Streamstone Forest, another location.

Lin Jiang was covered in wounds, his spear clumsily defending left and right, clearly at a disadvantage.

He was entangled with two massive, ring-patterned fierce wolves. Judging by their aura, one was at the early ninth grade, and the other at mid-ninth grade.

The Ring-Furred Wolves, in terms of strength, weren't considered strong among ninth-grade exotic beasts.

But they were extremely cunning, never appearing alone, and always coordinating with each other.

"If this drags on, it won't be good for me."

Lin Jiang frowned deeply.

Even if the trial ended here, he needed to quickly decide the outcome.

He was already seriously injured, and if more Ring-Furred Wolves were drawn in, his chances of survival would be slim.

Among the True Disciples, Murong Xiao had a half-demon body, and Ying Bing was even more formidable, making even geniuses despair.

Li Mo... was said to be well-liked?

In any case, he was the only one unknown.

Lin Jiang had broken through to the sixth meridian of the Vital Energy Realm and had practiced his spear technique to Minor Mastery, enough to handle most mid-ninth-grade exotic beasts. He had hoped to make a name for himself.

Stopping here was truly frustrating.

"Let's go for it!"

Lin Jiang had a trump card move, initially intended for late-stage ninth-grade exotic beasts.

He gathered his energy and blood, suddenly thrusting his spear with such speed that it tore through the air.

The slightly stronger Ring-Furred Wolf was pierced through with one strike.

However...

"Awooo!"

The early ninth-grade wolf didn't seem to have any intention of avenging its companion, instead letting out a howl.

"Not good, it's calling the pack!"

Lin Jiang's expression changed instantly.

But having just used his killer move, he was momentarily exhausted and couldn't stop it in time.

The next moment.

Something strange happened.

"Awooo... woo woo..."

The howl calling the pack suddenly turned into a whimper.

A figure emerged from the stone forest, dragging the Ring-Furred Wolf.

"You're a True Disciple, right? Called... Lin Jiang?"

A voice, half-smiling, carried a certain pressure.

"Hmm?"

"Wang Hu?"

Lin Jiang recognized the newcomer.

To be honest, it was a bit impolite.

During the Initiation Ceremony, Wang Hu had rolled down the Heaven-Climbing Stone Steps like a gourd, rolling straight from the Inner Sect to the Outer Sect.

This incident was well-known within the sect, making it hard not to recognize him.

Now it seemed, the other party's true strength wasn't inferior to his own.

"Thank you, Brother Wang."

Lin Jiang exhaled.

"Heh, the one you killed is yours, the one I caught is mine, no objections, right?"

Wang Hu snapped the neck of the Ring-Furred Wolf.

"Naturally."

Lin Jiang breathed a sigh of relief.

Having the mid-ninth-grade wolf count as his trophy was already quite good.

Gulp, gulp—

Just after Lin Jiang fired the Screeching Arrow, he suddenly heard the sound of someone drinking heavily.

He turned around, frowning even more than before.

He saw Wang Hu biting into the neck of the Ring-Furred Wolf, drinking the foul-smelling wolf blood with an expression of enjoyment.

Lin Jiang couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

"Two Ring-Furred Wolves."

"One counts for Lin Jiang, one for Wang Hu."

The nearest steward arrived, quickly inspected the scene, and took away the two wolf corpses.

The steward's figure disappeared into the distance.

"I'll take my leave."

Lin Jiang cupped his hands, intending to leave.

This Wang Hu gave him an uncomfortable feeling, and after witnessing the earlier scene, he really didn't want to interact with him further.

Just as he took two steps.

"Who said you could leave?"

A rustling sound suddenly came from behind.

Lin Jiang stopped in his tracks, turned around, and his pupils contracted sharply.

He saw Wang Hu's arms swelling at an eerie speed, quickly growing colorful fur.

The gaze that met his had almost lost all human emotion, leaving only the bloodthirsty and ferocity of a wild beast.

Just now.

Wang Hu had deliberately led the nearest steward away?

"You!"

Whoosh—

Before Lin Jiang could speak, a gust of foul wind rushed toward him.

......

Meanwhile.

Not far away.

"What's happening up ahead?"

Li Mo, shirtless, was weaving through the stone forest.

Don't misunderstand, Li Mo didn't have any peculiar habits; he was just concerned about his mother's hand-sewn clothes. Since they wouldn't survive the upcoming fight, he stored them in the System Space.

Hearing the sounds of intense fighting ahead, he quickened his pace.

Then.

He saw two figures locked in combat.

Lin Jiang was clearly at a disadvantage, forced into a dire situation, blood flowing from his body.

If this continued, he might not be killed by the opponent but would bleed out.

"What exotic beast is Lin Jiang fighting?"

"No, this isn't an exotic beast..."

Li Mo sensed something was off.

His Divine Fate Eye scanned over.

[Name: Lin Jiang]

[Age: 16]

[Innate Qualities: Mantis Leg, Blue Snake Spine, Magpie-Painted Shoulder]

[Realm: Sixth Meridian of the Vital Energy Realm.]

[Fate: Blue-Black]

[Evaluation: This person has decent talent but is overly eager for success, risking breaking under pressure. If he realizes this in time, he might still improve.]

[Recent Encounter: After a fierce battle, he encountered Wang Hu, whose mind was devoured by a beast seed. Though he won't die, he'll be severely injured and unable to recover.]

"That's Wang Hu?"

Li Mo raised an eyebrow.

Taking a beast seed could turn someone into this?

Moreover, Wang Hu was clearly going for the kill, but the Divine Fate Eye said Lin Jiang wouldn't die in the end...

Was it the elders?

