"Is this the tomb of a mighty being?"

Chu Ming was taken aback.

"If my master does not qualify as a mighty being, then no one in the cosmos dares to claim such a title!"

The light blue artifact spirit sneered, as if it had heard the world's biggest joke.

"Then how can one become his heir?"

Chu Ming's expression remained calm as he slowly inquired. From the tone of this blue artifact spirit, the owner of this tomb must have been an extraordinary figure. As long as he could obtain his inheritance, wouldn't the threat of the restricted area be easily resolved?

"Do you want to obtain the master's inheritance? You are not yet qualified!"

The blue artifact spirit said coldly. Although its face was not clear, Chu Ming could still feel the spirit mocking him.

"To receive the master's inheritance, there are a total of five layers of trials. The Primordial Tower in front of you is merely the First Layer. I can tell you clearly, as long as you can pass the First Layer, if you don't fall in the future, you can at least become a Saint Dao expert."

The blue artifact spirit introduced indifferently. Before Chu Ming could speak, it continued its introduction.

"Since the master's fall and the formation of the Celestial Martial Continent, countless prodigies have entered the tomb, including many Saint Dao experts, but all have perished. During this time, only three people in the Realm of Transcendence managed to pass the First Layer."

"Then why is it that only those in the Realm of Transcendence are allowed to enter the tomb this time?"

Chu Ming set aside his shock and asked in return.

"Each time the Holy Tomb appears to the world, it consumes massive amounts of energy. Over the countless years, the remaining energy has become scarce. If your batch still lacks suitable candidates, by the next opening of the Holy Tomb, only those in the Guiyuan Realm will be able to enter."

The blue artifact spirit explained.

"What kind of rewards can one expect from passing the Primordial Tower?"

Chu Ming asked, most concerned about the rewards one could gain from passing the Primordial Tower, as ultimately, everything revolves around strength.

"The rewards are all in the last three layers. As for what exactly they are, you need to choose for yourself!"

The blue artifact spirit said indifferently, then its figure vanished in mid-air. At the same time, a cold voice echoed from the void, "The First Layer trial, begin!"

Boom!

Everything before Chu Ming suddenly changed, as if countless light beams flew past. An ancient aura hit him in the face, and an endless expanse of starry sky surrounded him.

Whoosh!

A wooden sword shot down from the sky, instantly floating in front of Chu Ming, its mystical sharpness and elegance fully revealed. The appearance of the wooden sword was no different from that of an ordinary wooden sword, but it exuded a faint immortal essence.

Buzz!

Chu Ming gently grasped the wooden sword with his right hand, and its tip trembled instantly, with countless sword auras shooting like scattered stars. Sensing the wooden sword's power briefly, a hint of amazement flashed in Chu Ming's eyes. This seemingly ordinary wooden sword was even more terrifying than the Blood Dome Sword in amplification.

"This is a Celestial Tier treasure sword…"

Chu Ming's heart surged with turbulent waves. To think that in the Primordial Tower, such a sword, which would drive people mad in the outside world, was merely a trial taker's standard weapon. This left him speechless.

Boom!

At this moment, a tall figure cloaked in black emerged from the dark void, clutching in its hand a wooden sword as well. The terrifying sword aura tore through the void, turning countless stars into ashes and ruins.

"How can this be?!"

Upon seeing the face of the black-robed swordsman, Chu Ming was slightly stunned, his eyes revealing a trace of surprise. The black-robed swordsman looked exactly like him, as if carved from the same mold.

"This is your doppelgänger, and in this First Layer, it has only thirty percent of your strength. But it can maximize this portion of power. Your test is to defeat it!"

The artifact spirit's cold voice echoed from the void.

Boom!

As soon as the words fell, the black-robed swordsman opposite Chu Ming moved. Like a fierce gale, the swordsman spun and thrust the wooden sword toward Chu Ming's chest at an extremely rapid speed.

Clang!

Chu Ming lightly parried with his wooden sword, instantly deflecting the black-robed swordsman's wooden sword. But this was just the beginning. As the wooden sword was deflected, it attacked again, with sword momentum like endless waves madly crashing toward Chu Ming.

"Only thirty percent of my strength?"

Recalling the artifact spirit's words, Chu Ming's heart sank. Just resisting the black-robed swordsman's assault required him to use forty percent of his strength, and it was still challenging.

Now, he finally understood the artifact spirit's words. The black-robed swordsman could indeed only exert thirty percent of his strength, but it was a flawless thirty percent. Be it sword speed or attack angles, it was without any weakness. From the black-robed swordsman, Chu Ming discovered many of his own deficiencies.

His Sword Dao still had too many flaws, and too many flaws became burdens!

Clang, clang, clang...

Chu Ming did not immediately defeat the black-robed swordsman but instead started to slowly suppress his own strength.

Forty percent... Thirty-five percent... Thirty percent...

Boom!

Chu Ming was sent flying by a strike from the black-robed swordsman, retreating several hundred meters in the sky, tearing through countless star fields.

"Oh? Trying to sharpen yourself by suppressing strength? Unfortunately, improving combat skills this way is extremely difficult!"

The artifact spirit observed everything about Chu Ming. In fact, all the martial artists who could enter the Holy Tomb were no fools. Before, many experts had deliberately suppressed their strength, trying to hone themselves through combat with their doppelgangers. However, these people ultimately lacked talent, and most were directly killed by their doppelgangers' flawless attacks.

To die in the Holy Tomb meant truly perishing in the heavens and earth.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Chu Ming grasped the wooden sword in his right hand, while the Secrets of Slaughter surged in his left, instantly condensing a Sword of Slaughter. The terrifying sword aura tore through the void as it directed the power of space toward the black-robed swordsman.

The black-robed swordsman remained expressionless, its eyes vacant, but its actions showed no hesitation. The wooden sword in its hand streaked through the sky like a falling star, tearing the void.

Boom!

Upon impact, Chu Ming was sent flying once again. However, this time, the distance he was pushed back was noticeably shorter. In fact, he had an advantage over the black-robed swordsman in one aspect: his soul power had reached the King level in the Life and Death Realm, while the black-robed swordsman, as a lifeless entity, had no soul—it only performed flawless attacks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Terrifying energy waves roiled in the sky. From being constantly pushed back at first, Chu Ming gradually found his footing.