Soul Emperor Awakening

The entrance to the third assessment was just off to the side. Before they prepared to enter, Qing Piaoyun added, "This assessment will be vastly different from the usual. Please be careful. If you die in there, you can only blame your own incompetence!"

They forbade disciples from killing one another, but they also upheld the principle of survival of the fittest. It was impossible to survive in Qingcheng Mansion without a sense of crisis. Out in the real world, it would be even more dangerous, and no one would be there to save them.

’Vastly different from usual?’ This confused many of them. ’No matter how different it is, isn’t it still just about slaying Demon Beasts?’

After the announcement, the crowd of disciples rushed toward the entrance. The remaining spectators stayed behind to see the final results. They couldn’t watch the entire process, only the outcome.

Just as promised, when they entered, the assessment was completely different from before. They were no longer faced with the empty Yuanling Mountain Range, but with swarms of Demon Beasts. These were all relatively low-level Demon Beasts, but their Cultivation was not to be underestimated, all of them at around the Fourth and Fifth Layers of the Spirit Refining Stage.

Unfortunately, hunting these beasts was useless. Only Demon Beasts at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage or higher were worth anything. As for the rest, one could hunt a hundred of them and not earn a single point.

Killing a high-level Demon Beast among so many others without causing a commotion was impossible. Therefore, the difficulty was much greater this time. It was very likely that one would be swarmed by a horde right after making a kill.

"So this is what the Elder meant by ’different.’ They must have opened the Restriction on the Yuanling Mountain Range and let all the outside Demon Beasts flood in..." Ling Tian said to himself, scanning the area from a high vantage point. He then immediately flew forward to begin his search for high-level Demon Beasts.

Although there were many Demon Beasts, high-level ones were certainly rare, their numbers strictly limited. This simply added a new layer of difficulty: could one escape from the horde? That would depend on one’s own ability to adapt.

After grasping the situation, everyone scattered in different directions to find high-level Demon Beasts. The assessment was individual, so there was no benefit to teaming up. After all, this was a competition.

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes, surveying the area ahead for a moment before shooting forward. To win first place, he had to be fast.

Just as he was about to leave, someone called out to him.

"Brother Lin, wait a moment!"

Lin Xuan turned his head and saw it was Chen Zhiquan, the one who had placed third in the previous trial. With him was Jiang Yuan, who had placed sixth. Lin Xuan had seen them before; neither of them was weak.

The crucial point was why they had stopped him.

"What is it?" Lin Xuan said indifferently.

He was confident the two of them wouldn’t dare make a move. ’If the Elders made such a statement, they must have a way to enforce it.’ When they entered, everyone was given a Jade Bracelet. If it was crushed, an Elder would immediately be dispatched for rescue. At the same time, the Memory Stone inside it would record the recent events.

’A direct attack would be discovered before you could even cover your tracks, leading to severe punishment! That’s why destroying the body or throwing someone to a pack of Demon Beasts takes time. In that time, as long as you can crush the Jade Bracelet, you can summon an Elder for help.’

’Which of the top ten disciples didn’t have some life-saving skill? Even the weakest would have an opportunity to crush the Jade Bracelet. Unless the gap in Cultivation was massive, there was always enough time to shatter it.’

’Therefore, sneak attacks were useless. They would only land the attacker in danger. Having your Cultivation crippled and being imprisoned for life—that was the real nightmare. Qingcheng Mansion always kept its word; they never said one thing and did another.’

"Oh, nothing much. I was just wondering if we could team up?" Chen Zhiquan said.

"No." Lin Xuan’s brow furrowed. "If there’s nothing else, I’m going to look for high-level Demon Beasts." ’What a brainless request,’ he thought. ’Anyone with a shred of sense would refuse. This isn’t some dangerous cooperative mission.’

"Alright then. I hope you achieve an even better result," Chen Zhiquan said with a smile, reaching out to pat his shoulder.

Lin Xuan took a step back, causing Chen Zhiquan’s pat to hit empty air. He then added, "You too, Brother Chen." With that, he turned and left, ignoring the two of them.

Chen Zhiquan watched Lin Xuan’s retreating back, his expression turning ugly. "I didn’t think the kid would be so vigilant. He wouldn’t even let me pat his shoulder. I smeared this Beast Awakener Powder on for nothing..." He stuck his hand into a pouch, wiped it briefly, and then pulled it back out.

"Looks like we have no choice but to follow him now. If we can’t complete the mission, the Eldest Prince will blame us..." Jiang Yuan frowned. "Isn’t the Eldest Prince being too impatient? Why not just send a powerful expert to take care of him when he leaves the mansion? Why does it have to be us? If we get caught, we’re finished."

"Who the hell knows what the Eldest Prince is thinking. We just have to bite the bullet and go. After him!" Chen Zhiquan snorted coldly, not wasting any more words. He set off in pursuit, lest they lose him.

’Although I don’t know what Chen Zhiquan is up to, after what happened last time, I’m not about to let anyone touch me again, especially someone I barely know. Why would he try to pat my shoulder for no reason? Does he really think that just because we’re fellow disciples, we’re chummy enough for that?’

As Lin Xuan ventured deeper, the surrounding Demon Beasts grew more numerous and their Cultivation levels higher. He concealed his aura, using the surrounding trees for cover as he continued to sneak inward.

’There’s no need to fight these low-level Demon Beasts. It’s of no benefit to me.’

But just as he prepared to continue sneaking, he suddenly sensed someone following him from behind. As he turned his head to look, he saw a bag being thrown from the sky, landing in the middle of the beast pack!

SPLAT!

The bag burst open, and a cloud of dust floated out. Seeing this dust, Lin Xuan felt a bad premonition rise within him. Sure enough, as the dust spread, the eyes of the Demon Beasts before him instantly turned red. They let out a roar and began to run wildly in all directions, entering a complete berserk state!

As the dust spread further, the Demon Beasts went crazy, as if they had eaten Cooking Powder, and began ramming into everything around them.

Lin Xuan’s position happened to be right in the middle of the Demon Beasts’ encirclement. Soon, the Demon Beasts saw him. Their eyes were crimson as they stared at him, and with a roar, they charged in his direction.

This, in turn, attracted the attention of even more Demon Beasts. Roaring, all of them charged toward Lin Xuan!

Lin Xuan’s expression changed, and he said in a low voice, "Looks like I’ve been sabotaged. Those two were up to no good, just as I thought. They must be the Eldest Prince’s men!"

’This bag being thrown... it couldn’t have been a Demon Beast. It had to be a person. And besides those two from earlier, I can’t think of anyone else. This is a classic case of ’killing with a borrowed knife.’ If the Demon Beasts tear me to shreds, the Elders won’t find any evidence. After all, those two never even showed themselves. Crushing the Jade Bracelet would be useless.’