Ferocious beast?! Everyone couldn't help but pale with fear.
Most ferocious beasts were formed from the condensation of the world's malevolent energies, born with formidable demonic power—a hundred times more vicious than monstrous creatures. Among them were several colossal beasts that had once wreaked havoc across the land. One of the Four Fiends, Taowu, had been slain by Guangwei Zhenren beneath Temper Edge in the past.
Even if Mo Yanfan or Hu Jiaping were here, they wouldn't be confident in facing a ferocious beast, let alone these barely-initiated disciples?
Baili Gelin's hesitation grew stronger: "I-I think we should just forget it..."
After a moment's thought, Lei Xiuyuan said, "Though the Tutelary Croc is a ferocious beast, it cannot speak human language, so it likely isn't that powerful. It moves sluggishly and cries pitifully, seemingly already severely injured. It was probably hiding at the bottom of the lake to recuperate when we forced it out. This is just an Academy test—I believe we still have a chance to fight."
"Let's take turns! Wear it down with a battle of attrition!" Ji Tongzhou refused to admit defeat and immediately formed a hand seal to unleash the Li Fire Art.
Li Fei grabbed his sleeve and shook her head. "A battle of attrition would take forever. I think we shouldn't fight individually—all four of us should work together. Our group was formed with elemental compatibility in mind. There must be a reason for this arrangement."
Lei Xiuyuan suddenly interjected, "Earlier, whenever the Tutelary Croc roared, hurricane waves followed. We must dodge immediately. It seems to be protecting its ribs when moving, so that must be its weak point. Ji Tongzhou and I will focus our attacks there—avoid the head and tail. Its serpent tail is dangerous; it attacks after roaring. Whether it coils around or strikes, one hit could be fatal. Bai Li, you must keep its tail restrained. If anything goes wrong, Li Fei, remember to cast Earth Defense and the Healing net immediately."
His clear and concise instructions left the other three momentarily speechless. After some thought, they realized that facing it head-on might be better than fleeing—especially since Lei Xiuyuan's tactical planning was so logical and well-distributed. His usual condescending attitude, which made everyone seem like fools, somehow felt oddly reassuring now.
Baili Gelin snorted. "You're pretty good at giving orders!"
Her attitude toward Lei Xiuyuan remained frosty, even after learning about Zhen Yunzi's affairs. She likely still held a grudge over his two-faced behavior.
Ji Tongzhou, however, was irritated. He had always considered himself the leader of their group, yet earlier, he had needed Lei Xiuyuan's help to escape the water, and now he was being upstaged again. Though unwilling to admit it, he couldn't help but admire him—he wouldn't have been able to devise such a strategy on the spot.
"Let's do it," he said curtly.
Once the four had agreed, Lei Xiuyuan and Ji Tongzhou suddenly charged toward the Tutelary Croc from opposite sides. In an instant, flames and golden light erupted across the sky, accompanied by deafening explosions. The enraged beast let out another piercing screech, summoning several hurricanes that instantly swept away the smoke and flames.
"Now!" Lei Xiuyuan urged.Baili Gelin had quietly flown close to the Tutelary Croc's tail while they were creating a loud commotion. As expected, the tail stood rigidly upright. When the whirlwind appeared, it suddenly became supple as if boneless, coiling and twisting, poised to strike any approaching figures with a single lethal blow.
She flicked her wrist, sending out countless tiny leaves that pattered against its tail, instantly transforming into thick, resilient vines that tightly bound its long appendage.
Caught off guard by the ambush, the Tutelary Croc thrashed violently, its brute strength snapping many of the vines. Baili Gelin shot out another wave of leaves, weaving fresh vines to restrain it while shouting, "Hurry up! I can't hold it for long! It's too strong!"
No sooner had she spoken than Ji Tongzhou and Lei Xiuyuan struck from both sides—Li Fire Art and Supreme Harmony Art slamming into its ribs. The Tutelary Croc let out an earth-shaking roar of pain, writhing so violently that the vines shattered completely. Baili Gelin dodged swiftly, avoiding its serpentine tail's range, then focused her energy to form another seal. This time, the leaves transformed into thick, sharp wooden stakes, pinning its body to the lakeshore and preventing it from escaping into the depths.
The entire sequence happened in the blink of an eye. The children, still shaken, felt a mix of lingering fear and a strange thrill. Seeing the Tutelary Croc bleeding profusely and its struggles weakening, Baili Gelin wiped cold sweat from her brow and whispered, "I don’t think it can break free now. Should we check the door at the bottom of the lake?"
Li Fei shook her head. "Did you forget about the Second Selection?"
During the Second Selection, many had assumed the Nine-tailed Fox was defeated and rushed toward the golden gate, only to be flung back and eliminated. No one wanted to repeat that mistake here. The four children waited at a distance until the Tutelary Croc fell completely silent, likely dead, before flying over on their swords.
Ji Tongzhou led the way. He had only ever seen Ferocious Beasts in illustrations and had always been fascinated by tales of Celestials soaring through clouds, slaying demons and vanquishing evil across the realms. Earlier, he had been too tense to examine the Tutelary Croc properly, but now, up close, he realized just how enormous it was—its maw alone could swallow all four of them without filling the gaps between its teeth.
Aside from the wounds he and Lei Xiuyuan had inflicted on its ribs, the beast’s belly bore an extremely long gash—the true fatal injury. Just as Lei Xiuyuan had predicted, it had already been severely wounded. The Academy wouldn’t give them a test beyond their capabilities.
