"That, that person standing on the trial tower seems to be Martial Uncle Danyan..."
"This is my first time seeing him. I can't see him clearly from this far, but... just a hazy glance, and he looks so charming."
The female servants were mostly in their teens and twenties, at the age where they admired good looks. They were all staring at the man with elegant bearing and handsome features in the distance, discussing him.
He was also wearing the disciple uniform of the Dayan Sect, but with some differences. The cuffs and collar were embroidered with exquisite brocade patterns woven with heavy stitches. Under the silver crown, two white silk ribbons hung down to the protective collar, elegantly cascading. His features were not overwhelmingly imposing, but rather possessed a perfect, flowing outline.
Unlike others, Gu Junshi had exceptional eyesight, capable of carefully observing Danyan in detail.
His profile was refined and handsome. He exuded a scholar's aura, as if "his left hand held a brush in thought, and his right hand held silk threads that flowed."
His long lashes fluttered as if gathering elegant poetry and idle verses into his eyes. His lips were curved in a smile, and threads of emotion flowed gently. Such a refined and amiable appearance had always made it easy to win favor without much effort.
However, she saw through the superficial charm. Beneath his spring-like demeanor, he was followed by countless distorted, wailing, and roaring evil spirits, all fused together. A dense black mist, representing the aura of death, shrouded him. This person... was he not someone with a fair exterior but a dark interior?
Danyan... the name was unfamiliar. Those who escaped the Great Cataclysm from the Dayan Sect eleven days later apparently did not mention anyone named "Danyan." So... even if he had a Earth Spirit Root, was he still just cannon fodder?
On the ten-ringed competition stage, ten to several dozen disciples were standing on each platform. They were all outer disciples with mediocre talent after testing, yet they still wished to strive for more. They worked hard on sect missions in the outer sect to accumulate contribution points, and upon meeting certain requirements, they could participate in the annual inner sect promotion competition.
This promotion competition was extremely cruel. Out of hundreds of people, only one winner could remain. Thus, everyone's eyes were red-hot, fixed on the throne of victory, and they would resort to any means to achieve it.
Danyan lowered his gaze, sweeping across the stage. He appeared troubled, "Alright, the people should be gathered. According to the past promotion competitions, it requires three rounds. However, I am busy with a troublesome task and truly cannot spare much time to supervise the examinations. Moreover, I believe you also wish to know the final results as soon as possible. How about we finish it in one go this time?"
As his clear and pleasant voice fell, he took out a palm-sized, blood-red stone and cast a spell, sending it to the top of the tower. A rustic, cold golden-yellow light flashed, and the array of forbidden seals covering the tower gradually disappeared. With a creak, the large door of the trial tower slowly opened. The interior was pitch black, like a mouth swallowing darkness, sinister and eerie.
W-what? Why open the trial tower for inner sect disciples' advancement training? What does Martial Uncle Danyan intend to do?
The outer disciples who were competing regretted participating in this year's inner sect promotion competition ever since they learned that the chief examiner was Martial Uncle Danyan.
Even the inner sect members feared the name "Yan," let alone these unknown individuals.
They would absolutely be... played to death!
A deafening roar echoed from within the trial tower, and then, first, a unicorn flying tiger demon beast stepped out. It towered several zhang high, its aura incredibly ferocious. Subsequently, several more tall demon beasts "broke free from their cages" and leaped onto the martial arts stage. Observing the disciples on the stage, they hastily dodged and stood trembling, appearing to be frozen with fear.
Due to their low cultivation, outer disciples, besides desperately cultivating, had little practical combat experience, let alone battling ferocious and ruthless demon beasts.
Danyan narrowed his eyes and smiled, his hands behind his back, "Kill them, or be killed by them. This choice should be easy, shouldn't it?"
Seeing their stunned and indignant gazes, Danyan continued gently, "In the past, only one person was promoted. But since I have changed the competition rules, I will also change the promotion rules. This time, as long as you can survive the demon beasts' mouths within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, anyone, regardless of how many, can advance to the inner sect together. How about this condition?"
Upon hearing this, a spark of excitement ignited in everyone's eyes.
"There's still a chance to withdraw now. Is anyone giving up?"
Humans die for wealth, birds die for food. This is an eternal truth. Especially when such a great danger was placed before such a huge temptation. After a moment of dead silence, not a single person was willing to withdraw.
Danyan gave a light chuckle as if he had expected this, his tone deepening slightly, "Since you have decided, let's begin."
A light barrier instantly rose from the competition stage, isolating those inside from the demon beasts. Each competition stage became an independent battlefield, with the burning of an incense stick as the time limit.
"Ah—"
A piercing scream of pain rang out. While they were still stunned, a demon beast with winged wings and a pointed beak had impatiently swiped its claws and struck a person's shoulder. Its force was immense, easily lifting the person. With a tilt of its head, it swallowed the person whole, gulping them down without even needing to chew.
The outer disciples turned pale upon seeing this.
Although the reward was tempting, could they really live to claim it?
On the other side of the mountain, the servant sisters, seeing this man-eating, bone-spitting scene, trembled in fear, their stomachs churning with nausea.
"Martial Uncle Danyan is simply inhuman!"
"I heard a long time ago that he seemed to have been bewitched by demons before entering the Dayan Sect..."
However, Gu Junshi felt nothing special about this. Competition was cruel everywhere. Besides, these demon beasts, though appearing large and fierce, were actually just second-tier demon beasts. Apart from physical attacks, they possessed no magical abilities. On each competition stage, there were at least twenty to thirty people. If they were willing to cooperate, there was a chance for everyone to survive.
This all depended on how clear-headed human nature could be at the brink of life and death. This was probably what that man wanted to see.
However, most of them were one-sidedly chased by the demon beasts. In order to survive, they fled, fought back, acted alone, pushed others to die, and framed others to trip them up. In the end, they all ended up in the beasts' bellies. The scene was bloody and tragic.
Gu Junshi swept her indifferent gaze across each stage until, in a competition stage with the largest number of people, she saw a unique young boy who was not flustered.
At first glance, she only felt that he was very thin, estimated to be twelve or thirteen years old from his build. He wore a worn-out black outfit, and his sleeves were empty, fluttering in the wind. Others were huddled at the edge of the competition stage, barely clinging to life. But that small figure dared to bravely face the colossal demon beasts without retreating.
He tightly gripped a blade in his mouth, his sword-like teeth white and contrasting with his cold gaze. His dull, gray eyes were fixed in their sockets, like two dead fish eyes.
A broken arm, blind eye?
Gu Junshi's usually calm expression shifted. Her gaze deepened, and she stared intently at him.
Despite his physical defects, the young boy's movements were not hindered. His agile movements were comparable to a spirit ape. It was a pity that his slender body stored limited strength. Although each time he relied on his agile speed to inflict some damage on the demon beasts, it was not fatal. However, with his own strength, surviving should not be difficult.
A ghostly infant who survived by breathing the innate qi from the belly of a dead person, a wild child who stumbled through life, surviving on dew and hunting demon beasts, his life was cheap but full of stubbornness. Perhaps it was for this reason that he would eventually rise to the ranks of the strong.
"Hey, hey?! Hey, hey, look quickly—"
A sudden exclamation came from beside her. Gu Junshi did not intend to pay attention, but then she heard the servant sister exclaim in a startled, breaking voice, "It's Little, Little Yuan—"