This was a vast primeval forest, with ancient trees as thick as pillars and old vines coiling like dragons. Majestic mountains rose in the distance, echoing with the roars of apes and tigers. These deep, booming animal cries made many trial participants tense up.
Daoling's eyes flickered. It was impossible not to be tempted by such generous rewards, but as he hadn't yet broken through to the Soul Convergence Realm, earning a ranking would be extremely difficult.
In the tenth trial zone alone, there were several powerful beings who hadn't突破 (broken through) to Soul Convergence but possessed terrifying physical bodies, along with numerous experts at the Soul Convergence Realm.
Many prodigies hesitated to advance to the next martial realm lightly, for the strength achieved in the Body Forging Realm determined future prospects. Daoling was the same—he refused to break through until he'd developed his physical body to its limit.
Just then, a middle-aged man approached the tenth zone. Clad in black battle attire, he had cold, sharp eyes and exuded a fierce aura. Two disciples followed him, and Qian Rong was among them.
Scanning the tense faces around him, the middle-aged man unleashed his aura, which ebbed and flowed like a river. With each breath, the surrounding mountains and forests trembled, sending out terrifying ripples that made leaves dance wildly. A滔天 (overwhelming) pressure bore down, making Daoling feel a suffocating sensation. He inwardly marveled—this man's strength was absolutely fearsome; he could likely suppress all participants in the tenth zone with a single wave of his hand.
This was the might of a true强者 (master)!
The dreadful aura surged, domineering and suffocating. Some couldn't withstand the pressure and cried out in pain.
The entire tenth zone was thrown into chaos. Countless figures collapsed to the ground, feeling as if a prehistoric beast loomed overhead, ready to strike them down. Cowardly individuals trembled in fear, and many wet themselves.
The middle-aged man regarded the pitiful scene with淡漠 (indifferent) eyes. "If you can't even withstand this aura, how dare you enter the primeval forest? Sending you on this trial would only harm you. Leave!"
With a flick of his sleeve, a huge wave surged forth with精妙 (exquisite) control, wrapping around each collapsed person and flinging them away.
This sight made the remaining participants tremble. From just this small test, more than half of the tenth zone's participants were eliminated, leaving thousands to compete for the spots. The competition was brutally harsh.
Qian Rong and the other disciple approached, holding many black tokens, and began distributing them to the crowd.
"These are trial tokens. During the trial, if your token is taken, you fail! At the end, those with the most tokens join Star Academy. Remember—only 100 spots!"
Everyone instantly grew wary, eyeing their neighbors as mortal enemies. This was a血淋淋（ Bloody） rule: to pass, one had to learn to seize tokens.
Qian Rong walked up to Daoling with a cold face, inwardly seething. As a Star Academy disciple, he felt it a great shame that he couldn't suppress a teenager from a backwater.
"Hope you're still alive when I see you again," Qian Rong sneered, handing over a trial token.
"Thanks for the wish," Daoling replied coldly, taking the black token with his slender hand. *How convenient—both my enemies are in the tenth zone. This must be Wang Ling's doing.*
Qian Rong's face stiffened, his eyes flashing with viciousness. "We'll see if you make it out alive," he hissed. In his mind, Daoling was already dead. He had once feared Daoling's connection to Ye Yun, but learning that Daoling was just a student Ye Yun had tutored, he relaxed—without kinship, Ye Yun wouldn't waste effort investigating if Daoling "died" in the trial.
"Alright, follow me," the middle-aged man said once everyone had a token, leading the way into the primeval forest ahead. The other zones moved out as well.
This forest belonged to Star Academy, where most powerful ferocious beasts had been driven out. The remaining beasts weren't too strong. The trial's rule was simple: in each zone, the person with the most tokens would be among the top ten in their respective zone.
After a winding path, they reached rolling mountains and forests. The air smelled of blood, creating a压抑 (oppressive) atmosphere, and the roars of beasts grew closer.
With another flick of his sleeve, the middle-aged man sent a huge wave of energy. The number of participants around him dwindled, and Daoling felt a gentle current wrap around him, transporting him to a rocky clearing.
"Incredible technique!" Daoling marveled. The middle-aged man was undoubtedly a master—with a mere flick of his sleeve, he had teleported groups to different areas.
"Roar!" A ferocious beast bellowed nearby, shaking the mountains and forests, carrying a bloody stench. A massive form loomed隐隐约约 (vaguely) in the trees.
Daoling surveyed his surroundings. Just as he was about to leave, two figures rushed toward him.
"You—hand over your token!" The two teenagers looked delighted, having been lucky enough to land in the same spot. They were from the same clan.
The middle-aged man had only announced that tokens could be seized, not that teamwork was forbidden—a stroke of luck for them.
"Tong Hu, our luck is too good! If we pull off a few heists here, collect enough tokens, and hide, we'll pass the exam for sure."
"Right! As long as we don't meet anyone too strong, we're in for Star Academy."
They chatted excitedly, not taking Daoling seriously. Could this younger, shabbily dressed boy pose a threat?
After a few cheerful words, Tong Hu's face fell when he saw Daoling approaching. "Idiot! I told you to hand over your token. What are you waiting for? You'll regret it if you waste our time!"
"Hand over your token if you don't want to die," the other teenager threatened. "Hurry up, or else!"
Daoling's dark eyes blinked, and he smiled, rubbing his nose. "Hand over your tokens, and I'll spare your lives."
