Time passed quietly.
Only one hour remained until the end of the secret realm assessment.
At this moment, there were still 135 examinees who had not been eliminated from the secret realm space.
The vast majority of these 135 people had hidden themselves in various easily defensible corners of the town, no longer engaging in conflicts with other examinees, guarding their score beads, and quietly waiting for the assessment to end.
However, two individuals did not choose to hide.
Li Zeyu circled high above on his Mutated Blue Feather Eagle.
After a sharp, battle-filled eagle cry, he flew towards the top of the hundred-meter-tall tower in the center of the nameless foreign town.
Xu Ru rested for a long time, allowing her two Spirit Beasts to recover their stamina, then also arrived at the base of the tower, confirming that Lin Chuan was still at the top. She ascended the steps one by one, climbing the tower.
Almost simultaneously, Li Zeyu and Xu Ru reached the top of the tower.
It was not a very spacious area, only about half the size of a football field, similar to the size of a small Baby Cup arena.
In front, near the edge of the rooftop, Lin Chuan sat leisurely in a wicker rocking chair, gazing at the unique scenery of this nameless foreign town.
He was drinking a beverage and eating snacks.
He was enjoying Sakura, who was now like a little girl, giving him a shoulder and back massage.
Lin Chuan held Guoguo, who was still a Flower Leaf Leaf, in his arms, gently stroking her like petting a cat.
It was utterly enjoyable!
Lin Chuan remained lying in the wicker rocking chair; he did not get up, but he had already detected the arrival of Li Zeyu and Xu Ru.
After all, there was still a small Illusion Attribute visual deception barrier arranged by Sakura around them. Once anyone entered, Sakura would detect it immediately.
After evolving into a Flower Spirit, Sakura not only improved in attributes, level, and racial bloodline rank, but her intelligence also instantly increased significantly.
It was as if she suddenly gained enlightenment; Sakura's intelligence grew from an infant state to roughly that of a ten-year-old human child.
She could understand most things but still behaved with some childish immaturity.
Due to Sakura's increased intelligence, her contractual tacit understanding with Lin Chuan also greatly improved.
It hadn't reached the level of telepathy or mental synchronization, but Lin Chuan and Sakura could almost communicate silently. A few glances and gestures, combined with the contract, were enough for them to understand each other's thoughts.
Still lying in the wicker rocking chair, Lin Chuan took a sip of his drink, ruffled Guoguo in his arms, and sighed lightly at the two individuals slowly approaching him from behind:
"You shouldn't have come."
"Only one hour is left until the assessment ends. If you are defeated and eliminated by me now, your survival points will still be deducted."
"Why don't you, like the other examinees who haven't been eliminated, find an easily defensible place to hide and wait for the assessment to end? Get a perfect survival score?"
Lin Chuan asked this, although he also looked forward to someone challenging him.
However, battles that were too uninteresting were pointless, especially with Li Zeyu and Xu Ru; Lin Chuan was more or less aware of their trump cards and combat strength, and he had already prepared countermeasures, so there was no sense of anticipation in fighting them.
"I'm confident in my assessment score, so you don't need to worry about it."
Li Zeyu said, then suddenly asked in return:
"You intentionally lost to me in the previous Xiao Qingkong Cup, didn't you?"
Lin Chuan remained silent, giving no answer, his demeanor still natural and relaxed.
"When I fought you back then, I vaguely felt that your Flower Leaf Leaf named Guoguo wanted to use some skill on me several times, but you stopped her. Now it seems that the skill your Flower Leaf Leaf wanted to use back then must have been Bomb Fruit."
"If you had allowed that Flower Leaf Leaf to use Bomb Fruit at that time, then without a doubt, I would have been the one to lose the match."
"Moreover, even when the match reached its end and the sun set, your two Flower Leaf Leaves seemed to have enough stamina to continue fighting. You actively gave up and made them stop resisting, which is why you lost to me."
"Hmm, I can understand your previous intention to hide your trump cards."
"But! My pride does not allow me to accept such a victory, like a handout or a reward."
