Nine Out of Ten Protagonists Lose Their Cool

The group soon entered the plaza in front of the outer hall.

In the center of the plaza, ten trial arenas stood imposingly.

Each arena was about thirty feet tall, ancient in design, and made of an unknown material. They were covered in profound battle runes. The ten arenas were distributed in a ring, faintly connected by a subtle Qi mechanism, leaving a large empty area in the center as if they were guarding something.

Most importantly, an ancient stone stele stood in front of each trial arena.

The characters on the steles were vigorous and ancient, yet somehow, everyone could understand their meaning.

—Martial Dao Trial, prove your Dao with your body.

—The compatible may enter, the incompatible must retreat.

—The victor obtains the seal, the defeated bears the consequences.

These few short sentences made everyone's hearts burn with excitement.

Yun Meng raised an eyebrow. "Ten trial arenas?"

Shen Xue said softly, "And their auras are all different. It seems they correspond to different types of martial dao legacies."

Standing in the back, Ren Mingyue's eyes flashed; she had already seen through the trick. "This is a screening process."

"Not bad." Wang Hao nodded, his tone highly gratified. "You guys finally don't look like useless freeloaders."

The ten temporary workers: "..."

Could you not lace your compliments with thorns?

But they had no time to argue back.

Because the attraction of those ten trial arenas was simply too great.

Especially when a few faint wisps of Qi emanated from the platforms, subtly resonating with the true intent, bloodlines, and cultivation techniques within their bodies.

What did this mean?

It meant—they were truly compatible!

This was no ordinary fortuitous encounter.

This was, in the truest sense, "tailor-made."

Xiao Chen's Adam's apple bobbed. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he asked, "Your Majesty, these trial arenas..."

"Very good." Wang Hao interrupted directly, his face full of amiability. "Since you've all seen them, let's not waste time."

He waved his large hand, his tone as generous as if he were bestowing a grand reward.

"These ten trial arenas, you ten temporary workers will go up first."

The entire plaza fell silent.

The ten temporary workers were collectively stunned.

What the hell?

Go up first?

Gu Han was the first to react, looking at him suspiciously. "Are you... really that kind-hearted?"

Wang Hao frowned. "What kind of talk is that? I have always cherished talent. I think of you guys first when there are benefits, is there a problem?"

"There's a massive problem." Rong Xiaotian blurted out. "Would you really be that kind? I don't believe it!"

"Oh." Wang Hao nodded. "Then don't go up."

Rong Xiaotian: "..."

The moment these words came out, he was completely choked up.

Not go up?

How could he not go up!

That was the trial arena of the Martial God's outer hall!

Something others couldn't even dream of touching.

Now that the opportunity was right in front of him, was he really going to give it up just because he suspected Wang Hao had bad intentions?

Wouldn't that be watching a free meal fly right out of his mouth?

Not to mention, there were nine other competitors standing right next to him.

If you don't go, someone else will.

Once someone else takes the opportunity, their cultivation skyrockets, and they turn their lives around to become the master, wouldn't you lose out massively?

This was Wang Hao's most sinister trait.

He never forced you to choose.

He simply set up the board and let you jump in step by step on your own.

"What?" Wang Hao swept his gaze over the crowd, his tone calm. "I place the opportunity right in front of you, and you don't dare to take it? Then I really have to doubt that the so-called heaven's chosen are nothing more than this."

The moment he said this, the pride of all ten people was stabbed simultaneously.

Ye Guyun, his face cold, took the lead and stepped forward. "I'll do it."

"Very good." Wang Hao nodded approvingly. "I like people who don't spout nonsense."

He said this out loud, but in his heart, he was already calculating.

The first one to go up was the most valuable.

Because all the risks, traps, trigger conditions, and trial mechanics would be mapped out by the first person.

To put it bluntly, a poison-testing pioneer.

Ye Guyun obviously knew this himself, but he knew even better that for some opportunities, taking the first step meant everything.

Being one step faster than others could mean the difference between heaven and earth.

He walked up to the trial arena with the thickest sword runes, took a deep breath, and placed his hand on the stone stele.

Buzz—

The stone stele lit up!

In the next instant, a fierce sword intent shot into the sky. A blurry human figure appeared on the trial arena, standing with a sword, as if walking out from the ancient ages.

"Sword wielder, enter the arena and fight."

An ancient, icy voice echoed throughout the plaza.

A bright light burst from Ye Guyun's eyes. With almost no hesitation, he stepped up.

Boom!

The battle runes sealed shut, isolating the aura.

The next second, the sound of clashing metal rang out from the trial arena.

The figure's swordplay was extremely simple, yet incredibly ruthless, precise, and fast. Every strike seemed to hit Ye Guyun's weak points.

At first, Ye Guyun wanted to clash head-on using his own sword intent, but after just three moves, a bloody gash was sliced open on his shoulder.

