I proved immortality with thunder magic.

Seven days passed quickly.

Inside the courtyard in the valley, Zhou Tai took stock of his available supplies before heading to the gathering point.

He currently possesses six high-grade Tier 1 magic artifacts, all of which are among the finest of their respective tiers.

In terms of talismans, he has five first-tier superior-grade chain lightning strike talismans, forty first-tier superior-grade lightning spear talismans, sixty-two other first-tier superior-grade talismans, and twenty-six first-tier mid-grade lightning strike talismans.

In addition, Li Hongzhi also gave him a second-tier low-grade magic talisman called "Spirit Turtle Protector Talisman".

In addition to magical artifacts and talismans, Aaron Kwok also prepared various elixirs for Zhou Tai.

He had fought against demonic cultivators in the Demon Abyss Mountains and suffered great losses, so he knew a lot about their methods.

Therefore, the pills he prepared for Zhou Tai included not only the normal pills for treating internal and external injuries, but also many pills with detoxifying and purifying negative forces, and even pills to restore consciousness.

If we include the Thunder-Patterned Frog Yuanbao and the Sharp-Clawed Wind Owl Laifu, Zhou Tai will have all the necessary items: pills, artifacts, talismans, and beasts.

He was quite satisfied with his ample weapons and equipment. After putting everything into the large-capacity storage bag he had specially bought, he put both spirit pets into the two spirit beast bags and strode out of his residence.

Before long, Zhou Tai arrived at the assembly point.

This gathering place is the same place where the outer gate competition was held in previous years.

At this moment, hundreds of outer disciples and miscellaneous disciples have gathered here, and even quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators have come to join in the fun.

After arriving at the location, Zhou Tai first checked in and was then directed to wait in a place where registered people were gathered.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, scanning his surroundings. He discovered that among those who had registered, there were indeed quite a few cultivators at the seventh or eighth level of the Qi Refining stage, and all of them had white hair.

It is obvious that the conditions of no age or status restrictions have attracted many menial disciples.

However, Zhou Tai knew that these menial disciples mostly didn't have much of a chance.

Because there are quite a few outer disciples who are stuck at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and their cultivation is higher and their magic weapons are better. As long as they are not too useless in combat, they are unlikely to lose to these menial disciples.

"But with so many people signing up, we can't really have them fight one by one to decide the winner, can we? How long would that take to finish?"

Zhou Tai frowned slightly, somewhat unable to understand the thoughts of those high-level cultivators.

But he soon realized that he had been too ignorant and had underestimated the methods of high-level cultivators.

As the designated assembly time ended, a streak of emerald green light suddenly rushed in, revealing the figure of a man in blue robes in mid-air.

This man in blue was none other than Zhao Dongyang, the current head of Spirit Beast Mountain.

"Disciple greets Sect Leader!"

As one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators present took the lead in bowing and paying homage, the others immediately seemed to awaken from a dream and followed suit.

Many of the servant disciples, seeing the sect leader's true face for the first time, stared wide-eyed at the sky, their eyes filled with excitement.

"Disciples, there's no need for such formalities."

Zhao Dongyang waved his hand, then looked down at the many Qi Refining stage disciples below and said, "This Immortal Demon Trial is of great importance. Only disciples with truly outstanding strength can represent our Spirit Beast Mountain to participate in the battle. Therefore, I will personally test your strength. You should be mentally prepared."

After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment to give the crowd time to process the news.

After waiting a moment, he waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Now listen to my command, all registered disciples, step forward and get ready there."

As soon as the words were spoken, a verdant glow appeared above an open space not far away, marking the location.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Tai and the others obeyed and went to stand in the open space.

After everyone had taken their positions, Zhao Dongyang's voice rang out again.

"Attention! In three breaths, I will unleash an illusion attack. Those with weak willpower will be eliminated immediately!"

Illusion attack?

Zhou Tai's eyes narrowed, and upon hearing this, he immediately focused all his attention and prepared.

Three breaths later, a peculiar fragrance suddenly appeared on the field, and all the disciples who smelled the fragrance immediately had various illusions appear in their minds.

The illusion in Zhou Tai's consciousness was the scene where he received the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object after shining brightly in the Immortal Demon Trial.

He saw the sect leader Zhao Dongyang beckoning to him from ahead, with jade bottles floating in front of him, containing various Foundation Establishment spiritual items.

He couldn't help but take a step forward.

But after taking only two steps, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Even if he really wanted to reward him with a Foundation Establishment spiritual item, he could have just waved his hand and sent it to him. Why did he have to go up and take it himself?

Once he had this thought, he quickly remembered that he was under an illusion attack and successfully regained his senses.

As soon as he regained consciousness, he saw that many of the assessment disciples were walking out of the crowd, just like he had done earlier, and a green line had been drawn outside them at some point.

This gave him a real fright.

It's obvious that if he steps out of that green line, he will definitely be eliminated!

