"Indeed!"

Su Xuan curved the corners of his lips and took several steps back.

THUMP!

The General Shi Jia, with the Fire Spirit Sword piercing through his chest, bent his knees and knelt on the ground. Then, the ferocious Undying Earth Fire spread wildly over his body, quickly turning him into a blackened wooden carving.

WHEW!

The Trialists clinging to the pit walls immediately let out a sigh of relief. Then, cheers erupted all around!

"Gu Banye is mighty!"

"He killed that monster without breaking a sweat!"

"Who would've thought Gu Banye is actually at the Middle Stage of the Longevity Realm! We are in awe!"

"Thank you, Gu Banye, for lending your aid once again!"

"We will never forget this for the rest of our lives!"

Su Xuan regarded the shouting crowd with indifference. Just as he was about to turn and fly towards the pit's walls, he suddenly paused. Instead, he grabbed the broadsword from the General Shi Jia's hand, pursed his lips, and said two words, "What a pity."

It was simply because he had notched the broadsword, making it imperfect.

It was at the very moment he got hold of the broadsword that a series of system notifications suddenly resounded in his mind.

DING. Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a treasured artifact!

DING. Rewarding the Host with the divine skill—Bodhisattva Upside-Down Sitting!

DING. Progress for the third stage mission is 4/10.

Su Xuan blinked happily.

This notched broadsword really is a treasured artifact! I was even rewarded with a divine skill for it! Excellent, excellent! Covering for those Trialists wasn't for nothing; I reaped a great reward after all! I just wonder how powerful this Bodhisattva Upside-Down Sitting technique is? It's a pity General Shi Jia is dead, leaving no one to practice on.

He was also happy about another matter. Since his Ruyi Staff could notch the broadsword of a General Shi Jia, it must certainly be a treasure among treasures!

THUD! THUD!

THUD! THUD!

Just then, a series of disturbances suddenly came from beneath the ground, and the earth shook incessantly as if an earthquake was occurring!

BOOM!

Immediately, dirt flew into the air!

Another General Shi Jia burst forth from the ground!

"Another one?!"

Su Xuan's mouth gaped open, but his expression wasn't one of distress; rather, it was filled with anticipation!

I was just thinking I had no one to test my new technique on! Isn't this one serving himself up on a platter?

THUD! THUD!

Immediately following, yet another General Shi Jia emerged from the soil!

The auras exuded by these two General Shi Jias were even more terrifying, far surpassing the first one! Not only that, but after the two of them appeared, numerous Armored Zombie Soldiers also followed suit, emerging from the earth like ants tunneling out of the ground!

The atmosphere at the bottom of the pit became instantly oppressive!

HISS! HISS! HISS!

Seeing this, the Trialists on the pit walls gasped. The more timid among them didn't dare to stay put and began using all their strength to climb up rapidly!

"Cowards!"

Suddenly, a brutish-faced man sneered in disdain at those fleeing. He let go, dropped from the pit wall to the bottom, and, holding a simple knife, called out loudly to Su Xuan, "Gu Banye, I am Niu Dabiao from Baihe's Tiger Head Gang, here to lend you a hand!"

THUD!

Before his words had even faded, another person fell from the pit wall. It was a skinny old man.

"Zhao Tongpu of the Jin Gong Sect, here to lend Gu Banye a hand!"

The old man cupped his fists toward Su Xuan, holding a smoking pipe before him, which was clearly his weapon.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

With these two leading the way, one person after another dropped from the pit wall to the bottom, each announcing their name and affiliation. Their primary reason for doing so was to make a name for themselves and to have Su Xuan remember them—if they died, at least they wouldn't die in obscurity.

"Everyone, be careful," Su Xuan returned their salute with a cupped fist, then his figure flickered as he attacked one of the General Shi Jias!

You guys really don't need to help! he grumbled to himself.

"Kill!"

"We have to kill these rotten things to get out of here!"

"Don't hold Gu Banye back! Fight!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The cries of battle instantly echoed throughout the bottom of the pit! The men's palpable fighting spirit filled the air!

Men truly are strange creatures. The atmosphere was instantly fired up by their battle cries, and some who had planned to continue fleeing were infected by the fervor. They turned around, dropped to the bottom of the pit, and charged at the Armored Zombie Soldiers!

If they won this battle, they would become famous overnight!

If they lost, it was no great tragedy!

After all, they had Gu Banye with them! It was no loss either way!

The Trialists, who were originally on guard against each other due to the unspoken rules of this trial, had come together in unprecedented solidarity!

BOOM!

Su Xuan was suddenly sent flying backward, stumbling as he landed on the ground.

Logically, having improved his cultivation, he should have been able to handle one General Shi Jia. So why was this happening? It was because the enemy wasn't giving him the chance for a one-on-one fight. The two General Shi Jias had instantly lined up side-by-side and attacked him together!

Both of them possessed the combat power of the Middle Stage of the Longevity Realm. Su Xuan found it difficult to face their assault head-on!

Su Xuan didn't immediately use his new technique. He wanted to get a feel for his rapidly improved cultivation first. Besides, with the Trialists mixed in among the enemy, a technique that was too powerful might accidentally injure them, which would be bad.

"Mere mortal!"

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

The two General Shi Jias gave Su Xuan no chance to catch his breath, swinging their greatswords in unison as they thundered toward him!

"Boss, maybe you should retreat first?"

At this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared by Su Xuan's side.

"What are you doing back here?" Su Xuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry upon seeing the figure. "Aren't you supposed to be watching Zhu Hongyun?"

The person was none other than Wuba.

Wuba had hung Zhu Hongyun on the pit wall and come to Su Xuan's side alone. He wasn't entirely there to support Su Xuan; seeing Su Xuan at a disadvantage, he had intended to persuade him to abandon the other Trialists and flee.

"In this old man's heart…" Wuba's eyes suddenly revealed fervent determination, and he said in a resonant voice, "the Boss is as important as my young master!"

This wasn't flattery. It was genuinely from the heart. Su Xuan is a true powerhouse at the Middle Stage of the Longevity Realm! And the ease with which he broke through was something I've never seen in my entire life. Given time, as long as he doesn't die prematurely, Su Xuan will inevitably become a hegemon of the mountain world. If I can follow such a genius, my own future will surely be a smooth road! Why do I still need to live under the Zhu Family's roof?

"Step back!"

In the blink of an eye, the two General Shi Jias had closed in. Su Xuan waved a hand to push Wuba aside and swept his Ruyi Staff low to strike at the horses' legs!

But this move was only a feint!

Taking advantage of the moment the General Shi Jias reined in their mounts, he floated backward until his back was against the cliff, with nowhere left to retreat!

At the same time, he shouted to the Trialists, who were embroiled in battle with the Armored Zombie Soldiers and were beginning to sustain casualties:

"Everyone, fall back!"

"I'm about to use my ultimate move!"

The Trialists were stunned.

*"What? You haven't reached your limit yet? You were still holding back? You can still use an ultimate move?"*

With no time to think, the Trialists immediately disengaged and retreated in all directions!

Su Xuan suddenly sat down cross-legged, placing the Ruyi Staff across his knees.

He murmured:

"Ask the Bodhisattva why he sits facing backward."

"He sighs, for the people will not turn their heads."

A giant illusion of a Bodhisattva instantly appeared above Su Xuan's head!

The Bodhisattva was sitting upside-down...

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