A fire phoenix blotted out the sky as it unfurled its wings, stirring a violent gale that swept across the arena. The supreme aura of a divine beast descended upon the world, suppressing the Wrath God Talisman so completely that it could not offer the slightest resistance.

Niu Yun began to retreat, unable to advance even half a step beneath the phoenix's oppressive aura.

The one most shaken among the crowd was Bai Jingye, for he still had a life-and-death duel awaiting him with Shi Wa. Judging from the talent Shi Wa had just revealed, a chill of terror struck deep into his heart.

If Shi Wa were allowed to keep growing, the consequences would be beyond imagination. Sooner or later, he would become a mortal threat to Bai Jingye. That meant Bai Jingye had to kill him before the duel even began, and Liu Wuxie, the root of everything, had to die as well.

Many talisman mentors had already rushed to the edge of the arena, desperate to take a closer look.

"What kind of talisman is that? How can it manifest into a form by itself?"

"That's a phoenix phantom, and how did he manage to summon it?!"

Another talisman mentor stomped his foot in frustration, wishing he could snatch the phoenix phantom over and dissect its secrets.

Although the other mentors were not necessarily proficient in talisman art, that did not mean they knew nothing about it. Shock rippled through the crowd.

As for Tu Zhengbao, Jiang Hongran, and the others, they exchanged looks as murderous intent flickered in their eyes. Their gazes seemed to say the same thing—that Liu Wuxie could not be allowed to live.

Niu Yun was still struggling desperately, controlling the Wrath God Talismans to smash toward the phoenix phantom. The two giant hammers came from both sides, forming a pincer attack as they struck toward the phoenix's wings.

A trace of murderous intent flashed across Shi Wa's face as his right hand continued to carve through the air. The phoenix suddenly surged forward, releasing boundless flames that swept across the sky.

The two Wrath God Talismans ignited on their own and turned into ashes in an instant. Yet the terrifying aura did not fade. Under Shi Wa's control, the phoenix continued charging toward Niu Yun, clearly intending to end the battle then and there.

"Shi Wa, that's enough," Liu Wuxie called out. There was no need for Shi Wa to keep pressing the advantage, for victory had already been decided.

Shi Wa withdrew the phoenix, and it vanished as though it had never descended upon the arena in the first place.

Before Niu Yun was even aware of it, he was drenched in sweat. Faced with the fire phoenix, he could not muster even the slightest courage to resist and could only watch helplessly as it descended upon him.

If this had been a true battle, Shi Wa would definitely not have been Niu Yun's opponent. It was the aura released by the phoenix phantom that shattered Niu Yun's composure.

With that, Shi Wa claimed victory over Niu Yun with an overwhelming advantage. At the same time, he showed everyone what true talisman art looked like.

Talisman arts were not limited to throwing talismans at an opponent. It contained countless variations and endless profundities these people had never encountered before.

"Mentor Che..." an assistant beside Che Yangrong called out, only to realize that he was still in deep shock.

When Che Yangrong finally exhaled in relief, he took out three hundred thousand immortal stones and threw them to Liu Wuxie. A wager was a wager, and since he had been the one to propose it, he naturally had to honor his end.

After putting the immortal stones away, a faint smile appeared on Liu Wuxie's lips. Shi Wa smiled as well. Since he could not afford the tuition fees, earning three hundred thousand immortal stones could be considered his payment.

Aside from Bai Jingye and Che Yangrong, all the mentors immediately crowded around, eager to learn the profundity behind that talisman.

"Assistant Mentor Liu, can you tell us how that talisman came into being earlier?"

Everyone knew Shi Wa was Liu Wuxie's student, and his attainment in talisman art had all been bestowed by Liu Wuxie. They also knew Shi Wa would not reveal anything even if they asked, so they could only question Liu Wuxie directly.

Looking at their greedy expressions, a trace of disgust flashed in Liu Wuxie's eyes. Wearing a devilish smile, he replied, "Fellow mentors, aren't all of you the grandmasters of the talisman art? I'm merely an assistant mentor. Aren't you making things difficult for me?"

Liu Wuxie's words rendered all the mentors speechless. They were official mentors, and asking an assistant mentor to teach them was no different from lowering their own status.

Many students covered their mouths and chuckled. They clearly had not expected Liu Wuxie to be so assertive.

They had originally thought that Liu Wuxie would feel flattered when so many mentors approached him for guidance. Who could have expected that not only would he refuse, but he would even mock them outright? If anyone else had been in his place, they would have seized this chance to build a good relationship with the surrounding mentors.

"Liu Wuxie, don't take it too far by spurning the respect we're showing you," an elderly mentor said after feeling utterly humiliated by Liu Wuxie's words. He had already lowered his status to speak with an assistant mentor, giving Liu Wuxie more than enough face, yet Liu Wuxie had refused to appreciate it.

Liu Wuxie's eyes instantly turned cold. "What a joke."

These mentors had close ties with Che Yangrong and Bai Jingye. They had only stepped forward because they coveted his talisman art, not because they carried any genuine sincerity in befriending him.

"Liu Wuxie, it's still too early for you to celebrate. Don't forget that there's also the alchemy and blacksmithing assessment. Let's see how long you can stay arrogant."

The mentors glared at Liu Wuxie before turning around and leaving.

Looking at their departing silhouettes, a faint, ruthless smile rose on Liu Wuxie's lips. He would not pursue them if they did not provoke him, but if they insisted on causing trouble, they could not blame him for showing no mercy.

After the performance from Ye Linghan's class, the remaining talisman assessment instantly became dull. The rest were all ordinary exchanges, far inferior to the phoenix phantom Shi Wa had just summoned.

With the assessment losing its appeal, the talisman section ended after only a few hurried matches.

