Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

The elimination of eight people in a row resounded throughout the entire Canglang Mountain, shocking all the candidates.

In the southwest direction of Canglang Mountain, the examinees who had just heard about Chu Hong's methods of drugging instantly realized that these were all Chu Hong's achievements.

He grew increasingly wary of Chu Hong.

The candidates from other directions were unaware of the situation and only heard that so many people had been eliminated at once, so they assumed that some powerful individual had swept through the competition head-on.

They were all shocked and wondered who possessed such terrifying combat power.

After a moment of contemplation, the image of a martial artist surnamed Zheng came to mind.

Only he could possess such strength.

Zhou Mingrui was not too far from Chu Hong. He was munching on his dry rations when he heard the continuous stream of eliminated names, and he knew that this was Chu Hong's doing.

He glanced at the faint light in the distance and nodded to himself.

"Brother Chu, you do have some skill. Then collect more identity tokens for me."

His strength has improved significantly in the past month, and he is confident that Chu Hong has no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation.

No matter how many identity tokens Chu Hong acquires now, it will all be for his own benefit.

Meanwhile, on the training ground outside the mountain.

As everyone watched Chu Hong collect his identity tokens inside the cave and heard the news of several people being eliminated, they all gasped in shock.

"To obtain more than a dozen identity tokens without lifting a finger, this method is truly unbelievable."

"Zhou Mingrui fought several battles, but he only had a few more identity tokens than Chu Hong. The difference in their abilities was quite significant."

"But it won't last long. Once everyone becomes wary, this method will be useless. Martial arts ultimately depend on hard power."

Everyone had their own opinion, and the debate raged on.

But night had completely enveloped Canglang Mountain, and the world was dark with no moonlight.

Without the illumination of the firelight, the light on the screen would be blurred and difficult to discern.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, most people gradually dispersed to rest, waiting to see the progress of the martial arts examination the next day.

But in the Canglang Mountains, a group of candidates quietly gathered.

They kept a safe distance from each other to circumvent the rules of martial arts and secretly plotted and discussed their plans.

"Chu Hong is not only powerful but also has such underhanded methods, posing a great threat to us. I suggest that we join forces to eliminate him first."

"Not only Chu Hong, but Zhou Mingrui is also a huge threat. It would be best to eliminate them as well."

Someone pondered and said, "But the rules of the martial arts examination are strict. If three or more people team up for too long, they will be eliminated. It is very risky for us to do this."

At this moment, someone else spoke up from the shadows: "Don't worry about that. I've already arranged for someone to try it during the day. As long as the alliance doesn't last more than fifteen minutes, it won't violate the rules."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately felt relieved.

With each word spoken, a plan to ambush and kill Chu Hong quietly took shape.

"There's no time to lose, let's get started now!"

"Don't act rashly!" someone immediately advised. "It's only just nightfall, and Chu Hong is enjoying his delicious meal; he's at the peak of his energy."

"We are exhausted from a day's work, and if we launch an attack rashly, we will certainly fail to achieve anything."

"What should we do then?" someone asked, frowning.

"In my opinion, Chu Hong must be fast asleep at midnight. At that time, we can quietly surround him, block the cave, and capture him directly."

Because of the fire that illuminated Chu Hong's location, they had just seen him enter the cave and not leave.

The weather hasn't fully warmed up yet, and the cave is sheltered from the wind and warm, much more comfortable than outside.

That's why he figured Chu Hong would definitely spend the night in the cave.

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed wholeheartedly.

They immediately finalized a plan, dispersed and hid to conserve their strength, waiting to surround each other at midnight.

Of course, they also agreed to send people in batches to keep an eye on the cave. If Chu Hongzhen left, they would report it quickly and adjust the plan accordingly.

After they dispersed, each team secretly made their own plans.

Everyone participates in the martial arts exam for the identity token.

While taking down Chu Hong or Zhou Mingrui individually would yield a substantial amount of identity tokens, the quantity would be significantly reduced if distributed among them.

But if we change our approach, we can reduce the number of players in other teams, or even eliminate them all.

Wouldn't that mean I'd get more identity tokens?

If things go well, and you manage to acquire all the identity tokens, then achieving a high rank in the martial arts examination will be a given.

In the darkness, elaborate schemes were hatched, and the initial intention to unite had long since vanished.

In the stillness of the night, a mountain breeze brought a chill.

But the thought of becoming the mastermind behind the scenes and acquiring a large number of identity cards filled everyone with excitement.

I didn't even feel that cold anymore.

As the night deepened, the students, exhausted from a long day of travel, fell silent.

They either found a sheltered cave or climbed a tree branch, gradually falling into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, the monsters and birds of prey that had been suppressed in the past few days were released from their restrictions.

One by one, people began to get restless.

Deep in the mountains, the previously suppressed and dormant demonic beasts, smelling the strong scent of blood, stepped out of their lairs and followed the scent towards the outer forests.

Meanwhile, the candidates on the periphery were completely unaware of this.

Night fell over Canglang Mountain, and the forest was pitch black.

Screams of agony echoed from the shadows, and occasionally, orange-red emergency signals would pierce the night sky.

The soldiers on duty, who were hidden in the mountains and forests, saw the distress signal and immediately rushed to the rescue, saving the examinee in distress.

Some people were just frightened; though they were in a sorry state, at least they survived.

However, some people unfortunately encountered ferocious monsters and perished in the forest by the time the soldiers arrived.

On the high platform, Xiong Zhen remained calm, watching the lights flashing intermittently in the light screen, his expression undisturbed.

Strict rules were established before the martial arts examination even began.

Monsters roam freely in the mountains. The trials only prohibit candidates from killing each other, but they do not prohibit the monsters and birds of prey in the mountains.

This was originally a life-or-death baptism to temper one's character, hone one's skills, and select the best talents.

To participate in martial arts training, one must consider such life-or-death risks.

The various factions outside the mountains looked at the forest shrouded in night with worried expressions, fearing that their own people might suffer a disaster in the dead of night.

The area around the cave where Chu Hong was located was peaceful.

He had already thrown the remaining venison into the stream, letting it float downstream to wash away the bloody smell.

And because it is located in the outer area, no monsters have come here for the time being.

At this moment, Chu Hong held his short sword by his side, leaned against the cave entrance, closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, seemingly sleeping peacefully, but in reality, he was constantly paying attention to the movements around him.

They were both wary of nighttime attacks by monsters and also careful to avoid being plotted against.

Time passed quietly, and the night wind rustled through the mountains and forests, making the grass and trees whisper in the breeze.

Suddenly, a few subtle but unusual rustling sounds drifted into Chu Hong's ears on the night breeze.

In an instant, Chu Hong opened his eyes, pressed his body against the stone wall, and stared intently outwards.

Outside the cave, it was pitch black, with no stars or moon, only darkness.

The fire that had been used to roast the meat had long since died out, with only a few embers remaining deep in the ashes; there was no other light.

Only the occasional distress signal that lights up in the distant mountains and forests can provide a little bit of visibility.

After observing for a while, Chu Hong felt that it didn't sound like the stomping of a nimble monster, but rather like the sound of someone sneaking around.

Chu Hong's lips curled into a smile, his gaze remaining calm.

"Sure enough, someone's here!"