Chapter 68: A person as proud as him doesn't need sympathy

  Zhuge Mingyue bypassed the alley and chased after him from another road. In the distance, he saw Ling Feiyang's back rapidly walking forward. Perhaps it was because his emotions were extremely unstable at this moment, so he didn't notice someone following him.

  Ling Feiyang seemed to be wandering aimlessly in the capital, and Zhuge Mingyue didn't immediately call out to him, but instead quietly followed behind. As the sky grew darker, Ling Feiyang suddenly quickened his pace and ran towards the city gate, exiting the city and continuing southward. Zhuge Mingyue closely followed behind him.

  Drip, a raindrop fell. Zhuge Mingyue stretched out her hand to catch the raindrop and looked up, only to find that the moon had disappeared at some point. The patter of the rain grew louder as it started coming down harder. Ye Mei made Zhuge Mingyue call her back, she didn't like getting rained on. Ling Feiyang continued running forward without any intention of stopping, eventually even breaking into a jog.

  Where is he going?

  Zhuge Mingyue followed closely behind Ling Feiyang, and finally Ling Feiyang arrived at a small hill several miles outside the city, stopping under a lush big tree. He sat there in a daze. Zhuge Mingyue's eyes, with her ancient body technique cultivation, had no problem seeing in the dark. From afar, she saw that in front of Ling Feiyang was a tombstone!

  The rain grew heavier, and Zhuge Mingyue held an umbrella, standing far away watching Ling Feiyang who was lost in thought. If it were any other day, Ling Feiyang would have already noticed her presence, but not today. The leaves of the big tree above Ling Feiyang could no longer block the rainwater, and the large drops of rain hit his body with a patter. However, Ling Feiyang seemed to feel nothing, only staring blankly at the tombstone in front of him. His hair was wet from the rain, sticking to his forehead and dripping water. The sight made one's heart ache.

  Ling Feiyang stretched out his hand, slowly and gently stroking the tombstone, his eyes also becoming distant. His mind at this moment was almost scattered, between heaven and earth, as if only he remained.

  Suddenly, the rain on my head stopped.

  Ling Feiyang was taken aback for a moment, then slowly turned his head and saw the person holding an umbrella behind him.

  Without any words, without any extra movements, Zhuge Mingyue simply stood quietly behind Ling Feiyang, holding an umbrella for him.

  In Zhuge Mingyue's eyes, there was no pity, no sympathy, only calmness. A proud person like Ling Feiyang didn't need anyone's sympathy.

  Ling Feiyang looked at the calm Zhuge Mingyue, but didn't say a word. Instead, he slowly turned his head and quietly gazed at the tombstone again.

  He didn't say who was buried in the tomb before them, and Zhuge Mingyue didn't ask either.

  The vast sky, the rain was like a broken string of pearls, almost connecting the sky and the earth into one piece. There was only the sound of pattering rain in my ears, in the night, Ling Fei Yang sat quietly in front of the tombstone, Zhuge Mingyue stood behind him with an umbrella.

  Between heaven and earth, everything seemed to have come to a standstill, leaving only two people.

  It was also unclear how much time had passed when Ling Feiyang finally slowly opened his mouth.

  "It's my mother who is buried here." Ling Feiyang's voice was very soft, but Zhuge Mingyue still heard it clearly.

  Ling Fei Yang's mother?!!

  Zhuge Mingyue's pupils suddenly contracted, and the person buried inside was actually Ling Feiyang's mother? Ling Feiyang's mother should have been buried in the Ling family cemetery after her death, so why was she buried on this isolated hill?

  "This was Mother's own request." Ling Feiyang's voice was somewhat ethereal, "It was Mother who insisted on being buried here, she was adamant that she would not be buried in the Ling family cemetery."

  Zhuge Mingyue was shocked in her heart, but she still didn't speak up or ask any questions. At this moment, Ling Feiyang didn't need questioning, he just needed to pour out his emotions.