Next came the blacksmithing assessment. The Azure Flame Dao Hall had no shortage of blacksmithing classes, and both Nangong Shan and Shen Chao were blacksmithing mentors.

Even before the contest began, Nangong Shan had already fixed his sharp gaze on Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie ignored Nangong Shan's gaze and instead turned toward Zhang Dashan, Diao Jiuzhi, and Ren Fanfan.

Shi Wa had already earned three hundred thousand immortal stones to cover his tuition fees, which naturally made Diao Jiuzhi nervous. After all, he had yet to earn enough to pay his own tuition.

"I wish to challenge Mentor Shen Chao's class!" Diao Jiuzhi declared. He stepped forward, unwilling to miss this opportunity and beat Zhang Dashan to it.

Xiao Qian had already told them how others had framed Liu Wuxie back in the Myriad Artifact Pavilion.

Shen Chao's expression turned cold. Unlike the other mentors, Shen Chao did not have many students as a part-time mentor in the Azure Flame Dao Hall. But if he backed down from a challenge, he would instantly lose his footing in the Dao Hall.

"BianGe, go face him," Shen Chao said to a youth standing beside him.

"Mentor, please don't worry about it. I'll teach him a lesson on your behalf!" Bian Ge reassured Shen Chao as he entered the blacksmithing arena.

Several blacksmithing cauldrons stood around the arena, prepared for the contest.

Diao Jiuzhi looked at Shen Chao, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"Are Liu Wuxie's students all bandits? They don't look like they're here to spar, but to plunder instead."

Many people finally noticed that whether it was Shi Wa, Diao Jiuzhi, Xiang Rulong, or Zhang Hua, none of them appeared eager to make a move after stepping forward. This was especially true for Shi Wa and Diao Jiuzhi, who barely concealed their provocative gazes.

Many mentors gritted their teeth, for they had already lost a considerable amount of resources today. "Liu Wuxie is too despicable, using the class assessment to plunder resources."

"You can also plunder if you have the ability."

Only a small number of mentors stood on Liu Wuxie's side. The class assessment was fair, and if Liu Wuxie could seize the opportunity to win a large amount of resources, then that was his ability.

Throughout the entire process, he had forced no one, nor had he said anything excessive. On the contrary, Jiang Hongran, Tu Zhengbao, and the others had been so eager to humiliate him that they ended up losing instead.

Facing Diao Jiuzhi's piercing gaze, Shen Chao finally stepped forward.

"Liu Wuxie, I'll wager the Heavenly Luo Fruit for your alchemy technique," Shen Chao said as he produced a strange, glowing fruit.

"The Heavenly Luo Fruit! That's a treasure!" many students cried out. They stared until their eyes nearly bulged, especially those in the High Immortal Realm and True Immortal Realm. If they could obtain the Heavenly Luo Fruit, they could unconditionally raise their cultivation by one level.

Liu Wuxie was naturally the happiest of all. He already had the Indigo Moon Essence, the Ancient Orchid Whale Brain, and the Immortal Marrow. With the addition of the Heavenly Luo Fruit, his breakthrough to the ninth-level High Immortal Realm would be guaranteed.

Inwardly, he was already laughing. He had never expected to obtain so many resources in a single class assessment.

The other mentors had experienced wins and losses, with only a few managing to earn a fortune. Liu Wuxie, however, had yet to lose even a single battle.

"Very well," Liu Wuxie replied, accepting Shen Chao's wager.

"Let's begin," Shen Chao said, signaling that the contest could start.

A battle between blacksmiths was a contest of skill. Beside every cauldron sat identical piles of materials, and even the molds were the same. This meant both sides would forge the same item, and victory would depend on whoever produced the higher quality.

Intense flames shot out from the cauldron as Diao Jiuzhi began throwing the materials into it one by one.

Both sides were refining longswords, and their quality was not especially high, only comparable to the Heavenly Immortal Realm. After all, the materials were not precious, and no one would feel distressed even if they were wasted.

Most gazes turned to Bian Ge rather than Diao Jiuzhi. "Look at Bian Ge! His technique is unusual."

Discussions spread through the crowd, most of them clearly intended to pressure Diao Jiuzhi.

"Bian Ge comes from a blacksmithing clan. Since his grandfather's generation, their clan's blacksmithing skills have been renowned. By his generation, those skills have already surpassed those of the previous generations."

Nangong Shan's students, in particular, praised Bian Ge loudly while mocking Diao Jiuzhi, calling him trash for not even being able to afford tuition.

Facing the surrounding mockery, Diao Jiuzhi trembled so violently that he nearly lost control of himself. But a cooling aura entered his body, jolting his mind awake and allowing him to regain his composure quickly. Fortunately, Liu Wuxie had warned him in time. Diao Jiuzhi was still too young, and provocation could easily shake his composure.

When it came to blacksmithing, Bian Ge's technique was far more pleasing to the eye, naturally drawing louder applause. By contrast, Diao Jiuzhi's technique looked so ordinary that even some mentors could not understand what he was trying to do.

The other blacksmithing mentors frowned and discussed among themselves. "Could it be that Liu Wuxie doesn't know much about blacksmithing? Why would he teach such a crude technique?"

"I don't think it's that simple. He has already proven himself in martial cultivation, talismans, and spiritual arrays. He may know blacksmithing as well," another voice echoed.

"How could there possibly be an all-rounder in this world? He was only lucky in the past," said the mentors who had previously lost to Liu Wuxie. They were clearly unconvinced, and even if they could not take revenge themselves, they would still relish seeing Liu Wuxie lose in a blacksmithing contest.

However, Liu Wuxie ignored them all. He closed his eyes and began refining the Ancient Orchid Whale Brain.