Stumbling upon an acquaintance here was quite the surprise for Xu Taiping.

“Who’s this greenhorn? Don’t act like your feather is a command arrow. I’m crossing now, let’s see how you’ll stop me!”

Just then, an elderly cultivator with white hair lightly tapped the bow of the boat with his toes, transforming into a gust of wind and “boom” – he soared over the water’s surface, creating massive waves with his formidable aura.

This display alone was enough to reveal that the old man was at least at the Gazing Abyss Realm.

The Oriole at the entrance of the water fortress sneered, then pressed down with her hand and commanded:

“Brothers, let’s give a warm welcome to our Earth Fiend Sect’s Hall Master Song!”

As soon as the words fell, a cyan rune circle suddenly appeared in the sky above the old man’s head.

In an instant, the sky darkened with clouds, and a thick bolt of lightning struck down with a “boom,” charring the white-haired old man’s hair and knocking him spread-eagle onto the water’s surface.

“Hall Master Song!”

Several disciples of the Earth Fiend Sect flew out in unison, pulling Hall Master Song from the water and back onto the boat.

“Who else wants to try the Nine Mansions’ Five Thunder Array? Come on, I’ve got plenty of time today to ensure everyone’s satisfaction.”

The Oriole perched on the shoulder of a large black bear looked at the various boats on the water with a cheap grin.

“It seems this is the Nine Mansions’ trial for entering the Ruins of the Cloud Dream Marsh this time.”

Watching the old man being lifted onto the boat, Xu Ziyan frowned slightly.

“Then let me do it.”

Xu Taiping directly sought Xu Ziyan’s permission.

After all, he was the one Sixth Peak had brought in for this task.

“Senior Sister, let me give it a try!”

Before Xu Ziyan could respond to Xu Taiping, Zhou Ao, the seventh junior, confidently stepped forward and volunteered.

As he spoke, he gave Xu Taiping a provocative glare.

“Can you handle it?”

Xu Taiping asked with concern.

In his view, that large black bear was at least a king-level demon beast, and its strike was something even a common martial arts grandmaster would have to fully brace for.

Zhou Ao saw Xu Taiping’s concern as belittlement.

“Don’t look down on me, Xu Taiping!” Zhou Ao said, his face flushing with excitement and a hint of grievance.

Xu Taiping knew the young man had misunderstood and immediately clarified:

“Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean that, but judging from that bear’s strike just now, you’re indeed no match for it.”

“What did you say…”

“Junior Brother, since you want to try, go ahead.”

Hearing this, Zhou Ao’s expression became even more agitated, but thankfully Xu Ziyan stepped forward to separate the two.

Seeing that Xu Ziyan was still on his side, Zhou Ao’s face brightened considerably.

However, as he prepared to disembark, Xu Ziyan cautioned him:

“Know your limits. If you can’t beat it, Taiping is still here.”

At her words, Zhou Ao stiffened, then his breathing quickened:

“Senior Sister, you look down on me too?”

Without waiting for Xu Ziyan’s explanation, Zhou Ao leapt from the bow with a “boom” and shouted:

“Nine Mansions, I, Zhou Ao, will take your strike!”

As he spoke, he stepped on the water and charged towards the entrance of the water fortress.

The crowd was speechless.

“Ah, finally some business! Little Black, come on, don’t neglect our guest!”

The Oriole, who had been waiting for someone to try, perked up at the sight and excitedly patted the big black bear’s head.

“Alright.”

The big black bear nodded with a deep voice, then lifted the giant “wooden stick” in his hand, and turned to confirm with the Oriole: “How much force?”

“Start with a third of your strength, don’t scare them off right away. If he can take it, then give him a six-force hit.”

The Oriole was somewhat enjoying this.

“Alright.”

The big black bear nodded, then swung the wooden stick in a sweeping motion towards Zhou Ao.

“Boom!”

Facing the incoming sweep, Zhou Ao swiftly turned to the side and used his shoulder to forcefully push against the thick log.

“Bang!” Amidst the loud noise, Zhou Ao actually managed to push the log back while standing on the water.

This scene surprised everyone, with many onlookers praising him from afar.

Xu Ziyan and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Ao, who had felt very stifled, suddenly felt a rush of exhilaration and shouted:

“That’s nothing, bring it on, again!”

Saying so, he continued to step on the water, charging towards the fortress’s gate.

But Xu Taiping frowned secretly, noticing that the bear’s strike was clearly not as forceful as the previous one, and immediately warned Zhou Ao: “Senior Brother, be careful, that strike wasn’t its full strength.”

“Then I’ll make it use all its strength!”

Zhou Ao replied to Xu Taiping with utmost confidence.

“Boom” – almost at the same moment he spoke, the big black bear’s wooden log swept towards him again.

This time, brimming with confidence, Zhou Ao didn’t bother with his shoulder and directly raised his fist to smash against the incoming log.

“Bang!”

Another loud noise.

But this time, Zhou Ao’s punch crumbled upon impact, and his body was sent flying by the big black bear’s log, splashing into the water.

“Seventh Junior Brother!”

The Senior Sisters from Sixth Peak rushed forward, pulling him out of the water.

When Xu Taiping and the others saw him again, half of his face was smashed askew, and his body was convulsively twitching uncontrollably.

“I told you to be careful.”

Xu Taiping sighed.

Fortunately, Third Senior Sister Lü Su was skilled in medicine and quickly twisted Zhou Ao’s contorted face back into place, also smoothing out the True Qi in his body.

However, Zhou Ao, though awake, had lost the sparkle in his eyes and looked utterly despondent.

“Is he alright?”

Xu Taiping was worried.

Lin Buyu glanced at Zhou Ao with disdain and said indifferently:

“Don’t worry, idiots tend to have tough lives.”

At her words, two crystal-clear tears slid down Zhou Ao’s cheeks.

“Hey, hey, hey, is there anyone else who wants to try? He was so close just now, you all saw it, he was just a bit short of passing!”

The Oriole’s voice echoed over the lake again.

He was back to enticing the cultivators on the water.

“Senior Sister Zi Yan, let’s just bring the boat over, I’ll see if I can catch it.”

Xu Taiping looked at Xu Ziyan.

As he spoke, he had already rolled up his sleeves.