Chapter 347: Chapter 312: Instant Kill
At the early stages of the Spirit Sea Realm, Wang Lin was surrounded by ten Bloodstripe War Beasts that were dozens of times larger than him and their presence was even more terrifying.
For a cultivator at the Spirit Sea Realm to challenge ten such giant beasts, a full realm above him, was indeed a shocking sight.
But there was no choice; this was what the Heavenly Sacred Palace demanded.
To become an outstanding disciple of the Second Holy Temple or even the more prestigious First Holy Temple within a second-grade major sect, one must face such trials.
In the midst of countless gazes, the ten Bloodstripe War Beasts that had just burst out of the secret cavern and landed were immediately launching their attack.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ten huge black shadows flashed, and the luminous blood stripes on the beasts intensified as they tore towards Wang Lin at the center.
Spurt! Spurt!
Even though Wang Lin was on guard, he hadn't anticipated that the giant beasts' attacks would be so swift, nor their presence so terrifying.
In the blink of an eye, his body was simultaneously lacerated with ten bloody marks by the beasts.
Luckily, Wang Lin, having been the first to be called out by his Envoy due to his substantial combat strength, managed to quickly activate his movement technique to dodge the beasts' lethal strikes; otherwise, he would've suffered more than just ten bloody marks—the giant beasts likely would have eliminated him in one fell swoop!
Although this was an entrance examination for new disciples and it wouldn't truly result in their death—the examination area had a life-and-death protection mechanism that would teleport the disciple out of the combat area once they were judged to be outmatched—to actually be defeated would mean not only escaping death but also possibly sustaining serious injuries during combat!
"What incredible speed!"
"Not only is there physical strength in their attacks, but also True Qi attacks, and it seems there's even a hint of the Laws!"
The other new disciples, watching Wang Lin narrowly evade the ten giant beasts and emerge with bloody marks, were all shocked, worrying about how they would deal with the Bloodstripe War Beasts when it was their turn.
In the examination area, Wang Lin, who had rapidly dodged the ten giant beasts' attacks, summoned a black spear into his hand with a flourish of light.
This spear was actually a mid-grade treasure.
Wielding the spear, Wang Lin's strength surged as he faced the ten giant beasts charging at him again. His spear tip flashed like lightning, triggering dozens of restrictions on the spear, battling against the ten giant beasts.
Wang Lin, a young genius valued by the Envoy of the Heavenly Sacred Palace, held his ground against ten Bloodstripe War Beasts, equivalent to the early stages of the Rotating Core Realm, without falling behind, thanks to the enhancement from his mid-grade treasure.
Eventually, even before the ten Bloodstripe War Beasts could further stimulate their blood stripes to enhance their strength, Wang Lin exerted all his combat power to the limit. With swift thrusts of his spear's glowing tip, he managed to slay all ten beasts.
"Having slain ten Bloodstripe War Beasts, passed! Wang Lin, you may enter the second trial, 'Holy Temple Tower'!"
Seeing Wang Lin defeat the ten Bloodstripe War Beasts, his Envoy smiled and nodded, announcing the result.
At this time, even though he had slain the ten Bloodstripe War Beasts, Wang Lin was far from unscathed. His body was covered in bloody marks, with several wounds so deep that bone could be seen, a frightening sight.
Upon hearing his victory, Wang Lin wiped the sweat from his face and moved to the side to begin healing his injuries, still with a lingering sense of alarm.
"Next up, Zhao Luo, go for your exam."
"Zhao Luo, at the late stages of the Spirit Sea Realm, will face ten Nine-Pattern Bloodstripe War Beasts!"
After Wang Lin successfully passed the first trial, his Envoy called for the next new disciple to take the examination.
Perhaps Wang Lin's fortunate victory had made this new disciple somewhat complacent.
When a fresh group of ten Bloodstripe War Beasts charged out and attacked the new disciple, even though he had drawn his weapon in advance, he failed to evade the assault of the ten beasts.
With a thunderous crash.
This new disciple was grabbed by two of the giant beasts and almost torn apart on the spot.
The other eight beasts simultaneously clawed at him, creating eight dreadful wounds on his body.
It was only at the very last moment, with the protective restriction in the examination area flaring up brightly, that the new disciple was transported out of the giant beasts' grasp—otherwise, he might have been killed by the Bloodstripe War Beasts at first contact!
After being teleported out, the new disciple fainted from shock.
Within the examination area, the ten victorious Bloodstripe Giant Beasts roared towards the heavens, beating their powerful, dragon-like chests with streaks of blood luminance, jolting all the new disciples back to reality.
These were Bloodstripe War Beasts!
Wang Lin's victory did not guarantee theirs.
Even with caution, there was no certainty of victory over these beasts. A moment's carelessness could lead directly to a brutal defeat by these beasts from beyond the Barbaric Wilderness Continent!
"Unqualified."
"Failing to pass the first trial, Zhao Luo, Spirit Sea Realm, proceed to train in the Fourth Holy Temple."
The Envoy coldly announced the outcome.
Then, other new disciples continued to undergo assessment battles in succession.
