"Young Master Wang, what’s the plan?"

Wang Teng’s words piqued the curiosity of the Duanjin Academy disciples as well.

Instead of speaking, Wang Teng simply jerked his chin in the direction where Ye Qingchen was fighting.

Feng Yuan seemed to have an idea, but he still voiced his concern. "Young Master Wang, the academy repeatedly emphasized that we are not allowed to attack other disciples during this assessment."

Wang Teng sneered. "We don’t need to lift a finger. I have a plan. You know how to set up Formations, don’t you? Here’s what you’ll do..."

After hearing Wang Teng’s idea, Feng Yuan laughed heartily, praising the brilliance of the plan over and over.

Wang Teng waved his hand. "Go on, get it done. Their fight won’t be over anytime soon, so we have plenty of time."

After Wang Teng finished speaking, Feng Yuan and the others accepted their orders, turned, and left. Wang Teng watched Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing with a cold smile, a scheme already brewing in his mind.

At that moment, Ye Qingchen hadn’t expected to encounter a Spirit Beast comparable to the Martial Emperor Realm. The Boulder Demon Ape before them was a full half taller than the others, and atop its head, it wore something resembling a crown. Zi Xing recognized it immediately: this was the Boulder Demon Ape King, its strength at the first level of the Martial Emperor Realm!

It was a known fact that a Spirit Beast’s combat prowess was inherently greater than a human’s at the same level. The Boulder Demon Ape King before them could easily match a human expert at the second level of the Martial Emperor Realm. This encounter was a direct result of Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing hunting too many Boulder Demon Apes in their territory that day. They had finally attracted the attention of the Boulder Demon Ape King from the heart of the Secret Realm.

Zi Xing’s initial instinct was to flee, but Ye Qingchen believed that fighting a Martial Emperor Realm Spirit Beast now would be valuable experience for their eventual journey into the heart of the Secret Realm. Besides, given his previous experience fighting Boulder Demon Apes, Ye Qingchen was confident he could take on their king. After a few exchanges, Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing were surprisingly holding their own against the Boulder Demon Ape King. They had even managed to gain a slight upper hand, which greatly boosted their confidence. But neither of them realized that a crisis was silently approaching.

The Boulder Demon Ape King’s defense was more than ten times stronger than that of the others. Ye Qingchen had to attack with his full power just to barely break through it. Zi Xing, meanwhile, constantly looked for opportunities to strike the king’s weak points. But even after landing a few hits, she only managed to deepen its wounds, failing to inflict any fatal damage.

Time ticked by. After five long hours of struggle, Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing had finally depleted most of the Boulder Demon Ape King’s Spiritual Energy. Just as victory seemed within reach, a commotion echoed from the distance.

"This is bad. More Boulder Demon Apes are heading this way, and it’s not just one of them," Ye Qingchen said to Zi Xing, having sensed their auras. "We have to end this quickly! Senior Sister Zi Xing, hold it off from the front while I attack the vital point on its back!"

Zi Xing understood the gravity of the situation. Against a single Boulder Demon Ape King, they could leverage their speed to counterattack. But if they were surrounded by a horde, their speed advantage would be nullified. Then, she and Ye Qingchen would be in mortal danger! Zi Xing moved swiftly, circling to the front of the Boulder Demon Ape King and swinging her longsword to attack.

CLANG!

Only now, facing the Boulder Demon Ape King head-on, did Zi Xing truly understand the predicament Ye Qingchen had been in. She unleashed an Earth Rank Martial Technique, but it still failed to break the king’s defense. Instead, the force of the impact sent her flying backward. Recalling how Ye Qingchen had repeatedly forced the king back, Zi Xing was once again struck by the gap in their strength.

She shook her head, casting the distracting thoughts from her mind. This isn’t the time to get sidetracked. She understood that if she couldn’t break its defense, Ye Qingchen would never get a chance to strike the vital point on its back. The battle would remain at a stalemate. And if we’re delayed until the other Boulder Demon Apes arrive, the consequences will be unthinkable!

With that thought, Zi Xing bit her lip, a look of resolve hardening her beautiful face. Unleashing her full potential, she swung her longsword again, launching a blinding red sword light at the Boulder Demon Ape King.

BOOM!

The red sword light struck the Boulder Demon Ape King fiercely, finally sending it reeling back about ten meters. Ye Qingchen seized the opportunity, stabbing his sword toward the vital point on the involuntarily retreating beast’s back. The Boulder Demon Ape King was already nearly exhausted. Combined with Ye Qingchen’s lethal strike, its body began to teeter on the verge of collapse. Seeing this, Zi Xing’s heart swelled with joy, and she pressed her attack against the weakened king.

Wang Teng, who had been observing from a distance, saw the Ape King on its last legs. A cold smile touched his lips.

Ye Qingchen was completely focused on the Boulder Demon Ape King. He knew that one more strike to the vital point on its back would finish it off. He dared not let his concentration waver for an instant, lest he miss the perfect opportunity.

"Beauty, allow me to lend you a hand!"

Just as Zi Xing knocked the Boulder Demon Ape King back once more, Wang Teng’s voice descended from above. He appeared in a flash behind the beast. Simultaneously, a massive golden boulder plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the vital point on the Boulder Demon Ape King’s back. The beast collapsed to the ground with a thud.

A ray of white light then shot into the Disciple Token at Wang Teng’s waist. Seeing the points appear on his token, Wang Teng’s mouth split into a wide, smug grin. He was absolutely delighted.

This sudden turn of events left both Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing stunned.

Ye Qingchen stared at Wang Teng, his gaze like ice. We fought so long and hard against the Boulder Demon Ape King, only for him to snatch the final blow. All our work was for his benefit!

"Wang Teng! You’re despicable!" Zi Xing shouted, her own gaze turning icy.

Wang Teng just shrugged, completely unperturbed. "What’s this? I saw you two were in danger. As fellow disciples of the Central Celestial Academy, it was only right for me to step in. If it weren’t for my help, the Boulder Demon Ape King would have killed you both by now. And instead of thanking me for saving your lives, you call me despicable? Some people are just so ungrateful."

With that, Wang Teng turned to leave, adding, "Since you’re so ungrateful, I’ll be on my way."

"Stop right there!" Ye Qingchen roared, his body seething with rage. The fist of his free hand was clenched so tightly it audibly cracked.

Wang Teng paused and glanced disdainfully at Ye Qingchen. "What? Planning to attack me?"

Ye Qingchen gripped his Double Pupil Sword, on the very brink of exploding with rage, but Zi Xing held him back. "Junior Brother Ye, just consider those hundred points a loss. We fed them to a dog. The academy forbids disciples from fighting each other. Let it go."

Ye Qingchen looked at Zi Xing and, with great reluctance, finally lowered his Double Pupil Sword.

Wang Teng laughed heartily and turned to leave. But after walking about a hundred meters away, he stopped and sneered back at Ye Qingchen. "Don’t say I stole your points. I’ll give you a chance to earn some later! More points than you can possibly imagine!

"That is, if you live to claim them! Hahaha!"