Secret Cave Encounter and the Final Frenzy

Night was like water, and the starlight was dim.

Inside a concealed mountain cave, the campfire crackled. Its orange-red glow illuminated three young faces, somewhat weary yet unable to hide their excitement.

"Grrrr..."

A rich scent of roasting meat wafted from an unidentified beast suspended over the fire. Grease dripped into the flames, producing an enticing sizzle.

This was a temporary camp more than ten miles from that terrifying swamp. After successfully escaping, Lin Xiao had used the system's precise terrain scan to find this natural cave, easy to defend and hard to attack.

"I... I still feel like I'm dreaming." Shi Lei clumsily turned the roasting beast leg as he muttered, "We actually snatched food from Xiao Lang's jaws and got away unscathed!"

Even now, his honest heart was still pounding wildly. Whenever he recalled that hair-raising standoff during the day, his palms still broke into sweat.

Su Yue sat to one side, carefully treating the enormous, intact crocodile hide. Using her dagger, she meticulously scraped away the remaining flesh and blood, her movements gentle as though she were handling a priceless treasure. From time to time, her beautiful eyes drifted toward the youth seated cross-legged at the cave entrance, meditating with his eyes closed. Her gaze was filled with complicated emotions.

If she had previously felt curiosity and admiration toward Lin Xiao, now there was an added measure of deep awe.

Within this seemingly ordinary youth seemed to dwell an old monster who strategized from behind the curtains and never miscalculated. His calmness, wisdom, and courage far exceeded what someone his age should possess.

"Stop daydreaming. Eat."

At some point, Lin Xiao had finished cultivating. He opened his eyes and handed a piece of roasted meat to Su Yue. "After we eat, we'll have to take turns keeping watch. The final night of the trial is often the most dangerous."

After the consecutive drain of fighting the Swamp Giant Crocodile and the Heavenly Wolf Society, little Spiritual Energy remained in his body. Fortunately, his increased level had greatly boosted his recovery rate, and he had now recovered seven or eight-tenths of it.

"Oh... okay." Su Yue came back to herself, taking the meat with a faint blush on her pretty face.

The three gathered around the campfire, temporarily forgetting the trial's brutality as they enjoyed this rare tranquility.

"Lin Xiao, what should we do with this crocodile hide?" Shi Lei asked indistinctly through a mouthful of food. "This is the hide of a Second-order Demonic Beast. I heard it could sell for an astronomical price at an artifact workshop in the city!"

"Selling it would be such a waste." Su Yue picked up the conversation, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "Armor made from a Second-order Swamp Giant Crocodile's hide is renowned for its defense. Water and fire cannot penetrate it, while blades and swords can scarcely harm it. If we can find a skilled artifact refiner, we could have three superb inner armors tailored for us! With them, our ability to save our lives would rise enormously!"

Lin Xiao nodded. That had been his thought as well. A good piece of defensive equipment meant an extra life at a critical moment.

"Then it's decided." He made the decision. "Once the trial ends, we'll find the best artifact refiner in the city."

Looking at the priceless crocodile hide, the three of them were filled with anticipation for the future. They knew this was not merely a trophy, but a tremendous leap in their team's strength—and important capital for gaining a foothold in Cloud Creek Academy in the future.

Meanwhile, the square outside the Myriad Beast Mountain Range had long since erupted into an uproar.

Although the light screen could not display the specific images or sounds within the secret realm, the changes in every student token's points and geographical position were clearly shown upon it.

Not long ago, tens of thousands of spectators had personally witnessed an exceptionally bizarre "clash."

The three points representing Lin Xiao, Shi Lei, and Su Yue had encountered the eight points representing Xiao Lang's Heavenly Wolf Society in a swamp region on the map.

Everyone broke into a cold sweat for Lin Xiao's group. In their eyes, the outcome of this encounter was beyond doubt: Lin Xiao's team would surely have their points wiped clean and be sent out in disgrace.

Yet what happened next left everyone's jaws on the floor.

After the two sides' points had made contact for only a quarter of an hour, Xiao Lang's group actually retreated of their own accord!

And Lin Xiao's team had not lost a single point!

"What happened? Am I seeing things? Xiao Lang actually let them go?" "Impossible! With Xiao Lang's overbearing temperament, how could he refuse a piece of meat already in his mouth?" "Look at the rankings! Right before they met, Lin Xiao's team's total points surged by fifty after they killed a Second-order Demonic Beast! Xiao Lang's group must have gone to rob them!" "The robbery failed? And they even retreated voluntarily? This... this is simply a fantasy!"

The crowd completely erupted, and all kinds of speculation ran rampant. No one believed Xiao Lang had suddenly grown a kind heart. The only explanation was that Lin Xiao's team concealed a terrifying force that even Xiao Lang feared!

For a time, the name "Lin Xiao" was shrouded in an even more unfathomable aura of mystery. Thanks to those fifty points, his ranking held firm at thirty-seventh place!

On the raised platform, unprecedented brilliance burst from Chu Tianxing's eyes as well.

"Interesting, truly interesting!" He clapped and laughed. "Not only did he dare challenge a Second-order Demonic Beast, he even managed to preserve his gains beneath Xiao Lang's pressure. Whether Lin Xiao relied on strength or intelligence, it is enough to prove that he is a rare talent!"

"Headmaster, should we send someone to investigate his background?" the slightly plump elder beside him suggested.

