Wang Ye put away the spoils of war.

He first asked Xiao Jiu to use the Feathery Habitat to recover its stamina. Then, he asked it to continue using Sky Breath so that its spiritual energy would be naturally recovered.

Now that they were on it, although the space inside the relic was very strange, the spiritual energy here was quite abundant.

After about four to five hours, Xiao Jiu raised its wings and waved them forward while chirping, indicating that it had recovered to full health!

As expected of the great success realm Feathery Habitat!

However, even though Xiao Jiu’s HP and mana were both full now, its mental state was a little worse than before.

It had, after all, already experienced two battles, so it was mentally tired.

If it weren’t for Xiao Jiu’s courageous personality and the special purple characteristic Steel Will, its current state would have at least deteriorated by half.

After all, a battle between pets was not a game. Even if its physical strength and spiritual energy had been restored, it was not that easy to recover its mental state.

As they continued forward, the surrounding space changed again.

The originally spacious space gradually darkened, and a strange aura pervaded.

“Oh?” Wang Ye narrowed his eyes. As an investigator who had fought with a strange god before, he instantly knew that the opponent on the fourth stage was a strange god!

“Heh, if it’s a strange god, then there’s nothing for me to be afraid of. I might not be able to defeat a mid-level or high-level one, but a low-level one is nothing before me.. ahem, Xiao Jiu!”

At the same time, outside.

After the relic was opened, the people in charge which included Lu Daying, several leaders of the Investigation Corps, and a few important figures went to the back of the relic and quietly looked at the huge wall.

On the huge wall that separated the relic and the base, there were many bird-shaped patterns carved on it.

There were mainly only five types though.

This huge wall was a special stone found in the relic that could have a certain connection with the relic.

When the relic was opened, the huge wall would glow, and the outline of the five main bird-shaped patterns would start to become clearer.

Once someone cleared a stage, the bird-shaped patterns would light up one by one until the last pattern of the crimson flame phoenix lit up. That would mean that someone had passed all five stages and obtained the soul fire.

As such, although they were not in the relic, they could somehow know what was going on inside.

“The situation doesn’t seem right. Why hasn’t anyone passed the first stage after so long?” He Xiong, the leader of Yaoguang City’s Investigation Corps, frowned slightly, “Usually, the first and second stages shouldn’t be difficult. Those who are strong enough will clear them very quickly. If they are lucky, they will even get a lot of rewards. Those who are weak won’t be stuck for too long in there either. Why hasn’t anything changed after so long?”

He had just finished speaking when the first bird-shaped pattern lit up.

“Looks like the stages this year aren’t too difficult,” Lu Daying smiled, quite satisfied. “I hope that there will be someone who can clear the fifth stage this year…”

“Don’t. You say that every year,” Lin Rou waved her hand. “Yet no one can clear the fifth stage for the past few years. I suggest that you don’t say such things.”

“…” Lu Daying.

At this moment, the first eliminated Beastmaster appeared at the entrance of the relic.

“Look… There are already eliminated Beastmasters,” Lin Rou smiled, “Dojo Master Daying, I told you to stop saying such things, right?”

“It’s normal…” Lu Daying coughed, “Every year, there are a few who are eliminated very quickly. This is very normal…”

However, just as he finished speaking, Beastmasters who had been eliminated began to appear one after another as if they were lining up at the entrance of the relic.

Every single one of them, without exception, walked out in a sorry state, their bodies drenched.

Some of their pets even fainted and were carried out by their Beastmasters.

Some were even worse. The Beastmasters were carried out by their pets.

“…” Everyone.

“What’s going on?” Lu Daying felt that something wasn’t right.

Wasn’t the elimination rate too high?

How long had it been?

At most, the first round?

So many Beastmasters were eliminated in the first round?

Soon, they received information about the first round.

“A river? No flying?” Lu daying was taken aback, “What kind of stage is this? The Yihuang Forest has been around for so many years, but I’ve never heard of such a stage before. Usually, the first stage for pets is to practice flying and display their mobility in the sky. Why is it related to water this time?”

“This stage is so shady!” He Xiong found it unbelievable, “Why would the crimson flame phoenix design such a shady stage? Why would it require sky-type pets to swim across a river? Who would train their sky-type pets to swim for no reason? Is there even a Beastmaster with such a strange idea?”

