After passing through the gate, Lu Han arrived at a rectangular arena one hundred meters wide. At the far end stood five figures made of an unknown white material.
The moment he looked at them, his heartbeat accelerated.
Now, it was all or nothing.
As if confirming his thoughts, a voice echoed in his mind:
"To pass the test, use what you learned in the second test to fight these statues. Enduring for more than three minutes may grant you direct appointment as a named disciple. Defeating one guarantees the title of outer disciple. Defeating more than one may earn special rewards. And defeating all five can secure a direct place in the inner court."
After hearing it for the third time, Lu Han showed no shock at the objective.
He simply closed his eyes and observed what the supervisor was doing.
In his mind, he visualized Su Qingyue in real time, standing before a glass mirror that reflected the image of a young man with handsome features, faint traces of dirt on his face, and messy hair, standing with his eyes closed before five statues.
It was him.
His injuries had already been completely healed by the body reconstruction.
"She's going to watch me? What an annoying woman…"
Lu Han opened his eyes and let out a sigh—but in the very next instant, his body froze.
The side effects of the body reconstruction had finally arrived.
After the "river of blood" restored his system, the nutrients and water in his body had dropped far below normal levels.
Immediately, Lu Han felt his throat dry, as if he were swallowing sand, and his stomach churned like a bottomless void.
"Support…"
Lu Han clenched his teeth, and as his vision began to darken, he saw the five figures open their multicolored pupils.
The white statue with blue eyes awakened and took the lead instantly, charging forward like a leopard chasing its prey.
In seconds, it closed the distance and appeared before Lu Han, extending its arm to strike his chest.
Hearing the rushing sound approaching, Lu Han forced his focus and immediately used his flow to dodge to the side.
Whoosh!
The wind lifted his hair, and with a direct glance, he saw the punch pass by him.
Even after dodging, Lu Han showed no sign of relief.
His current condition was far too poor to defeat even a single statue in a one-on-one fight.
And the situation would only worsen once the other four joined in.
"I can still control my body. Even though it feels terrible to move, I'm still standing… but I don't know how long it will be before I collapse."
That would certainly happen the moment his vision completely faded into darkness.
With that thought, Lu Han reached a conclusion—he needed to fight efficiently.
It seemed it was time to put into practice the plan he had been developing ever since he began creating techniques in his mind.
"The first part is to dodge, luring the faster opponents into a trap."
He didn't know if it would work—but now, he had no choice but to bet everything.
Taking a deep breath, he waited for the next advance from the water statue, which soon attacked again.
Dodging once more, Lu Han still did not counterattack.
The water statue continued throwing punches from multiple angles, but none landed.
Lu Han moved like a dancer beneath water.
Every motion was precise and fluid.
His calm eyes then noticed the arrival of the fire statue, which, without hesitation, threw a punch toward his head.
Unlike the water statue, Lu Han felt extreme danger.
If that blow landed, he would be seriously injured.
Shifting his gaze slightly, he also noticed the water statue attacking again.
If he dodged the frontal strike, he would be hit from behind.
Making his decision, Lu Han rotated his body around the fire statue's punch and advanced toward it.
Sensing the arm retract and hearing the attack behind him intensify, Lu Han lowered his body and threw himself toward the ground.
Then, he rolled quickly to the left and stood up.
Boom!
The water statue struck the fire statue's face, denting the material inward.
Seeing this, Lu Han smiled faintly and moved like a snake behind the water statue, which was still facing the other.
"First punch."
Knowing he could unleash three heavy strikes before exhausting himself, Lu Han attacked the water statue's back.
His fist began slowly, but at the final moment, it exploded with the force of a bull's kick.
Boom!
The impact tore through the white material like paper, shattering it and opening a hole.
The strike pierced completely through the statue's body and lost force as it exited from the front.
But Lu Han did not hesitate.
Through the opening he had created, he extended his hand and grabbed the fire statue's neck in front of him, squeezing with force.
Crack!
The material could not withstand the pressure and shattered in his grip, fragments cutting into his fingers and opening small wounds.
Ignoring the pain, Lu Han pulled his hand back and looked at the remaining three statues.
"I did it… in a single exchange, I destroyed two."
He had already secured his qualification as an outer disciple.
But he wasn't satisfied.
That was not his limit.
With his head throbbing in pain, his throat growing drier, and his stomach begging for food, Lu Han saw a metal sword being launched by the metal statue, while the wooden statue's arms extended like vines.
"I don't have any weapons… If I want to get close, I need to find a way around this."
He only had one idea.
But executing it would be madness.
"Second part of the plan… advance without waiting for tomorrow."
It made no sense—yet, at that moment, it made perfect sense to Lu Han.
Narrowing his eyes, he advanced with slow steps toward the incoming attacks.
Whoooosh!
The moment the sword and the arms approached, Lu Han reacted at the precise instant.
He grabbed one of the arms and used it as leverage to propel himself into the air.
With his other hand, he caught the blade.
His wounded fingers dug into the back of the blade, avoiding the edge.
Using the momentum, he twisted his body and slashed with all his strength at the arm of the statue in front of him.
The strike severed the wooden statue's hand, forcing it to retreat immediately and causing Lu Han to fall to the ground.
He quickly got back up, his expression cold.
Advancing without tomorrow—that was exactly it.
If the path is blocked, carve it open with whatever you have.
If you lack a weapon, use your enemy's.
"I will win. I will surpass everything and everyone—even if I have to use everything around me to achieve a perfect victory!"
Lu Han was determined.
To reach this point, he had already used others.
And from now on, he would use even more.
That reality would repeat itself as long as he lived—until he attained the freedom he so desperately desired.