Chapter 510: Unexpected Discovery

A wicked smile touched the blue-robed youth’s lips as he spoke nonchalantly.

"Of course not." The two new students felt their scalps tingle with fear and hurriedly said, "Everyone will just think Senior Brother Lv is being merciful."

Faced with a senior from the inner court, they didn’t even dare to think about resisting.

"Haha, merciful?" The blue-robed youth glanced at the two and said leisurely, "How about this: each of you hands over one hundred mid-grade Profound Stones, and I’ll forgive your transgression."

The two new students’ expressions immediately soured.

One hundred mid-grade Profound Stones was the equivalent of one hundred million Profound Coins. This was no small sum.

"It seems you’re not willing. In that case, I’ll just have to give you a little punishment!"

The blue-robed youth’s gentle expression suddenly turned sinister, and a ferocious glint flashed in his eyes.

"This is bad! Run!"

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The two new students exchanged a look and immediately shot off into the depths of the dense forest.

"Hmph, trying to run?" the blue-robed youth sneered. His figure flashed like lightning as he shot forward in pursuit. He threw a punch, and the biting wind from his fist pressed down on the two like a great mountain.

"Do you really think we’re afraid of you?"

"Attack!"

Seeing they couldn’t escape, the two new students steeled themselves and lunged forward.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Employing bizarre footwork, they began to circle the blue-robed youth rapidly. Illusions constantly flickered around them, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.

"Petty tricks." The blue-robed youth sneered as a surge of Profound Power erupted from his body. The biting pressure on the surface of his fist intensified. Under the force of his punch, the very air before him compressed violently, as if being kneaded into a ball.

Affected by the powerful force, the two new students’ speed dropped drastically, as if they had been plunged into a mire.

"What?"

Their faces changed in horror. Their footwork faltered, and their true bodies were instantly revealed.

As the blue-robed man’s punch descended, the compressed and twisted ball of space exploded. The terrifying might of the fist slammed violently into the two new students.

BOOM!

The students were sent flying, spitting blood. Amid the sickening crack of shattering bones, the two were left in a miserable state, completely covered in their own blood.

"You... you’re ruthless."

The two new students stared daggers at the blue-robed man, their faces ashen as they felt the shattered Profound Veins inside their bodies.

That single strike had shattered numerous bones and Profound Veins throughout their bodies. With injuries this severe, they might not recover even in a full month, let alone half a month.

But this was the most crucial period of the inner court assessment. The blue-robed man’s attack had all but shattered their chances of entering the inner court.

The thought of this outcome made their minds go blank; they found it impossible to accept.

"This is the price for offending me. You two should be thanking the academy’s rules; otherwise, your fate wouldn’t have been so fortunate." A cruel, mocking look appeared in the blue-robed man’s eyes. His figure flickered, turning into a streak of light before vanishing.

In the dense forest, the two new students could only grit their teeth and crush their respective talismans.

A moment later, a streak of light descended and solidified before them.

"What happened to you two?" Wang Feng was stunned for a moment when he saw their miserable condition.

He could tell at a glance that with injuries like theirs, the two of them were completely disqualified from the survival assessment.

On the verge of tears, the two new students recounted everything that had just happened.

"A senior student with the surname Lv... It seems you ran into Lv Feng." Wang Feng shook his head.

"What? It was him?"

A chill shot through the two new students’ hearts.

Even though they were outer court disciples, they had heard the rumors about Lv Feng.

Lv Feng, a Tier Six Third Layer Martial Venerable, was ranked seventh among all the inner court students.

Anyone capable of ranking in the inner court’s top ten was a Demon Level figure. For someone like that, crushing these two would be as easy as crushing an ant.

There was a rumor that each of the top ten geniuses in Gale Light Academy’s inner court possessed combat strength at the Tier Seven Martial King Level.

Although it was only a rumor, it spoke volumes.

"Let’s go." Although Wang Feng also felt Lv Feng’s methods were a bit ruthless, he had ultimately acted within the rules. Taking the two tragic new students with him, he instantly vanished from the spot.

Not far away, shortly after taking flight, Lv Feng suddenly took out a round Profound Artifact. He stared intently at the engravings on its surface.

’It’s still very early. I’ll just keep waiting.’

He then shook his head and put the round Profound Artifact away.

「Elsewhere in the mountain range.」

SWOOSH!

Led by the Little Purple Mink, Ye Xuan sped forward. A moment later, a cave appeared before him.

’Another Demon Beast cave? These academy instructors really lack originality.’

Ye Xuan was speechless but shot into the cave without a second thought.

HSSS!

A bloodcurdling screech echoed from within the cave as a massive spider, several meters tall, lunged out. Its body was pitch-black, and a terrifying killing intent emanated from its eyes. Its claws, like sharp blades, slashed down fiercely at Ye Xuan.

SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!

The black spider’s eight claws were like eight war sabers. As they slashed through the air, they left behind a nauseating stench. What surprised Ye Xuan even more was the refined feeling of the attack; it was as if a Martial Artist were executing a martial technique.

