Soon after, the vehicle started up and drove out of the city.
Su Yang looked out the window.
A quarantine zone about ten miles long had been cleared near the city wall, and Guards could be seen stationed every mile or two.
Beyond the quarantine zone, it felt as though they had suddenly entered a forest.
Dense and lush vegetation grew everywhere, and the light was much dimmer than outside.
A good number of Guards' outposts could still be seen here, until about forty or fifty miles out, where the presence of the Guards vanished entirely.
At that moment, the middle-aged Martial Artist sitting at the front abruptly opened his eyes and gazed solemnly out the window.
Strictly speaking, this area was no longer considered a safe zone; unranked or low-rank demonic beasts frequently roamed about, attacking passing vehicles.
Fortunately, today was quiet all along the way, feeling just like a safe zone.
"Look over there, a Void Realm expert..."
Someone suddenly shouted out, startling everyone.
Su Yang looked out the window and saw two tiny figures speeding through the high altitude in the distance.
Upon seeing those powerful figures in the sky, the middle-aged Martial Artist's eyes narrowed, but he also seemed to heave a sigh of relief.
Although anyone who reached the Void Realm could fly briefly, those capable of flight were not necessarily Void Realm experts.
Though the two in the sky were extremely far away, the escorting Martial Artist could already sense an overwhelmingly intense aura.
It was definitely not an aura that a mere Void Realm expert could possess.
No wonder the vicinity was so quiet.
Even if that Tier 3 demonic beast really was in Trial Ground No. 31, it was probably suppressed by that aura right now to the point of not daring to move an inch.
...
In the sky, two figures stood upon axes.
One trembled in fear, clad in lavish robes, while the other remained poised and at ease, draped in a cloak.
"City Lord Lin, that injured Tier 3 demonic beast still hasn't been found?"
The composed man asked leisurely.
Surrounding them was a barrier of spiritual energy he had cast to shield them, neutralizing the fierce turbulence outside.
Inside the spiritual energy barrier, it felt just like standing on solid ground, not hindering their conversation in the least.
City Lord Lin slightly bowed, a trace of shame crossing his face.
"Sorry to trouble Grandmaster Ling with this. It's merely an injured Tier 3 beast; Suicheng can handle it."
"It's just that the beast is somewhat peculiar. It seems capable of changing its form, sometimes as huge as the dipper constellation, sometimes as tiny as dust."
"Pinpointing its movements is indeed rather difficult."
Lin Qunfeng replied verbally, but inwardly he found it somewhat strange. A mere Tier 3 beast shouldn't be enough to alarm this Sixth Rank Grandmaster from the Southern Territory Martial Academy.
Ling Tian seemed to read Lin Qunfeng's thoughts and smiled faintly.
"This seat does not doubt City Lord Lin's abilities. Coming here today naturally isn't just for this matter."
"This seat has come for your granddaughter."
Hearing this, Lin Qunfeng wore a look of pride.
"Ziyin that girl is just passable. Thank you, Grandmaster Ling, for your high regard."
"It's just that she's only at the first layer of the Second Rank, still falling far short compared to the geniuses of the main city."
Ling Tian cast a peculiar glance at Lin Qunfeng.
This fellow was starting to put on airs.
Placed in the Southern Territory's main city, even if Lin Ziyin couldn't reach the pinnacle of the pyramid, she was still undoubtedly in the first tier of geniuses.
Furthermore, even though Lin Qunfeng was the City Lord of Suicheng, the resources at his disposal were definitely incomparable to those major families in the main city.
Under such conditions, Lin Ziyin had still reached her current realm; her talent could be easily imagined.
"Alright, City Lord Lin need not be overly modest. This seat thinks very highly of her."
"If City Lord Lin has no objections, once the girl's trial is over, may I take her away?"
"When the Martial Examination begins, I will personally send her back."
"As compensation, I can reveal a little secret: this Martial Examination is extraordinary, and the rewards are even more generous."
