Chapter 107: The Beast-Taming Spirit

In this cultivation journey within the blue ice world, nothing brought a cultivator greater joy than the moment of breakthrough and ascension, to say nothing of advancing several levels in one go.

Fang Daguang and Lian Ming now carried themselves with a noticeably different aura. At the very least, in terms of self-confidence, they now possessed the spirit to contend with the so-called inner disciples of Sword Burial Peak.

While breaking through was the height of joy, watching others do so...

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Chicken had not yet shown any effect in helping Lin Zhan, who had already ascended to the Yellow Rank, advance further. It was a minor disappointment.

Time had already marched on to the morning of the third day.

The elimination phase of the Grand Tournament, the battle for the top ten of Zone Two, would be decided today.

"Come on, let's see if there's anything good left for us to scavenge!" Lin Zhan, who had been sitting cross-legged regulating his breath, let out a long howl as he leaped up, startling a few nameless birds into flight.

A layer of mist shrouded the Northern Wilderness Forest. The vast sea of trees stretched out endlessly, resembling a celestial wonderland.

Lin Zhan led Fang and Lian as they dashed toward the central region. Along the way, they began to spot traces of wild beasts—a phenomenon they hadn't encountered during the first two days.

The closer they got to the center, the more shocking the sight became. Vast hordes of desolate beasts seemed to be answering some sort of summons. Gathering from all directions, they merged into several massive torrents of beasts, stampeding forward and kicking up plumes of dust.

Among the reptilian and crawling beasts were brilliantly patterned serpents, massive scorpions, multi-headed lizards, and golden-armored scorpions that advanced by leaping.

The larger ones were tigers, wolves, and rhinoceroses, each as massive as a small hill. Under the reflecting light, the various scales and natural armor on their broad backs gleamed brightly.

It was terrifying!

Lin Zhan suddenly remembered a bottle of medicinal pills he had on him. He had obtained them from Yun Yin when they first entered the Northern Wilderness Forest together.

"Here, swallow one quickly. These are Breath-Concealing Pills. They can hide your aura and are quite effective against ordinary desolate beasts."

Facing a beast tide of this scale, Fang Daguang and Lian Ming turned as pale as paper, their hearts shaking with intense shock. They had only just broken through, yet they were now encountering a situation that even advancing another three realms could not resolve. How could they not panic?

The two hastily took the Breath-Concealing Pills and swallowed them.

Only then did they regain a shred of courage, following warily behind Lin Zhan as they crept forward.

Ye Xiaoyao's battle was still ongoing, though the pressure on him had lessened slightly. This was because, in the same central area, three other disciples holding a large number of points were also being besieged by groups of opponents.

These four, along with Lin Zhan's group of three, made seven people in total, and they currently held seventy percent of all the points.

At this stage, even those with only two or three points had become targets of attack, because having just two or three points was already enough to secure a place in the top ten.

The chaotic melee had entered its final, frantic stage. Several disciples on the periphery who had only a single point took turns launching assaults on the inner circle, slashing their weapons wherever they spotted a gap.

Before their attacks against Ye Xiaoyao had even fully concluded, they would disengage and strike at another combat circle.

All order was gone. There were no more one-on-one duels. Distinctions of peaks, inner sects, or outer sects vanished entirely at this moment.

There was only the desperate slaughter, driven by the last remnants of their consciousness.

Flesh and blood splattered, and shredded robes fluttered in the air. None of them noticed that a massive wave of desolate beasts was rapidly closing in on their location.

Fan Ning and Ji Mubai were positioned directly opposite the direction from which Lin Zhan's group was approaching.

"Brother Fan Ning, I never expected Sword Burial Peak to possess such a brilliant method of beast control. I am truly full of admiration!"

Hearing Ji Mubai's flattery, Fan Ning replied, "Although my master calls himself the Sword Slave, few outsiders know that he actually lived among desolate beasts in his childhood. Having spent over a decade in the wilderness, it is only natural that he has a special way with them."

Fan Ning tightly gripped the Beast Control Spirit in his hand, closely monitoring the movements of the beast tide.

This Beast Control Spirit was the ingenious key to attracting and controlling these desolate beasts.

Ji Mubai, however, was secretly cursing in his heart: *Damn it, as the personal disciple of a Peak Master, instead of fighting fair and square, he resorts to such underhanded tricks. I can't believe he would actually do something so shameless!*

Yet, this method promised an exceptionally good outcome. Once the disciples inside were crushed by the beast tide, their points would be ripe for the taking. An effortless advancement—why not?

"Wonderful, truly wonderful! When we reach the finals, may I continue to follow you, Brother Fan Ning?"

"Of course. Since ancient times, Tiangang Peak and Sword Burial Peak have been as one family!" Fan Ning chuckled dryly, a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the battle inside the circle had reached its conclusion. After a series of beeping sounds indicating the transfer of points, several spheres of light enveloped the eliminated disciples, vanishing from the spot and leaving only the final five standing.

Across the area, only ten glowing dots remained on the tracking plates.

The ten disciples still remaining in Zone Two, regardless of whether they had dozens of points or just a single one, were naturally the ones who had qualified for the top ten.

"Alright, we finally don't have to fight anymore!" Ye Xiaoyao tossed aside his long spear and sat down hard on the ground, completely disregarding his image.

"Hahaha! I finally secured my place in the top ten! You trash are all eliminated anyway!" one person cheered wildly, dancing around in a frenzy of celebration.

"Whew... If the elimination rounds are this crazy, I'll never survive the final showdown of the top three hundred..." another disciple grumbled.

This was a slightly weary female voice.

"Oh! There's a woman!" The other four were shocked.

For those who spent years cultivating in remote, desolate regions where even a female beast was a rare sight, let alone a living woman, this was a shock. All four of them turned their heads.

It really was a woman. Although she wore black robes that mostly concealed her figure, her posture, the long black hair that had just fallen loose, and her half-hidden, delicate face all proved it.

To have fought up to this point without even realizing one of their opponents was a martial sister—they had truly been blind!

"Which peak are you from, Senior Sister? I am Ye Xiaoyao of Tiangang Peak." He leaped up instantly, his movements smooth and dashing.

The other three male disciples also instantly shed their previous states of exhaustion, wild celebration, or weariness. They began smoothing their robes and tidying their appearances, suddenly putting on refined, polite airs as their eyes shone with interest.

"I dare not claim the title of Senior Sister. I am Liang Siqi of Floating Shadow Peak. Greetings, fellow martial brothers," the female disciple said, bowing politely.

Indeed, were it not for the cruelty of the elimination rounds, the disciples of the various peaks would normally treat each other as martial brothers and sisters. In ordinary times, encountering the female disciples of Floating Shadow Peak—a peak renowned for its many women—would have been an exciting opportunity for courtship. But under the current circumstances, it was rather awkward. The brutal clash they had just engaged in felt practically beastly in hindsight.

"There is no need for everyone to feel embarrassed. The Grand Tournament is just like this; only through brutal elimination can the true strength of the disciples be tested. We can relax a little now. Reaching the top ten means we haven't failed our Peak Masters' expectations." Liang Siqi seemed to be a senior figure on Floating Shadow Peak, and her words were very sensible.

The others nodded in agreement, and the atmosphere instantly became exceptionally harmonious.

"What is that sound?" Ye Xiaoyao was the first to sense something amiss.

"An earthquake?" Liang Siqi frowned.

They all leaped into the air to look around. Upon landing, they cried out in unison, "Oh no, it's a beast tide of the Northern Wilderness Forest!"