Chapter 35
**[Root Bone: Tiger Arms, Leopard Waist.]**
**[Realm: Eight Meridians of Vital Energy and Blood.]**
**[Heavenly Mandate: Black]**
**[Evaluation: Some talent; with diligent study and practice, may achieve something in the future. However, narrow-minded, vengeful, and arrogant, easily led down a radical path.]**
**[Recent Encounter: Deeply entangled with beastly species, has strayed far off course, and is now low on vital blood, preparing to consume the blood of other beasts, gradually losing rationality.]**
“Beastly species?”
Li Mo raised an eyebrow.
What puzzled him was not Wang Hu's fate, but the fact that he had contact with the Demon Summoning Sect.
Before the outer sect disciples' trial, if they did not withdraw from the sect, they were not allowed to leave the mountain gate.
If Wang Hu had been within Qingyuan Sect all along, where did this beastly species from the Demon Summoning Sect come from?
“This trial is likely to be unusual.”
Li Mo pondered for a moment.
Hmm, if the Daughter of Destiny is involved, then everything being normal would actually be abnormal.
According to the usual pattern, it should be Bing Tuozi who turns the tide, perhaps even pulling off a miraculous counterattack?
But now that he knew...
“Master!”
Li Mo dashed over to where the elders were seated.
“Hmm?”
Shang Wu had been dozing off, and upon hearing her disciple's voice, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and scratched her head.
“Have you eaten?”
“Let me treat you to a meal after the trial. I have something to report.”
Li Mo spoke, laying out his judgment.
He found a reason to cover up the mention of the Daughter of Destiny.
As soon as he uttered the words “Demon Summoning Sect,”
Xue Jing and Qian Bufan instantly straightened up, and even the drowsiness in Shang Wu's eyes vanished.
“Are you sure it’s a follower of the Demon Summoning Sect? This is not something to joke about.”
Qian Bufan's voice was low, a hint of worry etched on his brow.
“My father serves as a county lieutenant and once captured a demon from the Demon Summoning Sect. I just felt the aura was similar; I can’t be completely certain, but considering the gravity of the matter, I thought it best to report to the elders. Even if it turns out to be a misjudgment, it’s better than remaining silent.”
Li Mo's reasoning was sound.
“Xiao Mo is quite meticulous in his actions.”
Xue Jing pondered for a moment and said:
“There's a ninety percent chance that Wang Hu has practiced the evil techniques of the Demon Summoning Sect, the Blood of a Hundred Beasts.”
“His claws have reached into our Qingyuan Sect.”
Elder Yin Hua from the Rare Beast Peak stood up abruptly, seemingly ready to capture Wang Hu and interrogate him thoroughly.
“Yin Hua, look at you, so impatient.”
Xue Jing stopped him, casting a more satisfied glance at Li Mo, and said:
“We understand now. You can return to participate in the trial as usual, as if nothing has happened.”
“Understood.”
Li Mo complied readily.
Old Xue probably had other plans.
In Qingyuan Sect, if the elders couldn’t handle a situation, there was little he could do.
...
Half an hour later.
Qian Bufan stood before everyone, hands clasped behind his back, announcing the trial rules:
“Ordinary wild beasts do not count towards your score.”
“Beasts of the ninth rank, early, mid, and late stages, are worth 1 point, 3 points, and 15 points respectively.”
“Of course, there are also ninth-rank peak beasts, which are worth 100 points, but they don’t possess combat power comparable to the Inner Breath realm, so it’s best not to attempt them lightly.”
“If you successfully kill a beast, or if absolutely necessary, you may release a signal arrow, and an inner sect steward will come to assist.”
After Qian Bufan finished, he returned to his seat.
As his words fell, the disciples received signal arrows and selected their weapons.
Then, over a thousand of them surged into the forest.
“Yin Hua, junior brother.”
Xue Jing suddenly spoke.
“Hmm.”
Yin Hua nodded.
He blew into a bone whistle, and hundreds of birds flew out from the Rare Beast Peak, some diving into the forest, others circling above.
...
After a brief moment,
A signal arrow pierced the sky.
Soon, an inner sect steward returned, dragging the corpse of a black leopard. This black panther was as large as a calf, its eyes wide like copper bells, its fierce expression frozen on its face.
The fatal wound was in its throat, a single sword strike had sealed it, and not a drop of blood flowed.
Because the wound had already been frozen.