  "My mother was a gentle person, devoted to that man. But when I was three years old, he took a concubine and showed great concern for her. He grew cold towards my mother. The concubine became pregnant, had a miscarriage, and it was said that my mother had sabotaged her. That man believed it. After that, my mother's and my days became increasingly difficult. My mother was a tolerant person, but she didn't tell our grandparents about these grievances." Ling Feiyang's voice was soft, but there was an unmistakable hatred in his tone. The man he mentioned was clearly his father, Ling Chao Tian. He wouldn't even call him "father", which showed the extent of his resentment.

  "My mother was ill, getting worse day by day. I was still young, I didn't know what to do, all I could do was stay by my mother's side every day, I was afraid that if she closed her eyes, she would never open them again." Ling Feiyang's voice gradually became choked with sobs, "At that time, I only had her, only her..."

  "I only found out later that my mother wasn't powerless to fight back, she was heartbroken. She was still waiting for that man to come around, but it never happened. Later, she got tired and didn't want to wait anymore. So, she had someone secretly give the evidence of the concubine not being pregnant to that man."

  Ling Feiyang smiled at this point, a smile full of sarcasm and despair. "As expected, that man regretted it, feeling he had wronged his first wife. He immediately rushed over, wanting to apologize. But mother refused to see him, only saying she would rather die than let him into the Ling family grave. She wanted to come clean and leave clean."

  Finally, Mother left, and even on her deathbed, she refused to see that man. So, Mother was buried here. That man later showed great care for me, responding to every request. Only, all this so-called concern only made me feel disgusted. This is what my mother traded her life for.

  Ling Fei Yang suddenly clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into the flesh, fresh blood mixing with rainwater, slowly flowing down, shocking to behold. Yet, he seemed to feel nothing, staring fixedly at the tombstone in front of him.

  That foolish man always thought Mother was heartbroken because of a misunderstanding; how would he know that Mother was desperate because of his infidelity, heartbroken because of his distrust?

  Zhuge Mingyue listened quietly, but in her heart, she couldn't help but sigh for Ling Feiyang's mother. A woman with such a strong personality should have gotten a better life, yet she met such a scumbag. Her final desperate act would also make this scumbag feel guilty for the rest of his life, living in torment forever. Such an extraordinary woman made people feel regretful, sighing in admiration and respect. Yes, it was respect - Zhuge Mingyue slowly looked at the tombstone, feeling reverence and appreciation for this woman she had never met, with a hint of regret. This woman could have had other choices, but she didn't. Perhaps, in her final moments, she still thought of Ling Zhoutian. It's just that love can be as deep as hate.

  "I've been working twice as hard, growing rapidly, just to avoid staying in that so-called home, where I only feel disgusted." Ling Feiyang slightly straightened his back, reached out and gently touched the tombstone, lowering his eyelids. The next moment, his icy hand was grasped by a white, warm hand. Zhuge Mingyue had already squatted down, taking out a handkerchief from her backpack to gently bandage the wound on Ling Feiyang's hand.

  "Your mother must have wanted you to live a good life." Zhuge Mingyue also turned her head to look at the tombstone, and sighed softly, "Then, you should fulfill your mother's last wish."

  Ling Fei's body stiffened, and she clutched the handkerchief in her hand tightly. Yes, Mother wanted me to live a good life, that was her last wish.

  "Let's go." Zhuge Mingyue summoned a gust of wind, rode on it, and flew up into the air with Wen Yu, smiling gently, "If we stay here any longer, we'll catch a cold."

  "With a physique like mine, how could I catch a cold? You're the one who should be careful." Ling Fei Yang's face finally revealed a faint smile as he mounted the Stormwind. His heart, at this moment, had finally calmed down.

  "Only a little less, twenty chicken legs!" The hurricane quoted a very calm price. As a joke, it's already good to give the master a ride, this guy actually came up with a quote, of course, he couldn't be given a discount.

  Ling Feiyang's mouth twitched and he nodded resignedly: "Alright, twenty chicken legs."

  "Let's go. Go home, I won't be returning to the academy tonight." Zhuge Mingyue patted the hurricane under her, and with a burst of speed, it galloped away.

  With Ling Feiyang and Zhuge Mingyue's physique, they wouldn't catch a cold. After returning, they took a hot bath, changed their clothes and felt refreshed.

