The moment Su Chen's hand made contact with the divine tribulation orb, his consciousness was ripped from his body and thrust into a space that existed outside normal reality. He found himself standing in absolute void—no up or down, no light or darkness, just infinite emptiness that somehow remained perceptible despite containing nothing to perceive.
Then the judgments began.
**"EVALUATING CULTIVATOR: SU CHEN. ORIGIN: ANOMALOUS. CLASSIFICATION: DIMENSIONAL GLITCH. WORTHINESS ASSESSMENT INITIATING."**
The voice didn't come from any external source—it emerged directly within his consciousness, the accumulated will of countless tribulations compressed into a singular judging entity. And unlike the Tomb Sovereign's mechanical programming, this intelligence was genuinely sapient, capable of nuanced evaluation rather than simple binary classification.
**"FIRST JUDGMENT: FOUNDATION INTEGRITY."**
Su Chen's cultivation base was laid bare, every aspect of his power exposed for examination. The divine judgment dissected his Cave Heavens—all 365 of them, far exceeding the normal ten. It analyzed his hybrid physiology—the T-Virus modifications, Dragon Blood enhancement, Lich Bloodline integration, Indestructible Diamond Body, Supreme Sword Bone copy, and dozens of other accumulated changes.
Any normal cultivator's foundation would have been judged chaotic and unstable—too many disparate elements, insufficient integration, contradictory principles fighting for dominance. The judgment should have been failure, followed by immediate destruction.
But Su Chen's foundation wasn't normal. The Origin Mirror had ensured perfect compatibility between all copied abilities, creating synthesis rather than conflict. His 365 Cave Heavens weren't random accumulation—they formed a complete system based on the Soaring Shuttle's star-gate principle, each one a node in a greater constellation. His hybrid physiology wasn't patchwork—it was deliberate evolution, each modification chosen to complement rather than compete with others.
**"FOUNDATION ASSESSMENT: UNPRECEDENTED BUT COHERENT. CLASSIFICATION: ACCEPTABLE WITH NOTATION."**
**"SECOND JUDGMENT: KARMIC WEIGHT."**
The void filled with images—every person Su Chen had killed, every faction he'd destroyed, every life he'd altered through his actions. Thousands of deaths directly attributable to him, tens of thousands more affected indirectly. The karmic weight of his existence pressed down with crushing force, demanding acknowledgment and justification.
Traditional cultivation judged karma through moral frameworks—killing the innocent incurred heavy karmic debt, while righteous slaughter balanced or even improved karmic standing. But Su Chen had never operated within such binary morality. He killed when it served his purposes, showed mercy when it proved more beneficial, and remained utterly pragmatic about both approaches.
The judgment evaluated not whether his actions were "good" or "evil," but whether they were coherent with his stated philosophy and whether he accepted responsibility for consequences. Su Chen had never claimed righteousness, never pretended his actions served higher moral purposes. He pursued power through whatever methods proved most efficient, and he owned that choice completely.
**"KARMIC ASSESSMENT: HEAVY WEIGHT BALANCED BY ABSOLUTE ACCEPTANCE. NO SELF-DECEPTION DETECTED. CLASSIFICATION: ACCEPTABLE."**
**"THIRD JUDGMENT: COMPREHENSION DEPTH."**
This was the crucial evaluation—did Su Chen understand the principles underlying his power, or did he merely wield techniques without grasping their fundamental nature? The judgment tested his comprehension of space, time, life, death, energy, matter, consciousness, and existence itself.
Images flooded his awareness—the Dao Comprehension Stone's recorded insights, the Kun Peng's transformation principles, the Perfect World's cultivation theories, techniques from dozens of different universes all synthesized into his understanding. The judgment didn't test whether he had mastered any single system completely, but rather whether he comprehended the common threads connecting all systems.
Su Chen demonstrated his understanding not through words but through action. He manipulated the void around him, imposing structure on emptiness by expressing his will. He created temporary matter from pure energy, demonstrating comprehension of mass-energy equivalence. He generated localized time distortions, proving understanding of temporal mechanics. He manifested conceptual constructs that existed as pure idea given temporary form.
