Ten strikes of the Golden War Drum. To be honest, if it weren’t for Ye Qing’s cultivation being slightly low, he would have been fully qualified to become a core disciple of the Emperor Star Academy.
A six-star bloodline implies astonishing, unparalleled talent; his future would be limitless.
In the crowd, Jiang Renxiong and Li Tianmeng, who had previously worn expressions of mockery, saw Ye Qing’s stunning performance, and their expressions instantly turned unsightly to the extreme. Thinking back to the things they had said to mock Ye Qing, their faces burned with such intensity that they were simply too ashamed to show themselves.
Ye Qing left the martial arts arena. When he passed by Li Tianmeng and Jiang Renxiong, he remained very calm and said nothing at all. Yet, it was precisely this calmness that made Li Tianmeng and Jiang Renxiong feel even more humiliated. Both men gripped their fists tightly, their expressions filled with such shame and rage they could have died.
However, matters had reached this point. Jiang Renxiong and Li Tianmeng had no choice but to acknowledge Ye Qing’s shocking talent. Being able to strike the Golden War Drum ten times proved that Ye Qing’s bloodline power was far superior to theirs. Even so, Jiang Renxiong and Li Tianmeng did not consider Ye Qing an opponent on their own level. After all, there is a world of difference between striking a Golden War Drum and actual combat. Ye Qing’s ability to strike the drum ten times did not mean his combat ability was equally strong.
According to the assessment rules that Jiang Renxiong and Li Tianmeng had researched beforehand, the second round of the assessment tested actual combat capability.
As time passed, all the disciples who had come to participate in the assessment finished their trials. Out of more than a thousand outstanding disciples from the capital, only a few—barely over a hundred—had successfully passed. Furthermore, in this second round, it was feared that many more talented young people would be eliminated. To be eliminated meant they were simply not good enough.
"Everyone, the second round of the Emperor Star Academy assessment is about to begin!"
"The rules for the second round require you to enter the beast arena and fight against Flame Lions!"
"Only by persisting in the beast arena for the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn will you be considered to have advanced!"
"The second round of the assessment begins now!"
Elder Li of the Emperor Star Academy announced the rules. The second round was a test of the disciples' combat capabilities. After all, even if a disciple’s talent was immense, it would be useless if their practical combat ability was lacking. Under the guidance of Elder Li, the many young people who had passed the first round entered the Emperor Star Academy’s beast arena.
The interior of the Emperor Star Academy was vast, containing many locations for honing one’s skills; the beast arena was one of them. In the arena, the academy’s disciples could receive excellent training. The ferocious beasts within had been captured by the academy’s elders from the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range. They were wild, untamed, and possessed incredible combat power.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range was located on the outskirts of the Great Zhou Empire’s capital. It was home to many formidable beasts. The young talents from the major families and the various sects and academies of the capital would all travel there to train. The academy’s beast arena was essentially a scaled-down version of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, where all manner of fierce beasts had been captured and brought in. Almost every type and level of beast could be found there.
Only the Emperor Star Academy could provide its disciples with such an excellent environment for training. Other academies simply lacked such resources. Going directly into the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range to train would be far more dangerous, as one might face much more difficult and elusive beasts.
"Everyone, please prepare yourselves. The second round of the assessment is about to begin!"
"You will face ten Flame Lions. No matter what methods you use, as long as you can persist for the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, you will succeed!"
"Of course, if you cannot hold on, just call out to me, and I will bring you out immediately!"
After Elder Li announced the rules, he signaled the staff in the beast arena to release the Flame Lions!
Flame Lions at the Origin Pill Realm! And there were ten of them! Their combat power was terrifying. In the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, the Flame Lions were considered top-tier predators. They possessed naturally powerful bloodlines, formidable physical bodies, and control over fire. The ten Flame Lions present had all reached the First Stage of Origin Pill. Their combat strength was exceptionally high, and they were incredibly ferocious; ordinary martial artists at the First Stage of Origin Pill would likely be no match for them.