"No need." Chu Tianxing waved a hand. "A hero's origins need not be asked. What the academy wants is talent, not family background. Instead, I am even more eager to see how far this little fellow with no backing can go in the coming trial."

He had already made up his mind. As long as Lin Xiao passed the trial successfully, he would definitely take him as a personal disciple and nurture him properly.

The final day of the trial quietly arrived.

When the first ray of dawn pierced the darkness and lit the forest, countless figures darted out from their hiding places and began their final mad dash.

Those ranked near the top wanted to preserve their advantage, while those on the brink of elimination wanted to make one last gamble. At this moment, competition throughout the Myriad Beast Mountain Range entered a white-hot stage.

Lin Xiao's group of three set out early as well.

"Our current total points put us at thirty-seventh place. We're already safely into the second round." Su Yue analyzed the present situation. "On the final day, should we play it safe, or..."

"No." Lin Xiao shook his head, wild light flickering in his eyes. "Defense isn't my style. The later it gets, the more opportunities there are!"

He knew very well that during the final stretch, many teams would take risks to hunt high-level Demonic Beasts or clash fiercely over points. And chaos was precisely the best chance for him to fish in troubled waters.

"Listen to me. We're going to the One-Line Sky Gorge to the east." Lin Xiao pointed to a location on the map. "Its terrain is narrow, making it a necessary route for many Demonic Beast migrations, as well as a favorite place for teams to lie in ambush. There's bound to be a good show there."

Shi Lei and Su Yue already trusted his judgment without question, and they immediately nodded in agreement.

The three concealed their auras and silently slipped toward One-Line Sky like the most seasoned hunters.

Along the way, they spotted an intense battle from afar. Two teams, both ranked within the top hundred, were fighting tooth and nail over a Second-Order Mid Grade Vajra Ape.

"Should we..." Shi Lei was somewhat tempted.

"No." Lin Xiao decisively shook his head. "Our goal is to reap the fisherman's profit, not turn ourselves into the snipe and clam."

They quietly skirted around the battlefield and continued onward.

About two hours later, the narrow and perilous One-Line Sky Gorge appeared before them.

Just as Lin Xiao had predicted, undercurrents were already surging here. With the system's scan, he easily discovered at least four different teams lying in ambush in concealed positions on both sides of the gorge. Each was wary of the others, waiting for prey—or... hunters—to appear.

"There's going to be a good show." The corner of Lin Xiao's mouth curled upward.

He did not act in haste. Instead, he led the other two to an extremely concealed high point with an excellent view, then quietly overlooked the gorge below like a patient vulture.

Time passed second by second.

At last, an enormous Demonic Beast slowly entered the gorge.

It was a Second-Order High Grade Crimson Fire Lion! Its entire body burned with crimson flames, its aura violent and ferocious. Wherever it passed, even the rocks were baked black.

Fifty points!

The breathing of the four ambushing teams instantly grew rapid.

Yet no one moved first. They were all waiting for someone else to make the first move so they could reap the fisherman's profit.

However, just as the tension reached the point of swords drawn and bows bent, a sudden change erupted!

Without warning, the ground deep within the gorge split open into a huge fissure!

Immediately afterward, a dense stench of vegetation, nauseating enough to make one retch, erupted from the crack.

"W-what is that?!" Su Yue cried out in alarm.

A gigantic vine, thicker than a water barrel and dozens of meters long, burst from the underground fissure like an awakened colossal python. With lightning speed, it tightly wrapped around the previously invincible Crimson Fire Lion!

The Crimson Fire Lion struggled madly, spewing blazing flames in an attempt to burn through the vine. Yet a strange green glow surfaced across the vine's exterior, and it was completely unafraid of the fire.

Before everyone's horrified eyes, the enormous vine tightened and tightened. The steel-like bones of the Crimson Fire Lion let out teeth-grating crackles, until it was finally squeezed alive into two halves amid a resentful wail!

An instant kill! A powerful Second-Order High Grade Demonic Beast had been killed in an instant just like that!

"It's... it's a Third-Order Demonic Beast! A Spirit Devouring Demonic Vine!" one ambushing student screamed, his voice warped by terror.

Panic spread like a plague.

All the ambushing teams were so frightened that their souls nearly fled their bodies. No longer caring about concealment, they rushed from their hiding places and fled desperately toward the gorge exit.

But it was already too late.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of smaller vines shot from the underground fissure like tentacles reaching out from hell. At astonishing speed, they caught up with the fleeing students, wrapped around them one by one, and dragged them toward the bottomless dark fissure...

Screams and wails echoed through the entire gorge.

"Run!"

Lin Xiao made a snap decision, grabbed Shi Lei and Su Yue beside him, and turned to flee.

What they had witnessed had already exceeded anything they could handle. That was a Third-Order Demonic Beast, its strength sufficient to rival human cultivators at the higher Origin Opening Realm!

Yet just as they were about to escape the gorge's boundaries, Lin Xiao abruptly halted.

His gaze locked tightly onto the depths of that underground fissure.

On his system panel, a unique message flashed with dazzling golden light.

[System Notification: Heaven-and-earth wonder discovered—Earth Core Body Tempering Milk (juvenile stage)]

[Item Description: A heaven-and-earth spiritual treasure nurtured over a thousand years from the essence of the earth. It possesses miraculous effects of cleansing the sinews and marrow, remaking one's body and bones. It is a supreme treasure dreamed of by Body Refinement Realm cultivators!]