"What's so interesting about the third trial?" the woman said.
"Of course there is! We watched the first and second rounds, so why not the third? Now there are only a dozen or so people left—it’s bound to be interesting," Noel Water said.
"Just take him along. This third trial should be your last, right?" said the man in the wheelchair.
The woman nodded. "That's right, it's already the final trial. Whoever wins should be the one."
"Let's all go," said the man in the wheelchair. Noel Water laughed, "Second Uncle is always the best. Come on, let's head over, it's about to start."
The woman helplessly kept holding the little boy, while the man in the wheelchair rolled himself forward. The three left the platform together.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang and the others were brought beneath the Crystal Palace. Soon after, a teleportation array transported everyone directly into the palace itself. In a room, not only Evan and a dozen others gathered, but even more people appeared.
"This is so unfair," Kevin Chance muttered as soon as he saw the scene.
"What's going on?" Evan asked, puzzled.
"See those people? They're all young masters from various families in this region. They got in through special channels. Looks like they're joining the third trial with us," Kevin explained.
"So that's how it is," Evan said, scanning the room. There were five newcomers, plus Evan and his group, making exactly twenty contestants.
The five newcomers glanced at Evan and the others, gave a disdainful look, and stopped talking.
After a while, the guide spoke to everyone: "You twenty will now take on the third trial. If you pass, you'll get to meet Lady Selena. You should know what that means."
Everyone was thrilled at the chance to meet Lady Selena, but Evan felt indifferent.
On the other side of the room, there was a glass wall that allowed observers to see inside, though Evan and the others couldn't see through it. Behind the glass were several people: the woman, the man in the wheelchair, and the little boy Noel Water.
"Aunt, why are there five extra people?" Noel Water asked, confused.
"There's no helping it. Those people insisted on coming, and your grandfather wanted to see for himself, so they were allowed in. But don't worry, they don't have the skill to clear the third trial," the woman said.
"That's good. Just looking at them, you can tell they're not good people," Noel Water said.
The woman smiled but said nothing more. The man in the wheelchair looked at Evan with a strange expression, muttering to himself, "His eyes... why do they look so familiar? Is it because I hate him so much that even a beggar reminds me of his gaze?"
Evan had no idea what was happening on the other side; he was just waiting for the third trial. The guide announced, "Alright, get ready for the third trial. It's simple: here are twenty beasts, all with broken legs caused in a very special way—not just ordinary injuries. Whoever heals a beast's leg first and ensures it's fully healthy wins."
When everyone heard the trial was to heal a beast, the aristocratic juniors found it laughable. But those who had already passed the second trial knew how important every opportunity was, so they got to work immediately.
Seeing the others start, the noble juniors quickly joined in. It was obvious they had come prepared, pulling out special medicines and unique methods to treat the beasts.
Evan, seeing everyone begin, also stepped forward to examine his beast.
Behind the glass, Noel Water fumed, "This is so unfair. How come those guys all act like they knew what was coming?"
"Looks like they got insider info. They're all prepared. But even so, if they really had the skill, they'd have shown it earlier. Why wait until now?" the woman sneered.
"So shameless," Noel Water grumbled, unhappy.
"Enough, let's keep watching. I hope we can find that person," the woman said.
"Who are you looking for?" Noel Water asked, confused.
"You'll know soon enough," the woman replied.
Noel Water glanced at the woman and the man, then kept watching Evan and the others through the glass. At this moment, Evan was checking the animal's body. He found the leg was indeed broken, and badly so. Regular medicine or treatment wouldn't work, because a strange force—fire attribute—was locked at the joint.
That fire attribute lingered in the leg and couldn't be forced out. Any medicine that reached the spot would either bounce off or be burned away. Worse, the wound was fused to the site. Even cutting off and regrowing the leg wouldn't help. On top of that, the fire energy had spread throughout the body. If the patient was fire-aligned, it could be expelled, but for other attributes, it would be a disaster.