"If she enters the top ten, the resources she acquires will surpass the entire foundation of a top family in Suicheng."
"I defer to the Grandmaster's arrangements."
Lin Qunfeng was startled upon hearing this, followed by overwhelming joy.
Ling Tian's implication was clearly to bestow a stroke of great fortune upon Lin Ziyin, so how could he possibly refuse?
As for the reform of the Martial Examination, that had been decided long ago, but not a shred of information had leaked regarding how it would be reformed.
Yet judging by his words, the rewards would be generous, though certainly not easy to claim.
Looking across the entirety of Suicheng, only his granddaughter possessed such potential.
...
The vehicle drove on for another half-hour, finally coming to a stop in a slightly open area.
They had arrived at their destination: Trial Ground No. 31.
Stepping off the vehicle, Su Yang saw not only various shops here, but also many stalls set up in the open space.
Some sold medicinal pills, combat uniforms, and various guidebooks.
Others were purchasing various demonic beast materials brought out from the trial area by Martial Artists.
Su Yang's equipment was sufficient. Seeing that the early hour still remained, he lifted his foot and walked toward the trial area.
The soldier at the checkpoint glanced at Su Yang.
"Things have been unsettled inside recently. Do not go too deep, and make sure to return before dark."
Su Yang thanked him and walked inside.
Past the checkpoint, lush trees filled his vision, and a towering mountain peak could be vaguely seen ahead.
According to the guidebook, that was the Core Area of Trial Ground No. 31.
After about half an hour, Su Yang finally encountered his first demonic beast.
Pangolin rats, and a whole pack of them numbering around ten or so.
Each one was about the size of a small pig.
Unfortunately, they were all unranked.
Those pangolin rats spotted Su Yang as well, their eyes glowing with a greenish light as they squeaked and charged forward.
Su Yang didn't even move. When the pangolin rats closed in, he slashed out with his Thunderous Blade, instantly decapitating several of them.
The remaining few caught the scent of blood and charged even more fiercely.
Yet none of them could withstand a single blade strike from Su Yang before meeting their end.
Su Yang ignored them and continued deeper.
At present, these unranked fierce beasts were only good for sharpening his blade.
Continuing forward for another half-hour or so, Su Yang finally encountered his first Tier 1 demonic beast.
A Howling Sky Wolf.
The Howling Sky Wolf was also a primary demonic beast of No. 31, and its entire body was filled with valuable materials.
The Howling Sky Wolf before him was likely at the second layer of Tier 1.
Exchanging gazes, the Howling Sky Wolf lunged at Su Yang like an arrow released from a string.
Su Yang shifted his body to the side, dodging the attack, and slashed out with his Thunderous Blade in his right hand, directly carving a chunk of flesh off the wolf's backside.
He inwardly lamented his lack of experience; otherwise, that single strike wouldn't have just shaved off a piece of flesh, but rather split the Howling Sky Wolf in two.
Realizing this, he stopped rushing to kill the Howling Sky Wolf and instead focused on defense to hone his martial techniques.
Only when he felt his training was sufficient did he slice the Howling Sky Wolf in two with a single strike.
Just as the battle ended, he felt the hair all over his body stand on end and abruptly whipped his head around toward a certain direction.
"Hey, buddy, don't be nervous. We're just passing by to take a look."
"Still, if you struggle this much just killing a newly ranked Howling Sky Wolf, you'd better not go too deep."
"Your vigilance is way too poor, too."
Along with the voice, several figures emerged from the dense forest.
Leading them was none other than Mo Rufeng.
Yet at this moment, Mo Rufeng showed none of the arrogance he had displayed on the shuttle bus, appearing approachable instead.
"Su Yang, what are you doing here all by yourself?"
Before Su Yang could reply, Lou Xueer skipped out ahead of the others.
Upon seeing Su Yang, a look of delight indeed filled her face.
Asking the question, she suddenly seemed to understand something as she looked Su Yang up and down.
"You didn't come out of the city just to hide from Liu Chaofeng, did you?"