The half-day filled with collective murmurs of the potion refinement trial.

"Teng Haoran is magnificent," Lian Nichang praised, darting his eyes toward Teng Haoran. "He just arrived this morning, and already understood the stability of a potion."

After the introduction of new disciples, Dan Zhenren conducted another trial of potion refinement to the new students separately. And the reward of the trial is a Blue Essence Fruit. Teng Haoran is a prodigy, yet he was rejected by the River of Origin; he gained a Rare Beast from the clan inventory. His way of grasping knowledge is magnificent and he completed the trial faster than Lin Yuan and Gu Shiyan.

’Interesting brat,’ Lin Yuan let out a wet grunt, watching the potion refined by Teng Haoran.

But the main surprise which flabbergasted all the disciples is that every new student successfully completed the trial.

"Here is your reward, Teng Haoran," Dan Zhenren waved his sleeve once, a blue shimmering fruit descended into Teng Haoran’s hands.

Click! Thud! Click!

A faint click of footsteps echoed into the room immediately.

"Guess they are here..." Dan Zhenren pivoted his body toward the door.

A red-haired boy and a light-blue-haired girl halted outside the door. The sheer elegance of both youths instantly drew the glances of all the disciples. However, Lin Yuan did not show the slightest interest in them.

The boy stepped in first, his red hair wavering against his robes like a raging red sea. "I am Xiao Yanrui, from the Xiao Clan," he beamed, bowing his head slightly. "A Baby Beast Realm - Peak stage cultivator, and an Ice Bear holder."

Immediately after, the girl bowed and cupped her fists. "I am Xiao Lanxue, twin sister of Yanrui, also from the Xiao Clan," she stated, rising up with a sluggish grace. "A Baby Beast Realm - Peak stage cultivator, and an Ice Serpent holder."

"What elegant twins!"

"Both are already at the peak stage?"

"Damn, I heard they are the younger siblings of senior Xiao Rong!"

Murmurs from the students cut through the eerie silence of the room. Xiao Yanrui and Xiao Lanxue were indeed the elegant twins of the Xiao Clan, as well as the blood siblings of Xiao Rong, a senior disciple of the academy. Unfortunately, both had been rejected by the River of Origin. Instead, they had obtained their vital beasts from the clan’s secret inventory — Xiao Lanxue receiving a rare beast, and Xiao Yanrui securing an epic one. Rumours lingered across the city that the twins engaged in dual cultivation to pace up their ascension through the Baby Beast Realm, which finally explained their unnaturally high Peak Stage cultivation.

"Pfftt... Come in Xiao clan twins!" Dan Zhenren invited, offering a calm smirk.

Xiao Yanrui’s eyes darted toward Lin Yuan. He matched the appearance described by Xiao Rong about the person who killed Xiao Chen and the main reason for the execution of Xiao Lingtian. Xiao Yanrui inwardly cursed Lin Yuan, but he ignored all students’ greetings and went straight to Lin Yuan.

"Hey, you are Lin Yuan, right?" Xiao Yanrui bowed, cupping his fists. "My brother spoke of a genius named Lin Yuan who was forced to kill our Xiao Chen. He also instructed that no ill will be held against you for the killing; Xiao Chen was obscured by greed to win the trial and tried to take your life. I apologize on behalf of my dead brother, Lin Yuan."

"No problem, Xiao Yanrui," Lin Yuan rasped, offering a cold smile, yet his eyes are as deep as a dead man.

’This fucking bastard trying to act good toward me, holding an immense grudge inside,’ Lin Yuan thought, letting out a faint smirk. ’You are a million years away from deceiving me with your cunning nature, Yanrui.’

Lin Yuan analyzed the cunning nature of Yanrui within seconds. That quick judgment showed the great depth of his past life. He remembered his old experiences and his past sins. Lin Yuan observed the twin siblings with a cold look on his face.

Meanwhile, the environment around him was much warmer. All the other disciples greeted the twin siblings gently. They smiled and spoke in polite tones. The crowd began discussing the details of the previous trials. They shared secrets about the tests they had already passed. They also talked about the complex art of alchemy, trading formulas and ideas.

Lin Yuan stood apart from their cheerful chatter. His dark past made him see the hidden danger that others missed. He kept his distance and watched every small movement the twins made.

"Disciples!" Dan Zhenren’s voice boomed across the hall, capturing the attention of every disciple. "Tomorrow, a Grand Academy Competition will be held on the academy grounds. All sixteen students are required to participate in the trials. The tournament will be a 1-on-1 elimination: sixteen fighters will be whittled down to 8 winners, those 8 will fight to give 4 winners, and so on, until only a single victor remains. The winner will be awarded a Rank 4 Beast Core, a Green Jade Essence-Recovery Pill, and an Azure Blue Healing Potion."

The eerie silence devoured the murmurs of the disciples. Even Huo Ren stopped fooling around after hearing the rewards. A Rank 4 Beast Core alone was enough to make ordinary academy disciples fight desperately for victory. And the Green Jade Essence-Recovery Pill was an expensive mid-tier medicinal pill capable of restoring beast essence rapidly during effective battles. Meanwhile, the Azure Blue Healing Potion was one of Dan Zhenren’s personally refined medicines.

Dan Zhenren calmly swept his gaze across the hall while folding his arms behind his back.

