"Second Form of the Dragon Slaying Sword Art."
With a sharp cry, Qi Xuanxuan was the first to slay the Blazing Bear wreathed in flames.
By then, Qi Xuanxuan had consumed more than half her spiritual energy. Even the hand gripping her sword trembled slightly, and the Blazing Bear had struck her back, leaving her injured.
Gao Cheng said, "This is the chain reaction. At the beginning, Qi Xuanxuan had to divert spiritual power to protect her body so the venomous snakes' blood wouldn't touch her. By the time she realized she had consumed too much spiritual energy, it was already too late."
Han Fei naturally understood. Simply using spiritual energy to ward off that filthy blood had consumed nearly a quarter of her reserves. In other words, only a quarter remained for combat.
"Xuanxuan is in trouble..."
Han Fei could not help worrying about Qi Xuanxuan.
At that moment, there was no shortage of dramatic scenes in the field. Four people had actually fallen at the second stage.
Gao Cheng burst into laughter. "Geniuses? What a joke. As Heaven's favored children, their spiritual energy is this unstable? I'm afraid they never suppressed their realms at all and broke through whenever they could. And they call this talent?"
Gao Cheng was not wrong. This was also what Sect Master Qi Xiaotian worried about most. For the sake of rankings, the Headmasters of each peak would have their disciples break through as much as possible. That was how geniuses turned into mediocrities.
The third stage was also the final stage. Only twelve people had made it this far.
Of the nineteen, five had died, while two had forfeited and been rescued by the hidden guards.
Of course, when they saw that the final stage required them to face demon beasts of the same level as themselves, everyone fell into despair.
Qi Xuanxuan's opponent was a Frost Giant Ape with spiritual energy at Level Twenty-One, equivalent to the First Level of the Spirit Gathering Realm. It stood four to five meters tall, with thick, muscular arms that radiated immense strength.
Before Qi Xuanxuan could move, the Frost Giant Ape slapped down a massive tree.
Qi Xuanxuan hurriedly retreated to evade it, but the Frost Giant Ape took a step forward and kicked one end of the tree.
Propelled by the impact, the other end of the tree slammed toward Qi Xuanxuan.
The Azure Spirit Sword flashed up before her, and the massive tree crashed into its blade.
The tremendous impact sent Qi Xuanxuan flying as she sprayed a mist of blood.
Han Fei immediately grew anxious, while Gao Cheng clenched his right fist. Though he claimed not to care and treated everyone equally, Qi Xuanxuan's life was ultimately different from the others'.
Though no one had yet been killed in this stage, many had voluntarily surrendered and forfeited. Four of the twelve had already withdrawn.
Of course, aside from the four who truly could not continue, two had passed the stage: Wang Xin of Digui Peak and Dai Wei of Jade God Peak. One excelled at long-range attacks, while the other specialized in control.
The demon beasts facing them suffered miserably. Their movements were sluggish, and they could only endure attacks passively. Their enormous size was not an advantage, but a disadvantage.
The third person to pass was a woman from Tongtian Peak, the only woman to enter the third stage of the martial competition.
Her name was Xue Tong. She was at the Eighth Level of the Innate Realm, but she came from a Formation Array family and possessed an exceptional talent for Formation Arrays. Of course, because her cultivation was low, the demon beast she faced was lower-level as well. She only needed to defeat a Level Eighteen demon beast to pass the third stage.
Qi Xuanxuan was already locked in a bitter struggle, suppressed by the Frost Giant Ape without any power to retaliate.
Of the nineteen people, seven had now passed the assessment and arrived at the open space before the Inner Court gates. Only Qi Xuanxuan remained.
But the severe depletion of her spiritual power made it nearly impossible for Qi Xuanxuan to defeat the Frost Giant Ape.
How could she fight a demon beast known for its icy power and brute strength without spiritual energy? Winning was even more out of the question.
Qi Xuanxuan unleashed her final strike, using every last ounce of strength to execute the third form of the Dragon Slaying Sword Art, Dragon Slayer. But due to her insufficient spiritual power, the Sword Qi's might was greatly diminished.
A thick layer of frost formed over the Frost Giant Ape's chest. The Dragon Slaying Sword Qi cleaved into the ice and shattered it, but the elegant sword technique lacked follow-through and failed to inflict any substantial damage on the Frost Giant Ape.
Qi Xuanxuan panted heavily. She had reached the end of her strength.
If Qi Xuanxuan had not wasted that quarter of her spiritual energy, this Dragon Slaying Sword Art strike would have been at full power and could barely have slain the Frost Giant Ape before her. But there were no ifs left for her, no chance to try again.
Han Fei took a deep breath and raised his leg, preparing to enter the forest.
Gao Cheng frowned. "What are you doing?"