The presence of the ten Flame Lions caused the atmosphere in the arena to instantly turn tense.
Outside the arena was a designated viewing area. When the upper echelons of the Emperor Star Academy built the arena, they considered the aspect of spectatorship. Normally, if outstanding disciples wanted to come to the arena to challenge powerful beasts, spectators would come to watch. On one hand, they could observe how other geniuses fought powerful beasts and gain some insights; on the other hand, it was simply to join in the excitement. Of course, to challenge beasts in the arena, one had to pay a certain amount of gold or contribution points.
Ye Mengling was in the audience, her beautiful eyes fixed on Ye Qing, following his every move. Her fists were clenched, and she was clearly very worried. The Flame Lions were powerful and exuded a shocking pressure, which Ye Mengling had felt long ago. She was afraid her brother would be hurt in the arena.
"Brother, I believe you will succeed!"
"You have always been the most outstanding!"
Ye Mengling whispered, trying to comfort herself. Her delicate body trembled from time to time, and her complexion gradually turned pale—it seemed her cold-body condition was acting up. However, Ye Mengling had no heart to worry about her own health; currently, all her energy was focused on Ye Qing.
"Roar!"
A shocking beast roar echoed through the arena. Before long, the ten Flame Lions rushed over, releasing scorching heat. The Flame Lions opened their blood-red maws; seeing a group of human martial artists before them, they immediately went wild. Their eyes were filled with bloodlust, craving the taste of human flesh.
The humans present were not weak; their internal bloodline power had reached at least the three-star level, and their cultivation was decent. While humans could become stronger by consuming the flesh of beasts, the same was true for beasts—if they consumed the flesh of humans, they could also grow stronger. Of course, they needed to consume martial artists with powerful bloodlines! If someone was not a martial artist or had not awakened a bloodline, the beasts would have no interest in them.
The hundred-plus people in the arena all emitted distinct bloodline energy. Ye Qing, in particular, possessed the six-star Eight Wilderness Fire Dragon bloodline, and in an instant, he became the primary target for the Flame Lions!
The Flame Lions possessed a certain level of intelligence. They could sense the strength of the bloodlines of the humans in the arena. Ye Qing, Li Tianmeng, and Jiang Renxiong undoubtedly became the primary targets of the Flame Lions.
In an instant, two Flame Lions lunged toward Ye Qing with incredible speed, their bodies burning with scorching flames—the power was terrifying.
"Whoosh!"
Ye Qing took a sharp step, executing his Swift Wind Steps, and darted right between the two Flame Lions.
"Boom!"
Behind Ye Qing, the manifestation of his six-star Eight Wilderness Fire Dragon bloodline appeared. A golden fire dragon rose into the air, releasing an astonishing pressure. The Flame Lions present were all momentarily intimidated. However, very soon, greed flashed even more intensely in the eyes of the ten Flame Lions. The stronger Ye Qing’s bloodline power was, the more they craved it! Moreover, they sensed that Ye Qing’s cultivation was only at the First Stage of Yuan Condensation, which was a vast gap from theirs.
While the bloodline power of Li Tianmeng and Jiang Renxiong was a bit weaker and couldn't compare to Ye Qing's, their cultivation had reached the First Stage of Origin Pill, matching the Flame Lions. It was difficult for the Flame Lions to deal with them, but in their eyes, dealing with Ye Qing would be much easier.
"Rip!"
Fresh blood splattered in the arena. A disciple participating in the assessment had been injured; a large chunk of flesh from his arm was torn away by a Flame Lion on the spot. The injured disciple looked on in terror and immediately called to Elder Li for help. Elder Li, standing on a flying sword above the arena, saw the disciple calling for help and immediately acted, swooping down to carry him away.
Many other disciples, terrified by the powerful Flame Lions, chose to give up before they were even injured. Fighting the Flame Lions was extremely dangerous; no one could guarantee that an accident wouldn't happen. If they called for help and Elder Li didn't arrive in time, they would likely end up buried in the jaws of the lions.
