The grand Goku advanced with delicate steps toward the extensive group of disciples. They couldn’t help but notice that there were three times as many as those who returned from the previous test, and dozens of new, piercing gazes were fixed on them.
Quickly, a green-skinned woman approached, and Loeus smiled faintly as she got close. An elder, unknown to them, waited calmly and began to speak.
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"Everyone is here now. Well, during the interval between the previous tests, all the senior elders gathered to discuss the events of the second test." The elder’s eyes were clearly on the whale. "In the end, to avoid problems much larger than a disciple can bear, it was decided that the other two older generations would have the right to participate in the test."
Alm and Bruno almost laughed. Avoid problems? The patriarch simply realized that benefiting one group of disciples would generate discord and unrestrained envy among all. Almost all the elders had descendants among the disciples, and seeing one group being favored while theirs lagged behind was too much to bear. If the patriarch didn’t pacify the situation, even the senior elders would mobilize to eliminate threats to their descendants; the evil cultivators were not ones to plot, they simply acted openly.
The elder continued: "Of course, the number of disciples would be enormous, so only the most outstanding from the two older generations will be selected. Adding all the disciples, there are about five hundred, and everyone will spend another full day on the second level of the prison."
All the disciples who participated in the previous test had tense expressions. The reason was clear: they couldn’t compete with these older disciples in terms of cultivation. Moreover, they represented about three hundred and fifty people, being in the overwhelming majority; the prospect of being massacred was evident. The elder, sensing the apprehension, continued.
"To make things a bit less unfair, I and other elders who are already inside will monitor the place. The southern area, toward the third level, will be the domain of the older generation, while the others will stay in the north. This way, everyone can cultivate with some safety." The elder then smiled. "Of course, the younger ones can venture to the south without being stopped if they wish. Just don’t blame me for not warning you about the older disciples there."
Everyone breathed a bit more relieved. The elder then waved, and they were all led to the entrance of the underground prison.
The groups gathered again, and the difference between the disciples became even clearer. The younger ones formed teams of five, ranging between the third and sixth levels of the Foundation Establishment Realm. The older ones were experienced, forming balanced groups of up to twelve people, all at the eighth or ninth level of the same realm. As the looks of the older group turned towards the whale, they were intense.
’If this elder takes two more minutes, these idiots will try to put us in our place. I’ve passed the age where I enjoyed dealing with snotty young masters; don’t stop me from quickly putting their heads in their place... or out of place, if you understand me.’ Alm spoke mentally with coldness, but internally, Bruno knew he deeply desired it.
Luckily for them, the elder didn’t want to waste time and started dispatching the groups quickly to the prison without delay. It was as before: everyone would be sent to a random area within a determined limit. The first to want to enter were the young ones, and the whale soon took steps forward, not caring much about anything.
They didn’t walk much, though. In perfect synchrony, two groups moved and closed their path a few steps away with mocking looks, much to Alm’s sinister delight. One side was led by a red-haired woman, and on the other was a muscular and good-looking man.
’Hey, stay calm,’ Bruno warned, holding Alm back.
The man then spoke dryly. "You and Goku, we were..."
"I don’t want to know, get out of the way. Or I’ll move you." The whale interrupted and continued with a step forward.
The woman then laughed furiously and took a step in front of the whale, opening her mouth. "How dare you..."
No one saw when a purple shadow moved and appeared in front of the woman. They only realized too late a flying kick hitting her face, causing her to fall violently to the ground after a second. Then, everyone saw an irritated little girl turning to the whale’s side and jumping on his shoulder. The kick seemed slow and weak, but when it was noticed, it had already hit the target; the woman simply collapsed strangely, as if her body had lost its strength.
’Great move. Ruri managed to use the Mental Drawing Technique in her strike; when she touched the woman, she invaded her mind and took down her defenses.’ Bruno sighed, commenting mentally.
Truth be told, Ruri should have never succeeded in that strike. She was literally more than an entire realm of cultivation below that woman. However, the circumstances were just right for this result. The woman was totally focused on the Evil God Talent called Goku. Ruri was considered just Goku’s plaything, with whom he had dual cultivation, so the woman blocking their path didn’t even pay attention to the little girl. Above all, Ruri used her mental power to cover her movements, making her even more imperceptible.
After putting all these conditions together, Ruri succeeded in that attack, much to the woman’s humiliation. If the woman had paid attention to Ruri from the very start, Ruri would only deliver herself to her death if she had tried the same thing.
Alm then spoke, laughing sinisterly. ’As I imagined, she’s a potential assassin; her mental power was masterfully used so that no one noticed her approaching. If we teach her the Non-Lethal Strike Technique, she’ll be unstoppable in causing chaos.’
Everyone at the entrance of the prison watched the show in shock. The elder simply sighed, but the whale continued to take its steps forward, unfazed. After a second, the man who was also blocking the path finally snapped out of his shock and advanced towards the whale as if about to unleash his Qi.
Crack!
The sound of something breaking echoed, and the man fell backward in screams of agony. Only then did everyone see a small pillar of the Earth rise from the ground and hit the exact weak point between the legs of the poor man... Almin then laughed, and Ruri waved in admiration.
’Almin managed to use the laws of the Earth and Ruri’s mental power perfectly. It was a small pillar, but it was sneaky enough for no one to notice; deserves praise.’ Bruno commented lightly. Yes, it wasn’t Bruno nor Alm again. It was Almin, through the connection in the array, who used the whale’s Earth’s law to summon that pillar.
Langrum saw that and felt compelled to do something, but she wasn’t one for subtle and imperceptible movements; if she attacked, it would be with everything and to kill. The whale then passed by the two fallen, and all twenty people in their group went pale, making way for him and his group to pass. These two were children of prominent elders and grandchildren of high-ranking elders of the sect; their level of talent and power couldn’t be compared to anyone of the same age. But now everything didn’t take two seconds, and the two leaders were thrown to the ground like insects.
They got up in extreme anger and humiliation, but it was already too late. The whale and his group were beside the elder, and he gave them a serious and cold look, daring them to not vent their anger or make big moves.
Then, the whale just spoke lazily. "Don’t feel intimidated. We’re going to have quite a bit of fun in there. Just come to kill, and don’t waste my time." Thus, the grayish Qi covered Alm and Bruno’s group, making them disappear inside the prison.