On the Day of the Test
Everyone from all the factions had gathered here again. Jiang Wushuang looked over them and nodded.
"Since everyone is here, let us start the third test. You can see that hundreds of small buildings are present. All you have to do is enter these and battle the puppets. The number of puppets you defeat will determine your score. Remember, each puppet has the same cultivation level as you, but they lack any Secret Techniques or Spiritual Imprint. Take these talismans and enter the buildings. If you feel you can no longer continue, break the talisman to exit. If you overestimate yourself and fail to come out, you might even die."
Hearing this, everyone was stunned and finally became serious.
Long Yifan murmured, "This time, I will definitely win. I won't let those lowborn surpass me."
Soon, everyone entered the buildings and began fighting. But it wasn't long before the eliminations started.
After all, fighting opponents of similar cultivation was no easy task. Most could defeat one puppet, but when faced with two, they began to struggle.
After one hour, eighty percent of the participants had been eliminated.
Li Yuxong's Fight
Li Yuxong was currently battling eight puppets at the same time. Using Sword Step and Sword Slash, he was effectively dodging and striking, but he remained under constant pressure.
Still, he pressed on. Finally, he awakened his Spiritual Imprint.
"Poplar Resilience."
His veins turned green, and a tree-shaped mark appeared on his forehead. As soon as the Spiritual Imprint activated, his temperament changed. His soul level surged to Grade 5 peak, and his Spiritual Imprint reached the same level.
All his exhaustion vanished, and he attacked with renewed strength. Soon, he had suppressed and destroyed all eight puppets.
He immediately moved to the next stage, only to be greeted by sixteen puppets. He attacked at once, but this time he faced much greater difficulty. His wounds increased, healing barely kept up, and he was continuously pressured.
Finally, he slashed one puppet, but the pressure did not abate. 'I can't go on like this!'
He reactivated Poplar Resilience and shouted, "Spiritual Imprint: Warp Walker."
A dark shadow spread over his body, resembling tattoos with strange, intricate shapes.
Warp Walker allowed him limited control over space, letting him travel through it like shadows. He appeared and vanished instantly, killing puppets in an instant. But he felt his Spiritual Essence drop by ninety percent.
He sighed. "It seems I'll need to keep the talisman in hand for the next fight."
In the following stage, thirty-two puppets appeared. Once again, he used Warp Walker, destroying five before using the talisman to exit.
Tang Liuyue's Struggle
During this time, something strange happened in Tang Liuyue's fight.
She was fighting eight puppets, but the moment she awakened her Spiritual Imprint, her body froze. She could no longer move and could only watch as the puppets closed in.
She tried to scream, but no sound came out. She died miserably, with no one to pity her.
Wang Xueyao's Battle
Wang Xueyao was facing sixty-four puppets simultaneously. A mysterious mark appeared on her forehead, and she struggled to keep up with the Spiritual Essence consumption. After destroying all the puppets, her essence was nearly depleted.
She sighed. 'If only I had lower-grade Secret Techniques… but this should be enough to reach the top.'
It wasn't that the Wang family lacked Secret Techniques—her unique attributes simply made them incompatible. She emerged and immediately checked the list.
To her shock, she was not in the top position. One building still glowed, indicating someone was still fighting.
Current list:
1. Huang Ling (140 puppets)
2. Wang Xueyao (127 puppets)
3. Huang Weimin (46 puppets)
4. Long Yifan (41 puppets)
5. Li Yuxong (36 puppets)
6. Han Li (28 puppets)
...
At that moment, Xu Zhi shouted, "Why has Lady Tang Liuyue's name disappeared?"
Jiang Wushuang's voice was grave. "I warned you not to overestimate yourself. The disappearance of a name means death."
"What?" Xu Zhi's face turned pale. 'How could this happen? How could she make such a grave mistake?'
Wang Xueyao narrowed her eyes. 'I know her well. She wouldn't make such a mistake.'
She didn't ask any questions, but her eyes betrayed a knowing look. 'Is it him?'
'It doesn't matter. I've already achieved my goal. Unexpected situations happen.' she thought, her gaze fixed on Huang Ling.
The light of the last building dimmed, and a hooded figure emerged, his body covered in scars. Wang Xueyao glanced at him briefly before looking away.
When she checked the final score, surprise flickered across her face—but she quickly composed herself. 'As expected.'
Her gaze drifted back to the hooded figure who had just appeared.