**"COMPREHENSION ASSESSMENT: MULTI-SYSTEM SYNTHESIS APPROACH. BREADTH EXCEEDS DEPTH BUT INTEGRATION IS GENUINE. CLASSIFICATION: ACCEPTABLE WITH HIGH MARKS."**
**"FOURTH JUDGMENT: WILLPOWER AND DETERMINATION."**
The void transformed into torture. Su Chen experienced every possible failure simultaneously—his team dying because he'd made wrong tactical decisions, his organization collapsing from poor leadership, his accumulated power stripped away by superior enemies, his very existence erased by cosmic entities who viewed him as an intolerable anomaly.
Each scenario was vivid, emotionally devastating, designed to break his will by showing him futures where all his efforts proved meaningless. Normal cultivators faced with such comprehensive visions of failure often simply gave up, their determination shattered by the weight of inevitable defeat.
But Su Chen had always known these outcomes were possible. He had never operated under illusions of guaranteed success or protagonist immunity. Every risk he took was calculated with failure as a real possibility, and he had chosen to proceed anyway because the alternative—stagnant safety—was unacceptable to his fundamental nature.
"I see the failures," Su Chen stated calmly into the void. "I acknowledge they could occur. And I proceed regardless, because the attempt itself has value independent of the outcome. I would rather fail spectacularly while reaching for transcendence than succeed modestly while cowering in safety."
**"WILLPOWER ASSESSMENT: UNSHAKEABLE. DETERMINATION: ABSOLUTE. CLASSIFICATION: EXCEPTIONAL."**
**"FIFTH AND FINAL JUDGMENT: PURPOSE AND DIRECTION."**
This was the deepest evaluation—why did Su Chen pursue power? What did he ultimately hope to achieve? Was his path leading toward something meaningful, or was he simply accumulating strength for its own sake?
The judgment demanded honest self-reflection. Su Chen could have lied, claimed noble purposes about protecting humanity or maintaining cosmic balance. But the divine judgment would detect such deception instantly, and dishonesty would guarantee failure.
"I pursue transcendence because existence without growth is intolerable to me," Su Chen stated with complete honesty. "I seek power because the universe is hostile and only the strong survive its challenges. I build organizations and forge alliances because isolation is weakness. I recruit companions because some journeys cannot be walked alone. My ultimate purpose is to become strong enough that no entity—god, demon, or cosmic force—can dictate the terms of my existence. I will be free, powerful, and self-determined, or I will die trying."
The void fell silent for what felt like an eternity. Then:
**"PURPOSE ASSESSMENT: SELFISH BUT GENUINE. PHILOSOPHICALLY COHERENT. DETERMINATION TO ACHIEVE STATED GOALS: ABSOLUTE. OVERALL EVALUATION COMPLETE."**
**"JUDGMENT RENDERED: WORTHY OF TRANSCENDENCE. BAPTISM COMMENCING."**
The void exploded into divine fire. Pure heavenly energy that should have incinerated Su Chen's existence instead flooded into him, reforging his entire being from fundamental principles upward. His 365 Cave Heavens shattered—not destroyed, but transformed, evolving from simple spiritual spaces into genuine dimensional fragments, each one a micro-realm capable of containing laws and supporting existence.
His physical body underwent metamorphosis. The hybrid modifications that had made him stronger than baseline human now integrated perfectly, transforming from grafted additions into intrinsic characteristics. He became genuinely chimeric—not human with borrowed abilities, but a new category of existence that transcended species classifications.
His spiritual foundation condensed, refined, and then exploded outward in revolutionary transformation. He had been at Cave Heaven Realm peak, approaching Spirit Transformation. The baptism didn't just push him across that threshold—it catapulted him through Spirit Transformation entirely, landing him at Formation Arrangement Realm with foundation so solid it would normally require centuries to achieve.
More than that, his newly formed dimension-fragments gave him capabilities beyond what Formation Arrangement Realm normally granted. Each fragment could store different forms of energy, house different laws, support different techniques. He had effectively created an internal multiverse, making him a walking nexus point for dimensional intersection.
The transformation completed, and Su Chen's consciousness snapped back to his body. He opened his eyes to find himself still standing before the orb—but the divine tribulation energy had been completely absorbed. What remained was just an empty sphere, its purpose fulfilled.
His team stared at him with expressions mixing awe and concern. From their perspective, he had touched the orb and immediately been surrounded by divine fire intense enough that they couldn't even look directly at him. The baptism had lasted seventeen seconds external time, though subjectively it had felt like hours.
