The Corruption Dragon God: Lust System Chapter 589 - The Cosmic Dawn Sect (02)

Observing the excitement radiating from the youths, the elderly man let his lips curve into a benevolent smile.

The majority remained in the Astral Body realm, leaving the vast majority of their journey ahead of them.

The Astral Blood Realm.

The Celestial Ascension Realm.

The Celestial Origin Realm.

The Cosmic Dominion Realm, leading finally to the First Step of the Path of Extinction Realm, where one might finally ascend to the rank of Sect Elder. Many other cultivation realms existed beyond these, yet he doubted any among these youths possessed the talent to reach them.

How could they possibly succeed?

Even their current Sect leader, a genius seen once in a millennium, had been unable to progress further after pushing past the First Step of the Path of Extinction to attain the realm of the Stellar Sovereign.

With a sigh to banish such thoughts, the elder scanned the faces of the young men and women before him.

His gaze lingered momentarily on one individual.

'A dragon, is it?' he mused, scratching his beard.

Dragons were rare occurrences, and purebloods were rarer still.

'And a black dragon at that. This selection cycle is shaping up to be quite intriguing!'

Qingyi sensed the elder’s focus on him for a fleeting instant.

He lifted his head, standing silently at Chen Wei's side.

"The selection entails three distinct trials," the elder announced, clearing his throat with a brief cough. "The first examines your perception. The second tests your control over Qi. The third evaluates your prowess in individual combat."

"Any inquiries?" he asked, more from force of habit than expectation.

He knew full well that no one dared to speak.

With a faint smile, he gestured for them to proceed.

"Form a line, and do so in silence and with decorum."

No one dared to utter a sound; the hopeful cultivators maintained their formation as they navigated through the portal toward the selection hall.

Chen Wei moved among the last, traveling alongside Qingyi.

Behind him, he felt two hateful glares filled with murderous intent; the young heir of the Luo family and his brother were staring at him like sharpened steel daggers.

Determined to remain resolute, he took a firm step forward.

The elder and his ten inner disciples waited until the final youth had passed through before sealing the portal shut.

"Let us depart." With a fluid motion, the elder’s form vanished, and his disciples followed suit.

He was eager to discover who would conquer the trials first and if any true potential existed within this new batch of talent.

***

Upon stepping through the gate, Qingyi felt space vibrate around his body. An inescapable spatial barrier immediately hemmed him in.

"I cannot shatter this..." he muttered, scanning his surroundings.

He found himself trapped in a dark, enclosed chamber.

A massive steel door stood before him, towering over twenty meters and weighing countless tons.

Qingyi pressed his palms against the surface, exerting force. Although his feet dug into the floor and his muscles strained with effort, the door did not budge an inch.

"It is futile..." Ruxue whispered as she materialized beside him. "This trial cannot be conquered through brute strength. You must perceive the flow of Qi and leverage it to unlock the mechanism."

She possessed the power to assist, though she doubted Qingyi would favor such an approach.

"Hm... understood. Thank you, darling." Qingyi pressed a kiss to Ruxue’s lips and gave her ample bosom a soft squeeze.

"Nghnnn~~ Join us in the mind world when you are finished; the girls are eager to witness the celestial heavens." Ruxue faded back into his consciousness, leaving a satisfied smile on Qingyi’s face.

Harnessing his draconic eyes, he scrutinized the Qi patterns swirling across the door.

It was peculiar.

The Qi moved with a chaotic air, yet there was structure beneath it. The Qi did not flow like a stream but rather manifested as countless small spheres.

These spheres followed precise, predetermined paths, yet their sheer volume made their movements appear erratic and ever-shifting. "Ten thousand Qi spheres..." Qingyi murmured as he funneled his draconic Qi into his mind, meticulously mapping the trajectory of every single one.

This was the arduous portion. What followed was a standard task for any cultivator in the Astral Body Realm.

Aligning the currents of Qi.

Once prepared, he directed his own Qi toward the door, ensuring there was no resistance.

Dividing his energy into ten thousand distinct threads, he began the work of matching each thread to its corresponding Qi sphere.

Soon, patterns began to manifest upon the steel surface, mirroring the spheres' paths and forming images.

A woman holding a moon emerged, each Qi sphere acting like a single brushstroke.

In that moment, enlightenment struck Qingyi.

The locking mechanism was, in essence, a painting.

The intended solution was not mere memorization, as he had done, but rather grasping the art and using one's own Qi to trace it upon the door.

Happily, his method proved effective, and with a resounding click, the lock disengaged.

Placing both palms on the door, Qingyi swung it open with ease and stepped into the second trial: the test of Qi manipulation. He was curious to see what it entailed, and as the heavy metal door shut behind him, a smirk formed on his lips.

An immense pressure suddenly crashed onto him, bearing down with the weight of a thousand elephants.

Before him stretched a corridor spanning a hundred meters, with another door lying at the far end.

As he moved forward, the weight intensified twofold.

The core of this trial was the mastery and efficiency of one's Qi manipulation.

Only flawless, economical usage would allow one to reach the destination. Failure meant running out of Qi while braving the crushing weight, inevitably resulting in a gruesome demise.

'This is a trial that won't even force me to exert myself!' Qingyi shook his head and summoned his lineage projection.

As the massive head of a black dragon materialized behind him, the immense pressure vanished instantly, the formations shattered by the power of the dragon's roar.