"Azure Cloud River Flow!"

A crisp command rang out in the square. The beautiful figure of the young female sword-wielder crossed paths with the Great Power Demon Ape.

SWISH!

Midway, a cold light flashed. Without a sound, the sword at the young female sword-wielder's waist was unsheathed and, at an incredibly tricky angle, pierced the throat of the Great Power Demon Ape.

SQUELCH!

Blood spurted wildly. With a mournful howl, the Great Power Demon Ape made a final struggle. Its hammer-like hands swung viciously, reaching for the young female sword-wielder.

The young female sword-wielder was prepared. With a light tap of her toe, her figure floated into the air and landed lightly ten meters away.

ROAR!

The Great Power Demon Ape staggered a few steps, let out a resentful roar, then collapsed and breathed its last.

Such superb swordsmanship, Luo Feng thought, his gaze slightly focused as he watched the young female sword-wielder.

She was at the late stage of the God Bravery Realm. Her Sword Dao cultivation and Qinggong were quite impressive. The precise timing of her attack, coupled with her remarkable skill and a ferocious swordsmanship that seemed designed for killing, was extraordinarily sharp.

"Very good. You pass!" the examiner nodded.

The hall echoed with gasps of admiration. Many observers watched the female sword-wielder with respect.

The assessment continued. Some candidates passed, while others were eliminated. Every unsuccessful martial artist ended up in a dire state. One careless martial artist even had his right arm violently torn off by the Great Power Demon Ape. Only the examiner's intervention prevented a bloodier scene.

This cruel test caused many martial artists to consider withdrawing. Out of the thirty or forty martial artists who had registered, less than twenty actually participated. Almost half of them forfeited their chance.

The following tests were rather dull, so Luo Feng only paid partial attention.

After an unknown period, the examiner suddenly called out his name, "Number twenty-five, Feng Luo."

The examiner's gaze landed on Luo Feng.

Luo Feng was startled but quickly realized he was being called. He nodded, and his figure flashed as he moved to the center of the square.

"What weapon do you need?" the examiner asked, seeing Luo Feng's empty hands.

Luo Feng shook his head directly, saying, "I don't need a weapon."

Hearing this, the examiner was slightly stunned, then frowned and said, "You should have seen it just now. The defensive power and strength of the Great Power Demon Ape are excellent. It's very dangerous to fight it bare-handed, even life-threatening! We have all kinds of weapons available here; you can choose any one." The examiner pointed to the weapon rack in the hall.

Luo Feng shook his head and replied candidly, "I practice fist techniques. A weapon would only be a burden."

Using a Saber Technique might give me away. I don't want to reveal my identity here, so naturally, I won't choose a weapon, Luo Feng thought.

After hearing this, the surrounding martial artists looked at him with mockery. How dare he fight the Great Power Demon Ape bare-handed! In their eyes, this is undoubtedly a suicidal act.

"He's overestimating his ability," a young guard standing in the crowd scoffed, ready to watch Luo Feng make a fool of himself.

The examiner was also a little startled by Luo Feng's words. Then he stroked his beard and laughed, "You've got guts! Get ready; it's starting."

With a wave of his hand, a heavy metallic sound rang out. The stone gate gradually opened, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes in the dark doorway.

"Elder Huo, do you think he can pass the test?" the examiner in charge asked, turning his head to the long-faced examiner next to him.

The long-faced examiner hesitated slightly and said, "Fighting the Great Power Demon Ape bare-handed increases the danger tenfold. Even if he is truly at the mid-stage of the Essence Storage Realm, it will not be easy to pass the test. This young man is too reckless."

The other two examiners nodded, apparently agreeing.

BOOM!

With a loud noise, the giant gate at the far end of the square flew open. The Great Power Demon Ape charged out, roaring.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP...

The Great Power Demon Ape, a blur of black shadow, lunged at Luo Feng. Its tower-like forelimbs swept forward, intending to smash Luo Feng's head.

Suppressing his cultivation to the mid-Essence Storage Realm, Luo Feng lunged forward, meeting the Great Power Demon Ape head-on. His punch whistled through the air, stunning the observers.

"This man, he actually dares to face the Great Power Demon Ape head-on!" a short-haired young woman named Qin Xuan exclaimed. Surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes as she saw Luo Feng advance instead of retreating.

BANG!

The two fists collided, causing an explosion in the air. The resulting shockwave formed a violent wind that radiated outwards.

Luo Feng seemed frail compared to the Great Power Demon Ape's Iron Fist, as if he could be crushed at any moment. But the reality surprised everyone!

After clashing with the Great Power Demon Ape's punch, Luo Feng remained motionless. In contrast, the colossal Demon Ape was staggered backward by the impact.

"What's going on?!"

Everyone who saw this stared wide-eyed in disbelief. No one expected the mighty Great Power Demon Ape to be repelled by a punch from a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy.

The young guard who had been waiting to see Luo Feng make a fool of himself stood with his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

"Interesting," the long-faced examiner nodded slightly and laughed. "This young man is uniquely gifted; he actually has Innate Divine Strength."

The other two examiners were also quite astonished and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

For Luo Feng, with his mid-stage seventh-level Essence Storage Realm cultivation, to repel the Great Power Demon Ape with a single punch could only be attributed to exceptional talent.

ROAR!