Final List:
1. Ren Ying (255 puppets)
2. Huang Ling (140 puppets)
3. Wang Xueyao (127 puppets)
4. Huang Weimin (46 puppets)
5. Long Yifan (41 puppets)
6. Li Yuxong (36 puppets)
7. Han Li (28 puppets)
...
Her gaze instinctively returned to the scarred man. He removed his scarf slowly, smiling at her meaningfully.
Few Days Ago
Li Gang, disguised as Ren Ying, visited Huang Ling.
"What are you doing here, sister-in-law?"
Huang Ling glared. "Ren Ying, what do you want now?"
Li Gang's voice was serious. "I need your help."
Suspicious, Huang Ling asked, "Are you trying to coerce me again?"
"No," he replied. "This time it's genuine. You can refuse. But if my life wasn't in danger, I wouldn't have come. You wouldn't deny your husband's elder brother, would you?"
Huang Ling frowned. "What do you mean?"
Li Gang removed his disguise, catching her off guard.
"You… you are Li Gang, Yuxong's elder brother?!"
"Correct," he said with a smile.
Angrily, she spat, "You poisoned your own younger brother and now ask for my help?"
Li Gang remained calm. "If I had wanted to harm him, he wouldn't be fine now. Why do you think I stayed by your side for two years when he was poisoned?"
Huang Ling replied sarcastically, "For your own benefits, isn't it?"
He didn't answer and changed the topic. "Wang Xueyao is about to make her move. I'm the only one who can keep her in check. If I'm gone, her next target will be Li Yuxong."
Huang Ling's expression grew serious. Li Gang passed by, giving his back to her, smiling faintly.
'Finally caught you!'
He continued, "Wang Xueyao is a Rank 6 Warrior, like you. I stayed close to her for five years; I know her well. She has already controlled Moonlight Sect after I stopped contact. Tang Liuyue has also sided with her. Any closeness to me is likely an act."
Huang Ling asked, puzzled, "How do you know Tang Liuyue betrayed you?"
Li Gang's eyes softened. "I don't know for sure. I hope she hasn't, but I can't gamble my survival on emotions. I'm ninety percent certain she wouldn't betray me. But that day… she glanced at my shoulder instead of maintaining eye contact when I asked a simple question."
Huang Ling nodded. "I'll help you this time."
Li Gang confirmed, "I've scouted the area. You'll prevent Wang Xueyao from acting. Tang Liuyue will probably lead me to a cliff by the lake. You follow secretly and release your Whirlwind Eagle if needed. If Wang Xueyao tries to ensure my death, stop her at the last moment. If the location differs, just act stubborn and defend me; she won't attack you."
Huang Ling nodded. "This is the only time I'll help you."
Li Gang asked, suddenly, "Do you have Vitality Pills?" Caught off guard, she replied, "A few, but I can't give them to you."
Li Gang remained silent. 'Good thing I prepared in advance.'
Hours before, during the Ladder Test, he saw Jiang Wushuang give a Vitality Pill to an injured person.
At that moment, he deliberately planned to injure himself to obtain the pill. After Jiang Wushuang placed the Vitality Pill in his mouth, he secretly took it out without anyone noticing. He spent the following days healing from his injuries using the low-grade Vitality Pills he already possessed, while keeping the high-grade one for a crucial moment like this.
The injury caused by Tang Liuyue was severe. If he wanted to recover quickly and take part in the Inheritance, he had no choice but to use the high-grade Vitality Pill.
Current Time
Li Yuxong looked at Ren Ying with mixed emotions. 'Big brother… you're fine.'
Huang Ling was surprised; she expected this, but not such extraordinary battle strength.
Wang Xueyao observed Huang Ling, then looked away, thinking, 'This is why I wanted him eliminated. Wanderers have high elemental compatibility. They lack Spiritual Imprints, but their mastery of Secret Techniques makes them nearly as strong. I didn't expect him to be this powerful. He's beyond genius—he's a demon!'
Li Yuxong lacked combat experience; otherwise, with his potential and proper training, he could have easily destroyed at least 200 puppets.
Wang Xueyao had gone too easy this time, underestimating Huang Ling's potential. Still, she wasn't overly concerned about her own ranking—she knew her position was more than enough to achieve her goals.
The crowd erupted.
"255 puppets? How is that possible?""Even four or five was difficult! How did he achieve this?""What kind of genius is he?""Genius? He's beyond genius; he's a demon!""This crushes all the other geniuses!"
Long Yifan's face turned grim. "This b*stard's strength is insane!"