C56 Chu Yi's Guess!

Chu Yi's eyes gleamed with triumph, as though everything unfolding before him was part of his grand scheme.

Teacher Zhao was no Demonic Beast; his wisdom far surpassed that of any such creature.

So, when the leopard demon materialized before Chu Yi, yet hesitated to deliver the final blow, he had already figured it out.

In a flash, the gleaming blade halted.

In a flash, blood sprayed.

In a flash, an arm pierced through the massive skull...

It was over...

Even in its final moments, the leopard demon seemed unable to grasp what had happened, its eyes still shimmering with a human-like arrogance.

"Terrifying!"

Gazing at Chu Yi on the ground, Teacher Zhao's lips quivered slightly before he finally uttered the words.

Terrifying!

Indeed, as a Gold Level General, he found the thought of a mere Bronze being so formidable to be frightening.

"He used himself as bait to draw out the leopard demon's attack!"

"This is madness, sheer terror!"

Without the presence of the demonic ape, the situation might have been manageable. But it was the demonic ape's very appearance that made Chu Yi's chances of slaying the leopard demon almost nonexistent.

Yet, who could have predicted that Chu Yi would resort to such a tactic?

Using himself as bait, he lured the leopard demon into striking, dealing a lethal blow at the moment of its greatest pride!

Such a strategy was utterly astonishing.

"Under normal circumstances, even Chu Yi would have needed considerable time to subdue the leopard demon."

"But now..."

Teacher Zhao shook his head, his expression one of palpable dread.

He knew that despite the leopard demon's cunning, it was still outmatched.

And...

"Would I have thought of that?"

This thought sent a shiver through Teacher Zhao's spine.

He was acutely aware that even if he were in the same situation, the outcome would have been no different. Faced with such an opportunity, he too would not have hesitated to seize it!

Before Chu Yi made his move, Teacher Zhao hadn't anticipated such calculated ruthlessness, nor had he imagined Chu Yi to be such an audacious youth...

"Frightening, utterly frightening!"

Teacher Zhao had now repeated the word 'frightening' twice, a clear indication of the deep wariness he felt towards Chu Yi.

With a single punch, Chu Yi had decisively slain the leopard demon. A smile crept onto his face, one that was both ferocious and terrifying amidst the surrounding bloodshed, yet it was a genuine smile from the depths of his heart.

In the distance, the demonic ape had finally recovered from its immense pain. It was undeniably a formidable opponent, stronger and more intelligent than the Steelback Bear. But in the end, demonic beasts are just that—beasts. And since this particular demonic ape was merely at the Bronze Level, its heightened intelligence still couldn't overcome its primal instincts. Now, it was utterly mad with rage.

In a flash, its eyes blazed with nothing but bloodlust and savagery as it charged towards Chu Yi. Initially, the demonic ape had some semblance of strategy in its combat. But now...

Once it lost its composure, the demonic ape was no different from the Steelback Bear in Chu Yi's eyes. Thus, Chu Yi dodged, all the while searching for the beast's weaknesses to inflict damage.

The demonic ape was no longer at its peak. Despite its massive size lending power to its attacks, Chu Yi was no longer intimidated. Teacher Zhao, observing from the flying car above, could already foresee the outcome.

He watched as Chu Yi's eyes glinted with an eerie light, but this time, he remained silent.

The earth trembled as the colossal body of the demonic ape, over twelve meters tall, collapsed. Blood soaked the forest floor, and the trees around were shattered and splintered.

Leaning against a tree, Chu Yi caught his breath. The battle had been a true challenge. It was undoubtedly more arduous to face the demonic ape alone than to take on the Steelback Bear with Lee Zi, but Chu Yi hadn't needed to pay such a steep price.

Chu Yi's true objective had never been the demonic ape. After struggling to his feet, he turned his gaze to Teacher Zhao, hovering in the void.

"Let's head back..." he said.

Without a word, Teacher Zhao maneuvered the flying car to land in front of Chu Yi.

The two flew toward the camp in silence...

"Chu Yi, Zhao Jun, what is the meaning of this?"

Teacher Cang's face was a mask of icy disapproval as he regarded Chu Yi, who was drenched in blood, and Zhao Jun, who appeared nonchalant.

Chu Yi faced Teacher Cang and bowed respectfully. "I apologize, Teacher. I acted impulsively this time."

There was no bad blood between Teacher Cang and Chu Yi. In fact, Chu Yi's admission into the Trial Group was largely thanks to Teacher Cang's assistance.

Otherwise, if strict adherence to the rules had been enforced, Chu Yi wouldn't have been able to join, even with his ability to overpower Zhu Yu.

Thus, Chu Yi held a considerable amount of respect for Teacher Cang.

Upon hearing Chu Yi's words, Teacher Cang's brow furrowed. He gazed at the bloodied Chu Yi but ultimately chose to hold his tongue.

With a wave of his hand, he indicated that Chu Yi should leave.

Indeed, it was time for Chu Yi to take a rest.

While Chu Yi believed that using the spiritual energy here to perform immortal arts could heal his wounds overnight, he dared not attempt it.

So, he resolved to enter the medical pod instead.

After all, the government covered the cost, and despite the pod's modest efficacy, it was certainly better than simply waiting to recover.

