"Hit." Yun Hongling's long whip in her hands suddenly slid, and with a strange movement, dozens of whip shadows shot out, sliding up and down and floating eerily. Incredibly, it struck the belly of the Fire Demon Ape.

"Bang!"

The massive Fire Demon Ape didn't have time to dodge and was directly whipped fiercely in the abdomen by the long whip. Its huge body, under this slender long whip, was shockingly knocked back two steps.

"Roar..."

With a furious roar, a light enveloped the massive body of the Fire Demon Ape, and instantly, a flame burst forth from its mouth towards Yun Hongling.

"Fleeting Light and Shadow."

With a cold light shooting from her eyes, Yun Hongling's feet generated two whirlwinds, instantly turning into tornadoes. Her body dragged out a string of afterimages that were hard to see with the naked eye and disappeared from the spot.

As the flames poured down, Yun Hongling's figure vanished like lightning.

"Swoosh swoosh..."

At this moment, Yun Hongling reappeared behind the Fire Demon Ape. Her green whip in hand vibrated instantly, and with a surge of true energy, countless whip shadows were generated, far more ferocious than before. The sky full of whip shadows was like a sky full of arrows, instantly sweeping towards the Fire Demon Ape.

"Roar..."

The Fire Demon Ape was instantly engulfed in the sky of whip shadows, its body's light dimming under the violent sweep of countless whip shadows.

"Hit."

Among the sky of whip shadows, Yun Hongling's figure appeared ghostly. At the same time, a whip shadow burst out amidst the violent sweeping shadows, directly piercing into the brow of the Fire Demon Ape.

"Bang..."

With a roar, the Fire Demon Ape instantly turned into energy smoke and disappeared.

"Sss..."

Following the defeat of the Fire Demon Ape, two stone doors appeared in front of Yun Hongling, one leading out and the other to the ninth level. Yun Hongling's face was pale, as the previous move seemed to have consumed a lot of her true energy. She then stepped into the ninth level without hesitation.

"It's incredible that Miss has entered the ninth level so quickly," exclaimed the guardian within the hall.

"Yun Hongling, a warrior of three elements, exhibits strength far beyond her cultivation level. Warriors of three elements are truly terrifying," remarked many elders in surprise.

"Unexpectedly, Li Lin broke through from the sixth level to the eighth level in just one day, now already entering the top twenty," Elder Xie said with some surprise as he watched the light spots on the jade stone.

"Li Lin's breakthrough in the Martial Soul is really surprising," Elder Song also commented in amazement.

"That's because I taught well," Yu Yu said proudly, only to be met with eye rolls from all the elders, including Yun Xiaotian.

At this moment, only Zhao Wuji's eyes were filled with a cold intent.

"Sss..."

Two stone doors opened simultaneously, and two figures emerged, Li Wushuang and Du Gu Binglan. One failed at the fourth level, sixth layer, and the other at the fifth, both missing the chance to enter the secret realm.

The two stood behind Elder Xie and Elder Song, respectively, who did not blame their disciples, knowing well that entering the top twenty was not an easy task.

"Sss!" Then, two more stone doors opened, and two figures, a man and a woman, Li Shaohu and Yang Miao, also missed the secret realm.

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"Li Shaohu, Yang Miao, Li Wushuang, Du Gu Binglan failed to advance, Zhao Qinghai, Han Feng, Qu Daojue entered the fifth level, first layer; Ling Feng, Dong Pan, Du Zichun, Long San, Zhao Qingtian entered the fourth level, ninth layer; Li Lin, Cui Yu entered the fourth level, eighth layer..."

On the square, a guardian repeated the standings.

As more people exited, many disciples placed bets, hoping to earn more by betting on a dark horse, only to lose miserably.

"Li Lin is making a move; it looks promising. I've bet fifty thousand gold coins on him."

"That's nothing; I've bet a hundred thousand gold coins and a scroll of star-level high-grade martial arts on Li Lin."

"Haha, Du Gu Binglan's maid Cui Yu is the dark horse, with odds of one to fifty. I cautiously bet one point on her, and now I'm making a fortune. If I win, that's fifty points."

"Sss..." In a bush, as a giant serpent beast furiously pounced towards Li Lin, its ferocious power seemed to twist the space around it.

Li Lin was about to dodge but then showed a slight smile, allowing the giant serpent beast to charge directly at him. The ferocious power pressed down, causing ripples in the surrounding space.

