Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the demon-hunting trial of the Demon-Suppressing Ceremony arrived as scheduled.

Following the signs, Ma Liang arrived at the bustling arena and, with the help of the staff, quickly found the waiting room for Group Nine.

As soon as Ma Liang stepped into the waiting room, he subconsciously spread out his divine sense and scanned the room, his brows furrowing.

The room was filled with cultivators, all of whom were at the Qi Refining stage.

"Could it be that someone has concealed their cultivation level?"

Just as I was wondering, I caught a familiar figure in my consciousness.

Ma Liang immediately rejected his earlier guess.

That person was Wenqiang's Daoist partner.

Wen Qiang's Daoist partner also saw him, walked towards him, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Junior Liu Su greets Senior."

"You still came." Ma Liang got straight to the point.

"I have carefully considered your advice, senior. However, Siyue's cultivation resources are scarce, so I have no choice but to take this risk."

After parting ways with Wen Qiang that day, Ma Liang pondered repeatedly.

How could a trial for a Qi Refining stage cultivator release a level 5 demon beast?

This is clearly a trap aimed at Wen Qiang.

Even if the couple didn't get involved in this demon-suppressing ceremony, as long as Wen Qiang was still in office at the Six-Linked Hall, those schemes hidden in the shadows would eventually come to pass.

"Alright, after this trial is over, I'll come to your house. There are some things I want to talk to you about."

Liu Su's heart skipped a beat. She thought that her insistence on participating in the trial had displeased her senior, who was about to come and demand an explanation.

"Senior, please calm down! This was entirely my idea, and has nothing to do with Wenqiang or Siyue. Please don't make things difficult for them!"

"Alright."

Ma Liang interrupted her, "I didn't say I wanted to cause you any trouble, I just have something important to tell you in detail."

"Also, when you go on stage later, make sure you're well hidden."

"Senior, please don't underestimate me just because my cultivation level is not high."

"But I also have some skills that I can be proud of."

"Alright, you'll see when you get on the field."

Ma Liang finished speaking and then ignored her, finding a corner seat to sit down and closing his eyes to think.

This trial is most likely to involve a level 5 monster.

Even if we can kill the monster, will it attract Elder Gu's attention?

That's not a big deal, but it's best not to let Feng hope see you.

He pondered silently, "Feng hope probably hasn't arrived at Kui Xing Island yet, right?"

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Ma Liang suddenly opened his eyes, slammed his hand heavily on the table, and it exploded with a bang.

The monks who had been whispering in the waiting room fell silent instantly and all turned to look at him.

Ma Liang's face was grim. "You, surnamed Gu, you better behave yourself! Otherwise, I'll send you to your grave ten years early!"

The room full of cultivators were all completely bewildered, whispering amongst themselves: "A man surnamed Gu? Who is this?"

"Could it be that he has made a grudge against someone?"

Liu Su was startled by the angry shout and involuntarily shrank back.

In the waiting room, the announcements from outside drifted in intermittently, sometimes announcing the death of a cultivator, sometimes announcing who had won by sheer luck.

Ma Liang listened to these sounds and sat there for a long time until a loud shout came – Ninth group, come on stage!

He felt a chill run down his spine, all his previous doubts vanished, and after making up his mind, he felt a sense of lightness throughout his body.

He was the first to walk out of the waiting room, and the Qi Refining stage cultivators behind him quickly followed. After all, among everyone present, Ma Liang's reported peak Qi Refining stage cultivation was the highest.

By grouping such a group of low-level cultivators together, and their opponents being level-five demonic beasts, the scheme is blatantly obvious.

As soon as Ma Liang stepped out of the arena, a deafening roar of cheers filled his ears, the thunderous sound almost lifting the sky.

Once all the cultivators from the ninth group had entered the arena, the heavy iron gate behind them slammed shut, completely separating the inside from the outside.

Immediately afterwards, Elder Miao on the platform stood up and delivered a speech, praising the cultivators' courage and promising generous rewards to those who performed exceptionally well.

Just as he cleared his throat and was about to shout "Start," a man wearing a straw hat appeared in the VIP section.

He was a cultivator from the Star Palace, and he whispered a few words to the ancient elder beside him.

After listening, Elder Gu nodded, "That's true."

He then turned his head and whispered a few instructions to the servant beside him, who immediately bowed and withdrew.

Ma Liang took in all of this, and seeing their clumsy attempt to cover up their blunder, he was speechless.

Meanwhile, Elder Miao seemed oblivious to everything, continuing to shout in his impassioned tone, "Fellow cultivators, you must fight with all your might to slay the demons and display the might of our human race! Now, the Demon Suppression Trial officially begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the iron gate across from him, which imprisoned the monster, rattled loudly.

A thick fog surged forth, enveloping half of the arena.

Ma Liang gazed at the familiar scene before him.

The next instant, a piercing sound, resembling the cry of a baby, pierced through the thick fog.

"Yo,"

"I never expected that I would be treated the same as Han Li."

Infant Carp Beast!

The thought flashed through his mind in an instant, and he swiftly pulled a protective talisman from his storage bag and stuck it to his chest.

A burst of golden light enveloped him in a layer of light.

The other cultivators also hurriedly scattered, each summoning their magical artifacts and forming hand seals to erect all sorts of protective barriers.

Liu Su also gripped the long sword in her hand tightly.

She glanced instinctively in Ma Liang's direction, then silently retreated to the back of the group, trying to hide herself behind her companions.

On the stands, Wen Qiang, accompanied by Wen Siyue, immediately spotted Liu Su standing in the arena, sword in hand.

He couldn't help but raise his arm and wave it vigorously downwards to encourage his wife.

Wen Siyue was so excited that she stood up, clinging to the edge of the stands, her little body bouncing up and down, her crisp shouts piercing through the noisy crowd.

"Mom! Go, Mom!"

The baby carp's cries were sharp and piercing, drilling straight into the eardrums.

Now that the trial has begun, there's no need to hide anything anymore.

He removed the concealment technique from his body, and his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation suddenly erupted, with a surge of powerful spiritual energy spreading out from him.

The Qi Refining cultivators in the same group immediately erupted in chaos, their faces filled with astonishment.

"He's actually at the Foundation Establishment stage! We have such a powerful figure hidden in our group?"

Elder Gu, standing on the platform, sensed the fluctuation of spiritual energy, his brows furrowed immediately, and he cursed under his breath.

But then he thought, it was a level 5 infant carp beast after all. Even if the opponent was in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, it would be difficult to escape death.

Wen Qiang, standing in the stands, finally recognized the familiar figure in the stadium.

What's this senior colleague doing here? And he's even in the same group as his wife!

His heart clenched instantly.

Could this senior be planning to take advantage of the situation and do something underhanded to Liu Su?

Wen Siyue ran up to Wen Qiang and pointed her little finger at the field.

"Father, Father, look! It's that senior!"

Wenqiang pulled his daughter into his arms and whispered, "Yes, Father understands."

His eyes were fixed on Ma Liang in the arena, and his expression grew increasingly tense.

The baby carp beast seemed to have cried out enough in the thick fog. With a sharp shriek, it charged out, its head still bearing a harpoon.

This demonic beast was quite intelligent. It seemed to sense the spiritual pressure emanating from Ma Liang. Instead of rushing towards him, it headed straight for a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator on the left.

They're clearly planning to pick on the weak first!