Chapter 124: The Forest of Phantoms

Seeing what lay before him, Chu Han nodded and accepted it without revealing the slightest trace of his intentions. The Advanced Body-Recovery Pill was naturally an upgraded version of the Body-Recovery Pill. It could effectively treat both external and internal injuries, while also restoring a portion of one’s vital energy. It was quite a valuable item.

“All right. At least you know how to behave. Hurry inside. I hope you can successfully pass the trials ahead.”

Chu Han nodded and waved his hand. The other party immediately bowed deeply to him before leaving through the exit.

Two more people soon arrived. Chu Han repeated the same performance and collected a considerable number of items from them as well. As more and more people passed the trial, his gains grew increasingly substantial. He was having the time of his life, secretly laughing to himself. So far, no one had suspected his identity.

“What does he think he’s doing? Pretending to be an elder of the Taiyi Sect and extorting benefits from people? He’s outrageously bold! I’m going to teach him a lesson and disqualify him from the trial.”

At that moment, three white-robed elders were observing everything from a high platform not far away. Naturally, Chu Han’s little scheme had not escaped their notice. One of the elders nearly dropped his jaw when he saw what was happening. Furious, he rose to his feet.

However, he was stopped by the elder beside him. This elder had graying hair and beard, and his robes gave him the air of an immortal. Narrowing his eyes, he gazed at Chu Han.

“Elder Tianji, why are you stopping me? That boy has gone far beyond the limits. Are you saying we still can’t disqualify him?”

The hot-tempered elder spoke loudly, glaring furiously with his beard bristling in anger.

“Elder Xingfa, calm yourself. This boy is no ordinary person. Although what he is doing violates the rules, you cannot deny his intelligence. Anyone capable of thinking up such a method to amass wealth is no commoner. Trust me—this boy will surprise you.”

Elder Tianji burst into hearty laughter, his eyes gleaming. His judgment had always been remarkably accurate. The moment he saw Chu Han, he knew the young man was extraordinary, which was why he had stopped the irritable Elder Xingfa. If Chu Han truly proved to be a remarkable talent, the Taiyi Sect would not let such an opportunity slip away.

Hearing Elder Tianji’s words, Elder Xingfa slowly sat back down. The two had known each other for decades and were intimately familiar with one another. He naturally understood Elder Tianji’s abilities. Since even he spoke so highly of the boy, then the young man must indeed be extraordinary.

Meanwhile, Chu Han continued collecting gifts with great enthusiasm, completely unaware that everything he did was being watched by the Taiyi Sect’s elders. Even if he had known, he would have continued all the same. Refusing to follow conventional methods had always been his guiding principle.

No one came for half an hour. Chu Han counted the people who had passed and decided that nearly everyone who could clear the trial had already done so. Only then did he saunter toward the exit and leave the trial grounds.

Of everyone who had gained something from this trial, Chu Han had naturally profited the most. His harvest was immense, and he was thoroughly satisfied. He only wondered whether the next trial would give him another such opportunity.

After leaving the trial grounds, he discovered that everyone had vanished. He could not help feeling bewildered. Had they all gone to participate in the next trial? If so, that was troublesome. He had no idea what the next trial was, much less where he was supposed to go.

Still, such a problem could not stump him. He quickly grabbed someone who had yet to enter the next trial and asked him to explain the Taiyi Sect’s trials.

“It’s like this. The Taiyi Sect’s trials are divided into stages. The first stage is collecting medicinal herbs, but that is only for ordinary participants. The top one hundred on the Little Kings List must go to a special place for their trial—the Phantom Forest. Those who pass the trial in the Phantom Forest will receive benefits beyond their imagination.”

The man cleared his throat before beginning his explanation. Chu Han finally understood and nodded. No wonder he had not encountered a single truly formidable expert in the trial grounds. The experts ranked among the top one hundred of the Little Kings List were all undergoing their trials in the Phantom Forest rather than here.

After asking for the location of the Phantom Forest, Chu Han went straight inside. Since Central City regarded him as one of the top hundred experts on the Little Kings List, he naturally had to claim the benefits granted to those who passed through the Phantom Forest.

Besides, he might even have the chance to fight those experts. The thought alone filled him with excitement.

Yet the moment he entered the Phantom Forest, he sensed that something was wrong. Howls echoed all around him—clearly not human cries, but the roars of magical beasts. There were evidently beasts dwelling here, so he would have to proceed with caution.

He slowly made his way deeper into the forest. Before long, someone identical to him appeared in front of him, also wearing a black cloak and a mask. It was clearly his phantom image.

At last, Chu Han understood why this place was called the Phantom Forest. It could actually produce an exact duplicate of him. From the looks of it, he would have to defeat the phantom before he could continue forward.

A faint smile curved his lips. Chu Han charged straight ahead, lightning coiling around his fist as he struck with tremendous force. His opponent, however, launched the exact same attack. Its strength was only slightly inferior to his own, and the two were evenly matched. Both were forced several steps backward.

From that exchange, Chu Han immediately understood the phantom’s pattern. It could reproduce his attacks perfectly, and its strength and power were roughly equal to his own.

However, a phantom was still merely a phantom. It was fundamentally different from a real human. It could only imitate; it could not alter its moves. Thus, dealing with it was fairly easy.

At the same time, Chu Han launched another attack. His speed was astonishing—he threw more than a dozen punches in a single second. The phantom did the same, blocking every one of Chu Han’s attacks before the two separated once more.

After this exchange, Chu Han finally confirmed his theory. Now it was time for him to put on his own performance.

He charged forward again and threw a punch with his right fist. The phantom copied the movement exactly, but Chu Han’s punch was merely a feint. His true attack came from below. His left leg lashed out like a whip toward the phantom’s waist, only to be blocked once more.

Chu Han then spun his body, and lightning erupted from him. His change in movement was too fast for the phantom to react. It was struck head-on, collapsed to the ground, and slowly faded away.

This phantom had been relatively easy to deal with. Chu Han had not even broken a sweat before continuing onward. Nevertheless, he proceeded with great caution, fearing that another phantom might suddenly appear. There were also numerous magical beasts in the area, and he could not afford to draw them all toward him.

Just then, he heard voices nearby. He hid behind a tree and pricked up his ears.

“Little girl, hand over what you have at once. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being rude. You couldn’t possibly defeat the two of us working together. We have no desire to harm such a lovely flower, of course, but if you refuse to cooperate, we’ll have no choice but to take action.”

The voice was exceptionally lecherous. Just hearing it was enough for Chu Han to imagine the speaker’s repulsive appearance, and he shuddered in disgust. It seemed that the two men had cornered a young woman and intended to force something from her.

However, Chu Han had no intention of intervening. Anyone capable of entering the Phantom Forest for the trial could not be weak. Perhaps the young woman had a hidden trump card capable of dealing with the two men.

“Hmph! I will never hand it over to you. Go ahead and attack. I’d like to see exactly what the people of the Scorpion Sect are capable of.”