This owl was far more majestic than its peers, its body covered in a mix of deep brown and iron-gray feathers. Its beak was short and curved, black as cast iron.

As Yu Fei held it, he could feel the solid muscle beneath its feathers, a sign of its formidable strength.

Unlike other birds whose feathers would have puffed up in a fluffy panic when caught, this creature remained coiled and ready to strike back.

"You’re a fierce little thing!"

Yu Fei’s eyes lit up as he saw the purple gem above its head.

He had nine uses of his replication ability saved up, more than enough to give this a shot.

He marked the raptor in his hand, then sent a jolt of Qi Blood from his palm. The small creature instantly fell unconscious, fulfilling the condition for a non-lethal takedown.

In his mental space, a blue gem appeared on the Reversing Destiny Pearl.

’Huh? Blue? Wasn’t it purple?’

[Hyper-Flexible Neck]

Quality: Blue

Description: Grants immunity to neck pain.

Effect: Your neck can rotate a full 360°. Just remember to twist it back!

"Hsss..." Yu Fei winced. ’This is completely absurd. Why is it blue?’

He carefully recalled the initial rules of the Reversing Destiny Pearl and suddenly realized his oversight.

After the Reversing Destiny Pearl marked a target, defeating it would randomly copy one of the target’s talents. Killing it, however, would extract its highest-quality talent.

This meant that all the targets he had copied before had only possessed a single talent. Consequently, the color of the gem above their heads directly corresponded to the quality of the talent he would receive.

But what if the target had more than one talent? Yu Fei himself now had six.

’In other words, these geniuses might very well have more than one talent...’

After some thought, Yu Fei activated his marking ability again and ended the raptor’s life with a single sword strike.

[Silent Hunter]

Quality: Purple

Description: The apex predator of the night.

Effect 1, Silent Movement: Eliminates all sound and aura fluctuations when moving in dark environments.

Effect 2, Instant Shadow Slaughter: Increases the speed of your first strike by 50% when attacking from the shadows.

Yu Fei studied the talent’s effects with satisfaction. ’Now *this* is the kind of power a purple talent should have.’

Next, to be safe, he needed to get a red talent, dismantle it for stardust, and open up a new slot.

And what about the [Hyper-Flexible Neck] talent? Should he dismantle it? It felt pretty useless, but it also seemed fun. He could just imagine popping out of the darkness and twisting his head a full 360 degrees. Anyone behind him would probably be scared half to death!

’I’ll decide later.’

Under the cover of night, Yu Fei carefully made his way deeper into Guye Ridge.

Luu Yuxin was leading numerous Inner Qi squads on a rampage through Guye Ridge. But the area was vast, and many people were still hiding within it.

Relying on his [Profound Insight] talent to judge danger, Yu Fei found a clean water source and replenished his stamina, though he had to simply endure his hunger. There were plenty of small animals in the woods, but starting a fire was too risky, and he had no desire to eat raw meat. This was his only option.

Fortunately, he could use the Yang Qi from the daylight hours to restore his Qi Blood, so he was fine for the time being.

By avoiding all dangers, Yu Fei was able to travel at great speed.

Around midnight, he approached the summit. On the shaded side of the mountain was a sizable, terraced slope, which Luu Yuxin had converted into a temporary command camp for storing supplies and detaining trainees.

Yu Fei observed from a distance. The camp was illuminated on all four sides by high-powered searchlights. There were also hastily constructed watchtowers, manned by Inner Qi Martial Artists warily scanning the area.

Every so often, Warriors would haul in geniuses—beaten to the point they could no longer care for themselves—and dump them in the barracks on the left. The barracks on the right served as the command center, where squads of Inner Qi Martial Artists were directed via walkie-talkie.

A bold idea suddenly struck Yu Fei. The third phase of the assessment had already been decided: a series of arena challenges. While confident in his swordsmanship, his cultivation realm was too low. With so many geniuses gathered here, what if he lost? It would be a waste of a replication opportunity and would hinder his own training progress.

But right now, those same geniuses were being beaten senseless and tossed into the barracks like sacks of potatoes.

Yu Fei had noticed on his way here that whenever these ferocious squads caught a genius, they wouldn’t listen to reason or pleas. They’d just beat the person until they couldn’t function. Surrender was useless.

That meant the northern barracks were likely filled with a bunch of incapacitated geniuses. ’If I were to sneak in...’ A wicked grin spread across his face.

Instead of fighting them fair and square, why not go for some easy pickings?

Having made his decision, Yu Fei carefully observed the camp’s security. After a long while, he noticed that despite the camp’s chaotic appearance, the patrol routes of the regiment’s Warriors were fixed. They stuck to designated paths, never deviating in the slightest. He silently memorized their positions and began to sneak toward the camp.

Besides, most of the personnel remaining in the camp were third-realm Martial Artists, not the stronger Inner Qi ones. It seemed they were all out "pumpkin-picking."

Through his Reversing Destiny Vision, Yu Fei discovered something amusing: there were at least twenty geniuses hiding around the camp. The audacity of these people, hiding in plain sight right under the enemy’s nose.

Yu Fei carefully maintained his Illusory Sword Intent, inching his way toward the northern barracks.

With every step, his [Profound Insight] talent warned him of the immense danger hidden within the seemingly ordinary ground. Thank goodness he had memorized the safe path beforehand.

The two Warriors guarding the barracks entrance scanned their surroundings vigilantly, completely oblivious to his presence.

He waited by the door for a long time. When a nurse went to grab some medicine, he seized the opportunity and slipped inside.

The scene that greeted him instantly stunned Yu Fei. He finally understood—these Warriors were absolutely brutal.