Overseer Juan could only scrunch his eyebrows at the sight. This new exam format was far more brutal than their previous ones. On top of that, the amount of times the beasts had got involved was getting somewhat ridiculous.
He could only gaze towards the elder who stole, or rather, borrowed, his fourth cold glass of limeberries.
"Grand Elder Wanshang, was there a need to have this many Deviant Beasts in the Fractured Realm? Very few of these fighters could deal with them."
With the clinking of ice in his drink, Grand Elder Wanshang took a sip before answering Overseer Juan's question. "These disciples are capable. The boy from the Liu Clan and Wu Clan's little rascal both took down a deviant, and they still weren't the only ones. The wolf child almost killed one of them himself. But this isn't the main reason we are doing this, Juan."
"Please educate me, Grand Elder."
Relaxing in his floating chair, Grand Elder Wanshang still retained a wistful smile. "We need our disciples to be acclimated to Deviant Beasts now more than ever. The smuggling has worsened around our region. Remember well, Cloud City is situated between the Granxian Continent to the north, Veredai Continent to the south, and the eastern expanse, which leads to the busiest sea routes across the world."
Overseer Juan held a finger to his short beard. "So this correlates to the history of our land."
"Precisely. This was the hub of routes for Deviant Beast smuggling, outlawed by all continents unanimously. The Sect Leader and I may have massacred them to clear out land for Cloud City once, but remnants have formed as of recent."
Once, long before the arrival of the Firstborne's era, the progenitors of Deviant Beasts were the overlords of the world. It was the dark and brutal Oblivion Era, where the vestiges of human civilisation were barren.
Even if those times were long gone in the annuls of human history, the primal fear and caution against them still remained.
Now, Deviant Beasts were one of the largest industries for their high potential to ascend into becoming Immortal Beasts. The perfect familiars for Immortal Cultivators, those beyond Nascent Soul.
Which brought upon Deviant Beast smuggling. A crime that would lead to your execution no matter the region. Though, these rules were void for those who were above Rank 5, due to their abilities to store the living in their spatial storage.
Deviant Beasts were a massive headache for any region's administrators when left unchecked. They were worth insurmountable amounts when captured, but when taken to another region, would cause the local ecosystem to fall into chaos. They would destroy valuable locations and resource points vital for many factions of the local community.
"And this is a trial on how we can train our disciples in the future, when there comes a time they'll be sent out to scour for those causes of smugglers. And, whoever they're backed by…" Overseer Juan came to a realisation as he talked. If these smugglers were suddenly appearing even after the sect handled them before, then it meant the appearance of an untold force in the distant.
Grand Elder Wanshang finished his glass, throwing it into a small tuft of clouds beside him. What he said only confirmed Overseer Juan's suspicions. "We already know of the Demonic Sect, but they've been quite good at hiding. This is merely training for the worst-case scenario. Truly, the Sect Leader has great wisdom to create such a practice."
Allowing the new disciples to go through severe pain without risk of a true injury, even to the point of experiencing the sensation of death. Facing the unique and bizarre natures of Deviant Beasts. Allowing a multi faceted environment to be employed in a single space to test the adaptability of the disciples.
Effective practices like these would only be found amongst Immortal Clans and Sects. Yet, the Nascent Soul cultivator that led Cloud City had devised training regiments just as good for their disciples.
"Is the Sect Leader not here to see the results?" Overseer Juan asked.
Grand Elder Wanshang chuckled.
"He's already here, observing everything from the beginning."
***
A suspicious blob of snow stood across the cracked, frozen lake where the flying Deviant Beast appeared.
Two golden eyes popped out of the blob of snow, observing in secrecy. Observing. Analysing.
Baby Vrostin Roc Qidense Realm: Stage 9 Deviant Beast. Omnivores found at the lowest entrance of Zhenren's Throat, the tallest mountain in the world. Sometimes worshipped as deities in surrounding distant villages, they have high intellect and are capable of interacting with mortals. This Deviant variation has a far larger body, with a higher potential for growth, while having a carnivorous tendency. It is capable of tapping into the Paths, as a result. While the average Vrostin Roc can reach up to Rank 3, Core Genesis Realm, this one has the potential to go even further.
Folklores say the progenitor of Vrostin Rocs was once the familiar of the Firstborne, thus its entire race guards the entrance of Zhenren's Throat. The key to the empty throne of the ???.
Suggest areas of attack: Cannot calculate without further information.
Shit. What kind of beasts am I gonna see after Qidense Realm? They're already ridiculous enough as it is now!
The Vrostin Roc that swooped in was pure and shrived, a fur fairer than the snow itself. Yet it glistened with sparks of icy blue. Almost angelic in nature, its wingspan covered the entire sky in front of his vision, casting a deep shadow over the rest of the combatants surrounding the crocodile. Talons sharper than any weapon, a beak as indestructible as obsidian, yet its eyes were its most powerful feature.
The eyes were absolute crimson with hues of orange, with a subdue glow. It was like twin embers set against the cold backdrop of its cold visage, emanating fierce predatorial intellect. The hallmark of a powerful ruler.
Tez's eyes were covetous; glaring at the Deviant Bird that grabbed its prey like it were nothing. The mark on his left hand felt all the more succulent. If he could just find a way to use it, that thing would become his own tool!
His silenced heartbeat still beat with vigour at the thought of taking control of the Vrostin Roc
But Tez's Hunter's Eye warned him that now wasn't the time. If he jumped out now to take advantage of the situation, he'd be gunned down by the rest. The remaining fighters left were the cream of the crop. They wouldn't be stupid enough to let someone subjugate the beast in front of their eyes. There was no way he was the only one who had received such a reward in the exam.
It flapped its wings. An intense wind burst that forced Tez to close his eyes. The Roc flew back up, prey in claws, becoming a blur in the bright sky.
For a moment, everyone didn't move. They were still processing what had just happened. Even Tez could tell what was on everyone's minds.
That they were ants in front of the playing ground of powerful beasts!
Tez felt a tingle on the back of his neck.
My presence nullification charm's run out! My Danger Sense is activated!
Tez tensed his calves and curled his toes. The stance of a leopard.
"Enjoying the show?" Were the words Tez heard, as the weight of a heavy axe slammed at his spot.
Leopard Leap!
He dashed out of the snow, shaking himself to remove the little bits that covered his body.
It wasn't much help. With the axe slammed deep into the ground, snow and debris landed all over Tez.
Stage 4. It should be doable.
Tez geared himself, slamming his shin between the man's legs. He'd have to play dirty if he wanted to beat the final ten opponents. Before his opponent could collapse in agony, Tez slashed his sword against the man's neck, killing him in an instant.
He was a bit unnerved at how easily he was defeated, but since it was all fake, Tez could stomach it.
After all, the first time he killed a bandit, his blade would keep getting stuck against the bones and meat. Now, as a Rank 1 Stage 3 cultivator, his raw strength had far surpassed the limitations of mortals.
"Good to know a good kick to the balls is enough for your Qi defences to mess up!"
The silence had long been broken by the clashing of weapons and yells of fighters, and the battlefield had now moved to the western snowy hills. No one wanted to be near the frozen lake anymore. Not after witnessing that.
At his periphery, Tez noticed a battle-crazed swordsman duke it out with the fan wielder he dealt with early on. They weren't a problem. Not even the girl he'd antagonised, who was off in the distance putting poison in the frozen lake, was aware of his presence.
It was the two monsters blazing through the battlefield, taking on multiple people at once. A wolf-like dishevelled person with brown hair wielding a glaive, and…
The young master he'd seen earlier was fending off multiple opponents with ease, and had smacked a Vulfoan girl's back with his staff hard enough that she collided into him. He tasted bits of her emerald hair along with the necklace that dangled off her neck.