The group discussed animatedly, all finding the whole matter extremely strange.

“Although new stages do more or less appear every year…” Lu Daying furrowed his brows, “But this is the first time something so strange has happened… What about the second stage?”

Soon, more and more people were eliminated.

However, with the number of contestants, and all of them being Beastmasters with potential, even if they couldn’t swim across the river, they would still have their ways.

For example, the big-bellied gull could make use of its huge belly as a life buoy to float across the river.

In any case, the methods the Beastmasters used to cross the river were of all sorts.

Some of the rarer sky-type pet beasts had a secondary water attribute, so they could cross the river as well.

Then, they encountered the thunder colossus in the second stage and were half-dead from the strikes of lightning.

“A thunder colossus?” Lu Daying and the others looked at each other, “Such a shady fierce beast should usually be at the fourth stage, and they rarely appear. In all these years, they’ve only appeared a few times.”

“The participants here are mostly novice Beastmasters with high potential. How many of them can defeat a monster like the thunder colossus, which is strong, has high defense, and can even restrain sky-type pets?” He Xiong scratched his head, feeling his head go a little numb from the shock, “What’s going on? Why are the stages so difficult this time? Is there really someone who can pass the second stage?”

Just as he finished speaking, the second pattern lit up.

“???” Everyone.

“Hmm?” He Xiong’s face immediately turned into a “puzzled.jpg” expression.

How could someone still clear the stage so quickly when the elimination rate was so high?

“Looks like the person should be the elite of our Corps,” He Xiong thought for a moment and said somewhat proudly, “Tianhe from our Corps has joined for more than half a year and has gone through the tempering of several secret realms. He has a Supreme first-class dragonhawk that is of the dragon and sky attribute, with six-stars level two combat strength. It should be able to win against the thunder colossus. In my opinion, it shouldn’t be too difficult for Tianhe to reach the fourth stage.”

“Is that so?” Lin Rou suddenly pointed at a dejected young man before them, “Look, isn’t that your Corps’ Tianhe?”

He Xiong looked over and fell silent.

The young man was carrying a one-meter-long dragonhawk that was covered in frost injuries.

“A slip of the tongue, our Corps doesn’t have such a person for the time being,” He Xiong said.

“…” Everyone.

“This third stage seems to be an ice-type fierce beast?” Lu Daying saw through the clues.

Then, he asked for some information about the third stage, and his expression immediately changed.

“What?!” He Xiong was shocked. “Fifteen frost mammoths that live in a group? My goodness, that can’t be possible, right? Such a difficult stage… Dojo Master Lu, in your memory…”

“It appeared once fifteen years ago,” Lu Daying narrowed his eyes, “That time, it seemed to have appeared at the fifth stage, and there weren’t fifteen of them. There were only ten of them. No Beastmaster managed to clear it that year.”

The Beastmasters that participated in exploring the relic had at most two pets, and it was most likely that they wouldn’t have the resources to nurture the other one.

Facing more than ten fierce beasts that lived in a group with combat strength and levels that far surpassed their pets, no matter how much potential a Beastmaster had, they wouldn’t have a chance.

“This year’s difficulty is the highest in history, right?” He Xiong was speechless. “I reckon that all of them will be eliminated in the third stage…”

Just as he said this, he subconsciously thought of something and looked at the huge wall at the side.

As expected, the third bird-shaped pattern on the wall lit up.

It meant that someone had cleared the third stage.

“…” He Xiong.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

This was just eerie!

It was impossible!

The elimination rate was so high, yet the speed at which this person was clearing the stages was still so fast?

“Who could it be?” He Xiong could not help but ask.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

At this moment, Lu Daying smiled confidently and said, “It looks like it should be our Feiyu Dojo’s trump card, my new disciple that I took in as my last this year, Lu…”

“Lu Wanqing, right? Look, isn’t that her?” Lin Rou pointed at a girl who walked out dejectedly.

Lu Daying’s eyelids twitched. He looked over and also fell silent.

At the same time, the fourth bird-shaped pattern lit up.

It meant that someone had passed the fourth stage!!