Ke Ke opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she didn't. Her gaze inadvertently fell on Lu Yin's bleeding right arm. "Ahhh, you're injured!"
Lu Yin glanced at it. "It's nothing, just a small wound."
Ke Ke said anxiously, "Let me treat you. Otherwise, the wound will get infected. The universe is full of strange viruses; a moment of carelessness and you could lose your life."
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. "It's not that exaggerated, is it?"
"It's true. Any tiny wound can become the root cause of death later on," Ke Ke said earnestly.
Lu Yin was speechless. Do all doctors like to scare people?
"Alright, you'll treat me?"
Ke Ke's eyes suddenly lit up, looking like a completely different person from before. "Okay!"
Seeing Ke Ke's excited expression, Lu Yin suddenly had a bad premonition.
Sure enough, the next second, a giant syringe about three meters long slowly materialized in Ke Ke's hands, stunning both of them. The needle alone was a meter long, reflecting a cold light. Inside the syringe was an unknown green liquid that looked terrifying. Instantly, Lu Yin's scalp tingled. He subconsciously stepped back, on guard. "What do you want to do?"
Ke Ke hugged the syringe, looking at him excitedly. "Treat you, of course. Come on, one shot and you'll be fine."
Lu Yin swallowed and quickly refused. "No need, I can handle it myself. I don't need your treatment."
Ke Ke was anxious. "Let me treat you. If you don't treat it thoroughly, there will be complications. All sorts of lesions will appear later. Come on."
Lu Yin retreated again and said firmly, "No need, I can handle it myself."
Ke Ke looked disappointed, glancing unwillingly at Lu Yin's arm, very let down. "Sigh." With that, the syringe disappeared.
Lulu finally reacted. "Is that your talent?"
Ke Ke reverted to her timid, cute appearance and nodded. "Mhm, it's my talent. I can treat injuries. It's very useful. It's a pity no one is willing to let me give them a shot."
Lu Yin rolled his eyes. One shot of that thing and it's over. It would go straight through a person. Only a fool would let her inject them. It looked much more terrifying than a sword or a knife.
"Your talent is really... really unconventional," Lulu exclaimed in admiration.
Ke Ke smiled shyly.
A roar suddenly came from outside the cave. A strange beast streaked past, rushing into the distance.
Lu Yin looked outside the cave, wondering how Shuz and the others were doing on the Melting Realm path. That girl Gules was smart, decisively giving up the assessment. Otherwise, they would have had to carry another burden.
The Melting Realm path also encountered a beast tide. Gurbach was unlucky and was injured by a beast right at the beginning. If he hadn't hidden well, he would have become food. Yan Gang was the same; the two of them could be said to have failed.
In the distance, in a ravine blocked by a huge rock, Tian Ming hid underground, successfully avoiding the beast tide. But his luck was also bad; he encountered someone—Yin Hu, the number one young expert of the Ninefold Gate from the Haoyuan Territory, and also his enemy.
Yin Hu stared at Tian Ming with excitement. "I didn't expect to meet you here, Tian Ming. I heard you became a Martial Hall Master. Congratulations."
Tian Ming's expression was solemn as he stared at Yin Hu. "I didn't expect to meet you here either. The grudge from that year can finally be settled."
Yin Hu mocked, "Revenge? A joke. You're just a piece of trash expelled by the Ninefold Gate, who secretly learned the Ninefold Impact and pitifully only comprehended the Triple Impact. You still have the face to talk. The Great Yu Empire actually took in a piece of trash like you. Today, I'll clean up for them." With that, he struck out with a palm towards Tian Ming, a deep and powerful vibration condensing in his palm. Tian Ming's expression was grave as he also struck out with a palm.
The shockwave tore apart the ground, and the ground cracked three consecutive times. This was the vibration of the Triple Impact. But the next moment, Tian Ming's pupils shrank, a sharp pain in his right hand. "The fourth impact! You actually comprehended the fourfold impact!"
Yin Hu laughed wildly. "A piece of trash like you will never understand me. Fourfold? Today, I'll make you despair!" With that, another terrifying force descended. This was the fifth impact.
Tian Ming's right hand was broken. He was hit in the abdomen by Yin Hu's fifth impact, spat out blood, and was sent flying, slamming heavily into the cliff wall.
Yin Hu stood in his original spot, looking at him arrogantly. "You were trash back then, and you're still trash today. I'll send you on your way."
Tian Ming spat out a mouthful of blood, raised his left hand, his palm turning into a claw. A Void Beast roared, and a hundred-meter radius was covered by the Heavenly Beast Claw. A cold killing intent descended, simultaneously crushing the huge rock above the ravine and the ground.
