Chapter 131: The Foremost in Entering the Dao of the Modern Era!

"You've got some nerve!"

Giving Qi Xiu a thumbs-up, the bandaged man turned and ran. On this island in the center of the lake, where all flying techniques and escaping lights were completely sealed, being able to hover just a meter or so above the ground was still enough to shake off most pursuers.

Watching everyone chase after the bandaged man and disappear into the distance, Qi Xiu curled his lip and walked back on his own.

With a flip of his hand, nine glass beads containing the Jade Thunder Nectar clinked softly against each other in his palm.

"You saw everything, did you? Saw what, exactly? Running off so happily with an empty lotus, still looking so pleased with yourself."

When he had thrown out the thunder lotus, he had already extracted the nine drops of Jade Thunder Nectar from within. Although Qi Xiu had not planned to go out and actively hunt for the Jade Thunder Nectar, how could he possibly give away something that had already fallen into his hands so easily?

That simply wasn't his style.

Stowing the nine drops of Jade Thunder Nectar into his Flood Dragon Pool Ring, Qi Xiu sat down cross-legged with a calm expression and resumed practicing his Palm Thunder.

After half a year of cultivation, his mastery of Palm Thunder had broken through to sixty-three percent.

In another three or four months, he would break through the first realm and fully master the technique.

These nine drops of Jade Thunder Nectar would be just right for Zhu Momo and the seven brothers of the Great Liang Wolf Cavalry.

...

With the appearance of the Jade Thunder Nectar on the heart-of-the-lake island, the candidates who had been quietly hiding and cultivating suddenly became active once again.

When there was a shortcut to take, who would willingly sit in bitter, monotonous seclusion?

In an instant, fierce battles erupted all across the entire island.

Compared to the combat in the first round of trials, the area of the island was far smaller than that vast expanse of forest. However, because escaping lights could not be used here, the intensity of the battles was actually less brutally lethal than in the first round.

Whenever someone found they couldn't win, they simply turned tail and ran. Without escaping techniques to rely on, and forced to depend solely on their two legs, the speeds of all the candidates were roughly comparable.

Many times, a life-and-death struggle would devolve into a game of "you chase, I flee."

And just as the candidates were once again fiercely battling one another on the island, the pitch-black lake water surrounding the entire landmass seemed to be creeping inward toward the shore, bit by bit...

...

Most of the bandages on his body had been torn away, exposing the crystalline, fair skin beneath. Clutching his chest, the bandaged man coughed up a clot of blood frozen into icy shards.

"Finally shook them off..."

Confirming that the group of people who had pursued him relentlessly for six days and nights had been left behind, the bandaged man let out a long breath and slumped against an ancient black tree.

"That damned bastard... just you wait. I... I won't let you off."

Pulling out the empty thunder lotus—completely devoid of even a single drop of Jade Thunder Nectar—the bandaged man gnashed his teeth until they clicked.

The thunder lotus he had snatched from Qi Xiu's hands in full view of everyone turned out to be completely empty. No matter how he tried to explain, those people refused to believe him.

Of course, if he were in their shoes, he wouldn't believe it either.

Yet the truth was that the Jade Thunder Nectar had indeed been taken away by that man a step ahead of time.

Having never suffered such humiliation from childhood to adulthood, the bandaged man grew angrier the more he thought about it. He longed to track that man down right this second, strip his tendons, skin him alive, and rip out his heart just to vent his hatred!

"Still, I suppose I should thank that black-hearted fellow; otherwise, my stomach would have already been blown wide open by the Jade Thunder Nectar."

After the fury subsided, the bandaged man calmed down as he recalled what he had seen earlier that morning.

"If your Palm Thunder hasn't reached mastery and you haven't formed the thunder runes, rashly consuming the Jade Thunder Nectar is equivalent to stuffing a divine thunderbolt directly into your belly. The people of the Divine Firmament Sect are truly ruthless. Every single test is designed to expose the cruelty of the cultivation world."

