Chapter 1271: Cage Fight

"Cage fight?"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

They knew of this competition format.

In ancient times, when the alien spirits ruled over humanity, they often used this method for amusement.

It involved locking a group of people in the same cage, forcing them to kill each other, with the sole survivor allowed to live; otherwise, the only path was to be devoured. It was extremely cruel, even a great test of one's humanity.

Close friends and family would turn on their own flesh and blood to survive... This method, evil and heretical, had always been rejected by the human-oriented Master Teacher Academy... Why would the Saint Child Hall use it for the re-examination?

"Everyone, don't be nervous. This so-called cage fight is not about bloody slaughter, but elimination!"

Seeing the crowd's expressions, Zhao Xingmo waved his hand and explained: "You will all be released onto a deserted island. Within three days, you must find others and eliminate thirteen of them to pass! Of course, elimination means crushing the jade talisman they carry, not killing them! If anyone is found to have killed a companion, they will be immediately disqualified!"

"No killing, just crushing the jade talisman?"

"That's very difficult..."

Everyone's expressions turned grave.

They were all geniuses; even if there were gaps in strength, their escape abilities and survival skills were similar. Sneak attacks and kills might be possible, but only crushing the jade talisman without harming the person—the difficulty was unimaginable!

Sometimes, if not careful, one could be counter-killed!

"Of course, this deserted island isn't just you people. There are also sacred beasts, pre-set traps, and special natural hazards... If you want to eliminate others, you must also protect yourselves!"

Zhao Xingmo's eyes flashed: "If you plan to stay put and let others eliminate the rest, I can tell you now, you will also be eliminated! The Saint Child Hall does not accept cowards or escapists. Moreover, if you cannot eliminate thirteen within three days, everyone... will lose their qualification!"

"This..."

"In other words, we must eliminate others, or we ourselves cannot enter the Saint Child Hall?"

"This is too cruel!"

"If the continent's top academy were so easy to enter, the new students would probably flood in every year!"

...

After the uproar, everyone fell silent.

This cage fight, though simple in name, was actually more brutal than being placed in a real cage.

It comprehensively assessed one's coordination, strength, strategy, and many other skills, far surpassing mere combat.

As expected of the Saint Child Hall's examination—it immediately made one feel the difficulty.

"These are jade talismans, representing each of your identities. You can carry them on your person, hide them, or place them anywhere, but only on the island. As long as they aren't crushed, you haven't been eliminated!"

With a flick of his palm, over thirty jade talismans flew straight toward the crowd, one for each person.

"We can hide them?"

"So... even if someone is caught, it's useless?"

"Without the jade talisman, they can't be eliminated. Killing them is pointless. This... what do we do?"

...

Stunned once more, everyone found it hard to believe.

If the jade talisman was on the person, defeating them and forcing them to hand it over, then crushing it, was simple. But... if it could be hidden, placed in a corner of the island, even capturing the person would be useless!

It was already difficult, and with this rule, the difficulty instantly increased tenfold or more!

"This is also a test of character."

Unlike the others' surprise, Zhang Xuan's eyes flickered.

With his high state of mind and lack of urgent need for the Saint Child Hall, as a bystander, he could easily see the crux of the problem.

The other party deliberately said the jade talisman could be hidden, but it was actually a test of everyone's character.

To be honest, where could be safer than on one's own person?

Hiding it clearly showed a lack of self-confidence, and doing so would certainly cause one to lose points in the examiner's eyes.

Of course, he wouldn't say this out loud. He reached out his hand, gently caught the flying jade talisman, and it landed in his palm.

It was a special black jade, with his name written on the back, and strange patterns carved on the front, seemingly with a communication function. Once crushed, it meant your identity was gone, and you were completely eliminated.

"Teacher Zhao, if someone uses powerful weapons, wouldn't we be eliminated without even a chance to fight back?"

Ma Minghai, a genius from the Qianchong Empire, asked.

Hearing his words, everyone's gaze focused on Zhang Xuan.

This guy, when fighting with Hall Master Yue, had thrown out over a hundred puppets, beating even a half-step Domain realm expert into a pig's head. If he used them against them... they couldn't resist at all.

"The cage fight is fair and just. Weapons are not allowed. To seize jade talismans and do things beneficial to eliminating opponents, if violated, direct disqualification!" Zhao Xingmo said.

"That's good..."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as weapons were not allowed, even if Zhang Xuan's combat strength was not weak, he wouldn't be so terrifying!

If they couldn't win, they still had survival skills; escaping should be no problem.

“Any more questions?”

“No... Oh, by the way, Master Zhao, may I ask where this isolated island we're on is located? How large is it? And what level are the sacred beasts and traps you mentioned?”

A renowned teacher said.

