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

Ma Liang snorted coldly; he had long expected the other party to pull this stunt.

In a flash, a beam of spiritual light shot out from his spirit beast pouch and flew straight toward the infant carp beast.

boom!

The baby carp was sent flying backward by the impact, crashing heavily into the stone wall of the arena before sliding down.

As the light dissipated, a large demonic beast nearly three zhang long was revealed.

Its entire body was covered in silver-gray metallic scales that gleamed coldly. It had sharp teeth, thick limbs like pillars, and claws as sharp as knives. Its back was slightly arched, and its whole body exuded a terrifying ferocity.

A gasp suddenly erupted from the viewing platform: "It's...it's a Sharp-Armored Flood Dragon! How can this person possess such a ferocious spirit beast!"

When Elder Gu saw the demonic beast, he was so startled that he instinctively stood up abruptly from his seat.

He never expected that there would be such a level-five demonic beast in Ma Liang!

Ma Liang completely ignored the commotion around him and simply raised his hand to gesture.

The sharp-armored dragon then darted out and pounced on the infant carp beast.

The baby carp beast had just gotten up from the ground, its head still spinning from the earlier collision.

Seeing the sharp-armored dragon rushing towards it, instead of fleeing, it became even more ferocious and fiercely thrust its steel fork forward.

The name of this Sharp Armored Dragon comes from its indestructible scales!

It neither dodged nor flinched, but charged straight at the steel fork.

"bite"

The steel fork was knocked out of his hand and flew away.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Sharp-Armored Flood Dragon pounced forward, pinning the Infant Carp Beast against the stone wall of the arena. Its steel-hook-like claws flashed with cold light and pierced into the opponent's body with a soft thud.

Instantly, the infant carp beast's mournful and painful howls echoed throughout the entire arena.

At this moment, Yanli and Yuanyao walked in side by side from the entrance of the viewing platform.

As soon as Yuan Yao entered, she couldn't help but complain, "Why did you insist on coming to see this demon-hunting? Our cultivation resources are already scarce; where do we have the spare money to waste on something like this?"

Yanli waved her hand dismissively: "It's just a few spirit stones, it won't make any difference."

As soon as he finished speaking, a mournful howl of a monster suddenly echoed through the arena.

The two women quickly turned to look at the arena, only to discover that two demonic beasts were fighting each other.

Both of them looked puzzled. "Wait a minute, isn't this supposed to be a demon-suppressing ceremony? How did it turn into a battle between demon beasts?"

Suddenly, the two women saw a figure rise into the air and fly towards the two fighting monsters.

Yanli stared intently, then exclaimed in a low voice, "Isn't that the person from a few days ago? He actually came to participate in the demon-hunting trial too!"

Floating in mid-air, Ma Liangmian remained expressionless and issued an order.

The sharp-armored dragon gripped the infant carp beast tightly with its claws, carrying it as it spiraled into the air above the arena. Then, it raised its head, its steel-hook-like claws flashing rapidly.

"Swish swish swish swish"

The infant carp beast's body was instantly torn into countless pieces of flesh, and blood rained down on most of the arena, creating an indescribably bloody and horrifying scene.

Ma Liang raised his hand and a lustrous baby carp demon core flew into his hand.

He glanced at it twice and put it into his storage bag.

As it glided by, it landed on the head of the Sharp-Armored Flood Dragon and surveyed the entire arena.

In the VIP section, Elder Gu's face was so gloomy it could drip water, and his eyes were fixed on Ma Liang with a fierce gaze.

The other cultivators in the same group hadn't yet recovered from the shock they had just experienced. They looked at each other in bewilderment and then couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"That's it? That was a level five Infant Carp Beast!"

"My goodness, our group actually ran into such a formidable opponent!"

"Thanks to this senior, otherwise we'd all probably be dead here today!"

Liu Su, who was hiding at the very back of the crowd, heard all these discussions clearly.