Han Fei turned his head slightly. "What else? Taking part in the entry trial."
Gao Cheng warned, "If you go in to help her, you'll have to face two Level Twenty-One demon beasts. Think carefully."
The corner of Han Fei's mouth lifted as he smiled freely. "So what if there are three?"
With that, Han Fei charged straight into the forest.
At that moment, whether it was Gao Cheng, the selected disciples, or the hidden guards around the Inner Court gates, all of them felt admiration for this boy not yet seventeen.
By voluntarily joining the trial, Han Fei would have to face two Level Twenty-One demon beasts. If he failed, he would also lose his qualification to become a Core Disciple of the sect. Not just anyone could make such a choice.
After entering the forest, Han Fei headed straight ahead and soon sensed the Frost Giant Ape's presence.
His right hand rested on the hilt of the broken sword. A fierce look appeared on his face as he charged directly toward the icy aura he had sensed.
Gao Cheng tilted his head slightly and said to the hidden guard beside him, "Add two Level Twenty-One demon beasts to their area."
The hidden guard froze, and Gu Yue, Meng Qing, and the others beside them were stunned as well.
Meng Qing said, "Senior Brother, there are only two of them. At most, they should face two beasts. Isn't it too much to make them kill three? And Han Fei is at the peak of the Eighth Level of the Innate Realm. Is it appropriate to add Level Twenty-One demon beasts?"
Gao Cheng said coldly, "He chose to play the hero and save the beauty himself. Besides, can his cultivation be measured by normal standards? He took first place in the martial competition. If he can't pass this stage, there's no need for me to acknowledge him."
"Besides, he didn't take the first or second stage, so adding one demon beast for him isn't excessive, is it? If any of you object, report it directly to the Council of Elders or submit it to the Sect Master. It just so happens I haven't wanted to do this job for more than a day or two."
Everyone was speechless and scoffed at Gao Cheng's reasoning.
Gao Cheng's hands moved continuously. All the surrounding images slowly gathered like droplets of water, forming a large screen five meters square that displayed Qi Xuanxuan's area.
Qi Xuanxuan had been forced beneath a huge tree. The Frost Giant Ape slowly approached, raised its right hand, and slapped down at her without the slightest mercy.
The hidden guards concealed in the shadows had already gathered their strength, ready to rescue Qi Xuanxuan at any moment.
But at that moment, a streak of Sword Qi shot through the gaps between the trees and struck the center of the Frost Giant Ape's descending palm.
The Sword Qi erupted. With a bang, the Frost Giant Ape's entire right palm exploded, while the raging Sword Qi continued to envelop its hand.
Meng Qing said, "What powerful Sword Qi."
Gu Yue said, "The person hasn't even arrived, but the Sword Qi is already here—and it struck with perfect accuracy. It's even stronger than during the martial competition. How long has it even been?"
At that moment, Han Fei arrived, golden energy bursting from his body. He shielded Qi Xuanxuan behind him and looked disdainfully at the Frost Giant Ape before him.
Qi Xuanxuan said weakly, "Why did you come?"
Han Fei said, "Watching you fight so enthusiastically made my hands itch. I wanted to see whether a Level Twenty-One demon beast would put any pressure on me."
As soon as Han Fei finished speaking, Qi Xuanxuan collapsed against his back. Once she relaxed, she actually fainted immediately.
Seeing that the Frost Giant Ape had no intention of attacking for the moment, Han Fei turned around and slowly laid Qi Xuanxuan beneath the tree.
At that moment, two more demon beasts emerged into the clearing from opposite directions.
Han Fei frowned. "Senior Brother really thinks highly of me. He actually brought in three Level Twenty-One demon beasts."
He slowly rose to his feet as spiritual energy poured wildly into the broken sword. The blade, missing its tip, immediately emitted a dazzling golden radiance.
Han Fei shouted in a low voice, "Annihilate..."
He drew the golden broken sword back to his left waist, then violently swept it across before him.
The three Frost Giant Apes charged Han Fei at the same time, but in that instant, they were swiftly engulfed by golden light.
A cloud of dust erupted from the clearing, and great swathes of surrounding trees toppled. From above, the clearing had expanded several times over.
The image was covered by dense dust, and Gao Cheng could not see what was happening inside.
As the dust slowly dispersed, Han Fei emerged from the forest, carrying the unconscious Qi Xuanxuan in both arms.
Everyone was dumbfounded, including Gao Cheng. He hurriedly looked back at the image on the screen.
In the clearing where the battle had taken place, the dust gradually faded away. Yet across a massive fan-shaped area, countless trees had been cleanly severed. Amid the lush green leaves and branches, three Frost Giant Ape corpses, steaming faintly, lay silently on the ground.
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