The battle commenced, with Matilda leading the charge by unleashing the frigid divine arts, sending forth icy beams towards her adversaries.

However, these opponents were no pushovers. They deftly dodged Matilda’s attacks and launched a counteroffensive.

Matilda found herself on the defensive, tirelessly casting defensive spells to hold her ground.

On the other hand, the situation was quite different for Enzo.

He moved like lightning, darting effortlessly between his foes.

He first used the Soul Fortress to confuse several opponents, causing them to turn on each other before seizing the opportunity to strike, knocking down the chaotic adversaries one by one.

In no time, Enzo had defeated several opponents, while Matilda continued to struggle.

“Hmph, let’s see how long you can hold out.”

Enzo thought to himself as he continued to launch assaults against the remaining foes.

Eventually, within the designated timeframe, Enzo successfully vanquished all his opponents, completing the assessment.

Meanwhile, Matilda had yet to pass the assessment.

Enzo envisaged the repercussions should Matilda fail to pass.

Enzo decided to aid her.

Just as he was about to intervene, Matilda rebuffed him, saying, “I do not require your assistance.”

However, before the words had barely left her lips, danger loomed.

An adversary seized the opening in Matilda’s defense and unleashed a powerful elemental blast directly at her. Matilda could not evade in time and faced the imminent strike, her face turning pale in an instant.

Enzo could not stand idly by. Swiftly, he positioned himself in front of Matilda. With a resounding impact, the elemental blast struck Enzo squarely, causing him to grunt softly as his body swayed slightly but managed to steady himself.

Matilda’s eyes widened in astonishment, never expecting Enzo to risk his own safety to rescue her, leaving her momentarily dazed.

“Hey, snap out of it, seize the opportunity to fight back!” Enzo shouted at Matilda while enduring the aftershocks of the impact.

It was only then that Matilda regained her composure, gritted her teeth, and once again unleashed her frigid divine arts. This time, she dared not be careless, focusing all her attention on manipulating the spell, sending icy beams of light towards the remaining adversaries.

The opponents, still reeling from Enzo’s previous blow, were caught off guard and before they could recover, they found themselves under attack by Matilda. Some were unable to evade and were frozen in place, their movements slowing down.

Witnessing this, Enzo immediately charged forward. His figure moved like a ghost, weaving between the frozen adversaries, delivering punches and kicks that swiftly incapacitated a few more.

Matilda, not idle, cooperated with Enzo’s assault, continuously disrupting the remaining adversaries with her frigid divine arts, making it difficult for them to focus on dealing with Enzo.

With the seamless coordination between the two, it didn’t take long before the remaining adversaries were all defeated.

Taking a deep breath, Matilda looked at Enzo, a complex expression flashing in her eyes, a mix of gratitude and a hint of embarrassment.

“Humph, consider yourself lucky this time, I didn’t ask for your help.” Matilda retorted, her tone noticeably less harsh than before.

Enzo chuckled and didn’t argue with her, saying, “Alright, as long as we passed the assessment, it saves everyone the trouble.”

“Humph, I won’t thank you!” Matilda huffed, stomping her foot in annoyance, yet following Enzo back.

Just as the two took a few steps, mechanical sounds suddenly echoed around them: “Warning! Warning! The assessment is not yet over. Participants, please continue with the assessment.”

“Hasn’t it ended? Didn’t I pass?” Matilda asked, furrowing her brow. “Could it be that the assessment has changed again?”

“It shouldn’t have!” Enzo replied. “Could it be that the temple examiners purposely want to trick you, intentionally trying to prevent you from passing the assessment?”

“If that’s the case, they are offending our White Family!” Matilda declared. “I will show them!”

With that said, she attempted to turn back.

However she was firmly restrained by Enzo.

“What are you doing?” Matilda inquired.

“We are currently in the midst of the assessment, and any action now would be futile.” Enzo explained. “Listen to me, pass the assessment first. We can address the rest of it later!”

“Alright.” Matilda agreed. “Since this matter is not over, I will surely make these ignorant individuals understand the consequences of offending our White Family.”