Short of entering the Blood-Stained Realm, apart from a very few special methods, having your stomach blown apart by such a severe injury was practically a death sentence.

"The Jade Thunder Nectar can wait; the priority is still to achieve mastery over Palm Thunder."

...

Time flowed on, the sun and moon revolving in turn.

The time remaining for the trial was visibly dwindling down to just one single month.

By this stage, those with the capability to master Palm Thunder had basically already completed their cultivation. The appearance of the Jade Thunder Nectar had drastically shortened the time required to develop their thunder runes.

Essentially, as long as one could grasp the basics of Palm Thunder and initially form the thunder runes, they could use the Jade Thunder Nectar to finalize the technique.

Meanwhile, those candidates lacking the comprehension or fortune to master Palm Thunder had also begun their final desperate counterattacks during this period.

Driven by the mentality of "If I cannot pass, none of you will either," these people roamed and wandered all over the island, hunting down everyone who still had hope of mastering Palm Thunder, launching harassment and sieges in an almost shameless manner.

The ugliness of human nature is always difficult to predict.

Harassed by these desperate individuals, quite a few people who originally had a good chance of passing the second round were dragged down into the mire.

Mad, life-and-death struggles were staged again and again.

Beneath a rolling grassy slope, Qi Xiu and the Great Liang Wolf Cavalry silently stood guard around Zhu Momo.

Bolstered by the Great Righteousness Concentric Array and aided by the Jade Thunder Nectar, the Great Liang Wolf Cavalry had successfully mastered Palm Thunder in the final month's first days, completing the second round of trials.

As for Zhu Momo, after consuming two drops of Jade Thunder Nectar, he had also entered the final sprint phase. As long as he maintained his momentum, there was a high probability he would master Palm Thunder before the deadline.

"Someone's coming again."

Noticing faint black shadows shifting around the nearby woods, Qi Xiu shifted his gaze sharply.

"They wouldn't dare approach."

Gently polishing his helmet, Yan Baizhe maintained a natural expression.

On this island where all escaping lights and flight techniques were sealed, no one dared to court death by provoking their group of Great Liang Wolf Cavalry.

No matter how fast you could run on two legs, could you possibly outrun four legs?

Furthermore, without escaping lights or flight arts, once the Great Liang Wolf Cavalry began a charge, they were simply unstoppable.

Thus, while everyone else on the island was locked in chaotic combat, Qi Xiu's camp was remarkably peaceful.

"Wait, those figures opposite... don't look like humans!"

A faint purple gleam flickering in his eyes, Qi Xiu narrowed them and strained his vision to the utmost, finally making out the swaying black shadows in the opposite woods.

His expression suddenly shifting slightly, Qi Xiu abruptly stood up.

"It's those strange entities from the lake! They've actually landed on the island?!"

Hearing Qi Xiu's words, Yan Baizhe also stood up and looked into the distance.

"Indeed, they are those lake anomalies. That pale-skinned creature with two heads and tentacles all over its body tried to leap onto our boat back then, before the old boatman kicked it back down."

The anomalies from the lake had actually all made their way onto the island!

Exchanging glances, Qi Xiu and Yan Baizhe both saw the shock reflected in each other's eyes.

"Judging by their behavior, though, they don't seem to intend to attack us just yet. They're just peering around."

Anomalies were naturally cruel, bloodthirsty, and reckless. Since they had already landed on the island, it was impossible for them to behave docilely and quietly.

"If they aren't attacking now, it's probably because something is restricting them."

Frowning and pondering for a moment, Qi Xiu and Yan Baizhe thought of a possibility almost simultaneously.

In unison, the two of them spat out a low shout:

"The third round of trials!"

"That's right. There's only one month left until the second round ends. The moment the second round concludes, the Divine Firmament Sect will undoubtedly announce the immediate start of the third round. And that third round..."

"...consists of those hundreds of terrifying anomalies from the lake!"