"Are illusion attacks really that terrifying? Illusion Moon Valley, one of the six major sects of the Ba Kingdom's demonic path, is known for its illusions!"

Zhou Tai's heart sank, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.

He hurriedly focused his consciousness into his storage bag to check the pills that Aaron Kwok had prepared for him. He breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw a pill labeled "Heart-Clearing Pill".

This "Mind-Clearing Pill" is a medicine that helps cultivators clear their minds and concentrate their spirits. After taking it, it can temporarily enhance their resistance to illusions.

However, he only has one bottle of this pill, with only five pills in the bottle. If he really encounters the demonic cultivators of Illusion Moon Valley during the trial, he should be careful.

"The first round of assessment is over. Disciples who stepped outside the green line area are eliminated!"

When Zhao Dongyang's voice rang out again, all the disciples taking the test came to their senses.

The eliminated contestants, realizing they had unknowingly stepped outside the green line, immediately turned pale, but dared not voice any objections.

Zhao Dongyang waved his hand, dismissing the eliminated contestants from the scene. Then, he addressed the remaining contestants, including Zhou Tai, saying, "Next is the second test. You will be divided into groups of twenty. I will attack each group simultaneously. Only those who can block the attacks in time without being injured will pass."

The remaining people numbered less than a hundred, but they were quickly divided into groups.

Zhou Tai's group was lucky; they weren't the first group to be assessed, so he had a chance to observe the assessment method beforehand.

As soon as the first group of cultivators entered the venue, they quickly used various methods to protect themselves.

"The assessment has begun!"

Zhao Dongyang in the sky let out a low shout and waved his hand. One after another, green light needles like pine needles condensed out of thin air and fell on the disciples being tested like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

These emerald light needles attacked suddenly from all angles, catching many of the assessment disciples off guard.

However, the disciples who manage to pass the first test all have some skills, and their reaction speed is definitely not bad.

Therefore, most people are still able to take timely action to intercept and protect themselves.

Even if some people manage to intercept the Azure Light Needle in time, they will be injured on the spot to varying degrees because their own magical artifacts and spells are unusable and they cannot completely block the attack of the Azure Light Needle.

Once shot, even in minor areas like the hands or feet, the person is automatically eliminated.

Ultimately, only eleven disciples in this first group successfully passed the assessment.

"Next group."

As Zhao Dongyang shouted, Zhou Tai took a deep breath and immediately walked towards the designated area with the other nineteen members of his group.

As he prepared, he activated the Azure Cloud Shield to its fullest extent. A rich, verdant glow emanated from the shield, forming a shield wall that could move with it at any time.

At the same time, he channeled his magic power into the protective amulet he wore at his waist, and a hazy yellow light suddenly appeared, protecting him inside.

Just as Zhou Tai and the others were ready, Zhao Dongyang raised his hand again, and a handful of emerald light rain suddenly fell on the disciples below.

Before Zhou Tai could figure out what was so special about this attack, the raindrops that fell beside him suddenly transformed into a long, dark blue thorny spear and began to pierce him.

The thorny spears were like scorpion tails emerging from the ground, their tips incredibly sharp, easily piercing through the shield wall formed by the Azure Cloud Shield.

Fortunately, Zhou Tai possessed two first-tier high-grade defensive magic artifacts. With the three lines of defense formed by these artifacts, the thorn spears were unable to harm him at all.

Seeing that the thorny spear kept poking and prodding, seemingly unwilling to stop attacking easily, he even had the strength to summon the Silver Star Sword and slash at the spear.

However, the thorn spear was extremely tough. When the Silver Star Sword slashed at it, it could only make a shallow crack, which would quickly repair itself.

Seeing this, Zhou Tai stopped wasting his time and focused all his energy on defense.

After withstanding nine attacks in this way, all the thorn spears suddenly turned into emerald light and dissipated.

Zhou Tai felt relieved, knowing that he had passed this hurdle, and quickly looked at the others.

Upon seeing this, he was slightly startled. Eleven of the twenty people in their group had been injured, while only nine were unharmed and successfully passed the test.

In the following time, the remaining two or three groups of people also stepped forward to be assessed, and the attack methods for each assessment were different.

After everyone had completed the second round of assessments, fewer than fifty people remained.

Just then, Zhao Dongyang spoke again from the sky.

"For this Immortal Demon Trial, our Spirit Beast Mountain has a quota of thirty-five people. Some of you will be eliminated."

"The third test is next, and the process is similar to the previous one. You will all be tested simultaneously, and only the remaining thirty-five people can pass after everyone else has been eliminated!"

Without giving Zhou Tai and the others time to react, he led them directly to the assessment site.

"Attack forty-seven people simultaneously, while controlling the force to ensure no one dies—is this just the tip of the iceberg of the power of a Grandmaster at the Purple Mansion stage?"

As Zhou Tai walked towards the assessment site, he was secretly astonished, experiencing for the first time the terrifying power of a major cultivator at the Purple Mansion stage.