The Great Power Demon Ape hadn't expected to be repelled by the seemingly weak human before it. Its eyes blazed with a blood-red glow, and its ferocity surged. It stamped vigorously on the ground, its fists whirling like windmills as it bombarded Luo Feng.

Luo Feng was unfazed and punched back.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Explosions sounded consecutively, making everyone's eardrums buzz. Man and beast traded blows, fist against fist, in a raw display of power.

The onlookers' expressions shifted from initial shock to outright fear.

Luo Feng seemed to possess an endless supply of strength. The more he fought the Great Power Demon Ape, the more vigorous he became!

The young guard was even more astounded. He hadn't expected the person he'd underestimated just moments ago to possess such terrifying strength. I also have a mid-stage seventh-level Essence Storage Realm cultivation, but even with a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare to fight the Great Power Demon Ape head-on like this! he thought.

BOOM!

Man and beast had exchanged nearly a hundred moves in the blink of an eye, forcing the Great Power Demon Ape into a corner of the square.

Seeing the time was right, Luo Feng decided to end the battle swiftly. He mustered his strength, took a step forward, and threw his right fist like a massive, mountain-crushing hammer.

RUMBLE!

A massive sonic boom followed the punch. As soon as his fist made contact, the distinct sound of bone cracking came from the Great Power Demon Ape's arm.

With a shrill scream, the ape's massive body was smashed into the wall. Dark blood flowed from its seven orifices; it was clearly dead.

The hall fell utterly silent.

Everyone stared at the corpse of the Great Power Demon Ape embedded in the wall, holding their breath in awe. The Great Power Demon Ape, renowned for its strength and defensive power, was beaten to death! What terrifying strength!

"Very good! You pass!" the three examiners announced in unison, snapping out of their shock.

Luo Feng, looking calm, dusted off his hands and easily leaped back into the main hall area.

"Young friend, what tremendous power!"

The surrounding martial artists looked at Luo Feng with admiring eyes. To kill the Great Power Demon Ape head-on with only a mid-stage seventh-level Essence Storage Realm cultivation and no weapon was an absolutely overwhelming and domineering feat. The others were still in disbelief.

For martial artists, strength was everything. After that battle, Luo Feng had already earned their respect.

The young guard had quietly slipped away from the hall at some point.

Qin Xuan, the short-haired girl who had earlier killed a Great Power Demon Ape with a single sword strike, approached Luo Feng, smiling. "My name's Qin Xuan. I'd like to get to know you. It would be good to have someone to look out for each other in the Jianghu."

"Feng Luo," Luo Feng nodded.

A bright smile appeared on Qin Xuan's face. This young man doesn't have the usual arrogance of other experts; he seems quite approachable, she thought. She blinked and asked, "How do you have so much power that you were able to kill the Great Power Demon Ape in a direct confrontation?"

"I've cultivated Horizontal Practice exercises since I was young, so my physique is a little more robust than an average person's. But you—that sword strike of yours instantly extinguished the Great Power Demon Ape's life. Your swordsmanship is truly exceptional."

Qin Xuan pursed her red lips, her hands behind her back, and smiled. "To tell you the truth, I'm from the Blood Flower Tower."

Blood Flower Tower... Luo Feng thought, raising an eyebrow slightly as he glanced toward Qin Xuan's clavicle.

Beneath her light blue garment, he could faintly see half a blood-red flower tattooed on her smooth skin.

Realization dawned on his face. Luo Feng nodded. "I see."

The Blood Flower Tower was an organization in the Jianghu known for accepting assassination assignments, training assassins skilled in their deadly art. Its influence was vast, rumored to even rival the Twelve Golden Palaces. All members of the Blood Flower Tower had a blood flower tattooed near their clavicle.

Noticing Luo Feng's gaze, Qin Xuan blushed slightly and adjusted her clothes. She looked at Luo Feng with curiosity and laughed lightly. "You know I'm from the Blood Flower Tower, yet you're not afraid? Aren't you worried I might attack you?"

Luo Feng shook his head and said calmly, "I don't sense any killing intent from you. Besides, if you did attack, you would be the one to die."

Luo Feng's words were spoken plainly, yet they sent a chill down Qin Xuan's spine.

I started wandering the Jianghu at thirteen and have met countless people, but he's the first I've encountered with such composure. He seems able to face any danger calmly. People like that are the most terrifying! she thought.

"It's a good thing we're not enemies," Qin Xuan smiled genuinely, speaking from the heart.

As if remembering something, she blinked and asked, "Would you consider joining our Blood Flower Tower? With your strength, you'd definitely receive significant training from our Tower Master. And I have a hunch you'd make an outstanding assassin."

Luo Feng didn't reject her outright, saying, "I have things to attend to right now. We can discuss other matters later."

"Then I'll wait for your answer," Qin Xuan nodded, not pressing further.

The assessment continued; some were eliminated during the subsequent tests, while others passed. But everyone's enthusiasm had dimmed; Luo Feng's magnificent earlier fight was simply unsurpassable.

After two hours, the assessment ended. Out of the more than twenty individuals who participated, only eight passed, highlighting the harshness of the selection.

"Congratulations on passing the Martial Artist Hall's assessment! Here are your Identity Tokens!" the examiner announced loudly. With a wave of his hand, eight jade tokens flew toward Luo Feng and the seven other successful candidates, one for each.

"With this Token, you can accept missions at the Martial Artist Hall and gain free access to its intelligence."

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