Li Mo had a sudden realization.

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

The elders must have been silently watching Wang Hu's actions.

For some reason, they hadn't intervened directly.

But they couldn't let a True Disciple die in vain, so they would save Lin Jiang in the end.

"Whether the elders save him or not."

"If I intervene, I get an extra blue investment."

....

"Wang Hu, we have no enmity!"

"Fighting among fellow disciples is a grave sin! Stop now, and I can pretend nothing happened."

Lin Jiang's breath grew weaker.

He knew he had no chance of winning and could only hope to make Wang Hu hesitate with his words.

"The Ring-Furred Wolf had no enmity with you either."

"The weak are prey for the strong. You're weaker than me, so you become my blood meal. What's the crime in that?"

Wang Hu licked the blood off his tiger claw, his eyes gleaming with malice.

Lin Jiang gritted his teeth, knowing there was no possibility of negotiation.

Today, it was either him or Wang Hu who would die!

The foul wind struck again.

He could only muster all his strength, preparing to use his killer move once more.

But, having lost too much blood and exhausted his strength, this thrust was far less swift than before.

Halfway through the strike.

Wang Hu, with a sinister grin, flipped his palm and caught the spear's shaft.

Then, his clawed hand came crashing down.

Not to mention a human head, even a piece of bluestone would be shattered into pieces by this blow.

Lin Jiang sighed inwardly.

Was his life really going to end here?

Bang!

A loud crash.

"Hmm?"

Lin Jiang was surprised to find that his head hadn't been smashed as he expected.

Instead, Wang Hu staggered back several steps, leaving deep pits in the ground with each step.

A young man with a lean, leopard-like physique stood in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere.

"True Disciple Li?"

Lin Jiang was stunned.

"Li Mo, you're always meddling!"

"Good, you're just in time. I've been looking for you!"

Wang Hu lost all pretense of calm, becoming more like a mad beast upon seeing Li Mo.

Some people, just by appearing, can break one's defenses.

"Don't shout, just stand still."

"Wait for the Inner Sect Steward to come and deal with you."

Li Mo lightly furrowed his brow.

Having saved Lin Jiang, his investment was complete.

He didn't know what the elders planned, and he wasn't interested in doing anything extra.

"You want to die!"

To Wang Hu, this attitude meant he wasn't being taken seriously.

So, he completely lost control.

Not just his arms, his entire body began to swell, growing dense fur, and a tiger tail emerged, sweeping back and forth like a steel whip.

There was no semblance of a human left.

He was like a standing striped tiger!

His blood-red eyes seemed to want to devour Li Mo whole, as he lunged forward!

"Brother Li, watch out!"

Lin Jiang felt a chill in his heart, shouting loudly.

He could sense that Wang Hu's aura was even more terrifying than before.

Probably equivalent to a peak ninth-grade exotic beast!

He immediately fired a Screeching Arrow.

Seeing Li Mo neither dodge nor evade, he anxiously shouted:

"Brother Li, run, or neither of us will..."

Bang—

A dull thud.

The massive tiger claw collided with Li Mo's fist.

A stark contrast.

But the result nearly made Lin Jiang's eyes pop out.

The furry tiger arm instantly burst into a mist of blood, bending as if boneless.

Li Mo remained calm.

He grabbed Wang Hu's head, flipping him over and slamming him into the ground.

Boom—

The ground shattered.

"With such a long wind-up, I thought you were going to do something big."

"Practicing evil arts is one thing, not practicing is another. Why make yourself look neither human nor ghost?"

Li Mo said lightly.

Wang Hu's eyes rolled back, losing consciousness.

It was unclear whether he was knocked out by the slam or fainted from anger at Li Mo's words.

Soon, the beastly state on Wang Hu's body faded, returning him to human form.

His aura plummeted, like an old man on the brink of death.

Not far away.

Lin Jiang's mouth hung open wide enough to swallow two eggs whole.

Wang Hu, equivalent to a peak ninth-grade exotic beast, was defeated in one move?

Just one move?

To be honest, he even felt that Li Mo hadn't used his full strength.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been just knocking Wang Hu out; killing him would have been easy.

They had all joined the Qingyuan Sect together.

Why was Li Mo so overwhelmingly strong?

Moreover, Lin Jiang had joined with skills, having trained in a martial arts hall for a long time before entering the Qingyuan Sect.

And when Li Mo joined, he hadn't even opened his meridians.

He was a completely ordinary person, unable to even kill a chicken. Back then, Lin Jiang could have easily beaten a hundred Li Mos.

How long had it been?

As Lin Jiang pondered his life choices.

A wooden box was handed to him.

"Here, for external use."

At the same time, a bright and clear voice reached him.

"Hundred-Flower Dew Balm, excellent for treating external injuries."

"This..."

Lin Jiang snapped back to reality, looking up at that sunny smile.

Without hesitation, he applied the ointment to his wounds.

Meanwhile.

[Investment successful, invested half a bottle of Hundred-Flower Dew Balm.]

[Received feedback: Martial Art Golden Bell Cover, would you like to claim?]

"Do not claim."

Replying to the system in his mind, Li Mo waved at Lin Jiang.

"Alright, wait here for the steward."

"I'm in a hurry, so I'm off."

With that, he continued striding towards Moonwatch Cliff.

"Safe travels, Brother Li!"

Lin Jiang watched his retreating figure, unable to suppress a sense of awe and admiration.

The ointment was extremely effective; as soon as he applied it, the bleeding stopped.

Not only had his life been saved, but he could also continue participating in the trial.

"Saving lives without seeking reward."

"Could it be that true strength comes with humility..."

Lin Jiang mused, standing up once more.