The next day, as many people had anticipated, the second phase of the trials concluded.
However, this phase of the trials was rather lukewarm, failing to produce any attention-grabbing superstars like Li Qingyun.
The most memorable was Liang Zifan, the top performer this time. This "kill-matte" teenager, at first glance, seemed like a delinquent, but his performance in the trials made many people ashamed.
His desperate efforts conquered many viewers, gaining him numerous fans.
His multicolored, parrot-like hair also became his unique trademark.
People from that era shed tears.
"When I cut off my hair, I knew I could never go back to that era."
"That year, like him, my right eye was sealed by my hair. It's a shame the seal was broken. Otherwise, putting it now, I would at least have had a top-tier aptitude."
"The dull are still reminiscing about the past, the smart have already gone to the barber shop."
"I unilaterally announce that Liang Zifan is the new patriarch of our 'Love Funeral' family!"
"......"
It seemed Liang Zifan's fans were a bit strange.
But this did not affect the extremely high popularity he gained, as he was the only "superstar" worth mentioning from the second phase of trials.
Chu Yang also looked at the young man with a newfound respect. This kid had a promising future.
As usual, they all entered the Spirit Gathering Array to digest the life-and-death battles they had just endured.
Meanwhile, Chu Yang held a press conference and solemnly announced news that shocked everyone.
"As time passes, the invasion of the evil race draws nearer. Currently, our cultivators are far from reaching a level sufficient to fight the evil race. Therefore, time is extremely precious to us."
"The reason why only five hundred spots to enter the Time Secret Realm were allocated last time was naturally because the opportunities within only allowed that many people to scavenge. However, the secret realm is actually quite large. Now that the opportunities within the sect have been largely scavenged clean, it is no longer suitable as a reward. I now announce that, in addition to those who emerged from the trials, all those who participated in the cultivator army can enter the Time Secret Realm for cultivation."
Upon this declaration, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.
This was clearly an attempt to support the military, but they were not surprised by this decision.
Although cultivation was now widespread, people's attitudes towards it were clearly different. Many were thinking of self-preservation.
Cultivators who joined the army were instilled with the concept of fighting for the future of all humanity.
Fighting for oneself versus fighting for humanity – the scope was different. Chu Yang believed they were the main force against the evil race in the future.
Wang Zhicheng was moved to tears. Brother Xian finally remembered his cultivator army!
As long as they received preferential treatment from Brother Xian, more people would be willing to join the cultivator army.
People whispered amongst themselves, considering whether to join the cultivator army.
The benefits were obvious: not only would they receive resource support, but they would also gain more cultivation time, hundreds of times more than others.
However, they also had concerns. Witnessing the scenes of ferocious evil creatures slaughtering humans was not something everyone had the courage to face directly.
Many people felt that with Brother Xian here, and geniuses like Li Qingyun, the sky would not fall, as the taller individuals would bear the brunt of it.
However, when driven by sufficient benefits, they would be willing to join the cultivator army, even if it were just for themselves.
The idea of a cultivator army was not just a plan for the Xia Kingdom but a decision made after discussions worldwide.
There had to be a group of people who would stand before the myriad of lights and protect them when facing those powerful enemies; this was the original intention behind the establishment of the cultivator army.
After announcing the entry qualifications for the Time Secret Realm, Chu Yang dropped another bombshell.
"For all of you now, undergoing more life-and-death trials is also very important. Therefore, to improve your combat effectiveness when facing enemies, we are launching three trials this time!"
"The first among them is the [Demon Spirit Realm] trial, which you are familiar with. After three trials, the number of demonic beasts within can no longer support more trials, so this is the last trial for the Demon Spirit Realm. It will still be for two thousand people, and there will still be generous rewards. However, regrettably, there will be no secret realms like the Lihuo Palace for your winners to explore. But the top five hundred will each be rewarded with a Foundation Establishment Pill."
Upon hearing this, many individuals stuck in the late stages of Qi Refining had their eyes light up. Foundation Establishment Pills could greatly increase the probability of breaking through from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment.
Zhang Xiaohu's eyes were also particularly bright. Having benefited from the first wave of trials, he now had greater ambitions. This time, it wasn't just about fulfilling his promise to the Xuan Yang Sparrow.
However, individuals like Li Qingyun were rather uninterested in this trial.
Chu Yang continued, "The second trial secret realm is the [Land of Resentful Spirits]!"
To allow everyone to understand more intuitively, Chu Yang waved his hand, and the image of the [Land of Resentful Spirits] appeared on the big screen.
Chu Yang's current strength was incomparable to before, so there was no need for Boss Xue to help him shoot promotional videos.
The scene turned gloomy. Inside this [Land of Resentful Spirits], zombies with glowing green eyes, terrifying fangs, and sharp claws ran and roared everywhere in this desolate land. Occasionally, these zombies could be seen tearing each other apart, which was extremely frightening.
"This place is an extremely yin location. It happened because a demonic cultivator named Daoist Resentful Spirit massacred a sect and attempted to refine the souls of these people into a [Soul Summoning Banner] here. In the end, he suffered a backlash, turning this extremely yin land into a place that breeds zombies. It should be noted that each of these zombies possesses strength at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, so the participation is limited to cultivators from early Foundation Establishment to late Golden Core, with a limit of fifty people."
The fact that only fifty people could participate caused figures like Meng Zibin to show interest.
"The third trial secret realm..." Chu Yang paused and said, "is called the [Dragonfall Land]!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Teng's eyes widened, and he burst into laughter, "Haha! This must be Brother Xian giving me special treatment! Hahaha, just hearing the name, I feel a connection!"
However, Chu Yang glanced at him and continued to introduce, "The [Dragonfall Land] is a combat zone left over from ancient dragon-human battles. Due to the influence of the dragons' resentment and malevolent energy, the demonic beasts here have become dragonized and狂暴 (kuángbào - violent/ferocious). Moreover, staying here for too long will also affect you, making you gradually irritable..."
"Especially those who are not very intelligent, like Wang Teng, are more susceptible to the influence of the malevolent energy!"
The venue immediately erupted in laughter.
Wang Teng: "???"