Countless miraculous pills, all kinds of top-tier cultivation techniques, and even excellent bloodlines inherited from their family elders.
Most Scholar Clan disciples possessed advantages that those from humble backgrounds could never match from the moment they were born.
But precisely because of their special status, quite a number of spoiled young masters had been bred. They lived lives of luxury and debauchery every day. With the nourishment of miraculous pills, they possessed only a cultivation realm, while their actual strength was pitifully weak.
Luo Zheng did not believe that all Scholar Clan disciples were like this. Otherwise, the Scholar Clans of the Imperial Capital could never have flourished for so long. There had to be many disciples among them who were not only exceptionally talented but also trained tirelessly and worked hard.
The group of Scholar Clan disciples before him clearly belonged to the former category.
These fellows refused to honestly hunt illusory beasts and instead wanted to extort Crystal Shards from others. They were truly pathetic.
Moreover, their targets were not Scholar Clan disciples. Luo Zheng observed from the side. Whenever a Scholar Clan disciple passed by, they let him through without a second word. But whenever a trial disciple appeared, they refused to let him off no matter what.
Were Azure Cloud Sect disciples really going to ignore such blatant robbery?
What Luo Zheng did not know was that this group had done this more than once or twice. Several years ago, someone discovered that there was a necessary route leading from the second level of Bloodcolor Mountain to the third. A few Scholar Clan disciples had a brainwave, gathered a group of people, and blocked the way here to collect "tolls."
At the time, Azure Cloud Sect had simply turned a blind eye.
Seeing that Azure Cloud Sect allowed them to do as they pleased, the Scholar Clan disciples passed this experience among themselves. Thus, whenever the Bloodcolor Trials began, a group of Scholar Clan disciples would discuss it in advance before intercepting people here.
There were not many illusory beasts on the first and second levels, yet far too many people competed for them. Many discovered that they could not complete their objective within the allotted time, so to pass the Bloodcolor Trials, they would choose to risk everything on the third level.
Before reaching the third level, however, they would strip these trial disciples of every Crystal Shard they possessed.
The trial disciples either feared the strength of their numbers or took their family backgrounds and status into consideration. The vast majority would obediently hand over their Crystal Shards. Luo Zheng stood nearby for a while and saw several trial disciples of decent strength hand over their Crystal Shards indignantly yet helplessly.
Even more trial disciples stood in the distance, hesitation written across their faces. They did not know whether to hand over their Crystal Shards and go to the third level or turn back.
Of course, not every trial disciple from a humble background was so honest.
Luo Zheng stood nearby for a while before seeing a two-meter-tall, Iron Tower Strong Man carrying a giant sword as tall as a person walk toward the checkpoint.
The Scholar Clan disciples there noticed the Strong Man and shouted, "Stop!"
The Iron Tower Strong Man's bell-like eyes widened. "What is it?"
"If you want to pass through here, leave all your Crystal Shards behind first!" one of the Scholar Clan disciples said.
The Iron Tower Strong Man's face darkened. He sized up the group of Scholar Clan disciples before him and asked, "What kind of logic is that? Why should I give you my things? Did Azure Cloud Sect allow you to rob people in broad daylight?"
"Heh heh, logic? We have more people, so that's the logic. If you don't hand over your Crystal Shards, don't even think about passing!" another Scholar Clan disciple said.
The Iron Tower Strong Man was clearly not the kind of person willing to suffer a loss. His dark face was already twisted with rage. He took the giant sword from his back and swung it in his hand like a windmill. "Bah! You want me to hand over my Crystal Shards? Call me Grandpa three times, and I'll see whether I feel like rewarding you grandsons! Whoever dares block me, I'll hack him to death!"
Luo Zheng stood not far away, a smile appearing on his face. The Iron Tower Strong Man was no weakling. These Scholar Clan disciples had finally run into a hard nut to crack.
The Iron Tower Strong Man swung his giant sword and charged fiercely toward the checkpoint. He possessed immense strength, and the giant sword's momentum was even more imposing. As it whirled, the wind roared. Even the gusts brushing across their faces caused a faint pain.
Since these Scholar Clan disciples were capable of doing something like this, their strength could not be too great.
Faced with the Iron Tower Strong Man's desperate charge, the group of Scholar Clan disciples kept cursing, but they all retreated to either side, revealing a gap in the middle.
The trial disciples who had been hesitating saw the gap and felt their hearts leap. Some bold and quick-witted people seized the opportunity and followed behind the Iron Tower Strong Man.
Seeing this, even more trial disciples joined the ranks.
The checkpoint formed by the Scholar Clan disciples had collapsed at this moment. The resentful trial disciples surged forward like fish released when a floodgate opened. Seeing this, Luo Zheng also followed the crowd and charged ahead.
The more than twenty Scholar Clan disciples saw this scene, their faces filled with extraordinary fury. They had never imagined that letting one person through would result in so many people charging after him.
By the time they reacted, quite a few trial disciples had already slipped through their checkpoint and entered the third level of Bloodcolor Mountain.
"Stop them!" one of the Scholar Clan disciples in blue roared.
The other Scholar Clan disciples understood that they could not let anyone else through. Otherwise, everyone would escape.
It had to be said that although these Scholar Clan disciples were not very strong, the weapons and magical treasures bestowed by their families still allowed them to display considerable power.
The Scholar Clan disciples quickly converged, intending to plug the gap and restore the checkpoint.