Recalling the horrifying, ghastly anomalies they had seen lurking in the depths of the lake during their boat ride, hundreds of such creatures—a despair-inducing quantity—made even Qi Xiu and Yan Baizhe feel a tingling sensation across their scalps.

If all those anomalies swarmed onto the island, who could possibly withstand them?

...

At the same time, other candidates across the island had also noticed the frequent appearance of anomaly silhouettes, as well as the pitch-black lake water that was continually creeping onto the land, pooling into deep ponds here and there.

No more infighting!

This was the unanimous first reaction of every candidate upon realizing the anomalies had landed.

Candidates able to reach this island had naturally all witnessed the terror of the anomalies firsthand. One or two anomalies? They might consider themselves fearless and capable of slaying them.

But what about ten, or twenty?

One hundred?

Two hundred, or three hundred?

These were no longer entities that cultivators in the Dao-Entry Realm could contend with.

If they continued to consume their own living forces through infighting at this juncture, they would simply be offering their own necks to the mouths of those monsters.

After all, the Divine Firmament Sect had never stated that those who failed the second round would be safely escorted out. In case they were required to remain stranded on the island, things would become utterly hopeless.

Suddenly, turbulent undercurrents surged across the island.

The abrupt change in the situation triggered multiple reactions. The candidates who had previously been locked in bitter, endless rivalry quickly and spontaneously began to gather together.

Whatever grudges or grievances they held would have to wait until after they survived. To make it through the third round of trials, they would inevitably need to pool everyone's strength.

...

In a secluded corner of the island, atop an ancient black tree, a sword-clasping man dozing under a bamboo hat lifted the brim slightly. Glancing down at the anomalies wandering below, he let out a cold laugh.

"Such a cliché plot—the old fogeys of the Divine Firmament Sect certainly went to great lengths."

"Dong Xingzhou, the content of these three trials is already quite obvious. Well then, how about teaming up once more?"

Squatting on a branch beside the sword-clasping man, a white-faced youth resembling a noble公子 gently shook his folding fan and smiled as he issued the invitation.

"Team up my ass. Piss off and get as far away from me as you can; the stench of powder and perfume on you is truly nauseating."

Speaking with a blunt and rigid tone, the sword-clasping man had no intention of entertaining the young nobleman and spat out a brief curse before closing his eyes to resume sleeping.

"Fine, fine. But I happen to have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?"

"The bad one," came the sword-clasping man's voice from beneath his bamboo hat.

"You didn't take first place in the second round, you know."

"Oh? Really?" Lifting his bamboo hat, the sword-clasping man's gaze grew as sharp as if it could pierce the void.

"Truer than gold. The news came from my seventh grand-uncle. I hear that in order to fight for that top spot, two elders of the Divine Firmament Sect actually started fighting each other, leading to quite a few disciples getting struck by stray lightning for no reason. Those folks are already planning to properly 'welcome' whoever took first place once he achieves mastery." The young nobleman smiled lightly.

"And the good news?"

"Cheng Hua is dead."

"What?!" Sitting up abruptly, the sword-clasping man released a torrential wave of aura. A terrifying sword intent swept outward like a storm, instantly carving countless sword marks and scars into the nearby ancient black trees, which were as tough as refined steel.

"Who did it?"

"Unknown, but it was presumably someone right here on this island. Experts from the Cheng family tried to break in to hunt down the culprit, but the Divine Firmament Sect blocked them. Furthermore, word has it that Cheng family experts located the spot where Cheng Hua died and attempted to use secret arts to trace the killer's tracks, only to be heavily countered and injured by a mysterious force. They only managed a vague inkling: Cheng Hua was obliterated by overwhelming, sheer force. The process was extremely brief—he was essentially taken down with zero ability to fight back. And Lin Man'er was right beside him at the time. Tsk tsk tsk, Dong Xingzhou, your title as the foremost Dao-Entry cultivator in Sichuan Province might just be in jeopardy."

(End of Chapter)