Bai Zhantang watched with twitching eyelids. "Isn't this trial a bit too brutal?"

"It's something left behind by a Martial God," Shen Xue said lightly. "If it were just giving away free opportunities, that would be abnormal."

Wang Hao took a sip of tea from the sidelines—who knows when he had someone bring him tea again—and leisurely added insult to injury: "Opportunities are never free. Especially for the Children of Destiny, their opportunities usually require them to take a severe beating first."

Out of the ten temporary workers, nine had twitching mouths.

You say that as if you're some kind of expert on the subject.

Meanwhile, on the arena, Ye Guyun had been beaten until his eyes were red.

The figure had no killing intent, but it acted like a whetstone, forcibly pushing him to adjust his sword rhythm while in a desperate situation.

Every time he wanted to retreat, dodge, or use a trick, the sword shadow became a fraction more ruthless, forcing him to meet it head-on.

After dozens of exchanges, Ye Guyun suddenly gave a low shout, and his sword momentum changed!

His originally aloof and sharp sword intent had actually gained a hint of absolute resolve under the immense pressure.

"Break!"

He slashed horizontally with his sword, finally tearing through the blurry sword shadow's defenses head-on.

Buzz!

The trial arena radiated brilliant light.

The sword shadow dispersed, and a small, pale cyan seal slowly floated down, merging into the palm of Ye Guyun's hand.

Ye Guyun staggered off the arena, his face deathly pale, his shoulders and back stained with blood, and his breathing heavy, but the joy in his eyes was almost impossible to suppress.

"It worked!"

Everyone's eyes turned red with envy.

It really worked!

Not only was it not a trap, but there was an actual reward!

In that instant, the vigilance in the hearts of the remaining nine people dissipated by more than half.

Wang Hao, on the other hand, watched very seriously from the sidelines, a thoughtful look flashing through his eyes.

The sword arena recognizing Ye Guyun meant that he leaned toward sharpness, valued aloofness, and could undergo a metamorphosis under pressure.

In other words, this guy was perfectly suited to be exploited as a "lone wolf enforcer."

He could be deployed solo, execute surprise attacks, and if stimulated enough, he would unleash explosive power.

Very good.

Duly noted.

The second person to rush out was Zhao Feng.

Seeing Ye Guyun's success, this guy got completely fired up. He ran straight to the trial arena with the heaviest battle-axe runes and grinned broadly, "My turn!"

Boom!

The moment he entered the arena, he was met face-to-face by a battle soul wielding a giant axe.

Then, in less than five breaths of time—

Bang!

Zhao Feng was sent flying by a single axe strike, crashing off the arena like a sack of potatoes. The Qi and blood in his chest churned, and he almost vomited blood on the spot.

The entire crowd: "..."

Wang Hao looked at the guy on the ground who was seeing stars, his tone very objective.

"Hmm, not compatible."

Zhao Feng: "..."

Do you have to be so blunt!

He scrambled to his feet, his face as red as a baboon's butt, and held it in for a long time before finally saying, "This arena has no martial virtue, it uses too much brute force!"

"It's not that its strength is too great," Wang Hao said calmly. "It's that you have too little brains."

"Before every strike, that battle soul's shoulder would sink by half an inch. You didn't notice it a single time, so you deserved to get chopped."

Zhao Feng choked, his face turning green.

The most infuriating part was that when he thought back carefully, it seemed... he was actually right.

"Next," Wang Hao said, looking like a black-hearted examiner, even somewhat excited.

Thus, a large-scale "Genius Trial and Wang Hao's Monkey-Watching Show" officially began.

Gu Han stepped onto a trial platform permeated with chilling intent, only to encounter a battle soul that was even colder and steadier than him. Gu Han originally walked the path of extreme minimalist sharpness, but he was beaten by the opponent until he doubted his very existence. In the end, risking a bloody left arm, he barely managed to pass and obtained a small ice-white seal.

Wang Hao commented on the spot, "Hmm, suitable for a frontal assault, and also suitable for being used as a meat shield."

Gu Han: "..."

Qin Zhiming chose a trial platform with complex array patterns. Once inside, it wasn't about fighting, but solving. One hundred and eight shifting battle patterns appeared on the platform. At first, he had a calm "this is tailor-made for me" look, but halfway through solving it, his forehead was dripping with sweat. In the end, he passed by the skin of his teeth, looking as if he had been entirely hollowed out.

Wang Hao watched with great satisfaction.

Those with good brains usually have weak bodies.

This kind of person is best used as a strategist, allowing one to conveniently squeeze out their intellectual value.

Bai Zhantang had it the worst after taking the stage.

The trial platform he chose obviously corresponded to movement techniques, concealment, and ambush. He thought he could shine brightly, but upon entering, he faced three afterimage battle souls that were even faster than him. Three against one, fist to flesh, they forcefully beat him from a "man like the wind" into a "man messy in the wind."

