Oh no! I, the weakling, have become the villain!

Upon seeing this, Zhao Long couldn't help but laugh.

"You have the nerve to say that? I bet you've fallen for it yourself, looking like a pathetic loser."

"What did you say? Who gave you permission to speak to your elders like that?"

"Pah! You dare call yourself an elder? You don't even know your own limitations. Just you wait and see. After I take care of my troubles here, I'll go and get you."

I'll not only prevent you from participating in the competition, I'll also prevent you from winning first place! I'll make you furious!

"Hey kid, you want to fight? Fine, I'll take care of my troubles later, and then I'll beat you to death. Anyway, this is part of the assessment, so it doesn't matter if you die."

Just then, the two men who were shouting and cursing suddenly felt a gust of wind pass by. They didn't see anyone pass by, so they felt a little strange.

"Was that the wind, or something else?"

"It should be the wind, not a person. After all, there are very few people at the fourth level of Qi Refining."

"Including you and me, there are only five of us. The other three aren't as strong as us, so they couldn't possibly move that fast. You're overthinking it."

"No matter what, let's deal with this problem first. If any other factors affect our chances of winning first place, then it will be a loss."

It doesn't matter if we both pass the test at the same time; we just need to duel afterwards to win first place.

Upon hearing this, the man nodded in agreement.

That's right. If we're focused on fighting now and it takes away from the first place, that would be really tough.

Meanwhile, Xu Yao, who was speeding along, dodged a considerable number of traps and headed deeper into the area.

Before he knew it, he saw a door. Upon seeing the door, Xu Yao rushed forward and quickly opened it, revealing a vast flat area.

This isn't an exit; it's more like an open space.

Besides the main gate I passed through, there were more than a dozen other gates, the purpose of which I didn't know. However, there was a circular platform in the center of this open space.

On the circular platform, several items were prominently displayed: a low-grade Xuan-level longsword and five Foundation Establishment Pills.

Upon seeing these items, Xu Yao couldn't help but swallow hard.

Good heavens, you passed the outer disciple's trial so easily?

What's in front of me should be the reward for winning first place.

It seems I can leave this place with these treasures and pass the trial.

At that very moment, several elders were hiding somewhere, watching the disciples' assessment through a spiritual mirror.

"Sigh, this year's disciples are really terrible; there are hardly any who are even remotely competent."

"That's right. With over three thousand people, you've at least demonstrated some ability. We've lowered the assessment standards considerably."

Many of the mechanisms have been dismantled, but this is the kind of performance they've come up with. It's truly disappointing. Only the more capable ones are worth a look.

"Wait a minute, someone passed the competition so quickly?"

Upon hearing this, several elders immediately looked towards the elder who had spoken, wanting to see what was going on.

"You must be mistaken, right? So fast, that's obviously impossible."

“I was absolutely right. Look for yourselves, he already has the sword in his hand.”

Upon hearing this, the elders in charge of supervision quickly looked at the spiritual energy mirror.

"Holy crap, is this for real? This kid is so fast. I have no recollection of him at all. He's not one of those five people at the fourth level of Qi Refining."

"That's true, but is it so easy to take first place? He's only got the item first; it's hard to say whether he'll actually use it."

The elders nodded in agreement.

In the flat area where Xu Yao was, the other doors contained the cubs of magical beasts.

The magical beasts are incredibly powerful, and ordinary people should never even touch them. Even at the same level of cultivation, the explosive power of a magical beast can be equivalent to that of three people.

The cultivation levels of magical beasts and humans differ, and they are divided into five levels. The higher the level, the stronger the power. Each level has three phases: early, middle, and late.

Even a late-stage Tier 1 magical beast is equivalent to at least three Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivators.

Something like that couldn't possibly release a whole swarm at once, otherwise all the new disciples would be killed.

In this trial, they only added two Qi Refining Stage 3 magical beasts; the rest were just magical beast cubs.

After all, they had invested a lot in the first-place prize, and they couldn't let it be taken away easily. They absolutely had to use the first-place prize to determine the most outstanding disciple.

To get first place, you not only have to kill monsters, but you also can't lose to others in the competition.

"I remember that middle-aged man and that young man, I think their names were Zhao Long. They're almost here."

The elder who said this stared at Xu Yao in the spiritual energy mirror with great interest.

"I wonder if this kid who arrived first can hold onto his first place. It's something to look forward to."

Upon hearing this, the other elders nodded silently, as they shared the same thought.

Meanwhile, on Xu Yao's side...

Just as Xu Yao was about to leave, he suddenly heard a loud noise, which was clearly the sound of doors opening. Xu Yao looked at the slowly opening doors in confusion, wondering what was going on.

"This is?"

Suddenly, an angry howl of a wild beast rang out, and Xu Yao couldn't help but shudder upon hearing it.

"Holy crap! No way, are all these doors locked up with magical beasts? What's going on? Am I going to get eaten?"

A crimson light appeared from the gates of their businesses.

One by one, monsters crawled out, eyeing Xu Yao menacingly. Their mouths reeked of a foul stench, and drool dripped from their saliva.

This person treated Xu Yao as food, and upon seeing this, Xu Yao couldn't help but swallow.

Goodness, this first place is definitely not easy to get. Although I was mentally prepared for this, I was still a little scared when I faced these guys.

However, the low-grade Xuan-level sword is now in his hands.

Dealing with these guys should be easier, since some of the swords are quite sharp.

Thinking this, Xu Yao took a deep breath and gripped the sword in his hand tightly.

"I want both this sword and the Foundation Establishment Pill. No one will take them from me today, not even you! Anyone who tries to stop me will die! Do you understand?"