Top Five

Bang! Qin Lang stamped down on the ground and charged forward first. Spiritual energy surged from his dantian, flowed through the meridians in his body, and spread throughout him, continually strengthening his physical power.

"Brat, you're asking to die!" Seeing Qin Lang charge at them alone, one of the boys across from them, who was at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage, immediately darkened his expression and swung a punch at him.

Bu Lianshi was quick, too. She followed close behind Qin Lang, keeping her eyes fixed on every move the three opponents made, ready to coordinate with Qin Lang's attacks at any moment.

Boom!

With a thunderous crack, Qin Lang's fist collided with the other boy's. Both of them shuddered all over, but, incredibly, Qin Lang was driven back only three steps, while the boy of the same cultivation level was sent flying more than ten steps and fell to the ground. His entire arm cracked and snapped as if it had been shattered, and he let out a horrified scream.

Qin Lang had also taken a heavy impact, but in the three steps he retreated, he quickly channeled the force into the ground. By the time he raised his fist again, he had fallen into line beside Bu Lianshi.

Without needing to say a word, the two rushed forward, meeting the other two who were charging toward them. Qin Lang went for the boy at the second level of the Qi Refining Stage, while Bu Lianshi took on the other boy at the third level.

The three opponents evidently hadn't expected Qin Lang to be so strong. In just one exchange, he had knocked their strongest fighter right out of the battle. But what happened next made them both surprised and cruelly amused.

"Taking on someone at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage while you're only at the second? You're asking to die!" the boy at the third level sneered when Bu Lianshi stepped forward.

The situation was the same on the other side, but he knew how strong his teammate was. Even if he couldn't beat Qin Lang, he wouldn't be defeated outright. This side was different. The girl in front of him looked weak no matter how he saw her. One punch would be enough to crush her.

What happened next, however, took all of them by surprise. Though Bu Lianshi was forced onto the defensive, she clung stubbornly to the boy at the third level, and even seized the occasional opening to strike back.

As for Qin Lang, he was even more direct and brutal, every punch landing solidly. The thudding blows rang out without pause, making even Lin Chuan, watching from the sidelines, twitch at the corner of his mouth. Qin Lang's a real savage! Three breaths later, the boy fighting Qin Lang was sent away coughing blood, his chest caved in. He was clearly as good as dead.

After dealing with this unnecessary opponent, Qin Lang immediately joined forces with Bu Lianshi. In almost an instant, they badly wounded the boy at the third level. By the time the boy Qin Lang had first punched away charged back, one of his teammates was gravely injured and another was on the verge of death.

"You... you..." The two conscious boys at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage stared at Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi as if they were looking at vengeful ghosts, their faces full of disbelief. The only one of them still capable of fighting had no courage left to continue.

"We'll give you all our Spirit Cores! Please spare us!" the boy immediately dropped to his knees and begged, his face filled with terror.

Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi panted as they turned to look at Lin Chuan, who had been watching the show all along. Without realizing it, they had come to regard Lin Chuan as the leader of their group.

"Take the Spirit Cores, and let's go," Lin Chuan said softly.

He wasn't a bloodthirsty killer; there was no need to slaughter them all. Of course, if these people didn't know what was good for them, he wouldn't show mercy. Let goody-two-shoes exist in legends—there was no place for them in this cruel world.

Qin Lang took the Spirit Cores the boy handed over and looked them over. There were only a few from the third level; most were from the second. They were nowhere near as good as the ones the group already had. The lowest-level Spirit Beasts they had hunted these past few days had been at the third level, and the stronger ones had been at the fourth. Lin Chuan had even specifically hunted Spirit Beasts at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage to devour their Spirit Cores. Though most of those had been devoured, after seeing better Spirit Cores, Qin Lang had long since lost interest in these low-grade ones.

"Let's go!" Lin Chuan waved to Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi, then turned and left.

The other two immediately followed, happily playing the part of his little lackeys. They handed over the Spirit Cores they held, and the three soon disappeared into the forest.

"Could that white-haired boy be the strongest one among them?" the gravely injured boy murmured, staring fearfully at the three as they walked away.

"I think he really is..." another boy said with difficulty, swallowing hard.

Not far from where the battle had taken place, beneath a large tree.

"Not bad just now. You at least knew to knock one of them out of the fight, then quickly deal with the weakest one before joining forces to badly wound an opponent at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage. You've made a lot of progress these past few days, and not just in combat strength!" Lin Chuan said with a smile, reaching out to pat Bu Lianshi on the head.

"That's right! My strength is already top-notch among those at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage. Even against someone at the fourth level, I can still fight back!" Qin Lang said smugly, his face wreathed in a broad smile.

Bu Lianshi nodded too, smiling as she accepted Lin Chuan's affectionate head pat. She was satisfied with her performance as well. Though she wasn't as strong as Qin Lang, she had done the best she could at her current cultivation level. Deep down, she was delighted by her progress.

"Come to think of it, I feel like our group is strong enough to rank among the top five of the more than one hundred groups that came in this time. As long as we don't run into powerful Spirit Beasts, we're hardly in any danger." Qin Lang spoke happily. As for powerful Spirit Beasts above the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage, with Lin Chuan's sneaky Byakugan, they were no problem at all.

"How much do you know about the other groups?" Lin Chuan asked.

The old Lin Chuan had never cared about such things, completely lost in his own world. He'd been the same even at the moment of his death, having utterly lost hope in this world—until Lin Chuan transmigrated into his body.

But by then, only half a month remained before the examination. He had to devote all his energy to cultivation, so he hadn't learned much about the Lin Clan's affairs.

"Generally speaking, a few groups are pretty strong. Some of them have someone who's broken through to the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage. One person has even reached the seventh level, so even you wouldn't be a match for him, Lin Chuan! But with you on our side, we're sure to make the top five." Qin Lang thought for a moment before answering.

Lin Chuan nodded and said nothing more. Instead, he activated his Byakugan to scan the area for danger. Then his gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on the place where they had fought earlier.

It had become a slaughterhouse. Three bodies lay scattered around in pieces, dismembered limb from limb. They were the same three who had fought Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi. At that moment, another group of three stood beside the corpses. The dantian of the boy leading them was awash with spiritual energy—he had clearly reached the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage.