The lingering echoes of the morning bell had yet to fade, yet the training grounds were already boiling with noise.

  The Azure Cloud Sect’s Outer Sect assessment, held once every three years, decided the fate of hundreds of Outer Sect disciples. Those who passed could remain in the sect and continue cultivation; the outstanding ones could earn recommendations for Inner Sect disciple status. Those who failed would be expelled from the sect, forever cut off from the path of immortality.

  When Lin Chen stepped into the training grounds, he instantly felt countless gazes converging upon him.

  Curiosity, scrutiny, hostility, mockery.

  “That’s Lin Chen? I heard that a few days ago, Senior Brother Zhao Hu chased him, he jumped off a cliff but didn’t die, and even broke through to Condensation Stage Level 4.”

  “Condensation Stage Level 4? So what? For this assessment, Deacon Zhao arranged three experts above Condensation Stage Level 7 specifically to deal with him. He’s definitely dead.”

  “What a pity, he’s actually quite handsome”

  The voices of gossip reached his ears. Lin Chen’s face remained calm as he walked directly toward the sign-up desk.

  In front of the lottery table, a Law Enforcement Hall disciple expressionlessly handed him a bamboo slip: “Lin Chen, arena three, first match.”

  The slip bore the characters “ThreeA.”

  The opponent’s information was immediately announced: “Arena three, Lin Chen versus Zhang Kuang.”

  Zhang Kuang.

  Lin Chen raised his eyes and looked over. Beside arena three, a brawny man with a savage, cross-faced expression was leering at him. The man wore metal claw gauntlets on all ten fingers, their tips tinged with a dark red sheen, faintly emitting a bloody smell.

  Blood Claw Zhang Kuang.

  It was indeed him.

  As Senior Sister Liu Ruyan had warned last nightan external hired hand from the Blood Blade Sect, cultivating the Blood Claw Technique, fingers like blades, claws laced with poison.

  When Zhang Kuang saw Lin Chen looking, he extended his tongue to lick his claw-tip, making a throat-slitting gesture.

  Utterly arrogant.

  Lin Chen withdrew his gaze, his mind coldly analyzing.

  Condensation Stage Level 7, Blood Claw Technique excels at close combat, claws contain poison. But as Sister Liu said, after unleashing his ultimate move “Nine Blood Shadow Claws,” there is a one-breath interval where his qi and blood fall into chaos.

  That one breath is the moment of victory.

  But he couldn’t reveal his full strength.

  Lin Chen’s true cultivation was now Condensation Stage Level 9, and the Chaos Stellar Body had resistance to poison attributes. However, if he displayed Level 9 strength from the start, the next two experts would certainly devise targeted arrangements.

  Show weakness, lure the enemy in.

  “The hour of dawnassessment begins!” From the high platform, the Law Enforcement Hall elder issued the command.

  The referee of arena three waved: “Lin Chen, Zhang Kuang, step onto the stage!”

  Both leaped onto the arena.

  The arena was paved with blue stone, ten zhang square, with a defensive barrier at its edges to prevent battle shockwaves from injuring watching disciples.

  Zhang Kuang cracked his neck, joints popping: “Kid, I heard you got pretty cocky a few days ago? You even dared to injure Senior Brother Zhao Hu.”

  Lin Chen said blandly: “On the arena, we each rely on our own ability.”

  “Our own ability?” Zhang Kuang roared with laughter, “Today, I’ll let you know what real ability means!”

  Before his words fell, his figure charged violently!

  Crimson spiritual power erupted from his body, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. The ten claw gauntlets glowed brilliantly red, fierce claw winds tearing through the air, aiming straight for Lin Chen’s throat!

  So fast!

  Lin Chen’s pupils contracted. Star-shifting Steps activated, his figure shifted three feet left.

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  Swoosh!

  Claw winds brushed past his shoulder, gouging five deep trenches in the blue stone ground.

  “You dodge pretty quick!” Zhang Kuang sneered, his assault relentless, both claws raining down consecutively.

  Blood shadows overlapped; claw winds formed a net, blocking all Lin Chen’s escape routes. The blood poison on the claw gauntlets diffused with the fierce winds, forming faint red mist above the arena; inhaling even a wisp caused dizziness and blurred vision.

  Lin Chen maneuvered with Star-shifting Steps, each evasion dangerously close. He deliberately kept his aura around Condensation Stage Level 4, appearing utterly strained, his robe torn in many places by claw winds, leaving shallow bleeding wounds. Blood poison invaded the wounds, bringing burning pain, but the Chaos Star Vortex in his dantian rotated slightly, quietly neutralizing the toxin.

  “Only know how to dodge? Trash!” Zhang Kuang roared wildly, his attacks intensifying. Unable to achieve victory after prolonged assault, anxiety rose in his heart, ferocious light gleaming in his eyes.

  Below the stage, discussions flew.

  “Lin Chen is completely suppressed.”

  “After all, there’s a three-level gap; it’s already pretty good he’s lasted this long.”

  “Zhang Kuang’s Blood Claw Technique is too savage; a single scratch and he’d die without doubt.”

  Zhao Hu stood on a distant high platform, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile.

  Beside him, a pale, gloomy-faced young man in black stood with hands behind his backnone other than Inner Sect disciple Zhao Long.

  “Cousin, can Zhang Kuang win?” Zhao Hu asked.

  Zhao Long said indifferently: “Zhang Kuang may only be Condensation Stage Level 7, but his Blood Claw Technique is sinister and poisonous; practical combat strength isn’t weaker than Level 8. Lin Chen is merely Level 4he will definitely die.”

