"Shla!"

Just as everyone wondered if the Black Bear Pulse Demon would be burned to death, it suddenly roared madly and performed a gruesome act that left everyone shocked.

They saw the Earth Vein Mad Bear extend its unharmed left arm, and with its sharp claws, it gripped its right upper arm, yanking fiercely and pulling off its entire right arm from the shoulder.

Blood gushed from the Earth Vein Mad Bear's right shoulder, but it was quickly evaporated by the blood-red flames on the ground. The self-mutilated black bear howled in agony at the sky, its cries extremely heartrending.

"This beast is truly ruthless!"

Even Yun Xiao couldn't help but admire the Earth Vein Mad Bear's decisive action. He thought if it had been even a moment slower, it would have suffered more than just losing a right arm.

The bear arm thrown by the Earth Vein Mad Bear quickly turned to ashes, disappearing within the blood-red flames. The bear with a severed arm clearly suffered a severe loss of vitality and almost lost its ability to continue fighting.

In such circumstances, the Earth Vein Mad Bear lacked the courage to confront Yun Xiao again. Although this human youth was only at the Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage, his methods were too enigmatic. If it sought revenge, it might have to sacrifice its life here.

"Roar!"

Therefore, the Earth Vein Mad Bear just glared at Yun Xiao, roaring once, then leapt fiercely, eventually leaping off the arena. The sound of its massive body hitting the ground brought a sudden silence to the entire space.

Although everyone could see that the Eighth Rank Advanced Earth Vein Mad Bear was at the end of its rope, no one dared to face it head-on because of its previous might. They could only watch as the gigantic bear vanished from the summit of Xuanyun Peak.

"Could it be... we really won?!"

Even when the Earth Vein Mad Bear was out of sight, everyone was still in shock, including the Eighth Rank Low Level Pulse Demons who were battling multiple human cultivators. They, too, stopped, their demon eyes filled with fear as they gazed at the young figure on the high platform.

"Woo woo!"

"Squeak squeak!"

"Quack quack!"

"..."

A string of sounds rang out. With their leader gone, the Eighth Rank Low Level Pulse Demons lost their battle spirit and quickly dispersed, disappearing into the dense forest among the mountains.

It's a joke, really. The Eighth Rank Advanced Earth Vein Mad Bear was easily dealt with by this young man in crude clothing. If he targeted them, they wouldn't stand a chance to survive.

Everyone values their life, and Pulse Demons are no different. Knowing that the power difference is so vast, they chose not to sacrifice themselves. As for the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures within the cave, one must stay alive to enjoy them, right?

With the Pulse Demons retreating, the numerous human cultivators below the stone platform didn't make any move for a moment. They stared blankly at the youth in crude clothing on the platform, who was reclaiming the blood-red flames, caught in a peculiar emotion.

"Where on earth did this boy come from? He seems even more formidable than Li Gongnian!"

Everyone had this thought in mind. Someone like Li Gongnian, a genius among the younger generation on the entire Tenglong Continent, could likely rank in the top ten.

But this youth in crude clothing was a stranger to them. Other than a few people, no one knew where he came from, and even Li Gongnian and Xu Changgui only knew him by the name Yun Xiao, unaware of which sect he belonged to.

In no time, this crude-clothed youth became extremely mysterious in everyone's eyes. At least they knew that such a genius could not have been nurtured by any small sect or small family.

"Gentlemen, I will take the lead!"

Up on the stone platform, Yun Xiao had no such thoughts as the onlookers. This voice also brought the dazed crowd back to reality, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

Earlier, with so many Pulse Demons blocking the way and an Eighth Rank Advanced peerless Evil Demon, everyone felt a deep sense of despair about the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures within the cave.

Especially after Xu Changgui and Lu Zhang, along with the Spirit Fighting Commerce genius Li Gongnian, were defeated and seriously wounded, everyone's focus shifted from acquiring the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to preserving their own lives.

No one expected a previously unknown youth in crude clothing to appear suddenly, using extremely forceful means to overwhelmingly defeat the Eighth Rank Advanced Earth Vein Mad Bear.

Now, there was no obstruction in front of them. Even if this youth in crude clothing entered the cave before them, he probably couldn't take all the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures inside. They might still have a chance to complete their mission.

Swoosh!

Upon finishing his words on the stone platform, Yun Xiao wasted no time and quickly headed towards the cave. He was filled with anticipation about the heavenly materials and earthly treasures inside. Would the seven remaining herbs be there? Success or failure hinged on this moment.