"I, Li Zeyu, have always been the one to reward others. When did it become my turn to be rewarded by others!"
Li Zeyu's sharp, eagle-like gaze was fixed on Lin Chuan.
"This is why I came, to fight again!"
"This time, I want you to go all out! I want to know how big the gap between us truly is."
In silence, Lin Chuan slowly rose from the wicker chair. Guoguo was placed on the ground, and Sakura also followed closely by Lin Chuan's side.
Lin Chuan turned to look at Li Zeyu.
This rich second generation, his pride is a bit strong, but he's not too annoying.
Immediately, Lin Chuan looked at Xu Ru beside him. Li Zeyu's reason for challenging him was understandable, so what about Xu Ru?
Xu Ru parted her lips slightly and said:
"My teacher told me."
"As a Beast Master, one should not always be overly cautious. One must have the conviction to challenge the strong and act on it, especially when circumstances allow."
"If you can't win, then don't fight? What kind of Beast Master would that be!"
Alright, this reason was also reasonable and sounded quite inspiring.
Thus, Lin Chuan was no longer in a leisurely posture; his expression gradually became serious.
"Rosemary Illusion Incense."
Without any politeness, Lin Chuan immediately made his move.
Sakura stepped forward, releasing a pinkish-white Illusion Attribute mist that spread around, instantly covering the entire top of the tower.
No matter how good or inspiring the words were, if they wanted to challenge him, they first had to pass the Rosemary Illusion Incense test.
If they couldn't even pass this test and were forcibly hallucinated for ten or even dozens of seconds, Lin Chuan stated that he wouldn't even bother to make a move.
Lin Chuan watched the two curiously.
He wanted to see how the two planned to deal with Sakura's Rosemary Illusion Incense, as Beast Masters below Tier 1 had not undergone any illusion resistance training.
He saw Li Zeyu immediately pull out a dagger and fiercely stab himself in his left forearm.
At the same time, his two Spirit Beasts, Mutated Blue Feather Eagle and Nether Lightning Bat, also attacked each other. The Mutated Blue Feather Eagle fiercely pecked the Nether Lightning Bat on its forehead, drawing blood, while the Nether Lightning Bat opened its fanged mouth and fiercely bit the Mutated Blue Feather Eagle on its neck.
His head was dizzy, but Li Zeyu ultimately managed not to be hallucinated. He used continuous intense pain to resist the illusion.
Xu Ru immediately took out a small bottle and drank the purplish-black liquid inside.
That was not some anti-illusion potion.
Instead, it was slightly diluted venom!
Xu Ru's face visibly darkened. By tormenting her nerves with poison, Xu Ru was suffering even more intensely than Li Zeyu at that moment.
If this battle lasted for half an hour, Xu Ru might even be in life-threatening danger.
And her two Spirit Beasts, Purple Crown Black Crystal Moth and Tunneling Worm, had also already poisoned themselves.
The Purple Crown Black Crystal Moth, due to its high poison resistance, could endure poisoning better than other Spirit Beasts. So, it even stuck many poisonous needles into its body to physically increase the pain.
Good heavens!
Even Lin Chuan had to admire the ruthlessness of these two, using such methods to forcibly resist Rosemary Illusion Incense.
Seeing this, and feeling the will of the two, Lin Chuan's fighting spirit was finally completely activated.
These two were worthy of challenging him!
Such opponents were worth fighting!
"Very well, since your fighting spirit is so resolute, then I should also use my full strength against you. This can be considered a sign of respect for you."
"Who goes first?"
Lin Chuan asked.
Li Zeyu and Xu Ru exchanged glances, then simultaneously launched an attack on Lin Chuan.
Clearly, this was going to be a two-on-one!
Lin Chuan's eyelids twitched. They had spoken so grandly just now, about fighting him again, about challenging the strong.
Yet it was still a siege against him!
Li Zeyu: "No choice, Lin Chuan, you're too strong. I can't defeat you alone. It's perfectly reasonable to bring a helper, right? Hmm, just consider it me hiring Xu Ru as a bodyguard for a high price. It's perfectly reasonable for a young master like me to bring a bodyguard when going out to fight, right!"