  "The wound on your hand needs to be treated, don't let it get infected." Zhuge Mingyue reapplied medicine to Ling Feiyang's hand and bandaged it again, reminding him, "Don't touch water carelessly. Get better soon."

  "Hmm." Ling Feiyang looked at Zhuge Mingyue, who was seriously bandaging his wound with her head down. Her white skin and long eyelashes fluttered slightly, making him feel an urge to touch them. His heart felt warm at that moment. No one could understand his emotions when he felt like the world around him was cold and he was the only one left. But then the rain on his head stopped. When he turned around and saw that familiar face, his brain almost went blank. She didn't try to comfort him with words or look at him with sympathetic eyes; she just quietly stayed by his side. That feeling was very peaceful and made him want to linger.

  "Isn't the selection for the Dragon's Den competition too fast?" Zhuge Mingyue was wearing a white nightgown at this moment, and after finishing bandaging Ling Feiyang's wound, she went to wash her hands and sat back down, picking up snacks to eat.

  "Hmm, it's faster this way. In the past, only students from Kuangzhan College and Ziyun College were directly sent to participate. This time, however, a recommendation system was adopted, followed by an assessment. I heard that it was your two masters and Mr. Qing who came up with this idea, and they asked for four spots to be allocated to our Tianfeng College." Ling Feiyang smiled, "They've never done anything like this before, but they made an exception for you."

  "Heh heh, Master and the others are really not bad." Zhuge Mingyue smiled and asked again, "Do you know how this selection is going to be conducted?"

  "It's not very clear, but it seems that the Emperor will preside over it personally. The Emperor is also taking this very seriously. It won't be long before it starts, and we'll know then. Let's conserve our energy for now." Ling Feiyang's expression turned somewhat solemn, "This time, those participating in the selection are all elites from various academies across the nation. In short, we can't afford to lose face."

  "Chang Sun Ning Hao, we did promise to get selected." Zhuge Mingyue nodded, "But with his tone, does he not need to participate in the selection?"

  "No need, he and the person recommended by Kuangzhan College will be directly selected," Ling Feiyang said.

  This is the legendary straight-A student! Zhuge Mingyue immediately understood.

  ……

  The rain fell continuously for two days and two nights, and it wasn't until the third morning that it gradually cleared up.

  The students who participated in the Zhenlong Competition also arrived in Beijing.

  No one had expected that this selection would be presided over by the Emperor himself, and the place of selection was actually in the deep palace of the Forbidden City.

  This forbidden land is said to have been left behind by the founding emperor, and its secrets are still impossible to fathom. This time's selection will take place in the first two layers of the forbidden land. As long as one passes the second layer, they will pass the assessment. If one cannot persist halfway through and gives up, they can tear up their transmission symbol and return. The last people who pass, if there are too many, will engage in arena battles; if not enough, it's still arena battles, with those eliminated participating in arena selection.

  All the recommended students, dozens of people, gathered here, seeing that His Majesty was presiding over it in person, many people were extremely excited.

  "Everyone, go all out and I hope you can represent our Danling country to fight for us and bring glory to our Danling country." The emperor's words were concise and only a few short sentences made the students' hearts surge.

  Below is a detailed introduction by someone, including regulations and so on.

  "I must emphasize that this assessment is extremely dangerous and may even be life-threatening. Those who do not wish to participate can withdraw now." A teacher with a cold expression explained emotionlessly, "I'll say it again, this assessment is extremely dangerous and may result in loss of life. Those who don't want to die can withdraw now!"

  Although his tone was very severe, yet no one pushed back, and no one opened their mouth to say they didn't want to participate.

  A hint of praise flashed in the emperor's eyes. The courage of these students is commendable, and I hope they will remain brave when they enter the forbidden land.

  "Once you step on this transmission array, you will enter the forbidden area. Inside, there is a huge archway called the Forbidden Gate. After passing through it, you can enter the first layer of the forbidden area. After crossing that region, there is also a Forbidden Gate. Upon arrival, you will find another transmission array just like this one here. As long as you pass through the transmission array and return, it counts as passing the assessment." A teacher explained the rules of the assessment.

  "Is it that simple?" an apprentice asked in surprise.