Whoosh!

However, just as Yun Xiao was only a step away from the cave entrance and about to step in, a sound of a whistling wind, like a celestial phenomenon, suddenly came from an angle, accompanied by a dazzling light that was blinding.

This was clearly a premeditated ambush. If it had been an ordinary early-stage Origin Seeking Realm cultivator standing in Yun Xiao's position, they would likely have no chance of survival under such a sudden attack.

Fortunately, the one standing there was Yun Xiao, a peerless prodigy who had once stood at the pinnacle of the continent. His reactions and abilities were not something an ordinary early-stage Origin Seeking Realm cultivator on the Tenglong Continent could compare to.

The unnoticed beam of light ultimately did not strike Yun Xiao because, at that moment, the young man in coarse clothes did not move his feet, but his entire body shifted two feet to the left.

A distance of two feet didn't seem far, but it was enough to save Yun Xiao from being split in half. It wasn't until a sleeve fell with the light that everyone finally reacted.

In fact, the cultivators below the stone platform were already stirred up by Yun Xiao's voice and actions. They all wanted to enter the cave first to get the biggest share, at least to have a taste of the soup.

Who would have thought that even after an Eighth Rank Advanced Earth Vein Mad Bear was driven away by the young man in coarse clothes, someone would still dare to launch a sneak attack?

The timing of the ambush was perfect, and many imagined themselves in that young man's place, only to be horrified by the realization that they would have been unable to dodge it.

At this moment, Yun Xiao was undoubtedly using the Zombie Body Technique from the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud. In any movement technique, when exerting force to dodge or sidestep, there would be some leg bending or other force exertion. But this Zombie Body Technique eliminated that step.

So, at this moment, Yun Xiao felt to everyone like a stiff piece of wood, kicked from the side, causing the entire wood to move aside, rendering the stunning ambush ineffective.

"Damn it, to think he even dodged that ambush. How could that brat be so lucky?"

Seeing this scene, a figure in a silver robe below the platform couldn't help but show extreme frustration and anger in his eyes. In his view, with such an ambush technique, even if it couldn't match the assassination art of the Killing Heart Sect, it shouldn't be something an early-stage Origin Seeking Realm kid could avoid.

This figure in a silver robe was naturally Xu Changgui, the Heavenly Thunder Child of Sky Thunder Valley. He had long sensed the arrival of the ambusher and knew the opponent would strike at the most critical moment.

But despite all his calculations, Xu Changgui hadn't accounted for Yun Xiao avoiding such an unexpected ambush, a situation entirely contrary to his expectations.

"Are you… from Sky Thunder Valley?"

Having dodged the fatal blow, Yun Xiao felt a chill on his right arm, and cold sweat broke out on his back. So when he saw the middle-aged man in silver robe, his questioning tone turned extremely somber.

Yun Xiao asked this because he noticed the clothes worn by the middle-aged man before him were almost identical, save for some size differences, to those worn by the two Thunder Children there.

"Yun Xiao, I have to admit, your reaction ability at the early-stage Origin Seeking Realm is unparalleled!"

The middle-aged man in the silver robe did not deny Yun Xiao's question, nor did he show much anger about his ambush being dodged. His words were calm, carrying an air of superiority.

"Eh? Isn't that Thunder Valley's protector, Yao Tiansha?"

"It's said that Yao Tiansha reached the peak of the Origin Seeking Realm years ago; his power must be even more terrifying now, right?"

"For someone like him to join the Refining Cloud Mountain disciple selection, isn't it over?"

"Heh, perhaps Yao Tiansha's main purpose isn't the Refining Cloud Mountain disciple selection but that Yun Xiao guy!"

"Yun Xiao? Yun Xiao? Why does that name sound familiar?"

"..."

After the silver-robed man spoke, many people below the stone platform recognized his appearance, and someone immediately identified him as Yao Tiansha, the protector of Sky Thunder Valley, causing various thoughts to surge in their minds.

As someone mentioned, the Refining Cloud Mountain disciple selection, though without an age limit, generally attracted younger participants, at most reaching the late stage of the Origin Seeking Realm like Li Gongnian.

While the Refining Cloud Mountain disciple selection focused on Meridian Refining Techniques, as seen in the first round of trials, higher Meridian Qi cultivation naturally provided an advantage. The participation of a powerhouse who reached the peak of the Origin Seeking Realm years ago was undoubtedly bad news for other contestants.