  “Good.” Zhao Hu’s eyes flashed with venom, “I want to watch him die with my own eyes!”

  On the arena, the battle had passed a hundred exchanges.

  Lin Chen intentionally let himself appear disheveled, breathing heavily, sweat beading his forehead. He was waiting, waiting for the moment Zhang Kuang unleashed his ultimate move.

  Zhang Kuang indeed couldn’t hold back.

  A fierce light flashed in his eyes, the blood qi in his body suddenly boiling, both claws blazing with red light, faintly emitting shrill shrieks.

  “Nine Blood Shadow Claws!”

  Zhang Kuang bellowed, his figure transforming into nine bloody afterimages, pouncing toward Lin Chen simultaneously from all directions!

  Each afterimage unleashed nine claw rayseighty-one bloody claw shadows in total, covering heaven and earth, sealing off the entire arena!

  Ultimate move unleashed!

  Gasps erupted below.

  “It’s Nine Blood Shadow Claws! Zhang Kuang’s signature kill move!”

  “This move once instantly killed a Condensation Stage Level 8 expert! Lin Chen is finished!”

  Lin Chen’s pupils shrank violently.

  Stellar Eye activated; the trajectories of the eighty-one claw shadows clearly presented themselves in his vision.

  Fastbut not flawless.

  Nine afterimages, eight false, one real. Of the eighty-one claw shadows, only nine were true killing moves; the rest were illusions.

  And the real killing moves all originated from the third afterimage on the left!

  Seen through!

  Lin Chen’s figure did not retreat but instead charged forward, meeting the claw shadows!

  “Courting death!” Zhang Kuang sneered, both claws of the real body striking out, aiming straight for Lin Chen’s heart!

  But at the instant the claw-tips were about to touch his body, Lin Chen’s figure twisted bizarrely, evading the fatal strike by a hair’s breadth.

  Simultaneously, the spiritual power within him erupted explosively!

  Not Condensation Stage Level 4.

  Nor Level 5.

  But Condensation Stage Level 5!

  Breakthrough during battle!

  “What?!” Zhang Kuang was shocked.

  His old strength was spent, new strength not yet generatedprecisely in that one-breath interval of qi?blood chaos after unleashing Nine Blood Shadow Claws.

  And Lin Chen’s fist, carrying azure water?attribute stellar radiance, was already smashing toward him!

  Starfall Fist · Meteor Descent!

  Water overcomes fire; the Blood Claw Technique’s essence is fire attribute, though mixed with blood poison, its core is still fire element.

  The azure fist shadow descended like a falling meteor, accurately striking Zhang Kuang’s chest.

  Thump!

  A dull impact sound rang out.

  Zhang Kuang’s chest caved in; his entire body flew backward, crashing heavily against the arena barrier, spewing blood wildly.

  His claw gauntlets fell off; ten fingers twisted.

  He struggled to stand, only to find his meridians sealed by a strand of icy water?attribute spiritual powerhe couldn’t muster even a sliver of spiritual energy.

  “You you concealed your strength” Zhang Kuang coughed blood, his eyes filled with disbelief.

  Lin Chen withdrew his fist, his breath steady, still at Condensation Stage Level 5.

  He had only revealed Level 5 strength, keeping four layers of cards in reserve.

  The referee froze for a moment, then loudly announced: “Lin Chen wins!”

  Below, silence reigned briefly before earthshaking uproar erupted.

  “He won?! Lin Chen won!”

  “Breaking through to Level 5 during battle, and counter?killing with one move? So fierce!”

  “That Zhang Kuang was Condensation Stage Level 7! A two?level cross?tier counter?killwhat kind of monster is this?”

  Zhao Hu’s face turned livid, his fists clenched until they creaked.

  Zhao Long narrowed his eyes: “Breakthrough during battle interesting. Seems this kid is tougher than imagined.”

  On the arena, Lin Chen turned to leave the stage.

  But his gaze swept over Zhang Kuang’s fallen claw gauntlets and suddenly paused.

  On the inner side of the gauntlets, a trace of extremely faint black aura lingered.

  That aura was cold, rotten, identical to the Netherworld Demonic Qi he had sensed earlier in the waterfall cave’s jade slip.

  Moreover, the black aura seemed alive, slowly squirming, trying to burrow into Zhang Kuang’s wounds and devour his remaining vitality.

  Demonic qi devouring its master!

  Lin Chen’s heart turned cold.

  The Netherworld Palace’s infiltration ran deeper than he had anticipated. Even external hires from second?rate sects like the Blood Blade Sect had been utterly corroded by demonic arts, reduced to demon?puppets.

  Then what about inside the Azure Cloud Sect? Zhao Wuji? Zhao Long? Even the Sect Master?

  He raised his eyes, looking toward the high?platform direction.

  There, Zhao Wuji was chatting and laughing with several Inner Sect elders, appearing utterly unconcerned about Zhang Kuang’s defeat. But Lin Chen noticedZhao Wuji’s gaze swept over Zhang Kuang’s claw gauntlets, if only briefly.

  In that gaze, there was a barely detectable chill.

  And greed.

  As if admiring some kind of experimental result.

  Lin Chen withdrew his gaze and stepped down from the arena.

  The first battle was wonbut it was only the beginning.

  Two more hard fights lay ahead, and the shadow of the Netherworld Palace had already quietly enveloped the entire training grounds.