In the eighth area, the little fellow carried a large beast-hide bundle, having dug up eighteen pieces of bone talismans. All of them were crystal clear, sparkling with hues of sunset, and covered in intricate runes.
Although these weren’t the rarest of ancient bones, such a large haul was still worth a fortune.
In this region, there were genuine ancient species bones used to suppress and guard the area, but unfortunately, he couldn’t dig them out. Attempting to do so might result in severe injury and cause a great commotion.
The little fellow, sneaky and cautious, observed the surroundings for a while. Seeing no one coming to apprehend him, he felt slightly relieved.
“I need to get out of here quickly,” he said, and with that, he sprinted away at an incredible speed.
He planned to advance to the second level of the ancient battlefield. He could not stay here any longer; otherwise, he might face someone’s vengeful retribution.
In the eighth area, everyone was excited. The deeper they ventured, the more confident they became, feeling an endless surge of energy. Breaking the formations was easy for them, and their progress was unstoppable.
Over ten thousand people were advancing rapidly. They scattered across different mountains and forests, approaching the final checkpoint from all directions, each with a firm belief in their success.
“Heaven and Earth, after failing four times, I will succeed this year. All my hard work and practice will not be in vain,” a young man in his twenties said tearfully.
“It’s not that difficult. This is my first time participating, and I feel like I’m almost through. I must be a genius,” said a snot-nosed child, beaming with satisfaction.
A symbol flashed; that was the exit, but the little fellow ignored it without a second thought and dashed towards the other side. Ahead was a dazzling radiance, forming a barrier blocking his way.
“Boom!”
The little fellow unleashed his power, his ten fingers spread wide as lightning erupted. This was the treasure technique of the Suan Ni (a mythological beast), directly smashing through the barrier, allowing him to leap past it quickly.
This was an even more primitive area, with ancient trees towering high. The cries of monkeys and roars of tigers greeted him as he entered, and he immediately felt a desolate and ancient aura.
With a rumble, a mountain in the distance collapsed. A massive black tiger roared towards the sky. One of its paws slammed down, flattening the mountain peak, a sight so terrifying it made one shiver.
“So frightening, it’s enormous,” even the little fellow was somewhat astonished. The black tiger was not an ancient species, but it was certainly not something to be provoked. It was a fearsome beast king.
“Indeed, the second level of the battlefield is no joke. Here, life and death are up to fate; it’s entirely a matter of personal choice,” another person at a different location also entered the second level battlefield.
Those who could enter here were naturally geniuses, and they quickly hid their forms. They took cover to avoid being hunted by the ferocious beasts that might suddenly appear.
The second level battlefield was interconnected. People from the first eight areas could meet here, and there was no longer any separation by zones.
The little fellow was not at all nervous upon entering. After all, he had traversed the vast wilderness for dozens or even hundreds of miles before, and sometimes even had to protect Qingfeng. He was very familiar with such primitive forests.
After observing for a while, he moved swiftly through the jungle like an ancient divine leopard, startling a number of wild beasts but avoiding provoking those terrifying creatures.
Eventually, after assessing the nearby area, he carefully checked and then sneakily sorted out his loot.
He was very cautious, dividing the eighteen precious bones into six piles, three bones each, and buried them in different locations: some in the swamp, some in the stream, and others in abandoned bird nests.
He speculated that the so-called second battlefield was connected to the wilderness. Without any guards, it should be possible to take a detour and retrieve the loot in the future.
With everything settled, he felt calm and composed, straightened his back, lifted his head, and strolled through the forest with an air of openness and integrity.
As required, they needed to find a monument in this second battlefield, which recorded the tasks they would complete.
Clearly, not indicating the exact location of the monument meant they had to navigate and battle fierce beasts in this area to test these geniuses.
The little fellow was self-satisfied and calm, unaware that some people outside were destined to suffer greatly.
Several elders from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion led the way to the exits of the eight areas. They arrived quickly and waited for the successful challengers.
“Area One is really pitiful. How come there are only nine successful children up to now? It seems this year’s challenge is truly too difficult,” one elder commented.
As soon as they arrived, the faces of the clan elders from various tribes darkened. It was extremely challenging; over ten thousand people, yet only a few had emerged.
