A Miraculous Discovery

After getting what he needed from the Poison Eater, Li Yun left its region. He still needed two more ingredients if he wanted to pull off a clutch move and get the highest score in the assessment.

He had already obtained the Purple Poison from the Poison Eater. The other two were Beastbane Root and a very potent spirit herb—there were many spirit herbs he could find in this lush vegetation area, so he wasn't worried about that. However, the rarity of the Beastbane Root posed a challenge. Since it was a root, there wasn't a specific area or region where it grew, making it a very rare spirit herb to find.

'It will be difficult to find, but since this forest has rich and dense Qi, it should grow somewhere around here. I'll just have to search more thoroughly.'

Li Yun contemplated and decided to scout the forest while looking for the remaining two ingredients. That way, he could also kill some beasts along the way.

"Haha, found you!"

At that moment, a chuckle sounded from behind him.

Li Yun turned around and saw Mo Han, along with a group of nominal disciples, surrounding him.

"What do you want? I don't even have any cores right now."

"Cores? Hahahaha!"

Mo Han laughed madly when he heard Li Yun.

"This guy doesn't know at all!"

He couldn't believe there was someone in the assessment who didn't know the hidden rule of the combat test.

The other nominal disciples also laughed at the thought.

Li Yun frowned when he saw their reaction. He couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"What is it that I don't know?" he asked curiously.

"Since you'll be on your way out in a minute, I don't mind telling you."

Mo Han sneered and explained.

"There's a hidden rule in the combat assessment. If a disciple causes another disciple to be eliminated, then all the points of the eliminated disciple are transferred to the one who defeated them, increasing their own score."

Li Yun's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected such a rule to be in play during the combat assessment.

It was then he recalled the cautious looks of the disciples when they went their separate ways upon entering the forest.

He had thought it was related to stealing cores from others, but it turned out to be something entirely different.

Li Yun also understood why they were here.

"So, you want to eliminate me? Is that it?" he asked with a smile.

Mo Han laughed with a mocking expression.

"Me? You really are a fool."

He shook his head and laughed lightly.

"With only the 1st level of Qi Training Realm and holding the second-highest points, what do you think other disciples would make of you?"

Li Yun's eyes narrowed as he grasped what Mo Han was implying.

"So, every disciple is after my points. Is that it?" he asked.

Mo Han nodded and smiled.

"But they won't get them. I'm here first."

Li Yun smiled and drew his sword from his storage ring.

"You're really confident," he said with a mocking expression.

Mo Han sneered. "If I can't even defeat someone below me in cultivation, then I might as well quit."

A wide smile appeared on Li Yun's face as he heard this.

"Hehe, why do you have to make life difficult for yourself? Sigh."

Mo Han didn't understand what Li Yun was sighing about, but he didn't care.

"Go and beat him until he couldn't fight. That way, he'll be teleported out and eliminated."

He ordered the other nominal disciples, and they gladly followed his command.

"There's nothing personal between us. It's just that the rules of the test are like this."

"You shouldn't have participated with such low cultivation. You should have waited until you were at least at the 2nd level of Qi Training. It's really a pity."

"Don't blame me."

"Humph! I really wanted to beat you in this assessment. I just can't digest the fact that someone with no bone frame could surpass us in terms of comprehension."

The nominal disciples began to sigh in pity, but some were excited to eliminate him as they drew their weapons.

Li Yun's lips trembled, and his whole body shook when he saw this.

"What? Trembling in fear?" Mo Han sneered at the sight.

But it wasn't as Mo Han thought. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Li Yun was excited—excited to fight them, to fight humans for the first time ever.

For reasons unknown, the notion of fighting sent a wave of excitement coursing through his entire body, making him tremble in anticipation of what was about to unfold.

"Do it."

Mo Han gave the order, thinking Li Yun might just faint from extreme fear.

The group of nominal disciples didn't take Li Yun seriously, so only one of them attacked him with his sword.

"Green Leaf Sword."

The disciple used a low-grade human-rank sword technique and attacked.

Li Yun's eyes were entirely focused on the disciple who attacked him, so when he used his martial technique, his attention zeroed in on it.

"This!"

Li Yun was a little surprised and caught off guard by what he saw.

For a moment, he even doubted his eyes, but it was real—he could see through his enemy's attack.

Every movement of the Green Leaf Sword the disciple used unfolded before him. Li Yun could see his weakness, his flaw, his mastery over the technique, and much more.

Each flaw stood out starkly, like cracks in a polished gem. Li Yun could see the slight hesitation in the disciple's wrist when transitioning between forms, the minute imbalance in his stance that left him vulnerable during certain attacks, and the overextension of his reach that could be easily exploited.

These imperfections, though small, revealed much about the disciple's level of mastery—he had a strong grasp of the technique but had not yet perfected it.

Li Yun's keen observation went deeper, allowing him to understand not just the disciple's weaknesses, but also the potential for growth within his technique.

The disciple's mastery was evident, but it was still raw, lacking the refinement that only years of experience could bring. To an untrained eye, the disciple's movements might have seemed flawless, but to Li Yun, they were a map of opportunities—a guide to both the strengths and the vulnerabilities of the Green Leaf Sword technique.

It was like a puzzle where he could see where every piece would fit just by looking at it.

And just like that, Li Yun stared at the disciple's sword attack as if it were the only thing in the world.

He only came to his senses when the sword attack was about to hit him.

After knowing everything about the Green Leaf Sword, the attack's flaws became even more apparent to him, and he could see through the whole technique as if it wasn't a disciple attacking him but a child.

Therefore, he easily dodged the attack by stepping aside at the last possible moment.

"Your sword technique is full of flaws."

Li Yun swung his own sword at that moment.

"Thunderclap Dragon Sword."

With a faint rumbling sound, the disciple was blasted away and collided with a tree.

Moments later, the disciple's entire form began to glow with a bright red light before he vanished from the scene.