The walls and the ground of the entire corridor were constructed from some sort of black metal.
This was a material that An Lin had never seen before, but it should be quite solid seeing as it was so dark.
“Ok, we’re at the crossroad now, Xiao Chou, shine your light into both paths.”
An Lin instructed at the fork.
Xiao Chou looked toward both paths, illuminating them one by one. Everyone discovered that a dark red gate was at the end of each path.
“Should we split up?” Luo Ziping asked.
“Are you retarded!? Don’t you understand the concept of strength in numbers? How many cultivators have died in history simply because they’ve split up and been divided and conquered?” Miao Tian rolled her eyes at Luo Ziping with disdain.
Luo Ziping: “...”
“Let’s go down this path.” An Lin pointed to the path on the right.
No one had any objections, it was a fifty percent chance either way, and both paths were blocked by gates so there was no discernible difference.
The door opened by itself upon An Lin’s approach.
There was another film of blue light, and no one was able to see through to the interior.
An Lin held his brick and longsword tightly, before leading the way and slowly crossing through the film of light.
It had to be said, the fear of the unknown was really making everyone quite nervous.
The scene before them completely changed and a light scent of blood, as well as a strange poignant smell, immediately assaulted their nostrils.
“Eugh...”
“What’s this smell? It’s so disgusting!”
An Lin was finding the smell quite difficult to bear and the team members walking in after him were also retching uncontrollably.
This area was illuminated by a green light and a strange smell permeated through the air. The ground was littered with red spots, creating a strange contrast that assaulted everyone’s senses and had them furrowing their brows.
This area was quite spacious, with hundreds of cylindrical glass pillars, within which was some sort of red liquid.
Specimens of humanoid beasts were submerged in the red liquid. It was impossible to tell if they were in deep slumber or already dead.
There were humanoids inside that were covered with azure scales, as well as some who had a pair of skeletal wings emerging from their backs. Some of them had lizard tails and there were even some whose heads had become bestial heads, giving them a strange and ferocious look.
“Bloodline Fusion Research Room...”
Sun Shenglian read aloud from a string of characters on the wall.
Bloodline fusion?
Everyone’s attitudes toward the glass pillars changed upon hearing this.
“Bloodline fusion between humans and mutant beasts?” Zong Yongyan’s brows furrowed tightly as the tone of his voice gradually cooled.
An Lin looked at these inhuman bodies, an expression of sympathy appearing in his eyes.
Regardless of how far technology advanced, there was no way to completely eradicate these underground research centers. Perhaps it was exactly the advancement of technology that prompted a stronger urge to dabble in these dark experiments.
Everyone did a lap around the research room but didn’t discover anything special aside from all the bodies in the glass pillars.
“Let’s go, we’ll go on to the next room.”
An Lin shook his head and began to lead the others to the door leading to the next room.
Just how big was the 88th Purple Star Research Institute?
No one knew the answer to that question.
Sun Shenglian, who was a member of the Purple Star State’s Green Wood Imperial Family revealed one thing to them; the two research institutes that they were excavating covered an area that was larger than that of Ding’an City.
Thus, one had to assume that the 88th Purple Star Research Institute definitely was not small in area.
As everyone stepped into the next room, the green light of the Bloodline Fusion Research Room slowly gave way to a red light, with small air bubbles beginning to appear in the liquid in the glass pillars...
The second room had a much more pleasant environment than the first. It was a medical room.
At least, you could call it that. After all, there were lots of semi-transparent cabinets around the room, within which were all types of medicinal herbs and liquids of myriad colors locked away.
An Lin strode up and attempted to stow the cabinets away into his storage ring, but his attempt ended in failure once again.
Xiao Chou even tried to smash into the cabinets with his silver staff.
However, the cabinets did not move an inch, and it was instead Xiao Chou himself that was knocked back a few meters.
Everyone was quite disappointed by all this stuff which they could see but not touch.
An Lin sighed and continued onwards. This time, there were another two doors which they had to choose between.
He chose the door on the left this time as most of the important things were situated at the center of a set of ruins. Heading toward the center would give them a higher chance of encountering some good stuff.
And then, they really did encounter some good stuff.
A beauty in a flowing white robe to be exact!
“Welcome, trial-takers, to the Trial of the Five Elements.” the beauty announced with overflowing enthusiasm.
