When Lin Chen saw the creature being killed by a sword light, he looked upward, his eyes narrowing with a cold, sharp intensity. Hovering in the air was a boy with a refined temperament, standing atop a glowing sword that pulsed with spiritual energy.
The boy looked down at Lin Chen and offered a smile that seemed to radiate a sense of unearned superiority. "No need to thank me", he called out, his voice smooth. "I saw that you were in danger and killed it for you."
Hearing those words, Lin Chen's anger flared. Even though this person acted like it was a rescue; but it was a blatant theft of his prey and the points he had fought to corner.
He didn't waste his breath on an argument. Instead, he directly used Void Step, his body becoming a blur as he vanished from the frozen ground.
Lin Chen, currently at the Peak of Foundation Establishment, possessed speed and power that far exceeded his peers. He reappeared in mid-air, level with the boy's flying sword.
Without hesitation, he unleashed the Void Shattering Palm. The air around his hand rippled and distorted as if the space itself were being crushed, carrying a force meant to shatter anything in its path.The boy's smile vanished instantly. He stared at the upcoming Void Shattering Palm, feeling a deep, instinctual threat.
"You're mad!" he shouted, hurriedly performing a hand seal. His flying sword hummed, emitting a burst of azure light that formed a circular shield in front of him to block the strike.
BOOM!
The palm struck the azure shield with the force of a falling mountain. The collision sent a violent shockwave through the air, snapping the branches of nearby trees and kicking up a cloud of frost. The boy was sent reeling backward, his flying sword wobbling and nearly throwing him off. His face turned pale as he realized that even though he was at golden core realm stage, he was no match for the Foundation establishment boy infront of him.
The boy quickly dodged a second follow-up strike, his heart racing. He shouted with a shaky voice, "Fellow Daoist, I have no intention of being an enemy! I was truly just trying to assist! Please, stop!"
Lin Chen landed back on the earth, his feet digging into the soil and cracking the frozen surface. He stared at the boy and finally uttered in a cold, bone-chilling voice: "If you leave the points of that strange creature of the Fake Pill realm, I'll stop. If not, let's fight to the end!"
The boy was stunned. He looked at the massive carcass of the creature on the ground and then back at the silent, terrifying youth below him. He understood that he could do nothing to win this fight without risking his life.
Remembering the terrifying power of the palm that had nearly shattered his defense, he realized he was outmatched by Lin Chen's foundation. With a pained heart, he could only hand over the hundred points, swiping his jade token to release the energy toward Lin Chen, and went straight to the inner area to escape.
Lin Chen also entered the inner area, his expression unchanging as his points total increased. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he saw that the inner area was vastly different from the outer area. Here, the space was small and cramped, enclosed by jagged, towering cliffs that seemed to press down on everyone, making the atmosphere feel heavy and suffocating.
Nearly all the disciples who had survived this far were gathered here, but they were not fighting one another. Instead, they had divided into two large camps, facing each other with tense, wary expressions.
One camp was headed by a boy named Han Ling, a stern youth with a sharp gaze who carried a heavy, iron-tipped spear. The other camp was headed by a beautiful girl Yan Jue—the same girl Lin Chen had met on the first day of the assessment.
What was truly astonishing to Lin Chen was that her aura had completely transformed; she had successfully reached the Golden Core realm, standing far above the others in terms of raw power.
By asking around, he found out that in this inner realm, the creatures were far more dangerous than those outside. Every strange creature in this zone was at the Golden Core realm, and fighting them alone was a suicide mission for most. Even at the Peak of Foundation Establishment, these beasts were difficult to kill.
This was why the disciples had formed camps, hoping to use their combined numbers to survive and harvest points.Understanding the gravity of the situation, Lin Chen fell into deep thought.
[////should he join a camp for safety, or continue his path as a loner?///]