First Place

More than three hundred people filed into the Fish Dragon Path. The pace of entry was not especially fast, with roughly one person entering every two breaths. The moment someone entered, shouts, the crash of clashing force, and screams immediately rang out without end.

Ye Zhen stood somewhere in the middle. As he stepped into the Fish Dragon Path, he happened to see a Menial Disciple ahead get swept straight out of the passage by an iron stake within, landing in one of the pools on either side of the Fish Dragon Path.

Eliminated outright!

Whoosh!

An iron stake that appeared to be forged from refined iron suddenly shot out from ahead and swept horizontally toward Ye Zhen. He curled up, rolled lightly to the side, and dodged the iron stake.

But at the same time, two iron stakes slashed toward Ye Zhen head-on, leaving him nowhere to dodge.

After slipping past the stake on his left, Ye Zhen gathered his breath and momentum, then threw a fierce punch. His fist crashed hard against the iron stake on his right. The stake, gleaming with the color of aged bronze, let out a mournful cry and abruptly retracted.

This was the Qi Yun Sect's Fish Dragon Path: a passage one zhang high and two zhang wide, stretching beyond sight. The passage seemed to be forged entirely from iron, driven by some unknown force, and was remarkably wondrous.

As long as someone passed through, the countless hidden iron stakes inside would continuously attack from all directions. One had to either get past them or knock them back.

At the same time, a tall Menial Disciple behind Ye Zhen, having passed the several iron stakes that had just attacked Ye Zhen, suddenly quickened his steps and caught up. His eyes fixed on Ye Zhen, blazing with fervor.

"Ye Zhen, stay right there!" With a swift rush, the Menial Disciple leaped into the air and kicked at Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen did not even turn his head. He suddenly curled up and sprang forward like a fish, dodging an iron pillar, utterly ignoring the Menial Disciple who had attacked him from behind.

Bang!

After Ye Zhen leaped past, an iron stake swept in diagonally. It had originally been meant to attack Ye Zhen, but Ye Zhen had happened to leap over it. The Menial Disciple who wanted to take Ye Zhen down for the bounty was struck squarely by the iron stake.

Moreover, he was in midair, with nowhere to borrow force and nowhere to evade. He was sent flying sideways by the iron stake, and a huge splash rose beneath the Fish Dragon Path.

"Damn it!"

Just from the sound, Ye Zhen's face filled with contempt. This fool had practically had his eyes washed red by the Marrow Cleansing Pill. Without even looking at where they were or what moment it was, he had rushed over to step on Ye Zhen and claim Ma Hun's bounty.

And so, not only had he failed to earn the bounty, he had thrown away his own chance to become an Outer Disciple.

Ye Zhen discovered that as long as one's strength was sufficient, the Fish Dragon Path was not too difficult. This was also why Steward Zhao had placed such great confidence in Ye Zhen.

He passed stake after blocking pillar, advancing carefully. From time to time, he met attacks head-on, and along the way he overtook several Menial Disciples. As for fools like the one who had tried to kick Ye Zhen for Ma Hun's bounty, Ye Zhen did not see another.

All along the way, the sounds of people splashing into the water rang out without cease. People constantly failed the trial and were blasted into the pools. Compared to them, Ye Zhen's speed through the Fish Dragon Path was quite fast.

Ye Zhen estimated that although he was only at the initial stage of Blood Refining Triple Layer, the Mirage Dragon Pearl had tempered his blood and qi early on, making them exceptionally condensed. His true combat strength should be close to, or even equal to, that of the Blood Refining Fourth Level.

Otherwise, Ye Zhen could not possibly have defeated Ma Yuanwu, a Peak Blood Refining Third Level martial artist, with a single punch in a direct clash. If cultivation were judged by combat strength, Ye Zhen likely already possessed the qualifications of an Outer Disciple.

Under such circumstances, traversing the Fish Dragon Path was exceptionally easy for Ye Zhen.

"Shi Tianjia, first place is mine, Feng Haoran's! Don't even think of getting past me. Take another move from me!" Near the end of the Fish Dragon Path, the proud-looking Feng Haoran was locked in a fierce battle with the square-faced Shi Tianjia.

"Have a taste of the might of my family's Killing Destruction Fist!"

"Hmph, my family's Azure Cloud Nine Forms are no mere decoration either!" Shi Tianjia shouted.

In the midst of their battle, Feng Haoran and Shi Tianjia each unleashed their inherited martial skills. Those inherited skills were several times more exquisite than the Bear King Mountain Shoulder Fist passed down by the Qi Yun Sect.

The two treated the iron stakes of the Fish Dragon Path as if they were nothing, weaving, shifting, and attacking each other to their hearts' content. Neither was willing to let the other pass first. By the time Ye Zhen arrived nearby, they had already been fighting for quite some time, and their breathing had grown somewhat ragged.

Watching the battle between Feng Haoran and Shi Tianjia, Ye Zhen was stunned. It was the first time he had seen martial skills other than the Bear King Mountain Shoulder Fist, and at first sight, he found them incomparably intricate.

When the fiercely battling Feng Haoran saw Ye Zhen arrive, he gave a cold snort. "You came at just the right time. Once I deal with him, I can kick you down and take the bounty on you. A Marrow Cleansing Pill is still very useful to me!"

"Heh, Brother Ye, you truly have some skill." Shi Tianjia also spoke up at this moment. "Everyone bears you ill will, yet Brother Ye managed to reach this place without a scratch. Truly impressive!"

With just one sentence each, Feng Haoran made Ye Zhen instantly dislike him, while Shi Tianjia won Ye Zhen's favor.

Seeing a faint smile appear on Ye Zhen's face, Shi Tianjia suddenly added, "Brother Ye, why don't you and I join hands..."

