Of course, everyone was grumbling inwardly, but not one of them dared show it.
Then Yun Huoyue waved her hand again and took out a jade bottle. "This is a Foundation Establishment Pill."
"If the rabbits you carve satisfy me, this Foundation Establishment Pill will be yours."
What?!
Everyone's breath caught.
A Foundation Establishment Pill!
It was a pill everyone present dreamed of obtaining!
Although they could exchange merit points for one, the waiting list started at three years.
For disciples of mediocre talent like them, once they missed the best time to reach foundation establishment, the road to immortality would only grow harder.
Even if they had the merit points now, they had no time to wait.
This was undoubtedly an enormous opportunity!
Chun Xiaobai hadn't been particularly interested at first, but a Foundation Establishment Pill...
He had heard from Fang Yuan that this pill could fetch thirty to fifty thousand spirit stones at auction on the Black Market!
Isn't this just handing money to this great king?
With this great king's blade skills, I can carve dragons and paint phoenixes, or chop bones and strip meat. I'll carve you a rabbit that's big and fat, guaranteed!
But then he began to hesitate.
All the disciples who had come were men. There wasn't a single female disciple.
Was this woman trying to use this method to sniff out the peeping tom?
Fang Yuan, meanwhile, looked utterly uninterested.
Never mind carving rabbits with a blade-he could easily cut his fingers just chopping vegetables.
Yun Huoyue swept her gaze over them, then pointed straight at the disciples trembling with excitement and those looking uninterested like Fang Yuan, speaking coldly.
"You lot, get out!"
"What?!"
They were instantly dumbfounded.
"Wait, Peak Master, give me a chance! I've already grasped the essence of carving. I can definitely carve a rabbit you'll like!" one disciple pleaded.
Bam!
The next second, she sent the disciple begging for a chance flying with a palm strike, blasting him straight out of the Martial Arts Arena.
Chun Xiaobai's heart tightened. This woman really does have something wrong with her head!
She lashes out at the slightest disagreement!
By his rough count, she had cleared out more than eight hundred people, leaving only around two hundred. He was one of them.
Yun Huoyue pointed straight at the disciple at the front of the line.
"Come here."
Delighted, the Outer Sect disciple hurried forward and took the large blade.
The blade had only just flashed, before it could even descend...
Yun Huoyue said, "Get out!"
"What?!"
The disciple froze. He was about to ask why, but remembering the disciples who had been sent flying earlier, he swallowed the question and took to his heels.
The second disciple was next.
This one had learned his lesson. He took the blade with an expressionless face and brought it straight down. Whoosh!
A strip of radish peel flew into the air.
But before it could land, another command came: "Get out!"
His movements stopped. He dropped the blade and ran.
"This woman really is sick in the head!" Chun Xiaobai couldn't help muttering from the back of the crowd.
The third disciple followed. He had barely taken the blade and hadn't even settled into a stance before he was told to "get out."
The fourth brought the blade down, but before it touched the radish, another "get out" came...
Watching Yun Huoyue, Chun Xiaobai had initially thought she was trying to identify the peeping tom. But seeing how the disciples ahead weren't even given a chance to show their skills, he began to doubt it.
More than twenty went through in succession. Even the one who lasted longest only made two cuts before being sent away.
When the twenty-first disciple took his turn, he wasted no words. His wrist danced, swish, swish, swish, swish, and in fewer than ten breaths, he carved a rabbit... so fat it looked like a dog.
Then he looked expectantly at Yun Huoyue.
Yun Huoyue merely gave it a cursory glance and said again, "Get out."
She took out another large radish. "Next."
And so a hundred disciples went through, almost all dismissed the moment their blades came down.
When the hundred and first disciple stepped up, he immediately focused. The long blade in his hand danced into afterimages, and in seven or eight breaths, he carved a big, fat rabbit.
The rabbit was so lifelike that it whetted everyone's appetite.
The remaining ninety-odd disciples felt their hearts go cold. It's over. There goes the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Yun Huoyue's gaze also settled on the rabbit. After studying it for several breaths, she finally uttered the same command.
"Get out."
"What?!"
The disciple was utterly dumbfounded. These are culinary carving skills passed down through my family!
And you're still not satisfied?
Of course, he didn't dare ask aloud. He put down the blade and ran.
Damn it, this woman is really hard to please.
Chun Xiaobai thought he had figured it out. This woman wasn't trying to identify the peeping tom at all. Most likely, she was angry because he had seen everything, and was tormenting people here to vent!
Soon, several more lifelike rabbits were carved, some even posed leaping, fighting, biting, or acting cute.
But Yun Huoyue remained dissatisfied. In the end, all they received as a reward was a "get out."
Yun Huoyue suddenly turned her head toward Chun Xiaobai, who had been watching her the whole time, and spoke coldly.
"You, come here!"
Chun Xiaobai looked left and right. Only when nobody else stepped forward did he realize this woman was calling him.
He hurried over, suppressing the excitement on his face.
Let this great king show you what art looks like!
These people had decent carving skills, but in his opinion, they lacked a little artistry.
He picked up the large cleaver and flicked his wrist. With a few swish, swish, swishes, the blade flashed and radish shavings scattered.
In the blink of an eye, a whole group of rabbits took shape.
Yes, that was right-a whole group of rabbits!
Everyone around him stared in surprise. "This... this..."
Even Yun Huoyue raised her brows slightly.
Seeing that, Chun Xiaobai introduced his work before she could speak. "Peak Master, the theme of this dish I've carved is 'All together'!"
"Look, these are the grandparents, these are the father and mother, this is the son, and this is the daughter..."
It really did surprise Yun Huoyue.
Yet the instant Chun Xiaobai finished speaking, the temperature around them plummeted.
Chun Xiaobai's heart lurched.
He had felt this before. It was killing intent!
I'm screwed!
Has this woman really discovered this great king's identity?
Seeing that she was about to explode, he immediately spoke. "Peak Master, if you're not satisfied, that's all right! This great... this disciple has something even better!"
He picked up a piece of radish left over from the earlier carving. With another few swish, swish, swishes, he carved a new arrangement.
These were rabbits too, but this time there was one male and one female, their heads touching as they snuggled together, showing off their love.
But nobody around him had the slightest interest in admiring them. Every pair of eyes was fixed on Yun Huoyue.
After all, this woman was a lunatic. If she started attacking, whoever ran slowest would be out of luck.
Yun Huoyue looked at the pair of rabbits, her gaze shifting slightly, then turned back to Chun Xiaobai.
After two seconds of silence, she inexplicably reined in all her killing intent. Then she pointed at the remaining disciples who had yet to demonstrate their skills and spoke coldly.
"Get out."
"Right away!"
Chun Xiaobai nodded and lifted his foot, ready to grease his heels and flee along with the others, who looked as though they had been granted a pardon.
But just then, Yun Huoyue called out to his retreating back. "You, stay."
Before you continue