Thinking back, this Ferocious Beast hadn’t been particularly difficult to handle—no impenetrable hide, no formidable Demon Techniques. The real challenge lay in tactical planning and seizing the right moment. Their unspoken teamwork had been crucial—one misstep, and they could have suffered grave injuries or even lost their lives.
The credit for defeating the Tutelary Croc largely belonged to Lei Xiuyuan’s strategy. Ji Tongzhou stared blankly for a long moment before suddenly kicking him hard in the leg, scowling. "Not bad! Where’d that useless coward go?"
Baili Gelin also delivered an unceremonious kick. "Who knew you were such a two-faced expert!"
Lei Xiuyuan glanced back at them and chuckled softly. Everyone expected him to say something infuriating, but he remained silent, simply laughing—until, gradually, the others couldn’t help but join in.This was the first time the four of them had truly worked together to defeat a Ferocious beast. Turns out, acting as a team felt much better than trying to be a hero alone. Even those they'd previously disliked now seemed insignificant in comparison.
Lei Xiuyuan turned his head with a smile, and Li Fei met his beautiful eyes. He had smiled many times before, but she felt this time his joy was genuine. Though his face was streaked with sweat and mud, his hair plastered to his skin, and his clothes covered in dust and blood, she thought he looked more radiant than ever.
"Good work," she said, unusually cheerful, patting his shoulder.
Lei Xiuyuan smirked. "So you can smile."
...As if she had never smiled before. Li Fei couldn't be bothered to argue and shrugged. "Who said I couldn't?"
"Just rare to see you smile like that."
She snorted. "That's because I don’t want to smile at you."
Even he was left speechless this time. Baili Gelin bounded over with a grin. "Shall we go? Let’s get a good meal after this! Oh, I saw wine at the tavern up north! Want to sneak a jar to try?"
Just as Li Fei was about to refuse, a sudden change occurred. The supposedly dead Tutelary Croc opened its maw and let out a chilling, piercing howl. It released the last remnants of its demonic power, sending a whirlwind surging with lake water crashing toward them. The four children had no time to react and were instantly swept into the maelstrom. The violent currents and gales sliced at them like sharp blades—had Li Fei not cast Earth Defense on each of them earlier, they would have been torn apart.
Li Fei felt dizzy as she was flung high into the air, spun wildly, then hurled violently away. A Stone sword—she didn’t know whose—was tossed out alongside her. She quickly grabbed it, mustered her Spiritual energy, and flipped onto the sword. In the next moment, the other three were also thrown out by the raging winds and waves. The Tutelary Croc’s serpentine tail, supple as if boneless, lashed toward Ji Tongzhou, the closest target. His Stone sword had already been swept away by the waves, and though he was still conscious, there was no way to dodge. He could only watch helplessly as the massive tail came crashing down.
Li Fei immediately conjured a transparent Earth Barrier in front of him. A deafening crash followed as the tail slammed into the translucent ochre wall, shattering it to dust in an instant. Without hesitation, she channeled all her Spiritual energy, erecting multiple barriers in rapid succession to intercept the tail. At the same time, she dashed forward, grabbing Ji Tongzhou by the hair without a second thought.
She had intended to pull him out of the tail’s reach, but the beast’s death throes were far more terrifying than expected. Several more thunderous crashes later, the barriers were effortlessly smashed. There was no time to escape.
Li Fei held nothing back, expending every last drop of her Spiritual energy to envelop them both in two layers of Earth Defense. Then came a sharp, unbearable pain in her chest—an overwhelming force struck her body, and her vision instantly darkened. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on Ji Tongzhou’s hair as the two were sent flying miles away, crashing through swathes of forest trees.
It took Ji Tongzhou a long moment to recover. His entire body felt like it had been dismantled, but compared to the excruciating pain on his scalp, it was nothing. He reached up and touched his head—his hand came away covered in blood! Had all his hair been torn out?!A heavy weight pressed down on him, and it took all his strength to push the person off. Struggling to turn his head, he saw Jiang Li Fei’s chest torn and bloodied, her face also covered in blood—she looked as if she were already dead.
Ji Tongzhou was so shocked his soul nearly left his body. He quickly nudged her gently, but she didn’t move. Trembling, he placed a hand under her nose and felt only the faintest breath—more exhale than inhale—as if she might stop breathing at any moment.
She had saved him. Ji Tongzhou’s heart sank to the depths in an instant. He had let a girl save him—and now that girl might die because of it!
Carefully, he lifted her into his arms. Fortunately, the Stone Sword lay nearby, so he immediately flew toward the lake at full speed. By now, the Tutelary Croc was truly dead, its once glossy black body now dull and gray. Floating on the lake’s surface, bobbing with the waves, were two figures—Baili Gelin and Lei Xiuyuan. They had been closest to the Tutelary Croc, and the overwhelming force of the hurricane-like waves had left them covered in bloody wounds, already unconscious.
Just moments ago, everything had been fine—now, he was the only one left standing. Ji Tongzhou dragged the two from the water and quickly checked their injuries. Thankfully, none were life-threatening—only Jiang Li Fei’s wounds were severe enough that she could die at any moment.
He cast a layer of Floating Fire over her, then gathered all three in his arms. At this point, whether he could swim or not didn’t matter—he plunged into the lake in a frantic rush. Sure enough, ahead lay a magnificent golden gate. He didn’t even know how he managed to swim there, but the moment he passed through the gate, the familiar sight of Multiple Palaces greeted him. Inside the massive Bronze Cauldron, the incense had yet to burn out.
Hu Jiaping and the other instructors, who had been waiting on the high platform, rushed over immediately. Ji Tongzhou barely managed to gasp out, “Save them—”
Before he could finish, he collapsed to the ground.
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