"You've got guts!"

Giving Qi Xiu a thumbs-up, the bandaged man turned and ran. On Lake Heart Island, all Escape Skills and Escape Lights were banned. Being able to fly, albeit only a meter or so above the ground, was enough to shake off most people.

As everyone chased after the departing bandaged man, Qi Xiu smirked and turned to walk back on his own. With a flip of his palm, nine glazed beads containing jade thunder brew collided with a POP in his hand.

So you all saw it? What exactly did you see? He grabbed an empty flower and scurried off, still so pleased with himself.

Qi Xiu had already removed the nine beads of jade thunder brew when he threw the thunder lotus. Although he hadn't planned on actively searching for this jade thunder brew, how could he so easily give away something that had fallen into his hands? That wasn't his style.

Placing the nine beads of jade thunder brew into his Flood Dragon Pool Ring, Qi Xiu calmly sat down and resumed cultivating his Palm Thunder. After half a year of practice, his Palm Thunder proficiency had surpassed sixty-three percent. In another three or four months, he would break through to the First Realm and completely master it. These nine beads of jade thunder brew would be perfect for Zhu Mo and Yan Baizhe's seven brothers.

With the appearance of the jade thunder brew on Lake Heart Island, the candidates who had once been silently cultivating began to stir again. With a shortcut available, who would continue to sit and cultivate so tediously? Suddenly, constant battles erupted across the entire Lake Heart Island.

Compared to the battles in the first round of assessment, Lake Heart Island was far smaller than the vast forests. But because no Escape Light or Escape Skills could be used here, the intensity of the battles was not as fierce as in the first round. If someone couldn't win, they'd just run. Without Escape Skills, relying solely on their legs, the candidates' speeds didn't vary much. Many times, life-or-death struggles devolved into cat-and-mouse chases.

And as the candidates once again fought ceaselessly on Lake Heart Island, the dark waters surrounding the island seemed to be creeping towards the land, bit by bit...

With most of his bandages torn, exposing the clear, pale skin underneath, the bandaged man clutched his chest, coughing out a blood clot frozen into ice. "Finally shook them off..."

Assured that the group chasing him for six days and nights was now far behind, the bandaged man heaved a long sigh of relief and sat down against a black ancient tree. "That damned guy, you just wait! I... I won't let you off!" he vowed, his teeth gritted.

He pulled out the thunder lotus; it was completely empty, not a single bead of jade thunder brew remaining. The bandaged man GNASHED his teeth. The thunder lotus he'd snatched from Qi Xiu right under everyone's noses was empty! No matter how he tried to explain, those people wouldn't believe him. Then again, if he were in their shoes, he wouldn't believe it either. But the truth was, that man had already taken the jade thunder brew. When had he ever suffered such humiliation in his entire life? The more the bandaged man thought about it, the angrier he became. He wished he could find that man right now, flay him, and disembowel him to quench the hatred in his heart!

"But luckily, that guy was ruthless enough," he muttered, "otherwise, the jade thunder brew would've blasted my stomach open by now."

After his anger subsided, the bandaged man calmed down, recalling a scene he had witnessed that morning. Without mastering the basics of Palm Thunder and forming the thunder patterns, rashly consuming jade thunder brew is like swallowing a Divine Thunder. The Shenxiao Sect is truly ruthless. Their designs, at every turn, reveal the cruelty of the Cultivation Realm.

For anyone below the Blood-Stained Realm, except for a very few Dharma Gates, an injury as severe as a ruptured stomach was a death sentence.

I can't rush the jade thunder brew, he concluded. I have to master Palm Thunder first.

Time flowed by; days and nights turned. The assessment period was quickly dwindling, with only the last month remaining.

By this point, those capable of mastering Palm Thunder had generally completed their cultivation. The appearance of jade thunder brew had significantly reduced the time needed to enhance the thunder patterns. Basically, as long as one could make initial progress with Palm Thunder and begin to form the thunder patterns, they could fully master it with the help of jade thunder brew.

Meanwhile, candidates who lacked the insight or Opportunity to master Palm Thunder began their final, desperate counterattack. If I can't master it, none of you will pass either! Driven by this sentiment, these individuals roamed Lake Heart Island, hunting down anyone who showed promise of mastering Palm Thunder, shamelessly ambushing and harassing them.

The wickedness of the human heart is always difficult to fathom. Under the torment of these spoilers, many who originally had a good chance of passing the second round were dragged down. Frenzied, life-or-death battles played out frequently.

At the foot of a raised hill, Qi Xiu and a group of Daliang Wolf Riders quietly guarded Zhu Mo.

With the blessing of the Great Righteousness and Unity Formation, combined with jade thunder brew, the Daliang Wolf Riders had successfully mastered Palm Thunder by the beginning of the final month, completing the second round of the assessment. After consuming two beads of jade thunder brew, Zhu Mo had also entered the final sprint. If he could maintain his pace, he had a high chance of mastering Palm Thunder before the deadline.

"Someone's coming again." Sensing faint movements in the nearby woods, Qi Xiu's gaze shifted.

"They don't dare to come over," Yan Baizhe said calmly, lightly wiping his helmet. On this Lake Heart Island, where all Escape Lights and Escape Skills are banned, no one dares to provoke our group of Daliang Wolf Riders. How can two legs possibly outrun four? Moreover, without Escape Lights or Escape Skills, once the Daliang Wolf Riders begin their charge, they are simply unstoppable.

