Another minute had quickly passed as Ye Xuan was lost in his thought. After that minute was up, the mist in the far distance started stirring.
An enormous Demon Ape barged out of the mist, a black aura that surrounding it, eyes deep-set and fiery. There were four ears growing atop its head, and four arms grew from its shoulder.
Rumble!
The Tyrannosaurus immediately pulled the same stunt as soon as the Demon Ape appeared. It glared fiercely with its Amber Tyrannosaurus Eyes.
Roar!
In the face of the Tyrannosaurus’ glare, the Four-Armed Demon Ape only clenched its fists and hammered at its chest, charging manically towards Ye Xuan as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
“This thing…”
Ye Xuan squinted.
Based on what he had heard, the fourth round in the Spirit Pagoda was arranged according to the weaknesses the Beast Tamer’s beast had displayed in the preceding rounds.
“I guess the Amber Tyrannosaurus Roar won’t be of much use here, then.”
Ye Xuan’s heart stirred a little, then he bellowed, “Move up for close combat, Tyrannosaurus!”
Following his deep bellow, the Amber Tyrannosaurus flexed its pair of wings and lunged forward bodily with no hesitation, bounding right towards the Four-Armed Demon Ape.
Whoosh!
At the same time, Lil Wan leaped into the air and landed atop the Tyrannosaurus’ body. Her gaze was locked firmly on the Four-Armed Demon Ape, looking out for the right moment to strike.
Rumble!
The Four-Armed Demon Ape and the Tyrannosaurus were moving at an impossible speed. Both of them very quickly collided. The Four-Armed Demon Ape had boundless strength and its four arms were just like giant hammers.
They landed blow after blow onto the Tyrannosaurus.
Sparks flew on the Tyrannosaurus’ skin and innumerable amber shards chipped off in an instant. But still it rose. Its tail struck forward like a thick whip as its claws quickly clamored at the Four-Armed Demon Ape.
Its wings were striking relentlessly as well. Every time it landed a blow on the Four-Armed Demon Ape, the black aura around the ape would dissipate a little.
Whoosh!
Lil Wan blinked a few seconds into the brawl between the Four-Armed Demon Ape and the Tyrannosaurus. With a wave of her hand, she sent forth a Mutated Aucuba Vine that slithered towards the Four-Armed Demon Ape like a Spirit Snake. The Mutated Aucuba Vine weaved between the gaps of its four arms, impossibly quick, and looped itself around the four arms several times in the blink of an eye.
“Tighten your hold!”
The Four-Armed Demon Ape sensed that something was wrong, and so it immediately moved to trigger an explosive power which would blow the Mutated Aucuba Vine off of it. But Lil Wan was one step ahead. She channeled her energy to tighten the Mutated Aucuba Vine that had once been loose around the arms, and it trapped all four of the ape’s arms.
Roar!
The Tyrannosaurus growled excitedly. It saw that the Four-Armed Demon Ape was restrained and immediately barreled bodily into the ape, knocking into the ape and opening its maw to bite into the Four-Armed Demon Ape’s throat.
Roar!
The Four-Armed Demon Ape howled pathetically, succumbing to Lil Wan and the Tyrannosaurus’ cooperation, its body slowly draining of power.
Very quickly, it followed in the footsteps of its predecessors.
“It’s finally over.”
Ye Xuan heaved a sigh of relief as he watched everything unfold. The Four-Armed Demon Ape had been extremely powerful. It was more than enough to restrain the Tyrannosaurus.
Even Ye Xuan would have had a headache if the beast had struggled long enough until the next round commenced.
But now that he had cleared this round, he had secured a score of at least 90 points.
Such a grading should be more than enough for him to secure the evolutionary resources that he would need for the Tyrannosaurus to quickly ascend to the Dark Iron level.
…
Outside the Spirit Pagoda, at the same time.
Two people strode out of the Spirit Pagoda not long after Ye Xuan felled the Four-Armed Demon Ape. The two of them were none other than Xu Canchan and Song Jia. who had survived in the tower for five minutes and 58 seconds, earning her a score of 88 points.
As for Xu Canchan, he had persisted for a full six minutes, and scored 90 points. Even among the previous batches of students who had entered the Spirit Pagoda, there were barely 10 or so of them who had scored above 90.
The two of them looked around after they stepped out of the Spirit Pagoda. Their faces fell when they did not find the face they were looking for.
They looked terrible.
“It seems like you really found a genius student, huh?” Xu Younian looked at Lin Shiru and said in awe. He noticed that six minutes had passed, but Ye Xuan had not walked out of the Spirit Pagoda yet.
