The Weak Point, the Cripple, the End

Fang Shu forward and with a single sword stroke, gouged out the head of the Ling Baiquan.

This scene shocked everyone watching from all sides, and their hearts trembled.

They held their breath and looked away, glancing at the scene out of the corner of their eyes, as if afraid that Fang Shu would target them again.

It should be noted that two people have already been defeated by that Ling Baiquan today.

One of them managed to escape, while the other was crushed to death by the Ling Baiquan, who relied on its formidable strength, as if it were wearing heavy armor and was unafraid of counterattacks. The dog even hammered its head into its chest, and the other died like a turtle hiding its head.

Such a formidable examinee was actually killed in a single exchange by the swordsman.

"This kid is a friend, not a foe!" This thought appeared in the minds of several observers almost simultaneously.

Fang Shu stood there, looking at the towering figure in front of him. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were momentarily lost in thought.

The fact that he killed Ling Baiquan with a single sword strike was beyond his expectations.

Fang Shu murmured to himself, "It really has a weakness."

It turns out that when Xiao Lili came to the Solitary Gu Hall to ask for revenge for her and her father, the woman had already told them about the Ling Baiquan.

Aside from being ruthless, the most remarkable thing about this Ling Baiquan is his <Copper Membrane Iron-Skin Body-Protecting Seal Art>.

This Cultivation Method resembles Law Technique, where the practitioner uses their own skin as a magical Law Artifact to refine it. From head to toe, from top to bottom, the skin becomes incredibly tough. Once activated, it's as if mercury constantly surrounds the entire body, and with each breath, a powerful energy accompanies it, making the body as strong as an ox or elephant.

Ordinary Law Technique, when cast on this fellow, either vanish like mud into the sea, or fail to break through his defenses or even cause him any damage.

When fighting this kind of person, you must not engage in a prolonged battle, but rather fight quickly. If you miss several attacks, you should flee immediately, and be wary of being grabbed by the opponent.

Furthermore, the "Copper Membrane Iron-Skin Body-Protecting Seal Art" originally had no weaknesses, but Xiao Lili recounted that her father, Xiao Hu, had said he would fight to the death, leaving a fatal wound on the head and neck of the Ling Baiquan, which took several days to heal.

Just now, Fang Shu remembered this matter, and he also had the Dragon-Seeking Gold-Finding Insect with him, which could check the flow of Qi and Blood.

He vaguely noticed that the Ling Baiquan's neck was weak and its Qi and Blood was barely perceptible, so he immediately chose to take a risk, jumped over, and struck that spot.

As it turned out, this was indeed the weak point of the Law Technique; he struck it with his first blow, successfully breaking the Ling Baiquan's Law Technique with his Tongue Sword.

Then, like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, he deftly severed the man's head along his muscles and bones, and with a quick twist, broke free from the man's clutches and counterattack, allowing the man to hold his fine head in his arms.

At the scene, Fang Shu stood upright in front of the Ling Baiquan.

He gazed at the iron tower's body, blood gushing forth, slowly kneeling, and a wave of emotion washed over him.

Although today's match was unlucky for the opponent, who had exploited the enemy's weakness, a defeat is a defeat.

This is a life-or-death struggle, not child's play in the arena.

No matter how resolute you are, how favored by heaven, or how fiercely passionate you are, the loser has no chance to start over; death is death.

After much deliberation, Fang Shu, besides feeling sentimental, also felt a surge of pride.

Even now, these once arrogant prodigies of the martial arts school, who once regarded him as nothing, are now defeated by his sword and die.

Next, carrying his Tongue Sword, he quickly took the Treasure Blood that could be taken from the Ling Baiquan, as well as a few obvious valuables, and then hurried towards the location of the Immortal Sect's envoy.

Today is the assessment day; submitting the report quickly is the most important thing.

As for the Ling Baiquan, it was neither convenient nor worthwhile to examine it closely.

Rustle.

Just as Fang Shu killed Ling Baiquan with a single sword strike and quickly left, right behind him, a figure crouched low in the ravine, walking out of the mine along the same route.

Qin Min's bones were shattered. Even with the life-saving Talisman, it could only help her escape and stimulate her Qi and Blood, but it could not repair her injuries.

Now she's like a mouse, hiding in the gutter, afraid of being caught by someone.

Even so, every time she walked a certain distance, she would vomit a mouthful of blood, and the blood contained fragments of internal organs, which chilled her to the bone.

"No, I can't die here. I still have my sister... I have Spirit Root. Even if I fail this time, I will definitely make it to the Autumn Examination." She still held onto a last glimmer of hope.

The woman moved intermittently, crawling towards the envoy of the Immortal Sect. Only by crawling close to the Immortal Sect could she possibly find a glimmer of hope.