As the battles went on, the remaining disciples began to realize.
The Bloodstripe War Beasts were not easy adversaries. To use them as opponents for the first trial meant very few could indeed overcome them.
Among the remaining six disciples undergoing assessment, only one from the True Qi Realm narrowly claimed victory, while all the others, like Zhao Luo, were thoroughly defeated.
And not only were they defeated, but they also sustained serious injuries.
Even one disciple, after holding on for a moment, provoked an increase in strength from ten Bloodstripe War Beasts, suddenly plunging into a desperate situation. The moment he was transported out, even his qi channels and spirit sea were severely injured!
Luckily, a Heavenly Saint intervened, helping him heal his injuries; otherwise, his path of cultivation would have likely been completely destroyed after this battle.
The lead Envoy, who had recruited eight new disciples, witnessed six of them suffer total defeat, disqualifying them from the next round of assessment. They were then distributed among the Third Holy Temple, the Fourth Holy Temple, and the Fifth Holy Temple.
Even the two who achieved victory did so by the skin of their teeth, their bodies covered in bloody wounds, presenting a pitiable sight.
This scene caused the footsteps of numerous new disciples to falter.
Many now fully realized that getting into the Second Holy Temple or the First Holy Temple was indeed no easy feat, and this first challenge of fighting the Bloodstripe War Beasts was truly a test of strength!
"Alright, I have two here who can proceed to the next round. Next, which envoy's disciple will take the assessment?"
Though only two new disciples had qualified for the second round of assessment, the Envoy appeared quite satisfied as he smiled and spoke to the other Envoys.
After all, battling Bloodstripe War Beasts was like fighting above one's level. To have two new disciples overcoming beasts of a much higher level—even if it was through a hard-won battle—was quite an impressive feat, and naturally, the Envoy was pleased.
While the Envoy was basking in satisfaction, Mu Qingqing spoke out, "Let my side go next."
"Ye Chen, how about you take on the first challenge?" Mu Qingqing smiled and spoke to Ye Chen within the crowd.
Ye Chen nodded and stepped forward.
Seeing Mu Qingqing's unwavering confidence, as well as Ye Chen's calm demeanor, the other new disciples turned their gazes toward Ye Chen.
The Envoys too, all turned their attention to him.
"He's the first to challenge?"
"At the early stage of the True Qi Realm, he must defeat ten of the strongest True Qi Bloodstripe War Beasts. Moreover, he must do it quickly. If he takes too long and the beasts grow even stronger, it would be impossible for him to win!"
"I'm actually curious to see what tricks this young man has up his sleeve," one Envoy mused.
The Envoys remembered how Ye Chen faced them—the Heavenly Saint Realm envoys—without a hint of fear, and they became curious about his methods.
"Let's hope he's not just talking big."
"Sister Mu, this being your first time as an Envoy, perhaps you don't realize the true strength of the Bloodstripe War Beasts. Do you think they're that easy to deal with just by observing them?"
"It would be quite the joke if one were to be defeated by the Bloodstripe War Beasts right off the bat," thought a few Heavenly Saints.
Amid these thoughts, Ye Chen had already entered the assessment area.
In the previous assessments, all new disciples had become extremely cautious of the Bloodstripe War Beasts; before the beasts even appeared, they had their weapons ready in hand and their qi fully unleashed.
But when Ye Chen stepped into the assessment area, his hands were empty, showing no intention of using a weapon.
Even when ten Twelve-Pattern Bloodstripe Giant Beasts whose strength had reached the pinnacle of True Qi roared and charged at him, Ye Chen did not draw a weapon.
He didn't even stir his qi.
This situation left everyone stunned.
"The giant beast has launched an attack; how can he defend without using a weapon or unleashing his qi?"
"It's over. Without defending himself, he's bound to be seriously injured!" exclaimed several new disciples, their expressions changing.
"Has he been scared stiff?"
A few Envoys moved their lips, ready to mock Mu Qingqing for her first disciple's apparent inaction.
Just as these Envoys were about to speak amid the cries of many new disciples,
everyone saw the ten Twelve-Pattern Bloodstripe War Beasts charging wildly at Ye Chen, beasts with terrifyingly ferocious qi, were all blasted backward and harshly slammed onto the ground, while still at a distance from his body.
Looking at these Bloodstripe War Beasts again, everyone saw an identical sword hole on the forehead of each one.
And these ten Bloodstripe Giant Beasts, struck by the sword hole, were all devoid of any signs of life!
They had been directly pierced through and killed!
"What happened?"
"How did he make his move? He killed the Bloodstripe War Beasts?"
The new disciples were utterly dumbfounded.
Just a moment ago, they were worried that Ye Chen, with no weapon in hand, would be gravely wounded and defeated by the giant beasts, but in the next moment, the ten Bloodstripe Giant Beasts were instantaneously knocked down dead!
This stark contrast was simply beyond belief for the new disciples.
What shocked them even more was that they hadn't seen clearly how Ye Chen had made his move!
Even as prodigious disciples, they hadn't been able to discern how the young man in front of them had struck, which was truly inconceivable.