Lin Shiru made no comment, and it was impossible to glean anything from her expression either.
He was a beast tamer who was bonded to two beasts when he was only at the apprentice level, someone at the apprentice level who was the most powerful of his peers. There was about a one in three chance of obtaining two Seeds of Beasts every time you advanced in level.
However, it was not guaranteed that you would obtain two Seeds of Beasts each time you advanced in level. As such, she was not the least bit surprised that Ye Xuan had persisted for six minutes in the Spirit Pagoda.
The other person who held the record for the Spirit Pagoda was that Challenger-level Beast Tamer—current King of Thousand Cranes—who had also been an apprentice when he challenged the Spirit Pagoda.
Like Ye Xuan, he had also been bonded to two Beasts when he was still an apprentice.
…
Roar!
At this moment in the Spirit Pagoda, not long after Ye Xuan had bested the Four-Armed Demon Ape, the rolling mist parted yet again. This time, three Four-Armed Demon Apes barged out.
“F*ck!”
Ye Xuan blanched when he saw the three Four-Armed Demon Apes.
Not only was the Four-Armed Demon Ape powerful, but it was also powerful enough to restrain the Tyrannosaurus.
In a one-on-one, it would be difficult for the Tyrannosaurus to take down a Four-Armed Demon Ape under regular conditions.
It had only managed the feat so quickly just now because of Lil Wan’s aid.
Now that three Four-Armed Demon Apes were making their way out of the fog, Ye Xuan immediately realized something. Even he would find it difficult to clear this round.
It was also in this moment that he understood why the other challengers could only survive in the Spirit Pagoda for six minutes and not a second longer.
Rumble! Rumble!
After the three Four-Armed Demon Apes stepped out of the fog, they immediately charge at Ye Xuan with a growl.
“Go, with all your might, Tyrannosaurus!”
Ye Xuan’s gaze was locked on the three Four-Armed Demon Apes.
Roar!
The Tyrannosaurus rumbled. The five colors in its eyes slowly started to blend into a singular red.
Following that, this red quickly started spreading. Its entire body was coated in a layer of red light. Its aura started amplifying rapidly. This move allowed for it to fully tap into the Amber Dragon Aspect and go berserk.
When berserk, all of the Tyrannosaurus’ attributes would augment very rapidly in a short period of time.
In the next instant, the Tyrannosaurus growled when he saw the three Four-Armed Demon Apes charging towards it. Its powerful hind legs struck the ground, and then its wings fluttered and Sword Gust in the form of two crosses and lashed forward.
It landed upon the Four-Armed Demon Ape who was caught off guard, and sent the ape flying back. The black aura that lingered about the Four-Armed Demon Ape was slashed into half.
Roar!
But after the Tyrannosaurus landed that blow, it did not make another move.
The other two Four-Armed Demon Apes charged towards it, quick as lightning, and waved its four arms about to lock in a grisly combat with the Tyrannosaurus. Almost instantly, the space was filled by a rumble that would not cease.
The cacophony of the battle continued ringing out. The Tyrannosaurus’ eyes were completely red—it had gone completely berserk. Past its claws and tail, even its wings were engaged in the bloody fray.
Lil Wan stood a little behind the Tyrannosaurus, not daring to inch closer. She could only trigger her Restoration Technique time and time again to heal the Tyrannosaurus’ wounds.
At the same time, she was looking out for an opening.
“Strike, Lil Wan, use your Mutated Aucuba Vines to bind the Four-Armed Demon Apes’ legs!” Ye Xuan said with a squint of his eye. He stood a little behind, watching as the other Four-Armed Demon Ape, which the Tyrannosaurus had struck down earlier, started to crawl up and charge towards them.
“Okay!” Lil Wan called back.
Instantly, she conjured a Mutated Aucuba Vine.
Like a green Spirit Snake, it slithered across the ground and quietly glided towards the two Mutated Aucuba Vines.
…
“What’s going on? It’s already been six minutes and six seconds, why isn’t he coming out of the pagoda?”
Just as the battle between Ye Xuan and the three Four-Armed Demon Apes was getting heated, the Cangzhou University teachers and students were waiting outside the Spirit Pagoda. As the time passed, so did the anxiety brew steadily within their hearts.
Cangzhou University’s record for the Spirit Pagoda was set by the current King of Thousand Cranes, when he had been an apprentice several decades ago.
The record was six minutes and six seconds.
If Ye Xuan broke their record this time, it would be truly humiliating for them.
