Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Demon Beasts Barring the Way
As her voice faded, the beautiful woman’s figure transformed into a streak of light and vanished over the horizon.
Yunlu County was a great distance from Yanhuang Academy. Even on horseback, the journey would take a month. To reach the academy via the Trial Road, however, would take at least three months.
After all, one would be traveling on foot, and with Demon Beasts and bandits blocking the way, the journey would naturally be delayed.
Lin Yun and his two companions were not moving quickly. By now, some of the faster participants had already left them far behind. Having not immediately encountered any Demon Beasts, many of them secretly let down their guard.
However, as Lin Yun’s group walked on, they suddenly heard a series of bloodcurdling screams from up ahead. The cries were horrific, and they were coming from the very people who had just let their guard down.
"Be careful." Unsure if the others had been attacked by Demon Beasts or bandits, Lin Yun cautioned Qin Feng and Li Tian.
They advanced slowly, with Lin Yun paying close attention to their surroundings. He wouldn’t miss the slightest sign of trouble.
After they had advanced about five hundred meters, four Demon Beasts suddenly appeared, surrounding them. What’s more, they were Tier Two Demon Beasts.
’Four Tier Two Demon Beasts... That’s equivalent to four Qi Sea Realm Martial Artists. No wonder those people were slaughtered without putting up a fight. An Opening Realm Martial Artist stands no chance against a Tier Two Demon Beast.’
"Brother Lin..." Qin Feng’s face paled as he stared at the four Tier Two Demon Beasts. He looked to Lin Yun, waiting for him to make a decision.
Lin Yun was puzzled by the appearance of four Tier Two Demon Beasts together. ’Demon Beasts are normally extremely territorial,’ he thought. ’Unless they’re from the same species and have formed a pack, they would never share territory.’
"There’s something strange about these four Demon Beasts," Lin Yun said softly. ’Four different species of Demon Beast, living together peacefully in one territory? That’s practically impossible.’
"The Academy must have done something to these Demon Beasts," Li Tian replied. "Look at their eyes. There’s no bloodlust, just a strange calmness."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yun and Qin Feng looked into the beasts’ eyes. It was just as Li Tian had said. There was no glint of bloodlust—only a calm that was almost human.
The four Demon Beasts merely blocked their path forward, not launching an attack. Seeing this, Lin Yun didn’t make a rash move either.
After a moment of thought, Li Tian seemed to have figured something out. "I’m guessing these Demon Beasts are just here to block our path," he told the other two. "As long as we retreat or stand still, they won’t attack."
"Retreat? If we retreat, how are we supposed to get into the academy?" Qin Feng retorted.
"That’s why this must be a test from the academy," Li Tian said. "We can only move forward if we break through the blockade. My guess is that if we can get past their defensive line, they won’t give chase."
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yun made his decision. "We’ll charge through. Qin Feng, stay right behind me."
Deciding to trust Li Tian’s guess, the three of them shot into motion. Seeing them charge, the four Demon Beasts let out furious roars.
"Straight through!" Lin Yun shouted. He grabbed Qin Feng and instantly activated his Qingfeng Body Technique. He became like a wisp of wind, weaving swiftly between the four Demon Beasts.
Both Lin Yun and Li Tian possessed superb movement techniques. In no time at all, they had broken through the Demon Beasts’ defensive line.
They sprinted for several miles, only stopping once they were certain the Demon Beasts weren’t pursuing them.
"*Pant... pant...* Li Tian, how did you know those Demon Beasts wouldn’t chase us?" Qin Feng asked, catching his breath, his curiosity piqued.
Hearing Qin Feng’s question, Li Tian gave a slight smile. "Just a guess."
Ever since setting foot on the Trial Road, Li Tian had reined in his talkative nature. He must have understood the dangers, as he had been remarkably composed the entire way.
"Those four Demon Beasts have all been tamed by humans," Li Tian explained, laying out his thought process. "Their presence here could only mean one thing: they were acting on human orders. Since they didn’t kill us on sight, their orders obviously weren’t to slaughter everyone on the Trial Road. That leaves only one possibility—to block our path..."
Listening to Li Tian’s explanation, Qin Feng’s gaze filled with admiration. ’To figure all that out in just a few moments... what kind of brain does this guy have?’
Lin Yun, who was standing nearby, nodded to himself. ’This Li Tian really is impressive. His Combat Power might not be high, but his movement techniques and intellect are top-notch.’
While Lin Yun’s group had successfully passed through the beasts’ defensive line, thousands of other Martial Artists across the Trial Road were locked in combat. Lacking Li Tian’s insight, they didn’t realize the Demon Beasts were only there to obstruct them.
Facing the Demon Beasts, these participants naturally fought to the death. Only a very small number managed to figure things out after a period of intense fighting and break past the defensive line; the rest were still locked in a desperate struggle.
The beautiful woman stood in the sky, looking down at the Martial Artists battling the Demon Beasts below. A look of utter disdain crossed her face. "What a bunch of barbarians. Not a single brain among them."
In this first trial alone, half of the Martial Artists were either devoured by the Demon Beasts or forced to retreat to Yunlu County City in failure.
They had no one to blame but themselves for their lack of perceptiveness, knowing only how to charge forward headfirst.
The group of several thousand was quickly whittled down to just two thousand, and half of those who remained were injured—a testament to just how perilous the Trial Road was.
The first trial was a test of observation and common sense. Anyone with an ounce of sense would have noticed something unusual about the Demon Beasts’ eyes. These injured people must have realized something was amiss only after fighting a brutal battle.
Along the way, the trio saw many injured Martial Artists. Qin Feng was secretly thankful for Li Tian. ’Without him,’ he thought, ’even if we had managed to pass, we definitely wouldn’t have come out unscathed.’
With the group now sharply reduced to two thousand, the overall quality of those who remained was significantly higher. In terms of both Combat Power and intelligence, these two thousand survivors could be considered the elite of the trial takers.
「Three days passed.」 They encountered no further attacks, and a sense of calm returned. This time, however, no one dared to let their guard down.
Unlike at the start, no one was rushing frantically anymore. Everyone moved at a measured pace, stopping periodically to conserve their stamina for whatever trial might suddenly appear.
After half a month, Lin Yun’s group finally emerged from the jungle. However, what appeared before them was a wall of thick fog, so dense that visibility was less than a meter.
The fog stretched out as far as the eye could see, making it impossible to tell if it concealed more jungle or something else entirely.
They didn’t enter rashly, instead observing from the fog’s edge. ’This must be the second trial,’ Lin Yun thought. ’And this fog is definitely not as simple as it looks.’
