Chapter 125: A Unique Mode for Clearing the Heavenly Bridge (1)

Seven days later.

Rumble!

The bronze gate opened.

Jiang Chen remained immersed in his meditation, failing to hear the movement of the gate at all.

"Come out!"

The voice of 'Candery' echoed deep within Jiang Chen's consciousness, growing increasingly louder.

After a few repetitions, the sound became so intense that it felt as if his head were splitting. Unable to maintain his state of deep comprehension, he had no choice but to stand up and leave immediately.

"What a pity. If only I could have comprehended for just a few more days, or even a little while longer..."

Jiang Chen sighed inwardly and rushed out through the bronze gate.

As soon as he stepped out, the voice in his head vanished, and the gate to the secret chamber behind him slammed shut.

"My lord," Jiang Chen said, bowing respectfully, intending to leave.

"Don't be in such a hurry," Candery said. "Since this is your first time in the cultivation chamber, let me give you a reminder. First, find a residence in Chaos City, then log into the Virtual Universe and apply to enter the 'Heavenly Bridge Plane'."

"Yes, I understand."

Jiang Chen did not ask what the 'Heavenly Bridge' was; he simply bowed and departed.

Observing Jiang Chen's reaction, Candery muttered, "Interesting," and said nothing more.

The other two clones were similarly summoned from their chambers by the guard of the bronze gate, reminded about the 'Heavenly Bridge Plane,' and then released.

However, Jiang Chen did not head to the Heavenly Bridge immediately. Instead, he went into Chaos City, found an unoccupied residence, and plunged once more into focused meditation.

Although he had left the Chaos Monument chamber, he had just finished his session and still possessed a wealth of residual insights and inspiration. If he didn't seize the moment to digest these sparks of genius, they would fade away after a time, which would be a terrible waste.

—

While Jiang Chen was busy digesting his residual insights after leaving the chamber, a clone of the Chaos City Leader had already arrived outside Earth.

The spatial secret techniques left behind by Hu Yanbo could naturally pose no interference to a being of the Chaos City Leader's stature.

The Chaos City Leader raised a hand and pointed.

Rumble!

With Earth as the center, the surrounding space-time of the universe began to reverse, returning to the ancient, distant past—reaching back even to the dawn of the universe's creation.

For the consciousness of the Chaos City Leader, this massive influx of information was no burden at all; he could easily identify and remember every detail.

However, throughout this incredibly long history, during which 'Earth' had shattered and reformed over a dozen times, the Chaos City Leader found nothing worthy of his attention—except for the period following the Great Nirvana era, when Jiang Chen and Luo Feng were rising to prominence. During that time, Jiang Chen occasionally behaved in front of Luo Feng as if he possessed a great deal of specific 'intelligence.'

Things like the 'Yunmo Star,' the 'Golden Horned Beast,' or the 'World within a World.'

Yet, the Chaos City Leader was certain that Jiang Chen could not have possibly come into contact with that 'intelligence.'

This discovery made the Chaos City Leader even more curious about Jiang Chen.

Prescience?

No such ability had ever appeared in the universe. Even the great Lords of the Universe or the supreme beings of the universe could only explore the 'past' by reversing time. As for the 'future,' no one could know it.

In Chaos City, the Chaos City Leader's clone couldn't help but look at Jiang Chen again, simultaneously calling up the experiences of this batch of newcomers over the past few days.

"He chose the Heavenly Craft, Heart Mark, and Darkness Chaos Monuments?"

"He follows the technology path, so choosing the 'Heavenly Craft Chaos Monument' is understandable. However, Heavenly Craft..."

A look of nostalgia appeared in the Chaos City Leader's eyes, quickly followed by a surge of hatred. "Machine Race! Damn them!"

Of the 52 Chaos Monuments of the human race, many of the powerful beings who left them behind were still alive, but some had fallen. The creator of the 'Heavenly Craft Chaos Monument' was one of them.

That being, who had once stood at the absolute pinnacle of the universe, had fallen under the siege of the Machine Race.

Even after endless ages had passed, that heavy loss had not allowed the human race to fully recover its vitality.

"This little guy likely harbors significant secrets. It remains to be seen if you have the strength to protect them..."

The Chaos City Leader observed Jiang Chen, who was still immersed in his cultivation, for a while longer, then diverted a sliver of his consciousness to connect to the Virtual Universe and issue a series of commands.

—

Jiang Chen was completely unaware of the Chaos City Leader's attention, remaining absorbed in his training.