So, while everyone else on Lake Heart Island was engaged in fierce combat, Qi Xiu's group remained the quietest.

"Wait, those things across from us... they don't seem human!"

A hint of purple flashed in Qi Xiu's eyes as he squinted, straining his vision to make out the swaying dark shapes in the forest opposite. His expression suddenly shifted, and he shot to his feet.

"It's those monstrous creatures from the lake! They've actually landed on the island!?"

Hearing Qi Xiu, Yan Baizhe also stood up and peered into the distance. "That's right, those are definitely the creatures from the lake. I remember one—pale body, two heads, covered in tentacles—it tried to jump onto our boat, but the captain kicked it back into the water."

The monstrous creatures from the lake had all come ashore. Qi Xiu and Yan Baizhe exchanged a look, shock evident in each other's eyes.

"However, judging by their actions, these creatures don't seem to be planning to attack us. They're just looking around at something," Yan Baizhe observed.

Monstrous creatures were inherently cruel, bloodthirsty, and reckless. Having landed on the island, it was impossible for them to remain docile.

"They're not attacking now, perhaps because something is restraining them," Qi Xiu mused.

Frowning in thought, Qi Xiu and Yan Baizhe almost simultaneously arrived at the same conclusion.

They exclaimed in unison, "The third round of the assessment!"

Yes, that must be it! There's only a month left in the second round. As soon as it concludes, the Shenxiao Sect will undoubtedly announce the start of the third round. And this third round... it must be those hundreds of terrifying monstrous creatures from the lake!

Recalling the horrifying, grim creatures they had seen at the bottom of the lake from the ship, the sheer, despair-inducing number of them made even Qi Xiu and Yan Baizhe feel a chill crawl up their scalps. If so many of these creatures were to surge onto Lake Heart Island, who could possibly withstand them?

「At the same time.」

Other examinees on Lake Heart Island also noticed the increasingly frequent appearance of monstrous creatures, as well as the dark lake water spreading across the island, already forming deep pools in places.

We can't fight among ourselves anymore! This was the first thought in every examinee's mind upon realizing the creatures had landed. The examinees who had made it to Lake Heart Island had, of course, all faced the horror of these monstrous creatures directly. They were confident they could handle one or two, even kill them. But what about ten, or twenty? A hundred? What if there were two hundred, or three hundred? These were not beings someone in the Dao-Entering Realm could contend with.

To continue infighting now and deplete our strength would be like willingly feeding ourselves to those monstrous creatures. After all, the Shenxiao Sect never said those who failed the second round would be safely escorted out. What if we have to stay on the island even if we fail? We'd be utterly doomed!

Instantly, a storm of activity swept the island. The sudden change in circumstances triggered a cascade of reactions. Examinees who had previously been locked in life-and-death struggles swiftly and spontaneously began to gather. All grudges and grievances would have to wait until after they survived. To make it through the third round of the assessment, they had to consolidate everyone's strength.

「In a corner of Lake Heart Island,」

Atop an ancient black tree, a man feigning sleep while holding a sword lifted his Bamboo Hat, glanced at the monstrous creatures roaming below, and chuckled coldly. This trite idea has certainly cost the old relics of the Shenxiao Sect a great deal of trouble.

"Dong Xingzhou," a voice called out. Squatting on a nearby branch, a fair-faced man resembling a noble scion, lightly fanning himself, smiled and said, "The nature of these three assessment rounds is quite obvious now. What do you say, care to collaborate again?"

"Collaborate my ass! Get the hell away from me. That perfumed powder smell on you truly reeks," the sword-holding man retorted harshly, clearly having no intention of engaging with the 'noble scion'. He cursed softly and settled back down as if to sleep.

"Alright, alright," the fair-faced man conceded. "But I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"The bad," came the voice from under the Bamboo Hat.

"You didn't take the top spot in the second round of the assessment."

"Hmm? Really?" Lifting his Bamboo Hat, the sword-holding man's gaze sharpened, as if it could pierce the very void.

"Truer than pure gold. The news comes from my seventh maternal granduncle," the fair-faced man said with a light chuckle. "I hear that in the struggle for that top spot, two of the Shenxiao Sect's elders actually came to blows with their disciples over it, resulting in many innocent sect members being struck by lightning. Those people are already planning to give a 'warm welcome' to whoever secured that top spot when he officially joins."

"And the good news?" Dong Xingzhou asked.

"Cheng Hua is dead."

"What?!" Dong Xingzhou shot upright. His presence exploded outwards, and a terrifying Sword Intent swept around like a storm. The surrounding ancient black trees, as sturdy as refined Vajra, were instantly covered in countless Sword Traces and Sword Seals. "Who did it?"

"I don't know, but it must have been someone from this group on the island. Experts from the Cheng Family tried to enter and capture the murderer but were turned back by the Shenxiao Sect. Furthermore, word is that the Cheng Family experts found where Cheng Hua died and attempted to use a Secret Technique to track his killer. However, they were counterattacked by a mysterious power and severely wounded. They only vaguely learned that Cheng Hua was killed by an overwhelmingly superior force, a swift annihilation with no chance to fight back. And Lin Man'er was with him at the time. TSK TSK TSK, Dong Xingzhou, it seems your reputation as the foremost Initiate Realm practitioner of Dianchuan Province is in jeopardy."

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