Chapter 103: Defeating the Ferocious Beasts

Under the admiring gazes of the crowd, Xu Ze's cheeks flushed, and he nervously nodded, "I agree!"

"Great! Excellent!" Elder Pan laughed loudly, then seized Xu Ze's arm, and a flash of Golden Light shot toward the distant peak.

"That truly vanished without a trace!" Ye Liuyun thought, the image of Elder Pan soaring through the sky still echoing in his mind, leaving him unsettled for a long while.

"Such a earth‑shaking, ghost‑weeping momentum, like the pressure of a deity—could it be the power of a saint?"

No wonder there is a distinction between the Mortal Realm and the Holy Realm. It seems that once one reaches that realm, one is no longer mortal and can accomplish feats beyond human capability.

Nevertheless, Ye Liuyun did not regret it; if he displayed his bloodline power, he might have been directly chosen by a saint and taken away, which would have made him famous. Wei Zhenke attracted Kong Wei precisely because of his fame, so he thought it better to stay low‑key.

Moreover, he dared not gamble—if no one came to take him as a disciple, he would be doomed! Not to mention Kong Wei's master; even a disciple like Kong Wei could wipe him out!

After this interlude, the test continued. No further bloodline aptitude managed to astonish anyone.

Most passed the first stage, scoring between 1 and 5 points.

Ye Liuyun also satisfactorily completed the assigned task.

"Next stage, test strength!"

Steward Yue made a brief announcement and led everyone to a Zhan Tai.

On the Zhan Tai, four ferocious beasts waited.

A black‑clothed steward addressed the crowd, "The beasts' realm is two levels higher than yours. Defeat one beast to earn half a point. The test begins."

Then, the Black-clothed Person began shouting names.

"Fight beasts? That's my specialty!"

Ye Liuyun carefully surveyed the beasts.

The beasts came in every variety, completely random—what you encounter is luck. Yet he had fought many beasts; even if they were two levels higher, or even four levels higher, Ye Liuyun was confident he could defeat them.

However, for ordinary people, beasts two levels higher are indeed hard to handle.

A True Origin Sevenfold youth was called onto the Zhan Tai. Qian Xian Yi Xiao

"Hoo!" a golden‑mane male lion lunged forward, its claw slashing at the youth's waist.

Bang.

The youth struck a palm, two streams of True Essence collided, producing a deafening blast. His complexion changed instantly, and he was shaken back repeatedly.

He was at the True Origin Sevenfold realm, so the beast's realm was True Origin Ninth, a considerable gap.

The youth nearly exhausted all his strength to bring the lion down.

But before he could catch his breath, the other three beasts moved, all three charging at once.

Bad!

The youth's face turned pale, and he instantly darted to evade.

Fortunately, although the beasts were swift, their intellect seemed low; their attacks were not especially sharp, and their use of True Essence was purely instinctual, far inferior to those who practice techniques.

After he barely slayed another, he finally ran out of strength and leapt off the Zhan Tai.

"Chen Gang, second stage, got 1 point," the Steward announced, then called the next participant.

Then the youths took turns onto the stage, battling the beasts.

But for most, slaying one or two beasts was already good; aiming for four was beyond their capability. Many had insufficient True Essence and withdrew midway.

When it was Qi Tianyue's turn, she defeated three beasts before stepping down.

"It seems the Great Zhou Dynasty's princess isn't too lacking in combat ability," Ye Liuyun thought to himself.

"Ye Liuyun."

Soon after, the Steward's voice rang out. It was Ye Liuyun's turn.

Ye Liuyun's expression remained calm as water, and he stepped onto the stage unhurriedly.

A flaming giant wolf stared at him coldly. As soon as the wolf lunged forward, Ye Liuyun casually raised his hand and pointed.

Puff.

A flash of white Technique pierced the wolf's chest with a small hole, directly through its heart.

The wolf staggered, surprised to be hit so quickly and mortally. It let out a mournful howl and crashed to the ground.

Immediately, the three remaining beasts bared teeth and claws, charging at Ye Liuyun. As his figure flickered, he repeatedly raised his hand.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Three light sounds rang, and the charging beasts fell one after another.

Each beast bore a small hole in its chest, all piercing the heart.

"What precise finger technique! What exquisite body movement!"

Someone in the audience shouted praise!

Ye Liuyun's finger technique, in both speed and accuracy, had reached an astonishing level.

He was also the fastest to eliminate all the beasts. Some hadn't even reacted before the battle ended!

In this stage, Ye Liuyun's performance was dazzling, a stark contrast to the unremarkable first stage.

Even Steward Yue took notice of this youth.

What he valued more was the Fire Flame Power Ye Liuyun unintentionally released when he wielded True Essence. He sensed the extraordinary nature of that flame.

The academy having him assess the newcomers made sense; Steward Yue was particularly meticulous, able to spot each talent's strengths.

"Ye Liuyun, second stage, got 2 points."

Ye Liuyun was also the first person to achieve a full score in the second stage!

"What an amazing finger technique! Facing beasts two levels higher than his realm, he handled them as effortlessly as plucking fruit."

Long Yue, watching from the audience, was secretly startled. This technique was certainly superior to his own method, and Ye Liuyun's relaxed demeanor suggested it wasn't his true strength.

Nevertheless, he shook his head inwardly; after all, Ye Liuyun's bloodline aptitude was lacking, and in future cultivation he would be left further behind.

Other youths present largely shared Long Yue's view, remaining noncommittal about his performance.

Moreover, Ye Liuyun's current realm is almost the lowest among these people.

Qi Tianyue only glanced at him and then paid no further attention.

Even Ye Liuyun felt that the academy didn't seem to value the performance in this second stage. But that was exactly what Ye Liuyun wanted, as it wouldn't draw others' attention.

So the dazzling display vanished in an instant, barely eliciting awe before the test continued.

Song Yi and Li Mengxi, determined to get high scores, gave it their all. Both of them forced themselves to slay three ferocious beasts before finally failing.

The two of them had already taken the explosive Yuan pill prepared by their families, instantly boosting their strength, which could be called an extraordinary performance.

Based on the current scores, as long as Song Yi and Li Mengxi encounter no mishaps and aren't far off in the final stage, they should be able to enter the academy.

When it was Long Yue's turn to step onto the stage, everyone became excited.

Long Yue's realm is True Essence Eightfold, so the beast he had to fight was at Sea Transformation First Fold.

But to everyone's disappointment, Kuailei's realm was half a step into the Sea Transformation realm. The Stewards may have made some adjustments, considering the gap between the major realms was too large.

In the end, Long Yue gave his all, slaying three ferocious beasts before stepping down from the platform, earning a score of one and a half points.

So far, only Ye Liuyun has managed to achieve a perfect score.

Nan Xin'er, who had been watching the commotion from the side, felt a silent resentment in her heart.

"What are you so smug about! Your perfect score is still far behind mine! With your bloodline power and such a low realm, you'll eventually be left far behind by me. When that day comes, how will you still pretend!"

In fact, Ye Liuyun showed no expression at that moment. It was only that Nan Xin'er had formed a preconceived bias against him.