no one in the entire history of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace has ever tried going through the sixth palace while at the Core Formation realm. I mean, look at the increasing levels of difficulty. The fourth palace is at the Nascent Soul realm level and the fifth palace, while unique, is also probably at the Soul Conduit realm level. Based on such deduction, the sixth palace should minimally be at the Spirit Immortal realm level. In fact, it might even be at the level of the Planet realm, </em>Wang Baole thought, regret filling his heart. He might have already achieved the status and rank of a personal disciple, but he would have his name listed down in history if he could pass the final palace.

He was also really interested in the higher disciple ranks, including the Vast Expanse Dao disciple rank.

<em>Whatever, we’ll see where this takes us. There’s no harm in trying since we’re already here. </em>Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. After some thought, he took a step forward and entered the halls of the sixth palace.

Darkness surrounded him. It was as if he had stepped into the abyss. Wang Baole had already gotten used to this though, as it had been the same for the fourth and fifth palaces. He stood calmly in the pitch-black darkness while he waited for a cold voice devoid of emotions to announce his mission details.

He didn’t have to wait long. The voice appeared, as expected, and echoed in the emptiness of the sixth palace.

“The adopted disciple trial at the sixth palace shall commence after the span of a hundred breaths.

“Please prepare yourself. You shall be teleported to one of the civilizations in the Never-Ending Clan alliance… the fifth planet on the ninth orbit belonging to the Twilight Cyperus Clan. You have to destroy the Tower of Sudden Rage. Your mission is complete when you destroy the tower and return. The mission is extremely difficult. Please practice caution!”

“If no explicit refusal is provided during the span of a hundred breaths, the mission shall be deemed as accepted. Please note that…” The cold, emotionless voice was completely flat as it went on. However, this time, just as it reached a certain juncture, it suddenly paused without completing the rest of the statement!

Wang Baole thought he heard an indistinct cough, or perhaps he hadn’t. It might be his ears playing tricks on him. But the entire sixth palace, the entire Worship Palace Pavilion, in fact, suddenly trembled at that moment—without Wang Baole even realizing it.

It was as if a force originating from the deepest recesses of this universe had suddenly flexed its muscle in front of the Worship Palace Pavilion. Thus, the pavilion trembled, and inside the sixth palace, the cold, emotionless voice paused, and then it went off-script.

“The adopted disciple trial at the sixth palace shall commence after the span of a hundred breaths.

“Please prepare yourself. You shall be teleported to the Skandha Dao Planet, where you have to gain enlightenment marks. You may activate the teleportation spell after gaining one enlightenment mark! The level of difficulty for this mission is unknown. It is a reward-based mission. Please practice…”

Wang Baole was stunned when he heard what the voice said. The two missions were miles apart in terms of difficulty. Wang Baole felt incredulous. However, just like the last round, before the voice could finish speaking, a cough—which seemed like a trick played on his ears—echoed in the air once again!

Wang Baole’s eyes widened. He was sure he wasn’t hearing things. He turned his head and stared at the surrounding emptiness. He said, with a solemn expression on his face.

“Who is it!”

Wang Baole received no reply to his question. The voice announcing the missions for the sixth palace reappeared after a span of a dozen breaths. This time, it seemed less cold and more sullen…

“Please prepare yourself. You shall be teleported to the Queen Beetle Planet, where you have to marry…”

“Cough!”

“Please prepare yourself. You shall be teleported to the Celestial Entity Planet, where your physical form shall be transformed into that of a Celestial Entity Warrior…”

“Cough!”

…

Wang Baole stood there, terrified, as the coughing continued incessantly. He was of the mind to give up. This was simply too bizarre. But the voice grew sour, and the missions it spoke sent Wang Baole’s heart racing even faster. The temptation was irresistible.

Regardless, no matter how tempting the mission details seemed, Wang Baole managed to shove down those greedy thoughts. He caught a window of opportunity, when the voice was once again interrupted by a cough, to yell out hurriedly.

“I give up! I made the wrong move. I give up!”

The rules dictated that Wang Baole be teleported out of the sixth palace as soon as he gave up accepting the mission. However, what happened next… was the sulking voice ignored him blatantly. To be more precise—it didn’t dare not ignore him.

Wang Baole stood bewildered and terrified, calling out to Little Missy to no avail as the sullen voice announced a dozen or so missions before a mission was finally declared without being interrupted by a cough!

“Great and esteemed contender, please prepare yourself. You shall be teleported to Mi Luo Forest, where your mission is to slay a Star Fang Beast cub and extract its core. Great contender, please exercise caution and take extreme care, so that your precious person won’t be placed in too much danger. A newly born Star Fang Beast cub can rival a cultivator at the Soul Conduit realm, while its adult form can hold its own against a perfected Planet realm cultivator. Its Beast King can triumph over one at the Planet realm and reach the level of the Eternal Star realm.

“In view of your highly esteemed status, regardless of your success in slaying the beast, you will be deemed as having passed the trial. You may choose to return any time after entering the trial!”

The voice no longer sounded sullen. It seemed as if it was trying to gain someone’s favor. That didn’t comfort Wang Baole at all. His hair stood on end, and he began to sweat profusely. Shivering inwardly, he was about to turn down the mission when his vision suddenly blurred. The teleportation had begun.

Wang Baole vanished from the sixth palace amidst the rumbling…