"The competition begins tomorrow morning at the central academy grounds." Dan Zhenren’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly. "And before you fools get overly excited... there are rules for this competition."

The air in the room became heavy and suffocating, making the disciples immediately straighten slightly.

"Strictly no killing." Dan Zhenren’s voice became colder with an angry look on his face. The hall became silent once again. "This is a competition, not a Sect deathmatch."

The raging outline of the Flame Panther behind him slowly opened its burning eyes. The sixteen disciples instinctively felt pressure spread across their bodies.

"If anyone attempts to deliberately kill another disciple..." Dan Zhenren calmly continued, his gaze slowly darting across Xiao Yanrui, Huo Ren, Gu Fang Xin, and others, "the academy masters will intervene immediately. The offender will lose instantly, and the victory will be granted to the other participant."

The surrounding temperature itself seemed to rise slightly.

"So basically... don’t be stupid." Chen Ming quietly whispered toward Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan remained calm.

Meanwhile, Dan Zhenren’s expression darkened slightly further.

"And listen carefully. Even accidental killing will still result in punishment."

Every disciple immediately became nervous hearing that, especially Xiao Yanrui. Lin Yuan observed the flicker in Xiao Yanrui’s expression.

"You are beast cultivators." Dan Zhenren elucidated, squinting his eyes deliberately. "Control over your beast essence is part of cultivation itself. If you cannot control your own power, then you are unfit to stand above others. And the first round list will be soon given by Luo Zhen."

The disciples quietly listened while murmurs spread through the hall. Some were nervous, some excited, while others simply stared at their opponents with competitive intent already boiling inside their eyes.

THUD!

The hall doors slowly opened once again. A middle-aged man wearing dark-gray academy robes entered the hall with a large parchment scroll in his hands. His face was lean and stern, while a scar extended from his chin to his neck. It was Luo Zhen. one of the academy combat instructors and assistant master of Mo Qinghe. Behind him faintly lingered the silhouette of a swirling fox’s eyes. He was Spirit Beast Realm - Peak Stage cultivator; recently ascended from Mid Stage to Peak Stage.

Dan Zhenren folded his arms calmly.

"Luo Zhen, announce the list."

Luo Zhen nodded once before walking toward the center of the hall. He slowly unfolded the parchment in front of all the disciples. Golden words shimmered across the surface. Before announcing the matches, Luo Zhen’s voice rattled throughout the hall about the disciples and their ranking.

"Current Disciple Cultivation Stage & Vital Beasts," Luo Zhen boasted, his voice sharply cutting through the air.

"Lin Yuan, Spirit Beast Realm - Lower Stage, Core Beast: Turtle Beast Chen Ming, Spirit Beast Realm - Lower Stage, Core Beast: Wind-Falcon Beast Gu Shiyan Spirit Beast Realm - Lower Stage, Core Beast: Fire-Serpent Beast Gu Fang Xin Baby Beast Realm - Peak Stage, Core Beast: Fire-Serpent Beast Lian Nichang Baby Beast Realm - Mid Stage, Core Beast: Wolf Beast Chi Fenglian Baby Beast Realm - Peak Stage, Core Beast: Boar Beast Ying Yue Baby Beast Realm - Mid Stage, Core Beast: Lightning-Wolf Beast Yun He Baby Beast Realm - Mid Stage, Core Beast: Earth-Ape Beast Huo Ren Baby Beast Realm - Mid Stage, Core Beast: Fire-Falcon Beast Xiao Yanrui Baby Beast Realm - Peak Stage, Core Beast: Ice-Bear Beast Xiao Lanxue Baby Beast Realm - Peak Stage, Core Beast: Ice-Serpent Beast Chi Ruyan Baby Beast Realm - Lower Stage, Core Beast: Lightning-Serpent Beast Lian Mei Lin Baby Beast Realm - Mid Stage, Core Beast: Lightning-Boar Beast Huo Luo Ren Baby Beast Realm - Mid Stage, Core Beast: Fire-Deer Beast

Chen Yu Ming Baby Beast Realm - Lower Stage, Core Beast: Water-Wolf Beast

Teng Haoran Baby Beast Realm - Mid Stage, Core Beast: Wind-Falcon Beast." Luo Zhen’s voice rasped, letting out a heavy breath. He walked near the wall of the room and slammed the schedule list onto the wall. "You can see your opponents here!"

Luo Zhen walked out of the room with the permission of Dan Zhenren.

The students sluggishly gathered in a semi-circle around the schedule parchment on the wall.

Grand Competition Schedule:

Chen Ming v/s Chi Fenglian.

Lian Nichang v/s Huo Ren.

Ying Yue v/s Yun He.

Xiao Yanrui v/s Chi Ruyan.

Teng Haoran v/s Huo Luo Ren.

Xiao Lanxue v/s Lian Mei Lin.

Gu Shiyan v/s Chen Yu Ming.

Lin Yuan v/s Gu Fang Xin.

"Fuck this schedule... I am first?" Chen Ming muttered, his heart pondering heavily.

’My opponent is that bastard,’ Lin Yuan grinned, darting his eyes onto Gu Fang Xin. ’I will beat him into pulp tomorrow.’

Gu Shiyan didn’t even see the schedule; he simply left the room, ignoring the rasps of the disciples.