45: This is a notification, not a discussion!

Day seven, early morning.

The fourth floor of the underground cave, deep within the Lava River Valley.

The Steel-Armored Earth Dragon lay prostrate by the edge of the lava pool, its dark gold pupils reflecting the crimson lotus at the center of the pool—the earth core fire lotus. Eight and a half of its nine petals had already bloomed, needing only the last trace of fire-attribute energy to fully mature.

Lin Fan sat cross-legged on the Dragon's head, eyes closed as he rested his mind.

Overnight, he had issued dozens of commands to the Steel-Armored Earth Dragon through the slave contract. The Earth Dragon, in turn, used its prestige as a Rank 4 King to pass the orders down through the Ranks to all exotic beasts above Rank 3 across the entire fourth floor and even parts of the third floor.

At this moment, within a twenty-kilometer radius centered on the Lava River Valley.

Twenty-seven Rank 3 Peak exotic beasts.

One hundred and sixty-three Rank 3 Middle Stage and Late Stage exotic beasts.

Over four hundred Rank 2 exotic beasts.

All had finished assembling, like an army awaiting inspection, lurking within rock layers, caves, and lava rivers.

They were waiting for a signal.

A... signal to clear the field.

"Master, all tribes are in position."

The Steel-Armored Earth Dragon's consciousness transmitted.

"Very good." Lin Fan opened his eyes and looked at the fire lotus in the lava pool.

The last half-petal was unfurling at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Lin Fan, what on earth are you trying to do by gathering so many exotic beasts?"

Su Muyu, who was standing nearby, had a bad premonition.

"Let me guess. Lin Fan, are you trying to harvest one last crop of 'leeks' on the final day?"

Qin Yue looked curious.

"Too small. Your vision is too small."

"Me? I'm a man who wants to become the Great Love Immortal Venerable."

"I want to... help everyone advance to the second round!"

After saying that, the corners of Lin Fan's mouth curled up slightly.

It was as if he could already see the messy expressions on those big shots' faces... The real-time rankings on his wristwatch were still constantly ticking:

[Rank 1: Lin Fan's Team, 10,300 points]

[Rank 2: Xuanyuan Potian's Team, 4,100 points]

[Rank 3: Ye Wuchen's Team, 3,980 points]

...[Rank 91: Xishan Experimental Middle School Team, 620 points]

Aside from the nine teams eliminated midway, a total of 91 remained.

"The show... begins."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Roar!!!

The Steel-Armored Earth Dragon roared towards the sky!

That wasn't an ordinary roar; it was a war horn!

The next second.

The earth shook and the mountains trembled!

...The fourth floor of the underground cave, Northwest District.

Ye Wuchen was leading his team to surround and kill a Rank 3 Late Stage "Shadow Leopard."

Sword light flashed like snow as the Shadow Leopard wailed and collapsed.

"Captain, we've reached 3,100 points. We're definitely in the top five!" a teammate said excitedly.

Ye Wuchen's brow furrowed. "Something's not right..."

"What?"

"It's too quiet." Ye Wuchen looked around. "Since half an hour ago, I haven't heard the cries of any other exotic beasts. Not even the sound of insects."

Just as he finished speaking.

Rumble.

The ground began to vibrate violently!

"An earthquake?!"

"No! Look over there!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a dark tide of beasts rushing forward like a bursting dam from around the corner of a distant rock wall!

Leading them were five Rank 3 Peak Lava Behemoths!

Behind them followed dozens of Rank 3 and hundreds of Rank 2 beasts!

Their target seemed very clear—all human teams!

"Run!!!" Ye Wuchen's scalp tingled as he roared hoarsely.

But where to run?

In every direction, there was nothing but a tide of beasts!

...Southeast District, a certain limestone cave.

The team from the Tang Sect of Shu was setting up a poison formation, preparing to lure and kill a group of "Venom Spittle Spiders."

"Young Lord, once we finish this, our points can break 3,500... Huh?" The boy responsible for keeping watch suddenly widened his eyes. "That... what is that?"

Outside the cave, on the horizon.

Hundreds of "Rock-Armored Lizards" formed a military-like formation, crushing everything in their path like a moving wall of stone!

Wherever they passed, the rock walls collapsed!

"A beast tide! It's a beast tide!!!"

"Retreat deep into the cave! Fast!"

...Northeast District, by a certain underground riverbank.

The team from Beihe Provincial First High School had just killed a "Water Arrow Turtle" and was resting.

The captain suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet.

Looking down, the river water was flowing backward.

Looking up, on the rock wall across the river, a dense swarm of "Blade Mantises" was flying over like a green wave, their wings vibrating!

A violent red light flickered in their compound eyes.

"Heaven or Earth... there's nowhere left to run..." the captain murmured... The same scene was playing out simultaneously across various parts of the fourth floor of the underground cave!

Ninety teams, whether they were hunting, resting, or fleeing... were all locked onto and driven by the beast tide!

It wasn't an encirclement for slaughter.

It was... a conscious driving!

Like sheepdogs driving a flock of sheep, they were herding all the "sheep" towards the same direction... the Lava River Valley!

"These beasts... are driving us towards the valley!"

Someone clever noticed the pattern.

"The valley is the nest of that Steel-Armored Earth Dragon! What does it want to do?!"

"Are we walking into a trap?!"

But no one had a choice.

If they didn't run towards the valley, they would be immediately submerged by the beast tide.

Running towards the valley... at least they could live for a few more minutes.

Thus, a strange spectacle appeared on the fourth floor of the underground cave.

Over two hundred and seventy prodigies from various provinces fled in disarray at the front.