Faced with this, Evan could only absorb the fire energy from within, but he had to heal as he went, or else unpredictable changes could occur.
So, all twenty contestants tried different methods. Some attempted to absorb the fire energy, but when they did, the beast would suddenly go berserk and die on the spot.
One by one, the beasts died. In the end, only eight contestants remained: Evan, Kevin Chance, and six others—five of them the noble juniors, and one who had come in with Evan's group.
As time passed, five more beasts died, leaving only Evan, Kevin, and one other with living beasts.
Not only that, but all three beasts began to recover. In the end, the surviving beasts were full of energy, and all three finished at the same time.
Seeing three winners, the guide was surprised. Even the woman and man behind the glass hadn't expected it.
"Hey, kid, you're not lazy at all. You actually pulled it off," Kevin said with a laugh. Evan smiled, "You're not bad yourself."
The other contestant looked at them with disgust and muttered, "People like you shouldn't even be here. What a disgrace."
"Who are you calling a disgrace?" Kevin said.
"I'm talking about you. You two should just leave. No matter what, you're bound to lose," the man sneered.
"North Clan, you really think you're so strong? Don't act like you're invincible," Kevin laughed.
"Kevin, I'm not going to argue with you. Anyway, you two will never get into the Water Clan," the man said with a smile.
Evan was surprised they knew each other. Curious, he examined the other two spirit beasts. Kevin's beast was fine—almost fully healed. But when Evan checked the man's beast, he sensed something wrong: there was demonic qi inside. Ever since the Territory War Contest and his encounter with the Devil Realm emissary, Evan had become highly sensitive to demonic qi. If it's within range, he can detect it clearly.
So Evan spoke up without hesitation, "Stop arguing. There's something wrong with this beast." "Something wrong? I think you're the problem, you filthy beggar. Are you just looking for trouble?" the North Clan man snapped.
Kevin laughed at Evan's comment. "If there's a problem, just check it. Go on, have the guide take a good look."
The guide had no idea what the issue was. After checking, he said suspiciously, "There's nothing wrong." "Kid, who are you anyway? Why say there's a problem? If you don't give me an explanation, I, Gavin North, won't let this go," the man snorted.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is your method. If it's a beast, your technique will keep it alive for a while, but it'll die soon. If it's a cultivator, they might last tens of thousands of years before eventually falling into qi deviation and madness," Evan said.
"A beast dies? A cultivator goes mad? Ridiculous! Don't talk nonsense," Gavin North scoffed, though inwardly he was shaken, unsure how Evan had discovered it.
Behind the glass, the woman and man were shocked by Evan's words. She immediately ordered a thorough inspection. As the guide hesitated, someone walked in from outside. "Let me check," he said.
This newcomer had a powerful cultivation. Evan judged from his aura that he was at least at the peak Emperor Realm.
The man picked up the beast and examined it carefully. At first, he found nothing, so he asked, "Young man, what did you mean by your earlier comment?" "He's just slandering me, Senior. Don't listen to him," Gavin North protested.
Kevin grew worried as even the expert couldn't find anything. Behind the glass, the woman muttered, "Could Evan be making things up?"
Noel Water said, "No way. Big brother wouldn't lie—there's definitely a problem."
"Young man, if you're making things up, I can't help you. Your qualification will be revoked," the expert warned Evan.
Gavin North knew the expert's status—his word carried the most weight here. Evan explained, "This beast has residual demonic qi inside. It was treated with a demonic healing art, which is why it's like this. Right now, it's hard to see, but over time, the hidden demonic qi will slowly spread. If a cultivator is treated this way, they could eventually fall into qi deviation."
His words shocked everyone present. The woman was so agitated that she put Noel Water down. If true, it meant someone was deliberately harming her clan, and she was furious.
Noel Water said, "I knew it! There's no way their clan could heal so miraculously. They must've used some shady method."
Gavin North, exposed but not stupid, refused to admit anything. "That's nonsense, stop making things up!" he said.