Goddamn monster!
Tez heaved the unconscious girl off of him, raising his sword in defence.
A club slammed directly against his sword, causing Tez's arms to shiver. He grit his teeth as his decapitated fingers bled even more. He split his concentration as his eyes darted around, mapping out his surroundings. Jewels of someone's ornate robes clacked in the distance.
Idiot, I can tell you coming from a mile away!
"Scrawny kid, just…fall already!" The burly opponent shouted. Seeing the cracks forming across Tez's sword, his face creased into a grin. In his eyes, he had already won the fight. Tez had his focus elsewhere, waiting for the jewels to signal the adorned opponent behind him.
Tez released all the tension in his knees, squatting down. The well-dressed ambusher behind him collided with the burly man, and his sword landed squarely on the burly opponent's face.
Ding!
Tez licked his chapped lips. Good thing it counts even if I don't do the finishing blow.
He twisted his crouched torso to deliver a crescent kick at the ambusher's shins. The ground dirtied the assailant's embroidered robes as he yelped from the pain and fell down. Gaining himself a breath of time, Tez flipped back to regain his posture.
"You damned peasant!" The assailant cried out. Tez held his sword in a stance, winding up for a finishing move.
"Home run!" Tez yelled, slapping the flat of his sword at the ambusher's head, knocking him back on the ground.
With a stab, he cut his heart without a blink.
Ding!
After getting his brain tickled by the sound he anticipated, Tez continued to scout around for the weakest of the group. He had seven more to go, but the crowd was dwindling down fast. There wouldn't be anyone below even Stage 5 at this point.
So long as I steer clear of that blondie bastard, and that wolf guy, I should be fine. Tez eyed around the snowy hills, far emptier than before. All that was left were pools of blood splattered across the white canvas. Two fighters in the distance, at least over 100 metres away, were stuck in a stalemate, so Tez took inspiration from his last encounter. He placed one foot ahead of the other.
His legs were burning with rigorous Qi, his calves tensing up. His chest heaved and nostrils flared as his breathing cycle shifted. His back lowered slightly, head leaned forth, and arms tensed. It was as if his body had practiced this one stance thousands of times.
"Iron Boar Tackle!"
Tez left a trail of snowy clouds with each stomp. Within a few breaths, he had closed the distance, skidding across the earth as dirt flew like a gale.
Naturally, the duo stuck in a stalemate sensed Tez, and mutually decided a ceasefire, backing off to avoid the incoming mad boar.
Tez's face curled up with a cunning smirk, readying the prior stance instantly.
"Again!"
"No."
Time had felt frozen. Danger Sense had completely activated, but his entire vision had turned red. The entire battlefield was the danger this time. But where? And how?
Tez wouldn't have time to react, let alone scour his surroundings to see the origin of the danger. He didn't even have the space to let out a thought.
Yet, he recognised that voice all too well.
The only thing he felt was pain. Excruciating pain.
A heavy staff slammed into the side of his torso, and the sounds of multiple ribs cracking resounded inside his head. Almost like he was a baseball, his body flung across the snowy field like he'd been hit by a batter.
But it was just a casual swing of a staff.
It felt like forever as he flew across the air, with the taste of iron filling up his mouth. But his body didn't disappear. Tez hadn't failed yet.
But even that notion felt unrealistic as his body landed. He rolled a few times, bone crunching and dislocating, until finally Tez slowed down.
He was staring straight up at the sky.
Blood flowed from his mouth. He lost the energy to even move. Even turning his head was tiresome, so all Tez could do was look at the side.
The young master of the Liu Clan had already begun to deal with the pair of fighters in that moment Tez was flung away.
Strong! How's he still so strong? The gap's too big.
Seven. Just seven more. Then he'd get ten Spiritual Meridians, finally getting rid of the trash curse that was his Bronze Talisoul. He was so close, and yet so far.
