"Young talents, from here onward, lies the core area of this ancient battlefield," said the old man, pointing ahead.
"During that great war long ago, the topmost experts from both sides clashed within the core region. In the course of the battle, they unleashed various inconceivable martial arts, skills, and forbidden secret techniques.
The energy and laws generated by their combat have persisted until now. Though long years have passed, they have not completely dissipated.
Thus, the core area is extremely dangerous. And your assessment location for this time is precisely within this core region of the ancient battlefield."
"What? The assessment is actually inside the core area?!" Upon hearing this, many young martial artists were greatly alarmed.
Ahead, the core region seethed with murderous aura; the sounds of battle were endless, as if a vast army was truly locked in combat, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.
"Everyone, look," continued the old man, "this here is an Ancient Demon Crystal." Floating before him was an amber-colored crystal, sparkling and translucent, radiating an eerie, demonic glow.
'So it's a crystal from the Ancient Demon Race,' Ye Yunfei thought inwardly, sweeping a glance at it.
"Long ago, when extraterritorial forces invaded our continent, there were several races involved. One of them was the Ancient Demon Race. In that great war, the Ancient Demon armies suffered countless casualties, leaving a vast number of corpses on this battlefield. Over the eons, those Ancient Demon remains decomposed and condensed into Ancient Demon Crystals. These crystals are an extremely precious spiritual medicine, useful for refining many kinds of spirit pills. Your task for this assessment is to enter the core region, seek out, and collect Ancient Demon Crystals. Collecting one hundred pieces will allow you to pass and become an official student of our Hudao Academy."
"Remember," the old man added, "the core region was where the top experts fought. They left behind various different energies and laws, which, after the passage of immense time, have evolved to form many strange terrains. Additionally, many dangerous demonic beasts have been born there.
I will give each of you a Transmission Talisman. During the assessment, if you wish to withdraw, activating the talisman will teleport you directly back to this warship." With a wave of his hand, yellow talisman papers shot out, flying to each young martial artist's front. Everyone hurriedly stowed theirs away. All understood that this talisman could save their lives if necessary.
"The assessment lasts five days. Five days from now, all must return here. Alright, now, the assessment begins." The old man declared.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!...
One by one, the young martial artists began to move, charging towards the core area ahead.
"Brother Ye Yunfei, could I... uh... stick close to you?" Wu Heishan, following beside Ye Yunfei, shamelessly asked.
He knew Ye Yunfei's strength was formidable. Staying by his side would undoubtedly increase his chances of passing.
"Let's go." Ye Yunfei moved forward without objection.
Wu Heishan was overjoyed and quickly followed.
Soon, they entered the battlefield's core region.
An atmosphere of killing intent pervaded everywhere. Waves of battle sounds and war cries echoed ceaselessly.
Even more terrifying was the vast quantity of gray, murky, sinister demonic energy!
"I have a feeling... there's something lurking in these demonic vapors, watching us," Wu Heishan said, carefully sticking close to Ye Yunfei, his voice trembling.
"This demonic energy can invade one's Soul Sea. Don't let your thoughts wander. Secure your spirit, and there's nothing to fear. The more afraid you are, the easier it is to become invaded," Ye Yunfei reminded him.
Suddenly, Hu Miao's excited voice sounded in Ye Yunfei's Soul Sea, "Master! This demonic energy is a great tonic for me! Absorbing it can allow my Demonic Essence to recover rapidly!"
"Oh? Good. Come out then," Ye Yunfei said.
A wisp of blue demonic mist appeared, and then Hu Miao materialized beside Ye Yunfei.
"Such pure demonic energy!" Hu Miao took a deep, excited breath. After being suppressed for several centuries, her Demonic Essence had been severely depleted. The demonic energy saturating this area was extremely beneficial to her.
"Huh? This young lady is...?" Wu Heishan's eyes lit up upon seeing the sudden appearance of a stunningly beautiful young girl.
"Don't get any ideas, kid. This lady is a woman you'll never attain," Hu Miao glanced at Wu Heishan dismissively.
"Could she be... your wife?" Wu Heishan looked at Ye Yunfei, puzzled.
Hu Miao giggled. "Consider yourself sharp-eyed. Fine, from now on, I'll treat you a bit better."
Ye Yunfei frowned and simply chose not to answer.
"Brother, I admire you to the heavens! In the art of chasing beauties, you're far, far more skilled than I could ever be!" Wu Heishan looked at Ye Yunfei with outright worship.
"Keep babbling nonsense, and you can forget about following me," Ye Yunfei warned.
"Don't cast me out! I won't say another word, promise!" Wu Heishan hastily replied, thoroughly frightened.
Whoosh... whoosh...
Just then, strands of demonic energy drifted over, merging into Hu Miao's demonic form.
"Master, I need to cultivate for a while!" Hu Miao said happily.
"Very well," Ye Yunfei nodded.
With five days for the assessment, Ye Yunfei was confident he could easily collect one hundred Ancient Demon Crystals given his abilities.
So, Hu Miao found a flat area, sat down cross-legged, and began.
Hu...hu...hu...
Soon, the surrounding demonic energy converged continuously towards Hu Miao's position, ultimately being absorbed into her body.
"She... Sister-in-law can actually absorb demonic energy?!" Wu Heishan was dumbfounded. However, fearing Ye Yunfei might really expel him, he forcefully bit back his questions.
Gradually, as the amount of absorbed demonic energy increased, the aura Hu Miao radiated grew increasingly powerful. Clearly, her Demonic Essence was recovering rapidly.
Two hours later.
Hu Miao stood up. "Master, I've absorbed enough for now. I need to digest it first before absorbing more."
"Alright," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Then, the three of them proceeded forward.
After walking for a short while.
"Master! Look! In the grass ahead—there's a sparkling, crystalline light! It might be an Ancient Demon Crystal!" Hu Miao suddenly called out.
She herself was from the demonic races. In an environment brimming with demonic energy, she was truly in her element. Her perception was even keener than Ye Yunfei's here.
"I'll go check it out!" Wu Heishan immediately rushed over, bending down to investigate.
"Be careful!" Hu Miao cried out.
Hiss!...
An ominous black snake, wreathed in demonic energy, shot out from within the grass, its forked tongue flickering, lunging straight for Wu Heishan.
Whoosh!
A dark-colored dagger flashed past, severing the demon snake into two halves.
It was Ye Yunfei timely deploying the Void Blade.
Wu Heishan was so startled that all his hairs stood on end. He retreated in a flurry.
"It is indeed an Ancient Demon Crystal!" Hu Miao walked over and picked up a crystal stone that emitted a sinister, glowing light, saying cheerfully.