During this process, the trial disciples who had followed the Iron Tower Strong Man through the checkpoint also fought desperately. Faced with the attacks of the Scholar Clan disciples, they either fought back with everything they had or were eliminated. At a moment like this, anyone would erupt with a measure of strength.
Thus, a chaotic battle began.
"Ah!"
A trial disciple let out a shriek. He had been surrounded and attacked by three Scholar Clan disciples. One of them held a long sword flashing with emerald light and stabbed it straight through the trial disciple's stomach.
Although everyone was inside an illusory formation and would not actually suffer real injuries, the pain was genuine.
After the scream, the trial disciple was instantly surrounded by specks of light. He had been eliminated.
The Scholar Clan disciples did not fare much better. During the charge, one Scholar Clan disciple blocked the path of another trial disciple. That trial disciple looked unremarkable, but he had hidden his strength extremely well. With a light push of his palm, he struck the Scholar Clan disciple.
It was only a gentle pat, yet it seemed as though a strange force had wormed its way into the Scholar Clan disciple's body. The Scholar Clan disciple began to convulse and tremble before collapsing to the ground. In the blink of an eye, countless points of light wrapped around him. This Scholar Clan disciple had likewise been eliminated.
Luo Zheng's footsteps were light and swift. Although quite a few Scholar Clan disciples tried to intercept him, he was like a storm-tossed petrel, constantly dodging and shifting around their attacks as he drove straight ahead.
He smoothly shook off the Scholar Clan disciples blocking him. After glancing back at the chaotic scene, he was just about to leave. He had no desire to meddle in other people's business; gathering Crystal Shards as quickly as possible was what mattered.
At that moment, he happened to catch sight of Mo Can in the crowd.
Mo Can was only in the Bone Refining Realm. He should have honestly stayed on the first level of Bloodcolor Mountain, yet he actually wanted to charge to the third level. Luo Zheng had never expected this.
Fortunately, Mo Can's strength was relatively weak, so he had not attracted much attention. He was stumbling forward with great difficulty.
But one Scholar Clan disciple still noticed Mo Can and quietly followed behind him. The Scholar Clan disciple held a dagger flashing with blood-colored light and was about to stab One Slash into Mo Can's vital point from behind.
If that dagger struck him, Mo Can would certainly be eliminated on the spot.
At this critical moment, Luo Zheng suddenly quickened his pace, rushed forward, grabbed Mo Can, and dragged him backward.
Because of Luo Zheng's tug, the Scholar Clan disciple's dagger stabbed into empty air.
Mo Can still had no idea what had happened. Only after he reacted did he realize that someone had just tried to stab him from behind.
Realizing it belatedly, he immediately felt a wave of fear and said gratefully, "Brother Luo Zheng, I..."
But Luo Zheng had no time to listen to him. Enraged and humiliated, the Scholar Clan disciple raised his dagger and pounced at Luo Zheng again. The dagger shot straight toward Luo Zheng's neck at an extremely crafty and vicious angle, aiming for a single lethal strike.
"Die! Rosewood Inch Strength!"
Luo Zheng drove out a punch that struck the Scholar Clan disciple squarely in the chest. The Scholar Clan disciple tumbled to the ground together with his dagger. Seven faint explosions instantly rang out from his body, and seven enormous blood holes burst open across his chest. After Luo Zheng's strength had increased, Rosewood Inch Strength had grown more powerful as well. The destructive force it displayed within an opponent's body was terrifying.
Specks of light drifted out and wrapped around the Scholar Clan disciple. With a single punch, Luo Zheng had eliminated him.
By this point, the chaotic battle was nearing its end.
The trial disciples who had been able to charge through had already done so, while those who had failed to make it through had basically all been eliminated.
Of course, quite a few Scholar Clan disciples had also been eliminated amid the chaos. Of the more than twenty Scholar Clan disciples, only a dozen or so remained.
The Scholar Clan disciples were deeply frustrated. According to the countless seniors who had used this method, blocking the road and robbing people was the easiest and most effortless way to enter Azure Cloud Sect.
Thus, most of them had believed they could pass the Bloodcolor Trials while lying down. They had never expected one person's charge through the checkpoint to drag so many others into the fray. The situation had instantly spiraled out of control, and more than ten of them had been eliminated in one go.
At this moment, Luo Zheng eliminated another Scholar Clan disciple.
The Scholar Clan disciples were already deeply frustrated, with their anger having nowhere to go. Now Luo Zheng immediately became the target of everyone's ire.
"Run!"
Seeing the Scholar Clan disciples surround him, Luo Zheng directly hurled Mo Can away.
"Take this brat down!"
"This is infuriating! My cousin was actually eliminated!"
"I never thought these lowly commoners would dare resist! Kill him!"
In their fury, the Scholar Clan disciples lost all reason. One after another, they charged at Luo Zheng like vicious wolves pouncing on a tiger.
Half of these dozen-plus people were in the Viscera Refining Realm, and half were in the Marrow Refining Realm. They also carried treasures of various shapes with formidable power; any random one was at least a Middle Grade Profound Artifact.
Luo Zheng did not panic. He knew that the more flustered he became now, the more trouble he would be in.
His eyes narrowed like a cat's, carefully locking onto the Scholar Clan disciple in blue.
The instant these Scholar Clan disciples pounced, Luo Zheng went against the expected course. He suddenly burrowed low along the ground and threw himself toward the Scholar Clan disciple in blue.
To capture the bandits, first capture their leader. He had already noticed that these Scholar Clan disciples seemed to be organized by the Young Master in blue. In that case, he would control him first.
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