West of the Sky Guard Land.
The rune array here is an assessment of speed.
"Holy crap! Are you kidding me? A peak Martial Emperor just died like that?"
"Damn it! Who dares to take the assessment now? It's too outrageous!"
"I came for opportunities, not to risk my life! Only a madman would attempt such a ridiculous trial!"
"Indeed! This must be the most dangerous of the four trials!"
"Let's bail! I'll try my luck with the other three trials!"
"..."
Seeing the corpse split in two before them, everyone began to retreat.
"This trial is truly brutal!"
At the outer perimeter of the array, a young man witnessed everything that had just happened and muttered, "This is ostensibly a speed assessment, but in reality, it's also a test of one's mindset!"
Ye Ming glanced around at the crowd and shook his head, saying, "The seeds of fear have already been sown in their hearts. There is no hope of passing this trial now!"
Then, his gaze shifted to a woman not far to his left. "She's been observing for so long; she must have figured something out?"
The woman was lightly made up, with delicate features. Her clear, bright eyes were dazzling, as if holding a myriad of tenderness.
That person was the Pavilion Master of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion... Luo Xia.
She was challenging the... path of speed.
"Hmm?"
Perhaps sensing something, her gaze shifted and met Ye Ming's.
"You're a new face, young sir. May I ask which sect you hail from?" Luo Xia smiled gracefully and walked towards Ye Ming.
For some reason, the young man before her gave her a peculiar feeling.
But she couldn't quite pinpoint it.
"Pavilion Master Luo Xia is too kind! I am merely a rogue cultivator, without a name or sect!" Ye Ming hadn't expected her to be so perceptive.
Of course!
Facing such a situation, he naturally wouldn't be intimidated.
"No sect!"
Luo Xia's pure eyes swept over Ye Ming, and she smiled playfully, "Since you have no sect, would you consider joining my Dragon Phoenix Pavilion?"
Join the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion?
This was the second time he had received such an invitation today.
The first was from Mu Feng, a disciple of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion.
Now, the second was from their very Pavilion Master, the Phoenix Luan Martial God.
"Pavilion Master Luo Xia is too kind! I am accustomed to freedom and fear I must decline your generous offer!" Ye Ming replied.
"Alas! What a pity!"
Although she spoke with regret, there was no trace of disappointment on her face.
"That's right! For a young man like you to have reached the Martial Emperor realm at such an age, our Dragon Phoenix Pavilion is indeed not worthy of you." Luo Xia's lips curved slightly as she chuckled, "It was I who was presumptuous!"
Martial Emperor realm!
That's right!
To avoid attracting too much attention, the cultivation Ye Ming displayed was that of an early-stage Martial Emperor.
In the core circle of the Sky Guard Land, this was already the lowest cultivation level.
After all, to enter here below this realm would be pure suicide.
However, even though Ye Ming displayed the lowest cultivation, his age and this cultivation still seemed slightly mismatched.
A young man in his early twenties!
Martial Emperor!
Such individuals would be hard to find even in the entire ancient martial arts world.
"Pavilion Master Luo Xia overpraises me."
Ye Ming gave an awkward smile and said, "The Dragon Phoenix Pavilion is one of the four super forces, known throughout the entire ancient martial arts world. To be able to join it is a dream come true for countless people!"
Hearing Ye Ming's flattery, Luo Xia giggled, "Hehehe! Young sir, you truly know how to speak! Perhaps in the past..." Luo Xia's beautiful eyes flickered, and she teased, "You've coaxed quite a few young ladies, haven't you?"
"Uh!"
Ye Ming's expression froze upon hearing this.
He didn't know what to say.
"Alright! I won't tease you anymore!"
Luo Xia turned, looking towards the center of the array, her smile gradually fading as she said, "Remember to cheer for this Pavilion Master!"
With that, Luo Xia walked towards the array.
She was about to begin the assessment.
"Pavilion Master Luo Xia, please wait!"
Just then, Ye Ming suddenly called out to her.
"Hmm?"
Luo Xia stopped and turned back with a smile, "What is it! Young sir, do you have something to tell this Pavilion Master?"
"This..."
The moment she turned back, Ye Ming had to admit that his heart skipped a beat.
Especially the gentle beauty emanating from Pavilion Master Luo Xia, the kind that easily captivates the opposite sex.
"Ahem!"
Ye Ming cleared his throat, pushing away the beautiful image from his mind, and said calmly, "Pavilion Master Luo Xia! Blindly pursuing a certain extreme isn't always a good thing! Often, by calming oneself, one might discover a different kind of scenery!"
After hearing these words, Luo Xia could feel that this mysterious young man before her seemed to be warning her about something.
"Calming oneself... huh?"
At this moment, these four words echoed in her mind.
"Young sir! Can't you speak more clearly? Must you be so cryptic? I even praised you earlier!" Luo Xia looked back at the center of the array and said with a charming pout.
Then, she walked towards the array.
"I..."
This time, Ye Ming was truly speechless.
"Didn't they say that reclusive masters always speak in riddles when guiding others?" Ye Ming felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. "Why is it that when someone comes to me, I get criticized instead!"
He lamented: My life is too hard!
Just as Ye Ming was questioning himself, Luo Xia's voice reached his ears again.
"Young sir! If this Pavilion Master passes the assessment, I'll introduce you to our Dragon Phoenix Pavilion's Phoenix Son!"
"???"
Ye Ming's mind was filled with question marks upon hearing this.
What did that mean?
"What is all this!"
He once again lamented: His life is truly too hard.
...
As Luo Xia stepped into the array, she naturally drew the attention of the surrounding crowd.
"What! Someone else dares to challenge! Are they not afraid of death?"
"This... isn't this the Phoenix Luan Martial God from the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion!"
"Right... Right! I heard that the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion's Phoenix Wing Soaring is the number one movement technique in the ancient martial arts world. This must be why Pavilion Master Luo Xia dares to challenge!"
"Yes! It must be so!"
"But... forget it! Perhaps Pavilion Master Luo Xia can truly get through!"
"..."
Although Luo Xia entering the array gave the crowd a glimmer of hope, the vast majority still didn't believe she could succeed.
Because in this trial, a single mistake meant only one outcome... death. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Hoo!
Luo Xia let out a long breath, her beautiful eyes radiating brilliance.
"Come!"
The moment she took that step, an invisible shield separated her from her surroundings. Before her, runes began to form, and beams of light carrying the aura of death surged towards her.
The assessment began.
Retreat!
Was now impossible!