Traveling with Huang Tao and his group, Lin Yun didn’t have to worry about his safety at all. Here, no genius from any faction could challenge a Direct Disciple of Celestial Eagle Valley.

"Brother Lin, you’re truly the most gifted person I’ve ever met. Your talent is comparable to our Eldest Brother’s." Huang Tao and Lin Yun had grown familiar with each other on the journey, and the two were chatting idly.

"Eldest Brother?"

"Haha, surely you’ve heard of our Eldest Brother, Brother Lin? He’s one of the Five Great Demon Fiends of the Eastern Domain, Lin Jianhong." At the mention of Lin Jianhong, all the Direct Disciples of Celestial Eagle Valley swelled with pride. That name represented the very peak of the Eastern Domain’s younger generation.

’The Five Great Demon Fiends.’ To the Lin Yun of the past, they had seemed so impossibly out of reach. Yet now, Huang Tao was already discussing him in the same breath as them.

"Brother Lin, I’m sure that in a few years, you’ll become the Eastern Domain’s sixth Great Demon Fiend," Huang Tao said with a laugh.

Lin Yun just chuckled and shook his head without a word. ’A few years? Perhaps I’ll have broken through to the Primordial Ocean Realm by then, but would the other Five Great Demon Fiends have stagnated? As you improve, they are certainly improving as well.’

This didn’t mean Lin Yun lacked confidence, however. In his heart, he firmly believed that one day, he would stand with the Five Great Demon Fiends to vie for the peak of Taishan and contend for the title of number one in the Eastern Domain’s younger generation.

As they continued on, Huang Tao’s presence ensured Lin Yun’s journey was peaceful. No one came looking for trouble. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince could only glare at him coldly, not daring to make a move.

On the sixth day, the dozens of young geniuses who had made it this far finally reached the final trial.

Before them, the once-wide canyon split into five separate passages. Both sides of each passage were lined with Stone Men. A single glance revealed that the thousand-meter-long channels held at least a thousand of them.

"This is the final test," Huang Tao said calmly, his eyes on the Stone Men.

As a Direct Disciple, Huang Tao’s understanding of Celestial Eagle Valley’s trials was naturally much clearer than an outsider’s. If the first test was about a Martial Artist’s observation and the second was about their courage, then this third test was a true measure of one’s power.

To pass this Stone Man Array, one had to rely on raw power to brute-force their way through. The passages were only five meters wide and lined with Stone Men, leaving very little room to dodge. There was no other way but to rely on sheer strength.

’The final test. I have to pass it.’ Upon seeing the Stone Man Array, the first five people rushed forward to begin the challenge. There were five passages, and whenever someone entered one, its entrance was sealed by an Array. It would only reopen after the person inside either passed or failed.

As the first five challengers stepped into their respective passages, the Stone Men on both sides seemed to come to life. Though their feet were fixed in place, they relentlessly attacked the challengers with their arms.

They had only taken a dozen steps before the Stone Men heavily injured them. Two of the five died, while the other three managed to crush their Tokens at the last second, saving their own lives.

"Brother Lin, don’t underestimate this Stone Man Array," Huang Tao warned. "The death rate in this trial is extremely high for every Green Talent List competition. The slightest mistake could mean your death."

Lin Yun nodded. He had never underestimated the Green Talent List, and as the final trial, he certainly wouldn’t underestimate the power of the Stone Man Array.

Not rushing to take on the trial, Lin Yun and Huang Tao stood to the side, quietly observing the challengers. They went in groups of five, and half a day had already passed without a single person successfully clearing the Stone Man Array.

With no one having passed yet, those who remained were truly the elite of the elite competing for the Green Talent List. Half of them were at the Primordial Ocean Realm, and the other half were at the Ninth Layer of Qi Sea Realm. Lin Yun was the sole exception, at the Eighth Layer of Qi Sea Realm.

"Haha, since no one else is going, I’ll go!" a young man with a Ninth Layer of Qi Sea Realm cultivation declared with a hearty laugh. He stepped forward and walked toward the Stone Man Array as he spoke.

A new round of trials began. The five challengers this time were clearly on another level. Although all five were at the Ninth Layer of Qi Sea Realm, it was easy to tell from their auras that they were far stronger than the previous groups.

Inside the Stone Man Array, the five advanced with unstoppable momentum. However, the deeper they went, the faster the Stone Men attacked. The first one failed, having only made it a third of the way through the passage.

The second failure followed soon after. In the end, only one person was left in the five passages. He had already reached the final hundred meters of the Stone Man Array.

In the final hundred meters, the Stone Men’s attacks grew even more ferocious, their angles of assault becoming incredibly tricky and difficult to defend against.

Under the bombardment of countless Iron Fists, a single opening from the challenger allowed the Stone Men to smash him to death on the spot. He didn’t even have time to crush his Token.

Watching the man die in the final hundred meters, Lin Yun sighed softly. Sometimes, the line between success and death was truly that thin.

"This is normal," Huang Tao remarked from the side. "A spot on the Green Talent List represents the highest honor in the Southeast Domain. Everyone wants to make a name for themselves, but where there are winners, there must be losers. Those who achieve that glory do so by stepping over the bodies of others."

Lin Yun nodded slightly. ’The world is just that cruel.’

In the subsequent rounds, people gradually began to pass. The first to clear the Stone Man Array was a Primordial Ocean Realm expert. After the first success, a second and third quickly followed.

During this time, the ten Direct Disciples from Celestial Eagle Valley also began their attempts. However, even though they were Direct Disciples, two of them still failed to pass the Stone Man Array. Fortunately, at the critical moment, both managed to crush their Tokens and save their lives.

As more people passed, the original group of several dozen had dwindled to just over ten. After the previous round ended, the Crown Prince, the Third Crown Prince, and Ziyi’s group of three began the trial.

All five of them were at the Primordial Ocean Realm. Upon entering the Stone Man Array, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince both instantly unleashed terrifying torrents of Elemental Power, as if the Stone Men were Lin Yun himself. They vented all their fury upon the stone figures.

Lin Yun wasn’t surprised by the Crown Prince’s power, but he was shocked to find that the Third Prince’s strength was in no way inferior.

The two of them were far stronger than the Second Prince. If the Second Prince were to fight either of them, he likely wouldn’t last a hundred moves.

In this trial group of five, the Crown Prince’s round, everyone was left dumbfounded by the end. All five of them had actually managed to pass the Stone Man Array.

"Brother Lin, you’re in a tough spot now," Huang Tao said, a faint smile playing on his lips as he glanced at the Crown Prince, who had just cleared the array.

Lin Yun gave a slight nod. The Combat Power of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince was immense, as was that of Ziyi and his companions. ’But so what? At this point, if gods stand in my way, I’ll kill them; if buddhas block my path, I’ll slay them.’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

(Fourth update! Please subscribe, add to your library, vote with a Monthly Pass, send a gift, and leave a recommendation!)