Bloody Free-for-All!

Lin Xiao's casually spoken words, "The previous medicinal bath was simply paradise," were like a basin of ice water from the deepest abyss, dousing the members of Yellow Class Nine who were still excited from their collective breakthrough. They felt a chill from head to toe!

Paradise?

The "Myriad Poisons Purgatory Soup," which tormented them daily, making them feel as if every inch of their skin and every bone was being shattered and reformed, was considered merely "paradise" by this man?!

Then what kind of terrifying scene would the real hell be?!

In an instant, the elation and excitement that had just risen in the training ground vanished like smoke. In its place was a bone-chilling coldness and an irrepressible fear of the unknown.

They looked at the familiar, devilish smile on Lin Xiao's lips and subconsciously swallowed. They felt a chill crawling up the back of their necks.

"Chief Instructor... what exactly is this 'special' care you mentioned?" a slightly bolder disciple asked, his voice trembling.

The smile on Lin Xiao's face became even more "kind."

"Don't worry, it's definitely a 'surprise' you'll never forget."

He didn't explain, but his deliberately mysterious tone evoked more primal fear than any bloody description could.

Seeing their faces turn ashen, Lin Xiao nodded with satisfaction. This was the effect he wanted! Only under extreme fear and pressure could one's deepest potential be unleashed!

"Now, I'll give you the time it takes for one incense stick to burn to recover your strength and familiarize yourselves with the power you've just broken through to."

"After one incense stick, the second phase of special training officially begins!"

With that, he ignored them and walked to a high rock at the edge of the training ground, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest.

The twenty-nine disciples in the training ground, after a brief moment of panic, were instantly overwhelmed by their survival instincts!

They didn't dare to slack off even for a moment. They scrambled out of the medicinal tubs, grabbed the Blood Essence replenishing pills prepared for them, and stuffed them into their mouths like they were eating beans!

No one wanted to be the unlucky one to taste the "surprise"!

For a time, the only sounds on the training ground were the "crunch, crunch" of pills being consumed and the gusts of spiritual energy stirred up by everyone frantically circulating their cultivation techniques.

The time it took for one incense stick to burn passed in a flash.

When Lin Xiao opened his eyes again, everyone on the training ground had already returned to their peak condition.

Their breathing was steady, their eyes sharp. Although there was still a hint of nervousness on their faces, it was overshadowed by a fierce, determined look, like starving wolves, that erupted after being pushed to the brink!

"Very good."

Lin Xiao leaped down from the high rock, landing steadily in front of them.

"Now, we'll begin grouping."

He didn't use a lottery or any other method. Instead, he pointed his finger, seemingly at random but with deep intent, rapidly indicating individuals in the crowd.

"You and you, group one." "You and her, group two." "..."

Soon, apart from Shi Lei and Su Yue, the remaining twenty-seven disciples were divided into thirteen pairs.

"Shi Lei, you are the leader of group one." "Su Yue, you are the leader of group two."

"As for your group fourteen and group fifteen..." Lin Xiao's lips curved into a playful smile, "you two will fight alone."

"What?!"

The entire place erupted in an uproar at his words!

Shi Lei and Su Yue were stunned on the spot.

These two were the strongest in Yellow Class Nine, besides Lin Xiao! Especially Shi Lei, after half a month of hellish training and the amplification from the 'Molten Rock' gauntlets, his true combat power was likely comparable to an ordinary Body Refinement Fifth Level Peak cultivator!

And now Lin Xiao was making him and Su Yue form their own groups?!

This was simply unfair!

"Chief Instructor! This isn't fair!" Shi Lei was the first to protest, puffing out his chest. "If the two of us are in one group, how are the others supposed to fight?!"

"Fair?"

Lin Xiao chuckled at the question.

He walked slowly to Shi Lei, his dark eyes calmly meeting his.

"Shi Lei, tell me, what is fairness in this world?"

"Tell me, when you leave the academy and step onto a real battlefield, facing enemies several times stronger than you, will they talk to you about fairness?"

"Tell me, when your loved ones fall before your eyes, and you are powerless because your strength is insufficient, will you have the right to demand fairness from Heaven?!"

Lin Xiao's voice grew harsher and colder with each word!

Each syllable struck Shi Lei and everyone present like a thousand-pound hammer!

Yes...

When had this world ever known absolute fairness?

The strong prey on the weak! This was the true and most brutal law of this world!

Shi Lei's face instantly turned red. He opened his mouth, but not a single word of refutation came out.

"Remember!"

Lin Xiao's gaze slowly swept over everyone.

