"Damn it!"
Upon hearing Ye Tian's words and noticing the figures emerging around him, Lin Fei's expression changed, and he cursed vehemently.
The five young men seated nearby seemed unfazed; after all, their contributions had been entirely snatched away, leaving them as indifferent as a dead pig unbothered by boiling water.
From the crowd, a young man in splendid robes stepped forward, his gaze serene and his eyes clear, exuding an air of elegance that was impossible to resist.
"This is the Thirteenth Prince!"
Lin Fei whispered to Ye Tian.
Ye Tian nodded, scrutinizing the young man across from him with mild curiosity. This individual was remarkably refined and lacked any semblance of arrogance, completely contradicting Lin Fei's description of the Thirteenth Prince.
As Ye Tian assessed the Thirteenth Prince, the prince was also observing him. Upon noticing the bloodied blade in Ye Tian's hand, his expression momentarily faltered before he approached with a smile.
"Brother Lin, it has been a while! How have you been?" The Thirteenth Prince greeted with a charming smile, devoid of any royal pretensions, as if conversing with an old friend.
"Rare for the Thirteenth Prince to remember me, I am honored!" Lin Fei replied coolly, though his eyes scanned the surroundings with evident caution.
"Not at all! Once we pass the assessment, we shall be brothers in arms; there's no need for formalities such as 'prince'."
The Thirteenth Prince was entirely unpretentious, approaching Ye Tian with a gentle smile. "And you must be the renowned Blood Blade? May I inquire your name?"
"Ye Tian," Ye Tian replied nonchalantly. He was unsure of the Thirteenth Prince's intentions, but as long as the prince did not provoke him, he had no plans to engage.
Ye Tian was not afraid of the Thirteenth Prince; rather, he was reluctant to stir trouble, especially considering the prince's extraordinary status, backed by the formidable Nanlin King who governed the entire Nanlin County.
"Ye Tian…" The Thirteenth Prince murmured, realizing he had no recollection of this name. His smile widened as he continued, "So it is Brother Ye! I had no idea such a talent resided in Nanlin County. Had I known earlier, I would have certainly invited you for a drink."
"You flatter me, Prince!" Ye Tian responded coolly, still uncertain of the prince's motives, yet unperturbed as long as he was not provoked.
Lin Fei, observing the exchange, felt a mix of surprise and suspicion. Eventually, his wariness dissipated, replaced by a hint of a smirk.
"Brother Ye, Brother Lin, with only three days left until the first round of assessments, I shall not disturb you further. Once we pass, let us enjoy a drink at the Shensheng Gate!"
Noticing the indifferent demeanor of Ye Tian and Lin Fei, the Thirteenth Prince chose not to linger, clasping his hands in farewell with a smile.
Throughout the encounter, his face remained adorned with a smile that evoked no hint of animosity.
After the Thirteenth Prince departed with his entourage, Ye Tian turned to Lin Fei with a grin. "It seems the Thirteenth Prince is not so fearsome after all; he appears quite amiable."
"Do not be deceived by his exterior. He has taken an interest in your talent and seeks to win you over, hence the favorable impression. Had it been anyone else, they would have rushed in to seize contribution points by now," Lin Fei replied with a cold smile.
"There is some cunning at play; however, as long as he does not provoke me, I have no issues with him. Let us move on!" Ye Tian said with a slight smile, acknowledging the Thirteenth Prince's adeptness in social dealings.
"Such misfortune, not a single contribution point!" Lin Fei cast a glance at the five young men on the ground, discarding their identity tokens before hastening to catch up with Ye Tian.
In the ensuing three days, the Meteorite Mountain Range was abuzz with activity. Those without contribution points, or those who felt their points insufficient, emerged in droves, seeking prey.
After all, they were acutely aware that without sufficient contribution points, they would be eliminated, leaving little room for hesitation.
Many became frenzied, disregarding their own strength, charging at anyone they encountered.
Even Ye Tian and Lin Fei faced numerous attacks, yet with their prowess, those who dared to confront them ultimately ended up contributing points to their cause.
In the final three days, Ye Tian and Lin Fei unleashed their full potential, amassing a wealth of contribution points and breaking into the top ten.
...
"Seventh place!"
On the martial arts arena, Liu Hongwu cheered with delight, while Xue Yuhai beside her wore an equally excited expression.
In the final three days, Ye Tian had surged to seventh place!
At this moment, only six individuals stood above him, each renowned figures: Wu Ding, Bai Yunfei, Meng Shiyun, Yun Shuiyao from the four great families, along with the Seventh Prince and the Thirteenth Prince.
These six were universally acknowledged as powerhouses, so even though Ye Tian did not surpass them, no one was surprised.
Instead, they regarded Ye Tian's position just below them as the greatest dark horse, igniting a fervor throughout the martial arts arena.
