After Dean Isabella finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted across the plaza.
According to the rules, each team lined up from nearest to farthest to receive their tokens from the staff before entering the Aura.
Before long, it was Ian’s team’s turn to receive their tokens.
After distributing the tokens and collecting weapons and equipment, it was time to enter the Aura.
Ian stood before the Aura, took a deep breath, then turned back to look at his team and asked, “Are you ready?”
Lillian nodded nervously, while Sephiroth and Xianye remained calm and composed, showing no signs of anxiety.
“Of course. With me here, we’ll definitely take first place,” Yiserin said confidently, tilting her head proudly.
Seeing that everyone was prepared, Ian wasted no time and stepped straight into the Aura.
The moment he entered, Ian felt the world spin around him, and the scene before his eyes suddenly changed.
The once fresh air turned dry and arid.
He held his head to steady himself, looking around at the empty, sand-filled environment, frowning involuntarily.
The scorching sun blazed down on the earth, dust filled the air, and as far as the eye could see stretched endless sand dunes.
“Looks like I’ve been transported to the Desert Region,” Ian muttered quietly, calmly thinking through his options.
Ian felt helpless—his Communicator had been confiscated before entering, leaving him no way to contact Lillian and the others.
Moreover, no one on Ian’s team possessed any long-range communication skills, which was a huge disadvantage.
It seemed that the random reshuffling of team members was also a test of the teams’ ability to regroup quickly.
Ian refused to be pessimistic and instead scanned his surroundings.
Not far from him was a small blue light point, which Ian guessed must be a collection of weapons or supplies.
He quickly walked over and pulled out a White-quality Dagger.
Weapon quality rankings were: White, Blue, Purple, Orange.
Above these was a legendary Red-quality Sword located in the central Palace of the Secret Realm.
Legend had it that no one had ever obtained that Red Sword in any previous Holy Trial.
With this dagger, Ian at least had some means of self-defense, so he wouldn’t be completely powerless against the Demons if he encountered them, forced only to flee.
After all, this trial was about hunting Demons to earn points.
Ian gazed at the vast desert, feeling somewhat lost—he had no idea where to go.
Without a map in hand, Ian was completely in the dark and had no choice but to pick a direction and keep moving forward.
Clenching the White-quality Dagger tightly, he braved the scorching sun and stepped through the soft sand, heading steadily north.
As he crossed a sand dune, a faint noise came from beneath the sand.
Ian’s footsteps stopped abruptly.
The moment he caught the sound, he raised his dagger defensively in front of his chest, eyes scanning for the source.
Suddenly, the sand surface bulged, forming a pit, as if something was breaking through the earth.
A pitch-black scorpion burst out from the sand, radiating a dense, ominous aura of Demon energy.
Its size was comparable to a hunting dog, with a massive hooked tail trailing behind.
Judging by the intensity of the aura, this scorpion’s Demonic energy was far denser than Ian’s own.
Ian’s pupils contracted sharply.
This scorpion was off—it didn’t look like an ordinary Demon.
Normally, the Demonic energy level on a Demon’s body correlated to its strength or bloodline rank.
Yet this scorpion outwardly appeared to be just a common Scorpion Demon from the desert, so how could it possess such intense energy?
But Ian had no time to ponder this further.
The scorpion lunged at him with palpable murderous intent.
“Clang.”
Ian’s dagger clashed against the scorpion’s huge tail hook.
The force shook his hand violently, nearly causing him to lose grip of the dagger.
‘Damn it,’ Ian cursed internally.
‘How could this scorpion be so strong?’
Usually, Scorpion Demons rely on venom rather than brute strength, so they tend to be smaller and weaker.
The one before Ian was definitely the largest Scorpion Demon he’d ever heard of, and its power was overwhelming—even he struggled to defend himself.
This stalemate couldn’t last long.
To create distance, Ian stepped back two paces.
But the scorpion gave him no breathing room; as Ian retreated, it immediately launched a second wave of attacks.
Dodging the scorpion’s reckless strikes, Ian sidestepped and quickly pulled back to widen the gap between them.
He adjusted his breathing and fixed his gaze on the unusual scorpion—compared to ordinary ones outside, this one was more aggressive, faster, and stronger.
‘I can’t fight it head-on,’ Ian thought.
Before he could act further, the scorpion pounced again.
Seizing the moment amid its wild assault, Ian grabbed a handful of sand and flung it into its eyes.
The scorpion’s movement faltered slightly, and Ian took advantage, rolling to its side and climbing onto its back.
“Clang!” The White-quality Dagger struck the scorpion’s armored shell but bounced off like hitting steel, unable to pierce even a little.
“How is it so hard?” Ian missed his strike and sensed extreme danger, wanting to withdraw quickly—but it was too late.
The scorpion’s tail struck like lightning.
Ian had no time to dodge and blocked the blow with his left arm.
The impact sent a sharp pain radiating through his arm.
“I have to stay calm.” Ian’s left arm had gone numb, but he knew he needed to keep a clear head in moments like this.
Suddenly, he recalled a weakness his instructor had mentioned during Demon Studies—the gap between two adjacent scales on a scorpion’s body.
Ian didn’t have time to hesitate.
He had only one chance.
If he failed again, he might be eliminated early.
Waiting for the right moment, Ian raised his dagger with his right hand and drove it hard into the narrow gap between two scales.
“Pshhh!”
The moment the dagger pierced the gap, dark green blood splattered out.
The scorpion let out a piercing scream and thrashed wildly, nearly throwing Ian off its back.
But Ian held on tightly, refusing to give the scorpion any chance to escape.
Second by second, the scorpion’s struggles weakened until it finally lay still, completely unresponsive.
Panting heavily, Ian rolled off the scorpion onto the sand.
After a brief rest, his strength gradually returned, though his left arm remained numb.
Surviving the ordeal, Ian pondered once again what made this scorpion different.
“I hope this is just a rare exception.”