The crowd considered the youth's accusation about him hiding his cultivation. It seemed like the only explanation for this unexpected situation.
Ye Wushuang offered no explanation. If that's what they wanted to believe, there was nothing he could say to change their minds.
"Regardless, you lost the bet, and everyone saw it." He stared at the youth, enunciating each word.
"I lost!"
Seeing all eyes in the crowd fixed on him, the youth's face changed. He had indeed made the bet in public. Now that he'd lost, did he have to eat shit in front of everyone, or lick Ye Wushuang's shoes?
'How the hell is that possible!'
The thought of such a disgusting scene made the youth shake his head in terror. He took a step back. "I... I was just kidding! Don't take it seriously, please don't!"
"But I already took it seriously!"
Ye Wushuang scratched his ear, stepped closer to the youth, and glared at him. "Weren't you so confident, betting you'd perform a public shit-eating show? Let's get it over with."
"Impossible. I won't do it." The youth's eyes narrowed and he trembled, taking several more steps back.
Hearing this, Ye Wushuang's eyes narrowed. "In that case," he said coldly, "lick the shoe!"
"Ye Wushuang, don't push it too far!"
Seeing Ye Wushuang press him again and again, the youth suddenly roared.
"Ye Wushuang, just let it go!" someone from the crowd called out. Who would ever agree to lick someone's shoe?
"Let it go?" Ye Wushuang gave a mocking laugh, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd. "When he was so eager to see me make a fool of myself, why didn't any of you tell him to let it go?"
"Then I apologize for what I said earlier!" the youth said with extreme reluctance.
"And I don't accept!"
Ye Wushuang exploded with rage. He took a step forward and viciously slapped the youth across the face. With a wretched scream, the youth's body was sent flying.
THUD! He crashed heavily onto the ground and passed out.
The crowd's eyelids twitched. Only now did they realize just how domineering and tyrannical Ye Wushuang was.
"If you can't afford to lose, don't make the bet. Did you think I was just playing games with you?"
Staring at the unconscious youth on the ground, Ye Wushuang uttered the cold words, glanced at the people beside him, flicked his sleeves, and turned to leave.
It took a long time for the crowd to recover. They watched his departing back with shock and disbelief. The former genius seemed to have returned.
"Hmph, so what if you're at the Body Tempering Six Layer? You're still stuck in the Outer Sect. I, Duan Yu, am about to enter the Inner Sect. You, Ye Wushuang, are still no match for me."
Staring at the departing figure, Duan Yu, who was in the crowd, revealed a disdainful look. He glanced at Yangg Hao and also left the crowd.
The Outer Sect evaluation continued until noon.
Next was the assessment to enter the Inner Sect.
This assessment normally had nothing to do with disciples at the Body Tempering Fifth and Sixth Layers, but some were there to try their luck, while others just stood by to watch the excitement.
BOOM!
As afternoon approached, a dozen figures suddenly appeared on the high platform of the training grounds.
Most of them were gray-haired old men—the Elders of the Outer Sect. Standing at the forefront, however, was a peerless woman in a white palace gown.
The woman's white clothes were purer than snow. A crescent-moon-shaped White Jade Hairpin was tucked into her hair, holding back her long black tresses that cascaded down her back like a waterfall.
She had a delicate, oval face. Without a trace of makeup, her skin was like jade and her bones like those of a fairy. Her bright eyes and pearly teeth were framed by a frosty expression, but her beauty was so otherworldly it was breathtaking.
Standing there silently, she was like the Moon God Fairy from the legends—sacred and inviolable!
She had a name: Dii Qingxue! The number one beauty of the Ancient Spirit Sect!
"Wow, that... that's our Ancient Spirit Sect's number one beauty, Senior Sister Dii! She actually came to the Outer Sect."
"Heavens, I finally got to see Senior Sister Dii today!"
"Hahaha, my life is complete. This was worth it."
Dii Qingxue's stunning appearance instantly caused a commotion. All eyes watched the ice beauty on the high platform with excitement, their expressions as exaggerated as could be.
Dii Qingxue, the favored daughter of heaven of the Ancient Spirit Sect, was not only peerlessly beautiful but also a generational genius.
She entered the Sect at twelve, broke through to the Body Tempering Tenth Layer at fourteen, and became a Qi Vortex Ninth Layer master at sixteen. At eighteen, she advanced again to the True Essence Eighth Layer. Her cultivation was comparable to that of an Ancient Spirit Sect Elder.
Every male disciple dreamed of her, and every one of them admired her from the bottom of their hearts.
Of course, everyone knew that this favored daughter of heaven had an icy personality. She was an ice beauty, and no one had ever managed to win her heart. She wouldn't even spare a glance for the greatest geniuses of the Inner Sect.
Therefore, just being able to see her from a distance was enough to leave the Outer Disciples feeling content, as if their lives were now complete.
"Disciples, next is the assessment to enter the Inner Sect. This time, the Inner Sect has appointed its own genius, Dii Qingxue, to oversee the proceedings. She has also brought a Fourth-Grade Combat Skill as a reward. I hope you will all give it your best!"
An Outer Elder announced loudly. After speaking, he gave a respectful bow to Dii Qingxue before stepping back.
For every assessment, the Inner Sect would send someone to supervise and prevent cheating. This time, it happened to be Dii Qingxue.
After the Outer Elder's announcement, Dii Qingxue produced a Scroll in front of the crowd. With a flick of her hand, the Scroll turned into a streak of light and shot into a large passage in the mountain gorge west of the training grounds.
"The Fourth-Grade Combat Skill. Pass through the gorge tunnel to obtain it!"
