Seeing that everyone was intrigued, Mo Bin continued, "The other girl is named Lin Dongxue. Although her cultivation is only at the Third Grade of the Black Rank, she possesses extraordinary innate talent. Her ability to comprehend various martial techniques is incredibly sharp."

"Just how sharp?" the others pressed eagerly.

"With a mere hint of guidance, she immediately grasps the core concept," Mo Bin replied calmly. Yet, the weight of his words left the listeners far from composed.

"An exceptional comprehension is indeed worth placing under observation. If she proves worthy of cultivation, our Azure Dragon Academy will certainly allocate ample resources to support her. Surely the last one isn't another girl?" Xiao Cangshan asked with a chuckle.

"No, he is not. The final youth is named Tang Yan. He is also at the Third Grade of the Black Rank, but I am certain he will break into the top hundred during this selection trial," Mo Bin asserted confidently.

"Oldest, you are blowing his potential entirely out of proportion," the impatient Second Elder immediately interjected, eager to dampen Mo Bin's enthusiasm.

"If you remain skeptical, we shall simply let the final rankings speak for themselves," Mo Bin replied, completely unperturbed.

"Does this Tang Yan possess some unique physical constitution?" Xiao Cangshan inquired.

"No."

"Is he a descendant of a prominent clan?"

"Far from it. He hails from the smallest mortal city under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Region."

Noticing the lingering skepticism among the group, Xiao Cangshan chose not to embarrass Mo Bin further. He smiled warmly and said, "Then let us reconvene in the main hall in ten days' time to examine the rankings of these candidates together."

Tang Yan and his companions advanced rapidly. After covering more than ten li, they spotted two Giant-Tusk Elephants playing in the distance.

"Good heavens, two Fourth Grade Spirit Beasts." Looking at the massive creatures, Du Shu's eyes flared with excitement. "If we slay both, we secure two full points."

"The tusks of a Giant-Tusk Elephant are incredibly sharp; a mere graze will tear open flesh and bone. If you take a direct hit, you will be crippled at best and slain at worst. Exercise extreme caution," Wan Fei cautioned, drawing upon her extensive knowledge of Spirit Beasts. "Though they are massive and move somewhat slowly, their trunks are remarkably agile. A strike delivered with their full weight carries a physical force comparable to the full-power attack of a peak Fifth Grade Black Rank cultivator."

"Wan Fei and Lin Dongxue will form one team, while Du Shu and Fang Xuan take the other. The four of you will handle them. I will suppress the perimeter," Tang Yan commanded.

With no objections, the group exchanged knowing glances and instantly charged toward the beasts.

As Fourth Grade Spirit Beasts, the Giant-Tusk Elephants were inherently aggressive. Sensing the approach of cultivators, both beasts let out low, resonant roars, stamping their massive feet in agitation as an explicit warning against further encroachment.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The four cultivators unsheathed their respective weapons simultaneously, swinging them toward the beasts.

"Roar!"

Infuriated that four insignificant humans dared to advance, the Giant-Tusk Elephants bellowed and stampeded forward. Their immense bodies thundered across the terrain, causing the earth to tremble violently beneath the cultivators' feet.

Intending to test the raw physical power of the beast, Lin Dongxue circulated her True Qi and swung her slender sword directly at the leading Giant-Tusk Elephant.

"Ding!"

Sword met trunk in a sharp, metallic ring that resonated through the clearing.

"Clatter."

The sheer force of the impact numbed the web of Lin Dongxue's thumb. With a soft cry, she lost her grip, and her long sword tumbled to the ground.

A look of primal disdain flashed in the eyes of the Giant-Tusk Elephant. Without breaking its momentum, it charged straight toward the disarmed girl, whose internal True Qi was currently churning from the rebound.

"Be careful!" Wan Fei cried out in alarm, raising her own blade as she rushed to intercept.

However, Wan Fei was positioned along the beast's flank. Given the creature's thick hide and dense flesh, any strike she landed would inflict minor damage at best. It was already too late to block the charge.

A surge of intense panic gripped Lin Dongxue. Staring at the rapidly approaching mass of the Giant-Tusk Elephant, she found herself unable to gather her disrupted True Qi in time. In a desperate, futile effort to survive, she could only throw out her hands blindly.

"Get out of the way!" Fang Xuan roared in desperation from the side.

The gleaming, razor-sharp tusks were a mere breath away from impaling her.

"Was she about to die?" A profound sense of despair welled up from the depths of her soul.

"Boom!"