"I think you still have some issues with how you perceive Chu Yi."

Issues?

Teacher Cang looked at Zhao Jun, who had unexpectedly spoken up, with a look of surprise.

Zhao Jun was unlike the other mentors; he was a formidable member of the Inspection Team and a Gold Level General.

Although he was technically part of the Trial Group for the sake of protecting Lee Zi, Teacher Cang had no authority over him.

"Here, see for yourself..."

Zhao Jun had already sent a video to Teacher Cang's device as he spoke.

"I hope that after watching it, you can maintain the same perspective as before..."

With those words, Zhao Jun turned and walked away.

However, just as he was about to vanish around the corner, he paused, turned back, and added, "Also, I think it's time to reassess Chu Yi's ranking."

"If we continue to judge him by the previous standards, we may have to intervene..."

Though Zhao Jun and Teacher Cang were both government officials, it was clear that they represented different factions within the bureaucracy.

Teacher Cang didn't rush to anger this time; instead, he began to watch the video that Zhao Jun had sent over.

...

"I went out to get revenge for you and accidentally encountered another Demonic Beast..."

Chu Yi said, looking into Lee Zi's eyes with an awkward explanation.

He had assumed Lee Zi was still asleep, but to his surprise, as soon as he entered the room, he was met with Lee Zi's wide-open eyes.

Lee Zi remained silent, just staring at him with those big eyes.

Hmm, occasionally, her gaze would sweep over Chu Yi's entire body.

Seeing himself covered in blood, Chu Yi immediately felt embarrassed.

He had no choice; Lee Zi had just risked her life to save him, and here he was, off gallivanting again.

For some reason, ever since Lee Zi had taken that life-threatening hit for him, Chu Yi felt a strange sense of guilt when facing her.

He felt defeated. In the past, he could be somewhat assertive with Lee Zi, but now, just one look from her was enough to deflate all his bravado.

Finding a medical pod next to Lee Zi, Chu Yi obediently climbed in.

Soon, a stream of air began to cleanse the bloodstains from his body.

The technology of this world was truly impressive, allowing for laundry and showers without a drop of water.

Chu Yi believed that a shower without water lacked soul, but he couldn't afford to be picky at the moment.

While lying in the medical pod, Chu Yi recounted his recent adventures to Lee Zi, glossing over the perils and highlighting the thrilling and clever aspects.

In this way, a tale that should have taken half an hour to tell was stretched out by Chu Yi to last an entire afternoon.

When Chu Yi looked again, Lee Zi had already closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The slight upward curve of Lee Zi's lips put Chu Yi's mind at ease.

Lee Zi's condition wasn't great, but thanks to the soft armor, it wasn't as dire as he had feared.

As Teacher Cang had previously mentioned, Lee Zi had sustained only superficial injuries and her vital organs were unharmed, so she would be up and about in just a few days.

Certainly, Lee Zi would need to spend at least a few more days recuperating in the medical pod.

This situation could be seen as a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Watching Lee Zi drift off to sleep, Chu Yi let out a sigh of relief, but his face soon took on a grave expression once more.

Indeed, if Chu Yi had been merely speculating before, he was now convinced!

"It appears that there must be something extraordinary about to unfold here!"

Chu Yi took a moment to sense his surroundings and noticed that the concentration of spiritual energy had increased yet again. As with the previous days, today's spiritual energy had risen further.

Considering the Bronze Level Demonic Beasts he had encountered earlier, Chu Yi had already considered two possibilities.

The first was the presence of some kind of treasure in this area.

Such a treasure could be a natural marvel or a rare and precious object that requires eons to form, consuming vast amounts of spiritual energy and even the fortunes of entire worlds in the process.

While humans may not perceive it, Demonic Beasts, as beings nurtured by the cosmos, can keenly feel these shifts.

The adage that rare treasures are guarded by alien beasts doesn't imply that these creatures have tended to the treasures from the start.

That would be virtually impossible.

Even though Demonic Beasts live much longer than humans, their lifespans pale in comparison to the age of these treasures. They couldn't possibly wait for a natural treasure to reach maturity, not even over several generations.

Most alien beasts found near rare treasures are simply drawn by the scent of these divine items as they near ripeness.

This was the first possibility, but Chu Yi had now ruled it out.

The spiritual energy here had been consistent since its resurgence; it had never fluctuated.

If not the first, then the only other explanation was the second possibility.

A secret realm was on the verge of being unveiled!

A secret realm is a peculiar small world left behind by formidable entities who had achieved significant progress in their cultivation.

Some are independent realms, while others are the sanctuaries of mighty practitioners.

Once their masters perish, these places become unclaimed, cast into the turbulent void, awaiting the right moment to reemerge in this world under certain conditions.

Certainly, these secret realms are part of the enigmatic domains of the Immortal Demon World.

But in this world...

This world, too, has its own secret realms. Chu Yi, for instance, came across descriptions of these mysterious places online.

Yet, the formation of these secret realms remains unexplained on the internet, suggesting that humanity here is likely just as in the dark.

Throughout this world's history, there have been instances where secret realms were unveiled, predominantly during the period when spiritual energy was reawakening.

However, in the past century, there have been no new openings of these secret realms.