Coco opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then she didn't. Her eyes inadvertently fell on Lu Yin's bleeding right arm, "Oh no, you're hurt!"
Lu Yin glanced at it, "It's nothing, just a scratch."
Coco quickly said, "Let me treat it for you. Otherwise, the wound could get infected. The universe is full of strange viruses, and if you're not careful, it could be fatal."
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow, "It's not that serious, is it?"
"It is! Any small wound could become a deadly problem later on," Coco said seriously.
Lu Yin was speechless. Do doctors always try to scare people? "Alright, you can treat it."
Coco's eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked completely different from before, "Okay."
Seeing Coco's excited expression, Lu Yin suddenly had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next second, Coco slowly took out a huge syringe, about three meters long, shocking both Lu Yin and Lulu. The needle alone was a meter long, gleaming with a cold light. The syringe was filled with an unknown green liquid, which looked very unsettling. Lu Yin's scalp tingled, and he instinctively stepped back, wary, "What are you doing?"
Coco hugged the syringe and stared at him excitedly, "Treating you! Come on, just one shot, and it'll be fine."
Lu Yin swallowed, quickly refusing, "No need, I can handle it myself, really."
Coco got anxious, "Let me treat you! If you do it yourself, it won't be thorough, and there will be aftereffects. Various complications could arise, and then it'll be too late. Come on."
Lu Yin stepped back again, firmly saying, "No, I'll take care of it myself."
Coco looked disappointed and reluctantly put the syringe away, "Oh."
Lulu finally reacted, "Is that your talent?"
Coco reverted to her timid, adorable self, nodding, "Yes, my talent is healing. It's very effective, but no one ever wants to let me give them a shot."
Lu Yin rolled his eyes. That thing would probably pierce right through. Only an idiot would let her use it; it looked scarier than a sword or knife.
"Your talent is really... unique," Lulu said in amazement.
Coco smiled shyly.
Suddenly, a roar came from outside, and a beast passed by, rushing into the distance.
Lu Yin looked outside, wondering how Shuz and his group were doing on the Boundary Road. That girl Glace was smart, wisely giving up on the trial. Otherwise, they would have had to drag along another burden.
The Boundary Road was also facing a beast tide. Gulbach was unlucky and got injured by a beast right away. If he hadn't hidden well, he would have become food. Yan Gang was the same. Both of them were essentially out of the trial.
In the distance, a hollow valley was blocked by a boulder. Tianming hid below, successfully avoiding the beast tide. But he was also unlucky and encountered someone—Silver Tiger, the top expert of the younger generation from Nine Gates of Haoyuan Territory and also his enemy.
Silver Tiger looked at Tianming excitedly, "Didn't expect to meet you here. Tianming, I heard you became the hall master of Yutang. Congratulations."
Tianming's face was serious, staring at Silver Tiger, "I didn't expect to see you here either. Finally, I can settle the score from back then."
Silver Tiger sneered, "Settle the score? What a joke. You're just a discarded waste from Nine Gates who stole the Ninefold Force technique. Pathetic that you only grasped the Triple Force and still dare to talk big. It's a wonder that Dayu Empire even wanted you. I'll help them clean up today," he said, striking at Tianming with a powerful wave of energy.
Tianming's eyes sharpened as he also struck out with a palm.
The force shattered the ground, splitting it three times. This was the Triple Force. But the next moment, Tianming's pupils contracted as his right palm was in excruciating pain, "Fourth Force, you've mastered the Fourth Force!"
Silver Tiger laughed wildly, "You'll never understand me. Four Forces? Today I'll make you despair." Another terrifying wave of energy descended—this time, the Fifth Force.
Tianming's right palm was broken. Silver Tiger's Fifth Force struck his abdomen, sending him flying into a mountainside, spitting blood.
Silver Tiger stood proudly, looking down at him, "You were trash back then, and you're still trash today. I'll send you on your way." Tianming spat out blood, raised his left hand, and clawed at the air. A beast roar echoed, and a sinister killing intent descended, shattering the boulder and ground in the valley.
