Elena was left speechless at Emerson's elaboration."What does this have to do with me?" Elena wondered inwardly. Just then, a burst of laughter suddenly emanated from the woods."Exactly, Master Caldwell wants you to remain grounded and not forget your roots. Well said, haha."Everyone quickly looked around, searching through the trees, just to find that the speaker was none other than Remus. Not only that, but he was seated on the ground, with a modest wooden table set before him.Resting atop the table were portions of roasted wild chicken and various types of wild fruits. Adjacent to the fruits was a clay pot emitting the fragrance of wine.Observing the scene, a chill ran down everyone's spine."How... how did he get here?""Is he really just sitting there and enjoying himself?""No, that's supposed to be our wild chicken! Put the chicken down, or don't blame me for being rude!"Being a man marked for death, Remus wasn't met with much courtesy by the others.Remus resp
"What rubbish!"Remus sneakily glanced at the Spirit Vessel in the pit beneath him, which didn't have a single drop of spirit energy, only a shallow mist of water.The crowd in front slowly came to their senses. "How... how can this be?""Rubbish? What does that mean?""Did words appear on it?"Everyone was completely bewildered, having assumed they could easily shatter it.Even if Sandra hadn't succeeded in breaking it, it was assumed she underestimated it.But why did words appear when Emerson seemingly utilized a significant amount of spirit energy?What a peculiar stone!Emerson panicked, his face flushing with embarrassment, never anticipating the outcome to be that. He had hoped to salvage his earlier humiliation, only to find himself further embarrassed.Quickly turning around, he implored, "Master Caldwell, please grant me another opportunity, just one more chance. I won't let you down!"He couldn't accept such an outcome.If he stopped now, wouldn't he forever be
As expected, the results of everyone's test were the same.Rubbish!The words displayed were all "Rubbish!""Indeed, they're all 'Rubbish.' I've only managed to collect one cup after all that," Remus remarked calmly, discreetly swapping the empty Spirit Vessel on the table with the freshly filled one from the pit, then downing its contents in one swift gulp. The replenished spirit energy invigorated him, leaving him feeling revitalized.With a light smile, he added, "But everyone who comes here is 'Rubbish,' because those are the only words I inscribed onto the Spiritual Trial Stone."Meanwhile, people continued to argue vehemently, refusing to accept the humiliation of being labeled as rubbish.Elena was getting a headache from all the complaints and was also feeling a surge of anger within her, not toward them, but toward Remus who was hiding in the depths of the forest.What exactly was he up to?Did he not realize how much such a thing would affect their minds?However,
"What are you laughing at? Do you even have the guts to try it yourself?""You are merely a man on the brink of death, how dare you laugh at us! Do you think you're worthy?""Our Master's Spiritual Trial Stone is profound and inscrutable. Your laughter only exposes your ignorance!"Frustrated and unable to affect the Spiritual Trial Stone, they vented their rage toward Remus.Remus remained nonchalant, leisurely eating a piece of chicken breast, and said calmly, "Anyone who wishes to attempt is welcome. I shall abstain. Without my participation, you'll forever be in the dark about what word might appear for me. However, for you lot... you're all nothing but rubbish!"His words provoked a sudden shift in the crowd's demeanor, pushing them to the brink of fury. Despite the harsh reality of their failure, hearing it vocalized by Remus was particularly galling.Killing intent surged within them.Emerson moved closer, his eyes narrowing. "Your words are merely self-deception. You're
Sandra screamed with fervor as she stepped forward and launched her punch. Unsurprisingly, the result was still "Rubbish!"However, they no longer wallowed in self-pity. Instead, they became more determined, lining up one by one to attempt, vowing not to give up until they achieved their goal."You all are bottling up your anger immaturely while being oblivious to the fact that I'm absorbing all of your spirit energy," Remus said to himself, picking up a freshly collected cup and drinking it all.He enjoyed the roasted chicken as he watched their performance.Rubbish!Rubbish!Rubbish!After half an hour had passed, they found themselves exhausted, their bodies drenched in sweat, and their breath unstable.Despite their initial righteous fervor, their efforts yielded no change in the words displayed on the Spiritual Trial Stone.What had begun as resolute action had devolved into mechanical repetition and reluctant persistence, eventually giving way to profound confusion and
Morris stood in stunned disbelief as the word "Rubbish!" appeared before him.The disciples of Erjon behind Morris were equally stunned.How could Morris, a genius capable of challenging opponents beyond his level, be labeled as "Rubbish"?As someone in the late stage of the Divine Separation Stage, Morris could hold his own against average cultivators at the peak of the same stage without faltering.He shouldn't be associated with the word "Rubbish"!"Hahaha!" Sandra and the others erupted into laughter, unable to contain their amusement. She said without missing a beat, "I was eagerly anticipating witnessing a display of true genius. But it seems like you're not the one!" "Alas, the Spiritual Trial Stone doesn't seem to recognize 'genius,' it opts for 'Rubbish' instead, hahaha!" Emerson chimed in, teasing Morris further. "This is a classic case of bringing disgrace upon oneself. If you lack the capability, don't subject yourself to embarrassment by stepping forward! Now, y
Remus' eyes gleamed as he observed the abundance of spirit energy filling the Spirit Vessels in the shallow pit.There was an impressive amount, almost filling one cup after another instantly.In the beginning, they were holding back, but later on, everyone went all out, almost every person managing to fill a cup each."Judging by the recuperative effect, approximately six cups are equivalent to a 300-year-old inner core. I consumed 49 inner cores to advance from the late Golden Stage to the peak, which equates to 294 cups! To progress from the Golden Stage to the Nascent Soul Stage..."Remus silently computed the figures.He had lingered in the late Golden Stage for an extensive period, absorbing the spirit energy of numerous cultivators and depleting dozens of inner cores."If the spirit energy required to reach the peak of the Golden Stage is five times that of the late stage… That means I'll need at least 1480 cups of spirit energy, in addition to the spirit energy from Nasce
Kevin knew he couldn't win against Remus with words alone.With a huff, he withdrew his gaze.If words wouldn't work, he would let the facts speak for themselves.His spirit energy began to leak out.Morris, Sandra, and the others felt their hearts leap into their throats, fearing utter humiliation if the result showed anything else.The disciples behind Kevin also became tense, watching without blinking.However, Remus smiled and whispered, "The world is never short of those who think too highly of themselves. Well, if it weren't for people like you, who would I trick?" "Shatter!"As his words fell, Kevin pushed out all his spirit energy.As expected, nothing happened.The Spiritual Trial Stone didn't move, only a flash of golden light appeared, converging into the word, "Rubbish!" Kevin trembled all over as he bellowed, "This, this can't be, it's fake, it must be broken!""It's not broken!" Morris and Sandra immediately spoke up.It wasn't just bad luck at play, but it