"Status," Saeko demanded immediately, her tactical mind requiring confirmation despite obvious evidence of success.
"Formation Arrangement Realm," Su Chen replied, his voice carrying new resonance that seemed to echo from multiple spatial locations simultaneously. "Complete breakthrough with foundation integrity intact. The trial is passable—extremely dangerous, but survivable with proper preparation."
He turned his attention to the now-empty sphere. "However, the orb is depleted. It was single-use—enough divine tribulation energy for one person's baptism, and I've consumed it completely. The rest of you won't have this shortcut."
His team absorbed this information with varying reactions. Disappointment flickered across several faces—they had been prepared to face the trial themselves, hoping for similar transcendent advancement. But they were also experienced enough to recognize that Su Chen's successful breakthrough was more important than their missed opportunity.
"Alternative advancement paths exist," Su Chen assured them. "The Heavenly Tomb contains other opportunities, and our expedition isn't concluded. Additionally, my successful breakthrough means I can now provide direct guidance and support for your own advancement attempts using conventional methods."
Bibi Dong spoke with her characteristic pragmatism. "What's our next objective? Continue exploring the Tomb for additional treasures, or withdraw and consolidate gains?"
Su Chen considered the tactical situation. They had acquired substantial treasures, he had achieved major breakthrough, and they had mostly avoided direct conflict with other expeditions. Continuing deeper into the Tomb risked encountering more dangerous guardians or confronting the Upper Realm trio in environments that might favor their opponents.
But there was one more location he wanted to investigate—the Tomb's absolute deepest level, where the most powerful ancient cultivators had been laid to rest. According to the Dao Comprehension Stone's recorded knowledge, that level contained a treasure that even Formation Arrangement Realm experts would consider valuable: a complete cultivation inheritance from someone who had successfully transcended to true divine status before the realm separation occurred.
"One more objective," Su Chen decided. "The True Divine's Legacy at the Tomb's core. Then we withdraw completely. Lin Xiya, can you detect the path to the deepest level?"
The psychic cultivator extended her awareness, pushing her detection range to absolute limits. After several seconds of concentration, she shook her head. "The deepest level is shielded by formations I can't penetrate. However, I'm detecting significant spiritual pressure concentrations moving toward what I believe is the entrance to that level. The Upper Realm trio and the Eternal Profound Sect are both converging on the same location—likely they've also identified the True Divine's Legacy as the primary prize."
"Then we're racing against time and competing against our strongest opposition," Esdeath observed with evident satisfaction. "Finally, some actual challenge."
"Maintain tactical awareness," Su Chen cautioned. "We're not trying to fight everyone simultaneously. If possible, we observe the Upper Realm trio's attempt to claim the legacy and learn from their methods. If they succeed and attempt to monopolize the inheritance, we negotiate for shared access. If they fail, we attempt the trial ourselves with knowledge gained from observing their failure."
"And if they refuse negotiation?" Saeko asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.
"Then we demonstrate that Formation Arrangement Realm is adequate for contesting with them," Su Chen replied coldly. "I didn't break through just to immediately defer to the first Upper Realm cultivators I encounter. They're strong, but they're not invincible."
The team moved with practiced efficiency, following Lin Xiya's guidance toward the deepest level's entrance. The path descended through chambers that showed increasing age—the architecture becoming more primitive but paradoxically more powerful, as though the ancient cultivators had possessed understanding that later generations lost.
They arrived at a massive sealed doorway carved with formation arrays so complex that even Su Chen's enhanced comprehension struggled to fully map their structure. The door was already open, confirming that other expeditions had preceded them.
Through the doorway, they could see a vast chamber that dwarfed everything they'd encountered previously. At its center stood a throne carved from a single piece of jade that radiated divine energy. Upon that throne sat a perfectly preserved corpse—a cultivator who had died in meditation, their body sustained by formations that had prevented decay for countless millennia.
The Upper Realm trio stood before the throne, clearly mid-negotiation among themselves about how to approach the trial. The Eternal Profound Sect occupied positions along the chamber's perimeter, observing cautiously but not interfering.
Su Chen's team entered quietly, taking position near the Eternal Profound Sect's location. Patriarch Huo Tianyun nodded acknowledgment of their presence but said nothing—everyone understood that speaking during others' trial attempts could distract them fatally.