"This Ye Tian… I am increasingly curious about him. After the second round of assessments, I must see this young man named Ye Tian," the Nanlin King chuckled heartily.
As the ruler of Nanlin County and a formidable martial artist himself, with exceptional ties to the Shensheng Gate, he naturally held the privilege to witness the third round of assessments.
Some city lords also received invitations, particularly those from notable cities in Nanlin County.
However, lesser lords like Xue Yuhai did not possess such qualifications.
Nevertheless, the Nanlin King had already spoken to him, promising to take them to the Shensheng Gate for the arena battles.
This prospect left Xue Yuhai and Liu Hongwu exhilarated.
...
In the Meteorite Mountain Range, ships sailed through the air, ferrying the eliminated martial artists away from the mountains.
In mere moments, the once lively Meteorite Mountain Range saw few figures remaining.
However, at that moment, over a thousand senior martial artists, each at the half-step Martial Spirit level, entered the fray.
In the skies, an elder from the Shensheng Gate announced the commencement of the second round of assessments, filling the entire Meteorite Mountain Range with a palpable aura of menace.
"Come out!"
"Where are you? Are you not all so formidable? Why are you hiding like turtles?"
"What a bunch of cowards, lacking the guts to show yourselves?"
...
The senior martial artists, grouped in tens, roamed the Meteorite Mountain Range, searching for the remaining participants.
Amidst the dense forest, many remaining martial artists wore expressions of anger but dared not reveal themselves, for these seniors were all half-step Martial Spirits, and their combined strength was a terrifying force.
"What a flock of fat sheep!" From atop a large tree, Ye Tian gazed down at the ten seniors not far away, his eyes glinting.
His words startled Lin Fei beside him, who hurriedly whispered, "You're not actually considering making a move against them, are you? I must clarify that I can only handle two at a time."
These seniors were stronger than typical half-step Martial Spirits; even Lin Fei could only contend with two.
"Why not?" Ye Tian squinted, smiling. "Didn't you say that contribution points from the Shensheng Gate can be exchanged for numerous items? If we don't seize this opportunity to earn more contribution points, once we enter the Shensheng Gate, it will be far more challenging to accumulate them."
Ye Tian had learned about the utility of contribution points from Lin Fei, who, being from the royal city, naturally possessed knowledge beyond Ye Tian's grasp.
"Is this really considered easy?" Lin Fei chuckled wryly, glancing at the ten seniors in the distance, sighing, "If we are to engage, I can at most restrain four of them; you must resolve the remaining six quickly."
As he spoke, a glimmer of excitement crossed Lin Fei's eyes. Having collaborated with Ye Tian for some time, he had yet to witness Ye Tian's true strength and hoped this would be his opportunity.
"In fact, we don't even need you to restrain four; we can simply lie in wait for the right moment!" Ye Tian replied, shaking his head, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
"How so?" Lin Fei perked up, intrigued.
The two then began to converse in hushed tones.
Soon, two chilling laughs echoed through the air.
...
On the mountain path, the ten seniors continued their cold taunts, scanning the surrounding bushes in hopes of spotting the remaining participants.
"Someone ahead—" Suddenly, one of the seniors shouted, rushing forward.
The other nine seniors quickly followed suit.
Not far ahead, two men and a woman found themselves surrounded by the ten seniors, clearly paralyzed by fear, forgetting to flee.
"Hey, a beauty! What do you say? If you call me 'big brother,' we might just let you go!" one of the seniors teased, though they dared not go too far, given the elder from the Shensheng Gate observing them.
"Stop wasting time with them! We have only a month; seize as many contribution points as possible before we leave and exchange for some good items!" the leader of the seniors barked, immediately springing into action.
The other seniors ceased their chatter, splitting into pairs to pounce on the two men and the woman.
A fierce battle erupted.
Having passed the first round of assessments, the two men and the woman were all skilled fighters; one man was at the half-step Martial Spirit level, while the other two were both level ten martial artists. Together, they could adequately handle two seniors.
Unfortunately, three seniors were attacking, with seven more standing by, leaving the trio with little hope of escape.
"Three little brats, hand over your contribution points and spare us the trouble!" one senior scoffed.
The three within the arena paled but gritted their teeth in defiance.
Not far from them, hidden in a bush, two young men observed the unfolding battle through the gaps in the foliage.
"Your plan is truly effective. If we strike now, we'll reduce their numbers by three!" Lin Fei chuckled, impressed by Ye Tian's clever strategy of using others to their advantage.
"Not just that; once we strike with full force, we can incapacitate two of the seniors," Ye Tian said, narrowing his eyes as he spoke coldly.
Lin Fei's eyes lit up, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Excellent! This way, we only need to deal with five of them."