The young elite targeted by Ling Chong was by no means weak. His cultivation had already reached the third level of the Xiantian Realm. Yet even with such strength, he was completely unable to respond to Ling Chong’s sudden assault.
Ling Chong’s speed was simply too terrifying. The distance of several hundred meters vanished in the blink of an eye. In a single breath, he appeared before his target and drove a brutal straight punch forward.
Bang.
The young elite’s protective qi shattered instantly, offering no resistance at all. The punch slammed heavily into his abdomen.
"Wah..."
Agony twisted across the young man’s face. His body bent forward uncontrollably, folding like a shrimp under the force. With a choked cry, a streak of fresh blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Useless trash. Hand over your contribution points," Ling Chong said coldly.
He tilted his head slightly, easily avoiding the spray of blood, while a cruel smile crept onto his lips. Without pausing, he struck again. His palms shot out like lightning. One palm smashed into the young elite’s shoulder, while the other seized the Martial Ascension token hanging at his waist.
From start to finish, the young elite never had the chance to react. Forget counterattacking. He was completely overwhelmed, sent flying by Ling Chong’s blows, and stripped of his Martial Ascension token in the same instant.
"Haha, hunting new disciples really is a profitable job," Ling Chong laughed loudly after checking the token. "Just dealing with one piece of trash earns me more contribution points than completing a sect mission."
Seeing that the token contained more than sixty thousand contribution points, his laughter grew even louder. Following the rules without the slightest hesitation, he directly took half of the contribution points and then casually tossed the token back.
The moment the points were seized, a layer of light spread from the Martial Ascension token and wrapped around the injured young elite. In the next instant, a flash of light erupted, and his figure vanished completely.
According to the rules of the Martial Ascension Gate, any disciple who loses contribution points to a senior disciple during this Senior Brother Raid is immediately expelled from the Eternal Sky Secret Realm, marking the end of their trial.
Ling Chong turned his gaze back toward the surrounding crowd. His eyes burned with naked greed as he licked his lips and let out a low, excited laugh.
"Hehe, there are still so many fat sheep left. It looks like I will harvest an enormous amount of contribution points this time."
Seeing a young elite at the third level of the Xiantian Realm rendered completely helpless before Ling Chong, shock spread across the faces of everyone present.
"Even though there are many of us, we are scattered and disorganized. Zhang Lang and the other Martial Ascension Gate disciples may be few in number, but every one of them is terrifying in battle. If fighting truly breaks out, we will never be able to match them one by one. Only by uniting can we protect the contribution points we have worked so hard to obtain."
Li Yun’s gaze sharpened as he turned toward Ye Beichen, Zhu Ximen, and Lu Changsan. His voice was low and steady as he continued, "I believe you all understand how strong they are. If we fight separately, none of us will avoid having our contribution points taken today. The only way out is to join forces. How about we set aside our grudges for now and stand together against them?"
"I agree," Zhu Ximen and Han Lingxue replied almost immediately, nodding without hesitation.
"I agree as well."
After a brief pause, even Lu Changsan nodded.
Despite his deep hostility toward Li Yun, Lu Changsan was not blind. With such a formidable enemy standing before them, continuing their internal conflict would only lead to the same fate as the young elite who had just been expelled.
Being slaughtered like livestock was an outcome his pride could never accept. Reluctantly, he chose to suppress his personal resentment and unite against the greater threat.
"Good."
Ye Beichen also nodded. Though proud, he was not reckless. He understood clearly that facing Zhang Lang and the Martial Ascension Gate inner disciples alone would end in certain defeat.
Just as Li Yun and the others were preparing to stand together, Zhang Lang spoke again, his tone calm yet dismissive. "I advise you to give up now. Even if you join forces, you will not be our match. It would be wiser to hand over your contribution points willingly and spare yourselves unnecessary suffering."
Li Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he met Zhang Lang’s gaze. His voice carried quiet resolve as he replied, "Senior Brother Zhang Lang, I acknowledge your strength. Although our side is inferior, we are not without the ability to resist. If we unite, there is still a chance. As long as there is hope, we will not surrender so easily."
"Just as I expected, you new disciples refuse to give up until you run straight into a wall."
Zhang Lang let out a soft sigh before speaking calmly. "The Martial Ascension Gate’s disciple recruitment trials have been held for countless generations. In every session, there are always new disciples with exceptional strength who believe they can defy the odds. Yet without exception, every one of them falls during the Senior Brother’s Raid. Do you know why? It is because we, the disciples of the Martial Ascension Gate, have long mastered combined formations."
His tone suddenly sharpened as he raised his voice. "Junior brothers and junior sisters, show them our true methods."
"Yes!"
"One Qi Transformation Ascension Formation!"
At Zhang Lang’s command, Ling Chong, Wang Yunyun, Gao Shan, and the others answered in unison. In the next instant, the Martial Ascension Gate disciples scattered across the sky in precise positions.