The male Upper Realm cultivator—who Su Chen's enhanced perception now identified as named Shen Wuji—stepped forward first. His cultivation base radiated Formation Arrangement Realm peak, possibly half-step into Spirit Transformation. He approached the throne with confident strides, reaching out to touch the corpse's extended hand.
The moment contact was established, the corpse's eyes opened. Not physically—the body remained dead and preserved. But spiritual energy erupted from it, forming a projection of the True Divine as they had been in life: a figure of indeterminate gender and overwhelming presence, radiating power that made everyone in the chamber instinctively understand they were witnessing something far beyond their current level.
**"Seeker, state your qualification,"** the projection demanded, its voice carrying absolute authority.
"I am Shen Wuji of the Celestial Court," the cultivator replied formally. "I seek the True Divine's Legacy to complete my advancement to Spirit Transformation Realm and lay foundation for eventual divine ascension. My qualification is my Upper Realm origin and my court-granted authority to claim treasures in lower dimensions."
The projection's expression—difficult to read on such an inhuman face—seemed to convey something between disappointment and contempt.
**"Origin is not qualification. Authority is not worthiness. You claim external validation as justification for receiving power that must be earned through internal merit. REJECTED."**
Divine energy exploded from the projection, and Shen Wuji was physically thrown backward, his body crashing into the chamber wall with enough force to crack the ancient stone. He struggled to his feet, clearly injured but not critically, his expression showing shock at being so summarily dismissed.
The female Upper Realm cultivator—named Ling Xue—attempted next. Her approach was different, emphasizing her comprehension rather than her credentials. She demonstrated techniques, showcased her understanding of fundamental laws, and articulated her philosophy eloquently.
The projection listened to her entire presentation before responding:
**"Comprehension is adequate. Philosophy is coherent. But purpose is weak—you seek power to gain status within your realm's hierarchy, not because transcendence itself calls to you. Motivation is external rather than internal. REJECTED."**
Ling Xue accepted the rejection with more grace than Shen Wuji, bowing respectfully before withdrawing. She understood that arguing with a True Divine's remnant will was pointless.
The third Upper Realm cultivator—the ambiguous-gendered one whose name Su Chen still hadn't determined—didn't attempt at all. They simply shook their head and stepped back, apparently recognizing that they didn't meet whatever criteria the projection was enforcing.
Patriarch Huo Tianyun attempted next, his centuries of cultivation and philosophical study evident in his presentation. But he too was rejected:
**"Wisdom is great, experience is vast, but potential is limited. You have reached your natural ceiling—further advancement would require resources beyond what this legacy can provide. Granting you this inheritance would be waste. REJECTED."**
Five more attempts from various Eternal Profound Sect elders, all rejected for different reasons. The projection was evaluating not just current capability but potential for growth, motivation for seeking power, and philosophical compatibility with the True Divine's own path.
Finally, everyone had attempted except Su Chen's team. The chamber's attention turned toward them, various cultivators showing expressions ranging from curiosity to skepticism—surely these Lower Realm cultivators who had just arrived couldn't succeed where Upper Realm experts had failed?
Su Chen stepped forward without hesitation. He approached the throne calmly, met the corpse's spiritually opened eyes without flinching, and reached out to touch its extended hand.
The projection materialized, and Su Chen felt its attention focusing on him with an intensity that exceeded what it had shown any previous challenger. This wasn't routine evaluation—this was genuine interest.
**"Anomaly,"** the projection stated, its tone mixing curiosity with caution. **"You do not belong to this realm's natural order. Your existence violates established categories. Explain yourself."**
"I am Su Chen," he replied simply. "I originate from a dimension undergoing catastrophic transformation. I pursue power through synthesis of multiple systems rather than perfection of a single path. I seek your legacy not because I believe I deserve it, but because I recognize it as a tool that will advance my goals. My qualification is not inherent worthiness but rather demonstrated capability—I have survived every challenge this Tomb presented, including the divine tribulation baptism. If that's insufficient qualification, then your standards are impossible to meet."
The projection was silent for a long moment. Then, impossibly, it smiled.
**"Honesty without arrogance. Confidence without entitlement. Acknowledgment that worthiness must be demonstrated rather than assumed. You are the first to understand what I truly seek—not the most talented, not the most righteous, not the most powerful, but the most pragmatically determined to actually use this legacy rather than hoard it as status symbol."**
The projection gestured, and knowledge flooded into Su Chen's consciousness—not techniques or methods, but something more fundamental. It was a complete philosophical framework for understanding divinity itself, a roadmap showing not just how to achieve divine status but what divine status truly meant.
