"Survival comes in many different forms!"
Watching the Prison Clan Members react in different ways, Wu Sheng glanced back at the beast tide. For a moment, he gained a deeper understanding of cultivating the mind.
"I've found the mindset that belongs to me, but I have plenty of ideas about how to develop it further. I just can't decide which path to take."
"Seeing this scene has given me a lot to think about!"
Wu Sheng shook his head. It was as if he'd grasped something, yet whatever it was remained vague and unreal.
He knew his mindset was transforming, but he was still missing a moment of enlightenment.
"Man Gu, run! That bunch of big idiots behind us is about to catch up!"
Bai Yu stood on the shield of scales at Man Gu's neck, flapping his wings as he urged him on.
"Yip!"
The Little Wolf Cub was jolted awake, and seeing the situation it was in, it grew anxious too.
"White-feathered bird, you're the one who never shuts up! With all this pressure, you're all sitting on my back. Do you think this is easy for me?"
Man Gu strained forward on all four legs, struggling beneath the pressure of the World Projection. From time to time, white streams of cold air burst from his nostrils. He looked close to his limit.
Wu Sheng gave a faint smile and snapped his fingers. A pale blue Wind Whirl appeared around Man Gu, gently lifting him and immediately easing the pressure.
"Master!"
Through the "Soul Spider" mark, Man Gu sent Wu Sheng a grateful message through their spiritual connection.
"Just focus on moving. Don't worry about anything else!"
Wu Sheng then swept his gaze over the others. Whenever he saw someone falling behind but refusing to give up, he used his Wind Domain to conjure pale blue Wind Whirls beneath their feet, easing their burden a little.
As for those who were about to be caught and trampled by the ferocious beasts, yet still kept trying to trip up their teammates so they could escape faster...
Sorry!
If he didn't deliberately sabotage people like that, it would be a rare moment of conscience on Wu Sheng's part.
"Hmm! This girl's pretty stubborn!"
Wu Sheng spotted He Na not far behind. She stumbled along, leaving one footprint after another, but never complained and kept gritting her teeth.
However, only her Spiritual Force had advanced to Star Grade. Her Genetic Primal Force was still stuck at the peak of Planetary Level Nine. Though her body had been strengthened by her Spiritual Force and was stronger than that of most Planetary Level Nine martial artists, she still wouldn't be able to keep going for long.
Her position said it all: she'd reached her limit.
She had started near the front, but now she was about to fall out of the group.
"A stubborn girl has her own kind of charm!"
Wu Sheng smiled faintly and snapped his fingers again.
Snap!
A pale blue Wind Whirl enveloped He Na, and the pressure on her immediately eased.
"What's going on? It feels like some force just canceled out a lot of the pressure around me."
As she ran, He Na glanced around suspiciously but saw nothing. She couldn't help wondering if she'd imagined it.
"With my current strength, helping her win the Prize shouldn't be hard. But if I do, first, I'll draw everyone's attention. Second, if He Na changes her mind afterward or can't make the decision herself, this risky move will have been for nothing."
Sitting on Man Gu's broad back, Wu Sheng rubbed his chin and considered what to do next.
"Leo said that anyone who performs well in the Blood Trial will be recruited and given important positions by the various factions of the Blood Sun Tribe. That must be true. A genius is practically synonymous with a future powerhouse. No one would spend enormous resources recruiting one, only to cast them aside."
"But in previous Blood Trials, the most dazzling geniuses had already been recruited by the various factions in advance."
"It's rare for someone like me to be an 'independent' who suddenly pops out of nowhere."
"And that's exactly what I'm worried about!"
"Don't let them treat me like the Monkey King, bring me into your 'Heavenly Court,' then give me some made-up title like 'Keeper of the Horses' and call it a day."
"That would be bad enough. But if some obnoxious people deliberately pick a fight with me and expose my identity as a Special Lifeform, that'd be a terrible deal!"
"Hmm, I'll let Leo test the waters first. If things are still under control, I'll show a little more of my strength. If things go beyond what I expect—and the Realm Lord up there is constantly watching this place through the World Projection—I'll keep as low a profile as possible."
Wu Sheng kept turning things over in his mind, and in the end, he decided not to stand out just yet.
This was nothing like ordinary circumstances. Usually, the Trial Grounds didn't even have high-tech surveillance. As long as you were strong enough, you could do whatever you wanted during the trials.
But now they were under the pressure of a World Projection. It was as if they were right under the Realm Lord's nose. Trying anything sneaky now would be suicide.
"Haha, we're moving pretty fast! The Core Land is just ahead. Give it everything you've got!" a Prison Clan Member suddenly called out excitedly.
"We really pushed ourselves. I thought I wouldn't make it to the end, but thank goodness we survived."
"But this is only the first step. Once we enter the Core Land, we'll have competitors from the other three Domains to contend with. Even the surviving ferocious beasts will be a major obstacle. I still feel like our prospects are bleak..."
Some were happy; others were worried.
There had been more than two hundred of them when they set out, but those who weren't strong enough had already fallen behind and been trampled to death by the beasts chasing them.
Now, fewer than a hundred were still running.
As for Li Long... he'd already withdrawn his Ice Snow Domain.
There was no point in fighting against a Realm Lord's World Projection. Whatever he tried, he was bound to lose.
Besides, he had to consider his own energy reserves. Helping everyone early on had already pushed him to his limit.
Without Li Long's support and control, many Spirit Readers who weren't physically strong were gradually left behind too.
By now, no one was surprised by this sort of thing.
"Hey, look over there! Is that the Prize for this trial?"
A sharp-eyed Prison Clan Member suddenly shouted, pointing toward a spot ahead.
The group of trial participants looked over. A human woman wearing green garments was tied up with a rope and hung from a branch of a tree over a thousand meters tall, swinging back and forth like she was on a swing.
"Hmm, I've been alive for almost twenty-eight years, and I've finally met my first fellow human! Tsk, even the way she's tied up looks beautiful! She's so graceful, with long, flowing hair and pointed ears, too. Could she be an Elf?"
Wu Sheng stared up at the human woman swinging back and forth. He was a little surprised, but mostly thrilled.
"Something's happening below! A big guy just flew up! That's... Leo? How is that possible? How can he fly under the pressure of a World Projection?"
Another person shouted in shock, followed by a chorus of startled gasps.
Had Leo broken through?
"Hmm, that kid from the Thunder Wing Giant Clan has quite a talent. He's actually comprehended the Wind Domain! Looks like that old Lei Teng will have something else to brag about!"
High above the Trial Ground, a colossal lizard-like creature with four legs and two tails seemed to spot something interesting below. As it continued to drive its World Projection, it chuckled and remarked on what it saw.