’A Tier Six Black Rock Poison Spider!’

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

With a flash of his Dictator Sword, Ye Xuan swiftly parried the Tier Six Black Rock Poison Spider’s attack.

Its attack having missed, the Black Rock Poison Spider slashed with its claws again. The movement of the black claws was strangely profound, like a powerful saber master executing a world-shaking technique.

’This...’

Ye Xuan was startled.

Low-tier Demon Beasts generally have very low intelligence, so they mostly rely on instinct when they fight.

Although some low-tier Demon Beasts can use simple techniques to enhance their strength, these techniques are usually quite crude.

But for the Black Rock Poison Spider before him to execute such a refined attack immediately shocked Ye Xuan.

’This Black Rock Poison Spider’s claw attack isn’t random. It has clearly mastered some kind of refined martial technique.’

The thought raced through Ye Xuan’s mind.

Although a Tier Six Black Rock Poison Spider possesses a certain degree of intelligence, it could never execute such a refined claw attack on its own. The only possibility was that it had cultivated some sort of Demon Race martial technique.

Low-tier Demon Beasts can only crudely utilize their own strength and bodies. However, high-tier Demon Beasts, especially those that have advanced to the Tier Seven Demon King level and can take human form, possess intelligence in no way inferior to an ordinary human’s.

Furthermore, Demon Beasts at the Demon Emperor level are even capable of creating Demon Race martial techniques, just like human Cultivation Techniques.

But unlike with humans, whose Cultivation Techniques and martial techniques are widely circulated for anyone to practice, Demon Race martial techniques can only be cultivated by members of their own kind.

This Black Rock Poison Spider was only a Tier Six Demon Beast, so it clearly hadn’t created this claw attack itself. It was most likely taught by a high-tier spider-type Demon Beast or Profound Beast.

’This Endless Mountain Range is truly extraordinary.’

Initially, Ye Xuan hadn’t paid the Black Rock Poison Spider much mind and was preparing to kill it immediately.

But after witnessing its attack, he immediately changed his mind.

’There’s definitely a high-tier Demon Beast or Profound Beast behind this Black Rock Poison Spider.’

At this thought, Ye Xuan immediately unleashed his Devouring Martial Soul.

A humanoid martial soul shot forth. The terrifying pressure of its Soul Power made the Black Rock Poison Spider’s attack falter, and a look of terror appeared in its eyes.

The intense Soul Power pressure completely enveloped the Black Rock Poison Spider.

HSSS! HSSS!

The Black Rock Poison Spider continuously retreated. Under the pressure of the Devouring Martial Soul, it even lost the will to resist, knowing only to back away.

Taking advantage of the Black Rock Poison Spider’s moment of terror, Ye Xuan immediately sent a thread of the Devouring Martial Soul’s power to permeate the Tier Six creature’s body.

Inside the Black Rock Poison Spider’s body, Ye Xuan instantly sensed an extremely powerful Soul Thought resisting his Devouring Martial Soul.

’So this Black Rock Poison Spider really is being controlled by some Profound Beast.’

A look of shock crossed Ye Xuan’s face. The Profound Beast’s Soul Thought within the spider’s body was incredibly powerful—something only a Tier Seven Profound Beast Demon King could possess.

’There’s actually a Tier Seven Profound Beast Demon King in this forest.’

Ye Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.

This mountain range was the site of Gale Light Academy’s survival assessment. Logically, the academy’s instructors should have long ago swept this entire vast area, and there absolutely shouldn’t be any Demon King Level Demon Beasts or Profound Beasts present.

After all, while the students participating in the survival assessment were strong, Tier Six Demon Beasts were already enough to give them a life-and-death trial. If a Tier Seven Demon King appeared, it wouldn’t be a trial—it would be a death sentence.

Yet the power of the Soul Thought inside this Tier Six Black Rock Poison Spider made Ye Xuan feel certain that the one controlling it was absolutely a Tier Seven Profound Beast Demon King—and a living one at that.

This was because once a Profound Beast Demon King died, the Soul Thought it used to control other beasts would dissipate along with it.

’I have to get this Tier Six Black Rock Poison Spider under control and see what’s really going on.’

The thought surfaced in Ye Xuan’s mind. If there truly was a Profound Beast Demon King in this mountain range, then all the students undergoing the trial were likely in grave danger.

Ye Xuan knew better than anyone just how terrifying a Profound Beast Demon King could be. Their true horror lay not in their individual strength, but in the army of Demon Beasts they controlled.

Thinking of this, Ye Xuan immediately unleashed his Devouring Martial Soul at full power and began to consume the Demon King’s Soul Thought within the Black Rock Poison Spider.

The two powers clashed wildly in the Black Rock Poison Spider’s mind, causing it to fall to its knees in terror, its body trembling uncontrollably.

Within the Black Rock Poison Spider’s mind, the sinister Demon King’s Soul Thought began to resist fiercely.