Universal Scroll, Tai Chi Advancement!

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, they arrived in the Forest of Death, where the second stage of the exam would be held.

Dozens of people had already gathered in the open area on the outskirts. Most were examinees from various ninja villages, and half of them were Konoha students.

A young woman in ninja attire stood before the crowd, smiling with a skewer of dango clenched between her teeth.

She was the chief examiner for this test, Konoha's Special Jonin, Mitarashi Anko.

She glanced around, then walked over with a smile when she spotted Kakashi. "Yo, you're as late as ever. Don't tell me you got stuck in traffic on the road of life again?"

Kakashi did not take the teasing to heart. Pointing at the people beside him, he said, "They're here to take the exam too. Get them sorted out."

At that, Anko swept her gaze over Naruto and the others before stopping on Chen Feng.

"You must be the guest from the Dao School. Lord Hokage specifically mentioned you."

As soon as she spoke, everyone around them turned to look. They were all curious about who could make the Hokage make an exception and allow him to enter the second round directly.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Anko began explaining the rules of the second exam. "In this round, all examinees will be divided into teams of three. Each team will receive one scroll.

"The scrolls come in two types: Heaven and Earth. Only those who collect both different types of scrolls and successfully bring them to the destination within five days will win and advance to the next round."

Hearing this, the brows of the examinees furrowed. This round was clearly intended to make them fight each other and seize other teams' scrolls.

However, because the number of scrolls was limited, even if nothing unexpected happened and every team managed to seize exactly the scroll it needed, at most half of them could advance.

And in such fierce clashes, casualties would undoubtedly be unavoidable. After all, there was no rule against killing in this round.

At that moment, most people felt somewhat nervous. They all knew that the second round would be exceptionally dangerous.

Still, a few people were exceptions in such an environment.

Among the Sand Ninja team stood a red-haired boy carrying a huge gourd on his back. His eyes were cold, and his face was filled with indifference.

To him, dead people were perfectly normal. If this exam lacked the adornment of blood, wouldn't it be terribly boring?

Elsewhere, within an inconspicuous ninja team, a pale, effeminate man wearing a conical hat lowered his eyes slightly. A chilling glint flashed through his pupils.

He glanced faintly toward Sasuke's position, then licked the corner of his mouth with his long tongue, revealing a strange trace of excitement.

At this moment, Anko looked at Chen Feng. "Your situation is rather special, and the number of members in the other teams happens to work out exactly. I'm afraid you can only form a team by yourself this round."

Hearing this, Naruto curled his lips and said, "Isn't that way too unfair to Brother Chen?"

Anko chuckled. "It is indeed a little inappropriate, so I specially arranged a small benefit for our friend from the Dao School."

"A benefit?"

Curiosity appeared in Naruto's eyes.

Anko said to Chen Feng, "Kakashi should have given you the scroll in advance, right?"

Chen Feng nodded and took out a very conspicuous red scroll.

Anko continued, "This is the only Universal Scroll in this test. It can be used in place of any scroll.

"Simply put, as long as you obtain any other scroll during the upcoming exam and make it to the designated location, you will successfully pass this round."

As soon as she finished speaking, Naruto's eyes lit up. Smiling, he said, "That's a pretty good benefit. Now that's fair."

But Chen Feng felt no joy at all. This was obviously a trap.

The Universal Scroll was certainly useful, but she had not said that it belonged exclusively to him. In other words, if someone else got their hands on it, they could also use it in place of any scroll.

Under such circumstances, it would definitely attract the covetous attention of many people.

Sure enough, after hearing this, everyone around them looked over, their eyes fixed tightly on the red scroll in his hand.

As an outsider participating in a ninja exam, he was already likely to be ostracized. With the temptation of the Universal Scroll added in, if the examiner had not still been present, they would have immediately moved to snatch it.

Most importantly, he was alone. In everyone's eyes, he was undoubtedly the easiest target to bully.

In an instant, he became the target of public scrutiny and the center of attention for the entire field.

Feeling the countless gazes upon him, Chen Feng could only shake his head helplessly.

There was no need to ask. This was most likely the Third Hokage's scheme, perhaps intended as a show of force, or perhaps simply to test him.

For all he knew, that old man was hiding somewhere, spying on him through a crystal ball.

But since he was already here, he naturally could not back down. Since they wanted to play, then he would play along...

Seeing that everyone was ready, Anko nodded slightly and distributed the maps.

She then said, "This exam will last five days. Only those who complete the mission within five days and reach the tower at the center of the map will be considered to have passed the test. Does everyone understand?"

"Understood!"

The crowd responded. Then the iron gates opened, and all the examinees followed the staff members into the Forest of Death in batches through different entrances.

After walking for some distance, the guide arranged by Konoha left, leaving Chen Feng alone to wander about at leisure.

With the Universal Scroll in hand, he had no need to trouble himself with searching for other teams. Someone would definitely come to him on their own, following his movements.

All he needed to do was rest well and prepare himself for the upcoming battles.

At the thought, the laziness he had accumulated over many years flared up again. After stretching, he found a flat boulder nearby and lay down on it.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and comfortably basked in the sunlight.

"Now this is living."

He sighed, then opened the system panel again:

Host: Chen Feng

Reputation: 634 (little-known)

Skills: Pure Yang Limitless Skill (Slightly Accomplished), Tai Chi Fist (Slightly Accomplished)

Feng Hou Qi Men (???)

Passive Skill: Billionaire Pauper

Feng Hou Qi Men was still a string of question marks, but after this period of accumulation, his Reputation had risen considerably.

His consciousness lightly touched the panel, and the words "Slightly Accomplished" under Tai Chi Fist gradually blurred before instantly changing into "Entering the Hall"!