"Is it safe here, Ian?" After walking another dozen miles, Gavin Zhao turned to ask Ian Song.
Ian nodded.
"I'll stand guard for everyone. Use this time to rest and recover as much true qi as you can!" Gavin Zhao said to the group.
This was no time for politeness, so everyone sat cross-legged and began circulating their cultivation arts to restore true qi. In fact, Ian still had more than ninety percent of his true essence left, but he accepted Gavin's good intentions anyway.
After a brief rest, everyone recovered some true qi, ate their biscuits, and continued on their way.
Four hours later, the team was only thirty kilometers from the destination—just a little more effort and they'd be there.
Even better, the dense primeval forest ahead finally gave way to a stretch of green grassland.
After nearly ten hours of trekking through the jungle, everyone was in tatters, looking utterly bedraggled, and only had twenty to thirty percent of their true qi left.
So when they saw the grassland ahead, nearly everyone wanted to throw their heads back and cheer.
But when Ian saw the grassland, he couldn't help feeling a faint sense of unease.
"Keep moving! Let's try to reach the destination in one go!" Gavin Zhao waved his hand.
"Got it!"
Everyone responded, then quickly unleashed their movement skills and dashed forward.
Ian followed behind the group, but activated Clairvoyant Vision to scan the ground below.
One look—and his face changed dramatically. He shouted loudly to Elaine Zhao: "Elaine, dodge right!"
Elaine Zhao, mid-run, twisted her body and shifted three feet to the right.
Ssshh!
Just then, a green, triangular head shot out from beneath the grass like lightning. Its huge jaws opened, two rows of razor-sharp fangs snapping shut in midair.
Crunch!
The chilling sound of fangs slamming together.
Whoosh!
A flash of cold steel swept out, striking the green triangular head.
Ding!
It was like metal striking metal—the dagger bounced right off the creature's head.
At the same time, the green head quickly retreated underground and vanished.
"What was that?" Elaine Zhao asked, still shaken. If Ian hadn't warned her, she might have lost a leg to that thing.
Ian picked up the dagger from the ground and said slowly, "No idea. I've never heard of a monster like that before."
He then parted the grass to reveal a hidden hole—only the size of a bowl, cleverly concealed by the thick grass.
"What on earth is that thing?" Ray Zhao asked, a little shaken himself.
"Enough. Let's not study it any further—keep moving, but be careful!" Gavin Zhao said in a low voice.
"Wait!"
Ian called out.
With everyone watching, Ian spoke up: "If you trust me, let me lead the way. I can tell you that beneath this grassland, there are many more monsters just like that one."
Everyone's face changed dramatically at his words.
"Ian, I trust you. You lead the way!" Elaine Zhao was the first to speak up. Everything Ian had shown so far made her realize he was far from ordinary.
"I trust you too!" Gavin Zhao said next.
Ray Zhao was the third to agree, Derek Zhao the fourth.
As for Kevin Zhao, whether he agreed or not didn't matter anymore.
"Alright, everyone, follow me!"
Ian didn't waste any time. He activated his movement technique and sped ahead. As they advanced, they spotted members of other teams.
Unlike Ian's team, those other groups were moving much more slowly, as if wary of something.
When they saw Ian's group speeding past, they stared in surprise, then sneered: "Fools—running that fast, you'll get killed by the monsters under the grass sooner or later!"
Hearing the mockery, Ian's team kept quiet, but several of them glanced gratefully at Ian leading the way.
If it weren't for Ian, they'd be creeping along at the back just like those other teams.
There were no obstacles on the grassland, so even after taking a detour, Ian's team arrived at the destination eighty minutes ahead of schedule.
Unfortunately, a few people had arrived even earlier—just over twenty in total.
The destination was a military camp. In the middle of the wide plaza stood a flagpole flying the national flag.
On the map, the finish line was marked by that flag.
Ian noticed that among the twenty or so who arrived first, two were dressed neatly. Using Clairvoyant Vision to check their cultivation, he saw that both were powerful masters at the Innate Seventh Layer.
But keeping their clothes clean had taken a toll—both the man and woman were quietly recovering their strength.
As for the rest, they looked just like Ian's group—tattered and exhausted.
"I'm exhausted! I need a break!"
Derek Zhao plopped down on the ground, breathing heavily.
"Derek, get up—don't embarrass the Zhao Family. Look, no one else is sitting on the ground," Gavin Zhao whispered.
Derek glanced around and realized no one else was sitting so casually. Embarrassed, he quickly stood up.
About five minutes later, Kyle “Madman” Lee arrived, looking ragged and leading eight Innate martial artists. His gaze locked onto Ian and didn’t budge.
He strode over, glaring at Ian and gritting his teeth. "I can't believe you actually dared to show up!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Ian replied calmly.
Kyle Lee's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Good! Very good! This time, you won't leave this trial alive!"
"Is that so?" Ian smiled indifferently, refusing to argue.
Suddenly, Kyle Lee swept his gaze over the five members of the Zhao family and threatened, "You’re with the Zhao Family, right? Let me give you a piece of advice—stay away from this kid. If you lose your lives, don’t say I didn’t warn you!"
"Kyle Lee, don’t you think you’re being a bit much?" Gavin Zhao frowned.
"What, you got a problem with that?" Kyle Lee sneered. The eight Innate martial artists behind him unleashed powerful auras, their cold eyes sweeping over Gavin Zhao's group.
Five were Innate Sixth Layer, three were Innate Fifth Layer, and with Kyle Lee—whose strength rivaled the Sixth Layer despite being officially Fifth—that made six at the Innate Sixth Layer.
For a moment, Gavin Zhao and the others turned pale.
If Kyle Lee really targeted them, they could be wiped out in this trial.
"I've given you my warning. Whether you listen is up to you. Just don't regret it when you're dying—it'll be too late!"
With that arrogant threat, Kyle Lee led his eight men aside to recover their energy—they’d burned plenty of true qi on the way here.
Meanwhile, on Ian’s side...
Kevin Zhao and Derek Zhao quickly distanced themselves from Ian, clearly intimidated by Kyle Lee’s threats and trying to disassociate from Ian.
"How could you do that?"
Seeing this, Elaine Zhao was furious. If it weren’t for Ian, they wouldn’t have reached the finish line early—or maybe even completed the task at all!