Actually, there wasn’t really a second elimination round; it had just been one more trap set up by the authorities to catch Nightmare. Nevertheless, many of the headmasters in the command center couldn’t help but focus on one person during this round.

That person was none other than Gu Shunzhi.

He was a new transfer student this year at No. 60 High. Because of his outstanding performance, he had been directly selected to be one of the competition participants, and had become one of the team members to win honor for his school.

Throughout the second elimination round, Gu Shunzhi’s performance in all respects had been remarkable. He perfectly displayed his unflappable, calm judgment, logical reasoning, and understanding of a wide variety of spells.

All in all, No. 60 High this year was a bit of a surprise…

This was largely because the headmasters present hadn’t viewed No. 60 High as an enemy to begin with. Except for headmasters like Li Qingxi who were a little more wary since they had some history with Headmaster Chen, the remaining ninety-five percent hadn’t included an analysis of No. 60 High in their strategic planning.

Now, eight hundred students had moved on to the next round; it was clearly already too late for them to discuss tactics.

Before the official start of the third round of the Nine Dragon Mountain battle for survival, Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal indicated for all the students, who were in their rooms, to open a brocade pouch that had been hidden under each of their beds.

Inside was a golden talisman which each student needed to tie around their right arm as a symbol for the third round.

This golden talisman could save their lives in a critical moment, and was incredibly effective. If they encountered danger, it would automatically become a golden shield that would defend them against a deadly attack. At the same time, it would also release a golden beam of light that wouldn’t dissipate so quickly in order to let nearby security and medical teams know to hurry over.

This golden talisman was also an important item that would enable the Nine Dragon Mountain security inspection team to monitor the students as well as ensure that they could pinpoint each student’s location within the activity range in order to avoid any mishaps.

“I’m going out,” Xia Ming said to his roommate, Tang Jingze, after tying on the golden talisman. Tang Jingze thought that Xia Ming’s expression was a little strange, but he couldn’t say why.

But when he recalled how everyone had experienced nightmares earlier because of Nightmare, he thought that maybe Xia Ming was still gripped by fear and had yet to come back to his senses, so he let Xia Ming go.

Everyone had different ways of relieving stress. Besides, he and Xia Ming weren’t that close, so there was no need for him to act like a mother hen.

After leaving the dormitory, Xia Ming heaved a sigh of relief. Indeed, he did feel nervous.

Although President Qi had captured Nightmare, Nightmare’s words still echoed clearly in Xia Ming’s ears.

Despite the fact that Nightmare had been caught, Xia Ming still felt terror which welled up from the depths of his soul.

He stood in the corridor, looking for some fresh air. He had barely left his dorm, however, when the scene in front of him abruptly turned dark.

Just like when Nightmare had appeared earlier, all the lights in the corridor instantly went out…

No…

Xia Ming felt that the pressure this time was even greater than when Nightmare had shown up. He felt cold all over, and every breath he exhaled was misty white.

Then, a white-haired young man whose face he couldn’t see clearly suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Wang Ling?” Xia Ming’s pupils instantly shrank. Although he couldn’t see the young man’s face clearly, his figure was too similar to Wang Ling’s. It was as if he was a mold of Wang Ling, and for a moment, Xia Ming was a little dazed.

“Nightmare’s been caught, but you still have to finish your task,” the white-haired young man said to Xia Ming in a cold and dark voice. He had the air of a spirit from hell about him, which made Xia Ming shudder.

Although this person in front of him was very similar to Wang Ling, Xia Ming could clearly sense that he wasn’t Wang Ling.

Who the hell was this guy?

He was actually able to show up here without being noticed…

Was he the mastermind behind everything?

“You bear the weight of the Ancient Divine Clan’s mission; you are the key to changing the world. Do as you’re told, and you’ll go down in history as a key figure in turning the world upside down.” The white-haired young man opened his mouth, and with one light exhale, thick mist instantly filled the space. In the blink of an eye, Xia Ming saw a future cultivation world of beauty, prosperity and freedom.

“Did you see that? That is the future.”

The voice of the white-haired young man filled the space. “I can lend you the strength you lack…”

“Lend me strength…” Xia Ming stretched out his arms. His body trembled slightly, and he felt as if he was acting under compulsion. He knew that with his next step, he might be consigning the world to eternal damnation, but it was as if his mind and soul were being manipulated in that moment. It was as if there was magic in the white-haired young man’s voice, which seemed to be able to draw out the inner demons hidden in a person’s heart.

Xia Ming then felt his shadow actually shrink and firmly wrap itself around him!

A sharp pain stabbed him in the abdomen!

Xia Ming bent over on the floor in pain.

The pain only lasted for an instant, but when Xia Ming came back to his senses, he discovered that his shadow had actually turned into an evil eye in his abdomen.

“This…” Xia Ming could sense power surging out of his body.

This tremendous power was nothing like Xia Ming had imagined, and on top of that, he could control it. It was far beyond what a Foundation Establishment cultivator was capable of!

The voice of the white-haired young man filled the air. “Do you feel it? That’s what it feels like to be strong. As long as you do what I say, you can still get even stronger… This power is just the tip of the iceberg. It’ll help you successfully climb to the top of Nine Dragon Mountain.”

Xia Ming was thrilled. “Senior!”

At that moment, he really had a delusion.

He felt like he was one of those novel protagonists who suddenly had a fortuitous encounter that enabled his cultivation base to skyrocket.

“You must keep this secret,” the white-haired young man warned. “The eye in your belly is called the Eye of Rebellion, which is connected to all your blood kin. If you betray me, all your relatives will die because of you. The thing I hate the most in life are traitors.”

…

Saturday, November 15th.

It was six o’clock in the morning, four hours after Nightmare had been arrested. The ground lit up with the first light at dawn, and the eight-day battle for survival on Nine Dragon Mountain officially began.

Everyone lined up according to their schools and passed through the entrance scanner in an orderly file to verify that except for the official “golden talisman,” they weren’t carrying any other magic treasures.

Wang Ling and the others lined up and walked through the security check.

Standing in the queue, Wang Ling noticed that something didn’t seem right about Xia Ming’s expression.

Xia Ming seemed especially confident, and especially abnormal, today…