"The reason I've arranged this is to make you all adapt to this unfairness from now on! It's to make you understand that in the face of absolute strength, any complaint or excuse is pale and powerless!"

"What you need to do is not to beg for fairness!"

"But to use your fists, use your swords, to become the one who sets the rules!"

"Do you understand?!"

"We understand!!"

Twenty-nine roars filled with shame and realization deafened the ears!

"Very good."

Lin Xiao nodded with satisfaction.

He slowly retreated to the edge of the training ground, his icy voice echoing through the entire area like the pronouncement of death.

"The free-for-all begins now!"

"Kill!"

The moment the word "begin" fell, the entire training ground exploded like a powder keg with a lit fuse!

The pent-up fighting spirit and hostility of the past half-month were unleashed with utter completeness at this moment!

"Clang clang!" "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The crisp sound of weapons clashing, the roar of spiritual energy erupting, and various shouts and growls instantly intertwined into the wildest, bloodiest symphony of war!

The battle entered a white-hot state from the very beginning!

No one held back, and no one dared to hold back!

Because they all knew clearly that in this free-for-all, any trace of mercy could make them the unlucky one to taste "surprise"!

"Group Three! Team up and take down Shi Lei first!" "Ignore him! He's tough! Deal with Su Yue first! She's the biggest threat!"

Almost the instant the battle began, apart from Shi Lei and Su Yue, the remaining thirteen groups reached an incredibly tacit understanding—to eliminate these two most powerful "BOSSes" first!

In an instant, twenty-six figures surged towards the separated Shi Lei and Su Yue like a tide from all directions!

"Good coming!"

Facing this situation, which could be described as a siege, Shi Lei's face showed no fear. Instead, a soaring spirit erupted from him!

The 'Molten Rock' gauntlets on his fists glowed intensely red! A scorching wave of heat erupted from him as the center!

"You want to move me? Ask my fists first if they agree!"

He roared and advanced instead of retreating, like a tiger descending a mountain, actively charging into the surging crowd!

"Mountain Splitting Fist!"

"Bang!"

He threw a punch, and the violent fist wind seemed to carry a hint of scorching explosiveness! The first two students charging forward felt an irresistible force strike them. Their weapons were instantly knocked away, and they themselves were sent flying backward like kites with broken strings, falling to the ground in disarray!

"So strong!"

The surrounding attackers were all shocked!

Although they already knew Shi Lei's strength was formidable, they never expected him to have become so outrageously strong in just half a month!

However, none of those who remained until now were cowards!

"Don't be afraid! He's only one person! Let's go together!" "Use your weapons! Wear him down!"

After a brief moment of shock, even fiercer attacks poured towards Shi Lei like a storm!

Glints of blades, sword shadows, fist winds, leg strikes...

For a time, Shi Lei was forced to retreat step by step under the dense barrage of attacks, constantly in danger! Although his strength was immense and his defense astonishing, two fists are no match for four hands. Facing the siege of over twenty people, he began to feel increasingly overwhelmed!

Meanwhile, Su Yue's situation was even more perilous than Shi Lei's!

As a swordswoman who excelled in speed and technique, her greatest fear was being cornered and surrounded by enemies!

At this moment, she was pinned down in a corner by seven or eight students, completely unable to utilize the advantage of her footwork!

"Tassel Sword Style: Starlight Sword Rain!"

She let out a delicate cry, and the 'Tassel' soft sword in her hand transformed into a dazzling river of stars. The sky-filling sword light protected the three feet around her, making it impenetrable!

However, the students surrounding her were also shrewd. They didn't clash with her head-on but continuously harassed and pressured her from various tricky angles with their weapons, gradually shrinking her space to dodge!

"Su Yue! You have nowhere left to run! Surrender obediently!" A young man wielding a giant axe grinned sinisterly and brought the axe down towards Su Yue's head with a powerful cleave!

Su Yue's face turned pale. With a flick of her toes, she narrowly dodged the powerful blow! But the wall behind her was deeply cracked by the heavy axe!

Before she could even catch her breath, another long saber, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, silently and stealthily lunged towards her ribs from below!

Danger!

Unprecedented danger!

At this critical moment!

A sentence Lin Xiao once said to her suddenly flashed through Su Yue's mind.

"Your sword is too 'soft.' True swordsmen need not only the gentleness to protect their companions but also the sharpness to cut down everything!"

The sharpness to cut down everything!

Su Yue's eyes changed in an instant!

Within those originally gentle, water-like autumn eyes, an unprecedentedly cold and resolute sharpness suddenly erupted!

She no longer solely defended and dodged!

Facing the deadly attacks coming from all directions, she didn't dodge or evade. Instead, she poured all the spiritual energy within her body into the soft sword 'Tassel' in her hand!

