Nan Gong Qian’er cursed inwardly but maintained a pitiful expression on her face.

  "Sister Huan, why are you hurting me like this?"

  "If this counts as hurting, then you’ve never seen real harm. Want to try it?" Nan Gong Huan grinned, raising her Radiant Gold Blade and sizing her up. "First, I’ll sever your tendons, then set you on fire, and finally throw you into muddy water. Watching you writhe and scream in there would be so much fun, don’t you think?"

  Her chilling smile sent shivers down Nan Gong Qian’er’s spine, and fear clouded her eyes.

  Wasn’t this exactly what she had done to Nan Gong Huan before?

  "Nan Gong Huan, you vicious woman! How could anyone do such a thing!" Wei Yu Gong immediately lashed out, unaware that the creator of such cruelty was right beside him.

  "Shut up!" Ye Wan Jun took off Wei Yu Gong’s shoe and stuffed it into his own mouth.

  He was now unconditionally supporting Nan Gong Huan!

  Wei Yu Gong’s face twisted in disgust. He wanted to vomit but couldn’t. The taste of dirt on his tongue made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

  "Hmph, I’m done playing with you. Let’s see how many flags are left here," Nan Gong Huan turned around and raised her hand, releasing her spiritual energy to sense her surroundings.

  Waves of spiritual energy rippled out, spreading across a radius of ten miles.

  "A-Huan, what’s this move? I saw you use it in front of the Spirit Gathering Pavilion last time. Can you summon spirit beasts with it?" Ye Wan Jun asked curiously.

  "Spiritual Energy Sensing," Nan Gong Huan chuckled, covering her lips with her hand. "Just wait and collect the flags."

  In no time, countless spirit beasts emerged from all directions around Great Zero Lake.

  They came from different species—some weak prey, others powerful predators. But at this moment, they maintained a strange peace, plucking the flags from each other’s bodies, tossing them onto the ground, and then leaving in an orderly fashion.

  Soon, a small mountain of flags formed on the ground.

  The scene was so spectacular that Nan Gong Qian’er and Wei Yu Gong’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!

  How could this wench so easily gather so many flags?

  Ye Wan Jun’s face was practically split from grinning. He pounced on the pile and counted, finding ninety-two yellow flags, thirty-two blue flags, and one red flag.

  The one who contributed the red flag was none other than the three-life mother beast of the Wind Fox cub.

  The Wind Fox cub now looked ferocious, barking at Nan Gong Qian’er and Wei Yu Gong. Though it seemed harmless, its cries roughly translated to: "Mom, these two idiots were the ones who bullied me earlier!"

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  The mother beast bared her sharp teeth, saliva dripping from them. After dropping the red flag, she pounced directly at Wei Yu Gong and Nan Gong Qian’er!

  What followed was naturally unpleasant. The two, fixed in place like wooden stakes, received several slaps from the mother beast, leaving deep claw marks on their faces.

  Of course, to avenge her cub, the mother beast didn’t kill them outright. She’d beat them first, then let them die in agony!

  At this moment, Nan Gong Huan noticed the mother beast’s fur was tangled with the fruit of the Thornberry plant. She couldn’t help but shout, "Big fox, are there any Thornberries left in the forest? Can you point me in the right direction?"

  The roots of the Thornberry were one of the ingredients needed for the three-life advancement potion. She hadn’t been able to buy them at the herb shop earlier, so now was the perfect time to collect them.

  "Arf arf—" The mother beast immediately disengaged from the fight, wagging her tail and trying to smile gently as she raised her paw to point Nan Gong Huan in the right direction.

  Her demeanor was so gentle, completely different from her earlier ferocious state.

  "Thanks," Nan Gong Huan waved at her and quickly left with Ye Wan Jun.

  Now, it was time for Nan Gong Qian’er and Wei Yu Gong to enjoy their "treat."

  As soon as the mother beast watched the two leave, she bared her teeth again and pounced at Wei Yu Gong and Nan Gong Qian’er, her ferocity returning.

  "Get away from me, ah—" Nan Gong Qian’er screamed incessantly, her jealousy and hatred nearly shattering her sanity!

  Wei Yu Gong was still struggling to break free. Under the mother beast’s sharp claws, some of the roots binding him were torn apart. He managed to keep his cool and pulled out a small, bead-like orb, throwing it to the ground.

  In an instant, the orb bounced up, forming a protective shield that enveloped the two of them. The mother beast and her cub were both flung away!

  Finally catching a breath, Wei Yu Gong quickly freed himself from the remaining roots and cut through the ones binding Nan Gong Qian’er. He then scooped her up and fled.

  "Brother Yu Gong, I’m so scared," Nan Gong Qian’er clutched at Wei Yu Gong’s clothes, drinking a potion to stabilize her injuries.

  Losing her spirit beast had left her weakened.

  "Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you," Wei Yu Gong said, though he was also at his limit. His leg had been deeply slashed by the mother beast, and the pain was unbearable.

  The mother beast, of course, wasn’t about to let them go. After ensuring her cub was safe, she gave chase!

  He ran, she chased!

  At the judges’ platform.

  Everyone was stunned. They watched the rankings on the crystal panel, where Team Seven had rocketed to first place!

  "Cheating! They must be cheating!" someone couldn’t help but shout. "There’s no way they could collect so many flags at once!"

  "Cut it out. Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean others can’t. My Ye family’s child would never cheat!" The Ye family’s patriarch on the judges’ platform proudly raised his head. Initially, he hadn’t held much hope for Ye Wan Jun’s team, but they had given him a pleasant surprise.

  "Interesting," Xue Lao smiled, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

  "It’s them!" Song Xi Ran was secretly amazed. She hadn’t been optimistic about Nan Gong Huan and Ye Wan Jun at first, but they had shot ahead like a comet!

  Song Que’s fan, which he had been idly waving, suddenly froze. He took a closer look at the crystal panel, confirming that he hadn’t misread it!

  "What’s the deal with this Nan Gong Huan? Is she Nan Gong Qian’er’s sister?" Song Que still couldn’t quite believe it. In his mind, Nan Gong Qian’er’s team should have been the rightful first place. Such a huge gap right from the start was hard for him to accept.

  But Song Que comforted himself, thinking that the initial results didn’t mean much. The number of flags would change as the trial progressed. The winner wouldn’t be decided until the very end.

  "If there were any rule violations, the red rings would have kicked them out of the trial. Perhaps they used some unique method," an elder stroked his beard and said.

  No method could evade the red rings’ detection!

  This reminded people of the scene at the Spirit Gathering Pavilion, where Nan Gong Huan had summoned a horde of spirit beasts. Word had spread quickly, and many judges had heard about it.

  With such abilities, the disciple trial would indeed be a significant advantage for her.