She remembered Ma Liang's instructions and broke out in a cold sweat.

Elder Miao was the first to react, laughing heartily as he walked to the front of the stage.

"This young friend is quite skilled! To be able to control a level five demonic beast at such a young age, I wonder who he studied under or what school he belongs to, to possess such formidable abilities?"

Ma Liang looked at the cultivator who had been betrayed and killed by his friend in the original story and sighed.

A faint smile appeared on his face, and he then cupped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "I am Ma Liang."

He initially wanted to admit that he belonged to no sect or faction, but then he thought that being alone and without support in the cultivation world would only bring endless trouble.

In a flash, he said loudly, "I am a disciple of the Heavenly Origin True Man. May I ask what advice you have for me, senior?"

Everyone in the arena heard the name clearly.

Elder Miao's heart skipped a beat: Tianyuan Zhenren? A Nascent Soul cultivator? He had never heard of such a person.

But when he saw the armored dragon beneath Ma Liang, he couldn't help but believe it a little more.

"Oh! I didn't expect you to be a disciple of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Truly, a great teacher produces a great student!"

Upon hearing that Ma Liang was actually a disciple of a Nascent Soul cultivator, Elder Gu's expression immediately changed. He quickly composed himself, composed his previous gloomy demeanor, and strode forward, bowing to Ma Liang with a smile, saying, "Haha, young friend, you are indeed young and promising! Impressive!"

Upon hearing this, the two Star Palace members in the VIP section exchanged a glance, seemed to exchange a few words, and then quickly got up and quietly left through the back door of the VIP section.

On the other side, Yanli heard it clearly and quickly tugged at Yuan Yao's sleeve.

"See, see, I told you! This person may not be at the Nascent Soul stage, but his master is a Nascent Soul True Person!"

When Wen Qiang, who was in the stands, heard this, he realized that this person was actually related to a Nascent Soul cultivator, and his expression changed several times.

Wen Siyue, standing to the side, raised her little face and tugged at Wen Qiang's sleeve.

"Father, that senior said his master is a Nascent Soul cultivator! A Nascent Soul cultivator!"

Wen Qiang snapped out of his daze and quickly searched through the crowd, soon spotting Liu Su.

Just then, Liu Su also looked over, and the two locked eyes. Liu Su nodded.

Those silent movements contained a tacit understanding that only the couple could comprehend.

Ma Liang listened to the murmurs and discussions all around him.

Unexpectedly, the fabricated identity worked so well, leaving the group completely bewildered.

This is perfect; it will save us a lot of trouble in the future.

He cleared his throat, turned to Elder Miao, cupped his hands, and asked, "Senior, is our demon-hunting trial considered complete?"

"It's done! With your skill, young friend, you've naturally passed!"

"In that case, how did the elders assess my performance? Will I be able to obtain a Dust-Clearing Pill?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Miao first glanced at Elder Gu beside him.

Elder Gu secretly transmitted his voice: "It's just a Dust-Clearing Pill. If this person really has a Nascent Soul cultivator backing him, we absolutely cannot offend him. Besides, with his skills, no one can find any fault with him getting this pill."

Elder Miao said, "That suits me perfectly," and immediately responded with a smile. He took out a jade box from his storage bag and used his spiritual power to carry it to Ma Liangmian.

Ma Liang released a wisp of spiritual energy, and the jade box opened, revealing a pill radiating spiritual light inside.

He reached out and picked up the pill, and the divine pen in his mind instantly displayed information about the Dust-Subduing Pill, confirming that it was correct.

He put the pill into his storage bag. "Thank you both, seniors."

Having said that, Ma Liang leaped up from the top of the Sharp-Armored Flood Dragon's head, raised his hand and put the monster into his spirit beast pouch, then turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, Elder Gu spoke first, "Young friend, please wait! The Demon Suppression Ceremony is about to end. Would you do us the honor of having a few drinks with us?"