In the end, he was carried down.

With a bruised nose, a swollen face, and hollow eyes, his whole person seemed to be asking: Who am I, where am I, and why do I have to suffer this kind of torture?

Rong Xiaotian almost went crazy with laughter on the side, but when it was his turn, he went up to a trial platform with berserk beast patterns. He was brutally beaten by a giant ape battle soul until he rolled three times, his smile vanishing instantly.

"Ahhhh—are you for real?!"

"Nonsense." Wang Hao commented while holding his tea. "If the Martial God Trial isn't real, do you think it's playing house with you?"

Among the ten people, some succeeded, some failed, some succeeded barely, and some failed miserably.

The most tragic one was Su Lie.

He originally thought that with his innate divine strength and domineering saber techniques, he could definitely conquer a heavy-combat trial platform. But after entering, that battle soul was even more domineering, more tyrannical, and more unreasonable than him. Two saber strikes knocked him to a half-kneel, and the third strike almost shattered his mentality.

When he supported himself to retreat from the platform, his eyes were red.

Not from injury.

But from anger.

"I refuse to accept this!" he gritted his teeth. "Give me one more chance, I can pass!"

"No." Wang Hao showed no mercy. "The trial platform only recognizes one attempt. If you lose, you lose. It means you are not lacking in strength, but lacking in suitability."

"You're talking nonsense!"

"I never talk nonsense." Wang Hao looked at him, his expression actually somewhat serious. "You walk the path of brute force and frontal clashes, but in your bones, you actually lack that ruthless drive to fight to the death. You look fierce normally, but when you truly encounter someone more tyrannical than you, your first thought is to brace yourself and take it, rather than transform and break through. To put it bluntly, you have blood courage, but your heart fire isn't pure enough."

Su Lie froze.

He wanted to retort.

But when the words reached his mouth, he couldn't say a single syllable.

Because... Wang Hao was right.

Not only did he hit the nail on the head, but many people nearby also felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this.

This tyrant might have a foul mouth, but his eyes were truly venomous.

He wasn't mocking them randomly.

Instead, he was using these ten trial platforms to forcefully test out everyone's shortcomings, potential, personalities, and directions for growth.

This was the most terrifying part.

They originally thought they were seizing fortuitous encounters.

In the end, they were thoroughly seen through by Wang Hao from the inside out.

Xiao Chen was the last to go up.

Everyone was looking at him.

Because from beginning to end, this guy was the one among the ten temps who looked the most like a "protagonist template."

Forbearing, steady, carrying a heavy burden, tough-minded, and always having a bit of an unyielding stubbornness.

Even Wang Hao took a few extra glances at him.

"Go on," he smiled meaningfully. "I have some expectations for you."

Hearing this, Xiao Chen was not only unhappy, but a chill ran down his spine.

Now, whenever he heard Wang Hao say "expectations," he instinctively felt it was nothing good.

But with the arrow on the bowstring, it was impossible for him to retreat.

Xiao Chen walked to the trial platform with the most ancient and condensed aura, raising his hand to press onto the stone stele.

Buzz!

A martial dao will as heavy as a mountain instantly enveloped him.

On the trial platform, a bare-handed battle soul emerged.

No weapons, no anomalies, only the most absolute and pure fists.

As soon as Xiao Chen went up, he was suffocated by the momentum of the fists.

But soon, his gaze changed.

Because this platform was just right for his tastes.

Solid stances, close-quarters combat, profound and majestic fist intent—it didn't rely on trickery, but pressed you to the limit inch by inch, forcing you to fight your way out.

This battle lasted exceptionally long.

From being suppressed at the beginning, to a stalemate in the middle, and finally, Xiao Chen, bathed in blood, actually unleashed an indomitable fist momentum in a desperate situation, forcefully exchanging one hundred and thirty-seven punches with that battle soul! The strange flames around his body were beaten out several times.

As the last punch landed, the trial platform shook violently.

The battle soul dispersed.

A dark gold battle seal fell into Xiao Chen's palm.

The entire venue was quiet for a moment, and then the breathing of many people changed.

The aura of this battle seal was clearly stronger than the ones others had obtained.

Rong Xiaotian was the first to glare. "Why is his brighter?"

"Because he fought more like a human," Wang Hao said lightly.

Rong Xiaotian: "..."

Did you just curse all of us in passing?

Xiao Chen walked down from the platform, his footsteps somewhat unsteady, but the battle seal in his palm was astonishingly hot, constantly resonating with the vital blood in his body. He forcefully suppressed his joy, but still couldn't hide that trace of high spirits belonging to a young genius in the depths of his eyes.

He knew that this time, he had truly obtained a great fortuitous encounter.

But before he could be happy for too long, Wang Hao had already walked over unhurriedly.