Figures in black robes escorted Xiao Yi to the Su Family estate, leading him into a lavishly decorated yet oppressively tense hall.
Su Yao's father, the Patriarch Su, sat squarely in the main seat, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
"Xiao Yi," Patriarch Su said in a low, dignified voice, "an unknown nobody like you dares to dream of marrying into the Su family. It is sheer delusion!"
The surrounding members of the Su family chimed in one after another, their words dripping with disdain and mockery.
"A toad trying to eat swan meat!"
"Why don't you look in a mirror and see what you really are!"
"What makes you think you're worthy of Miss Su Yao?"
Every harsh word pierced Xiao Yi's heart like a sharp dagger. He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails nearly dug into his flesh.
Suppressing the fury raging in his heart, he said in a cold voice, "Whether I am worthy of Su Yao is not for you to decide. I have proven everything with my own strength, while all you can do is lurk in the shadows and plot!"
"Audacious!" Patriarch Su slammed his hand onto the table and shouted angrily, "Do you think a paltry trick like that can change anything? Let me tell you, as long as I draw breath, you will never set foot in the Su family!"
At that moment, a crisp voice rang out from outside the entrance: "Father, you are wrong!" Su Yao strode quickly into the hall, looking at her father with a resolute gaze. "I believe in Xiao Yi, and he will definitely succeed! He is not the kind of person you make him out to be!"
Su Yao's appearance warmed Xiao Yi's heart, and he felt a surge of immense power flow through his entire body.
He ignored the surrounding taunts and insults, fixing his gaze straight on Su Yao, his eyes filled with gratitude and affection.
Su Yao walked up to Xiao Yi, grasped his hand tightly, and faced her father's wrath without a shred of fear.
"Father, Xiao Yi is my friend, and he is the one I have chosen. I hope you can respect my choice."
Seeing the steadfast look in his daughter's eyes, Patriarch Su felt his resolve waver slightly.
Yet, unwilling to yield, he gave a cold snort: "Yao'er, you are far too naive! This brat is simply not worth entrusting with your life!"
Ignoring her father's warning, Su Yao turned to Xiao Yi and said softly, "Xiao Yi, let's go!"
Hand in hand, the two of them resolutely left the Su Family estate.
"The final round of the selection is in the mysterious valley..." Elder Chen's voice echoed in Xiao Yi's ears. He looked up ahead to see a towering peak piercing the clouds, the entrance to the valley faintly radiating a mystical aura...
The mysterious valley was shrouded in mist, resembling a celestial realm, yet it harbored deadly perils.
The moment Xiao Yi stepped into the valley entrance, a biting chill rushed over him, making his skin crawl.
The ground underfoot appeared to be flat grassland, but it was actually riddled with hidden mechanisms.
A single misstep would mean utter ruin.
Proceeding with extreme caution, Xiao Yi relied on the sharp perception granted by the Hongmeng Creation Formula to dodge danger time and time again.
He dodged flying poison arrows and skirted sudden sinkholes, every step fraught with peril as sweat soaked his clothes.
Yet, even the most careful plans have flaws.
Just as Xiao Yi thought he had grown accustomed to the dangers of the valley, the ground beneath his feet suddenly vanished, and he plummeted instantly into a bottomless pit.
"Damn it!" Xiao Yi cursed as his body fell rapidly, the wind roaring in his ears.
The bottom of the pit was pitch black, concealing who knows what kind of terrifying existence.
Just as Xiao Yi was nearly in despair, a crisp voice rang out beside his ear: "Hey, big guy, need some help?"
Xiao Yi started in surprise. Through the dim light, he saw a petite figure suspended in mid-air, shimmering with tiny flecks of glowing light.
It was an elf-like little girl with expressive, lively eyes and long, fiery red hair—none other than Xiaohong.
"You're... Xiaohong?" Xiao Yi asked in astonishment.
"That's right, it's me!" Xiaohong blinked playfully. "As formidable as this trap is, I know how to break it. Just do as I say, and you'll get out safely."
Xiaohong told Xiao Yi that a special kind of vine grew at the bottom of the trap, and by grabbing these vines, he could climb right back up.
Half-skeptical, Xiao Yi had no other choice now and could only follow Xiaohong's instructions.
Sure enough, at the bottom of the pit, Xiao Yi found the vines Xiaohong had mentioned.
He gripped the vines tightly and began to climb upward.
The vines were exceptionally tough, easily supporting his weight.
Just as Xiao Yi was about to climb out of the pit, he suddenly caught a rich, medicinal fragrance wafting over him.
Looking down, he saw a crystal-clear herb growing right beside the vine, radiating a faint golden glow.
"This is... Golden Sun Grass!" Xiao Yi instantly recognized this precious herb.
Golden Sun Grass was an essential ingredient for refining pills that boosted strength, and it was extremely rare.
Without hesitation, Xiao Yi harvested the Golden Sun Grass and tucked it away.
With this Golden Sun Grass, his strength could reach yet another level.
Climbing out of the pit, Xiao Yi was immensely grateful to Xiaohong.
"Thank you, Xiaohong. You saved my life."
Xiaohong waved a hand and smiled. "Don't mention it, just a little favor. But the road ahead of you won't be easy, oh."
"I know." Xiao Yi took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute as he looked into the depths of the valley. "No matter what dangers lie ahead, I will push through them!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from deep within the valley, causing the ground to shake...
Xiaohong's expression changed, and she cried out in alarm: "Oh no..."
Before Xiaohong's cry of alarm had even faded, a mountain-like giant bear charged out from the dense forest, making the earth tremble.
The giant bear was covered in thick black fur, with blood-red eyes and exposed fangs, exuding a suffocating, murderous aura.