It took over ten days to fully digest the 'insights' gained from his first session with the Chaos Monument.

Upon waking from his meditation, Jiang Chen immediately noticed that he had received numerous emails. Some were sent to his main body's identity, while others were sent to his 'Uchiha Shisui' persona.

They were all from Luo Feng, Rong Jun, Bolan, and other 'peers' from this year's Genius Tournament.

Only one email was from a certain figure in the Virtual Universe Company, sent to all the geniuses of this tournament, notifying them that Bolan had successfully cleared the second level of the 'Universe Heavenly Bridge.'

The email was signed by 'Sentinel Bafen.'

"Bolan has cleared the Heavenly Bridge, and seeing that I haven't gone yet, they're getting anxious?"

Jiang Chen smiled slightly.

He sent a sliver of his consciousness into the Virtual Universe and applied to enter the Heavenly Bridge plane.

A moment later, the teleportation was complete, and Jiang Chen appeared on an island surrounded by an ocean.

On the island, many geniuses from his batch were present. Upon seeing Jiang Chen arrive, they greeted him one after another.

"Chen, why couldn't I reach you earlier?" Luo Feng walked over and asked, looking puzzled.

"After finishing your meditation at the Chaos Monument, why aren't you seizing the time to digest the residual insights? Those sparks of inspiration, once digested over ten days, are equivalent to at least half a day of extra meditation at the Chaos Monument. If you aren't rushing to go into seclusion, what are you all doing gathered here?" Jiang Chen’s counter-question left Luo Feng speechless.

Jiang Chen's words made Luo Feng, and the other geniuses nearby who overheard, feel like fools.

However, it had already been several days since they finished their meditation at the Chaos Monument. Even if there had been any residual inspiration, it would have long since dissipated, and it was too late to return to seclusion.

Luo Feng quickly regained his composure, pointed to the various docks ahead, and said, "We are all attempting to clear the Heavenly Bridge, but so far, apart from the hundred or so who haven't tried yet, only Bolan has cleared the first and second levels in succession."

"Bolan's understanding of the laws is indeed on a different level from yours; you have to admit that," Jiang Chen laughed.

In terms of spatial law comprehension alone, Bolan was far superior to all the other geniuses of this batch—even Jiang Chen fell short of Bolan in this regard.

However, Jiang Chen was not following the traditional path of laws, so he had no interest in competing with Bolan on this front. Moreover, even when it came to laws alone, Jiang Chen pursued the study of the 'essence of laws.' While his level of comprehension was not as deep as Bolan's, his foundation was more solid, allowing him to unleash power that actually exceeded Bolan's.

Most importantly, Bolan was only proficient in the spatial laws.

Jiang Chen, however, was proficient in all laws, and even included some systems that were not mainstream in this world, such as life, death, and destruction.

These laws and rules did not belong to the 'Ten Major Laws,' but if viewed from the level of the Origin World, they belonged to a higher-level 'Dao.'

Of course, the level of mastery Jiang Chen possessed was still far from the realm of the 'Dao,' not even close to being considered an entry-level practitioner.

However, if used to clear the Heavenly Bridge, Jiang Chen knew he could go further than Bolan, provided he was tackling a 'law-based' Heavenly Bridge.

As for the Chaos Monuments based on techniques or miscellaneous studies, although they contained profound laws, they were not primarily law-focused. The corresponding tests on the Heavenly Bridge were the same.

"I tried the Heavenly Bridge and failed. The difficulty of the first level is astonishing," Luo Feng looked at Jiang Chen and asked, "Are you planning to try now?"

"I'll give it a shot," Jiang Chen nodded.

According to what the Phantom Spirit King had said, each Heavenly Bridge only tested content corresponding to its specific Chaos Monument; all other means were useless.

For monuments like the 'Heart Mark' or 'Darkness,' Jiang Chen could roughly guess the content of the test—it was nothing more than combat.

But for something like the 'Heavenly Craft Chaos Monument,' Jiang Chen couldn't even guess how the test would be conducted without trying it out.

Would it still be combat?

Given the content of the 'Heavenly Craft Chaos Monument,' Jiang Chen felt that was unlikely. Although this monument contained a school of 'Secret Pattern Combination' that could be applied directly in combat, what if the practitioner had gained insights into other areas?

Material synthesis? Genetic fusion? How could these means be verified through combat?

While lost in thought, Jiang Chen walked toward a man in black star-patterned robes who had four ears.

"Lord Sentinel," Jiang Chen said respectfully, "I wish to attempt the Heavenly Bridge."

