Death... and me

In the end, Min and Erla chose a random guy named Habac. He was only one stage higher in cultivation than Rean. He was also part of the humanoid races, but not a human like Rean. Instead, he was from the Dry Vein Race. The reason for this choice was very obvious. The Dry Vein Race was famous for being able to absorb more Divine Energy than those at the same level. It was as if their veins were always thirsty for more Divine Energy, thus the name. Unfortunately, that didn't make their cultivation speed any faster.

For Rean, the guy was perfect. The battle formation had a high requirement for Divine Energy, just like Roan mentioned. Someone who could absorb more Divine Energy would help their group a lot more.

There were still Celis and Kentucky. However, it was a lot easier for those two to find a group. Unlike the humanoid races, the other high-level demon beasts could feel the Divine Bloodline in them. Thanks to that, getting into a random group wasn't a problem. Of course, their group ended up being composed of all demon beasts.

And just like that, the days passed as the twins practiced the battle formation in their own corners. Because Rean and Roan were quite far from each other, none of the two groups saw they were using the same formation. Otherwise, Lita would have definitely complained about it. Well, Roan would simply say that he didn't share the battle formation she told him not to. What he shared was his own new version.

Suddenly, the date leading to the teleport formations of the Deep Sea Monster Assault test began to shine, catching everyone's attention. Following that, one of the managers of the Jhiod Sect building came forward to talk.

"The Deep Sea Monster Assault Test shall start in a few minutes. Once you enter, you will immediately become targets and have to survive there for an entire week. However, don't forget about your own participant badges. As long as you crush it, you will be teleported to this hall straight away. This is not an easy test, so don't complain later that we didn't warn you. Joining Jhiod Sect isn't easy."

The tests happened all year round, so the manager didn't dwell on his words any longer. Everyone already had an idea of how things worked, especially those who were trying it for the second, third, or nth time. "Now, enter the gate."

The gate quickly opened, not showing a room but a spatial gate behind it instead. The cultivators and demon beasts who already knew that didn't waste time and entered the gate straight away. Those who were going there for the first time were a little more cautious but got in there anyway. Rean, Roan, Kentucky, and Celis also entered a few minutes later. The gate would only stay open for one hour, so they had to go.

*Vup, vup, vup, vup...*

Somewhere in a Dimensional Realm, three cultivators and one demon beast suddenly appeared. As soon as that happened, the demon beast began to change, transforming into a White Scaled Carp. That group was obviously Rean and his companions.

Sure enough, everywhere around them was filled with water, water, and more water. It wasn't even possible to say which side was up or down since there was no gravity pulling from anywhere. Visibility wasn't that great either, although they would rely mostly on their Divine Senses.

Rean quickly took a look around them, ready to start a battle. "So this is the Deep Sea Monster Assault Test? I can't see any monsters in my Divine Sense, though."

Habac, the guy who was recruited to form the fourth element of the battle formation, then explained in response, "This is my second time here. The spatial gate that led us here stays open for one hour. To make this test fair, the monsters will not be summoned until the spatial gate outside closes. Only when it is closed will the test start. That's also why those with experience didn't mind entering straight away since there was nothing to be afraid of during this first hour."

Rean and the others nodded after hearing that. "So that's how it is..."

Rean then took the opportunity to ask, "Do you know what these monsters are? Are they demon beasts? Spirits? Perhaps humanoids?"

Habac shook his head, replying, "None of the three. They're similar to puppets, controlled by some formation in this place. Don't underestimate them, though. One or two won't be an issue. However, they never come alone. If you're unlucky, you might be surrounded by hundreds or even thousands of them."

Rean pondered over it for a bit before asking, "At some point, we won't be able to avoid it anyway, no?"

Habac nodded, saying, "That's true. The longer into the week-long test we get, the higher the number of monsters. The number of groups also reduces, which means that more monsters will be free to come after us."

"By the way, Rean," Erla called Rean's attention. "You're sure that you have a way to recover Divine Energy even during the assaults, right?"

Rean nodded in response. "Don't worry. It's definitely not something to be worried about."

Min couldn't help but get nervous after that. "Shouldn't we start the battle formation straight away? I don't want to get caught by surprise. After all, we're supposed to be in this Dimensional Realm with other cultivators and demon beasts. It would be bad if some group appeared and tried to kill us before the test starts."

Rean, Erla, and Rean agreed with Min. "Alright, let's do that."

Meanwhile...

*Boom, boom, boom..*

*Swish, swish, swish...*

*Arrrgh!*

Blood began to spread around the deep sea as Roan held his scythe over his shoulder. "Hmph! We might be only four people, but even ten of you wouldn't be able to touch us."

Roan's group then looked at the corpses of two demon beasts and one cultivator. In the end, what Min said happened to Roan's group. They were targeted before the test started as the assailants tried to rob them of their items, especially their Divine Stones.