At the absolute precipice of death, her vision blurred. A familiar figure suddenly materialized in front of her, violently shoving her clear of the path.

Tang Yan had thrown himself directly into the trajectory of the charging beast.

"No!" Lin Dongxue screamed, her voice tearing with agony.

In that single instant, executing the movement to push Lin Dongxue to safety had exhausted every fraction of Tang Yan's opening. For him to evade the strike himself was physically impossible.

Relying purely on battle instinct, Tang Yan forced his torso to twist upward in mid-air, barely avoiding the lethal impalement of the two massive tusks.

Yet, with a deafening impact, his body was struck squarely by the beast's massive skull and sent flying through the air.

"Crack!"

His hurtling form smashed directly through a tree as thick as a man's thigh, snapping the trunk cleanly in two.

"Pfft!"

A spray of crimson trickled from the corner of Tang Yan's mouth. Even though he had executed the most flawless defensive maneuver possible under the circumstances, the terrifying physical force of the Giant-Tusk Elephant left his True Qi in absolute chaos and his internal organs violently displaced.

A searing, agonizing heat radiated across his back. Although he had avoided a fatal piercing, the tip of the tusk had gouged two deep, jagged lacerations along his spine, from which fresh blood gushed uncontrollably.

For a moment, Fang Xuan and Du Shu stood frozen in sheer shock. What terrifying resolve did it require to put one's life on the line so flawlessly to shield another?

Wan Fei felt a faint prickle of envy rise within her heart as she looked at Lin Dongxue. This man had completely cast aside his own survival for her sake.

"Tang Yan! Tang Yan, look at me!" Lin Dongxue scrambled over frantically. Seeing his garments completely saturated with crimson and the very soil beneath him stained bright red, her tears broke like a severed string, flowing uncontrollably down her face.

"Help me... take these..." Tang Yan communicated with a thread of divine sense, painstakingly retrieving several porcelain vials from his Storage Ring as he forced his jaw open with immense difficulty.

"Alright!" Lin Dongxue quickly took the medicinal pills and placed them into his mouth. However, Tang Yan's physical body felt as though it had been completely shattered; he lacked even the strength to swallow the medicine.

Seeing his paralyzed state, Lin Dongxue did not hesitate. Her soft lips pressed firmly against his, and she gently released a wisp of her own True Qi, guiding the healing pills safely down his throat.

For the remaining pills, she repeated the exact same method without a moment's pause.

Tang Yan's mind went entirely blank. Lin Dongxue's cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, as though she were profoundly intoxicated. With tears still tracing paths down her face like pear blossoms glistening after a heavy rain, the sight caused Tang Yan's heart to throb fiercely.

"Tang Yan, you will be fine. You must hold on," Lin Dongxue choked out, her voice trembling.

Recalling how he had fearlessly thrown himself into harm's way to push her to safety, she felt an unbearable ache in her chest.

Every memory of her time spent with him flooded her consciousness: the poems he had composed, their very first sparring match, the first kiss she had surrendered over a lost wager...

Then came his rigorous, unyielding guidance on Cangyun Mountain, and the image of him desperately holding back Liu Jing at the risk of his own life just to buy her a single chance to escape.

These fragments of the past surged into her heart like an unstoppable tide, melting away her defenses. It felt as though the barred gates of her heart had been gently, decisively pushed open by a single individual.

"I am fine now. Go aid Fang Xuan," Tang Yan muttered, finally catching his breath as the medicinal properties began to circulate through his meridians.

Lin Dongxue shifted her gaze back to the battlefield. Du Shu had already moved to reinforce Wan Fei, and through their combined efforts, they were gradually forcing their target into retreat. Fang Xuan's situation, however, remained highly precarious. Despite possessing a Fifth Grade Black Rank cultivation, he could barely maintain a defensive posture against the dense hide and explosive physical power of the rampaging Giant-Tusk Elephant.

"Call for me if anything changes," Lin Dongxue urged softly, knowing that this was no time for lingering sentiment.

"Go."

Watching Lin Dongxue leap back into the fray, Tang Yan let out a wry, silent laugh. Fortunately, the pills he had refined beforehand possessed exceptional efficacy; otherwise, an injury of this magnitude would have severely compromised his standing in the selection trial.

"Roar!"

With Lin Dongxue joining the engagement, the crushing pressure on Fang Xuan alleviated instantly. Within moments, their synchronized strikes opened a deep, bleeding wound upon the Giant-Tusk Elephant's flank.

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