An Lin and the others were all caught by surprise before discovering that there was something not quite right.
The white-robed beauty was a semi-translucent body of light, not an actual person.
“Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Bai Ling, I am the manifestation of the mastermind behind this research institute.
“The Trial of the Five Elements requires at least five participants. You may pass the trial by reaching the extremes of the five elements, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
“According to statistics from past trial-takers, the probability of survival from this trial is 75%. Successful completion also gives you a chance to receive the inheritance of the five elements, do you accept this trial? ”
Bai Ling’s gaze rested on An Lin, it was quite clear that she had some basic discerning abilities.
Inheritances were obtained by completing trials here?
Weren’t they supposed to be engraved on a rock in some corner of the ruins!?
An Lin was a little disappointed, but he still looked toward the remaining team members.
From their expressions, he could glean their answer. He nodded and said, “Let’s begin then.”
Bai Ling smiled upon hearing this and the trial grounds began to tremor.
Immediately afterward, powerful energy fluctuations began to appear from five different directions.
These were five completely different areas. Roaring blazes, crashing waves, entangling roots, a forest of blades and swords, rocks flying like shrapnel...
“There is a ball at the end of each area, inject your vital energy into the ball to complete the trial.” Bai Ling continued to explain.
After some discussion, it was decided that An Lin would go to the water area, Xiao Chou to the fire area, Sun Shenglian to the metal area, Luo Ziping to the earth area, and Miao Tian together with Zong Yongyan to the wood area.
An Lin strode toward the water area. The area was only a few hundred meters in length, the first half of which was an expanse of turbulent waves, whereas the second half was a glacial realm.
It didn’t look very difficult, but he still dared not to be careless and began to slowly make his way forwards.
Boom!
The turbulent waves crashed down on him with the force of half a ton, causing him to quiver and take a step back.
What terrifying power... Although An Lin could still handle this amount of power, he was beginning to worry about his team members who were still of the Dao Body cultivation base.
Xiao Chou faced a sea of blazing flames emitting extremely high temperatures, but this was not enough to be a threat to him and he continued onwards quickly.
Sun Shenglian was caught in a forest of swords and blades, with countless blade projections flying toward her from all angles as a series of swords began to suspend themselves in mid-air before flying around her body as if they had a mind of their own.
Although she was an expert swordsman who was extremely proficient in movement techniques, it was still quite difficult for her to continue onwards.
Luo Ziping had a body-strengthening cultivation technique, granting him protection to a certain extent from all the flying rocks in his area. He charged straight through the sea of shrapnel without dodging or blocking, resembling a human tank.
Compared to the difficulty Sun Shenglian and Luo Ziping faced, Miao Tian and Zong Yongyan were having an extraordinarily easy time.
Zong Yongyan activated a levitation flight technique for both of them. This technique was not known for its agility and could only allow them to travel in straight lines, but it more than made up for this with its speed!
The two of them rose into the air and charged forwards, with the entangling roots on the ground beginning to react and stretching toward the sky.
At this moment, fans and blades of wind formed a protective barrier in front of them, ripping the entangling roots into shreds like a giant blender.
Plop.
Just like that, the two of them descended and extended their hands toward the ball in front of them.
Whiz...
“Wood area completed.”
Xiao Chou charged through the sea of flames and also activated his ball.
“Fire area completed.”
An Lin sliced through the countless glacial stalactites flying through the air and injected his vital energy into the ball in front of him.
“Water area completed.”
Luo Ziping was bruised and battered all over, with blood even seeping out of some wounds, but he still managed to charge through the earth area and activate the ball at the end.
Sun Shenglian was the last one to complete her area. Her arm had been sliced open, revealing her snowy-white skin as blood streamed from her wound.
As vital energy was injected into all five balls at the same time, tremors began to run through the trial grounds again.
A mechanical voice sounded throughout the venue. “Trial completed!”
Everything fell into darkness immediately after this.
In the next instant, they had already arrived at a pure white space.
In the center of the space was a black ball, levitating in mid-air.
Teleportation? How did it happen so quickly?
An Lin was greatly startled by this dark technology.
When he looked at the scene in front of him, he was struck by a sense of deja vu and became even more panicked.
At this moment, Bai Ling appeared once again.
“Welcome to the mastermind realm, we will now initiate the inheritance ceremony.”

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