Dii Qingxue's words were brief, spoken in a cold tone.
A Fourth-Grade Combat Skill!
The crowd's gaze shifted to the mountain cave, their faces filled with excitement.
They could only admire the ice beauty from afar, but this Fourth-Grade Combat Skill was within their reach. With a Fourth-Grade Combat Skill, a Body Tempering Realm Disciple's Combat Power could increase by more than four times.
"Seize the Combat Skill, enter the Inner Sect! Charge!"
The next second, countless Disciples charged into the tunnel like madmen.
Upon entering the gorge tunnel, the group of Disciples first traversed a mountain cliff, then arrived at a long passage. From both sides of the passage, flames spewed out, arrows shot forth, and even boulders came crashing down.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A series of loud crashes echoed. A large number of the Disciples who had just rushed in immediately fell, wailing on the ground.
However, these arrows, flames, and boulders only caused superficial wounds and were not life-threatening. They were merely a test of the Disciples' reaction time and agility, though it certainly slowed them down.
The rest learned from their example and became more cautious. No one wanted to stick their neck out, which slowed everyone down a few notches. But amidst them, one inconspicuous figure secretly trailed behind the group, stepping directly on the wailing bodies on the ground to move forward. He started from the very back and continuously overtook others, leaving a trail of curses in his wake.
At the very front, Duan Yu, Yangg Hao, and the other geniuses bore the brunt of the obstacles. Their strength and agility surpassed the others, putting them far ahead of the other Disciples.
In the end, even the few with comparable strength were neck and neck, each trying to outpace the other.
However, the further they went, the more difficult it became. After the gorge and the perilous passage, they entered a dense forest. The path was fraught with obstacles: sometimes flame traps or a mountain of blades and Sword Arrays, other times hidden mechanisms or sneak attacks from strange beasts...
The short journey was filled with all sorts of strange attacks, giving them a headache and slowing them down.
SWOOSH!
But just then, a shadow of light flickered past Yangg Hao and the others, gone in the blink of an eye. A fierce gust of wind whistled past their ears, feeling like a slap to the face.
"What was that just now?"
'Yangg Hao was startled.' He fixed his gaze ahead but saw nothing, which only confused him. The others were even more clueless.
SWOOSH!
Duan Yu, beside them, didn't know why Yangg Hao's group had stopped, but he knew it was a good opportunity to get ahead. He rejoiced inwardly, took a step, and with a SWOOSH, dashed forward.
"That bastard! After him!"
The faces of Yangg Hao and the others darkened. They cast aside their earlier confusion and gave chase.
At the very front, Ye Wushuang activated his Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique, devouring everything as he sprinted past.
Only now did he realize the heaven-defying benefits of the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique. It gave him speed far beyond that of a normal person, allowing him to quickly surpass Duan Yu and the others.
"Heh, who says someone at the Body Tempering Six Layer can't enter the Inner Sect? How will you know the result if you don't even try!"
Ye Wushuang turned his head back with a cold smile and continued to run forward at high speed, soon arriving in a massive cavern.
This very scene was being displayed on a mirror outside.
This mirror was a powerful Spiritual Artifact that could display events from hundreds of meters away.
"It's him!"
Outside, in a great hall, Dii Qingxue stood before the Spirit Mirror. Her gaze sharpened as she murmured, "His speed is incredible!"
"This year's batch of Disciples is indeed more outstanding than the previous ones." Elder Huang, standing beside her, also glanced at the Spirit Mirror and smiled.
If the Outer Disciples were outstanding, then they, as Elders, would also be rewarded.
"Let's add a little more difficulty for him." Remembering the stubborn and unyielding figure under the waterfall, Dii Qingxue pointed a single finger. A stream of True Essence passed through the Spirit Mirror, seemingly traversing the void to strike that space.
"Wait!"
Seeing Dii Qingxue's action, Elder Huang's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly tried to stop her, but it was too late.
Dii Qingxue's gaze also darkened, and she turned to watch intently.
"It's over. The cave in the Ancient Forest is connected to the place where the ten Fierce Beasts captured on Yunhua Peak are imprisoned. Those ten Fierce Beasts haven't been dealt with yet, and you just broke through the passage and released them."
"Most of those ten Fierce Beasts are Tier Seven Fierce Beasts, and one of them is even a Tier Eight Fierce Beast! They're not something an ordinary Disciple can handle."
Elder Huang said, his face contorting in horror.
Fierce Beasts were powerful creatures divided into ten tiers, corresponding to the ten layers of the Body Tempering Realm. However, they were naturally ferocious and aggressive, their strength often far exceeding that of an ordinary Cultivator.
For instance, a Tier Seven Fierce Beast could be life-threatening even for an ordinary Body Tempering Seventh Layer Disciple.
And now, ten Fierce Beasts had been unleashed at once. If they were to charge out of the ancient cave, it would be a massacre. All the Disciples participating in the assessment would be slaughtered.
At this thought, Elder Huang's face grew even paler with fright. If they all died, he feared he would have a hard time explaining it to the Sect.
"I'll go."
Dii Qingxue remained as cold as ever. She strode out of the great hall, and Elder Huang followed her.
"Senior Sister Qingxue, where are you going?"
Outside the great hall, a young girl riding a sword landed in front of Dii Qingxue.
"Stay in the hall."
Dii Qingxue said faintly and then vanished, striding through the air.
"What's the big rush!" Yangg Qing'er muttered in confusion. She walked into the great hall, but suddenly, her beautiful eyes were captivated by the young man inside the Spirit Mirror. 'Isn't that boy...?'