There were originally over a hundred outstanding young people in the arena, but within just a few minutes of the fierce battle, more than half had already left. There was no choice; they had seen the terror of the Flame Lions. Even Jiang Renxiong and Li Tianmeng found the Flame Lions a bit difficult to deal with. Most of the other young people only had cultivation at the Yuan Condensation Realm. The stronger ones were only at the Eighth or Ninth Layer of the Condensing Essence Realm. Being able to dodge one or two attacks from a Flame Lion was likely their limit.
The Flame Lions' bodies were a bit bulky, but their speed was definitely not slow. They also released scorching flames; if one was careless and touched by the fire, they could be burned to death on the spot. Even with Elder Li present, he might not always be able to save them. The entrance assessment of the Emperor Star Academy always carried a certain degree of risk. Throughout history, there had been many precedents of death and injury during the assessments.
"Rip!"
Suddenly, a young man let out a miserable scream. One of his legs was bitten off on the spot by a Flame Lion. Elder Li in the sky immediately dove down and snatched him away before the disciple could even call for help. Having lost a leg, even if that young man insisted on joining the Emperor Star Academy, it would be impossible. The Emperor Star Academy had always wanted only geniuses, never cripples.
"Everyone, please act within your means!" Elder Li reminded them. Sometimes, he couldn't keep up; if too many disciples encountered danger at the same time, he might not be able to save them all. There were some outer academy deacons present who would act if a disciple called for help, but the strength of the outer deacons couldn't compare to the powerful Elder Li, and their efficiency in saving people was certainly not as high.
In just a few short minutes, only forty or so outstanding disciples remained in the arena, struggling to hold on. Now, there was still a long way to go before the stick of incense finished burning! Whether they could persist under the fierce attacks of the Flame Lions was a question. It was likely that many more outstanding disciples would be eliminated. Because of this, the number of disciples the Emperor Star Academy recruited each year was actually very small. However, apart from the assessment method, the academy would also give jade tokens to outstanding disciples, allowing many to become disciples without even going through the formal assessment.
"Whoosh!"
In the arena, Ye Qing relied on his exceptional agility and speed to weave through the encirclement of the Flame Lions! However, the grade of his Swift Wind Steps was ultimately still lacking. As a Yellow-grade peak movement technique, even though Ye Qing had practiced it to the stage of perfection, the speed he could exert was still limited. After dodging several attacks from the Flame Lions, Ye Qing made a decision: he could not continue to dodge. Otherwise, he would eventually be caught by a Flame Lion, and at that point, it wouldn't be a laughing matter.
In truth, it was mainly because his internal bloodline power was such a huge temptation to the Flame Lions that he had become their primary target. If it weren't for that, he would have been able to handle himself as long as he wasn't facing two or three Flame Lions at once.
In an instant, three ferocious Flame Lions lunged at him, releasing sharp killing intent. Ye Qing moved agilely, darting through the encirclement of the three lions. In the process, Ye Qing slammed a palm into the belly of one of the Flame Lions.
The Flame Lion let out a miserable shriek. Under Ye Qing’s strike, it felt incredibly painful. Ye Qing's palm strike contained the Eight Wilderness True Fire, and its power was incomparably terrifying. Under the force of the strike, the Flame Lion wailed, and the flames on its body dimmed significantly. One had to admit that Ye Qing’s combat power was indeed strong. A mere Flame Lion, even with the terrifying cultivation of the Origin Pill Realm, could not withstand his Eight Wilderness True Fire! A six-star bloodline, especially one from the dragon clan, was simply that heaven-defying.
"Whoosh!"
Just as Ye Qing was battling the three Flame Lions, two gusts of wind suddenly attacked from behind him. Ye Qing’s expression changed drastically. Two powerhouses at the Origin Pill Realm had launched an attack against him—and it was a sneak attack! The attackers were none other than Jiang Renxiong and Li Tianmeng! Both of them wanted to eliminate Ye Qing. After exchanging a glance, they saw through each other’s thoughts and struck immediately.