Yin Hu was shocked by Tian Ming's 43 forms of the Heavenly Beast Claw. Before he could block, all the strange beasts fell, completely enveloped by the Heavenly Beast Claw's attack.
Boom!
The earth trembled, and dust shot up into the sky. More than ten strange beasts were turned into a bloody pulp. Yin Hu's outer robe was torn, and four bloody marks were clearly visible on his right shoulder. He had been injured by the Heavenly Beast Claw. He looked up, but there was no trace of Tian Ming. "You can't escape!" Yin Hu roared and leaped up. But before he could land, a shadow covered him, and a huge furry claw swept across, piercing through Yin Hu. His body exploded into pieces, leaving only a head that fell into the ravine. The last thing he saw was the severely injured Tian Ming hiding under the rubble of the cliff.
Tian Ming looked at Yin Hu's unwilling eyes; only the head remained, still glaring at him. He gave a tragic smile. Revenge was taken, but the assessment also ended here. As for whether he could survive, that depended on the will of the heavens.
The beast tide lasted for a day. This day was hell for the cultivators participating in the assessment. Endless strange beasts could appear at any time to take their lives. The beasts and they were all of the same realm and combat power. Facing countless beasts, even the strongest had to flee. They watched their friends, relatives, and comrades die. It was like the apocalypse, and they could only hide in a corner and shiver.
When the beast tide ended, the suns in the sky were unsealed, and the scorching high temperatures once again baked the earth. At this moment, the survivors all felt how gentle this heat was, replacing the cold, murderous winter.
The three of them, Lu Yin, Lulu, and Ke Ke, walked out of the cave. Their noses breathed in not only the hot air but also the thick, undissipated stench of blood.
"With this smell of blood, several thousand creatures must have died nearby," Ke Ke said, her face pale as she took a breath.
Looking down the mountain, the corpses of many people were incomplete. It was just an assessment, but it was like hell. This reminded Lu Yin of the evolution trial on Earth. In the instant of evolution, how many people on Earth had turned into zombies? How many had died in the mouths of mutant beasts? Many of the disciples participating in the trial had also died. To the experts of the universe, life was not precious; they cared more about strength.
This universe was forever about the strong preying on the weak.
At this time, even the high temperature couldn't dispel the icy cold in the hearts of the others. Like Las, he was thoroughly terrified. Having barely escaped from the mouths of beasts, all he wanted now was to return to the Great Yu Empire.
"Those who do not wish to participate in the assessment, shout 'I give up' three times. The rest, endure three attacks. Live or die, no complaints," a voice like thunder boomed in the void, echoing throughout the entire path, not just the Reaching Realm path, but also the Melting Realm path, and even the starry sky.
Those who heard it, their expressions changed. Three unavoidable attacks?
Lu Yin looked up. Three attacks?
Ke Ke was scared, almost crying.
"I give up! I give up! I give up!" a shout was heard from right below Lu Yin's group, halfway up the mountain. A young man shouted, afraid that others wouldn't hear.
Soon, someone else shouted, "I give up! I give up! I give up!"
"I give up! I give up! I give up!"...
The voices grew more distant as many people gave up.
There were also some who did not want to give up. Those who participated in the assessment were all elites from various places, and among them were many with a firm will, like a man at the foot of the mountain. His right leg was lame, but he still hadn't given up, his eyes burning with intensity.
"Ke Ke, you're not giving up?" Lulu asked.
Ke Ke looked at the sky in fear, then shook her head. "I don't want to give up. Master said, the Xuan Feng Hall has no cowards."
Lu Yin glanced at her. He suddenly became very interested in Ke Ke's master, to be able to say such things.
"That person's leg is broken. I'll go treat him," Ke Ke said excitedly, looking at the man at the foot of the mountain.
"You'll scare him," Lulu said.
Ke Ke looked innocent. "I want to help him."
"Let him be," Lu Yin also said.
Ke Ke felt wronged.
Before long, the land fell silent.
Lu Yin and Lulu moved apart at the same time, leaving Ke Ke confused. Neither of them explained, only looking at the sky with grave expressions. This was an assessment; no one could help anyone else. They had prepared themselves to face the upcoming attacks alone.
Lu Yin took a deep breath. For some reason, a sense of crisis appeared. An invisible attack descended from the void, striking down at his head. He used Void Flash to dodge. The invisible attack hit the mountain, piercing through it.
At the same time, Lulu and Ke Ke also encountered an invisible attack.
Lulu easily dodged it.
Ke Ke did not dodge. She took out her syringe and held it above her head. The invisible attack slammed down fiercely, driving her several meters into the ground. Lu Yin and Lulu immediately looked over. She was unharmed. That syringe had blocked the attack for her.