It should be noted that those sent were carefully selected and outstanding in their clans. How did they become so inadequate when they reached the Heaven-Mending Pavilion?
People were dissatisfied, knowing the reason. Some royal offspring and even descendants of ancient species had come to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, taking up too many talented spots.
Thus, this time, the Heaven-Mending Pavilion raised the difficulty level, causing many promising children to return in defeat.
“There’s nothing to be done; there are too many strong contenders this year,” Elder Xiong Fei of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion said, expressing some regret but unable to satisfy everyone.
“Area Two doesn’t have many either. Counting them, there are only sixteen,” people sighed.
Area Three was even more dramatic, with only eight people eventually making it out, all exhausted and drenched in sweat.
“This is too difficult,” people discussed, their faces growing darker.
“Don’t worry, we have three days in total. The more outstanding ones have come out first. There will definitely be more later,” Elder Zhuo Yun of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion spoke up.
“More will certainly come, but not too many. The longer the time, the more energy is spent and the more exhausted one becomes. Where will there be strength left to break formations?” an elder from a giant tribe rebutted.
“Not necessarily. There are still some more talented individuals. They should be entering the second battlefield now. I believe the number won’t be too few,” several elders from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion comforted the crowd.
Despite these reassurances, as the later areas were similarly desolate, everyone’s spirits sank, and their expressions grew even gloomier.
Though the elders of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion felt some regret, they were extremely pleased because this year's disciples were exceptionally talented and would surely surpass previous ones.
It wasn’t until Area Eight that the situation began to change. Some elders from major tribes saw a glimmer of hope because dozens or even hundreds of people were standing there.
“Wow, the geniuses seem to be concentrated in Area Eight. This is remarkable. There are so many people here, surpassing the total number of the first seven areas combined,” Elder Xiong Fei of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion nodded, smiling.
“Indeed, Area Eight is quite impressive,” Elder Zhuo Yun agreed.
The faces of the clan elders from various tribes softened a bit. They no longer looked as troubled.
“Hey, that’s our clan’s Da Meng. He failed four times in a row, but unexpectedly succeeded this year. Ha ha!” one elder laughed heartily.
“Look, our clan’s Qing Hu also succeeded. He looks vigorous and didn’t seem to have expended much effort. Truly, heroes emerge young. Not simple at all,” another elder commented.
The group of elders began to smile, feeling very pleased. At the exit, a continuous stream of young challengers emerged, and they often discovered children from their own tribes.
Elder Xiong Fei initially had a smile on his face, nodding repeatedly, believing that Area Eight was indeed impressive, with so many geniuses emerging. However, as time went on, he began to feel something was amiss. Why were so many people still coming out? It seemed like the challenge wasn’t over yet.
"One, two, two hundred fourteen," he counted briefly, frowning. There were so many coming out all at once. The difficulty of the challenge had been increased, but it didn’t seem to be having much effect.
"Four hundred, four hundred one."
As he continued counting, Elder Xiong Fei became restless, murmuring to himself, "So many geniuses this time. This is really rare."
"Yes, it certainly exceeds previous years, and it’s quite surprising, but it's a good thing," Elder Zhuo Yun nodded in satisfaction.
When the number exceeded one thousand, Elder Xiong Fei, like he was sitting on a hot stove, stood up completely.
Elder Zhuo Yun was also stunned, saying, "There are so many geniuses. The children from Area Eight are truly exceptional."
Other elders frowned and whispered among themselves. One of them said, "There are too many people. This isn’t right. Should we re-evaluate? Otherwise, there are too many exceeding the expected number."
"It might not be a good idea. The elders of the major tribes will have complaints and dissatisfaction. After all, the difficulty level of this year’s challenge was set very high," someone said helplessly.
When the number reached two thousand, Elder Xiong Fei’s face turned green. There were just too many geniuses. Elder Zhuo Yun was also at a loss for words.
"This..." The other elders from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion were also dizzy and completely stunned.
"This isn’t right." When the number reached three thousand, several elders were agitated and nearly pulled out their own hair, their faces turning green. They could no longer remain calm.
In contrast, the elders from various major tribes were all smiling widely, delighted that their tribe’s children had performed so well and passed the test.
"Good job, kid. Passing at such a young age is impressive."
