Chapter 135: The Shameless Elder

After entering the Misty Forest, the disciples quickly scattered in all directions, vanishing from sight within moments. In this dense forest stretching for miles, a powerful adversary could be lurking in every corner.

Li Jiansan, however, did not dart about. Instead, he chewed on a blade of foxtail grass, strolling through the dark woods with the leisurely air of a wealthy young master out for a promenade.

"Who is this kid? How could he be so reckless?"

High above the Misty Forest, elders were stationed to monitor the proceedings. As everyone else scrambled, Li Jiansan’s relaxed pace immediately caught the attention of two elders. One was fat and the other thin; their strength was mediocre, with the fat elder at the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment stage and the thin one at the sixth.

"Heh, probably just some arrogant young master who knows nothing of the world. No need to concern yourself, Elder Zhang," the fat elder remarked with a lazy, indifferent glance.

Elder Zhang stared down at Li Jiansan, sneering, "Didn't we have another arrogant brat in the last assessment? He started off just as conceited, and within half a day, he was wiped out by someone else. Elder Mo, how long do you think this one will last?"

Elder Mo laughed heartily. "I give him an hour before he's finished."

"Wait, isn't this the same kid who confronted Elder Liu Yan in front of everyone at the Freshman Assembly?" Elder Zhang suddenly paused, recognizing him.

Elder Mo seemed to recall it as well, and with a note of curiosity, said, "This kid truly has no sense of his own limits. Even if he passes this assessment, he won't have an easy life ahead."

"Tell me, should we teach him a lesson on behalf of Elder Liu Yan?" Elder Zhang asked, a cold look creeping onto his face.

Elder Mo sneered. "Elder Liu Yan did hint that we should deal with him properly during this assessment—ideally, by finishing him off. Why don't we do it ourselves? It would be a great way to earn Elder Liu Yan's favor."

Elder Liu Yan managed the Grade-A class of the Outer Academy and held significant power. Many elders hoped to curry favor with him to ensure their own advancement. These two were no exception.

Below, Li Jiansan looked up toward the sky. His gaze was icy and piercing, like a peerless divine sword that sent a shiver down one's spine.

"Say, do you think this kid heard us?" Elder Zhang asked with surprise.

"Elder Zhang, don't joke around," Elder Mo replied dismissively. "Even with our cultivation, we can't hear conversations from thousands of meters away. He’s just a new disciple; how could he possibly?"

"True, true... but that look in his eyes is chilling. It's as if he can see straight into one's soul." Elder Zhang’s thin, gaunt face remained tense; after seeing that look, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Li Jiansan withdrew his gaze, though the cold light in his eyes did not fade. He had heard every word of their conversation clearly; his hearing was exceptionally acute. A few thousand meters was nothing to him—he could hear sounds from tens of thousands of meters away with perfect clarity.

A look of cruelty flashed in Elder Mo's eyes. "Let's manipulate the forest's array," he told Elder Zhang. "We'll lure one or two second-tier demonic beasts to finish him off."

The Misty Forest was a trial ground for the Azure Dragon Academy, governed by intricate arrays designed to restrict the movement of beasts and ensure the safety of the disciples. By altering these arrays, they could release the restrained beasts.

"An excellent plan," Elder Zhang agreed, already imagining the benefits of gaining Elder Liu Yan’s patronage.

"ROAR!"

As the two elders altered the array, a massive ape came charging toward Li Jiansan.

"A second-tier beast, equivalent to the first level of the Foundation Establishment stage. Heh, trying to deal with me using a beast of this level? How laughable."

"Ha! The kid is so terrified he can't even move!" Elder Zhang watched as Li Jiansan stood still, assuming he was paralyzed by fear.

Elder Mo glanced down and mocked, "Scared stiff by a single second-tier beast. What a waste. I truly overestimated him. How did such a piece of trash even get into the Azure Dragon Academy?"

"AWOOO!"

A deafening roar echoed through the mountains. The terrifying sound waves shattered nearby birds; some were even reduced to bloody mist, leaving nothing but feathers behind.

"BOOM!"

The ape leaped into the air and crashed down before Li Jiansan with a thunderous impact, shattering the ground and blasting nearby rocks into pieces. The power of a second-tier beast was indeed terrifying.

Li Jiansan, however, showed no fear. True essence surged within him; he stepped forward and delivered a ferocious punch. It carried the force of one hundred thousand pounds, slamming into the ape and instantly tearing a gaping, bloody hole in its body.

Elder Zhang’s eyes widened in shock. "This... how is this possible?"

"He actually shattered the ape's flesh? His strength is this formidable?" Elder Mo gasped, realizing he had severely misjudged the boy.

The ape shrieked as it was forced back. It was enraged, but also terrified of the power behind that strike, and dared not attack again. Li Jiansan, however, gave it no time to recover, unleashing a torrent of violent strikes.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Li Jiansan’s fists fell like falling stars, piercing the ape’s body again and again. Over a dozen punches landed, each one drawing blood. The ape was left a mangled mess, riddled with fist-sized holes.

"BOOM!"

The ape collapsed, twitching in a pool of its own blood before drawing its final breath. The entire process had taken less than ten seconds.

Slaying a second-tier beast in ten seconds—if word of this got out, it would shock everyone to their core.

Li Jiansan extracted the beast’s essence core, then fixed his icy gaze on the two elders high above. "You two ants, get down here right now!"

"Could he have known we were here the whole time?" Elder Zhang asked, his face pale with shock.

Elder Mo hesitated but then regained his composure. "Impossible. If he had known, why wait for us to attack him? He must be bluffing." He could not believe that a mere boy could possess the sensory power to detect them from such a distance.

"Not coming down? Very well."

Li Jiansan’s heart turned cold. He drew his golden greatsword, pouring his spiritual energy into it until the blade erupted with a dazzling, brilliant light.

BOOM!

Li Jiansan swung the sword, unleashing a terrifying sword aura that seemed to tear the very heavens apart. The brilliant light cut a path through the forest canopy and surged upward, striking directly at the two elders.

"Oh no! Retreat!"