The four wielded their staffs and struck toward Evan Yang.
Evan Yang smiled, "Too slow." With a flicker, he appeared behind one, struck his back, and knocked him down along with his staff.
The remaining three were shocked, but before they could react, another was struck down. The last two hurriedly locked down their surroundings.
Even so, Evan Yang defeated the last two one by one.
Once the four fell, they vanished, leaving a voice behind: "Passed."
"Passed? That easy?" Evan Yang murmured to himself.
Evan Yang reappeared in front of the mountain. The captain asked, "You failed?" The surrounding people all showed mocking expressions.
"This human is useless, only lasted a moment before being beaten out," a cultivator laughed. Others pointed and mocked as well.
The captain was stunned when he got the news: "You passed."
These simple words silenced the mocking crowd. They could hardly believe Evan Yang had passed so quickly—it was the fastest they had ever seen, and this Trial Mountain generates different opponents for each entrant.
It wasn't just the others—even Elder Marcus Whitebeard who sent Evan Yang didn't realize how much Evan's performance exceeded his expectations.
Evan Yang didn't mind—he felt those four were simple, their cultivation about the same as his. He was so fast they couldn't react.
Before breaking through to Soul-Gathering, Evan Yang could only use Phantom Eight Steps. Now, with Phantom Ten Steps and his Sky-Soaring Boots, his speed was twenty times normal. After training under hundredfold gravity, now in a place with only normal gravity, his speed was even more enhanced.
At this moment, he could unleash more than twenty, even thirty times the speed of an ordinary Soul-Gathering cultivator.
When facing an equal opponent, Evan Yang at his maximum speed—thirty times—was almost invisible, only leaving afterimages. The four didn't even get a chance to attack before being knocked down.
Elder Marcus Whitebeard thought Evan Yang's speed was at most double, not realizing Evan had his own footwork and Sky-Soaring Boots. His worries were unnecessary—even against Soul-Gathering Great Completion, Evan's speed was enough to compete, though his attack power couldn't defeat someone three realms higher.
Evan Yang was most pleased that both his footwork speed and attack speed had improved.
As everyone pointed and whispered about this strange, extraordinary figure, Nina Ye came out from inside.
When she came out, her clothes were torn in many places.
"You finally came out," Evan Yang said with a smile.
"You passed too?" Nina Ye asked, smiling as she saw Evan Yang, then looked at their torn clothes and felt a bit frustrated.
The captain, seeing both had passed, took out a token and said, "Here, this is a Pass Token. If anyone checks you, just show this."
"Thank you." Evan Yang and Nina Ye each accepted a Pass Token. On the front was engraved "Fiend Realm," and on the back a swirl of black mist—its meaning unknown.
"We'll be going now, but let me remind you again—you must leave within three months. If not, whatever happens is not our responsibility." With that, he left with his men.
The surrounding people kept pointing and whispering about Evan Yang. Nina Ye, curious, asked, "Why is everyone looking at you?"
"It's nothing. It was like this as soon as I came out," Evan Yang said with a smile.
Nina Ye looked at the people and then at Evan Yang, feeling that something must have happened before she came out.
"I wonder why the Elder sent us here," Evan Yang said, looking at the strange scenery filled with red, blue, and black.
"Who cares? It was boring with him anyway. It's more fun in a new place like this. Later I can brag that I visited a place beyond the Human World," Nina Ye said, laughing.
"Since we have three months, let's see what this Fiend Realm is really like," Evan Yang said. He felt it would be a waste to leave right away, so he planned to explore with Nina Ye.
Nina Ye shyly stepped out of the changing room, her simple Daoist robe paired with a bright red skirt. Evan Yang couldn’t help but burst into laughter, stammering, "You, you..."
Nina Ye frowned, feeling a bit frustrated. "Does it look that bad?" she asked, glancing at herself.
Evan Yang managed to restrain his smile, replying, "It's fine, it'll do for now."
If not for being in this strange realm, Nina Ye would never have worn such an outfit. Reluctantly, she bought several sets, and Evan Yang did the same. Thankfully, the shop accepted crystal-source currency.
After spending some crystal-source currency, Evan Yang and Nina Ye left the clothing shop together.
At first, both felt awkward in their new clothes, but once the locals stopped staring, they gradually adapted to the change.
Evan Yang smiled, "Changing clothes really makes us blend in. People really do depend on their clothes."
Nina Ye nodded, though she still felt conflicted about the bright red outfit.
Seeing Nina Ye fall silent, Evan Yang glanced around and suggested, "Let's find an inn and learn more about the Fiend Realm."
Nina Ye agreed, "Alright, let's go."
With renewed interest, Nina Ye followed Evan Yang to the nearest inn.
Inside, they looked over the menu, stunned to find it was all meat, each dish with unfamiliar names.
Curious, Nina Ye asked the waiter, "What kind of meat is this?"
The waiter smiled, "Is this your first time eating meat here?"
Nina Ye admitted, "Yes, it's my first time." Evan Yang let her order while he listened for information from the locals.
The waiter explained enthusiastically, "All the meat comes from powerful fiend beasts native to the Fiend Realm. For cultivators, it's extremely nourishing. Even ordinary people who eat it can extend their lifespans."
Nina Ye wondered if fiend beast meat was similar to spirit beast meat from the Human World. Though uneasy, she ordered a few dishes with relatively mild-sounding names.
The waiter frowned at Nina Ye's choices, then glanced at Evan Yang and smiled. "Alright, I'll bring your food right away."
Evan Yang asked Nina Ye what she ordered. She listed them: green meat, vegetable meat, hundred-flower meat, and dew meat. The names sounded strange, but she explained that the others were even more bizarre.