They formed hand seals at the same time. A thunderous boom echoed as beams of qi surged from their bodies and shot straight into the heavens.
Countless qi streams traced brilliant arcs through the air, weaving together like living threads. In the blink of an eye, they condensed into an Ascension Formation bathed in a pure white and sacred glow.
The formation itself was no larger than a palm, yet the power it radiated was terrifying. The entire world seemed to shudder as violent ripples spread outward like a raging storm, sweeping across the surroundings.
"How terrifying."
"With power like that, even a Xiantian Realm eighth level expert would struggle to withstand it."
The young talents present felt their hearts sink. Fear crept across their faces as despair took hold.
The might of that Ascension Formation was something even a Xiantian Realm eighth level cultivator would find difficult to resist. Among them, the strongest was Ye Beichen, and even if he unleashed everything he had, he could at best contend with a Xiantian Realm seventh level expert at the middle stage.
Such strength was clearly insufficient before that formation.
If even Ye Beichen could not oppose it, how could the others maintain hope?
"Forget it. Let’s just hand over our contribution points."
With that, more than a hundred disheartened young talents stepped forward, voluntarily surrendering their contribution points before being sent out of the Eternal Sky Secret Realm.
Once someone took the lead, the rest quickly followed.
In less than ten minutes, nearly everyone had left. Only Ye Beichen, Li Yun, Zhu Ximen, and a small handful of others remained, standing alone in the vast and empty space.
"The power of that Ascension Formation is far too terrifying. Even if all six of us join forces, we still cannot contend with it. This round is already decided. I will hand over my Martial Ascension token."
Among the remaining six, Huo Tian was the first to step forward and surrender his contribution points.
"With a situation like this, we have no other choice."
Zhu Ximen, Lu Changsan, and Han Lingxue all gave bitter smiles as they followed suit.
They were unwilling to part with the contribution points they had fought so hard to accumulate, yet in the face of a force they clearly could not oppose, reluctance meant nothing. Rather than being crushed and humiliated before being forced to hand them over, it was wiser to do so voluntarily and avoid unnecessary injury.
"Damn it."
Ye Beichen’s expression was dark and tense. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, and for a moment it seemed as though he might fight to the end. However, the terrifying aura radiating from the pure white Ascension Formation pressed down on him like a mountain, crushing his resolve.
In the end, reason prevailed. He lowered his head and handed over his contribution points as well.
One by one, the others departed. Before long, the vast Eternal Sky Secret Realm was left with only the disciples of the Martial Ascension Gate and a single remaining figure.
Li Yun.
"Kid, you are the only one left now. Hand over your contribution points and end this trial," Zhang Lang said calmly, his gaze sweeping down toward Li Yun with indifferent authority.
Li Yun lifted his head and looked at Zhang Lang and the Martial Ascension Gate disciples hovering above. A slow grin spread across his face. "I do not recall saying that I would hand over my contribution points."
Zhang Lang’s expression instantly cooled. "What? At this point, are you still planning to resist?"
"Yes," Li Yun replied, his tone steady and resolute. "I want to see how my current strength measures up against you senior brothers."
To be honest, Li Yun himself would have chosen to hand over his contribution points and leave without trouble, but his system clearly had other plans in mind.
[Quest Level: D]
– Objective: [Defeat a Senior Disciple.]
– Reward: [5000 low grade spirit stones, 5000 EXP.]
Even if Li Yun could afford to ignore five thousand low grade spirit stones, there was no way he could disregard five thousand experience points. The value of that much EXP was simply too great for him to follow the others, surrender his contribution points, and walk away without resistance.
"Are you certain you want to fight this to the very end?"
Zhang Lang’s expression turned icy, and the chill in his voice sent a shiver through the air. "Do you understand the consequences of your choice? We may not be allowed to kill you, but crippling you is well within our power. I will give you one final opportunity. Hand over your contribution points obediently, or do not blame us for showing no mercy."
Buzz. Buzz.
As his words fell, the pure white Ascension Formation hovering in the sky quivered slightly. A vast and terrifying aura poured out of it and crashed down toward Li Yun like a raging river.
Creak. Creak.
The overwhelming pressure descended with brutal force, nearly forcing Li Yun to his knees. His bones groaned under the weight, releasing sharp sounds as though they might shatter at any moment beneath the crushing aura.
Yet Li Yun only smiled.
He calmly circulated his two top grade mortal rank cultivation arts, the Sun Refining Scripture and the Heavenflow Wind Scripture, both pushed to the peak of the ninth layer. Majestic qi surged from his body, and in an instant, the suffocating pressure from the formation was dispersed, vanishing as if it had never existed.
"Come," Li Yun said with a relaxed smile as he looked at Zhang Lang and the assembled senior brothers. "Let us fight."

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