Tez could only grit his teeth as he stared at the esoteric floating screen. System! Use 100 Insignias to purchase and instantly consume a Rank 1 Perfect Grade Rejuvenation Pill! Use 50 Insignias to increase my Qi reserves by 30% as well with an Atom of Empyreal Blood!
In that one moment, Tez's body had undergone a change that once more allowed him to survive for just a bit longer. With an ingestion of a Rejuvenation Pill, his injuries would lessen for the moment.
Unfortunately, in the world he'd ended up with, pills weren't a mystical drug that produced effects immediately, reshaping blood and reforming physiques. The mythical pills made by cultivators had one duty.
To give your Qi an aspect of the Paths.
Now, his Qi had gained an aspect of healing. Even though he'd ingested the pill, he had to consume Qi, and cycle it throughout his body to make use of its effects. Which was exactly why he needed to increase his reserves.
Supposedly, it was through this that one's foundation was further strengthened, using pills as training wheels rather than a crutch to lean on.
The pain worsened in his body as it went into overdrive, increasing the speed of his natural regeneration by a high amount. But for the price of that pain, Tez found the energy to move once more.
Struggling for a moment, he gradually stood up, unyielding in the snow.
"I-I have to leave now." Tez acknowledged his weakness, opting to use this small opening to escape. All he had now was the rune on his hand that allowed him to subjugate a beast. He had no other advantage left. Using the System's Shop to take out something or anything else would make him too obvious from the observing elders. He could only abuse it so much.
He faced towards the frozen lake, where the crocodile beast came from. If there was still something in that lake, he could maybe use his rune to subjugate it. *Damn shitty System, how do you expect me to beat 100 people like this? Can't you be more reasonable?!
Tez coughed out.
Aside from this, he couldn't think of another re-
"You're still standing. For someone so weak, you have grit," that familiar voice taunted him.
Shit! He dealt with them already?!
Tez's back clung to his shirt with sweat. His right hand remained on the hilt of the sword, though it probably wouldn't be fast enough. The man in front of him was still a boss he was far too weak for! Everyone used to clown these typical young masters, but they're still a scary menace to the average person in reality! I'm still nowhere near the level to deal with those sons of heavens!
He stood even with broken ribs in front of Liu Shuren. Still, he failed to examine this man's status. Half the damn screen was filled with unknown question marks. There were still ways to go before he could upgrade his bloody examine skill after all.
Tez glared at Shuren, but he had long begun trembling from the pain. "Is it s-such a surprise? Even the w-weak can still fight above their stage." He struggled to breathe from the injuries.
Shuren slightly raised his eyebrows.
Tez didn't know what exactly that meant. But when he had a light smile on his face, he couldn't tell if it was out of conceit or mockery.
"Then I won't hold back against you. Tell me your name."
Shuren held his staff with a reverse grip, but when Tez noticed him use his Qi aura to its most optimal, he felt a suffocating presence.
It didn't make sense. He wasn't even at the peak of Rank 1. Exactly how could he emanate this sensation of a cultivator forged from blades, someone steeped from battle and strife?
Or is this what it took to stand out to become an esteemed young master of a clan? You couldn't just drug yourself up in this world with how even pills worked.
Tez clicked his tongue. "It's only fair since I know your name. But I don't like you one bit. Al-"
The king's whistle vibrated across the mountains once more. The foreboding horn of a predator hunting for prey.
Everyone felt goosebumps crawling up on their necks. Not even the battle frenzy Wu Ming, who was battling Huang Shi Junyu, could deny that sensation.
To others, it was the whistle of destruction. But to Tez, it was a trumpet of victory!
Both Tez and Shuren looked at the sky to see the source of the sound. Tez's left fist was clenched, the rune slowly humming with a glow.
With purple eyes of frenzy, the Vrostin Roc was dive-bombing exactly towards the pair!
Tez welcomed the herald of the king with open arms.
"Jackpot!"