"Boom!"
Jiang Renxiong threw a palm. Behind him, the manifestation of his five-star Wind Wolf bloodline appeared, releasing a shocking pressure. As his palm struck out, a blade of wind suddenly appeared in the void, slashing toward Ye Qing’s back. The attack was unusually fierce!
Ye Qing’s expression shifted slightly. The moment Jiang Renxiong attacked, Li Tianmeng’s powerful fist slammed in. His fist was wreathed in frost—he was channeling his five-star Ice Silkworm bloodline! Every movement he made carried a chilling aura.
Ye Qing was already having some trouble dealing with three Flame Lions. Now, with Jiang Renxiong and Li Tianmeng joining in, the sneak attack from the two of them was truly unexpected!
"Kid, you killed my Jiang family's young master; you must die!"
"And my Li family—is that something a mere nobody like you can afford to offend?"
Li Tianmeng and Jiang Renxiong unleashed terrifying lethality. Each used their trump card, determined to kill! Their combat power could be considered the best among the younger generation, and the power of their combined strike was unimaginable. At the same time, two more Flame Lions were lunging forward from Ye Qing's front. Ye Qing was facing what was essentially a hopeless situation!
"Brother!"
In the audience, Ye Mengling cried out, her beautiful eyes filled with horror. With Flame Lions in front and two monstrous prodigies attacking from behind, Ye Qing was in constant peril.
Jeers and boos erupted from the audience. The behavior of Li Tianmeng and Jiang Renxiong undoubtedly made the spectators look down on them. It was a disgrace to their status! Two powerhouses at the Origin Pill Realm were sneak-attacking Ye Qing while he was already fighting the Flame Lions—it was simply too despicable. Even if Li Tianmeng and Jiang Renxiong defeated Ye Qing, there would be nothing glorious about it. However, their goal was simply to kill him, and they didn't care what methods they used.
In the arena, the scene before them shocked all the young people present. They never expected that Li Tianmeng and Jiang Renxiong would ignore the Flame Lions and instead strike at a fellow participant. Honestly, their behavior violated the rules of the assessment. The Emperor Star Academy's assessment was meant to see how long they could persist under the attack of the Flame Lions, not to have the participants kill each other!
"They're cheating!" Ye Mengling shouted from the stands. Other spectators felt the same way. However, even Elder Li, who was in charge of the assessment, said nothing. The behavior of Li Tianmeng and Jiang Renxiong was undoubtedly being tacitly approved.
"Kid, you’re done for!"
"You little brat, hand over your life!"
Seeing that Elder Li in the sky did not step in to stop them, the expressions of Li Tianmeng and Jiang Renxiong turned ferocious. When they came to participate in the assessment, the Patriarchs of both the Li and Jiang families had told them that as long as they could suppress Ye Qing during the trial, they would be heavily rewarded upon their return. Now that they were about to take his life, the rewards they would receive would certainly be substantial.
"You’re seeking death!"
Cold lightning flashed in Ye Qing’s eyes. In the next moment, the Shura Blood Sword appeared in his hand.
"Hum!"
The Shura Blood Sword bloomed with a blood-colored sword light. At the same time, Ye Qing’s internal bloodline surged. The Eight Wilderness True Fire was channeled into the Shura Blood Sword, and the power it unleashed increased exponentially.
"Rip!"
A golden streak of sword light flashed through the void. In the next moment, Jiang Renxiong’s head flew off on the spot! At the same time, Ye Qing’s figure flickered, dodging a fierce strike from a Flame Lion.
"Roar!"
The Flame Lion let out a roar, moving like a bolt of red lightning. In an instant, it pounced on Li Tianmeng. One of Li Tianmeng’s arms was crushed on the spot, and he let out a miserable, blood-curdling scream.