Infinite Slaughter System: I Kill, Therefore I Ascend!-Chapter 188: The Preliminaries! 5

When Bei Dongshi placed his hand upon the orb, the eyes of everyone focused upon him, curious to see what this young man who was wrapped in mystery would manifest.

However, this time the glow was not merely bright... but was blazing! A deep and pure crimson light emerged that swallowed the other colors around it then dyed half the arena in blood-red radiance.

The uproar that followed was instant and deafening.

"R–Red?!"

"Is that... is that actually red?!"

"Impossible! I thought only the Twin Monsters would—"

On the high platform, several middle layer sect elders shot to their feet unconsciously, their composure cracking for the first time, and even the Path Saints narrowed their eyes sharply as they sat up in their seats.

Only Ming Yue remained seated, but the smile on his lips had become razor-thin.

The Desolate Hell Path Saint Zhen Mingshen slowly turned their head toward Hall Master Yan Moqing, their expression unreadable.

"You really hid this one deep." They said in a low tone. (Author’s note: Remember, Zhen Mingshen is a genderless being, neither he nor she.)

Yan Moqing’s cold face didn’t change, but a flicker of satisfaction passed through her eyes. "He hid himself, we didn’t contribute much."

Bei Dongshi’s blindfolded face remained indifferent as he withdrew his hand, the red light gradually receding, and turned his head slightly, glancing straight toward where Li Ling sat.

Even without direct eye contact, Li Ling felt as if he were being stared at by a pair of scorching pupils.

For the first time since the test began, Li Ling’s eyelids lifted fully, and his dark blue pupils met the blank band of cloth across Bei Dongshi’s gaze.

"Oh? Interesting." Li Ling’s lips curved slightly.

Bei Dongshi tilted his head slightly, as if acknowledging the silent exchange, then turned away.

’So you’re the one who’s warped fate enough to even attract the attention of the underworld? Let’s see which of us the heavens hate more.’ The young man thought, the faintest ripple of curiosity stirring beneath his usual detachment.

He descended the steps in silence, the crowd still buzzing wildly as the implications sank in.

Three soul grades above yellow... one orange, and now a red that no one had even dared to dream of except for someone like Li Ling himself.

Immediately, the narrative focus of the tournament shifted in the minds of many spectators in that instant.

It wasn’t just about Li Ling anymore, as there were clearly other monsters lurking in the lower sect’s depths.

Yet, in the very next breath, that thought was banished.

"Next person, Bai Yegui!"

The name was like a lit match thrown into an oil bucket, stirring up the flames of passion in the spectators.

"The second of the Twin Monsters of the Lower Six Paths!"

"He fought Li Ling to a draw back then!"

"Back then they were equals... I wonder how they compare now?"

A slender figure rose calmly from among the Hungry Ghost Path disciples. Bai Yegui’s appearance was the opposite of Shi Gaolin’s solid martial presence; he was pale, with smooth, almost delicate features that would not have seemed out of place on a scholar.

His short white hair was messy as usual, and his eyes were narrow, dark, and faintly sunken, lending him a slightly eerie charm.

The fellow walked toward the orb without haste, his steps light as the hem of his robe barely stirred. The arena’s volume dropped not because no one was excited, but because people were holding their breath.

This was the one who had stood equal to Li Ling in the early days, trading blows until both were drenched in blood, the clash that had birthed the title ’Twin Monsters of the Lower Six Paths’.

This of course, became less relevant after Li Ling monstrous feat of destroying five markets in a row from the righteous sect and comprehending three rules in the third realm breakthrough, even calling down heavenly tribulation.

Bai Yegui reached the pedestal and finally turned his head slightly, his line of sight drifting to the side.

Up in the stands, more than a few people noticed the subtle change in Li Ling’s posture.

His hand left his cheek and his back straightened by a slight amount. Those dark blue eyes, which had remained half-lidded and indifferent through every other test, now focused fully on the stage.

Bai Yegui’s lips twitched upward, and whether it was in satisfaction or amusement, even he wasn’t sure.

