But just as Ki Qinyin was starting to get excited, planning to have her subordinates go easy on him, one of the eight Northern Dragon Guard members by her side suddenly spoke. "Xu Ke, are you serious?"

The middle-aged man in the black tunic suit looked at Xu Ke, his eyes filled with admiration and excitement. He was moved by Xu Ke's words. He knew that anyone who yearned to join the Northern Dragon Guard would be incredibly thrilled by a personal invitation from Madame Yu and would surely accept immediately. When he had received the Dragon King's invitation all those years ago, he had been so overjoyed he couldn't even speak, only able to nod his head vigorously.

But Xu Ke hadn't immediately lost his senses over the invitation. Knowing full well that a simple nod would admit him into the Northern Dragon Guard, Xu Ke still insisted on challenging all eight of them for the sake of fairness. Both Xu Ke's courage and his adherence to his principles deeply moved him.

Upon hearing the question, Xu Ke immediately nodded. "I am serious!"

"Good!" The middle-aged man burst into hearty laughter. "Then I will grant you your wish!"

At the same time, he thought to himself, Xu Ke, even if you fail this time, the Northern Dragon Guard will absolutely reserve a spot for you. It's the least we can do for your courage and principles! Of course, I'm also hoping you can succeed on your first try. That would mean adding a future top general to our ranks.

However, You Jinlong's excitement was one thing; his words left the ecstatic Ki Qinyin utterly dumbfounded.

What is this?! I wanted you to go easy on him, and you're actually going to grant his wish? What wish? Who told you to grant anything...

An enraged Ki Qinyin immediately called out, "You Jinlong..."

But You Jinlong misunderstood her. He turned, stood at attention, and said with a grave expression, "Madam, please rest assured. We will treat Xu Ke with absolute fairness." For a true warrior, using one's full strength is the only way to show proper respect for an opponent like Xu Ke.

Ki Qinyin was speechless. She felt that something had gone wrong in a way she could never have anticipated.

Seeing this, the members of the Huang Family smirked. "Xu Ke really overestimates himself."

Shi Hongda sneered. "Without an expert helping you, do you really think you can get through it?"

The stares of eight experts might not seem like much. But these were the stares of eight men who had clawed their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, men with wills of iron. It was a gaze that an ordinary person could never withstand. The sheer killing intent alone was more than most could bear. This had nothing to do with one's cultivation level; it was a matter of willpower.

What Shi Hongda didn't know was, how could Xu Ke, a man who had truly died once before, possibly be afraid?

Huang Sheng gritted his teeth. "We'll see you get scared out of your wits soon enough."

Xu Ke isn't doing this because he's arrogant from winning the championship, nor is he trying to uphold some nonsense about fairness, he thought. He's only making things harder for himself to humiliate me. He's trying to say, "The thing you, Huang Sheng, couldn't do, I, Xu Ke, did. See how pathetic you are?"

The thought filled Huang Sheng with humiliation, making him even more eager to see Xu Ke get scared off by the mere gazes of the eight Northern Dragon Guards. That would be a truly humiliating spectacle.

Ignoring the cold sneers from the Huang Family, Xu Ke walked up to the eight members of the Northern Dragon Guard, intending to fail gracefully. He was doing it for himself, and to give Ki Qinyin a respectable way out of the situation.

Seeing his resolute demeanor, Chen Xiong and the others grew anxious. As much as they didn't want Xu Ke to go through the same test as Huang Sheng, things had already reached this point. All they could do was pray for him silently.

Once Xu Ke stood firm, the eight Northern Dragon Guards nodded slightly at him, admiration in their eyes. Clearly, this group of straightforward men, just like You Jinlong, was moved by Xu Ke.

Sensing their goodwill, Xu Ke offered a faint smile. "Please begin! I'm ready!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Alright!" You Jinlong whispered.

Witnessing this, Ki Qinyin sighed quietly, a touch of regret in her heart. Recruiting Xu Ke was destined to fail now. How could he possibly withstand the imposing pressure of eight men? She wished she had found some tape to seal You Jinlong's mouth. However, she also knew that even if Xu Ke could withstand their pressure, he probably didn't want to join the Northern Dragon Guard anyway. Being rejected by him later would also be a loss of face for her. It was better this way. Xu Ke had actively found a face-saving exit for everyone involved.

Thinking of this, Ki Qinyin couldn't help but admire him. Divine Doctor Xu really is considerate of others!

In the next moment, everyone's expression tightened. The very essence and spirit of the eight men seemed to be grasped by an invisible giant hand and forged into a single, unified force. Simultaneously, that same deep, despair-inducing calm washed over the area.

Standing to the side, Wang Qiya's face paled instantly. Her chest felt as though a heavy stone had been placed upon it, making it impossible to breathe. Luckily, Wang Wu reacted in a flash, pulling her back and sparing her from the worst of it. Even though the pressure wasn't directed at her, its aftershocks alone were enough to make her go white-knuckled and defenseless. Wang Qiya knew just how terrifying the combined pressure of these eight men was. She couldn't help but worry—how could her brother-in-law possibly withstand it head-on?

But when she looked at Xu Ke, her expression froze.

At that moment, Xu Ke was still smiling as he faced the eight men. His expression was unchanged, but the tips of his toes were tapping unconsciously against the ground.

The scene suddenly became bizarre. One side was solemn, the other relaxed.

Wang Qiya fell silent.

That posture... doesn't look like he's being suppressed by their pressure at all, does it?

She wasn't the only one to notice. When Chen Xiong and Yuan Shang saw the eight Northern Dragon Guards in their stern formation, their own faces grew grave. But when they saw Xu Ke's smiling face, their brows furrowed, and their minds filled with questions.

Is Xu Ke really being suppressed?

Shi Hongda's face turned ugly in an instant. He was at the Innate Great Perfection realm; how could he not tell if Xu Ke was being suppressed? Xu Ke's complexion was normal—he looked even healthier than Shi Hongda himself!

Huang Sheng's eyes filled with venomous resentment. I knew it... I knew it... I knew Xu Ke only came forward to accept this test to humiliate me! That bastard!

As for Wong Qifu, she had already let out a sigh. She was starting to come up with excuses for how Xu Ke could refuse Ki Qinyin's offer later.

Ki Qinyin, who had been bracing for rejection, froze upon seeing Xu Ke's state, then burst into ecstasy. She had never expected to find a light at the end of the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Xu Ke, the center of everyone's attention, was completely focused, oblivious to the stares of the crowd. He had only one thought running through his mind.

This... Why haven't these eight started yet?