Roar! Pfft!

Suddenly, she heard a roar from ahead, and a figure was blocking her way. She turned even paler with fright and realized that her path was blocked.

But then, another "plop" sound rang out, and a familiar figure leaped onto the other party as if snatching chestnuts from the fire, ending the towering figure with a single sword strike.

Qin Min stared in disbelief at the scene before her.

She recognized the figure and the way he wielded the sword. She even knew who the iron tower figure was—a top disciple of the Scorched-Tail Hall, someone who would surely join the Immortal Sect this time!

"This... how is this possible..." In an instant, Qin Min's feelings were beyond complicated.

She tried to make a sound to attract Fang Shu's attention, but after quickly tidying up, Fang Shu picked up the burlap sack and left without even glancing at her in the ditch.

The next few hundred steps.

Apart from the rats scurrying behind him, no one dared to block Fang Shu's Fang Shu, and he easily walked within a hundred paces of the two Immortal Sect envoys.

A boundary line was drawn a hundred paces away, and no one dared to fight inside it.

When Fang Shu arrived, several figures were already standing in the circle. Some of them had more Unchanging Bone than he did, and their Yin Qi was also much stronger.

Some people didn't have many Unchanging Bones in their hands, and their faces showed visible fear and confusion as they kept glancing at the Unchanging Bone in the hands of others.

Some were covered in blood, their faces as white as paper, looking severely injured, sitting on the ground panting, their hands still bearing the Unchanging Bone.

Fang Shu remained calm and focused his attention on the person with the most Unchanging Bone in the arena.

Squeak!

The squeaking of mice could be heard coming from within the other person's black robe, as if they were conversing.

The man noticed Fang Shu's gaze. His face was hidden in a black robe and cloak. He glanced back at him and then nodded in response.

Fang Shu was slightly taken aback, but nodded in response, and then found a place to rest on the spot.

The man squeaking in the robe wore a robe bearing the mark of the Black Tiger Hall, which reminded him of a fellow called "Rat Lord" he had heard from two Black Tiger Hall disciples.

Next, those who joined the circle mostly waited patiently.

Only two minor incidents occurred during that time.

One group of candidates, who had a small number of Unchanging Bone, shamelessly struck up a conversation with two envoys from the Immortal Sect, hoping to store their Unchanging Bone within the circle and then go out to look for more.

The response was a slap from the Immortal Sect envoy, which sent the Unchanging Bone flying.

Unchanging Bone were scattered inside and outside the circle, immediately causing the examinees to hurriedly pick them up. Some examinees who also had a small number of Unchanging Bone even took the opportunity to secretly pick up some.

The second incident involved another person, barely alive, crawling back from the mine. Their pitiful state surpassed that of all the other wounded present.

Fang Shu looked up and his eyelids twitched slightly.

He had already recognized the newcomer; the worm-like creature was none other than Qin Min.

This woman isn't dead, but it's practically the same as being dead.

Some of the other examinees around Qin Min seemed to recognize her, and they cast various glances at her, some gloating, some mocking, some pitying, and some filled with doubt.

Fang Shu glanced at it and then withdrew his attention. He chose to continue meditating and recuperating, not wasting a single moment.

Although the third trial has ended, who knows if the envoy from the Immortal Sect might have other ideas or cause trouble again? Therefore, he must seize the time and try his best to recover.

Although he ignored Qin Min, Fang Shu Qin Min not shoo her away when she wriggled and crawled to his Fang Shu.

Upon closer inspection, Qin Min's injuries became even more apparent.

The woman's bones below the chest and abdomen were twisted, and she appeared to be numb. Her condition was much more severe than Xiao Lili's before, and she was clearly only holding on by willpower.

Qin Min lay prone to the side, her head bowed. Taking advantage of Fang Shu's Fang Shu power, she struggled to bite open the various medicine bottles in her arms, and took the medicine while lying on the ground, vomiting repeatedly as she ate.

After barely clinging to life, she struggled to turn over, staring blankly at the sky, tears streaming down her face.

The night was pitch black.

Figures kept rushing in from outside the circle, and all sorts of eyes were cast at her, filled with pity and ridicule.

Two of them had rather sinister gazes, but because of something they were wary of, they didn't dare to sneak up and harm them.

The people in the examination hall were a diverse bunch.

Fang Shu sat cross-legged, his breathing long and deep, his body as straight as a bronze bell. Even moonlight fell from the sky, landing on him and creating a few wisps of white light that aided his breathing and recovery.

Finally.

As darkness the Unseen, the mine fell into a deathly silence, chilled to the bone, with no more shouts of battle escaping.

At this moment, the voice of an envoy from the Immortal Sect sounded belatedly:

"The Spring Examination for today are now concluded."