  "Easy? Humph, wait till you get there and you'll know if it's easy or not. I'm warning you all, the forbidden land is full of dangers everywhere, one careless move can put your life at risk, so be careful." The teacher glared at him with a serious tone.

  "Oh." The student spat out his tongue and didn't dare say more.

  "This is a transmission token, if you encounter danger, tear it apart and you can be transmitted back immediately. If you give up halfway, you will lose your qualification. Don't lose it at all costs." The teacher said while handing the transmission tokens to their hands one by one, and only withdrew his gaze after seeing them carefully put them into their pockets.

  "Teacher, what if we all pass the assessment? When will we have another competition?" a student with overflowing confidence asked. He was clearly impatient and thought he would definitely pass the assessment, now wondering when there would be another competition after passing this one.

  "Your worries are unnecessary." The teacher sneered, "Wait until you can safely reach the end before asking that question again."

  After hearing his words, all the students vaguely realized that this assessment was not so easy to pass, and they looked at the transmission array with a nervous and expectant mood.

  "There's something else I need to announce, listen up everyone." The teacher said with an unusual seriousness, "If someone successfully passes the second forbidden area, they will immediately return through the transmission array. Under no circumstances should you step across the gate of the forbidden area and enter the third forbidden area. The danger there is unimaginable, even we don't dare to go in. Moreover, the transmission talisman will also lose its effect once you're there. Once you encounter danger, you won't even have a chance to escape. You simply do not have the ability to reach the transmission array at the third base. Don't look for death, got it?"

  "Understood." The students replied in unison.

  "Speak louder, did you all understand?"

  "Understood!" all the students shouted loudly. The teacher finally felt at ease.

  As they stepped onto the massive transmission array, everyone felt a sense of complete isolation from the outside world. Although the scenery before their eyes hadn't changed in the slightest, it felt as if they had arrived in another world.

  The teleportation array underfoot emitted a faint tremble, and in an instant, a seemingly illusory light shadow appeared before my eyes. Everything became so ethereal, as if I were standing amidst the vast expanse of the universe, with both body and soul floating freely.

  This feeling was extremely short-lived, just a blink of an eye, and before my eyes appeared a vast grassland, with a green as clean as washed water, the gentle breeze blowing, the tender green grass tips revealing dew drops shaking, and sparkling with glittering water light, a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

  However, the Night Demon sitting on Zhuge Mingyue's shoulder suddenly became impatient, her pretty face cold, and her wings fluttering non-stop.

  "What's wrong?" Zhuge Mingyue asked, noticing Ye Mei's abnormality.

  "I don't like it here," said Ye Mei with a pout.

  "Did you feel something?" Zhuge Mingyue asked while looking around.

  "I don't know either, anyway I don't like it here, I want to go back." Ye Mei's small face showed a disgusted expression, not wanting to wait another moment, urging Zhuge Mingyue.

  Zhuge Mingyue recalled the Night Charm, her mind filled with doubts, but she couldn't think of a reason. She looked down at her feet and saw that the transmission array had disappeared, leaving only a soft and tender grassland.

  "It's too amazing, how can there be such a beautiful place in the world." A girl who looked like she was only fifteen or sixteen years old couldn't help but exclaim.

  Everyone who comes here is a student from various universities, with an average age of only 17 or 18 years old. When they see the grassland that looks like a heavenly landscape, their faces all show surprise and admiration.

  "Beauty? I hope you'll still think it's beautiful after a while! Don't forget where this is and what you're here for!" A boy looked at the girl with disdain and said coldly.

  After hearing his words, the students who were originally full of enthusiasm suddenly became depressed. Although the tone and expression of that boy made people feel a bit uncomfortable, what he said was not wrong at all. This is a forbidden land, it's the ultimate test site for this assessment, not a leisurely tourist destination. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, it's just superficial, and there must be crises lurking beneath the surface.

  Recalling the teacher's previous warnings, the students all gathered their spirits and didn't dare to be careless again. Looking at that peaceful and beautiful grassland, surprisingly no one took a step forward.