"What?" Tong Hu exclaimed, thinking he'd misheard. *This brat wants us to hand over our tokens? Is he crazy?*
"Damned kid! I must teach you a lesson!" Tong Bao flew into a rage, charging forward with a fist aimed at Daoling's chest.
Daoling's eyes remained calm as he extended his slender hand, grabbing Tong Bao's shoulder and slamming him to the ground. It was like being hit by a 30,000-jin boulder, sending dirt flying. Tong Bao howled in pain, his body shaking as he felt his shoulder shatter.
Daoling stomped the ground, causing it to cave in. Rocks burst into the air, burying Tong Hu…
"We're done…" The two nearly died of fright. Daoling was like a prehistoric beast, his physical body terrifyingly strong. A stomp sent rocks flying, his explosive power unmatched.
"What's he doing?" Tong Bao, robbed of his belongings, whispered tremblingly, watching Daoling perform strange actions.
"No idea… Looks like he's tearing his clothes," Tong Hu's face twitched.
"Rip rip rip…" Daoling tore his clothes, smeared dirt on his body, and walked away, looking like a beggar, leaving the two stunned.
After wandering around, Daoling easily suppressed a ferocious beast, smeared its blood on himself, and swaggered into the hidden forest.
"Haha! You beggar—hand over the token on your waist!"
In a forested area, a chubby teenager burst out from the underbrush, laughing loudly. He had been lying in wait, having already taken out an injured participant. When encountering powerful-looking individuals, he hid like a turtle.
Seeing Daoling—ragged and blood-stained—the chubby teenager laughed merrily.
"You! Hurry up!" The teenager grinned, his plump face scrunching until his eyes were mere slits.
Daoling looked at him and smiled. The chubby teenager was taken aback, then laughed along: "What are you laughing at? Hand over your token, or else!"
Daoling walked over "apologetically," flipped the chubby teenager to the ground, searched his pockets, took two tokens, and left.
"Ugh…" The chubby teenager trembled with anger, yelling after Daoling: "You're ruthless!"
Many hid in the forest. Clever ones lurked, preying on the weak and injured to boost their chances of passing.
This meant that as Daoling, covered in blood, walked by, hidden figures emerged. After three hours, he had seized thirty tokens…
"BOOM!"
A section of the forest trembled, releasing powerful ripples. Ancient trees shook, leaves flew, and were shredded by strong winds.
"Roar!" A silver creature with a fierce aura swiped down, creating a可怕 (terrifying) gale that sent a boulder flying.
Daoling's palm glowed golden, like cast gold, as he pressed down. The forest shook more violently, trees fell, and sand and stones filled the air, forming small tornadoes.
"Break!" Daoling长啸 (howled), his black hair fluttering, blood energy surging like a river. Golden light burst forth, making him resemble a young war god as he rammed his shoulder into the silver creature.
The silver creature screamed in pain, spitting blood. It was震惊 (shocked)—this teenager's physical body was terrifying! Feeling suffocated, it turned to flee.
"Stay!" Daoling reached out, grabbing the silver creature's claw. Blood spurted as the creature's arm nearly tore off.
"Spare me!" the silver creature wailed, begging for mercy. Losing its life here wasn't worth it, so it forgot all pride. "Human expert, let me go!"
Seeing the creature obediently hand over a beast-hide pouch, Daoling nodded. Inside were ten tokens, making him eager. "Not bad—big tokens too."
The silver creature almost vomited blood. It had thought Daoling was weak, covered in beast blood, and tried to rob him, only to be suppressed in moments.
"Need a void pouch," Daoling muttered, patting the pile of tokens in his arms. Void pouches, rare treasures containing inner spaces, were something he hadn't encountered yet.
Moving deeper into the forest, Daoling grew cautious. He sensed several powerful auras nearby—the deeper he went, the more experts there were.
Arriving by a lake, he was about to continue when his brows furrowed.
Suddenly, the Devouring Heavens Technique运转 (operated) on its own, emitting诵经音 (sutra-chanting sounds) and a faint sense of hunger…
"What?" Daoling's heart trembled. He clenched his fists, ecstasy filling his face. *This is true blood of a divine beast!*
The Devouring Heavens Technique activated automatically upon encountering supreme true blood, for the technique required various true bloods to grow powerful.
When encountering the strongest true blood, it operated on its own, and this true blood must be ownerless to attract the technique's attention!
"There's divine beast true blood here! Ha, what luck!" Daoling rejoiced inwardly. Obtaining it would let him break through to Soul Convergence quickly.
The mysterious voice had said that in Body Forging, one needed at least 100,000-jin of strength, achievable only with divine beast true blood!
100,000-jin of strength in Body Forging—he couldn't imagine the sensation that would cause.
"Calm down… Must stay calm!" Daoling took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement as he moved forward. He still wasn't sure if divine beast true blood was present.
Following the call of the true blood, he entered a bamboo forest. Quieter and more hidden than outside, the area felt extraordinary—he had taken many winding paths to reach it.
"The energy here is so rich." He scanned the surroundings. Bamboo grew everywhere, and heaven and earth energy was abundant.
Rustling footsteps suddenly sounded as four people emerged from the bamboo. Seeing Daoling, one of them frowned. "Kill him—no outsiders can know about this!"
"It's you!" A white-robed teenager's face changed drastically when he saw Daoling.
"Wang Ling!"
Daoling's eyes flashed with厉色 (fierceness), murderous intent radiating from his body as his hair danced without wind.