Although they couldn't see what was happening inside, they knew that Gong Yin was probably going to die.
"This martial soul fusion skill seems even more evil and domineering than the one between Hu Liena and Xie Yue." Qingqing was already completely dumbfounded. She hadn't imagined that Jiang Chen's talent and strength would be so terrifying.
At that moment, the thick black mist dispersed, revealing Jiang Chen and Zhao Youyue's figures.
Although they had just used their martial soul fusion skill, they showed no signs of weakness at all. On the contrary, they looked full of energy and spirit.
Not far from them, a stiff, shriveled corpse lay on the ground. Its sunken face was twisted in extreme horror, and both eyeballs had burst open.
Zhao Youyue didn't dare look at the terrifying corpse. She hadn't expected that her martial soul fusion skill with Jiang Chen would so easily kill a Great Soul Master.
Jiang Chen and Zhao Youyue walked to the side and stood quietly.
Wan Tianqi's face was filled with fear as he hurriedly stepped aside. Jiang Chen and Zhao Youyue were simply too terrifying. He swore that during these three years in the concentration camp, he would absolutely not provoke these two.
Long Shan no longer had the slightest contempt for Jiang Chen in his heart. At this moment, he finally understood that Jiang Chen truly was a monstrous genius, not someone who had come to the Death Concentration Camp just to gild himself through the Pope's connections.
No wonder the Pope had asked him to help Jiang Chen once. Who wouldn't cherish such a genius?
Forget once, even if it were several more times, he would be willing.
However, the more genius a student was, the stricter his training would be. Apart from secretly ensuring Jiang Chen didn't die, he had to make sure Jiang Chen gained the maximum possible improvement in the Death Concentration Camp.
It wasn't long before another youth charged out, but the lecherous old man and the instructors all shook their heads in disappointment. This youth's willpower clearly hadn't met their requirements.
There was a very obvious "map" drawn on the youth's pants, showing that he had completely succumbed to the illusion earlier and failed to resist the temptation. Still, the fact that he had managed to rush out of the red mist in the end, though barely, was still quite good.
This was the last of the Five Heavenly Kings. After he came out, he immediately roared, "Gong Yin, take your life!"
Finally, when he learned from Wan Tianqi that the shriveled corpse was Gong Yin, his reaction was even more exaggerated than Wan Tianqi's. He stared at Jiang Chen and Zhao Youyue in terror.
Near dusk, another large wave of youths and maidens arrived within the mist, but not a single one managed to successfully break through.
The lecherous old man withdrew the mist, immediately revealing a ground full of youths and maidens writhing on the floor, trapped in illusions and unable to extricate themselves.
A group of instructors walked over and slapped each one awake.
Jiang Chen's sharp eyes noticed that all the maidens were in the same state as Zhao Youyue had been earlier. He finally understood exactly what it was.
Zhao Youyue's face flushed red again. Seeing Jiang Chen looking at her with a strange gaze, she wished she could burrow into the crack in the mountain wall behind her.
At this point, only two days of the three-day period had passed. More than half of the students in the forest still hadn't come out. The students who had already emerged, including Jiang Chen, were all led outside.
...
Another day passed. In the end, only one eight-year-old boy successfully broke through the illusion and earned fifth place. Those who failed to break through were all ranked sixth.
As for those who hadn't reached the final checkpoint within three days, they were all classified as failures with zero points.
Finally, all the instructors mobilized and, in just half a day, searched the entire forest and rescued every student still trapped inside.
By the time all the instructors and students returned to the city, it was already night.
The instructors didn't assign any more tasks. The students were free to rest.
As Jiang Chen's subordinate, Zhao Youyue moved into Jiang Chen's small building to live together with him. Her unusual behavior attracted a lot of attention.
But when they heard that Zhao Youyue and Jiang Chen had used their martial soul fusion skill to brutally kill Gong Yin, everyone was filled with dread.
They had all seen that shriveled corpse; its death was incomparably horrifying. They never imagined that it was actually Gong Yin's body.
...
"Youyue, tell me what kind of training might come next," Jiang Chen asked.
Zhao Youyue sat respectfully in front of Jiang Chen. "Master, I just went to inquire. Next, we will likely undergo training in the Killing Field."
"The Killing Field is a place for slaughter, right here in the city. The opponents are all heinous murderers. In the past, almost all students died in the Killing Fields. Every student has to fight once a month. Although the opponents are soul masters of the same level, those murderers are all battle-hardened, with ruthless methods. Many students are already timid before the fight even begins."
"Also, starting tomorrow, many training facilities in the city will open one by one. Our cultivation and battles will have instructor guidance, allowing us to become stronger quickly."
Jiang Chen nodded. No wonder the Martial Soul Hall runs this Death Concentration Camp, and why so many people sign up every year. Cultivating under the pressure of death, how could one not progress quickly?
Most importantly, it cultivated these students' powerful mentality from a young age. Those who graduated from here were no delicate flowers raised in greenhouses. In the future, they would definitely receive focused attention from the Martial Soul Hall, with limitless prospects.
"Youyue, I see your combat experience isn't strong. From now on, you must put more emphasis on training in this area, understand?"
"Understood." Zhao Youyue nodded, obedient like a little bird.
"Master, may I ask you one question?" After spending this time together, she had discovered that Jiang Chen was actually quite easy to talk to and not particularly hot-tempered, so her fear had lessened somewhat.
"Ask."
"Which family are you from?"
"I don't have any family," Jiang Chen said calmly.
"Ah?" Zhao Youyue let out a surprised cry. Given Jiang Chen's powerful talent, she had assumed he came from some major family.
"It seems Master is also one of the orphans adopted by the Martial Soul Hall," she thought to herself.
Jiang Chen had no idea what Zhao Youyue was thinking. He waved his hand and said, "It's getting late. Go back to your room and cultivate."
After sending Zhao Youyue away, Jiang Chen sat cross-legged on the balcony, preparing to cultivate.
"To cultivate here for three years, three years later, my cultivation should be close to Soul Venerable. And after breaking through level 20, I should have to face another heavenly tribulation."
To him, the heavenly tribulation was full of danger, but once he overcame it, the system's rewards were extremely generous.
...
...
Three years later.
Outside Black City, a group of youths and maidens stood, all with excited expressions on their faces.
Today, they had finally graduated from the Death Concentration Camp.
Every one of them felt as if they had been reborn. Three years of hellish training had brought them an enormous transformation, both in strength and in mentality.
This batch also had the highest number of surviving students ever, fully over fifty people passed. If these people didn't die in the future, they would all become elite figures in the Martial Soul Hall.
"Little Chen brother, you must remember to come visit big sister often, okay?" Qingqing smiled as she ruffled a boy's hair.
"Got it. You go back now, no need to see me off," Jiang Chen said somewhat helplessly.
He had grown much taller now, but in front of the tall and slender Qingqing, he still wasn't impressive enough. There was nothing he could do about being patted on the head.