Since she had been instructed beforehand, Zi Xing had been hiding in the shadows from the very start of the fight.

Ye Qingchen was locked in fierce combat with the Boulder Demon Ape, so the creature never noticed Zi Xing’s presence.

Ye Qingchen capitalized on this. When he realized his attacks couldn’t reach the Boulder Demon Ape’s weak spot, he decisively sent a telepathic message to Zi Xing.

Zi Xing replied in kind, indicating that she was ready.

With a subtle nod, Ye Qingchen launched a new round of attacks on the Boulder Demon Ape. The Double Pupil Sword in his hand struck the beast repeatedly, producing a sound like clashing metal.

The Boulder Demon Ape, already frustrated by its inability to hit Ye Qingchen, was overjoyed when the human suddenly charged forward.

Ye Qingchen came well-prepared this time. He not only used Willow Soul’s Brilliance to enhance the Double Pupil Sword but also employed Fen Tian Earth Fire to further boost his attack power.

Although he was still using the Wind Blade Sword Technique, its power was on a completely different level than before.

Having underestimated the Wind Blade Sword Technique, the Boulder Demon Ape was blasted back more than a dozen steps by the first move. Before it could regain its footing, Ye Qingchen’s next attack arrived instantly.

The Boulder Demon Ape could only swing its fists frantically to fend off the Double Pupil Sword’s assault, and fine cracks began to appear in its Rock Armor.

However, as a white light flickered within the beast’s body, those cracks were quickly mended.

Although the Boulder Demon Ape couldn’t speak, the disdain in its eyes was unmistakable.

The creature could tell that Ye Qingchen had only managed to entangle it for so long by relying on high-level Martial Techniques. While its own Rock Armor was also an Earth Rank Martial Technique, it was an innate talent that consumed a minuscule amount of its Spiritual Energy.

As long as the fight dragged on, the first one to give out would surely be this human!

So, the Boulder Demon Ape simply used its arms to protect its head, letting Ye Qingchen hack away at its body.

But what the Boulder Demon Ape didn’t know was that this was exactly what Ye Qingchen had hoped for.

Ye Qingchen continuously bombarded the Boulder Demon Ape with the Wind Blade Sword Technique. Although he couldn’t inflict effective damage, the beast was now unable to guard the weak spot on its back.

Zi Xing, who was still hidden, noticed this opening and quietly approached the battlefield using Fire Spirit Charm Shadow.

When she was just over thirty meters away, she pushed Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to its limit. Her speed was almost like teleportation as she appeared behind the Boulder Demon Ape, plunging her Longsword deep into the center of its back.

The Boulder Demon Ape sensed the danger just as the Longsword was about to make contact, but it was far too late to evade.

WHOOSH!

Zi Xing’s Longsword struck like lightning, fiercely piercing the Boulder Demon Ape’s body.

SIZZLE!

As the Longsword penetrated, the Rock Armor across the creature’s body began to splinter, and the light in its eyes faded.

Naturally, Ye Qingchen wouldn’t miss this opportunity. He also used Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to get behind the Boulder Demon Ape and, wielding his Double Pupil Sword, attacked the same spot on its back.

As Ye Qingchen’s Double Pupil Sword sank into its body, the Boulder Demon Ape lost all signs of life and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Upon the Boulder Demon Ape’s death, a white light surged from its body and entered the Divine Wood Order at Ye Qingchen’s waist.

Ye Qingchen projected his Divine Sense into the Divine Wood Order and saw that his points had indeed increased by fifty.

So, you get points by dealing the final blow to a Spirit Beast.

Ye Qingchen finally understood the rules for obtaining points, but he felt a pang of guilt. Zi Xing could have killed the Boulder Demon Ape on her own, yet he had intervened and seemingly snatched her points.

Zi Xing noticed Ye Qingchen’s apologetic expression and smiled gracefully. Waving her slender, jade-like hand nonchalantly, she said, "Junior Brother Ye, you did most of the work to kill the Boulder Demon Ape. Besides, this is only the first Spirit Beast we’ve hunted together. How about this? From now on, we’ll take turns getting the points from each kill. Sound good?"

"Okay!" Ye Qingchen nodded in agreement.

The two then continued searching the vicinity for more Boulder Demon Apes.

Now that they had found the creature’s weak spot, killing them would be much easier. They decided to stay here and farm enough points before moving to the next Spirit Beast congregation spot.

「...」

This time, a group of ten disciples from Duanjin Academy had entered the Secret Realm, including Wang Teng and Feng Yuan.

This was the largest group among all the academies participating in the assessment.

The ten of them had stuck together as a team since entering the Secret Realm. After hunting a few Spirit Beasts on the periphery, the team, led by Wang Teng, advanced into the deeper parts of the realm.

"It’s truly an honor for us to be on the same team as Young Master Wang," a senior disciple from Duanjin Academy said with a fawning smile as they traveled.

Another senior disciple quickly chimed in, "That’s right! With Young Master Wang leading us, earning a thousand points will be a breeze, won’t it?"

Feng Yuan laughed heartily and added, "We’ve only been in the Secret Realm for a day, and we’ve each already earned over three hundred points. At this rate, we’ll finish the assessment in another two days!"

Wang Teng thoroughly enjoyed these sycophantic compliments but maintained an air of indifference. "This kind of assessment poses no challenge to me at all. Once we get deeper into the Secret Realm, let’s quickly accumulate enough points, then head to the core of the realm together to take a look."

Wang Teng’s words garnered eager agreement from everyone. Feng Yuan said excitedly, "I’ve heard you can find Spirit Beast Eggs in the core of the Secret Realm! If we’re lucky enough to get one, we can definitely tame it as a pet."

At the mention of Spirit Beast Eggs, everyone’s eyes lit up with fervor. After all, a Spirit Beast living in the core of the Secret Realm would, upon reaching maturity, be at least at the Martial Emperor Realm. Taming such a pet would undoubtedly become a powerful ally in the future.

Wang Teng nodded, confirming Feng Yuan’s statement. In fact, his primary goal this time was to acquire a Spirit Beast Egg.

As the group was discussing this animatedly, Wang Teng suddenly stopped and stared into the distance.

Following his gaze, the group saw two figures locked in a fierce battle with a three-meter-tall Boulder Demon Ape. The fight was incredibly intense.

"Is that Ye Qingchen?" Feng Yuan recognized Ye Qingchen at a glance and cried out in shock.

Wang Teng, however, just sneered and said to his companions, "I’ve thought of a way to get points quickly, one that will save us a lot of time! Are any of you interested?"