Night fell, and the cries of birds and beasts rang out. Amidst the fierce competition among the candidates, the first day flew by in a flash.
With Tang Yi's help, the team of North District candidates gradually grew, and their battle record was outstanding.
They had eliminated a total of 263 candidates from the Three Major Zones. Among them were quite a few powerful individuals—talented candidates who were considered top-tier in their respective zones.
If those talented candidates from the Three Major Zones hadn't run into Tang Yi, they might have not only successfully entered the West Mansion on their own merits, but also achieved impressive scores.
But unfortunately for them, these candidates from the Three Major Zones ran out of luck. They encountered the one person they should have avoided at all costs—and to make matters worse, he was from the very North District they so despised!
In addition to eliminating over 200 candidates from the Three Major Zones, Tang Yi also led the North District candidates in slaying a significant number of Level 4 Demon Beasts. When the spoils were divided, everyone walked away with a considerable haul.
Meanwhile, Tang Yi himself had single-handedly taken down three Level 5 Demon Beasts!
A Level 5 Demon Beast was even stronger than an ordinary Battle King. Other teams of candidates needed dozens, or even hundreds, of members just to challenge one. To actually kill one, they would have to pay a price in countless lives.
The price of the challenge was immense. Faced with such a terrifying existence, what team of candidates wouldn't choose to steer clear?
And yet, Tang Yi had effortlessly slain three of these terrifying creatures!
In front of Tang Yi, a Level 5 Demon Beast was as helpless as a chicken. It had no power to retaliate and could only be overwhelmed by him before meeting its tragic end.
If he had only run into more, there's no doubt that even more Level 5 Demon Beasts would have fallen at his hands...
After a day of fierce fighting, Tang Yi had reaped a vast amount of Experience Value. However, the experience required to level up was enormous, and he was still just a little short of becoming a Six-star Battle King.
All in all, the gains from the first day of the House Entrance Examination were immense. The only downside was that Tang Yi hadn't found Mu Xianling, Tang Piaomiao, Tang Baijie, or Tang Shu... and he had only run into thirty other candidates from the North District.
Of course, considering the numbers, only seven hundred and twenty candidates from the North District had entered this House Entrance Examination to begin with. After the attack by the Heaven-Devouring Thief, their numbers had dwindled to around five hundred. Compared to the nearly three thousand candidates from each of the Three Major Zones, the North District's contingent was pitifully small—only one-sixth the size. In a place as vast as the Little Extreme Sacred Land, running into thirty of them was already considered incredibly lucky.
The system quest Tang Yi had received required him to help thirty or more North District candidates enter the West Mansion.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, all Tang Yi had to do now was lead these thirty candidates to hunt some Demon Beasts and keep them alive to successfully complete the system quest.
However, Tang Yi wasn't satisfied with just that. He had promised Elder Lu that he would help the North District candidates enter the West Mansion. That meant he had to give it his all and achieve the best possible outcome. Helping a mere thirty candidates wasn't enough!
That wasn't Tang Yi's style! He either didn't do something at all, or he did it to perfection.
Of course, this was only the first day of the House Entrance Examination. Tang Yi was confident that he would have even greater gains in the days to come.
... The candidates spent the first night of the examination in a state of both excitement and terror.
Nighttime in any Demon Beast Forest was always the most terrifying. Dangers lurked everywhere in the pitch-black darkness.
At night, all the teams would hunker down, arranging for members to take turns on watch to guard against sneak attacks from Demon Beasts. No one dared to travel after dark, and the North District team with Tang Yi was no exception.
Of course, if Tang Yi were alone, traveling at night would be no different for him than traveling during the day. After all, he possessed the Celestial Eye Technique and was immensely powerful; no Demon Beast could pose a threat to him.
But the other North District candidates couldn't do the same. Even Tang Yi wasn't confident he could protect all the North District candidates if they traveled at night. It was pitch-black all around, and there was no telling what dangers might emerge from the darkness.
Therefore, the North District team Tang Yi led was no different from any other. They made camp and arranged for a rotating night watch.
Back at the Dui Palace Double Embrace Square, the various Palace Masters, Elders, and West Mansion Disciples watching the House Entrance Examination would also disperse for the night, planning to return the next day.
After all, there was no point in staying. The Light Curtain was completely dark, showing them nothing.
Thus, whether in the West Mansion or the Little Extreme Sacred Land, nighttime was a time for rest...
However... Some people were different. While others rested, they became even more active, completely disregarding the danger.
「Somewhere in the Little Extreme Sacred Land.」
"Who's there!"
At the encampment of a team of a dozen or so candidates, the one on night watch was yawning, fighting off sleep. Just then, a Shadow flashed through the air. Spotting the Black Shadow, the watchman hurriedly rubbed his eyes, forcing himself awake, and then shouted.
"ARGH!"
However, before the watchman could react further, a flash of sword light streaked out and slit his throat. He let out a final, wretched cry before collapsing into a pool of his own blood.
"Who is it? Who's attacking us?"
Although the watchman hadn't been able to do more, his shout and pained scream had served as a warning, jolting the other candidates in the team awake.
The candidates scrambled to their feet, gripping their Weapons tightly as they scanned their surroundings for any sign of the enemy.
But no matter how hard they looked, their surroundings were eerily silent. There was nothing—only the grisly corpse of their watchman lying in a pool of blood.
The atmosphere instantly became terrifying. The unknown is always the most terrifying.
In the pitch-black, silent surroundings, facing the unknown entity that had killed their watchman, every candidate in the team began to tremble with fear.
Just then, several more flashes of sword light cut through the darkness. They were incredibly Swift and carried an unparalleled might.
SHNK! SHNK! SHNK! With a few soft sounds of blades slicing through flesh, all dozen or so candidates in the team were killed on the spot, just like their watchman. They didn't even have time to scream.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! After all dozen or so candidates in the team were dead, a Black Shadow landed, followed moments later by another.
"As expected of our Captain Hex. Your movements are as sharp as ever," the second Black Shadow to land remarked with a click of their tongue.
"Xiaofu, have you learned to flatter now, too? I actually slipped up just now. If I hadn't, that watchman wouldn't have even managed a warning cry," the first Black Shadow said with a hint of regret.
As the Moonlight shone upon them, the two Black Shadows' true faces were revealed.
That's right. These two Black Shadows were none other than Hex Anmin and Xiaofu, the pair who had infiltrated the ranks of the West District candidates.

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