"Shameless!" Before Shi Tianjia could finish, Feng Haoran's expression changed drastically, and his attacks became even fiercer.

Ye Zhen's heart stirred at those words. But after a brief moment of thought, he understood the stakes involved and shook his head with a smile. "No rush. I'll wait until the two of you determine the winner before passing through."

Because as things stood, regardless of whether Feng Haoran or Shi Tianjia won, Ye Zhen would place either second or third. Yet there was no difference at all between the rewards for second and third place.

Moreover, Feng Haoran's combat strength was formidable, and he had inherited martial skills to back him up. If Ye Zhen was careless and got knocked off the Fish Dragon Path, losing this chance to become an Outer Disciple, that would truly be a loss.

Seeing Ye Zhen refuse, Shi Tianjia's brows furrowed tightly, while Feng Haoran visibly breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how arrogant he was, he could not defeat Ye Zhen and Shi Tianjia working together.

As the battle dragged on, Shi Tianjia fell increasingly into a disadvantage and could not help growing anxious. Suddenly, Shi Tianjia cried out, "Brother Ye, watch out!"

Shi Tianjia was sent flying by a palm strike from Feng Haoran. As his body drifted like a willow catkin, he used an iron pillar crashing down to spin around, seemingly unable to control himself as he rushed toward Ye Zhen. Feng Haoran's palm struck straight at Shi Tianjia's back.

Just as Shi Tianjia was about to be hit squarely by Feng Haoran, Shi Tianjia, clutching the iron pillar, suddenly exerted force and leaped high into the air, flying over Ye Zhen's head.

In the blink of an eye, the situation changed dramatically.

Just moments ago, Shi Tianjia and Feng Haoran had been fighting to the death. But with that leap, Shi Tianjia had placed Ye Zhen directly in the line of fire, turning it into a face-to-face fight between Ye Zhen and Feng Haoran.

With matters having come to this, Ye Zhen naturally would not retreat, nor did he fear Feng Haoran. He took the initiative, meeting Feng Haoran with Old Bear Emerges from Cave.

Almost the instant Feng Haoran and Ye Zhen engaged, Shi Tianjia, who had just moved behind Ye Zhen, swam around him in a flash and fiercely attacked Feng Haoran.

"Feng Haoran, get down there!"

Azure Cloud Ascends Straight!

In an instant, the situation abruptly changed—or rather, through Shi Tianjia's ingenious scheme—into two against one.

In that moment, Feng Haoran faced two opponents alone!

"Despicable!"

"Hahaha, first place is mine! Many thanks to Brother Feng for yielding it to me!" Seeing Feng Haoran about to be kicked out of the Fish Dragon Path by his and Ye Zhen's joint assault, Shi Tianjia laughed easily.

Ye Zhen's brows suddenly furrowed, and an inexplicable discomfort rose in his heart. This Shi Tianjia had actually calculated even him into his scheme.

"First place?" Feng Haoran raised his brows, and the arrogant air at the corner of his mouth grew stronger. His body suddenly shifted. He actually ignored Ye Zhen's attack altogether and struck directly at Shi Tianjia, who was launching a sneak attack from the side.

Bang! Bang!

Two successive sounds of fists and palms colliding rang exceptionally harshly through the empty Fish Dragon Path.

Feng Haoran's full-force strike not only left the self-assured Shi Tianjia utterly stunned, it also knocked Shi Tianjia stumbling backward, nearly sending him off the Fish Dragon Path.

Ye Zhen's iron fist, meanwhile, slammed without obstruction into Feng Haoran's undefended shoulder. Everything had changed too quickly, so quickly that Ye Zhen could only react instinctively—he could only withdraw part of his strength at the moment his fist struck Feng Haoran.

But Ye Zhen's strength was ferocious enough to split steles and crack rocks with one palm. Even after pulling back some force, the completely defenseless Feng Haoran was still sent flying by Ye Zhen, tumbling directly out of the Fish Dragon Path.

Shi Tianjia, who had just regained his footing behind them, saw Feng Haoran fall and revealed a smug smile on his square, upright face.

At that moment, Ye Zhen suddenly felt a trace of disgust toward Shi Tianjia's square face. Instead, Feng Haoran's proud visage in his mind now seemed much more pleasing to the eye.

Shi Tianjia's sudden burst of movement alerted Ye Zhen. He clearly wanted to seize first place in the Fish Dragon Path while Ye Zhen was distracted.

Unfortunately, Shi Tianjia was some distance from Ye Zhen to begin with, and Ye Zhen was no incompetent. After a few leaps, he rushed to the end of the Fish Dragon Path.

At the end of the Fish Dragon Path stood another heavy gate, inscribed with five large characters: "Fish Dragon First Transformation!" Those five words stirred Ye Zhen's heart. Could it be that the Fish Dragon Path was not limited to this?

"Heh, congratulations, Brother Ye, on taking first place..."

The second person to reach the end of the Fish Dragon Path was naturally Shi Tianjia. However, his expression as he congratulated Ye Zhen was clearly somewhat unnatural.

"Good, very good. So long as you, surnamed Shi, didn't take first place, this knot in my heart has loosened!" Feng Haoran, who had climbed back onto the Fish Dragon Path from its side, calmly passed through the final stretch and reached the end.

"Brother Feng truly has fortune shining overhead, to have not fallen into the water..."

"Ye Zhen, I, Feng Haoran, owe you a favor!"

Feng Haoran directly ignored Shi Tianjia, walked past him, and spoke to Ye Zhen. Clearly, Feng Haoran knew that Ye Zhen had held back that punch. Otherwise, it would have blasted him straight into the water rather than leaving him enough strength to hang from the edge of the Fish Dragon Path.