  Zhuge Mingyue looked at the male student with a cold face, and on his body, there was a calmness that other students of the same age did not have. There was no impatience, and the cold light in his eyes was absolutely not intentionally pretending to be cool, but it was truly a disdain for all things in the world from the bottom of his heart. And the few companions beside him, although they didn't speak, inadvertently revealed a calmness and confidence that far surpassed other students.

  This person looks like they're quite capable.

  Just as she looked at the student, the student also looked back at her, with a hint of disdain in his eyes. Perhaps in his eyes, there was no one in this world who could make him look up to them.

  Zhuge Mingyue calmly retracted her gaze, as if she hadn't seen his glance at all. She had seen many proud people before, but actual strength was the capital of pride. The only question was whether the other party really had the strength that appeared on the surface!

  His name is Qin Hongyun, from the Southern War Dragon Academy. He's said to be practicing a family heirloom secret technique of internal energy, with strength at the early stage of Sky. His family isn't just one of the top families in the South, but also one of the oldest families in Danling Country.

  Zhuge Mingyue's gaze swept over several students around Qin Hongyun, feeling a sense of discord.

  "Is this person a beginner in the Sky?" Zhuge Ming also withdrew his gaze, that strength is indeed not bad.

  Ling Feiyang smiled lightly and didn't say a word.

  "By the way, Fei Yang, Pangzi and Haozi have all been promoted to Dadi level now, what about you?" Zhuge Mingyue suddenly remembered that Ling Feiyang's strength had also increased, but how much exactly? This guy never said anything, unlike Pangzi and Haozi who would shout loudly whenever their strength increased, as if they wanted the whole world to know.

  "Guess." Ling Feiyang smiled mysteriously and refused to answer Zhuge Mingyue's question.

  "Come on, tell me!" Zhuge Mingyue glared at Ling Feiyang. But Ling Feiyang just smiled and refused to say anything.

  Chang Sun Ning Hao suddenly stood beside them.

  "Huh? Facial paralysis, how did you end up here? Aren't you a guaranteed pass?" Zhuge Mingyue wondered how Longsun Ninghao ended up here.

  "Master told me to practice more." Chang Sun Ninghao said expressionlessly, although he was very puzzled about what Zhuge Mingyue meant by "facial paralysis" and "reserved student", but still didn't ask.

  "What are you doing standing here?" Ling Feiyang looked at Chang Sun Ninghao with a slanted gaze.

  "Others don't know me." Zhang Sun Ninghao replied simply and concisely. This sentence was honestly leaving people speechless. He indeed didn't have acquaintances here, so he naturally joined Zhuge Mingyue's team.

  Chang Sun Ninghao's gaze was cast intensely on Qin Hongyun and his group, his eyes gleaming slightly. "Their combat strength is stronger than their actual power." Chang Sun Ninghao said concisely. He could see that Qin Hongyun and the others had very strong practical combat abilities, if it weren't for the fact that this was a forbidden area and he was here to participate in the assessment, perhaps his martial arts fanaticism would have acted up on the spot, and he would have gone forward to challenge them.

  "Shut up." Ling Feiyang rolled his eyes.

  Chang Sun Ning Hao turned his head to look at Ling Fei Yang, his tone was calm and peaceful, without any ripples or expressions on his face: "You've become stronger." There was no surprise, no doubt, just a calm statement. Before Ling Fei Yang could speak, he continued, "Let's have a match after we go out."

  Ling Feiyang didn't say a word and ignored him, turning around to stand beside Zhuge Mingyue instead.

  "Look, the Gate of Forbidden Land!" At this moment, a student pointed at the distance and exclaimed.

  Following his gaze, at the edge of the vast grassland, a huge arched gate appeared and disappeared in the misty sunlight, which was exactly the Gate of Forbidden Land that the teacher had mentioned before. As long as they could safely cross that arched gate, they would be able to enter the next forbidden land smoothly.

  "Let's go, we're off." A student led his teammates towards the massive archway.

  The other students hesitated for a moment and followed suit.

  Zhuge Mingyue and Ling Feiyang followed the students towards the entrance, while Qin Hongyun's team cautiously fell behind the students, apparently thinking that if something dangerous happened, someone would be in front of them to block it.

