What am I, a young monk, good at?

"The second trial is about to begin. I'll have to trouble my junior brothers to activate the Illusion Array with me."

As soon as Elder Jingyun finished speaking, Elders Jingfa, Jingshan, Jingshui, and Jingkong of Bodhi Temple emerged from the main hall of the Warrior Monk Institute.

"As you command, Senior Brother Jingyun."

Elders Jingfa and the other three, along with Elder Jingyun, all attacked at once, activating the Illusion Array.

A dazzling array of multicolored light surged from the gray bricks in the courtyard before the Warrior Monk Institute's main hall.

In moments, the entire courtyard was enveloped.

"Break free from the illusion. Those who enter the main hall among the first two hundred will be accepted into my Warrior Monk Institute."

As Elder Jingyun's voice faded, Jiang Chuan felt a dizzying sensation.

The next moment, Jing Hui, the Warrior Monk Institute, and everything else vanished without a trace, replaced by a dense forest.

Jiang Chuan's vision was filled with towering ancient trees.

The bark of the ancient trees resembled coiled dragons, their branches stretching towards the sky, blocking out the sun.

It gave off a sense of desolation and primal wildness.

Familiar scenery. Since this is snatching life from a tiger's jaws, me getting in the top three should be a sure thing, Jiang Chuan mused.

"Roooar!!!"

"Help! Someone, please help me!"

Accompanied by a deafening roar, hurried cries reached Jiang Chuan's ears.

Jiang Chuan immediately sprinted in the direction of the sound.

Soon, a tiger demon, nearly five meters long, entirely white, with golden patterns on its body, appeared within Jiang Chuan's sight.

In front of the fierce tiger, a middle-aged man dressed in plain blue cloth was clinging to a tree branch, desperately calling for help.

Seeing Jiang Chuan approach, the man shouted excitedly, "Little master! Little master! Save me!"

"I am a wealthy merchant from the city. If you save me, I can give you mountains of gold and silver, and I can even marry my beautiful daughter to you."

Jiang Chuan: "…"

Could you be any more fake?

If it's an illusion, they should at least put a little more effort into it!

You're a wealthy merchant, why are you out in these desolate mountains? Shouldn't you at least have some escorts with you?

And what kind of wealthy merchant wears simple cloth clothes?

If I really saved someone like this in the Qingyuan Realm…

Forget mountains of gold and silver; Jiang Chuan figured he'd be lucky to get a single silver ingot.

"Roooar!!!"

The tiger demon let out a roar and turned its gaze towards Jiang Chuan.

"Little monk, you are going to save him?"

Jiang Chuan clasped his hands together. "Amitabha! Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. This humble monk will naturally save this benefactor."

"Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

The tiger demon's thick tail slammed onto the ground with a bang.

"Little monk, I ask you, are the lives of us demons not considered lives?"

"They naturally are," Jiang Chuan answered without hesitation.

"If I don't eat people, I will starve to death. If you save him, I will die."

The tiger demon stared intently at Jiang Chuan with its fierce eyes. "Then why are you saving him and not me? Is it because I am not human? Or is it because the lives of demons are not considered lives? Or perhaps, the compassion of your Buddhist sect is false compassion?!"

The tiger demon's voice grew louder and louder, eventually booming like a great bell.

"Esteemed Tiger Benefactor, you certainly have many questions."

Jiang Chuan looked at the tiger demon, a smile appearing on his face, and then gripped the hilt of the monk's sabre at his waist.

"It's just that my specialty isn't answering questions."

"Then what is your specialty?" the tiger demon asked.

"My specialty is eliminating demons and monsters that create problems."

The monk's sabre in Jiang Chuan's hand was suddenly unsheathed.

Jiang Chuan unleashed the Demon Slaying Saber to its utmost. The bright blade of the sabre turned blood-red.

The blood-red blade seemed to condense the killing intent of the entire Avici Hell, exuding an incredibly chilling aura!