“Ying Bing, 1 point,” Qian Bufan remarked, nodding in astonishment.
“There are quite a few disciples capable of killing ninth-rank beasts, but to do it so cleanly, without using an ounce of extra strength, is rare.”
Yin Hua's eyes flickered.
“I suppressed my realm to the Vital Energy realm, and I couldn’t achieve such a level.”
Xue Jing clicked his tongue in wonder.
“Little Bing seems to have no practical combat experience before this.”
Shang Wu's eyes sparkled.
Her first kill of a beast was as effortless as killing a chicken.
Many highly talented disciples, despite their immense strength, would be intimidated by the presence of a beast, unable to unleash more than thirty percent of their power.
Yet some thrived under pressure, growing stronger with each battle, like her.
Shang Wu referred to this as the innate combat physique.
“Has my obedient disciple not made any moves yet?”
The master rested her chin on one hand, half-opening her sleepy eyes, seemingly about to doze off again.
Whoosh—
Another signal arrow sounded.
“Li Mo has killed a ninth-rank early-stage beast!”
The inner sect steward returned with the beast, leaving the elders deep in thought.
After a long pause, Xue Jing hesitantly said:
“This thing... is it a Winged Tooth Snake?”
To be fair, if Old Xue hadn’t just refined medicine using the scales of a Winged Tooth Snake, he wouldn’t have recognized what it was.
The “snake corpse” had its head shattered, fangs broken, and its entire body was crushed, resembling a soda can that had been stomped flat.
So brutal.
In stark contrast to Ying Bing.
Qian Bufan, cradling his plump belly, fell into contemplation:
“Shang Wu's niece, didn’t Li Mo practice... sword techniques?”
“He’s also mastered the Six Harmonies Fist.”
Shang Wu shrugged, indicating it wasn’t her concern.
Yin Hua picked up a fragment of a snake fang:
“The most solid part of the Winged Tooth Snake is its fangs, yet they were shattered along with its body by a single punch.”
“This kid’s current realm is not inferior to Ying Bing’s.”
“And he’s also practiced some kind of external training technique?”
Xue Jing felt a chill run down his spine.
The elders had no objections; with their keen eyes, they could discern much from the traces of battle.
From the outcome against the ninth-rank early-stage beast, Li Mo’s performance was not inferior to Ying Bing’s.
But the elders opened their mouths, unsure whether to praise or criticize.
This fighting style was too reminiscent of someone else...
One Shang Wu was already a headache for Qingyuan Sect!
If a second one emerged, what would happen?!
“Sigh, Old Xue, you’re foolish. Why didn’t you take Li Mo under your wing back then?”
“?? I was already at my limit for disciples. Elder Qian had a spot; why didn’t he take him?”
“I wanted to, but your niece got to him first.”
“You’re the foolish one!”
“Is it still possible to prevent him from going astray now?”
The elders sighed in unison.
Shang Wu suddenly stood up, one hand on her hip, the other cracking her knuckles:
“If you want to poach my disciple, fine. Whoever can defeat me, my precious disciple will belong to them.”
The stage fell silent.
---
**Chapter 31: A Single Punch to Kill a Ninth-Rank Late-Stage Beast, and You Call Yourself a Swordsman**
Meanwhile, in the forest.
“A ninth-rank early-stage beast couldn’t even scratch my skin.”
Li Mo glanced at his fist.
They say to strike a snake at its seven inches.
But he had just wanted to test the limits of his physical strength.
The result was that without even using his vital energy, he shattered that little winged python with a single punch.
Strangely enough,
Li Mo had never killed a chicken before.
Yet, during his first kill of a beast, he felt no tension or discomfort; his punches were calm, as if he had experienced this countless times before.
“Is this also a benefit of the Xuanpin Immortal Body?”
Li Mo couldn’t help but scoff.
It seemed that aside from practicing swordsmanship, he excelled at everything else.
Shaking the blood off his fist,
“Wangyue Cliff...”
Li Mo checked the map.
Then he took out his Qing Steel Sword and walked deeper into the forest.
In the vast woods, sporadic shouts echoed.
From time to time, he could see new disciples battling beasts.
Li Mo didn’t linger.
Along the way, he encountered several ninth-rank early-stage beasts, but the outcomes were all the same as the previous winged snake.
Each was dispatched with a single sword strike; Li Mo didn’t even use any sword techniques.
Before long, he arrived at an area marked on the map as “Creek Stone Forest.”
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