Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Enemies Are Bound to Meet

Having broken through the Wooden Man Array, Lin Yun didn’t linger. After seeing the Crown Prince and his group charge into the array, Lin Yun once again dashed deeper into the valley.

Each Green Talent List competition was, one could say, a culling of all the geniuses in the Southeast Domain. Only those who survived were worthy of the title of genius.

Although Celestial Eagle Valley gave everyone a Token, the Tokens were only effective against the Wooden Men and Stone Men. Every time the Green Talent List began, at least half of the geniuses would fall.

These people might have been geniuses in their own factions, but they were far from it when compared to the entire Southeast Domain.

Just like now, not long after the people from Yanhuang Academy and the Wind Forest Sect charged into the Wooden Man Array, the main group behind them also rushed in one after another.

With more people came conflict. Some, after crushing their Tokens to escape the Wooden Men’s attacks, were ultimately killed by those right beside them.

In an instant, the Wooden Man Array was filled with heaven-shaking battle cries. Here, even disciples from the same sect might kill each other, to say nothing of outsiders.

"Hurry, get out!" The Crown Prince was the first to break out of the Wooden Man Array. He was followed by the Second Prince, the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, Ziyi, Chen Ming, and the others.

Although they had successfully passed the first trial, everyone present had a grim expression. In the Wooden Man Array alone, the Crown Prince’s side had lost four people, and the Wind Forest Sect had lost five.

These people had, of course, been killed by geniuses from other factions.

"Damn it! I have to catch that brat." The Crown Prince’s face was dark as he led the survivors deeper into the valley in pursuit. Ziyi and the others followed close behind.

After the Crown Prince’s group passed through the Wooden Man Array, a party of Direct Disciples from Celestial Eagle Valley also made it through. As Direct Disciples of Celestial Eagle Valley, they held a significant advantage within the valley.

The dozen or so Direct Disciples from Celestial Eagle Valley passed through the Wooden Man Array with ease, not a single one of them injured.

"A bunch of idiots," one of the Celestial Eagle Valley Direct Disciples sneered, looking with contempt at the crowd still struggling desperately within the array.

Of the two hundred young geniuses gathered from the entire Southeast Domain, over a hundred were eliminated in the first trial, the Wooden Man Array, with a death rate exceeding fifty percent. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Those who were eliminated lost the right to advance and could only return in dejection. Still, they were the lucky ones, because dozens of corpses now lay within the Wooden Man Array.

Every one of these corpses had been a genius in their respective factions. Yet, in a grand event like the Green Talent List, they had become trash, foils, and stepping stones for others.

The saying "competition among geniuses is the most brutal" was perfectly illustrated here.

Leading the pack, Lin Yun never stopped. After running for some distance, he plunged headfirst into a thick bank of fog.

The thick fog blocked his vision and even obstructed his perception.

He grew wary. ’This must be another one of the trials,’ he thought. Aside from blocking his sight and perception, however, the fog here seemed no different from any other.

Covered by the fog, Lin Yun could only slow down. Unable to see or sense anything, he was like a blind man, forced to remain constantly on guard against any sudden changes in his surroundings.

As Lin Yun moved cautiously, Little Ape, who had been nestled against his chest, suddenly poked its head out and let out a series of low growls at him.

Sharing a telepathic connection with Little Ape, Lin Yun instantly understood its meaning. He quickly dodged to the left. Just as he moved, a half-meter-tall black shadow shot past the spot where he had just been standing.

’If it weren’t for Little Ape’s warning, that black shadow would have definitely hit me,’ he thought, alarmed.

"You can sense its presence?" Lin Yun asked, looking at Little Ape.

Hearing this, Little Ape proudly puffed out its chest, as if to say, ’Don’t you know who I am?’

Not knowing what the black shadow was, and with the thick fog, Lin Yun became even more cautious with every step. Fortunately, with Little Ape there, he was able to dodge the shadow’s attacks ahead of time on every occasion.

ROAR, ROAR, ROAR... As they went deeper, Little Ape once again let out a series of low growls at Lin Yun.

"’Three of them?’" he muttered to himself. Then, following Little Ape’s directions, he narrowly dodged three attacks from the black shadows.

The deeper they went, the more numerous the black shadows became, and their attacks grew more frequent.

As Lin Yun walked through the fog, the Crown Prince, Ziyi, and their group charged in after him. Upon entering the fog, everyone was separated, unable to hear or sense each other’s presence.

They had no choice. The Crown Prince and his group had no time to think about Lin Yun; their first priority was to find a way to protect themselves. The difficulty of this first round of the Green Talent List was no small matter and allowed for no carelessness.

"Lin Yun, you better hope I don’t run into you, or I’ll flay you alive!" the Crown Prince cursed angrily as he walked cautiously.

Inside this mist, it was as if you were in another space entirely. You couldn’t sense anything, like you had gone blind, and could only rely on intuition to judge if there was danger.

After walking for what was likely four or five hours, Lin Yun still hadn’t emerged from the mist. He was currently sitting cross-legged on the ground, recovering some of his stamina.

Opening his eyes, Lin Yun knew that in this situation, he had to maintain his peak combat power. After all, not only did he have to face the trials of the Green Talent List, but also the pursuit from the Crown Prince and his men.

"’Do I have to hunt those black shadows to get out of this mist?’" he murmured. Lin Yun had suspected it for a while now. Having walked for so long without finding a way out, it was likely that he needed to complete some kind of task.

If he had to complete a task, the only thing Lin Yun could think of was that he might have to kill or capture the black shadows to pass this second trial.

Just as Lin Yun was pondering this, Little Ape leaped onto his shoulder and let out a few soft growls.

Understanding Little Ape’s meaning, a cold smile appeared on Lin Yun’s face. Little Ape had just told him that it sensed a familiar presence not far from them.

’A familiar presence... that has to be someone from either Yanhuang Academy or the Wind Forest Sect. They must have gotten separated in this thick fog. And now I’ve run into one of them...’

"Excellent. Since we’ve met, I’ll start by collecting some interest," Lin Yun said coldly. Following Little Ape’s guidance, he moved toward the source of the presence.

He hadn’t walked for long when, with a single step, the fog before him parted, revealing a figure standing less than two meters away.

Lin Yun’s sudden appearance startled the person. He looked at Lin Yun in alarm, and when he recognized who it was, his expression twisted into sheer terror.

"Lin Yun..."

"Fifth Prince. Enemies truly are destined to meet, aren’t they? Today, I’ll start by collecting a little interest." Looking at the man, the killing intent radiating from Lin Yun intensified. It was none other than the Fifth Prince, the one who had tried to kill him at the Yanhuang Martial Arts Arena.

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