Near the top of a mountain almost two hundred meters high,
a massive waterfall, twenty meters wide, plunged down at an angle,
crashing into the lake below with a thunderous roar that could be heard clearly a hundred meters away.
The waterfall kicked up a dense mist,
casting countless rainbows across the lake.
Behind the waterfall,
Xia Yan felt his way around and pushed aside the enormous boulder blocking the entrance, revealing a cave tall enough for a person to stand in.
The cave was narrow and dark.
Though it was midday, sunlight reached only a little way inside. Farther in, it was pitch-black,
without a trace of sunshine.
The cave walls were damp, thin moisture clinging to them and trickling downward, gathering before slowly flowing out of the cave.
If the cave ever got even a little sunlight, it would probably be covered in moss.
If you didn't know it was there,
you would likely never find this cave.
Xia Yan headed deeper into the shadowy cave,
and rounded a bend.
At the far end, he saw a golden Blue Silver Grass growing atop a mound of earth.
It had only three tender leaves, slightly translucent, with faint dark-gold patterns visible across them.
It looked sacred, noble, and untouchable.
Xia Yan's face lit up.
He'd finally found it!
A top-tier Plant-type Soul Beast, the Blue Silver Emperor!
He gently stroked the Blue Silver Emperor's delicate leaves. They felt soft and cool.
Sensing that someone had trespassed,
the Blue Silver Emperor's tiny body trembled,
as if in fear.
Xia Yan didn't dare delay. He summoned the Demon Suppressing Pagoda and took the Blue Silver Emperor into the pagoda's first-floor space,
planting it in the middle of the grass.
Bathed in sunlight,
the Blue Silver Emperor's golden leaves swayed gently. It couldn't understand what had happened,
but it could clearly feel the breeze,
a long-missed sensation.
Xia Yan took a Blue Silver Grass of a similar size from the Demon Suppressing Pagoda
and planted it where the Blue Silver Emperor had been.
The spot would be empty otherwise. Maybe it could fool Tang Hao.
He stood and began feeling along the cave wall again.
"Bang!"
Tang San was sent flying by a punch, hurtling five meters before tumbling into a patch of Dark Purple Blue Silver Grass that had stopped growing.
His body was coated in a layer of thick, milky-white venom,
so much of it that it slid down his body.
The venom was part of his Martial Soul and Soul Ring, so it wouldn't harm him.
It just looked awful.
"Ugh..."
Zhao Wuji felt nothing but exhaustion. He covered his face and didn't even bother checking how much of the incense had burned.
"Forget it, you pass. We're done..."
He sighed.
"Where's Oscar? Hurry up and heal him!"
"Oscar... Oscar!"
"Ah...!"
Oscar finally came to his senses. He stared at the dark purple and milky-white Blue Silver Grass spread across at least fifty square meters,
and felt as if it were radiating a despair-inducing pressure...
In a way, it was even more terrifying than Zhao Wuji's pressure!
"Heal him! Hurry!"
Zhao Wuji had kept reminding himself that this was only a spar. He'd held back just now, but the instant Tang San went flying, he regretted it.
He regretted acting on impulse.
At the end of the day, it was only a spar.
But as he looked at that expanse of Blue Silver Grass, he covered his face again. A helplessness he'd never felt before crept through his heart.
Let's just get this over with...
At the same time, he prayed that word of what had happened today wouldn't get out...
Otherwise, his reputation would truly be ruined...
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu looked baffled. What was going on?
Why had it suddenly ended?
The incense hadn't even burned out yet.
A red-haired, chubby young man watched from a distance.
He spotted the three beauties first. Before he could get excited, his eyes widened in shock half a second later.
His mouth slowly fell open,
until it looked wide enough to fit a goose egg.
Th-this... this... this...
What on earth were they doing?!
It was terrifying!
He slowly walked closer,
his belly wobbling with every step.
"Uh... Teacher Zhao..."
"W-what are you guys doing?"
Ma Hongjun clutched his head, his mind in disarray. "Wait... wasn't this supposed to be a test?!"
Zhao Wuji's face darkened.
"Shut up!"
"If any of you dare tell anyone what happened today, you're as good as dead!"
At that,
Ma Hongjun immediately shut his big mouth and stood up straight, utterly solemn.
"Mm-hm!"
"Yes, Teacher Zhao!"
He'd figured it out, actually. This was a test. It was just that the way it had played out... was completely different from what he'd imagined.
He'd heard a bear roar just now and rushed over,
thinking he'd get to watch a good show.
He'd certainly gotten one,
just a little too good...
Oscar wore an awkward expression. "Teacher Zhao... I-I can't get through..."
The venom didn't affect Tang San,
but it would hurt Oscar.
The Blue Silver Grass Tang San had summoned to block Zhao Wuji with its venom was now blocking Oscar instead.
At that,
Zhao Wuji had no choice but to use Gravity Squeeze to pull Tang San, still covered in thick, milky-white venom, toward him.
He stopped three meters away, though, careful not to touch him.
With a girl present, Oscar cleared his throat, embarrassed. "I Have a Big Sausage..."
Pinching the sausage between his fingers, Oscar used it to push Tang San's face straight, looking disgusted, then shoved the entire Recovery Sausage into his mouth.
"Gulp..."
Tang San's throat made an involuntary swallowing sound, even widening slightly.
"..."
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had been standing there perfectly normally, but suddenly their bodies jerked.
They pressed their lips together, their expressions frozen as they fought to keep the corners of their mouths from rising.
Their faces were rigid.
Hold it in! Hold it in!
Zhao Wuji looked even more exhausted. He was practically laughing at himself in irritation.
If he had nothing to do, he could've gone to sleep. Why did he have to go and pick a fight...
"Ah..."
He threw his head back and sighed.
"Wash him clean, then take him to the dormitory..."
"I'm leaving. Don't say I was here..."
With that,
Zhao Wuji left without looking back, no longer carrying the spirited air he'd had before the fight.
Oscar looked up. "Boss Dai, you guys..."
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun immediately shook their heads. "No, no, we've got things to do..."
Before they could even finish, the two of them vanished in a flash.
Oscar nearly cried. Was he really supposed to clean this up alone?
He turned toward the girls, who were resting, ready to put on his trademark smile...
Oscar froze.
Where were they?
Why had they all disappeared?!
On the empty grounds, only he, Tang San, and the venom's sour, rotten stench remained...
Inside the cave,
Xia Yan felt around until he found a concealed slot in the wall. Inside lay a long, black, rectangular box.
The box was cold and incredibly heavy.
The moment he opened it, a cool sensation surged out, filling the entire cave,
carrying an indescribably gentle feeling that instantly soothed the agitation in his heart.
A blue Spirit Bone gleamed with crystalline clarity.
Its two sides resembled wings, and an immense vitality poured from it, soaking into Xia Yan's body and mind.
The hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone possessed immense vitality, granting its absorber healing and flight abilities.
Xia Yan didn't dare delay. After putting everything back as it had been,
he left with the Blue Silver Emperor and the Spirit Bone!
Since Oscar had reached Level 30 just a few days after Tang San enrolled, everyone would soon head to the Star Dou Great Forest.
To catch up with them,
Xia Yan naturally had to hurry back to Shrek overnight.
Before you continue