"ROAR!"
Bathed in blood-red flames, the Violent Black Bear slammed its fists into the ground in a furious display of strength. The ground beneath Lin Yun and his team shattered instantly.
Crack!
Jagged stones erupted from the earth, flinging several people off their feet. The massive bear surged forward like a shadowy juggernaut, charging straight toward Lin Yun.
"You insolent beast!"
Lin Yun gritted his teeth and thrust his lightning-charged spear forward, aiming directly at the bear's chest.
Boom!
The force of the impact bent the spear in a wide arc, and the recoil sent Lin Yun flying backward. Still, the beast hadn't escaped unscathed. In its blood-rage state, its defenses had weakened. The spear pierced its thick hide and embedded deep into its flesh.
"Form the array!" Qinglan shouted as she and the others regrouped quickly.
Despite facing a mid-stage fourth-level monster, they showed no signs of fear. With steady hands and well-practiced precision, they began forming their coordinated battle formation.
But the Violent Black Bear wasn't just brawn—it had brains too.
By this point in evolution, a fourth-level demonic beast possessed intelligence rivaling that of a seasoned human fighter. One look at the group from Jinghai College, and the beast could sense it was outmatched.
Its rage-enhanced form wouldn't last much longer. And when that temporary boost ended, it would drop into a dangerously weakened state—perhaps even lose the strength to maintain a fourth-level form.
The decision was easy.
Just as Qinglan's formation was about to lock it down, the beast let out a roar and spun around. With heavy stomps and a burst of speed, it retreated into the depths of the Monster Forest.
"It's running?! After it!" Lin Yun shouted.
But their attempts were in vain. The bear's familiarity with the forest terrain—and its natural speed—made the chase nearly impossible.
Within minutes, it vanished from their sight.
---
Deep inside the Monster Forest
The Violent Black Bear didn't stop until it was sure it had lost its pursuers. After sprinting for what seemed like dozens of minutes, it finally paused under the cover of dense trees. Its breathing was labored, and the blood-fueled flames that had surrounded it moments ago had completely faded.
Its body shuddered slightly.
The blood-rage state had ended. Now weakened, the once-mighty bear had dropped to the high-tier of the third level. Its muscles ached, its bones throbbed. It would need time to recover.
More and more powerful humans were appearing in the Monster Forest lately. If this continued, the beasts would have to retreat further into the wilds.
With a deep growl, the Violent Black Bear trudged toward its cave.
But just as it turned the corner around a thick tree—
Bang!
A boot crashed into its face, slamming its head sideways with enough force to stagger the huge beast several steps back.
"Wood Release: Tree Binding – Eternal Burial!"
From the earth below, thick roots and vines erupted like a swarm of snakes. They twisted and coiled around the bear's massive limbs and body, binding it tightly.
"ROAR!"
The bear's fury reignited. It roared and struggled violently, its muscles bulging as it tried to tear the vines apart.
Then, from above, a figure dropped down.
Smith.
His crimson Mangekyō Sharingan spun ominously in the dim forest light, glowing with overwhelming pupil power.
"Genjutsu: Binding Illusion Technique."
Boom!
The spell struck deep. The moment the illusion activated, the beast froze in place—its mind clouded, its muscles stiff.
The Sharingan's illusions were particularly effective on beasts, whose mental defenses were naturally lower.
Smith approached calmly.
"A fourth-level beast… would've made an excellent spiritual companion," he said softly, pulling a dagger from his belt. "But right now, I need points. Sorry."
With practiced precision, he began prying open the bear's skull. After a few exhausting minutes of hammering, slicing, and chiseling, he retrieved a blazing demon core from within and slipped it into his satchel.
A fourth-level primary demon core—worth at least 20 points.
Just as Smith turned to leave—
The rustling of leaves.
He looked up.
The group from Jinghai College had finally caught up.
They froze at the sight.
There it was: the massive corpse of the Violent Black Bear, head split open.
And beside it—Smith.
Lin Yun's face darkened, and his gaze sharpened like a blade. "You killed it?"
Smith shrugged casually. "Isn't it obvious?"
"We chased that thing halfway across the forest and nearly died getting it to that weakened state," Qinglan growled. "You just snuck in and stole it at the last second?!"
"That demon core belongs to us. Hand it over, and we'll let you walk away."
Smith narrowed his eyes.
"You say it's yours, but where's your name on it? Last I checked, I was the one who killed it."
He couldn't help but find Qinglan's self-righteous tone laughable.
If she'd asked politely—or better yet, called him "senior brother" a few times—he might've considered it.
But now?
No chance.
"Smith," Lin Yun stepped forward, raising his spear, "you ruined things between Xiao Qing and me a few days ago. And now you're stealing from us again?"
"Oh please," Smith rolled his eyes. "You couldn't charm your way into Senior Sister's heart, and now you can't get the demon core. That's not my fault—it's just your incompetence."
"You've got a sharp tongue. Let's see if your skills match it!" Lin Yun roared and lunged forward, spear glinting with electric energy.
Smith countered with a short dagger.
Clang!
The weapons clashed, and the ground trembled.
With his longer weapon, Lin Yun had the advantage in reach. Combined with his lightning-attribute spirit energy, every thrust of his spear carried explosive power.
But in front of the Sharingan, no attack went unnoticed.
Smith easily read the trajectory of Lin Yun's movements.
As the spear came sweeping again, Smith raised his dagger in perfect timing.
Bang!
But something felt off.
Despite appearing like a standard strike, the spear struck with the force of a boulder. Smith staggered back from the impact.
That weight... it's not natural.
There was definitely something special about that spear.
Then he spotted it.
A demon core—embedded into the weapon.
That explained everything. Weapons inlaid with demon cores were far more lethal and could channel enhanced elemental power.
Smith narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening.
"Let's see how long you can hide behind that thing."
Before the duel could escalate—
Beep—Beep—Beep.
The space stones on everyone's belts lit up.
A mechanical voice rang out:
> "Five minutes remaining until the end of the trial."
> "Current rankings of participating colleges:
34th – Shenfeng College: 520 points
33rd – Shenshui College: 530 points
...
2nd – Jinghai College: 799 points
1st – Huaihai College: 800 points."
Lin Yun's eyes widened.
Just moments ago, Huaihai College had been far behind.
They must've taken down a group of third-level black tigers to jump up 60 points.
Now, with Smith's kill of the Violent Black Bear, another 20 points had been added.
They had overtaken Jinghai College. By one point.
The expressions on Jinghai College's team soured like they'd swallowed spoiled milk.
All that effort—all that chasing—for nothing.
And with just five minutes left, they had no chance to find another beast and make up the difference.
Losing first place to another college?
Unacceptable.
Unforgivable.
All eyes turned to the demon core in Smith's hand.
That was their last chance..
"Hand it over!" Lin Yun barked.
Without hesitation, the entire Jinghai College team drew their weapons and surrounded Smith.
A fierce battle was about to erupt.
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