As Jiang Chuan swung, the blood-red monk's sabre, like a crimson lightning bolt, slashed towards the tiger demon.

"This strike!"

The tiger demon's eyes widened like copper bells.

Jiang Chuan's blade strike far exceeded his expectations.

Having comprehended the Golden Wind's Demon Slaying Saber to its peak, Jiang Chuan's understanding of the technique deepened, bringing him just one step away from perfect mastery.

Jiang Chuan was confident that with his full power, he could kill a Third Realm demonic beast with a single strike!

This was also the reason for his confidence in securing a top-three spot!

Squelch!

Fresh blood splattered as the tiger demon's massive, five-meter-long body was split in two by Jiang Chuan.

At the same time, outside the Illusion Array, in the Warrior Monk Institute.

Elder Jingyun looked at the multicolored bubble above Jiang Chuan's head.

Upon closer inspection, within the bubble, Jiang Chuan was confronting the tiger demon.

"This young fellow, is he the disciple you've taken a liking to, Senior Brother Jingyun?"

Elder Jingfa, holding a string of jade prayer beads and with his chest bare and feet uncovered, asked Elder Jingyun.

Elder Jingyun nodded. "Jiang Chuan's aptitude is excellent. He can achieve Perfect Mastery of the Arhat Subduing Tiger Fist after only three viewings. I believe he has a good chance of entering the Arhat Hall in the future."

"He can achieve Perfect Mastery of the Arhat Subduing Tiger Fist after only three viewings?"

Elder Jingfa's face showed surprise. "I didn't expect someone with such talent. No wonder Senior Brother Jingyun thinks highly of him. However, this young fellow has rather poor luck. 'Snatching Life from the Tiger's Mouth' ranks among the top three most dangerous illusions."

A chilling, icy killing intent surged out like a tide, as if a winter gale, howling in all directions, interrupting Elder Jingfa's words.

"What is this?!"

Elder Jingfa's heart trembled, and he uttered five disbelieving words: "Demon Slaying Saber?!"

"It is the Demon Slaying Saber! And it's the Demon Slaying Saber nearing perfect mastery!"

"To cultivate the Demon Slaying Saber to such a level at such a young age, truly formidable! Truly formidable!"

Elders Jingshan, Jingshui, and Jingkong all exclaimed in admiration.

Elder Jingyun's heart was also churning like a stormy sea.

"Jiang Chuan took the Ruyi Heart Sutra from the Scripture Repository. How did Jiang Chuan learn the Demon Slaying Saber? Could it be..."

Stealing knowledge!

With this thought, a cold glint appeared in Elder Jingyun's eyes.

"Stealing divine abilities and cultivation techniques is a grave offense. If Jiang Chuan's Demon Slaying Saber was indeed stolen, as an elder of the Warrior Monk Institute, I must severely punish him!"

The moment he killed the tiger demon, Jiang Chuan felt everything before him vanish.

Immediately, enveloped by the Illusion Array, the multicolored courtyard reappeared in Jiang Chuan's vision.

"Seemingly real, yet an illusion, a dream within a dream."

Glancing at the colorful bubble above Jing Hui's head, Jiang Chuan strode towards the main hall.

Within the bubble, Jing Hui was carrying herbs and being chased by a group of monkey demons. He then slipped, rolling down the mountain like a snowball.

He was bruised and battered, looking quite pathetic.

"It's a shame I didn't bring a recording stone. Otherwise, with this one piece of leverage, I could have controlled the future Arhat Hall's favored disciple, the practitioner of the Star Nirvana Sutra, and the most likely candidate for Buddha Son, for a lifetime."

While thinking this, Jiang Chuan walked through rows of people, exiting the Illusion Array and arriving before the main hall of the Warrior Monk Institute.

As he entered the ancient and solemn main hall of the Warrior Monk Institute, seeing the empty hall, Jiang Chuan became incredibly excited.

At this moment, only one thought remained in his mind.

"Not top three, but first place!"