After Zhang Lie and the members of Team Zenith finished absorbing their disaster-grade cores, their auras were strengthened considerably. They quickly arrived at the trial grounds.

"Behind this set of doors is the special space you were talking about, Captain?"

Zhang Lie turned to the gathered hunters. "The trial grounds are exceptionally dangerous. Qianlin, will you remain on the airship for this period of time?"

Li Qianlin nodded. "We have time to spare, so let me bring the airship around to hunt down some genetic lifeforms."

Yang Ze asked, "For what purpose? We've already finished absorbing all gene fragments below disaster-grade. Can this airship hunt down disaster-grade lifeforms?"

Zhang Lie replied, "It does have strength on par with a disaster-grade lifeform, but even in the fourth realm, it's not that easy to find disaster-grade lifeforms roaming around. The reason Qianlin's hunting these lifeforms is as an energy source for the airship."

Sun Mengmeng asked, "The airship uses genetic lifeforms as its energy source?"

Zhang Lie replied, "It can use just about anything, and genetic lifeforms are one avenue of reliable fuel."

"How about that strange ore from the third realm?" Sun Mengmeng asked.

Sun Xiaowu retrieved a piece of rainbow-colored metallic rock from his dimensional storage. "Right! I forgot to mention it to you, Captain. Before we ascended, the Zongming king and the draconian sage permitted us to mine and bring some of this ore with us. Are you able to use it?"

"The ore that appeared after the formation of the unified world?" Zhang Lie asked, remembering the material. "Let's test it, Airship!"

A red beam of light scanned the metallic rock. A robotic voice sounded. "Scan complete. The rock possesses a large quantity of pure energy, though not of particularly high quality. It is equivalent to the flesh of a peak-grade lifeform."

"How much of this ore did you bring with you?"

"Three tons in each of our soulshards," Sun Mengmeng replied.

Eighteen tons among the six of them, then… Zhang Lie's lips twitched. "Li Zongming and the draconian sage... I don't know what to say about them."

The airship's robotic voice informed them, "Eighteen tons of this ore will be able to support the high-energy operation of this airship for three thousand days."

Zhang Lie laughed in delight. "Excellent! You've solved one of my problems already."

As they put the eighteen tons of ore into the engine room, Zhang Lie instructed, "Airship, commence calculations. Analyze and determine the recipe for a monarch-grade limit-breaking potion."Sun Mengmeng was surprised. "The airship can do that?"

Li Feng was likewise agape. "Is the airship's artificial intelligence that strong?"

Zhang Lie had mentioned it briefly before, but not how incredible it was.

Zhang Lie explained, "It's only an analysis based on current data—it can't create anything novel out of nothing, or even create at all. It's simply optimizing and enhancing."

"In that case, is a monarch limit-breaking potion feasible, then?"

"The estimated computation time is a thousand days." Zhang Lie replied, rummaging through his extra-dimensional storage. "Right, I have something for all of you too."

Zhang Lie retrieved six gemstones from his storage-type soulshard.

Sun Mengmeng's eyes widened. "Oh, these are pretty! And they contain plenty of power, too..."

Zhang Lie explained, "This is something new I obtained from the trial-taker's chamber. The gemstones are linked by some kind of invisible tether, and they allow for their six wielders to be able to transfer genetic energy to each other. They can even concentrate speed, strength, defense—any sort of attribute—on any one member of the six."

Sun Xiaowu remarked, "It sounds like something out of a novel!"

"Try it for yourself."

He handed everyone the gemstones, but the results of the testing were disappointing. The gemstones could only strengthen their wielders to disaster-grade, but everyone present was already disaster-grade.

Zhang Lie looked rather disappointed. "It looks like I was too optimistic about things..."

He had initially expected that, since the post-peak-grade guardian lifeforms were able to emulate disaster-grade lifeforms after wearing the gems, that the post-disaster-grade members of Team Zenith would be able to emulate monarch-grade lifeforms.

Sun Mengmeng consoled him. "Captain, there's no need to be disappointed. Perhaps we might encounter better treasures after going through the trials ourselves."

Zhang Lie instructed, "After going through the entrance trial, you'll start the gauntlet of trials proper. There are six trials, and you'll receive a reward for every three trials cleared. Choose a metamorphosis potion as one of your rewards."

"A metamorphosis potion?" Sun Mengmeng asked.

"It sounds pretty strong!" Sun Xiaowu commented.

Yang Ze asked, "Will your life undergo a metamorphosis if you consume it?""It's indeed as its name suggests, but it's not for us genetic hunters. It works only on the indigenous people of this and earlier realms."

Sun Mengmeng clarified, "Aliens who drink this potion can undergo a metamorphosis?"

Zhang Lie replied, "More accurately, it's for those aliens who ascend to higher realms as stowaways. I intend to keep a potion and have the airship determine its composition, so that we can bring our friends from the third realm who are unable to ascend on their own all the way up here."

Sun Xiaowu smirked. "Captain, is this a bug?"

The members of Team Zenith stepped through the gates of the trial-taker's chamber with Zhang Lie, only to find that Zhang Lie had vanished from sight.

Sun Mengmeng looked all around. "Where's our captain?"

Sun Xiaowu replied, "He must be waiting for us at the final trial, I suppose."

Sun Xiaowu was quite right. Zhang Lie's surroundings flashed; by the time he regained his senses, he was in the same space as Bu Wentian.

Bu Wentian said, "You've arrived earlier than expected, bringing quite a number of interesting guests with you."

Zhang Lie smiled. "What do you think of them?"

"I don't know. The trials have just begun, after all." Bu Wentian waved a hand. A screen appeared before him, revealing the scene of Sun Mengmeng and the others fighting against the six stone guardians.

Zhang Lie was speechless. "Is this your only trial? Can't you switch to another one?"

Bu Wentian retorted, "Don't you think it's a good trial?"

"Well, I suppose it's not bad."

The six members of Team Zenith, upon encountering the six stone guardians, weren't as shocked and dumbfounded the way Zhang Lie had been. They struck immediately.

With a low shout, Fang Yi dashed forward with his spear in hand. He launched his spear, crackling with wind and lightning, with incredible force. It sent wind howling and lightning flashing through the sky.

With his spear, he invoked chaotic energy in the form of lightning and raging wind. The spear left a dozen afterimages in its wake.

The six stone guardians awakened. Their bodies shook as they roared, their domains spreading out around them: lightning, storm, water, earth, ice, and fire. Six different energies forced Fang Yi back.

Zhang Lie gasped. "You had disaster-grade versions of these stone guardians? Why didn't you use them on me?!"

Bu Wentian rolled his eyes. "This is a trial."

"And so what?"

Bu Wentian emphasized again, "They're not meant to kill the trial-takers, just give them a good challenge. This is a trial."