"So you can still be bothered to look at me, huh? Good! I’d hate to think I was only a fleeting memory in your life!" He thought, his blood boiling.

Bai Yegui sucked in a deep breath and placed his hand on the orb.

WHOOSH!

The light that burst forth this time was not weaker than Bei Dongshi’s! In fact, it was slightly richer and heavier, like thick blood wine poured across the firmament.

Even the Pure Soul Orb hummed faintly, its surface trembling as if struggling to contain the reading.

For a brief moment, the arena was stunned into complete silence... then all hell broke loose!

"Red again?!"

"The second of the Twin Monsters is also red!"

"So it wasn’t just his roots and comprehension... his soul talent is peak tier as well?!"

Even the middle layer sect elders who had just sat down found themselves half-rising again, faces dark and agitated.

"This is... this batch... what sort of little monsters have we raised?" One of them muttered with a hint of fear.

"Can we really contain them if they grow? Can they match the Heavenly Mandate Dao Child?" Another asked with a shake of their head, foreseeing cloudy days ahead.

On the pedestal, Bai Yegui stared at the red glow reflected in his own eyes, then slowly withdrew his hand.

He didn’t look at the elders, his peers, or the sea of sect disciples. He immediately turned his head and let his gaze collide with Li Ling’s.

Li Ling smiled, and it wasn’t the usual playful and mocking curve he gave most people, but something sharper and slightly more genuine.

"Not bad." He praised audibly.

’As expected of the protagonist huh?’ Li Ling thought to himself inwardly, feeling that things might become unpredictable when the elimination rounds started.

Bai Yegui exhaled deeply through his nose, something in his chest loosening and tightening at the same time. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

’Don’t patronize me Li Ling! I’ll drag you down with me or stand beside you, I refuse to be left behind!’ The pale young man thought fiercely.

With that, he turned and walked back down, ignoring the hands that reached out to clap his shoulder as well as the questions flung his way.

The Divine Deva Overseer allowed the crowd a few more breaths to chatter about what just occurred, then raised his hand and pressed down, his Fourth Realm aura suppressing the noise from the lower sect area which were the loudest.

"Next person..."

He glanced at his list, then blinked once before continuing with a hint of strangeness in his tone.

"...Li Ling!"

Immediately, the entire crowd seemed to reach a peak, as everyone leaned forward in their seats, gripping their armrests tightly enough to break it where it not made of superior materials. The falsely smiling Ming Yue, especially shifted his posture, his eyes narrowing as he focused intently on what was about to happen.

Path Saints, Path Elders, Path Ascenders, Path Controllers, Core Disciples, True Inheritors, Grand Elders, Path Lords and even Path Walkers, everyone was akin to a mortal watching the climax moment of a drama play, completely riveted in the moment and unable to even muster any interest in anything else.

Li Ling smiled and stood up, dusting himself off dramatically before taking a single step and teleporting before the Pure Soul Orb, something which made the eyes of those in the Upper Sect narrow. Earlier he had opened a portal to the tournament grounds with some strange power that they couldn’t identify and even now, none could necessarily see through his method for achieving this, but were sure that it was a result of a daoist art.

Bai Yegui’s lips twitched because he knew exactly which daoist art could do this and what it required, so he had long known that Li Ling at least had a Void Touched Physique. With his own background in mind, compared with Li Ling’s, Bai Yegui felt that their meeting was fated and truly took the title ’Twin Monsters of the Lower Six Paths’ very seriously.

Now was the moment of truth, where he would see whether the fellow could match his pace in the middle layer. A Void Touched Physique basically half guaranteed that Li Ling would slide into Void Refinement, but the three major realms before that would mostly be decided by this soul test!

Li Ling reached out slowly with his right hand, pressing it atop the pure soul orb just as all eyes focused upon it with bated breaths.

WHOOOSH!

Immediately the Pure Soul Orb reacted and revealed the long awaited results, which were something no one could have expected nor predicted!