Xu Ru: "My teacher told me that in a wild fight, you must use any means necessary! If you can gang up, if you can fight with more against fewer, never go for a one-on-one."
For a moment, Lin Chuan was speechless. What they said sounded so reasonable.
Alright!
It's just a one-on-two, nothing major as long as it's not a one-on-ten!
"Sakura, Vine Armor Shield! Assistance!"
"Guoguo, Wood Spirit Shield!"
Sakura, who was now a Flower Spirit, no longer had chubby arms and legs like a Flower Leaf Leaf, but rather slender and graceful, very gentle and beautiful.
She raised her tender, scallion-like left hand, and countless wood chips flew out, taking root upon landing. Vines furiously surged forth, forming a dense shield array in just two breaths.
At the same time, Sakura's right hand pressed on Guoguo's head.
Assistance!
Tier 2 Wood Attribute energy poured into Guoguo's body.
Guoguo raised her two small chubby hands, and a vibrant green energy shield was unfurled.
An Expert Grade Wood Spirit Shield, and the energy used was higher-tier, Tier 2 Wood Attribute energy. This was almost equivalent to a Wood Spirit Shield personally cast by Sakura.
In fact, under the effect of the 'Assistance' skill, although Guoguo had not yet evolved, she could use Sakura's energy, which was almost equivalent to having evolved. Lin Chuan now essentially had two Tier 2 Spirit Beasts.
In that instant, Lin Chuan had already activated both physical and energy shields.
Li Zeyu and Xu Ru both felt their scalps tingle.
They cursed in their hearts, calling it disgusting and abnormal. They hadn't even had time to launch an attack, and Lin Chuan had already put on his shields. This speed was too terrifying.
But, since they were already here.
They had already stabbed themselves, already drunk poison, and already endured the most difficult illusion. Could they really just retreat and not fight?
Li Zeyu applied his Beast Master talent, Acceleration, to both his Mutated Blue Feather Eagle and Nether Lightning Bat.
The Mutated Blue Feather Eagle flapped its wings and soared into the sky. After just two circles, it had already reached its peak speed, transforming into a purplish-blue stream of light, diving towards the shield array. Simultaneously, its Proficient Grade Water Wing unfurled!
The Nether Lightning Bat continuously emitted electric light from its body, transforming into a golden lightning bolt that zig-zagged around the shield wall, rushing into the shield array.
Xu Ru's Beast Master talent was Insect King, which provided increased training efficiency when cultivating insect-type Spirit Beasts, but had no practical use in actual combat.
However, her Purple Crown Black Crystal Moth also had a trump card.
Acupuncture!
The poisonous needles already stuck in its body were absorbed as the Purple Crown Black Crystal Moth vigorously wriggled its body muscles.
In an instant, the Purple Crown Black Crystal Moth went berserk.
All attributes except defense surged. Venom, poisonous needles, and potent stomach acid were continuously sprayed towards the shield wall.
And her other Spirit Beast, Tunneling Worm!
Well, whether it was Li Zeyu's two Spirit Beasts or her Purple Crown Black Crystal Moth, they were actually just diversions.
The Tunneling Worm was the killing move of their duo.
At this moment, the battle was taking place on the tower's rooftop. The rooftop floor was cast from the black stone, a specialty of this nameless town. The rock layer was not thick, nor was it particularly solid.
As long as the rooftop collapsed, Lin Chuan's shield array would crumble without being attacked.
That would be her and Li Zeyu's chance!
The Tunneling Worm quietly moved from the shadow behind Xu Ru into the rooftop ground, rapidly digging towards Lin Chuan. It intended to collapse the rooftop floor beneath Lin Chuan's feet.
However, just as it was about to approach Lin Chuan's shield array area.
The Tunneling Worm couldn't move, couldn't dig anymore!
Only at this moment did the Tunneling Worm discover that its body was, at some unknown point, already covered in dense, fine tendrils.
Lin Chuan chuckled disdainfully.
During the time he teamed up with Xu Ru to dig trap pits, he had already been thinking internally.
