Unrivaled Martial Emperor

As Chen Fan's powers returned to him, an unprecedented sense of comfort spread all over him. He even felt a little like crying.

Before, it was like he was in hell.

Now, he had returned to the heavens.

He slowly opened his eyes and discovered that he was back in the palace hall. There was no valley and no farmland.

"Hmm? I succeeded?" Chen Fan blinked, a puzzled look on his face.

Immediately, the last images from the Valley of Hardship surged into his mind.

After harvesting the final handful of wheat, Chen Fan's body gave out. He fell backward, blood seeping from his mouth and nostrils. The world around him turned blood-red.

"I... succeeded..." He was still somewhat in disbelief.

A voice rang in his ears.

"Tianwu Continent's Chen Fan passed the Valley of Hardship. Awarded immortal affinity eighty-three feet."

Chen Fan now knew that he had cleared the second test. Eighty-three feet wasn't bad at all.

He lowered his head and brought his hands up. On his palms were freshly healed wounds, scars still faintly visible.

He tried standing up and realized that he was slightly sore, like he had taken a rather uncomfortable afternoon nap. He also felt a little groggy, despite his sealed powers now being restored.

It showed just how brutal the second test truly was.

Lying down in the palace hall, Chen Fan looked at the ceiling. Around him, anguished cries rang out. Others had also passed the test, and clearly hadn't gotten through it easily.

A few moments later, he sat up with difficulty and channeled his cultivation. True primeval surged through him, nourishing his blood, flesh, tendons, and bones. The soreness faded, replaced by a sense of renewal.

Then, a soft gasp escaped his lips.

"Eh?"

He didn't pay attention earlier. Now, after coming back to his senses and checking his condition, he discovered that his physique had become much stronger than before.

His Hegemonic Golden Body, once at level 38, had advanced to level 39.

It was just one level, but the boost to Chen Fan's physique was massive. His combat strength also improved noticeably.

"Could this be the harvest of the test?" Chen Fan's eyes flickered and revealed a faint smile.

The Valley of Hardship was no different from torture. The anguish was enough to drive anyone mad or break them under the weight of endless labor.

From the look of it now, however, he put in the work and was rewarded for it.

Although his cultivation didn't increase, it was very helpful for his physique.

To raise a level in the Hegemonic Golden Body at his stage was no small feat. For others, the gains would likely be even more dramatic.

"The second test in the Valley of Hardship is too cruel. It's simply toying with us to death. Even now, I still haven't caught my breath."

"I know, right? If I hadn't gritted my teeth and held onto a single obsession, I'd have quit long ago. Thankfully, I passed. I got seventy-eight feet of immortal affinity."

"With this test, I bet more than half of the participants got eliminated. If even fifteen hundred made it, that's already impressive."

"Yeah, I saw a monstrous talent from our continent lose his mind and fail. Such a waste."

"Hmm? What's going on? My physique has become stronger. My god, it's gotten so much stronger!"

"Me too, me too. I'm already practicing a body cultivation technique on the side. Previously, my flesh was as tough as a Grade-4 or 5 treasure. Now, it's reached the level of a Grade-6 treasure. It's unbelievable!"

"Ah? Really? Did everyone's physique become stronger? Let me see, hahaha, it's really gotten stronger. My physique has also gotten much stronger."

"That looks to be the case for everyone. The Valley of Hardship's test suppressed all our powers. Apart from testing talents like our perseverance and patience, it was also tempering our physique."

"The flesh is the foundation of everything. Only with a stronger physique can one contain greater power and go further."

"Right? I used to think it was absurd for an immortal sect to include farming in a trial. Now, from the looks of it, we were too short-sighted. This wasn't just a test—it was a form of tempering, meant to make us stronger."

Soon, those who passed the Valley of Hardship realized the same thing: their physiques had become stronger.

They didn't have a strong physique like Chen Fan, so the difference was clearer for them. It was simply a qualitative change.

Such a change was naturally a joy for the crowd.

After all, cultivating the body is notoriously difficult, yet they had just experienced a breakthrough in a short time. The sheer improvement left many stunned.

More people continued to pass the test.

Huang Wuji, Di Chen, and the others also passed the Valley of Hardship's test in succession.

Even though they were all monstrously talented, it was obvious that the Valley of Hardship hadn't spared anyone.

After a long time, they finally returned to their senses.

Chen Fan asked, "First Senior Brother, how are you guys feeling?"

Huang Wuji smiled bitterly and said, "The Valley of Hardship's test is truly terrifying. I was nearly driven mad. That place is simply not fit for human life. Just pure torment."

Chen Fan nodded in agreement and smiled. "But we gained something valuable from it. Check your physique; you should notice a major improvement."

They momentarily froze and checked their physiques one after another.

"Hmm? It's true. My physique has become stronger."

Huang Wuji and the others exclaimed in shock.

After doing a round of checks, Huang Wuji and the others smiled in satisfaction.

The Valley of Hardship's inhuman torture was indeed devastating, but their gains were huge.

As the saying went: no pain, no gain.

Time passed quickly, and people continued passing the test. It gradually became more crowded in the palace hall.

After Huang Wuji, Di Chen, and the others, the two female disciples—Duanmu Lingxing and Zhuge Mingyue—also passed the test, displaying their strong patience and perseverance. They also received a pretty decent amount of immortal affinity.

None of the eight disciples of the Peerless Peak dropped out despite the torturous second test.

The True Martial Academy had twenty to thirty people who passed the first test; now, aside from the eight Peerless Peak disciples, only five other people passed the Valley of Hardship.

In the palace hall, the atmosphere gradually became livelier.

As the people passed the test, the number of people also broke through the one thousand mark.

When the last person to pass the Valley of Hardship appeared, the total number of people was only eighteen hundred. Half of them were eliminated.

Suddenly, the immortal voice resounded in everyone's ears once more.

"Congratulations to all of you present for successfully passing the second stage, the Valley of Hardship. Next, you will face the third test."