Chapter 262: The Truth Behind The Assessment

"Qingyi!" In the Starry Hall, Lu Ran exclaimed anxiously when she saw her son injured by the black bear. Even when Bai Qingyi managed to escape, the tension and worry in her heart hadn't decreased in the slightest.

"Calm down. Our son has the armor with him. He won't die easily." Bai Yunfeng comforted his wife, but a frown between his brows was evident. He, too, didn't expect the Heaven Profound Beast would appear at the perimeter area.

"What's going on, Senior Hong?" He turned to ask Hong Wuya, who calmly sat on the side.

Hong Wuya replied with a serious expression. "The academy is still investigating this. As we know, most of the profound beasts on our continent are influenced by Abyssal Poison. The Fallen Dragon Forest is no exception. Even though it is an isolated place, it couldn't escape from it."

He pointed at the black area that the surveillance formation could not capture. "As for why the high-level profound beasts are wandering in the outer area, it should have something to do with the existence that hiding in this place. If I'm not mistaken, there should be at least a Saint Profound Beast."

Bai Yunfeng's brows knitted together. His facial complexion turned severe. "Why did the academy insist on using this place for the assessment?" Although he was the patriarch of the Bai clan, it didn't mean he could understand everything.

Hong Wuya went silent for a moment before replying. "We have long known about Poison Valley's movement, but we choose to close one eye to them because it's not the time to act. Frozen Moon Palace's action months ago had completely interrupted our initial plan and also caused the Poison Valley to change their strategy." He looked straight into Bai Yunfeng's eyes and continued. "What if I tell you, all the Endless Sea Seven Lords are a part of Poison Valley?"

Bai Yunfeng, Bai Yun, and Lu Ran were shocked to the core upon hearing this. They, of course, knew more or less about Poison Valley, but this information was out of their scope. The renowned Endless Sea Seven Lords had always acted independently and had no sign of being allied. How could they suddenly become a part of Poison Valley?

Bai Yunfeng was the first to react. He instantly thought of a particular possibility. "So, the academy wants to find a good seeding through this?"

Hong Wuya nodded his head. "Correct. Principal Tian had estimated the Poison Valley would launch its next plan within the next ten years. Although Frozen Moon Palace had interrupted our plan, we still have to thank them for delaying Poison Valley further and giving us time to cultivate new talents. Now, the academy is looking for someone who has potential to fight with the Poison Valley."

Bai Yun and Lu Ran immediately understood everything. The reason why the academy insisted on using Fallen Dragon Forest as a stage was for this purpose. Anyone that could survive after this definitely had great potential, and this had also helped them accumulate the experience of confronting Abyssal Profound Beast ahead of time.

"Who is that young man?" Cai Xuwen's voice immediately brought everyone's attention back to Bai Qingyi. When they saw the handsome young man take Bai Qingyi away, they glanced at each other as though they wanted to ask if anyone knew this young man.

Cai Xuwen flipped through a small book in her hand and quickly said. "This young man's name is Tian Jiuyi. His background is unknown. He possesses a rare triplet attributes Profound Vein, Light, Metal, and Fire."

"Surname Tian? Could it be…" Bai Yunfeng was uncertain.

Hong Wuya said firmly. "Mhm. He should be the Principal's great-grandson. I didn't expect him to participate in this year's assessment."

Lu Ran was relieved when she discovered the identity of the young man. Though she could not guarantee Tian Jiuyi's personality, Principal Tian's character was unquestionable. She could only hope his great-grandson was the same as him.

"Don't worry. Look at him. He treats Qingyi very well. I don't think he would do something unscrupulous." Bai Yunfeng patted his wife's back.

Lu Ran nodded and continued to stare at Bai Qingyi's figure.

"I'm more curious about this person. Why do I feel there is something wrong with him?" At this moment, Bai Yun pointed at the man beside Peng Xiaowang, Yin Fei.

Hong Wuya shifted his gaze from Bai Qingyi to Yin Fei. His keen sense also discovered something suspicious about this person, but due to the distance, he could not make a confirmation.

"Who is him?" Hong Wuya turned to Cai Xuwen, and the latter quickly flipped through the book.

"Found it. His name is Yin Fei. Unknown background. Appeared in the divine city a week ago. There's nothing remarkable about his Profound Vein as well as his score in the first test." Cai Xuwen quickly replied.

"That's not right. His proficiency in a formation is not a joke. How could he be ordinary? Yang Chen almost fell in his hand a while ago. If it wasn't because of his abnormal battle prowess, he wouldn't be able to escape from that sinister formation." Bai Yun expressed his thought. Yin Fei's record was too ordinary to believe.

Everyone fell into silence, as they had no clue about Yin Fei. Meanwhile, Hong Wuya's eyes narrowed as he stared at Yin Fei, as though he had already figured out his identity.

***

After getting Dragon Grass, Yun Lintian hadn't reencountered any treasure or profound beast. He had traveled for an hour and thought he should find a place to stay, as it was getting dark now. 

He climbed into the top of a nearby tree and used his Spiritual Sense to check for a place to settle. All of a sudden, his pupils were constricted by the discovery, and a grin appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"As expected from a classic young master, this Peng Xiaowang is surely courting death." That was right. Yun Lintian had discovered Peng Xiaowang, and another young man moved in his direction.

Just as he was thinking about how to play with Peng Xiaowang, his Spiritual Sense subconsciously landed on the man on Peng Xiaowang's side. "Hmm?… Abyssal Energy?"