The area was vast and barren, devoid of any vegetation—otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to accommodate such a colossal black tiger. Little Rascal crept stealthily, moving toward the cavern from the side. The murderous aura grew denser, with wisps of black mist drifting out from the pitch-black tiger’s den, a testament to how terrifying this beast king truly was. The moment he arrived, a bone-chilling coldness assaulted him, the malevolent energy seeping into his very bones.
“No, this is too dangerous. If I alert it, I’ll likely lose my life,” Little Rascal halted. As precious as the Black Lotus was, his life was more important. He didn’t dare act recklessly, carefully observing and sensing his surroundings. He held his breath, even sealing his pores shut, afraid of disturbing the beast king.
In the end, Little Rascal retreated, step by step, quickly vanishing into the dense forest. Only after putting a great distance between himself and the den did he finally exhale deeply. Staying in that place had been unnerving, suffocating—as if a massive black mountain pressed down on his heart, freezing his blood.
“There were inscriptions beside the Black Lotus, recording its age. Could this beast king have been tamed by the Sky Mending Pavilion?” Little Rascal muttered to himself. Soon, he recalled recent events—the ancient crocodile’s rampage, chasing him through the mountains, startling countless beasts into fleeing in panic. The black tiger had swiftly intervened, subduing the enraged crocodile, as if maintaining order within the mountain range.
“I hope my guess is right,” Little Rascal’s eyes gleamed as he darted through the mountains, leaving the area behind. Moments later, he arrived near a waterfall, stopping a hundred yards away. He lifted a boulder weighing thousands of pounds and hurled it with tremendous force.
Runes spiraled around the boulder as it arced through the air, crashing into the waterfall with a thunderous impact. The cliff trembled, white waves surged, and an earth-shaking roar erupted. A massive flood dragon emerged, its body thick as a water vat, covered in sinister scales and claws. It reared up, searching for the provocateur.
*Boom!* Another boulder, even heavier—weighing over ten thousand pounds—slammed into its head, wrapped in glowing runes. The flood dragon roared in fury, its eyes locking onto Little Rascal. It lunged, spewing a radiant beam that incinerated the forest ahead, even evaporating a nearby stream.
Little Rascal bolted, his legs propelling him like an arrow, soaring over a low hill in a single bound. His explosive strength was terrifying—evident even back in the Void God Realm when he shattered Shi Yi’s records.
The flood dragon gave chase, flattening swaths of forest, its rage sending other beasts fleeing in terror. Little Rascal weaved through the trees, reaching a swamp where he hurled a boulder into the muck.
*Thud!* Mud splattered as an ancient crocodile howled, leaping up—the boulder had struck its eye socket, narrowly missing the eyeball. Its lantern-like crimson eyes locked onto Little Rascal, who grinned cheekily. Enraged, the crocodile charged, its hundred-meter-long body barreling forward like a living mountain of scales.
Its companion joined the pursuit, but Little Rascal was already sprinting away, leaping over another ridge into a new territory—ruled by a three-legged dragon-bird, a monstrous avian that couldn’t fly despite its wings, relying instead on its three powerful legs to run.
Without hesitation, Little Rascal jumped onto a juvenile dragon-bird’s back, pummeling it mercilessly. The young beast screeched, thrashing wildly to dislodge him.
Nearby, the massive dragon-bird turned, its feathers bristling in fury. *How dare this tiny pest torment its offspring?* It charged, but Little Rascal delivered one final punch before leaping off and vanishing into the forest.
Chaos erupted. The flood dragon, ancient crocodile, three-legged dragon-bird, and several other overlords rampaged through the mountains, their fury unleashed. Some even clashed with each other, turning the entire range into a battleground.
The geniuses in the second trial zone shuddered, wiping cold sweat. “This place is too dangerous! A beast uprising? This trial is insane!”
None knew this disaster was man-made, far beyond the intended challenge. They scrambled to avoid the stampede.
From the depths of the mountains, a tiger’s roar shook the earth. The beast king had been disturbed again, its fury igniting a black whirlwind as it emerged, howling at the sky.
“Just as I thought—it must have been subdued by the Sky Mending Pavilion, tasked with maintaining order here,” Little Rascal’s eyes sparkled. He slipped into the forest, making a beeline for the tiger’s den.
With the black tiger gone to quell the chaos, Little Rascal seized his chance. He sprinted, his small frame glowing with runes as he shot toward the cavern like a streak of light.