It was none other than a Tier 4 demonic beast—an Armored Mad Bear!
"A... a Tier 4 demonic beast!" Xiao Yi's heart sank.
With his current strength, defeating a Tier 4 demonic beast was an almost impossible task.
The Armored Mad Bear let out a heaven-shaking roar, its massive paw whistling through the air as it slammed fiercely down toward Xiao Yi.
Not daring to take the blow head-on, Xiao Yi flashed to the side and narrowly dodged the strike.
"Boom!" The giant bear's paw smashed heavily into the ground, leaving a huge crater and sending gravel flying in all directions.
Xiao Yi knew that fighting brute force with brute force was never the best strategy.
He had to find the Armored Mad Bear's weakness to give himself a glimmer of hope for survival.
While dodging the Armored Mad Bear's attacks, he closely observed its movements.
He discovered that while the Armored Mad Bear possessed immense strength and astonishing defense, its speed was relatively slow, and its attack pattern was simple, relying mainly on brute force.
"Now!" A thought flashed through Xiao Yi's mind, and a daring idea took root.
He circulated the Hongmeng Creation Formula, causing the true qi within his body to surge wildly as an unprecedented power gathered inside him.
Forming hand seals rapidly, he let out a low shout: "Hongmeng Palm!"
A golden palm print flew from Xiao Yi's hand, carrying an unstoppable momentum as it struck the Armored Mad Bear squarely in the abdomen.
"Aroo!" The Armored Mad Bear let out a painful roar, its massive body stumbling backward.
Pressing his advantage, Xiao Yi unleashed the Hongmeng Palm once more. Golden palm prints rained down, continuously battering the Armored Mad Bear's body.
Although the Armored Mad Bear's defense was formidable, under the continuous onslaught of the Hongmeng Palm, cracks gradually began to appear.
Finally, under the impact of Xiao Yi's final palm strike, the Armored Mad Bear let out a reluctant roar and crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Xiao Yi stood in place, panting heavily, his body covered in wounds and his clothes stained with blood.
Yet, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
He had actually defeated a Tier 4 demonic beast!
"Congratulations, big guy, you've gotten stronger again." Xiaohong flew over to Xiao Yi's side and said with a smile.
Xiao Yi smiled slightly and was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed. He whipped his head around to stare into the depths of the valley.
"Someone's coming..."
Xiao Yi watched the depths of the valley vigilantly as several figures rapidly swept over, arriving before him in the blink of an eye.
At the lead was a middle-aged man in a brocade robe, cold-featured and possessing a powerful aura—he was unmistakably a Martial King expert!
Behind him followed several formidable martial artists.
"You are Xiao Yi?" The brocade-robed man looked down at Xiao Yi from his elevated position, a hint of disdain in his tone. "I hear you defeated the Armored Mad Bear. You certainly have some skills."
Xiao Yi's heart tightened. Suppressing his inner tension, he said in a deep voice, "I am indeed Xiao Yi."
"Hmph, quite a bold mouth," the brocade-robed man snorted coldly. "However, wanting to enter our sect takes more than just a little trick like that."
Before the words had even faded, the martial artists behind the brocade-robed man swarmed forward, surrounding Xiao Yi completely.
They were all Martial Master-level experts, executing ruthless and fatal moves.
Not daring to be careless, Xiao Yi hurriedly circulated the Hongmeng Creation Formula to defend himself with all his might.
For a moment, violent gales howled through the valley amid a flurry of palm shadows as a fierce battle instantly erupted.
Although Xiao Yi managed to barely hold off the joint assault of several Martial Masters thanks to the immense might of the Hongmeng Creation Formula, he gradually began to feel overwhelmed.
After all, he was only at the Late-stage Martial Warrior realm, whereas his opponents were several Martial Master experts, creating a vast disparity in strength.
Just as Xiao Yi was about to collapse, a sharp cry suddenly came from afar: "Stop!"
Su Yao rushed over accompanied by several Su family martial artists.
Su Yao's father, Patriarch Su, was among them as well.
"Father, why are you doing this?" Su Yao asked anxiously.
Patriarch Su sighed and said, "Yao'er, these are the rules of the sect selection, and no one can change them. Only by passing the final trial can one enter the sect."
Su Yao wanted to say more, but Patriarch Su stopped her.
He turned to the brocade-robed man and said, "Elder Li, although this child Xiao Yi is somewhat reckless, his nature is not bad. I ask that you show mercy."
The brocade-robed man, who was Elder Li, smiled faintly and said, "Patriarch Su, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."
With that, Elder Li waved his hand, signaling the martial masters to halt.
"Xiao Yi," Elder Li looked at Xiao Yi and said, "your strength is good, but it's still far from enough. If you want to enter our sect, you must continue to work hard."
Xiao Yi took a deep breath.
"Xiao Yi," Su Yao walked over to Xiao Yi and asked with concern, "are you alright?"
Xiao Yi shook his head and said, "I'm fine."
Su Yao's father also walked over, patted Xiao Yi on the shoulder, and said, "Young man, keep working hard."
Xiao Yi felt a warmth in his heart.
Elder Li watched Xiao Yi and Su Yao, a barely perceptible glint flashing in his eyes.
"Alright," Elder Li said, "the final round of selection is over. Those who passed, follow me."
Xiao Yi followed Elder Li out of the mysterious valley.
Outside the valley, the sun was shining brightly, and birds were singing amid fragrant flowers.
Xiao Yi stood at the exit of the valley; he was only a single step away from entering the major sect, and his heart was filled with anticipation.
He turned to look at Su Yao and smiled faintly.
Su Yao also flashed a sweet smile back at him.
Suddenly, Elder Li stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Xiao Yi, and said, "Right, there is one more thing..."