As the second round of the test drew to a close, out of thousands of new disciples, fewer than eight hundred remained.
"Excellent."
The First Elder's voice rang out once more.
"To have made it this far proves that your aptitude and dao heart have both met the standards."
"But this final round of testing is the critical step that will determine your ultimate place in the sect."
The First Elder wove a set of hand seals with both hands, sending a streak of flowing light shooting forth.
In the void behind the square, a massive spatial gate slowly tore open.
From within the gate, waves of beast roars drifted out, and a savage, bloodthirsty aura swept over the crowd.
"This third trial is a practical combat assessment. You will all be teleported to the Ten Thousand Beasts Secret Realm to undergo training."
"The secret realm is teeming with countless demon beasts. Your task is to survive there for three days, and hunt as many demon beasts as possible to harvest their demon cores."
"The quantity and quality of your demon cores will decide whether you become an outer sect, inner sect, or core disciple."
The First Elder paused for a moment, his tone turning solemn.
"Remember, the secret realm is fraught with dangers, and life and death are left to fate. If you encounter an opponent you cannot hope to defeat, crush the teleportation jade slip in your hand, and you will be pulled out of the secret realm immediately. But that will also mean your test results are finalized right there."
"Now, all of you, enter the secret realm!"
More than eight hundred new disciples marched in a grand procession through the spatial gate.
After a wave of dizzying disorientation, Ye Wushuang found herself landing in a dense primeval forest.
Ancient trees towered all around, their canopies blocking out the sun entirely.
The air reeked of damp rotting leaves and a faint tinge of blood.
Ye Wushuang silently spread out her spiritual sense.
She had no urge to rush off to hunt demon beasts. With her cultivation base at the peak of the Cave Heaven Realm, the demon beasts in this secret realm were as easy for her to deal with as chopping vegetables.
What she cared more about right now was seeing if there were any lucky chances she could snag for herself.
Just as Ye Wushuang was wandering through the forest at a leisurely pace, deep in the secret realm, in a dark and gloomy valley, a dozen top-tier prodigies from across the land including Liu Ruyan, Lin Langtian, Ye Wuxin, and Wang Teng had all been teleported to the same spot.
Before they even had a chance to size each other up, they were surrounded by a pack of Bloodthirsty Fierce Wolves.
"Hmph, just a bunch of rank two demon beasts, and you dare block my path?"
Lin Langtian let out a cold snort, brandishing the longsword in his hand. Sharp sword qi instantly sliced several of the fierce wolves clean in two.
Liu Ruyan too wore an icy expression, her longsword transforming into a flurry of afterimages. Every time her sword struck, a fierce wolf collapsed dead.
The brother and sister pair Ye Wuxin and Ye Wuming moved in perfect sync, their ice-cold soulfire and sword qi weaving together to unleash devastatingly lethal attacks.
All of these dozen people had a cultivation base above the True Yuan Realm, so dealing with these rank two demon beasts was child's play for them.
In less than half an incense stick's time, over a hundred Bloodthirsty Fierce Wolves had been slaughtered to the last.
"Looks like the Ten Thousand Beasts Secret Realm is nothing to brag about."
Wang Teng flicked the blood off his sword and laughed smugly.
However, the very second his words left his mouth —
ROAR —!!!
A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering terrifying beast roar suddenly echoed out from the depths of the valley.
The roar carried a terrifying oppressive power that made one's soul tremble. The sound waves, as tangible as a physical tide, swept outward, instantly ripping the towering ancient trees around them out of the ground by their roots!
"Pfft!"
Ye Wuming, who had the weakest cultivation base, was directly sent spitting out a mouthful of blood by the sound wave.
Liu Ruyan and Lin Langtian's expressions also changed drastically, and they hurriedly circulated their spiritual power to resist.
"What... what level of demon beast is this?!"
Ye Wuxin paled in fright.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Heavy footsteps thudded as if treading directly on everyone's hearts.
A massive black great ape, its body as huge as a small hill, slowly stepped out from the depths of the valley.
Its entire body was covered in black fur as sharp as steel needles, its eyes were scarlet red like blood, and it exuded a suffocating, violent aura.
Most terrifying of all was the spiritual power rippling off its body.
"An... Core Formation Realm?!"
"Impossible! The Ten Thousand Beasts Secret Realm's formation restriction only allows demon beasts and cultivators below the Core Formation Realm to enter! How could there be a Core Formation great demon?!"
Outside the secret realm, on the Xuan Tian Sect's square, the sect leader and the elders watching the scene through the water mirror all changed their faces in unison.
"Damn it! That's the Black Demon Ape that's been dormant deep in the secret realm! It broke through to the Core Formation Realm without the formation detecting it at all!"