“These are all secrets. You'll have to explore and figure them out yourselves once you get there. Alright, if there are no more questions, let's set off now! Also, communication between you is forbidden. If discovered, you'll be eliminated as well!”

Zhao Xingmo nodded: “Don't think about cheating or exploiting loopholes in the rules. Since I dare say this, I naturally know everything about the island inside out!”

“Yes!”

Everyone nodded in unison.

“Hall Master Yue, let them depart!”

Seeing that everyone understood the rules, Zhao Xingmo said no more and turned to look at Yue Yiquan on the side.

“Mm!”

Nodding, Hall Master Yue waved his hand. Over thirty flying sacred beasts flew down from the sky, each carrying a martial artist who handed out blindfolds and helped them onto the beasts' backs one by one.

These blindfolds were similar to those used in the underground black market. Once put on, they blocked not only sight but also the release of divine sense. Under the escort, they heard a long roar, and the sacred beasts soared into the air.

After flying for an unknown duration, his body jolted. Zhang Xuan's feet touched the ground again. He tore off the blindfold and found himself in a dense forest, surrounded by emptiness with no one in sight.

It seemed that the blindfolds not only prevented them from knowing where they were but also kept them from finding their companions, making alliances impossible.

Thus, to pass the assessment, they could only rely on themselves.

“Zhang Jiuxiao's strength has improved, reaching the late stage of the Primordial Spirit realm. Coupled with my guidance along the way, his combat insight and strength have both seen significant progress... As long as he doesn't run into people like Ma Minghai, he should be fine.”

The elimination round sounded brutal, but in reality, it was targeted.

Those too weak naturally couldn't hold on, but someone of his cultivation level had no need to fear anyone.

Although Zhang Jiuxiao's strength was far inferior to his, he was still a scion of a major clan and had received his guidance... Unless he encountered someone truly monstrous, he should handle it easily, or at least escape without issue. No need to worry.

Dismissing further thoughts, he flickered and landed on a treetop. Looking around, he saw dense vegetation stretching endlessly, as far as the eye could see. It seemed less like an island and more like an unfathomably deep mountain range.

“This is an isolated island? Isn't it too big...”

He was astonished.

With his current strength, he couldn't see the end of it. Just how large was it?

Five hundred kilometers? A thousand kilometers? Or even... three thousand kilometers?

On such a large island, placing about thirty people and capturing and eliminating them within three days...

Sure enough, it wasn't that simple.

It seemed that finding an opponent was also a test.

"Such a large island, and he can see it all clearly—how is that possible?"

Landing from the treetops to the ground, Zhang Xuan was also puzzled.

His divine sense, thanks to cultivating the Heavenly Dao technique, had reached a range of 2,500 meters, far exceeding the ordinary person's 400. The island was so large that even if Zhao Xingmo was very strong, he couldn't possibly see it all!

"Forget it for now. If I encounter cultivators, I'll just eliminate them directly..."

After thinking for a while and failing to figure it out, Zhang Xuan stopped pondering.

With continuous progress during this period, even without using weapons, his combat power was comparable to that of an early Domain Realm expert. When encountering famous teachers being assessed, if he found them displeasing, he could eliminate them directly without worrying about anything. On the contrary, it should be others who feared meeting him.

After walking along the mountain range for a while, realizing that wandering aimlessly might mean not seeing anyone even after a whole day, he flipped his wrist, and a compass appeared in his palm.

As an array master, this item was essential. Although he had never used it, he had prepared several pieces, all of fairly high grade.

"The spiritual energy is dense in that direction... It seems the center of the island should be there. Let's go check it out!"

Having pinpointed the direction, Zhang Xuan lightly tapped his toes and dashed forward quickly.

Sacred beasts were everywhere here; once he flew up, he could easily become a target. Even though he was strong, he didn't want to attract that kind of attention.

Roar!

After advancing not far, an angry roar sounded, and then he saw a huge sacred-level Tiger Bone Beast charging over.

This creature was also at the Primordial Spirit Realm, like himself. Before it even reached him, it gave off a soul-suppressing pressure, as if it could easily tear a cultivator apart.

"These are all medicinal ingredients..."

His eyes lit up.

He hadn't even bothered to trouble these sacred beasts, yet this one dared to charge at him. Zhang Xuan pressed his palm downward.

Splat!

The charging Tiger Bone Beast immediately stiffened, as if imprisoned, unable to move, its huge eyes filled with terror.

"Blame your bad luck for running into me..."

He curled his fingers, about to flick it to death, skin it, and extract some medicinal ingredients, when suddenly the sky trembled and a voice came through.

"Zhang Jiuxiao, jade talisman shattered, first elimination. Remaining... thirty-two people!"

"What? Zhang Jiuxiao... eliminated?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned, his face full of disbelief.