  Zhuge Mingyue shook his head, feeling that he had overestimated this person earlier. Didn't he know that danger often lurked in the back? And this attitude was truly unlikable.

  All the way safe and sound, even the marshes that are often seen on the grasslands did not appear, a group of students were uneventful, and even more relaxing than usual outings.

  The archway was getting closer and closer, and before long, they would be able to pass this heavy test smoothly and enter the next forbidden land. But it was at this time that everyone's heart was hanging high, their heartbeat accelerated involuntarily, and fine sweat seeped out of their palms. How could the rigorous examination of each university possibly be so easy to pass?

  Closer still, I could even hear the increasingly urgent breathing of other students due to tension.

  "Ah!" A cry of surprise, the most worrying and tense thing that finally happened to the students, but when they heard this cry, their nervous and uneasy hearts actually calmed down. The scariest thing is not facing danger, but rather not knowing when or where the danger will occur.

  Looking back, I only saw a large piece of dark cloud flying from behind, layer by layer, with sharp whistling sounds rising and falling, and a strong bloody smell rushing towards me.

  "What, what is this?" A student trembled with fear in his legs and muttered.

  Dark clouds suddenly appeared before one's eyes, and it was a large army composed of tens of thousands of black crows. The rapidly flapping wings covered the sky and obscured the sun, casting a dense shadow. On the sharp beaks, blood-red strange colors flashed.

  "Blood Crow! It's Blood Crow!" The team's rear, a student cried out in terror.

  Blood Crows! Everyone's face showed a look of horror, this was a legendary flying magical beast, with a ferocious temperament, feeding on other animals, and most fond of sucking blood. A single Blood Crow wasn't very powerful, it could only be considered the lowest level of magical beast, but they liked to act in groups, when tens of millions of Blood Crows gathered together, their combat strength was frighteningly high, wherever they passed, even ferocious lions and tigers would be sucked dry by them.

  Historically, there have been records of Blood Crows attacking human villages, leaving a trail of death and destruction wherever they went. Not only humans, but even livestock and poultry were not spared, all turned into desiccated corpses. Later, the military forces of various countries joined forces to wipe out all the Blood Crows, and since then, there have been no signs of them on the continent.

  No one had expected that they would actually see the legendary Blood Crow in this forbidden land!

  "Master, hurry up..." The last student to walk pushed Qin Hongyun forward fiercely, then drew out a long knife and slashed out a dozen or so powerful knife lights. It seemed that he also had the strength of a top-level Earth or Sky level expert. Pieces of black feathers fell like snowflakes, and over a hundred blood crows were cut into minced meat by his powerful knife light, but soon he was overwhelmed by tens of thousands of blood crows rushing in like dark clouds.

  "Go!" Qin Hongyun shouted loudly, pulling his legs forward in a sprint, without even looking back once, and there was no pain or reluctance on his face, only icy indifference. His other companions hesitated for a moment, then followed him in a dash to the front.

  The student surrounded by the flock of blood crows let out a series of mournful cries that were soon silenced.

  He actually abandoned his companion at this time and remained unmoved. Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, fortunately, they had not encountered such a companion.

  No one had to give the order, and everyone took off in a sprint. Even the swordsmen who were close to the sky couldn't withstand the attack of the Blood Crows. What else could they do but run? Everyone started running wildly, but the way they ran was slightly different. Most of the students didn't care about their companions at this time and ran frantically forward, but how could their speed compare to that of the flying Blood Crows? Before long, these students who only cared about escaping were engulfed by the flock of Blood Crows.

  While Zhuge Mingyue, Qin Hongyun and several other small teams were running while maintaining their formation, using the weapons in their hands to counterattack the swooping Blood Crows, the entire team continued to advance towards the arch gate. Although they could not avoid being injured by the sharp beaks of the Blood Crows, they got closer and closer to the arch gate. At this critical moment of life and death, the trust among comrades and the coordination of the team became extremely important.

  Cries of despair echoed through the air, flashes of light flickered, and many students who found themselves in a precarious situation quickly tore open their transmission symbols and withdrew from the assessment. However, those who hesitated for a moment with a lucky mentality were not so fortunate, instantly being sucked into bloody ravens and turned into dried meat.

