The children have successfully proved the power of Tortoise Fist and showed that they were right in picking it.

“That’s the real Tortoise Fist.” Lu Daowei became emotional and took pride in this.

He had defeated Liu Wenyong a while ago but that was due to Li Qiye’s abilities, not him. He knew that much, at least. The whole thing felt like a dream.

However, the children really did it all by themselves. Though they didn’t knock their fellow disciples’ teeth out, this was still close enough.

Daowei truly focused on learning the technique but never got the chance to use it in battle. Now, he finally saw its true potential.

Zhan Hu who was up the steps had an ugly expression. He had gone to stop Li Qiye and even made fun of the guy for doing so. Thus, the embarrassment was double for him. Too bad there was no way to take back words. 

As for Gong Qianyue, she was also surprised at the unpopular merit law’s effectiveness.

“Young Master, we did it! We successfully performed Tortoise Fist!” The children went up the steps and shouted with red excitement.

Their loudness woke Li Qiye up. He opened his eyes then yawned and stretched: “It’s over?”

“Almost.” Qianyue glared at him.

“We won, Young Master.” The children happily reported.

“It’s good to win, but you all need to train hard and devastate your foes more, break some teeth next time.” Li Qiye lazily nodded at them.

He wasn’t surprised at this result. How could those trained by him be inferior to others?

“Let’s go.” He told them.

The kids responsible for the carriage happily carried him up the steps.

“Catch up now unless you want to stay here.” Li Qiye waved at Gong Qianyue.

She glared at him before actually following the group. They moved up the steps towards the second trial.

In fact, this trial was so close yet Li Qiye still wanted to be carried up just a few steps? Everyone became speechless at his laziness.

But they did admit that he deserved this treatment from the children since he taught them something so magical.

“Simply incredible.” An elder praised.

“There’s something about this Li Qiye.” Another commented.

Zhang Yue has been observing Li Qiye since his arrival. However, he still didn’t know anything about the guy.

“Hmph!” Huang Ning was annoyed to see Qianyue going with Li Qiye up the steps.

“Looks like he has a chance. Senior Sister Qianyue treats him differently.” Zhan Hu smirked and told Huang Ning.

“If that’s the case, it’s not a good thing for your Furious Tiger Peak either.” Huang Ning uttered coldly.

“Then we’re on the same side, right? I want to see what else he can do, don’t you?” Zhan Hu didn’t become angry.

They were evenly-matched opponents who have fought both openly and in the shadows. This wasn’t a mortal feud or anything and they still maintained certain civilities between them. However, they have never worked together before due to the existing rivalry.

“Hmph.” Huang Ning glared at Li Qiye’s back.

“Senior Brother Huang, don’t underestimate the enemy since nothing good will come of it. As you can see, both the senior sister and Eight Zhang are his backers.” Zhan Hu said.

Huang Ning’s eyes narrowed and didn’t answer. He also suspected Qianyue for helping Li Qiye earlier with Wenyong.

This naturally annoyed him. He didn’t know why she treated Li Qiye differently from the others.

He believed that he was far superior compared to Li Qiye. No one was stronger than him with the exception of Qianyue. Plus, Li Qiye was a nobody from a tiny village while he was a descendant of a demon king!

Moreover, he was more handsome with better manners and grace. Li Qiye didn’t even come close to him in these aspects. The guy resembled a disgusting cockroach that he wanted to stomp to death.

“Senior Brother, hesitate and you’ll lose your chance forever.” Zhan Hu added.

“What’s your plan?” Huang Ning asked.

“No need to rush. Remember, I have Jade Bird and Furious Tiger behind me, we’ll get things done in the future.” Zhan Hu smiled.

Huang Ning eventually nodded, confirming their temporary alliance.

Both Furious Tiger and Thousand Demons were the main peaks for the demon faction. However, the bodhi king rarely expressed his stance, never explicitly pick the side of Furious Tiger or South Conch. He normally chose neutrality in many situations.

Zhan Hu couldn’t convince the bodhi king to change his view but Huang Ning, as his disciple, had a better chance. That’s why it would be very helpful to have Huang Ning on his side in the future.

He had the support of Jade Bird and Furious Tiger right now. Once Thousand Demons was on his side too, he would be able to do whatever he wanted to fulfill his ambition.

***

Disciples gathered before the second trial - an old hall. Various emotions coursed through them.

The first two trials were available for all. However, starting in the third trial, one needed to have twenty points.

This meant that those who lost in the first must get twenty points from the second trial. That’s the only way for them to participate in the third.

“Creak.” The gate to the hall opened. The voice of an elder came from within: “Come have a seat, the second trial will begin soon.”

They formed lines and entered the hall. This place was ancient with a majestic aura, large enough to accommodate all of them.

They felt very tiny while inside. This added to the pressure before the start of the trial.

Sets of bells were put up around the hall. They looked quite strange with different engravings - birds and beasts, demons and ghosts…

A protector from Divine Black stood in front of each set. The sect seemingly went all out to prepare this trial. The nervous disciples felt even worse.