Feng Wei and Mu Tao went after the group members that had scattered in the cave in fear of the beast and slaughtered them.

They absorbed their blood essence and became more powerful. Their understanding of the technique also advanced with one stage, reaching the advanced level.

Liu Yue was the only one among them who did not kill and absorb the bodies of others, but she did not seem sad, as the smile on her face never vanished.

Feng Wei and Mu Tao had grown stronger.

Strong enough to fight the beast.

Strong enough to kill it, eventually, though not without great difficulty. They almost died fighting it but eventually killed it after working together.

Liu Yue also supported the group and fought alongside them.

But that was not all she did to survive.

From the start it was she who influenced the group subtly into discarding the weak links, Brother Zhao and Brother Chen.

She isolated the other woman from the group of men because she did not want any competition in controlling the group for her own survival.

When she saw that only two men were left in the original group of seven and they had grown strong enough to become unpredictable, she tried to use their other weakness.

She noticed how a different kind of hunger was in their eyes whenever they looked at her.

A hunger that had nothing to do with blood essence, but even then she’d smiled that same pleasant smile.

One by one, she started to approach both men separately, creating opportunities to be alone while the other went to scout or hunt for food.

She would get close to them and make them fall for her even more.

After going through the final obstacle in their path, she would get close to them, just enough to entice their desires but pull back the moment they tried to do anything.

"You’re the real hero of this group," she’d whispered, touching Mu Tao’s arm gently. "When we get out of this trial, when we’re safe... I want to thank you properly."

It was the same line she had copy-pasted to Feng Wei, and both idiots fell for her words like fools who could not think straight.

Neither man knew she’d made the same promise to both of them.

Neither man knew she had absolutely no intention of keeping either promise.

She just needed to survive long enough to reach the exit.

And if playing the helpless beauty kept these two idiots protecting her instead of feeding on her blood essence like they had done to others, she would gladly do it.

When she was thinking that her troubles had been over, she stepped over into the chambers of the next trial with her group.

"Looks like the others are not yet." Right at one glance, Mu Tao did not notice anyone in the room. He got elated thinking their group had arrived in the chambers first.

This gave him a sense of achievement and pride.

But as soon as he turned around, his slit eyes narrowed further. He realized that Liu Yue was not even looking at him. Her eyes were fixed in a different direction of the room.

For the first time since any of them had known her, Liu Yue’s pleasant, unshakable smile had completely vanished. Her face had gone pale, her eyes wide, fixed on something in the chamber below.

"Sister Yue?" Feng Wei followed her gaze, his voice uncertain.

In the far corner of the platform, partially hidden by the angle of their cave opening, two figures sat cross-legged in meditation.

The aura around their bodies was so perfectly controlled, so completely isolated, that Feng Wei and Mu Tao hadn’t even noticed them until now. They blended into the environment like shadows, like they were part of the stone itself.

"It’s them!" Mu Tao was the first to recover, his voice rising with recognition.

"How are they here?!" Feng Wei exclaimed loudly. Feng Wei exclaimed, his shock overriding his caution. "They should have left after us! Did they get lucky and choose a shorter passage, or maybe they used others to get here faster?"

"Shall we take care of them, Brother Feng?" Mu Tao’s hands clenched into fists. The newfound power from consuming blood essence had made him arrogant and reckless.

¯"We’re stronger now," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "We’ve advanced to the advanced level of the technique. We killed a Rank 2 beast. We can—"

"We can do nothing," Liu Yue cut him off sharply.

Both men turned to stare at her. It was the first time she’d ever spoken to them so directly, without softness or deference.

"Sister Yue—" Feng Wei began.

"Look at them and then look at us," she interrupted, her voice tight. "They don’t have a hint of injuries on their bodies while we are riddled with wounds. Even if there is an off chance we are stronger, they are in better condition than us."

"They are not even bothering to hide themselves while cultivating like that out in the open."

Mu Tao’s arrogance faltered slightly. "But we have the advantage of numbers—"

"Numbers mean nothing if we’re all dead," Liu Yue snapped. Her pleasant mask had completely cracked, revealing the calculating mind beneath.

"We just escaped hell. We’re exhausted. Our cultivation is unstable from forcing advancement. And you want to challenge them?" She shook her head firmly.

"Then what do you suggest we do, Sister Yue?" Feng Wei affectionately looked at the woman, not minding her expression.

Mu Tao frowned at the way he spoke her name so affectionately but did not say anything.

The smile slowly returned on Liu Yue’s face as she calmed herself down.

"We will wait. I am sure the others will arrive soon and would want to take the spot of the top participants for themselves. Let them test those two. Let us watch and learn before we make any moves."

Even then Liu Yue tried her best to hide the trembling of her arms. She was scared, not because she was scared of Yuan Ming and Noah teaming up to attack them.

But simply because she recalled what happened when she tried to get close to Noah during the time they were still cultivating in the cave. What happened that day still sent shivers down her spine.