**"The True Divine's Legacy is not a cultivation method,"** the projection explained. **"It is understanding. With this knowledge, you can forge your own path to divinity rather than following roads others have mapped. You will not become powerful immediately—but you will never hit ceilings that limit others, because you will comprehend how to transcend any limitation through self-directed evolution."**
The knowledge settled into Su Chen's mind, integrating with everything he had learned from the Dao Comprehension Stone and his own accumulated experiences. He understood now what made someone "truly divine"—it wasn't power level or technique mastery, but rather the achievement of self-determined existence, the state where no external force could dictate the terms of your reality.
**"Use this knowledge well, Anomaly,"** the projection said as it began to fade. **"And perhaps one day you will transcend not just this realm but the very concept of realms itself. That would be a fitting legacy for what I have given you today."**
The projection vanished completely, and the corpse on the throne crumbled to dust—its final purpose fulfilled, no longer requiring preservation. The Heavenly Tomb itself began to tremble, formations throughout the structure starting to collapse as the power sustaining them was withdrawn.
"The Tomb is closing!" Lin Xiya shouted, her psychic senses detecting the dimensional barrier beginning to re-establish. "We have maybe five minutes before we're expelled forcibly!"
"All expeditions, emergency evacuation!" Patriarch Huo Tianyun's voice boomed through the collapsing structure. "Cease all conflict, prioritize survival! We can resolve disputes after escaping!"
The various cultivators—Upper Realm trio, Eternal Profound Sect, Fire Country survivors, Independent explorers, and Su Chen's team—all rushed toward exits simultaneously. The earlier tensions and competition were forgotten in face of shared threat of dimensional collapse.
Su Chen's team moved with practiced efficiency, their coordination allowing them to navigate the collapsing passages faster than larger, less organized groups. Su Chen himself used his newly enhanced spatial manipulation to create stable corridors through areas where reality was actively fracturing, providing safe paths that others could follow.
They burst out of the Tomb's entrance with seconds to spare, emerging into the Desolate Bone Wastes to find the ancient structure already fading from material existence. Other cultivators stumbled out moments later, various expeditions reconvening and conducting quick headcounts to identify who had survived.
The Heavenly Tomb completed its dimensional phase-shift, vanishing from perceptible reality. It would not return for another decade, and when it did, it would be empty of treasures—everything of value had been claimed during this manifestation.
Su Chen surveyed his team, confirming everyone had emerged safely. Then he expanded his awareness to assess the other expeditions. Most had survived, though several showed injuries or missing members. The Upper Realm trio looked frustrated but unharmed. The Eternal Profound Sect was intact and had even gained several breakthroughs among their members.
"Mission accomplished," Su Chen stated to his team. "We acquired the True Divine's Legacy, numerous treasures, and I achieved Formation Arrangement Realm. The expedition succeeded beyond initial objectives."
"What's next?" Esdeath asked, anticipation clear in her tone.
Su Chen smiled, his mind already racing ahead to future plans. "Now we return to Earth. Consolidate our organization, integrate the knowledge we've gained, and prepare for the next phase."
He pulled out a communication talisman connecting to the Black Dragon Fortress. "Saya, prepare for full team retrieval. We're coming home. And start compiling reports on dimensional access points—particularly any that might connect to realities with advanced technology and superhuman abilities."
"Specific targeting parameters?" Saya's voice came through clearly.
"Systems designated as 'Marvel' or 'MCU' in the dimensional database," Su Chen confirmed. "It's time to expand our operations beyond cultivation worlds. The multiverse is vast, and we've only scratched the surface of what's available."
As spatial portals bloomed to transport them back to the fortress, Su Chen took one last look at the Desolate Bone Wastes. The Heavenly Tomb had tested him, judged him, and ultimately granted him tools that would serve his advancement for years to come.
But the Tomb was past. The future lay ahead—in new worlds, new challenges, and new opportunities to transcend every limitation the universe tried to impose.
The cultivation arc was complete. The superhero arc was about to begin.
And Su Chen intended to collect every infinity stone, copy every superpower, and recruit every powerful woman he encountered along the way.
The journey was just beginning.