Elder Li Changqing exclaimed in shock.
"Hurry! Activate the formation and pull them all out!" Dao Yan, the Perfected One shouted anxiously.
"Sect Leader, we can't do that! The Black Demon Ape breaking through to Core Formation has disrupted the spatial laws inside the secret realm. All the teleportation jade slips are now useless! It will take at least half an hour for the formation to forcefully open a passage!"
The elder in charge of the formation reported, his forehead slicked with cold sweat.
"What?!"
Dao Yan, the Perfected One's expression darkened instantly.
Half an hour? Faced with a Core Formation great demon, this group of new disciples, whose strongest among them only had a peak True Yuan Realm cultivation base, couldn't even last half an incense stick, let alone half an hour! This was the batch of top-tier young talents that Xuan Tian Sect had not seen in a hundred years. Were they all going to perish here?
Inside the secret realm, some people tried to crush their teleportation jade slips only to find they did not work at all. A mood of despair spread through the valley.
Faced with the terrifying oppressive aura radiating off the Core Formation Black Demon Ape, every single one of them felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
"Everyone, don't panic! If we join forces, we might not be able to hold on until the sect comes to rescue us!"
Lin Langtian forced himself to calm down and shouted at the top of his lungs.
After all, in his past life, he had been the Heavenly Demon Emperor, and he possessed combat experience that was extraordinarily rich.
"Form up the battle array! Ye Wuxin, use your ice-type arts to restrict its movements! Liu Ruyan, circle around to its flank and look for a weak point! The rest of you, follow me and hold it head-on!"
With their lives on the line, none of them cared about old grudges anymore, and they all obeyed Lin Langtian's commands.
"Frost and Ice for Ten Thousand Miles!"
Ye Wuxin cried out in a low voice. The Cold Jade Ice Soul Sword in her hand burst out with a piercing blue light, and terrifying icy cold instantly froze the Black Demon Ape's legs solid.
"Attack!"
Lin Langtian, Wang Teng and the others roared and charged forward, unleashing all their most powerful martial arts skills without holding anything back, slamming them onto the Black Demon Ape.
Liu Ruyan, meanwhile, moved like lightning, circling around to the Black Demon Ape's back, her longsword stabbing straight for the nape of its neck.
However, the physical defense of a Core Formation great demon far exceeded anything they could have imagined.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
All of their attacks landed on the Black Demon Ape's body, leaving nothing but a few faint white marks.
Roar!
The Black Demon Ape was enraged by the attacks of these insignificant ants.
It tugged violently, and the ice layer wrapping around its legs shattered with a thunderous crash.
Right after that, its giant palm swept out, carrying with it destructive force.
"Pfft!"
"Ah!"
Several of the noble scions at the very front were directly swatted into a cloud of blood mist.
Lin Langtian and Wang Teng reacted extremely fast, barely dodging this fatal blow, but they were still grazed by the raging palm wind, sent flying backward as they sprayed out mouthfuls of blood.
Liu Ruyan's sneak attack also failed to work. The Black Demon Ape punched her squarely in the chest with its backhand, and her whole body smashed into the rock wall like a broken kite.
One strike! Just one strike! This group of so-called prodigies had lost more than half their number, and were completely incapable of fighting back.
It's over... we're all going to die...
Despair showed on every single one of their faces. A Core Formation demon beast was simply far beyond anything they could possibly stand against.
At this most critical moment, on a towering ancient tree not far from the valley, Ye Wushuang was perched on a tree fork, watching the battle unfolding below with great interest.
"Tsk tsk, that's really rough. Lin Langtian's command was actually pretty good, but the gap in strength is just too big."
Ye Wushuang shook her head.
She had no intention of sticking her nose into this mess. She was no do-gooder with some self-appointed duty to save everyone. After all, what did the lives or deaths of these people have to do with her?
Just as Ye Wushuang was about to turn around and leave, the crisp notification chime of the system suddenly rang out in her mind.
[Ding! A Child of Luck / key side character facing a life-or-death crisis has been detected nearby.]
[Special snatching mission triggered: Turn the Tide!]
[Mission Description: The host must kill the Black Demon Ape of the Innate Realm with an absolutely overwhelming display of strength in full view of everyone, and rescue the crowd.]
[Mission Reward: Guaranteed trigger of a Ten Thousand-Fold Critical Return Talisman (one-time use).]
"A guaranteed talisman?!"
Ye Wushuang's eyes lit up.
This lousy system was finally being generous for once!
"Everyone has a duty to stand up for what's right! I, Ye Wushuang, have always hated those who stand by and watch others suffer most in my life!"
Ye Wushuang slowly got to her feet, and a terrifying aura began to awaken from within her body.