"Er Hei, it was worth it. Even at twenty-something, you persevered and finally succeeded."
Hearing these comments from the tribal elders, the elders from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion were practically in a state of panic, completely reversed from their initial situation.
"I—what should I say? Oh right, there was still a snot-nosed kid. How could he succeed?" Elder Xiong Fei jumped up, panicking to the point of dizziness.
"Thank you for the compliment, Elder," said a six or seven-year-old snot-nosed kid, bowing to Elder Xiong Fei and then wiping his nose, almost smearing it on Elder Xiong Fei.
"This is insane. There must be something wrong," by this point, the elders from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion wished they could just pass out from the shock.
What they were seeing was so terrifying: the number had directly exceeded four thousand, and the most unforgivable part was that these children were arm in arm, grouped together, walking out in droves.
Even in ancient times, during the era of saints contending for supremacy, such a number of geniuses had never been seen.
This didn’t look like the result of rigorous training. These children were chatting and laughing, walking out in teams, completely astonished everyone.
The faces of several elders turned an extreme shade of green, and they finally couldn’t help but shout, "Investigate, find out the truth!"
Their voices were filled with despair and anger, attracting the attention of the higher-ups of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, who came running, thinking that an ancient species might be attacking.
Two hours later, no more children emerged. People counted carefully and found that a total of eight thousand nine hundred twenty-seven had succeeded.
This number shocked the high-level officials of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, turning their faces green with astonishment. It was unprecedented, surpassing all previous records and becoming the greatest in history.
Out of over ten thousand people, only a little over one thousand had not made it, while the rest had succeeded.
Half an hour later, in Area Eight, several elders were furious, with Elder Xiong Fei and Elder Zhuo Yun almost spitting out blood.
"Damn it, who did this?"
Hearing this anguished and enraged outcry, the elders from the major tribes looked at each other, unsure of what could have provoked such a reaction.
Moments later, the higher-ups of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion received the report, and all of them looked up to the sky, speechless for a long time.
"What happened?" the tribal elders asked cautiously.
In the end, the high-ranking officials all turned and left. Watching their retreating figures, people could only guess at their thoughts and feelings.
"It was a little thief who stole the precious bones from Area Eight and disrupted the testing ground."
Finally, the news spread. The tribal elders were stunned, then petrified, and eventually, their mouths twitched as they struggled to suppress their impulses, remaining silent.
"Who did it?" one elder roared.
"Who else could it be? It must be that troublesome kid. We said he didn’t come, and now it’s confirmed he did," Elder Xiong Fei said, tears streaming down his face. This was truly infuriating.
"Don’t let me see him. If he enters the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, the first thing I’ll do is give him a good beating," Elder Zhuo Yun said viciously.
However, someone immediately interjected, "Little brother, where are you? The gates of the Deer Stalking Academy are always open for you."
The speaker was the female warrior of the Deer Stalking Academy, radiating golden light, with a graceful figure and a beautiful face. Unlike before, she now wore a gentle smile.
Elder Zhuo Yun’s forehead was immediately covered in sweat as he looked around.
At the same time, the entire Void Divine Realm was in an uproar, with the news spreading like wildfire.
"Is it really that kid? It seems like he has shown up."
"Who else could it be? He matches the performance from the initial location. Poor Heaven-Mending Pavilion."
"Ha ha, this bizarre kid is too troublesome."
"Heaven-Mending Pavilion is too pitiful. This mischievous kid really leaves people speechless. He’s done something that angers both gods and men again."
"Indeed, anyone who tangles with him will definitely be involved in something that angers everyone. Even the Void Divine Realm can’t stand him. I wonder if the Heaven-Mending Pavilion will expel him too, ha ha ha."
At this moment, the entire Void Divine Realm was buzzing with discussions and laughter.
"This kid really knows how to cause trouble. He’s such a nuisance wherever he goes. Luckily, he’s far from us," Uncle Hammer wiped his cold sweat.
Old Master Jingbi said nothing, swiftly and skillfully putting up a sign in the crowded area, which read: "To know the secret of the little thief, please offer one Jingbi."
Bird Master was also quick, unfurling a tattered banner and hanging it up next to it, which read: "One Jingbi, Exclusive Secret."
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