The Phoenix Clan elder nodded. Having entered the Ancient Realm of Good Fortune in his youth, he knew that with Jiang Shishi's state of mind, reaching the third level was exceedingly difficult, and elimination was the far more probable outcome.
Since she had not been eliminated, it proved her state of mind had improved tremendously.
To become a qualified leader, personal strength alone was not enough; one also needed cunning and a thick skin.
And when it came to having a thick skin, no one excelled more than the patriarch of the Qiongqi Clan.
"Who's left inside? Just Jiang Shishi and Su Lian'er?" A demon elder counted heads, noticing that the prodigies of the Phoenix Clan and Nine-Tailed Fox Clan had yet to emerge.
"No, that's wrong! Two others are still in there, following Jiang Shishi!" Qin Feng shouted. Though he did not know Lu Yang's and Meng Jingzhou's clan or names, he could never forget their faces.
"Oh? Following Jiang Shishi?" The Jiuying Clan elder narrowed his eyes, immediately spotting an opening. "Elder Jiang Wei, this isn't right. We all had an agreement beforehand that each clan could send only one person into the Ancient Realm of Good Fortune. Did your Phoenix Clan send three?"
He was desperate to deflect blame. Besides, according to Qin Feng's account, the elimination of the Demon Alliance's prodigies in the very first stage was inextricably tied to the Phoenix Clan!
"So what if three went in?" Elder Jiang Wei sneered, utterly unfazed. In terms of sheer foundation, the Phoenix Clan was the mightiest in the Demon Domain; even Ancient Dijiang dared not attempt to control them for now.
The Dragon Clan was split into two branches—one in the Demon Domain and one in the East Sea—so their foundation was divided in two. When it came to a clash of foundations, the Demon Domain branch of dragons could not outmatch the Phoenix Clan.
Elder Jiang Wei stepped up to take full responsibility. He certainly couldn't reveal that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were humans, or people would ask where they came from and discover they were from the Dao Seeking Sect.
Claiming that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were from the Phoenix Clan might avoid a fight, given how domineering the Phoenix Clan typically was.
But if word got out that they were from the Dao Seeking Sect, every spectator tribe would likely try to get a piece of the action.
And if Gan Tian saw her side being bullied and summoned Yun Zhi over, the trouble would balloon out of control.
"The Phoenix Clan truly is overbearing," members of the Demon Alliance such as the Taowu Clan and White Tiger Clan stepped forward to back the Jiuying Clan.
If they could use this chance to deal a heavy blow to the Phoenix Clan, they could win favor with Ancient Dijiang.
"The Phoenix Clan has vast resources and deep roots. What harm is there in sending in two hidden prodigies?" The Dragon Clan elder stepped forward in support of the Phoenix Clan.
He had learned that Ao Yue reached the second level with Jiang Shishi's help and obtained a spirit fruit capable of healing his hidden injuries. Such a debt of gratitude could not go unpaid.
"I believe this exception by the Phoenix Clan is understandable," the Jade Rabbit Clan elder said, stepping forward with a flick of his sleeve.
"Our Heavenly Dog Clan agrees..."
"Our Baxia Clan also..."
More and more demon clans stepped forward to voice support for the Phoenix Clan.
Apart from the members of the Demon Alliance, every demon prodigy present had received help from the Phoenix Clan.
Watching this unfold, Third Senior Sister's eyelid twitched.
*What did those two little brats do inside the mystic realm? Why are all these demons backing the Phoenix Clan as if they've drunk an enchanted potion?*
*Back when Master and the others entered the mystic realm, it certainly wasn't like this.*
***
Lu Yang and his three companions were teleported by Luo Hong to the third level. The space was extraordinarily dim, nearly pitch-black, and utterly devoid of anything else.
Luo Hong produced four straw cushions and sent them skimming across the ground like dealing cards.
"Don't be nervous. Sit down, everyone. The four of you performed splendidly in the first two levels. Even if you fail the third trial, your rewards will far exceed everyone else's."
In the first level, Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, and Jiang Shishi had tied for the highest score in history.
In the second level, Lu Yang received the highest evaluation, followed by Meng Jingzhou, then Jiang Shishi, and finally Su Lian'er.
The overall ranking matched the second level's evaluation.
Lu Yang held the highest historical score, while Meng Jingzhou took second.
