A powerful Martial Artist's voice was rich with Qi, and that shout traveled for more than a kiloter. Many people who heard it and once again couldn't help but silently curse the two for their shalessness.
As for Zhang Yunqiu and Huang Ju, they were so furious their faces twisted as they ground their teeth.
'Little bastard, I'll let you be cocky for now. I'll skin you alive later!'
Having thrown all face to the wind to make these arrangents, Zhang Yunqiu and Huang Ju were confident that Chu Qingyun had no hope of escaping them!
Once everyone was in position, sharp whistles tore through the air from four directions around the valley. Four Signal Flares, like fireworks, shot into the sky and exploded.
The resulting fireworks burned in the sky for a full half a minute before slowly fading.
This was the prearranged signal. Its appearance ant that the third stage of the assessnt had truly begun, and everyone could enter the valley.
The mont he saw the signal, Chu Qingyun also dashed into the valley.
"Little bastard, let's see you run!"
"Kid, you're dead!"
Furious roars ca from his left and right almost simultaneously. Judging by the sounds, both Zhang Yunqiu and Huang Ju were moving diagonally, trying to intercept Chu Qingyun as he rushed into the valley.
"Two idiots."
Chu Qingyun cursed under his breath, then imdiately used the Hidden Qi Technique, turned left, and walked away at an unhurried pace.
Once he used the Hidden Qi Technique, his entire aura was instantly concealed to the absolute limit. Zhang Yunqiu and Huang Ju were suddenly struck blind and deaf, completely losing track of Chu Qingyun.
'What's going on? His aura is gone? Could he have been killed by Old Huang? Or was it Old Zhang?'
Their thoughts were surprisingly identical.
When a Martial Artist died, their aura naturally vanished. They had seen such a thing far too many tis, so this was the first thought that ca to mind.
Besides, it wasn't out of the question for a Ninth-level Martial Artist to instantly kill a Fifth-level Martial Artist.
Both of them assud the other had killed Chu Qingyun, so they stopped rushing. They unhurriedly followed the other's aura.
Soon, the two t. "Old Huang, where's the little bastard's corpse? We agreed to torture him for a bit. Why'd you just kill him?"
Huang Ju was stunned. "I didn't kill him! I thought you did!"
"What!? I never even ran into him! Old Huang, don't tell you're trying to be clever and hog all the benefits?" Zhang Yunqiu sized up Huang Ju, secretly raising his guard.
Huang Ju's expression changed. "Zhang Haizi, we're both working for the Lord Guardian. What are you trying to say?"
"What do I an? You should already know, you despicable, shaless smiling tiger!"
...
And while the two of them were arguing, Chu Qingyun, still using the Hidden Qi Technique, had already bypassed them and was heading deeper into the valley.
However, even Chu Qingyun himself probably never imagined that his simple act of escaping would cause Zhang Yunqiu and Huang Ju to argue and create a rift between them.
As he moved deeper into the valley, Chu Qingyun beca more cautious. He kept the Hidden Qi Technique active the entire ti. Although this continuously consud Primordial Power, he had plenty to spare and didn't mind the cost.
After wandering in the valley for about two minutes, Chu Qingyun felt the Devouring Martial Soul in his Qi Sea tremble slightly. He instantly heightened his vigilance and hid behind a tree.
Soon, two people approached. They were both from the Martial Soul Hall.
"What do you think the bosses are up to? They each took a team out and told the rest of us to gather."
"Who knows? I heard so Great Xia Dragon Guards are attacking, so they probably went to fight them. Things like this are out of our hands anyway. We're just grunts. We do what the higher-ups tell us to do..."
The two chatted as they slowly approached the tree Chu Qingyun was hiding behind.
'A sixth-level Martial Artist and a seventh-level one. No threat at all...'
Chu Qingyun carefully sensed his surroundings. After confirming no one else was nearby, he unleashed his Martial Soul. Two vines from the Ten-Star Vine shot out from behind the tree with lightning speed, ensnaring the two n and binding them tightly.
Then, Chu Qingyun rushed out, activating the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern, and used his finger as a sword. With two swift jabs, he killed them both.
After their heads exploded, the two n quickly transford into a ball of Martial Soul Power, which was consud by Chu Qingyun's Devouring Martial Soul.
They were two very ordinary Attack-type Martial Souls. Chu Qingyun chose to directly use them to strengthen his Thousand-faced Martial Soul, bringing its reinforcent to 20%.
After finishing off those two, Chu Qingyun took out his Token. The zero after his na had turned into a thirty, representing thirty Military rits.
His rank, which had been near the bottom after the initial random placent, had now risen into the forties, a much more prominent position.
They had only just entered the valley, so with a bit of luck, a few points were enough to secure a high rank. It didn't an that those currently at the top were the strongest.
'This is a pretty good start. I need to keep hunting and focus on making it into the top fifty. If I'm lucky, it wouldn't be bad to beco a team captain either...'
Chu Qingyun collected his loot from the two n and set off again in search of more people from the Martial Soul Hall.
Sixth and seventh-level Martial Artists didn't have much of value on them, just so Primordial Stones and basic Secret Manuals. However, Chu Qingyun's Qi Sea with a ten-thousand-ter radius had nearly bankrupted him.
'But every little bit helps...'
The Devouring Martial Soul acted like a radar, alerting him whenever he was within a certain distance of anyone from the Martial Soul Hall. Combined with the Hidden Qi Technique, which almost completely concealed his own aura, Chu Qingyun had a natural advantage. He could find mbers of the Martial Soul Hall much faster than anyone else, and the points on his Token steadily climbed.
Outside the Mist Forest, a crowd had gathered around a huge light screen. Most of them were Martial Artists from Fla City, while others had co with the Examiners.
Everyone stared intently at the light screen. They couldn't help but cheer whenever soone they knew moved up in the rankings, and beca dejected when they moved down. The rankings of those between fortieth and sixtieth place were especially nerve-wracking to watch.
In the shade of a tree, Liu Canghai, Guard General of the Great Xia Dragon Guards, sat with his eyes closed, resting.
He didn't care about the Examiners' results; he just wanted an outco. As long as this assessnt was completed successfully, he would receive his due reward of Military rits.
Inside the city, not far from the gates, was a secret chamber. Within the dim room, four people sat cross-legged. Each of them exuded an obscure, profound, and faintly unnerving aura.
A Sixth-level Martial Artist rushed to the outside of the secret chamber, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully, "Reporting, Ancestor. The three Young Masters' points... are still zero!"
An indifferent voice ca from within the room. "Understood. Continue to observe."
After the man withdrew, soone inside the room spoke up. "What ga are you playing, Zhao? Why deliberately expose our position to bait the Great Xia Dragon Guards?"
"Hehe, just keep watching and you'll find out."
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