"Attempt the Heavenly Bridge?" Sentinel Bafen looked at Jiang Chen and asked, "Do you know the rules of the Heavenly Bridge?"

"I do not," Jiang Chen shook his head.

In truth, Jiang Chen already knew many of the rules, but he had never heard a complete explanation from Sentinel Bafen, so he naturally wanted to hear it again.

"It's actually quite simple. My human race has 52 Chaos Monuments, corresponding to 52 schools of cultivation. Among those who meditate on the same monument, some are mediocre, with very low comprehension—it's a complete waste of the opportunity. Others are geniuses, whose single session is worth several of others. To nurture strong individuals, the race naturally tilts resources toward geniuses, granting them more opportunities to meditate."

"The Virtual Universe's Heavenly Bridge plane, with its 52 bridges corresponding to the 52 monuments, is designed to test every practitioner's comprehension of their monument."

"Inside the Heavenly Bridge, everything except for the means corresponding to your Chaos Monument is unusable. For example, if you studied the 'Heart Mark Chaos Monument,' you can only use blade techniques to clear it. Of course, there are no restrictions on the use of laws."

"Or, if you studied the 'Nine Universes Chaos Monument,' you can only use gold and spatial laws to clear it, with no restrictions on the weapons used."

"This is divided according to the different classifications of the Chaos Monuments."

"Regardless of which monument you studied, clearing a level of the corresponding Heavenly Bridge earns you another chance to meditate on that monument, again for seven days."

"You clear it level by level; the more levels you pass, the more opportunities you have to meditate on the Chaos Monument," Sentinel Bafen explained in detail.

After finishing his explanation, he asked, "Which Heavenly Bridge do you want to attempt?"

Jiang Chen immediately said, "The Heavenly Craft Heavenly Bridge."

"Heavenly Craft? That monument is quite obscure; it's been a long time since anyone attempted that bridge."

Sentinel Bafen suddenly thought of something and added, "Most Heavenly Bridges test you through combat. However, your 'Heavenly Craft Heavenly Bridge' is one of the few exceptions; there are two ways to clear it."

"Two ways to clear it?" Jiang Chen wondered.

"No need to ask me; you'll know once you try," Sentinel Bafen shook his head and pointed to a dock in front. "That is the entrance to the 'Heavenly Craft Heavenly Bridge.' There is no one there now; you can go ahead and attempt it."

"Thank you, Lord Sentinel." Jiang Chen did not press the matter. After bowing respectfully, he flew toward the entrance of the 'Heavenly Craft Heavenly Bridge.'

The edge of the island was enveloped by an endless ocean, and from the 52 docks, long bridges stretched out as if they were extending to the horizon.

Misty fog swirled above the long bridges, obscuring the distant scenery, creating a dreamlike, illusory atmosphere.

At the edge of the dock, there was a stone tablet with the characters for 'Heavenly Craft' engraved upon it.

"Master, I've received an email from the Virtual Universe Company!" Before Jiang Chen stepped onto the bridge, Jarvis's voice echoed in his mind. "It's an email regarding the point reward rules!"

"Point reward rules?" Jiang Chen paused his steps and immediately opened the email to check.

The email explained the channels for obtaining points within 'Chaos City.' There were only three: the Heavenly Bridge, the Mirage Sea, and the Immortal Altar. The points gained from the Mirage Sea and the Immortal Altar had lower caps, with the main bulk coming from the Heavenly Bridge.

Clearing the first level rewarded 100 points, the second 200, and the third 400. For every level cleared, the points doubled.

For 'newcomers' entering Chaos City for the first time, there was a special rule: all points earned from the Heavenly Bridge within the 30 years in Chaos City would be multiplied by ten.

However, this was only valid for those 30-plus years of their first stay. Once they left Chaos City, this rule would expire, and any future attempts would earn standard points. Even if they returned to Chaos City in the future, they would not receive the ten-fold bonus again.

"The value of points is still very high. Although I have over a million Hunyuan units, some items can only be bought with points, or are more cost-effective when bought with points."

"In these thirty years, I should try to get as many points as possible."

Countless thoughts raced through Jiang Chen's mind as he stepped onto the Heavenly Bridge.

The moment he stepped onto the bridge, a voice sounded in his head: "Please choose your challenge mode! First, Combat Challenge Mode. Second, Creation Challenge Mode!"

Combat challenge?

Creation challenge?

Jiang Chen’s heart stirred, and he quickly made his decision: "I choose the 'Creation Challenge Mode'!"