What to pay attention to, what to guard against, when fighting against Xu Ru, this underworld-style master skilled in digging pits, poisoning, and sneak attacks.
The current situation was entirely within his expectations.
Just now, when Sakura used Vine Armor Shield, Lin Chuan, through a contractual hint, had Sakura simultaneously infiltrate the vines into the rooftop ground!
Evidently, Lin Chuan's command was very precise, almost perfectly defending against Xu Ru's underground sneak attack.
Now, unless the Tunneling Worm dug up the tower's foundation and caused the entire tower to collapse, it couldn't hope to simply collapse the rooftop floor.
Alright, the Tunneling Worm was already entangled to death by the vines. With Sakura's Tier 2 Wood Attribute energy, plus the Vine Armor produced by the Expert Grade Vine Armor Shield, its toughness and hardness were even stronger than steel alloy. It was not something a Spirit Beast below Tier 2 and not specialized in strength could break free from.
The Tunneling Worm was no longer a concern, and Lin Chuan didn't bother with it anymore.
Lin Chuan's gaze shifted to the Mutated Blue Feather Eagle, which was furiously attacking Sakura's Vine Armor Shield array.
Previously, in the Xiao Qingkong Cup, Guoguo and Sakura needed to work together, constantly replenishing their shields, to withstand the Mutated Blue Feather Eagle's Water Wing.
The reasons for this were:
Firstly, Guoguo and Sakura were fighting their first two-person wild battle together, and their attention was more focused on him, their master, causing them to be distracted and flustered.
Secondly, there was still a gap in bloodline rank between Guoguo and Sakura and the Mutated Blue Feather Eagle.
This led to the situation at that time.
However, now, Sakura alone was able to block the attack of the Mutated Blue Feather Eagle, which was also Tier 2.
This was because Sakura's bloodline rank had caught up!
Now, both were General Rank Upper Grade bloodline ranks, so who was afraid of whom?!
Moreover, with the increase in intelligence after evolution, Sakura became more stable and would not panic easily.
Finally, Sakura's Vine Armor Shield was boosted by Lin Chuan's cheat to Expert Grade!
While the Mutated Blue Feather Eagle's Water Wing was only Proficient Grade.
How could the Mutated Blue Feather Eagle possibly break through Sakura's shield array!?
On the other side, Guoguo's Wood Spirit Shield, with the Assistance of Sakura's energy support, also successfully blocked the Nether Lightning Bat's electric attack, holding the Nether Lightning Bat outside the energy shield. Taking advantage of the Nether Lightning Bat's attack opening, she counter-attacked with a carpet bombing of Parent-Child Bomb Fruits, blasting it away.
Xu Ru's Purple Crown Black Crystal Moth, although Acupuncture made it berserk, its venom, poisonous needles, and potent stomach acid were basically all debuff-type damage.
Once it couldn't touch the main body of the opponent, its skill power was completely inferior to actual damage skills.
It simply couldn't compare to the Mutated Blue Feather Eagle's Water Wing; it was just scratching off dead skin from the Vine Armor Shield array.
The shield and healing formation was complete.
Li Zeyu and Xu Ru's attacks were essentially ineffective.
So, it was their turn now.
Growth, Flower Leaf Dance!
Guoguo and Sakura simultaneously buffed themselves.
The former temporarily increased all attributes, while the latter temporarily increased the power of energy damage skills.
And Lin Chuan also applied the Spiritual Wood Heart to both little ones.
Sakura, through Assistance, supplied Guoguo with the maximum Wood Attribute energy she could bear.
Gathering all her essence, energy, and spirit, Guoguo condensed a huge, vibrant green peach-shaped energy ball, just like the one that instantly defeated the Terror Puppet Giant.
Seeing this scene.
Li Zeyu's lips trembled, and his expression was ultimately incredibly complex as he said:
"Damn it! Does it have to be like this? Does the gap have to be this huge!"
Xu Ru's face, purplish-black from the poison, now showed an equally spectacular expression, even with a hint of instinctive tremor. She stared intently at Lin Chuan, enunciating three words one by one:
"Great... Demon... King!"