Whoosh!
At Elder Bai's final words, everyone gasped in unison. This was no ordinary demonic beast, but a ferocious savage beast—an entirely different breed of terror.
Demonic beasts wielded the power of heaven and earth by birth, making them fearsome foes. Those that grew to high ranks possessed human-like intelligence, able to judge whether an opponent was beyond their strength and calculate the gains and losses of battle with cunning rivaling mankind's.
Savage beasts were a different matter entirely. Their world knew only one law: the strong preying on the weak.
Low-ranked savage beasts feared their superiors on an innate level, yet they would fight to the death against any cultivator, no matter how mighty. Void of reason, they knew only slaughter and unbridled brutality, knowing not the meaning of weariness, their lives spent solely in killing and mating. Even reduced to a single head, so long as they could still move, they would tear out a chunk of their enemy's flesh—cruel beyond measure.
Gao Han fell silent at the word "savage beast." "A savage beast… indeed a most formidable foe."
"Indeed. The Azure Fiend Bull is an early First-Rank savage beast, equivalent to a Third Layer True Essence cultivator. Coupled with the primal power within savage beasts, your chances of success are nearly zero," Elder Bai warned gravely.
Gao Han paused in thought. For all his strength, he had never faced a savage beast, knowing of them only from scrolls. He could not fathom their true terror, and a flicker of concern crossed his mind.
The texts spoke of savage beasts existing solely in the Northern Cang Region, for they were so monstrous that countless mighty experts had banded together to drive them there. That land was their den; to encounter one in any other region was nigh impossible.
Savage beasts were far too violent and powerful; should they roam these lands, entire regions would be reduced to ruin.
Among the onlookers, only Liang Qing wore a hidden smile. He had mocked Gao Han moments before, only to fail his own trial, shattering his pride.
Now he rejoiced that Gao Han faced a savage beast. If Gao Han too failed, or even surrendered without fighting, he could humiliate him once more—after all, he had at least battled his foe.
Better still if Gao Han fought and died at the beast's horns, ridding him of his bitter rival.
From the moment Gao Han had arrived for the examination, disciples of three great peaks had come to greet him and bid him join their peaks. Envy had gnawed at Liang Qing ever since.
Why should Gao Han be favored? Simply for holding the title of Ice Hero? For his higher cultivation? Liang Qing was certain he would far outshine Gao Han with such power.
Jealousy had fueled his hostility toward Gao Han, driving him to oppose and taunt him at every turn.
"Gao Han, even if you wait for the year-end promotion, your talent will still earn the regard of every peak. There is no need to rush this," Elder Bai urged once more.
Even he lacked confidence in defeating the fiend bull, let alone protecting Gao Han. Should he enter the cage, the savage beast would not target them one by one as a demonic beast would; it would challenge both at once, driven by unhinged brutality.
Zhu Jin and the others also pleaded with Gao Han to withdraw.
After a long moment, Gao Han made his decision. He had come this far, and he would see it through.
His bright, easy smile faded, replaced by solemn resolve. "Old Bai, Brother Zhu, I know you mean well. But this is not mindless bravado—it is the call of my martial heart, a heart that craves battle."
"Sigh… very well. Tread carefully," Elder Bai said, seeing the unshakable determination in Gao Han's eyes. He knew he could not dissuade him, and reluctantly agreed.
He led Gao Han to the innermost cage, one of the few empty enclosures.
Behind the cage lay a sealed chamber, its door set within the cage itself.
Five arm-thick iron chains bound the chamber door, each secured with a massive lock.
Elder Bai handed Gao Han a key. "This unlocks it. Be warned—for the first five days of each month, powerful cultivators feed the savage beast. It is at the peak of its strength right now."
Gao Han nodded gravely and stepped into the cage.
As his hand touched the bars, he sensed the material differed from the other cages. Though they appeared identical, this metal was at least ten times harder, forged to contain the savage beast.
Rumble!
To prevent the beast from escaping, Elder Bai secured the cage door with another thick iron chain the moment Gao Han entered.
Clink! Clank!
Gao Han undid the chamber's chains, cast them aside, and pushed the door open.
The space within was vast, nearly a hundred square meters, reeking of a putrid, fishy stench that burned his nostrils.
Before Gao Han could look further, a blurry black shadow hurtled toward him like a gale, stirring a whirlwind of darkness.
Its speed was so great that Gao Han could not dodge. He channeled all his power into his arms at once.
Layer upon layer of ice formed over his arms, three feet thick, shielding them completely.
Boom!
The shadow slammed into the ice barrier, sending a violent shockwave rippling outward, creating a vacuum in the surrounding air.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The ice covering Gao Han's arms spiderwebbed with fractures, and thin streams of blood seeped through the crevices.
Shatter!
The ice exploded into shards at his feet. The shadow passed straight through Gao Han's body and continued charging forward.
A gaping hole had been torn through Gao Han's torso.
"He's dead… Gao Han is dead," Elder Bai muttered in anguish. "This is my fault. If I had stopped him by force…"
His face paled further. "A prodigy has perished by my hand. How could this happen?"
Sorrow clouded the faces of the others, mourning the loss of such an extraordinary talent.
They had seen it all clearly: the savage beast had appeared for but a split second, yet it had pierced straight through Gao Han. The might of a savage beast was truly unfathomable.
Liang Qing was overjoyed, yet forced his face into a look of mourning. "How could this happen? How could a genius like Gao Han perish? Heeheehee…"
The strange, warbling sound hung in the air, halfway between a sob and a laugh.
Everyone stared at Liang Qing in bewilderment, confused by his bizarre display of grief…
yet why did his "mourning" sound so much like laughter?