The bell rang once.The entire battlefield fell silent.Twenty-five disciples had entered the beast territory.Now only those who had survived the previous stages remained, and every one of them understood what the bell meant.Another trial had begun.Sawyer stood at the center of the clearing with Wang and Chi beside him.Across from them stood three disciples.Kael Draven.Marcus Rell.Lucian Veyr.The three men looked nothing like the arrogant newcomers Sawyer had faced when he first entered Moon Brim Sect.Their clothes were clean.Their weapons were polished.Their expressions were calm.They had the confidence of people who had won far more battles than they had lost.Kael carried a broad saber across his shoulder.Marcus wore heavy gauntlets that covered both hands.Lucian held a narrow silver sword loosely at his side.The examiner stood between the two groups."Victory will be determined when one side can no longer continue."He paused."No outside interference."The surround

The horn sounded before sunrise.Every surviving disciple knew what it meant.The final stage had begun.Somewhere within the beast territory, a single golden token had been placed. Whoever reached it, claimed it, and returned to the designated boundary before the final bell would qualify.Everyone else would be eliminated.Sawyer opened his eyes beneath the ancient tree.His wounds had been treated, but pain still pulsed through his side whenever he moved.Wang was already awake."Can you walk?"Sawyer pushed himself upright."Yes."Chi looked at him skeptically."You said that yesterday.""I walked yesterday.""You were carried yesterday."Wang laughed.Sawyer ignored them and stood.His body protested immediately.He steadied himself against the tree.The final token was somewhere ahead.There was no time to rest.They left the clearing together.The forest was already filled with movement.Surviving disciples raced between the trees, following different paths toward the center of

The celebration lasted less than an hour before the first challenge arrived.Sawyer had barely left the ranking plaza when a figure stepped into his path. The surrounding disciples immediately recognized him, and the conversations around them died one after another."Seventh place."The young man looked at Sawyer from head to toe, his expression carrying no admiration."You've climbed quickly."Sawyer stopped."So?"The disciple smiled coldly."So I want your position."Wang immediately moved forward, but Sawyer raised a hand."Wait."The disciple's eyes narrowed."You don't look nervous.""I don't see a reason to be."The man's smile disappeared.His name was Darius Vane, an elite Outer Disciple who had ranked eleventh after the latest assessment. He had been one of the disciples expected to break into the top ten before Sawyer's sudden rise pushed him down."You took seventh from people who spent years earning their positions."Sawyer looked at the ranking monument behind him."I di

Kael's spear came toward Sawyer's chest with enough force to split the air. Sawyer did not retreat this time; he stepped toward the attack, his eyes fixed on the weapon rather than the man wielding it.The Azure Serpent Spear twisted through its familiar sequence, sweeping from one side before reversing toward Sawyer's ribs. Sawyer waited until the precise instant when Kael's hands shifted position, then moved inside the weapon's range.His fist struck Kael's wrist.The spearhead veered away from its intended target, missing Sawyer by inches. Before Kael could recover, Sawyer drove his shoulder into the young man's chest and forced him several steps backward.The crowd erupted in surprise.Kael steadied himself and stared at Sawyer with a completely different expression. The confidence that had filled his eyes at the beginning of the match had been replaced by sharp concentration."You found the weakness," Kael said.Sawyer raised his guard. "I found a weakness in the transition."Kae

The insult landed harder than the punch.Wang had already taken three blows to the chest when his opponent laughed and looked toward the edge of the arena."Is this the best the Three Mad Disciples can offer?"Wang wiped the blood from his mouth.His opponent, Darius Vane, rolled his shoulders and smiled."I expected more from Sawyer's little followers."Wang's grip tightened around his spear.Darius glanced toward Chi."The girl isn't much better."Then his eyes returned to Wang."And you? You're just the loud one."The crowd laughed.Wang's breathing changed.Sawyer noticed immediately."He's trying to provoke you," Sawyer called from outside the arena.Wang heard him.But Darius wasn't finished."I heard Sawyer had to teach you how to fight."His smile widened."Perhaps he should have spent more time teaching you how to think."Wang's eyes hardened.Darius chuckled."As for Chi, she spends half her battles running around like a frightened rabbit."Chi's expression remained calm.Wa