At the same time, far from where Lin Qian and the others were, there was a wide trench on the ground, as if something massive had crashed into it and dragged along the earth.
The spiritual trees along the trench were completely shattered, and the starting point was nothing but broken wood chips, showing the devastation caused by the impact of something falling from the sky.
At the end of the trench, in a crater, stood the palace-dressed woman, her clothing disheveled. Her expression was a mix of fury and deep pain.
The ice barrier that had suddenly appeared to block Zhao Long's spear strike was not of her own making.
It was actually a protective talisman that her father had personally inscribed before she entered this small world. The talisman would automatically activate and form a protective barrier in case of a life-threatening situation.
Many of the geniuses participating in this trial came from influential backgrounds, and most had some form of backup or assistance from their elders. The talisman inscribed by her father was the palace-dressed woman's ultimate trump card—a life-saving measure almost equivalent to an extra life in this small world, and incredibly precious.
Originally, the palace-dressed woman had planned to save this talisman for the most critical moment, hoping that using it would yield significant returns.
But now, it had been forced to activate by Zhao Long's single strike, leaving her standing disheveled in a crater with nothing to show for it.
Though she was still alive thanks to her father's talisman, the outcome was far from what she had envisioned, making it hard for her to accept.
"That wretch and that lowborn fool actually have such a powerful subordinate." The memory of the earlier encounter filled the palace-dressed woman with rage, making her grit her teeth in anger. She wanted nothing more than to tear Lin Qian and the others apart.
However, when she recalled how that armored man had smashed her attendants into blood mist and shattered her father's talisman, she couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear.
"He suddenly emitted a red aura. That must have been some kind of mystical soul technique, giving him such overwhelming power. I can't deal with him alone. It seems I have no choice but to seek help from my royal brother." With this thought, the palace-dressed woman flew away from the scene.
Meanwhile, as the palace-dressed woman left, Lin Qian had dived into the forest below. A massive soul beast was rampaging through the underbrush.
The soul beast resembled a black bull, with two sharp horns on its head, imbued with metallic soul energy that greatly enhanced their piercing power. Its sturdy body and muscular limbs made it clear just how strong it was.
Yet despite its power, the beast found itself unable to move as Lin Qian firmly gripped its horns.
No matter how hard the beast's hooves stomped the ground, sending dirt flying in all directions, it couldn't break free. Lin Qian's feet remained firmly planted, unmoved.
At that moment, Lin Qian was staring intently at the top of the soul beast's head, where a black mark identical to the one on his hand—a mark representing performance points—was visible.
Given Lin Qian's current cultivation level, seeing a bug on the ground from midair was no challenge. So noticing the mark on the soul beast's head was even easier.
This was why he had suddenly dived down, entering the forest to subdue the beast.
The soul beast's strength was comparable to that of a Life and Death Realm, Body Realm cultivator, and it was significantly stronger than an average soul martial artist. However, compared to the geniuses participating in this trial, it wasn't much.
Still, this bull-like soul beast wasn't ordinary. If ten of them appeared together, many people would struggle to deal with them.
The Ironhorn Black Bull was a herd animal, but this one had gotten separated from its group, wandering cautiously through the dense forest. When Lin Qian descended from the sky, the bull instinctively saw him as a threat and charged, only to be easily subdued.
"This soul beast also has a performance mark, but this Ironhorn Black Bull only has one," Lin Qian remarked after examining the mark on the beast's head for a while. Suddenly, red-gold lightning erupted from his body, enveloping both him and the bull.
The bull let out a pitiful cry before the smell of roasted meat filled the air.
Lin Qian wasn't interested in tasting the cooked beef at the moment. Instead, he watched as a black glow emerged from the bull's roasted head, flying toward his hand and merging with the mark there.
A new mark appeared on his hand, but unlike the others, it was much smaller and seemed incomplete, only a twentieth of the size of a regular performance mark.
"In addition to defeating other participants and seizing their performance points, it seems that killing soul beasts is another way to earn points," Lin Qian explained to Ye Xin as he observed the changes on his hand. "It looks like this forest is where we're supposed to accumulate points."
"Is earning points really that simple?" Ye Xin shook her head in disbelief, eyeing the roasted Ironhorn Black Bull skeptically.
Lin Qian chuckled and playfully tapped Ye Xin's nose. "Of course, it won't be that simple. Defeating other participants to take their points, killing soul beasts to earn points—these are just methods I discovered on my own. There might be other ways to earn points that we haven't figured out yet."
"Earlier, the trial's rules were clearly displayed for us, explaining the conditions. But now, there's nothing like that. It seems we're meant to figure things out on our own."
"And most importantly, what are the conditions for passing this stage?"
As Lin Qian voiced his thoughts, Ye Xin was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on.
In the previous stage, the conditions for passing were clear: defeat three opponents to qualify for entry into the small world. Any victories beyond that were for earning additional rewards.
This small world seemed to be a trial ground for the ancient sect's disciples, with each trial leading to the next.
So, in this second stage, there must be specific conditions for passing. But what could they be?
"Maybe the more performance points we earn, the better," Lin Qian speculated. "But that might not be the only requirement. We'll need to keep exploring to find out."
As he spoke, countless small animals and insects began to appear around them, all of them scouting beasts. They quickly dispersed, leaving Ye Xin in awe.