"Sss..."

As the giant serpent beast was about three meters away from Li Lin, he could almost smell the beast's breath. But in an instant, the serpent turned into energy and disappeared.

"Sss"

The scene before Li Lin changed, and two stone doors appeared, one leading to the ninth level.

"Should I go through? Let's continue."

Li Lin smiled slightly and then stepped through the stone door.

"Li Lin has passed the eighth level in six hours; his strength is extraordinary," commented the guardian within the hall.

"Lin'er, you must make it to the end," Li Wushuang silently prayed in her heart, not caring about her own failure to enter the secret realm, as long as he could.

"But compared to Li Lin, Cui Yu seems even more terrifying," remarked the elders, with even Elder Song feeling a chill, not to mention the other elders. A mere maid had now entered the fourth level, ninth layer.

"Binglan, Cui Yu's strength is truly terrifying," Elder Song turned to Du Gu Binglan beside him. The young lady had not made it into the top twenty, but her maid had reached the fourth level, ninth layer.

The martial realm and illusion realm combined increased the difficulty significantly. It can be said that anyone who can reach the fourth level, ninth layer, essentially has the strength to contend with a first-level Martial General.

A maid possessing such strength, not inferior to the top disciples of the Yunyang Sect, is indeed surprising.

Yun Xiaotian smiled slightly, seemingly unsurprised by the turn of events.

"The Windwing Serpent, didn't expect it to be this beast. Now it's time to give it my all." On a mountaintop, Li Lin watched a four-hundred-meter-long white serpent coiling in mid-air. The serpent's eyes were as large as wheels, and its massive body, covered in white scales, shimmered with a chilling light. Its huge wings, spanning a hundred meters when fully spread, flapped powerfully.

The Windwing Serpent, a wind-element beast, watching this massive serpent, Li Lin sensed its aura, reaching the late fourth stage, nearly at its peak.

"Killing this Windwing Serpent should allow me to enter the fifth level, first layer," Li Lin thought, recalling the challenges he faced on this level. He had nearly failed in a formation just now, saved only by his Fleeting Light and Shadow martial skill. This Martial Spirit Fantasy Realm was not easy to traverse.

At this moment, Li Lin was almost certain that anyone who could break through from the fourth level, ninth layer, would definitely have the strength to contend with a first-level Martial General.

"Sss..."

As the Windwing Serpent hissed, its massive wings flapped fiercely, sending a terrifying pressure spreading out, cutting through the air and kicking up dust.

"Whoosh..." In that instant, a wind blade burst from the serpent's fang, stretching over ten meters, slicing through the air and slashing fiercely towards Li Lin.

Li Lin's expression darkened as he dodged with a whirl of air under his feet.

"Bang!" The wind blade hit where Li Lin had stood on the mountaintop, lifting hundreds of meters of soil and creating a cloud of dust and debris.

"No time to play."

At this moment, Li Lin's expression darkened. As his hand seals changed, a seven-colored light alternated, and a terrifying energy began to distort the space around him.

In an instant, this terrifying energy coalesced into a crimson phoenix, its wings spreading flames, causing the surrounding space to waver.

"Vermilion Bird Art, go!" Li Lin shouted, infusing the crimson phoenix with raging true energy. The terrifying red energy form turned into a several tens of meters large entity, surrounded by roaring flames, its ferocity reaching the skies and engulfing the area in flames, the air sizzling. Li Lin, with his fourth level Martial Soul strength, unleashed the Vermilion Bird Art with horrifying power.

"Hiss!"

Sensing this furious energy, the Windwing Serpent's massive eyes showed fear. Its huge body flapped its wings rapidly, spewing a barrage of wind blades, slicing through space with ferocious power.

In an instant, the two energies collided, sending sparks flying everywhere. The wind enveloped the flames, causing continuous explosions in the sky.

Instantly, the crimson apparition vanished, eventually condensing into a scorching giant fireball. The fireball exploded, expanding rapidly, then burst in mid-air with a loud bang.

"Bang bang bang..."

Flames scattered, filling the space with deafening blasts. The terrifying, raging energy soared, and the Windwing Serpent's massive body, engulfed in flames, writhed in agony before falling from the sky, crashing heavily into the ground, creating a huge crater where it landed.

The Windwing Serpent's body twitched and rolled for a moment before dissipating on the ground.

"Sss!"

Two stone doors appeared before Li Lin again, one leading to the fifth level, first layer.