  "Swish!" Ling Feiyang swung his long sword, and a substantial light screen appeared in front of him. Under the impact of the surging energy, the Blood Raven that was blocking his way was directly blown into bloody mist.

  "This guy, still wants to play mysterious, but got exposed so quickly!" Zhuge Mingyue secretly smiled while feeling a great sense of calm. After being in contact with Mr. Qing for a long time, she had been influenced by him and her strength had steadily improved, and her vision was much broader than before. Ordinary Sky-level swordsmen couldn't hide their strength from her as soon as they made a move. But now, looking at Ling Feiyang's sword technique and aura, Zhuge Mingyue found that she couldn't see through his strength at all.

  Soul-level, this guy must have been promoted to Soul-level, no wonder he's so mysterious, it turns out he's proud of it. Zhuge Mingyue was overjoyed, in fact, relying on his rich experience and exquisite sword skills, as well as the toughness and sharpness of the Broken Kill Sword, Ling Feiyang's strength had always been much stronger than that of his peers.

  Ling Feiyang stood at the forefront of the team, his long sword swiftly sweeping away all obstacles in its path, like a sharp arrowhead that could pierce through everything. He didn't need to consider what was behind him, relying on Zhuge Mingyue and Changsun Ninghui's strength, what was there to worry about? Moreover, in the middle of the team, there were also Xue Zihao and Wan Qichen, even if there were any fish that slipped through the net, they would absolutely not be able to harm him.

  Under the tacit cooperation of several people, several people were almost uninjured and quickly moved towards the archway.

  Zhuge Mingyue and Wan Qi Chen did not summon their contracted beasts, facing the overwhelming blood crows swooping down from above. Their contracted beasts would not be of much use in this situation, and with their abilities, getting through this ordeal shouldn't be too difficult, so there was no need to exhaust their contracted beasts' energy so early on.

  "Ah, save me..." a terrified scream echoed.

  Zhuge Mingyue was fending off the Blood Crows' attacks with his dagger while dividing his attention elsewhere. It turned out to be the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl who had spoken first, stumbling towards the gate and blocking Qin Hongyun's path. Without any hesitation, Qin Hongyun pushed her aside, and the girl, already frightened out of her wits, was easily knocked to the ground. As the Blood Crows swooped down in droves, the girl was terrified, unable to even stand up, covering her face and letting out ear-piercing screams.

  Zhuge Mingyue withdrew her gaze, although she also felt unbearable in her heart, but for the sake of her companions' lives, she had to stick to her position. With only Ling Feiyang and Changsun Ninghao's swords, they could not withstand the dense attack of the Blood Crows.

  Just then, Changsun Ninghao let out a loud roar and leapt out of the formation to the girl's side. He grabbed her and threw her far away towards the gate. Meanwhile, the Blood Crows above went crazy and dived down at Changsun Ninghao, about to engulf him completely.

  "This idiot!" Zhuge Mingyue cursed in her heart, waving the dagger with her right hand and pulling out a bottle of medicine with her left. She bit open the wooden stopper and smashed it onto Long Sun Ninghui's head.

  "Boom!" A flash of fire, Long Sun Ning's hair was scorched yellow in one piece, and his face was also blown black, but the blood crows were startled by the intense explosion and took to the sky. When they wanted to dive down again, Long Sun Ning had already taken advantage of this opportunity to return to the middle of the team.

  Finally, Zhuge Mingyue and Qin Hongyun's team, as well as two other teams, arrived under the archway. Those who had abandoned their companions and escaped alone were all killed in the attack by the Blood Crows. The flock of Blood Crows circled reluctantly in the sky for a while before flying away into the distance, disappearing from view.

  Looking back, the road that was only a few hundred meters away at the time of arrival had left behind dozens of blood-soaked corpses with their blood completely drained, and the tragic scene was one that almost no one dared to look at again.

  "Ah!" The girl who was rescued by Long Sun Ninghao woke up from her nightmare and burst into loud sobs, muttering: "I'm not going, I won't take part in any assessment again, never again." As she spoke, she tore open the transmission symbol, and her figure vanished instantly.

  As they watched her disappearing figure, many people couldn't help but ask themselves: Should I continue on?