Silver Tiger was shocked by Tianming's Forty-Three Strikes of the Sky Beast Claw. Before he could defend himself, several beasts fell, all engulfed by the Sky Beast Claw's attack.
Boom!
The ground trembled, smoke rose vertically, and over ten beasts turned to blood pulp. Silver Tiger's outer clothes were torn, and four blood marks appeared on his right shoulder. He was injured by the Sky Beast Claw. Looking up, Tianming was already gone, "You can't escape!" Silver Tiger roared, leaping up. But before he could land, a shadow loomed, and a furry giant paw swept across, piercing Silver Tiger, his body shattering into fragments, leaving only a head falling into the valley. The last thing he saw was Tianming hiding under the ruins, gravely injured.
Tianming looked at Silver Tiger's resentful eyes, just a head glaring at him. He smiled bitterly. The grudge was settled, but the trial was over. Whether he could survive depended on fate.
The beast tide lasted a whole day. To the trial participants, it was hell. Endless beasts constantly threatened their lives. The beasts matched their strength, and facing countless beasts, even the strongest had to avoid them. They watched friends, family, and comrades die, like an apocalypse, while they could only tremble in hiding.
When the beast tide finally ended, the sun was unsealed, and the scorching heat baked the earth again. At this moment, the survivors found the heat to be incredibly comforting, replacing the cold, murderous winter.
Lu Yin and the others emerged from the cave, inhaling not just the hot air but also the thick, pervasive smell of blood.
"This blood smell, thousands of creatures must have died nearby," Coco said, pale after sniffing the air.
Looking down the mountain, many bodies were incomplete. A mere trial had turned into a hellish scene, reminding Lu Yin of the evolution trial on Earth. How many people became zombies in an instant? How many died to mutant beasts? Many students died during the trial. To the powerful in the universe, life wasn't precious; strength was what mattered.
This universe was always survival of the fittest.
At this moment, not even the highest temperature could dispel the coldness in some people's hearts. Like Las, who was utterly terrified, barely escaping the beasts' jaws. He now only wanted to return to the Great Yu Empire.
"If you don't want to participate in the trial, shout 'I give up' three times. The rest will endure three attacks, life or death," a thunderous voice echoed in the sky, resonating along the entire path. It wasn't just the Explorers' Road, but also the Boundaries Road, and even the stars echoed with this voice.
Everyone who heard it was shocked. Three unavoidable attacks?
Lu Yin looked up. Three attacks?
Coco was terrified, almost crying.
"I give up, I give up, I give up," a young man yelled below Lu Yin and his group on the mountainside, fearing no one would hear.
Soon, others shouted, "I give up, I give up, I give up."
"I give up, I give up, I give up."
...
The voices grew distant as more people gave up.
Some, however, refused to quit. The trial participants were all elites, with many having strong willpower. Like a man below the mountain, even with a crippled right leg, his eyes burned with determination.
"Coco, aren't you giving up?" Lulu asked.
Coco looked fearfully at the sky, then shook her head, "I don't want to give up. Master said, in the Wind Hall, there are no cowards."
Lu Yin glanced at her, suddenly very interested in Coco's master. How could someone say something like that?
"That person's leg is broken. Should I help him?" Coco looked at the man below, eager to try.
"You'll scare him," Lulu said.
"I want to help him," Coco said innocently.
"Let him be," Lu Yin also spoke up.
Coco felt aggrieved.
Soon, the ground fell silent.
Lu Yin and Lulu stepped aside simultaneously, while Coco looked confused.
Neither explained, just staring solemnly at the sky. This was a trial; no one could help anyone else. Once prepared, one had to face the incoming attacks alone.
Lu Yin took a deep breath. Suddenly, a sense of crisis appeared. An invisible attack descended from the sky, striking directly at him. He flashed aside, and the invisible attack pierced through the mountain.
At the same time, Lulu and Coco also faced invisible attacks.
Lulu dodged easily.
Coco didn't dodge. She took out her syringe and held it above her head. The invisible attack struck her hard, burying her several meters into the ground. Lu Yin and Lulu immediately checked, and she was unharmed. The syringe had blocked the attack.