"Hum--!"

The originally incredibly soft long sword instantly straightened at this moment! A dazzling sword aura, as brilliant as starlight, surged from the tip of the sword!

"Tassel Sword Style's ultimate secret move--"

"Fleeting Bloom!"

"Swish!"

A circular sword light, extremely fast and extremely brilliant, swept out from Su Yue's center like a blooming death lotus!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Amidst a series of muffled thuds, the seven or eight students surrounding her felt a sharp pain in their wrists. Their weapons were all cleanly severed by the terrifying sword light!

Following that, an irresistible immense force transmitted from their broken weapons, sending all of them flying back fiercely!

Defeating eight enemies with one sword!

When Su Yue stood elegantly in the center of the arena, holding the still "humming" long sword.

The entire place fell silent.

Everyone's gaze was frozen, staring at the girl who seemed to have instantly transformed into an unparalleled sword goddess, their faces filled with disbelief and shock!

Even Lin Xiao, from afar, had a hint of imperceptible approval flash in his eyes.

To be born from death.

This girl had finally comprehended her own "sword heart" in the face of desperation!

Su Yue's earth-shattering sword strike completely broke the stalemate on the field!

It also made the students who were still grouped together instantly sober up – their greatest enemies were never Shi Lei and Su Yue!

But each other!

"Not good! Su Yue is going to start harvesting!" "Forget her! Quickly! Deal with the person next to you!"

The free-for-all erupted again!

But this time, there were no alliances!

Everyone regarded everyone around them as their enemy!

The battle entered the most brutal and bloody "hunting" stage!

"Ah!"

A student had just defeated his opponent and hadn't had time to catch his breath when a spear silently pierced his shoulder blade from behind!

On the other side, two groups had just teamed up against a common enemy, but in the next second, they turned on each other and started fighting fiercely over the "kill" of a fallen student!

Betrayal! Sneak attacks! Fighting against overwhelming odds! Desperate counter-kills!

Scenes that would only appear on a true battlefield of life and death were vividly enacted at this moment!

Their techniques were no longer fancy or restrained!

Every strike aimed directly at the opponent's vital points!

They began to learn to utilize the terrain, elixirs, and talismans in combat!

A scrawny student, on the verge of being defeated by his opponent, suddenly threw a handful of knockout powder at the other's face. Taking advantage of the opponent's obscured vision, he held a dagger to his throat!

Another student was even more cunning! From the very beginning, he pretended to be defeated and fell to the ground, motionless like a dead dog. However, when a passing student let down his guard and walked past him, he erupted like a venomous snake, launching a surprise attack and eliminating the opponent!

The most primitive "evil" of humanity, resorting to any means necessary for survival, was completely ignited at this moment!

On the high rock, Lin Xiao watched it all with a blank expression.

His gaze was cold and calm, without the slightest ripple.

He knew it was cruel.

But he also knew that if he wasn't cruel to them now, the world would be ten thousand times crueler to them when they stepped onto the real battlefield in the future!

He didn't want a group of rule-following sheep!

He wanted a pack of hungry wolves that could carve a path through hell itself!

The battle raged for a full hour.

By the time the last student collapsed from exhaustion, the entire training ground was a mess.

Broken weapons, shattered stone slabs, and figures lying on the ground like sacks of mud, gasping for air, too tired to even move a finger.

Everyone was covered in wounds, their blood and sweat having thoroughly soaked through their black combat uniforms.

Yet, their eyes shone with terrifying intensity!

It was a quality forged in the crucible of blood and fire, a blend of "killing intent" and "tenacity"!

In the end, only three people remained standing on the field.

Shi Lei and Su Yue.

And a thin, youthful boy with a hint of childishness on his face, someone nobody had expected.

It was the same boy who had been the first to break through to Body Refinement Fourth Level in the medicinal bath!

Though his strength wasn't the greatest, he was the one who best understood how to preserve himself and seize opportunities in this brutal free-for-all!

Lin Xiao's figure appeared in the center of the field like a phantom.

He glanced at the panting, thin boy whose eyes were filled with stubbornness and unyielding spirit, and slowly nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Reporting, Chief Instructor! My name is Monkey!" The boy straightened his chest and shouted with all his might.

"Very good, Monkey." A rare, genuine smile appeared on Lin Xiao's face. "From today onwards, you are the third captain of Yellow Class Nine."

Then, he turned to face the defeated students lying on the ground.

His smile vanished instantly.

It was replaced by a chilling, icy demeanor that sent everyone plummeting into an abyss of cold.

"As for you..."

"Are you ready to receive your 'surprise'?"