The Assessment Ends

"Bang!"

The four figures collided and then separated immediately.

"Puppet Control Art, Heavenly Fusion!" A vortex suddenly appeared on the abdomen of Jiang Yu's puppet. Jiang Yu changed his hand seals, and his entire body instantly became illusory, being drawn into the puppet's body.

"I never expected that a mere assessment would be so troublesome!" At the same time, Jiang Yu's voice came from the puppet.

Xiao Han's eyes narrowed. In his perception, Jiang Yu's aura surged once again, reaching the level of Eight Star Dou Sheng.

This is yet another Eight Star Dou Sheng powerhouse that Xiao Han has encountered outside of Ancient Races, even if it's only temporary.

If others knew that there were so many top-tier experts outside of the Ancient Races, I wonder how many alpacas would gallop through their minds.

Noticing Xiao Han's dazed expression, Jiang Yu frowned and snapped, "Don't get distracted!"

"Oh!" Xiao Han snapped out of his daze, and suddenly hurled his spear. "Go!"

Without turning his head, the middle-aged puppet immediately repelled Jiang Yu, and then threw a punch, shattering the spear that was powerful enough to pierce a mountain range.

Just then, Xiao Han suddenly appeared behind the middle-aged man, shouting, "Spear Rain Stream!"

With a single spear thrust, countless shadows appeared, aimed directly at the puppet's vital points. But the middle-aged puppet's figure vanished from the spot at that moment.

Immediately, Xiao Han shrank back and retreated rapidly, his spear blocking in front of him.

Instantly, alarm bells rang in Xiao Han. The next moment, the expressionless middle-aged man appeared beside him, his fist bringing a strong gust of wind.

"I've been waiting for you." A strange smile appeared on Xiao Han's handsome face, and he slightly parted his lips. "Frost Mirror Image, Shift Form Change Shadow!"

The fist passed through Xiao Han's body without any resistance, causing the middle-aged puppet to stagger.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu, watching from a distance, exclaimed with excitement, "An opening!"

"Heavenly Imperial Dark Explosion." With a palm strike, a mysterious energy penetrated the puppet's body, producing a muffled sound, and the puppet's body froze.

Xiao Han didn't let this opportunity slip by; he appeared and unleashed a sweeping spear strike.

"Boom!"

The puppet's body was instantly slammed several feet into the ground, and thick smoke and dust filled the air. The two of them waved their hands slightly to disperse the smoke and dust.

"The assessment has been passed!"

A loud voice echoed in the space, and the puppet that Xiao Han had knocked into the ground silently appeared behind the two of them.

Xiao Han and Jiang Yu their hair stand on end and turned around in an instant.

What struck the two as odd was that the middle-aged puppet's eyes seemed to have a certain liveliness, no longer as rigid as they had been at first.

"I am the last Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect, Tian Wu Ye!"

Xiao Han felt a deep sorrow in the puppet's voice. "Ancestors of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect, the continent has suffered a drastic change, and our sect could not remain unscathed. Our millennia-old heritage has been destroyed in an instant!"

"The calamity has come, and I, your disciple Tian Wu Ye, know that I am powerless to protect the sect and have failed our ancestors. In order to preserve the legacy, I have no choice but to transfer the sect's secrets to this hidden place, hoping that future generations will discover them."

His voice immediately changed, becoming extremely serious. "Those who come after me, I do not care whether you are juniors of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect or not."

"However, since you have been able to hear these words, you have clearly passed the test, which means you are destined to meet."

"They are qualified to carry forward and promote our sect's heritage."

"If you are a descendant of my sect, you must carry forward the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect, make our sect's name be passed down for generations, and make it stand tall in the center of the continent once again."

Then his tone changed, becoming slightly pleading. "If he weren't a disciple of my sect..."

"I do not ask you to rebuild the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect, I only hope that my sect's heritage will be preserved and continue to be passed down..."

Tian Wu Ye's voice grew fainter and fainter until it was barely audible. The puppet, meanwhile, turned to dust; perhaps this was the price it had to pay for remaining in this world.

Only a vortex appeared strangely before the two of them.

"What a brilliant move!" Xiao Han exclaimed after hearing it.

The Ten Thousand Puppets Sect dates back to ancient times, tens of thousands of years ago. Yet, this voice has been preserved perfectly, which is truly amazing.

Immediately, Xiao Han sensed something was wrong. He glanced at Jiang Yu, who had been silent all along, and was surprised to find that the latter's fists were clenched, veins were bulging, and the glistening tears around his eyes reflected a faint light.

"Huh?" Jiang Yu suddenly came to his senses and turned around to meet Xiao Han's surprised and suspicious gaze.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Finally...