Lu Yang appeared the least nervous of all, sitting down promptly as instructed.
The four of them took their seats.
"Well? Want to bet on who gets the higher score in this third stage?" Meng Jingzhou winked at Lu Yang, eager to win back some ground.
"Oh, that wouldn't be very nice, would it?" Lu Yang chuckled as he spoke, looking nowhere close to reluctant.
Both were fiercely competitive.
Besides, what kind of gamble was it if victory was guaranteed?
Seeing Lu Yang's grin, Meng Jingzhou knew he had agreed, and asked, "What does the winner get?"
"You name it."
"The loser has to grant the winner one request."
"Deal!"
Neither bothered attaching caveats like 'within reason' or 'morally acceptable.' Both knew any request would naturally fall within appropriate bounds; there was no need to spell it out.
Luo Hong cleared her throat.
"As demons, history is something you must never forget. You should draw experience and lessons from the past."
"This third trial tests your mastery of ancient demon history."
Lu Yang: "..."
Meng Jingzhou: "..."
*Damn it, it's rigged! How the hell are we supposed to compete now?*
Oblivious to the inner turmoil of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, Luo Hong proceeded with the standard protocol.
"Once I pose a question, you may buzz in to answer. A correct answer earns one point, an incorrect answer deducts one point, and abstaining yields zero points."
"Taking into account the passage of time, I will frame my questions from the perspective of the modern demon race."
"Now, listen to the first question: What clan did the Demon Celestial belong to?"
Jiang Shishi and Su Lian'er froze in unison.
What clan did the Demon Celestial belong to? Who could possibly know that?
Many demon scholars researched ancient history and held various theories regarding the Demon Celestial's true form, but should they just make a wild guess?
"The Demon Celestial did not belong to any clan. He was the only Qilin in the world," Lu Yang answered languidly. This was practically a free point.
Meng Jingzhou yawned in utter boredom, already pondering what to eat after leaving.
"Correct. One point awarded."
Jiang Shishi and Su Lian'er stared at Lu Yang in utter bewilderment. Had he guessed right, or did he actually know the Demon Celestial's true form all along?
Lu Yang thought to himself, *This is nothing. If you want to hear the dark secrets of Immortal Kirin, I could talk for three days and three nights without stopping.*
Luo Hong was quite surprised by how swiftly the question had been answered.
The questions on the third level were randomly selected and differed with every trial. Furthermore, she was only responsible for validating answers, not supplying the correct one.
"Second question: Did the Ancient Ancestor of the Phoenix Clan ever force the Demon Celestial to deploy a sword formation? If so, please describe the scene from an objective and impartial perspective."
Jiang Shishi's eyes lit up. She might not know other things, but how could she not know about her own Phoenix Clan's Ancient Ancestor?
Su Lian'er glared at Jiang Shishi in jealousy. Why couldn't there be a question about the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan?
Jiang Shishi raised her hand excitedly. "I know this one! Our Phoenix Clan's Ancient Ancestor once uttered words of true authority that crushed the Demon Celestial so heavily he couldn't raise his head, dropping to his knees with a thud! Under the immense pressure, the Demon Celestial activated a sword formation to fight back, yet he still failed and suffered defeat!"
"This is the famous tale of 'The Word That Made a Celestial Kneel'!"
"According to my speculation, this must have happened before the Demon Celestial attained celestialhood."
Otherwise, there was no explaining how the Demon Celestial could have lost to the Phoenix Clan's Ancient Ancestor.
"Incorrect answer. One point deducted."
"What?!" Jiang Shishi doubted her own ears. This was a story she had heard directly from the clan patriarch, guaranteed to be authentic and reliable! How could it be wrong?
Seeing that no one else was answering, Lu Yang let out a soft sigh and spoke up: "I'm not entirely sure which specific incident Senior is referring to. The only thing I can confirm is that on that day, when the Demon Celestial returned home, the Phoenix Clan's Ancient Ancestor glared at him and asked coldly, 'Which floozy did you go see?'"
"Upon hearing that, the Demon Celestial's face drained of color. He whipped out his sword formation, dropped straight onto his knees atop it with a loud thud, and swore to the heavens that he would never dare do it again, and that if he ever strayed, may lightning strike him down five times over."
"Correct answer. One point awarded."
Chapter 593