On the White Jade Plaza.

Blood Ming and Xu Yang sat cross-legged on the ground, absorbing immortal qi.

As time went by, the auras on both men shifted subtly from when they were in the Spirit Realm, imbued now with a hard-to-describe immortal grandeur.

After a long time, the two opened their eyes in unison.

"This immortal qi is truly astonishing, but still far too little; if old me wants to fully sublimate and perfect my entire foundation, I’d probably need thousands upon thousands of these!"

Blood Ming murmured, having hunted a second-rank immortal beast, and thus the immortal qi he gained was several times greater than that of Xu Yang.

Xu Yang silently assessed his own gains, estimating he would need even more.

He swept his gaze across the plaza; seeing no sign of Stone Jade, he could only shake his head with a wry smile.

Eliminated—clearly, she was immediately expelled.

"I wonder if those eliminated can keep their Immortal Soldier Token."

Blood Ming pondered, "Logically, it shouldn’t be possible, but since all this is just a projection, it might not be impossible."

Xu Yang sighed; at this point, he could only care for himself.

He hoped Shi Hu could make it through.

All of a sudden, he felt pressure double upon him.

Xiao Ming, a strength even greater than his own.

Especially now that he’s merged with the Five Elements Spirit God. Once he enters the Divine Firmament, his cultivation will soar even faster.

Now that the Battle King clan has found the training tower, it’s undeniable that the Five Elements Celestial Realm could find it as well.

They too will gain this fortune and set foot on the immortal path!

"I can’t afford to be surpassed any further."

Xu Yang suddenly closed his eyes, focused his mind, and immersed himself within the Tripod of Heaven and Earth.

The immortal qi he obtained was the same as the others, but he could refine it into Purest Essence Qi, with much greater efficacy.

This was one of his advantages, though it required time to accumulate.

The second advantage was the Tripod of Heaven and Earth itself: ancient Evil Qi and the Heaven-Locking Divine Chain.

"I have to seize every moment to raise my spirit mark to nine feet!"

Xu Yang fiercely shook the Tripod of Heaven and Earth, unleashing Heaven Locking intent.

At the same time, he endured the assault of ancient Evil Qi, extracting and condensing Life-taking Fire Elixir.

As time flowed on.

After several hours—

Immortal light flickered, and a figure, drenched in blood and filth, tumbled disheveled onto the plaza.

It was Shi Hu!

Xu Yang and Blood Ming instantly opened their eyes.

Shi Hu was utterly tragic to behold.

But he had not vanished; a faint strand of immortal light arose from his body, and his wounds visibly mended at astonishing speed.

After a while—

Shi Hu digested the immortal qi, opened his eyes slowly, exhaling deeply, eyes still filled with lingering fear.

"Congratulations!"

Xu Yang grinned broadly.

Shi Hu forced a bitter smile, waving his hand, "Barely made it!"

"Those immortal beasts are just too strong."

"But with this kind of life-and-death struggle, as long as I can grit my teeth and hold on, my progress will skyrocket; Our Battle King clan is famous for our will to fight!" Shi Hu licked his lips, banishing his fear—battle intent blazing from his eyes.

At this sight, Xu Yang felt the worry in his heart ease.

So long as Shi Hu could maintain this, he might well pass through all the trials.

"By the way, how’s Stone Jade?" Xu Yang knew that Shi Hu and Stone Jade had a special sensing method.

"She’s fine—still alive!"

Shi Hu replied, face complicated, "But even if she still has an Immortal Soldier Token and can search for immortal qi outside, it’s still nothing compared to being inside the training tower."

Blood Ming comforted, "As long as the road is there, there’ll always be a chance."

Shi Hu nodded silently.

Whoosh!

The youth appeared again.

The three straightened, expressions tense, quickly rising to their feet.

"Hmph, what a bunch of trash!"

"Just the first day, and thirty-six have already been eliminated."

The youth’s gaze was icy, his tone filled with ridicule.

His words sent a chill through all three.

Thirty-six!

So it really all was projection.

They were reliving everything from the real training of that year—

But with a startling reality mixed in!

Immortal methods—unfathomable!

"From here on, training will only grow harsher, and the number of eliminated will only increase."

"Prepare yourselves."

"Day two of training—begin!"

Whoosh!

Immortal light flashed, enveloping the three again.