  Everyone was silent, staring at the other side of the archway, and no one took the first step.

  After a low discussion with his teammates, one of the students stood up and said, "We're not going either. This isn't something we should be doing at our level. Good luck to you guys." As he spoke, he didn't even glance at Qin Hongyun directly, only revealing deep disdain through the corner of his eye.

  Qin Hongyun, however, showed no reaction, still with that indifferent expression, as if other people's life and death had nothing to do with him.

  As the team left, only three teams were left to take part in the assessment, a total of 14 people. Zhuge Mingyue and his party, including Changsun Ninghao, had five people. Qin Hongyun's team was originally also five people, but one member died just now, leaving only four people. The other team from Changling Academy in the southwest of Danling Country, although everyone was injured and covered in blood, did not lose any members and still had five people.

  This is just the first test, and only a dozen or so of the dozens of students who set out are left. There's still another test to come, and it's unclear who will make it through in the end. Everyone's heart is heavy with foreboding about this forbidden place, which is essentially a dead-end road. Only by being pushed to the brink of death can one be reborn and emerge victorious, earning the right to participate in the final round of the Chen Long Competition.

  Zhuge Mingyue stroked her chin thoughtfully, feeling that something was not quite right. This assessment must be strict, even harsh. When they first came in, the teacher had also made it clear that there might be a risk to their lives. But this was too harsh. So many people had lost their lives, it wasn't reasonable. As Zhuge Mingyue pondered this question, Wan Qi Chen and the others began to discuss it.

  "Continue or quit?" asked Wan Xichen.

  "Do I need to say more?" Xue Zi Hao stroked his longbow, his face set in determination.

  "Of course we continue." Ling Fei Yang said in a deep voice.

  "Continue." Long Sun Ninghao wiped his face and tidied up his hair, expressionlessly saying in a brief tone. Not feeling the slightest bit embarrassed about his current appearance at all.

  The other students looked at each other, and saw the determination in each other's eyes. Those who could persist until now were all elites from various universities, and were considered to be the pride of their seniors. They all had full confidence in their own abilities and would absolutely not retreat easily.

  After a brief rest, several teams of students stood up at the same time and walked towards the other side of the archway.

  The team led by Zhuge Mingyue was also preparing to set off, but Zhuge Mingyue raised his hand to stop them.

  "I have something to say." Zhuge Mingyue looked at Changsun Ninghao with a serious face, "Changsun Ninghao, this time in the assessment, since you chose to be on our team, then you should have the awareness that we are one entity. If next time you still want to show off your heroism, please tell me now."

  Chang Sun Ning Hao deeply lowered his head, just now he rushed out of the team, although Xue Zi Hao timely filled his position, but the formation was suddenly disrupted, and several people were caught off guard. Now the injuries on their bodies are actually mostly caused by his sudden departure from the team.

  "Sorry, it won't happen again." Long Sun Ninghao raised his head.

  "If there's a next time, perhaps we won't have the chance to hear you say sorry." Zhuge Mingyue said solemnly and severely, then walked towards the entrance.

  Ling Feiyang patted Long Sun Ninghao's shoulder and walked away without a word. Next was Wan Qichen, then Xue Zihao, they all patted Long Sun Ninghao's shoulder, as if comforting and encouraging him at the same time. Long Sun Ninghao's heart warmed up, and he followed them with an extremely firm pace, no matter what happened next, he would never let his teammates be in danger again because of his own injury.

  In the past, Zhangsun Ninghao was always alone, but for the first time in his life, he felt that unity and cooperation between companions were so important.

  The footsteps of fourteen people almost simultaneously stepped towards the other side of the archway.

  What entered the line of sight was a vast expanse of yellow sand and gravel, with waves of heat rushing forward. The lush green grassland, faint fragrance, and gentle breeze all vanished into thin air. A single step's difference, yet it was two completely different worlds.

  They knew that new dangers and challenges were waiting for them.

  They will receive a new baptism.

  Digression

  Yeah, looking at the genuine girls, love you guys, hug and kiss ~ thanks for your support. (≧▽≦) Mua mua mua mua, infinite mua mua mua mua.