"Hm."
Lu Han remained thoughtful, but deep down, there were traces of hidden joy.
He had finally found a way to place a mark on that blond youth. And beyond that, he could use him to refine his martial arts.
There were even more advantages.
If the young man entered first, Lu Han could use his vision to better investigate the statues.
It was extremely beneficial to accept the proposal.
"A-are you sure you want to fight me? The last time I tried to fight, I got beaten badly. To avoid getting beaten again, I decided to seek immortality. I passed the first test, and when I got here, I got confused by these monuments… wondering if it was possible to fight based on them."
Lu Han continued pretending to be simple because of his appearance.
"B-brother, did you have the same idea? To use these monuments to create techniques?"
He scratched his head, as if embarrassed.
Hearing this, the blond youth let out a light laugh.
"It seems brother has had a hard life and has his reasons for seeking immortality. I even feel a bit ashamed… my only goals are to show off. Brother, don't you think it's interesting for a spear to attack like a flame, becoming fiercer with every moment?"
"…?"
Lu Han slightly parted his lips. That fellow was a peculiar noble.
"It would be interesting to see that. My name is Lu Han. What's yours?"
"Murong Huali."
The young man replied without any disdain. To him, there was no difference between classes. As long as someone was interesting, they were worth approaching.
And Lu Han was far too interesting.
He didn't know how much of Lu Han's words were true, but just watching him train already revealed something: he was the kind of person who would do anything to become stronger.
A trait he himself also possessed.
"Brother Lu, please guide me."
Huali drew his spear.
Seeing that gleam of battle in the other's eyes, Lu Han felt as if he were about to face a beast.
'A truly peculiar noble. Murong Huali… how interesting.'
A faint smile appeared on Lu Han's lips. This was a good opportunity to test his defense.
"Please guide me as well."
He cupped his hands in respect.
In the next instant, he emptied his mind once more, leaving only instinct and his most basic objectives.
Huali, upon seeing those deep eyes, felt his fighting intent rise even further.
"Brother Lu, I'll attack first."
After warning him, Huali positioned the spear in front of his body and pushed off the ground. In an instant, he was less than a meter from Lu Han, striking toward his shoulder.
Since he was armed while Lu Han was unarmed, Huali did not attack recklessly.
He knew he could seriously injure him if he wasn't careful.
Facing the attack, Lu Han remained still. He extended his arm with an open palm, trying to grab the spear—but before he could, Huali quickly pulled back.
Recovering his weapon, Huali looked at Lu Han with surprise. He hadn't expected him to actually try to grab it.
"Don't hold back."
Lu Han didn't want Huali to go easy on him.
He didn't need that.
Especially remembering that, in the third test, he would face enemies that would show no mercy. Zhao Ming had already proven that.
Hearing those serious words, Huali took a deep breath.
Just as he thought. Lu Han was like him.
"Alright!"
With a smile, Huali advanced again. This time, the spear was much faster, aiming directly at Lu Han's chest.
Sensing the danger, Lu Han rooted his feet into the ground and raised his forearm to block.
At the moment of impact, intense pain spread through his entire arm.
Gritting his teeth, he deflected the spear upward with his elbow and, at the same time, unrooted his feet to counterattack.
Lowering his body, he spun and swept Huali's legs.
"What?!"
Huali had no time to react. He felt his balance vanish.
In the next instant, his vision flipped toward the ceiling as he fell flat on his back.
Letting go of the spear, he hit the ground hard, scraping his back and opening small wounds that stung like needles.
Lu Han, on the other hand, had his sleeve torn and a deeper cut on his forearm.
It was painful, but he remained firm—and even smiling.
He had successfully applied his style:
Defense to block.
Control to redirect.
Mobility to counterattack at the right moment.
"Brother Lu… you're crazy."
Huali stood up slowly. Standing there, a black mark was present on his Achilles tendon—but he didn't notice it.
He then opened his purple silk pouch and took out two flasks containing a green liquid.
It was a healing ointment, accessible only to mortals with connections to the immortal world.
Initially, he hadn't intended to use it.
But upon meeting someone like Lu Han, he decided to make the most of that training opportunity.
According to the information he had received, the third test involved combat. So training with someone like this was extremely valuable.
"Do you want to keep fighting, Brother Lu? This ointment can close your wound."
"Why?"
Lu Han didn't accept immediately. He simply asked.
"I want to keep improving my strength before the next test. And since you're the only one here, isn't it natural to help you recover so we can keep fighting?" Huali replied sincerely.
"Thank you."
Lu Han accepted. He applied the ointment to his forearm, grimacing at first.
Seconds later, the pain disappeared, and the wound closed completely.
'What an incredible ointment…'
His eyes lit up with surprise.
For a moment, he felt a slight guilt for having marked Murong Huali.
But that feeling quickly disappeared.
To become stronger, he was willing to use anyone around him.
Yes, it was selfish. He knew that.
But he also knew that, in that world, being weak was a sin.
Huali offered help because he saw value in him. He used Zhao Ming because he was useful. And the supervisors treated him like an insect.
In the end, there were no innocents in that world.
Having reached that conclusion, Lu Han cast aside his discomfort.
All he could do now, to repay the ointment, was to help strengthen Huali—while also improving himself.
'I'll be reckless this time, and fight using explosive power.'
This was the last foundation he still needed to test.
"When I truly begin cultivating… will these foundations still matter? Will I be able to create real water? Real vines?"
Lu Han had a feeling that the higher one ascended, the more complex and real these foundations would become.
From the stories he had heard, cultivators were capable of destroying mountains with their spells.
'The foundations I created won't be useful only for this third test…'
The future was tempting, but Lu Han did not let himself be carried away.
He needed to focus on the present.
"Huali, want to fight to see who has the greater destructive power? Use your spear to attack me with everything you've got! And I'll respond with my strongest punch. In the next clash, everything will be decided in a single strike."