This time, it was no longer a mountain wilderness, but a martial arena.

Their opponents were no longer immortal beasts, but nine golden-armored puppets; each person faced three.

Boom!

Xu Yang charged forward with blade in hand, clashing with one of the puppets.

With just one blow, he was sent sprawling back in embarrassment.

The strength was several notches above the immortal beasts from the first day.

The golden-armored puppets reacted with terrifying speed, arriving in an instant—their fists and feet moving like lightning.

Xu Yang fended them off in disarray.

"Hiss!"

"These golden-armored puppets are insane—their reaction, speed, perception, all beyond belief!"

"Every inch of their body is a weapon; utterly fearless, fighting to the death!"

What seemed a crude and simple attack carried immense power!

Xu Yang parried as best he could, while gradually steadying his breath and entering the flow.

He recalled the young Immortal’s words about the first phase of training: battle!

Thoughts stirred within his heart.

This first phase must be unending melee and slaughter!

Grinding down battle tactics and experience!

With that thought, Xu Yang suddenly let out a roar.

Boom!

He slammed his body hard into the puppet, body trembling all over, but paying it no mind, whirling around like lightning.

Bang!

He slashed down with his blade—the puppet was blocked, but it abruptly arched backward, both feet exploding out with a thunderous kick.

Xu Yang’s eye twitched; in that hair’s-breadth danger, he sprang aside, blade flicking in an arc, unleashing the Chaotic Void Celestial Saber in a crushing swing.

Bang!

Boom!

Amid dull explosions, the two silhouettes clashed crazily, colliding without cease!

Anyone witnessing this would have their blood set ablaze.

No useless flourishes, simply raw brutality!

What seemed like ordinary punches and kicks, every impact was like a mountain crumbling and tsunami crashing, hiding murderous might.

First battle—Xu Yang spent a full quarter hour before it ended.

Unless pushed to his absolute limit, he would not use the Heaven Locking intent!

This was the greatest tempering for his own fighting skill.

The third day.

Back to immortal beasts.

But now, each person faced two at once—six in total!

On the fourth day, puppets returned.

During these days, each training session was different—immortal beasts and puppets alternating, their strength constantly increasing.

And even the manner of combat began to shift.

From simple brutal brawling, to flying and tunneling with various Divine Techniques, to every kind of weapon—sword, spear, blade, halberd...

A bewildering variety, endless diversity!

By then, even Blood Ming was hard pressed to endure.

Each time, they were battered and miserable—brutality to the extreme!

Xu Yang and Shi Hu suffered even more!

But they all held out with relentless determination.

Every day, the young Immortal recited new numbers of the eliminated.

And Xu Yang’s trio—each day, they transformed and sublimated.

Fighting to the verge of madness!

Remade in body and spirit!

On this day, at the White Jade Plaza—

The three stood tall, an aura of slaughter radiating from them, making hearts tremble with dread!

Their presence nearly swallowed up the entire White Jade Plaza.

"The last day,"

"Yesterday’s training had eight opponents at once; today, the last day, it’s sure to be nine!"

Shi Hu murmured, yet there was no fear in his eyes—his fighting spirit so intense that even Xu Yang and Blood Ming couldn’t help but take notice.

Its strength was simply overwhelming!

After twenty-nine days of training, Shi Hu’s transformation multiplied day by day; he had changed beyond recognition.

Even Xu Yang and Blood Ming were shocked!

Xu Yang grinned, "I’m already looking forward to the reward after the first-phase training."

Blood Ming said quietly, "Though old, this old fellow still grows mightier as he ages!"

"If that fool Chi Xue were here, he’d collapse within ten days—hahaha, that idiot missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime!"

Hearing this, Xu Yang and Shi Hu couldn’t help but laugh!

The Blood Ming Divine Sparrow truly did grow stronger with age!

Whoosh!

The young Immortal appeared.

"On this final day, those who pass will, together with all other Immortal Soldiers from all one hundred and eight training towers, undergo a special trial. Those who survive will be fed pure immortal qi, and the top ten will receive unbelievable opportunities!"

At these words, the three were full of shock.

A trial—immortal qi nourishment—unbelievable fortune!

At last, it had arrived.

Whoosh!

Immortal light blazed, engulfing all three.

The last day of battle had arrived.