Xiao Han slowly spoke, "Are you a successor of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect?"

This was the only answer that Xiao Han felt was reliable, although he didn't know why the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect, which had disappeared from the Fierce Qi Continent for many years, would have a successor left in the world.

Only in this way can we explain why a powerful figure whose strength is comparable to Eight Star Dou Sheng would lose control of his emotions over a simple sentence.

Now that things had come to this, Jiang Yu knew he could no longer hide it, and reluctantly nodded, saying, "I am the 235th generation disciple of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect!"

"Your Ten Thousand Puppets Sect still exists?" Xiao Han found it hard to believe when his guess came true.

And it has been passed down for more than two hundred generations?!

Xiao Han was at a loss for words, then seemed to have discovered something, his sharp gaze shooting towards Jiang Yu, "If that's the case, why did you only come here now, and even invited me to come along? Don't tell me your Ten Thousand Puppets Sect has always been a one-child policy!"

"How did you know?" Jiang Yu's question left Xiao Han speechless.

He stared in disbelief and exclaimed, "Are you kidding me? The Ten Thousand Puppets Sect only has one lineage?!"

Jiang Yu could only sigh, and then began to explain that he had to get the things he had kept buried in his heart for many years out!

With Jiang Yu's explanation, Xiao Han gradually understood. Although he didn't know if it was true or not, it was quite credible.

The powerful members of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect were indeed wiped out, but some disciples of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect were fortunate enough to escape the calamity because they were not within the sect.

Even so, the survivors also suffered heavy losses in that catastrophe, with only ten remaining in the end.

Because the disciples were not strong enough, and because the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect still had enemies in the world, many disciples had no choice but to break up into smaller groups, disperse, and leave the sect in order to avoid their enemies and secretly develop and grow stronger in order to restore the sect.

However, things were not that simple. The remaining disciples of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect were not particularly talented to begin with, and the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect had transferred its resources in advance, so the disciples outside the sect had no idea about it.

This means they cannot inherit any of the legacy of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect. Having to rely solely on themselves, the surviving disciples of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect were utterly incapable of establishing a powerful sect.

In order to pass on the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect, they had no choice but to secretly accept disciples. While this choice avoided being hunted down by their enemies, it also resulted in a certain degree of historical loss.

In the end, a strange tradition was formed: the lineage was passed down to a single person. No one knew when this rule started; they just did it and it was passed down without any major incidents.

Until several hundred years ago, an anomaly was born, namely Jiang Yu. His master passed away unexpectedly not long after Jiang Yu advanced to the Dou Wang level, leaving behind only his life's learning and a list of disciples throughout the generations of the sect.

However, Jiang Yu still managed to absorb all the legacy left by his teacher thanks to his talent, and ventured out on the continent on his own.

Perhaps it was fate that the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect was spared, for during a chance adventure, Jiang Yu stumbled upon a secret realm of Puppet Master.

During the trial in the secret realm, Jiang Yu gradually discovered many similarities between the puppets and what he had learned, which aroused his suspicions.

Only at the very end did he realize that this so-called Ten Thousand Puppets Sect was probably his ancestral sect.

After obtaining the saint's inheritance, Jiang Yu also learned some information about the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect Secret Treasure.

This became Jiang Yu's greatest opportunity to change his fate. With the help of what he gained from the secret realm and his exceptional talent, he successfully forged his own path in the art of puppetry, reaching his current level in just a few hundred years.

Many years ago, he began searching for a powerful individual qualified to accompany him to the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect Secret Treasure.

Ultimately, Xiao Han, a legendary expert from Central Plains with a relatively favorable reputation and sufficient strength, was chosen.

He even made special arrangements for this. In fact, if Xiao Han hadn't bid for that inheritance, Jiang Yu himself would have bid for it as well. Fortunately, things went according to plan.

After hearing Jiang Yu's story, Xiao Han felt a strange sensation. Why did this seem so familiar?

But none of that matters now. Xiao Han said, "I don't care about your affairs. Just give me what you promised me beforehand."

"No problem!" Jiang Yu readily agreed.

Both of them, without prior agreement, abandoned the idea of double-crossing. The reason was simple: Jiang Yu didn't know Xiao Han's true strength, while Xiao Han was unaware of the extent of Jiang Yu's power as a successor of the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect within the Ten Thousand Puppets Sect Secret Treasure.

Neither of them was absolutely certain of killing the other, so to ensure everything went smoothly, it was best to distribute the loot according to the pre-agreed terms!

Then, the two eagerly stepped into the vortex suspended in mid-air.

Fifteen minutes later...

"What a joke!" Xiao Han and Jiang Yu's voices rang out in disbelief.