From behind, the sides, and even the air, thousands of exotic beasts formed an encirclement, driving them forward at a steady pace.

It was like a... massive migration.

Only, the migrants were despairing humans... the Lava River Valley.

Lin Fan sat atop the Steel-Armored Earth Dragon's head, watching the distress signals flashing constantly on his wristwatch.

The public channel had already exploded:

"Help! Beast tide! A massive beast tide has broken out on the fourth floor!"

"All teams are running towards the valley! It's a trap!"

"Where are the proctors?! Proctors, intervene quickly! This is an exam accident!"

"No! If we call for help now, we'll be eliminated! My points just reached the advancement line!"

"Is your life more important or advancing?!"

"Aaaaah!"

Lin Fan turned off the channel and stretched.

"That's about enough."

He looked towards the valley entrance.

The first batch of fugitives had already appeared.

It was the team from Xishan Experimental Middle School. The three of them were covered in blood as they scrambled into the valley.

Then, they froze.

In the center of the valley, by the lava pool.

The Steel-Armored Earth Dragon lay prostrate like a mountain.

On the Dragon's head, a youth wearing the uniform of Yuncheng Third High School was sitting with his legs crossed, holding a cup of... steaming milk tea?

"Lin... Lin Fan?!" the captain's voice trembled.

Lin Fan took a sip of milk tea and waved with a smile. "Yo, you're here? Find a place to sit, don't be shy."

The three of them: "???"

Immediately after, the second batch, the third batch... Ye Wuchen's team, the Tang Sect of Shu team, the Beihe Province team, the Dongshan Province team... one team after another was "driven" into the valley.

The moment everyone saw Lin Fan, their expressions were uniform: stunned -> shocked -> terrified -> bewildered.

The valley was soon packed with people.

Over two hundred and seventy people, standing, sitting, or slumped over, all had pale faces and were still shaken.

Meanwhile, at the rock wall entrances around the valley.

The dark mass of the beast tide crouched quietly, keeping watch.

They no longer attacked, but simply surrounded the valley so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak out.

It was as if they were waiting for some command.

"Alright, everyone's here."

Lin Fan's voice, through his Internal Energy, spread clearly throughout the valley.

Everyone looked up at the youth on the Dragon's head.

"First of all, welcome everyone to my... field-clearing party."

Lin Fan put down his milk tea and stood up. "Let me introduce myself. I am Lin Fan, from Yuncheng Third High School, a candidate for this year's National Examination."

"And also the... temporary commander of these exotic beasts."

*Whoosh!*

The entire place erupted in an uproar!

"Impossible! How could you possibly control a beast tide?!"

"There are thousands of exotic beasts here! And a Rank 4 Steel-Armored Earth Dragon!"

"Cheating! This is definitely cheating!"

"I get it! You're controlling the other low-Rank exotic beasts by controlling the Steel-Armored Earth Dragon!"

"Lin Fan, what exactly do you want to do?"

"Lin Fan, I gave you points before, don't you remember?"

...Lin Fan smiled but didn't explain.

He simply raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

Roar!

The Steel-Armored Earth Dragon roared in response!

On the rock walls, thousands of exotic beasts roared towards the sky simultaneously!

The sound waves shook the valley, causing gravel to fall in rustling cascades!

Everyone's face turned pale, and they shut their mouths.

"Alright, down to business."

Lin Fan put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the more than two hundred terrified faces below.

"There are still... six hours and twenty-three minutes left in the Underground Cave Trial."

"But I feel there's no need to drag it out any longer."

"You ninety teams now have two choices."

He held up one finger:

"One, proactively crush your distress talisman, call for proctor rescue, and be eliminated."

He held up a second finger:

"Two, get beaten up by my little friends here, then crush your distress talisman and be eliminated."

He paused and added, "Don't worry, they know how to hold back. At most, a few bones will break; you won't die."

"Choose."

Dead silence.

Only the popping sounds of the lava bubbles remained in the valley.

"Lin Fan..." Ye Wuchen gripped his longsword and gritted his teeth. "By doing this, you are making an enemy of every martial arts school and every aristocratic family in the country!"

"So what?" Lin Fan tilted his head. "What can you do to me?"

"You!"

"Don't get excited." Lin Fan waved his hand. "I'm not negotiating with you."

"I am... notifying you."}

],"new_glossary_terms":[{"zh":" Lava Valley","en":"Lava River Valley","entity_type":"location","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" slave contract","en":"slave contract","entity_type":"item","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Great Love Immortal Venerable","en":"Great Love Immortal Venerable","entity_type":"person","gender":"male"},{"zh":" Xishan Experimental Middle School","en":"Xishan Experimental Middle School","entity_type":"organization","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Shadow Panther","en":"Shadow Leopard","entity_type":"creature","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Poisonous Saliva Spider","en":"Venom Spittle Spider","entity_type":"creature","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Rock Armored Lizard","en":"Rock-Armored Lizard","entity_type":"creature","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Beihe Province No. 1 Middle School","en":"Beihe Provincial First High School","entity_type":"organization","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Blastoise","en":"Water Arrow Turtle","entity_type":"creature","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Blade Mantis","en":"Blade Mantis","entity_type":"creature","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Dongshan Province","en":"Dongshan Province","entity_type":"location","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" SOS","en":"distress talisman","entity_type":"item","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Second order","en":"Rank 2","entity_type":"other","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Third order","en":"Rank 3","entity_type":"other","gender":"neutral"},{"zh":" Fourth level","en":"Rank 4","entity_type":"other","gender":"neutral"}]}