On the western edge of the exam area, a trio of imposing men stood their ground, obstructing the path of a group of ten.
The leader of the party demanded an explanation, his voice firm and assertive: "Why are you barring our way? We have a right to explore any part of this exam site. Who are you to impede our progress?"
As it happened, these three were Mei Hongli's men. They had received an order to block anyone who wished to enter this area. As loyal underlings, they would, of course, do as they were ordered without any questions.
They looked similar to each other because they were actually siblings whose names were Cai Long, Cai Hu, and Cai Lang.
"Who are we? We are Young Master Hongli's henchmen. Young Master Hongli ordered us to keep anyone from entering this area because it's very dangerous inside."
"For your sake, Young Master Hongli is braving the strong clones by himself. You guys should go to other areas to prevent unnecessary troubles."
"This is completely out of Young Master Hongli's charity and benevolence. And we think you guys should cherish them."
A blatant lie was made by the trio just like that, coupled with boot-licking phrases to increase their master's prestige.
But the party of ten was not easily deterred.
One of them let out a scornful laugh, dismissing the brothers' warning as a mere ruse: "Heh! You expect us to believe that? We've been fighting clones all along the way, and they've only been getting weaker. There's no way there could be any strong clones in this area."
The party leader, a skilled Four Fangs Fighter, added his own voice to the chorus of skepticism: "You're nothing but dogs, trying to trick us so your young master can have an easy meal. We're not falling for it."
"Yeah!!"
"That's right!!"
The rest of the party then supported in unison.
The brothers' faces hardened, their patience wearing thin.
Shaking his head, Cai Long stated: "There really is no saving you guys. Since you do not appreciate our young master's kindness, then so be it."
Cai Hu: "Okay, then!! We are not that unreasonable. Because we are trying to keep you all from danger, yet you do not listen. Then defeat us and enter."
Cai Lang: "If you can defeat us, it means you are strong enough to face the strong clones without getting hurt. How about it? Do you all agree? The exam doesn't prohibit the fight among the participants, right?"
Cai Long concluded: "The exam doesn't prohibit participants from fighting each other. If you're strong enough to take us down, you might have what it takes to survive the lurch within."
"Hmph!! You think you are stronger than us? Eat this fist and bite the dust after." The party leader snarled before he unleashed his Theríon and charged straight at the brothers, determined to prove their arrogance was misplaced.
"Oh? That's the one who just called us dogs a moment ago, right? Quite brave."
"Four Fangs Fighter, huh?"
"Not bad. But unfortunately, you are not strong enough."
Three of them sneered at the incoming cultivator before bursting their Theríon at the same time.
"!!" After sensing their Theríon, the party leader became pale and panicked.
All three of them were Five Fangs Fighters.
Just their combined aura alone was able to blast the party leader away. Having his own attack disrupted and bounced back, he vomited blood as he knelt on the ground.
Cai Long flashed and appeared in front of the leader.
"Now, tell me. Who is the dog? Answer wrongly, and I will send you straight back to the scoreboard." Cai Long snickered after giving a domineering threat.
"I … I am the dog." The party leader knew that he was no match for these guys, and as he had still not yet collected enough points to pass the exam, he had no choice but to concede. His team members' expressions also turned unsightly.
Cai Long grinned and satisfyingly said: "That's right!! You are the damn dog. And there is no need for a dog to be in a place like this."
Next, he thrust out a palm strike at the party leader's head.
After a loud explosion of the attack, the party leader's figure consequently vanished from the scene as he was teleported back outside.
The remaining members of the group stood in stunned silence, trying to make sense of what had just happened. But their confusion quickly turned to fury as they realized what had truly occurred.
"You!! His answer should have satisfied your ego. Why would you do that to him?" One of the party members demanded justice for his friend. His voice laced with anger.
The others nodded in agreement, their faces twisted at Cai Long's despicable action. With their leader gone, passing the exam would be a far more difficult task.
But Cai Long remained unfazed by their accusations, his expression smug and self-satisfied.
"I warned him what would happen if he answered wrongly ... but I never promised him mercy if he answered correctly."
"How shameless!!" The rest of the party had ugly expressions and balled their fists while gnashing their teeth. This guy's skin was as thick as a tree bark.
But Cai Long and his brothers simply laughed in their faces, mocking their helplessness.
"Come at us if you dare," Cai Hu taunted, his voice dripping with contempt.
Alas, the party of ten - now reduced to nine - turned and walked away, knowing that their only chance of success lay in regrouping and finding another way to pass the exam.
They could only bear this humiliation within their hearts and looked for clones in other areas.
As they walked away from the trio, a figure gradually appeared in the distance. The silhouette approached at a leisurely pace, hands nonchalantly tucked behind his head as he whistled a carefree tune, like he was walking in his own flower garden.
"Guys, isn't that GCS?" One of the party members recognized the figure.
"GCS?" Another was confused by the abbreviation.
"God's Crippled Son, you idiot!" The one earlier hissed, their voice low.
Though the title was whispered behind his back by everyone in the city, few dared to say it aloud in front of him. After all, he was God's Son. The abbreviation was just a shorthand, really, but it made no difference to the man himself.
"But why is he here?" The dim-witted party member asked. The others were equally perplexed.
"It's not why but how ... How could he be here? A cripple like him walking alone in this exam site cannot survive longer than three minutes, much less being unharmed until now." One of them commented.
The exam proctor, Mei Hongyi, had designed the site so that anyone in the clone's line of sight would be attacked automatically. It was a lethal trap, and the group could not fathom how a commoner like GCS could walk around the area so casually.
"He must have followed us closely." Another suggested.
"Another idiot is at work here." The current strongest cultivator in the party snapped. "He? A cripple? Closely followed without us noticing? Are you weaker than him?"
The group fell silent, stunned by the man's words. Even they, a group of ten cultivators ranging from Two Fangs to Four Fangs, were struggling to fend off the Illusion Clones in this area. And yet, GCS, a supposed cripple, strolled by them harmlessly.
As they watched, Feng Luotian walked past them and headed towards Cai Long's group.
"Don't tell me he's planning to challenge those men?" One of the party members muttered.
"If he has no intention of taking the exam seriously, why bother coming here in the first place?" Another grumbled.
"Brother, those guys are blocking the path ahead. You can't cross unless you defeat them. And all three of them are Five Fang Fighters. You shouldn't provoke them." One of the party members warned him out of consideration.
Despite being a cripple, he was still God's son, and it wouldn't hurt to curry favor with him.
"Yeah, it would be safer to find another place to hunt the clones, or rather, find yourself a party that will take you in, so you can leech their points." Another suggested.
But another party member disagreed: "Unfortunately, I think no one will be kind enough to take him anyway. Everyone is desperate right now."
A few others chimed in: "This exam is impossibly difficult! The weakest clone we found was Four Fangs. No one has the time to carry a burden like you."
"Guys, that's rude!" The kind one exclaimed.
"Who cares about being rude right now?"
The group bickered amongst themselves until Feng Luotian spoke up: "Thank you all very much for showing such consideration."
And with that, he continued on his way towards the three.