The den was eerily silent, shrouded in black mist, save for the faint glow of the Black Lotus. Unlike ordinary lotuses, this one thrived on malevolent energy, its jet-black stem standing just over a foot tall, exuding a faint fragrance.
Little Rascal’s fingers dug into the soil, the black energy seeping into his flesh—the earth itself had been tainted by the tiger’s aura.
*Crash!* Dirt and stone flew as he uprooted the lotus and fled without hesitation. Despite his size, his explosive power was monstrous, allowing him to leap over multiple ridges in seconds.
Once far enough, he switched to weaving through dense foliage, no longer bounding openly. As he ran, he tore off a pitch-black lotus leaf and devoured it like a starving ox.
Before long, he had consumed most of the treasure herb, his body radiating dark light, his flesh nearly burning. “I need to refine this quickly. Even if it tracks me, the trail will fade,” he reasoned.
Having traversed the wilderness for hundreds of miles, he knew the horrors of beast kings. Leaving even a trace meant certain death.
He smeared the remaining lotus juice onto two massive blue wolves before darting away. As he ran, he channeled bone runes, absorbing the herb’s essence into every fiber of his being. Brilliant light erupted—he shone like a celestial being, radiant and awe-inspiring.
Eventually, the beast tide subsided, and the black tiger returned to its den—only to discover the theft. Its roar shook the mountains, its body erupting with black patterns that formed a tornado, shredding nearby peaks and trees.
The beast king stormed out, its eyes blazing like bloody moons in the sky, scouring the land for the thief. The mountains trembled as it swiped a claw, obliterating an entire hillside.
“Gods, if I’d known it’d be like this, I’d never have entered the second trial! Is this even meant for us?” The geniuses trembled, hiding in terror.
Little Rascal had long since escaped, plunging into a river and letting the current carry him downstream. He sank into deep meditation, preparing to break through to a new realm.
He had been ready for this breakthrough, only holding back to accumulate more spiritual essence. The Black Lotus was exactly what he needed—its potent, domineering energy transformed into black flames within him, tempering his bones and flesh.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, shooting two beams of dark light over a dozen yards long. A “volcano” manifested beneath his feet, its crater spewing “magma” that surged into his body.
He had opened his sixth Heavenly Passage, his power surging anew.
For an entire night, he remained motionless, refining the runes and absorbing the energy. By dawn, the volcanic imagery faded, and he emerged from the water, refreshed and invigorated.
The sun’s warm rays bathed him as he stood in a vast lake. At just nine and a half years old, having journeyed hundreds of thousands of miles from Stone Village, he had reached this staggering height.
Following the river back, he found the mountains scarred by the beast tide—though not as devastated as he’d feared. The black tiger’s rampage had been controlled, leaving only localized destruction.
“Time to hunt for some Sky Mending Stones,” he murmured, returning to the trial grounds.
Stealthily, he soon encountered corpses—geniuses slain for their stones, a grim reminder of the trial’s brutality. Others wandered, despondent after losing their stones.
“That Xiao Tian is too strong! Where did he come from? Even our combined attack failed.”
“At least we’re alive. We need to regroup and find more stones, or we won’t meet the minimum requirement.”
Little Rascal listened, intrigued. “A true powerhouse, huh?” He vanished into the shadows.
Elsewhere, a silver-robed youth—Xiao Tian—moved silently through the forest. With sixteen Sky Mending Stones already collected, he frowned.
“That kid… I struck him from behind, yet he used the force to leap over a hill. He should have gathered at least twenty stones by now. Why hasn’t he surfaced?”
Hours passed, the forest alive with skirmishes.
“The Wood Clan’s genius is unstoppable—seven straight victories!”
Nearby, a battle erupted, rocks and trees obliterated in a dazzling display. A bloodied youth fled, severely wounded, while Xiao Tian emerged victorious, swallowing a recovery pill to restore his peak condition.
“Xiao Tian defeated even the Wood Clan’s prodigy! He’s undoubtedly this trial’s top contender!”
Yet Xiao Tian remained uneasy. Where was that elusive boy?
Suddenly, a rustle above. Xiao Tian reacted instantly, blasting the sky with runes—only for a single feather to drift down.
Then, from behind, a withered tree split open. Little Rascal swung a bone club like a hammer, *thunking* it against Xiao Tian’s skull.
The silver-robed youth staggered, vision blurring as he whirled around—only to meet another bone club to the forehead.
*Thud!*
Xiao Tian collapsed, unconscious.
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