Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

Deep within the Thunder Pool.

The fog here is much thinner than the surrounding area, but the lightning within the fog is noticeably more concentrated.

At this moment, two figures were sitting cross-legged on a boulder shaped like a tortoise shell, with a pot of wine in the middle, its aroma wafting through the air, seemingly out of place with the surroundings.

One of them was a burly man who held a short knife in his hand and was carefully wiping it with a piece of deerskin.

This man was none other than Song Tiansheng, the eldest of the Seven Heroes of Tianqi.

The other person appeared much thinner, but the glint in his eyes from time to time made it easy to sense that he was extremely cunning. This person was Sun Sheng, the second of the Seven Heroes of Tianqi.

Sun Sheng picked up his wine glass, took a gentle sniff of the aroma, and revealed a contented expression.

He looked into the distance, where the entire sky had darkened, and huge bolts of lightning continued to fall from the sky, causing the entire area to be filled with lightning.

"Brother, do you think anyone in that Thunder Tribulation Land ahead will actually obtain the legendary Thunder Tribulation Liquid?"

Sun Sheng downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, then licked the drops of wine from his lips, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes.

Song Tiansheng paused in wiping his short knife, glanced up at the area ravaged by lightning, and then shook his head.

"It's hard to say."

"As far as I know, in the ten trials of the Thunder Pool, the number of times someone can obtain the Thunder Tribulation Liquid is very small. Most of the time, the Thunder Tribulation Land is a dead zone. Those who go in have a nine-out-of-ten chance of dying, and few can come out alive, let alone obtain the Thunder Tribulation Liquid."

He lowered his head and continued wiping his short sword: "Although no one has touched the Thunder Tribulation Liquid in the previous nine attempts, there is no guarantee that one of us will be able to obtain it this time."

"What a pity! If we could really get that Tribulation Liquid, we could have won first place in this Tribulation Pool assessment, become a Heavenly Disciple, and have a great chance of entering the second level of the Divine Palace!" Upon hearing this, a hint of greed flashed in Sun Sheng's eyes, but he quickly returned to normal.

He picked up his wine glass, about to say something more, when suddenly his expression froze, and his gaze swept towards a misty area behind him.

A figure carrying an iron rod slowly emerged from the thick fog.

The person who arrived was Tian Hong.

"Um!?"

Song Tiansheng raised an eyebrow, a smile appearing on his face: "Third brother, you're here too?"

Sun Sheng poured himself a glass of wine, and with a wave of his hand, the glass flew steadily toward Tian Hong.

Tian Hong reached out and took the drink, downing it in one gulp, but there was no smile on his face, only a gloomy expression.

"Big brother, second brother."

He nodded, which was his way of saying hello.

As the strongest among the Seven Heroes of Tianqi, Song Tiansheng could tell at a glance that Tian Hong was not in good condition. Even though it was not obvious from his appearance, the fluctuations in his aura made him realize that Tian Hong must have been injured.

He put down the dagger in his hand and looked directly at Tian Hong: "Third brother, you look injured?"

Tian Hong took a deep breath, then nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "I originally wanted to deal with a newcomer from the Eastern Xuan Continent, but I ran into a tough nut to crack."

"Eastern Xuan Continent?"

Sun Sheng, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on his face: "That continent with the most barren spiritual energy? What kind of powerful figures could emerge from such a place?"

Tian Hong, however, said with a gloomy expression, "Second Brother, I had the same thought as you before, but after meeting them, I realized that the newcomers who came out of there this time are not simple. Especially that bald monk, although he seemed to be evenly matched with me, I have a feeling that if it were a life-or-death battle, that bald monk might have a slight advantage!"

After hearing this, Sun Sheng stared at Tian Hong in disbelief. After all, among the Seven Heroes of Tianqi, the three of them, all at the Creation Realm, were the strongest in terms of raw power. But in terms of unruly arrogance, Tian Hong was undoubtedly number one.

To gain the approval of his third brother, that bald monk from the Eastern Xuan Continent was clearly no ordinary person.

After a moment of silence, he stood up and stretched his limbs. "Come on, third brother. Take me to find that bald monk. With the two of us working together, what trouble could he possibly cause?"

He then set off.

"Both of you, stop right there!"

Song Tiansheng suddenly spoke up and called out to Sun Sheng.

A hint of bloodlust flashed in his eyes: "Hmph! Those people you're talking about will come here sooner or later."

He pointed to the area ravaged by lightning ahead: "Don't forget, no matter which way you go, you'll eventually arrive at this Thunder Pool Trial. Only by passing through this Thunder Punishment Ground can you pass this Thunder Pool test."

Upon hearing this, Tian Hong smiled slightly: "Brother, you mean... we should wait here?"

"wait."

Song Tiansheng took another piece of brocade and continued to wipe his short knife: "Waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump is always less strenuous than running around everywhere."

"Alright, since Big Brother has said so, Third Brother, let's wait here!" Sun Sheng sat down again, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

Tian Hong nodded, said nothing more, and found a place to sit down cross-legged.

……

They weren't kept waiting for long.

Less than an hour later, two footsteps finally came from the thick fog.

The footsteps were very light, almost imperceptible. But given the cultivation levels of Song Tiansheng and his companions, the moment the footsteps sounded, all three opened their eyes simultaneously.

Two figures slowly emerged from the mist.

The first person, dressed in a gray monk's robe, with a faint Buddhist light flowing around him, was none other than Venerable Miaodi.

The person beside him, carrying an iron sword on his back and looking somewhat wary, was none other than Jian Wuhen.

"Venerable One, do you think we can really meet Brother Xia if we go this way?" Jian Wuhen asked, looking around suspiciously as he walked.

However, Venerable Miaodi did not answer Jian Wuhen's question; instead, his expression became somewhat solemn. He had vaguely noticed something amiss with this Thunder Pool assessment: no matter which way they went, they seemed to ultimately all head in one direction.

As soon as the two stepped out of the thick fog, their gazes suddenly froze.

On the boulder ahead, three figures were coldly watching them.

Especially when Jian Wuhen saw the figure carrying the iron rod, his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and he swallowed.

Tian Hong!

That being who had previously chased after him but was forced back by Venerable Miaodi!

Jian Wuhen secretly tugged at the monk's robe of Venerable Miaodi.

Venerable Miaodi's expression remained unchanged, but he took a slight step back.

The two exchanged a glance and, surprisingly in sync, slowly backed away.

However, just as they took two steps back, a cold laugh came from in front of them.

"Bald monk, and you damned bastard, I can't believe we've met again so soon!"

Tian Hong stood up, brandishing his iron rod, his eyes blazing with killing intent. Without a word, he swung the rod directly at the two men!

"Are these the two people Third Brother was referring to?"

Sun Sheng's eyes turned cold as he watched Tian Hong make his move, and he too vanished from his spot.

The next moment, he had already blocked the retreating path of Venerable Miaodi and his companion, arms crossed, his eyes full of mockery.

"You two aren't leaving here today!"