Especially Torin.

If it weren’t for him speaking up to advise just now, Knox wouldn’t have even had the qualification to participate. Considering himself to have bestowed a favor upon Knox, he was definitely determined to win this genius to fill the vacancy left by Blair.

Left with no choice, Loris carried his last sliver of hope and looked toward Aerin.

"Senior Brother Aerin, please speak a word of justice!"

"For that Knox to violate sect rules and brutally murder fellow disciples is committing a massive taboo of our Divine Blade Sect."

"Could it be that just because his aptitude is superior, we must show him leniency?"

Aerin’s expression was complicated, he remained silent for a long time before speaking.

"Loris, let us wait a bit longer."

"After all, this child’s talent is truly far too monstrous."

"Moreover, he has been wandering around in circles inside the Azure Dragon Valley, seemingly searching for something."

"Let’s observe for now and see exactly what he is looking for, and then make a decision."

Loris’s heart sank, he had no choice but to nod weakly, saying no more.

Sylra to the side saw this and couldn’t help but sneer coldly in his heart.

"A group of elders, for the sake of pursuing a genius, can actually tolerate him violating sect rules."

"Magnus, oh Magnus, do you see this?"

"If things continue like this, I see that the power and prosperity of this Divine Blade Sect won’t have many days left to survive."

...

After killing those four people, Knox calmed down slightly.

He stopped blindly searching everywhere for Alex and instead headed straight toward the mountain peak.

He believed that the reason Alex infiltrated the Divine Blade Sect to participate in the assessment was exactly for that fortuitous encounter at the summit.

As long as he reached the summit one step ahead and laid in ambush, he would definitely catch him.

He could both eliminate Alex and obtain Magnus’s fortuitous encounter, killing two birds with one stone.

Thinking this way, Knox no longer delayed. At his fastest speed, he headed straight for the mountain peak.

At the same time, Alex was also advancing at an extremely fast speed.

With Pearl, this Qi Gathering Realm giant beast, as a mount, the surrounding fierce beasts were all intimidated into shivering fear, fundamentally not daring to jump out and block his path.

Relying on Pearl’s vigorous and agile speed, Alex managed to come from behind and surpass the others.

Not only did he make up the distance lost while battling Blair earlier... he directly overtook everyone else entirely, advancing toward the mountain peak with the fastest progress.

From the perspective of the elders, the situation was already clear.

Riding Pearl, Alex left the competition in the dust, having already covered 70% of the distance.

Knox followed closely behind, having covered approximately 60%.

The remaining disciples had all fallen behind, thrown a massive distance away.

Aerin and the crowd of elders, situated on the floating cloud in mid-air, consistently observed the competition using the Divine Secret Sphere.

However, what they didn’t know was...

A thousand miles above them, another vast, white floating cloud hovered. Two young men whose cultivation had reached the Supreme Realm sat cross-legged atop the clouds, sipping tea while watching with deep interest.

These two were none other than the Evergreat Sword Ancestor’s two great disciples, who also served as his Left and Right Protectors, Pureon and Noctar.

Although they were located a thousand miles high, looking down at the teeming masses below as if they were ants and dust... they still saw the situation inside the Azure Dragon Valley with absolute clarity.

"Senior Brother, look." Noctar said with a smile.

"These two people are truly quite interesting."

"One is at the First Level of Body Tempering, and the other is at the Tenth Level. They can be considered the two great extremes within the Sword God Restriction."

"But it just so happens that these two are actually both leading far ahead of everyone else."

"Moreover, this First Level guy is actually a notch ahead of the Tenth Level guy."

"Correct." Pureon nodded and smiled faintly.

"The disciples of later generations only know that within the Sword God Restriction, the higher the aptitude, the stronger the cultivation."

"But very few know the principle that a heavy sword has no edge, and great skill requires no elaborate workmanship. The First Level of Body Tempering is just as rarely seen as the Tenth Level, both are extraordinary talents rarely encountered in a millennium."

"In terms of innate talent, these two are likely evenly matched."

"To which one should we pass down Master’s Vault of Divine Sword Heart?"

Noctar pondered for a moment, suddenly thinking of something.

"Oh right, Senior Brother!"

"Before we departed, Master specifically encouraged us that the person who inherits his Vault of Divine Sword Heart must not only possess superior aptitude but also possess both benevolence and virtue, with outstanding moral character."

"How about we test the moral character of these two juniors?"

"Test how?" Pureon’s face revealed suspicion.

"Hehe, I have my ways!" Noctar raised his index and middle fingers, circulating his spiritual energy and chanting an incantation.

A white light flashed around him, the neat white robe on his body transformed into a tattered, torn, and bloodstained white long dress, his dark ponytail transformed into dirty, long golden hair.

His facial features became delicate and peerlessly beautiful, his figure became slender and exquisite.

In the blink of an eye, Noctar actually transformed from a refined, elegant young master into a bloodstained, slightly haggard, battle-damaged version of a peerless beauty.

Pureon watched in a daze.

"Junior Brother, you... what are you doing?"

"Hehe, Senior Brother, you don’t understand." Noctar grinned confidently. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"If you want to test a man’s true nature, the best method is to approach him with the identity of someone weak."

"Watch your Junior Brother employ a minor trick. I will definitely test out for you which of these two has a more simple, honest, and kind-hearted nature!"