As she finished speaking, the mechanical voice detailed the specifics of the assessment: “For this assessment, all participants must enter the Fierce Beast Valley and only by finding the Fierce Beast Pearl within the valley can the assessment be considered passed. Please be aware that the dangers in the Fierce Beast Valley are a hundred times more perilous than any dangers encountered before. Group participation is allowed, and as long as one person passes the assessment, even if other members are eliminated midway, it will still be deemed as passing. Let us begin, children. We look forward to all of you successfully completing the assessment and becoming members of the temple.”

“Enzo, then what about you?” Matilda questioned in astonishment. “Aren’t you already a member of the Rage Temple? Why do they say you have to pass the assessment again to become a member?”

“I am not privy to that information.” Enzo shook his head. “However, I overheard Patricia mentioning that this assessment was tailor-made for you. Perhaps this is the machination of the Pride Temple. Nevertheless, fret not, since the die is cast, let us first seek out Patricia and our other comrades. Let us complete this evaluation first.”

“Agreed.” Matilda nodded. “You don’t hold my earlier impertinence against me, do you?”

Enzo waved his hand dismissively. “That’s water under the bridge. The immediate priority now is to handle this assessment.”

As they conversed, they retraced their steps to find Patricia and the rest. In no time, they rendezvoused with the majority. Patricia, upon sighting them, exclaimed anxiously, “Oh my, how come this assessment has taken a turn again? The Fierce Beast Valley is a sinister place, I’ve heard that the Fierce Beasts inside are exceedingly powerful and numerous.”

Furrowing his brows, Enzo remarked, “Regardless of the circumstances, since the rules are set, we can only grit our teeth and proceed. Everyone, be cautious and try to stick together, providing mutual support when needed.”

The group nodded in agreement before setting off towards the direction of the Fierce Beast Valley.

Upon reaching the entrance of the Fierce Beast Valley, a chilling aura greeted them. Every now and then, deep roars resonated from within the valley, sending shivers down their spines.

Clutching her garment tightly, Matilda, though maintaining a tough facade, exhibited visible signs of fear in her eyes. “Humph, these beasts. Once this lady finds the Fierce Beast Pearl, watch me turn this valley upside down.”

Without responding to her, Enzo cautiously surveyed the surroundings. “Let’s not rush in just yet. I’ll deploy a soul detection to assess the situation inside.” With that, he released the Soul Fortress, probing slowly into the valley.

Before long, Enzo furrowed his brow, “The situation is rather dire, the Fierce Beasts inside are of high rank and densely distributed. We must proceed with caution.”

Just then, a massive black panther leaped out from the valley, its jaws wide open rushing towards the front line.

“Be careful!” Enzo shouted, gathering elemental energy in his hands and shooting it towards the panther.

Others also cast spells, various lights intertwined and blasted towards the panther.

Yet the panther was incredibly swift, evading most of the attacks with a quick dodge, then continuing its charge towards the crowd.

Seeing this, Enzo dashed forward, meeting it head-on. In mid-air, he somersaulted and delivered a fierce kick to the panther’s head. The panther was sent flying backwards, sliding several meters on the ground before coming to a halt.

But it quickly stood up again, its eyes gleaming with ferocity, pouncing towards Enzo once more.

This time, Enzo decided not to engage in a direct confrontation. Instead, he utilized the surrounding environment, maneuvering between trees and rocks, leading the panther on a relentless chase.

Suddenly, seizing an opportunity as the panther pounced, Enzo swiftly dodged to the side, reaching out to grab its leg. With a forceful swing, he hurled the panther fiercely into a large tree.

A resounding “Boom” echoed as the tree shook. The panther lay motionless on the ground after a few struggles.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Enzo, you are truly formidable!” Patricia praised.

“Don’t celebrate too soon, this is just the beginning.” Enzo said solemnly.

The group proceeded towards the Valley of the Ferocious Beasts, encountering numerous attacks along the way, all of which they managed to repel together.

As they journeyed further, they arrived at a crossroads. The left path appeared gloomy, while the right path was shrouded in thick fog.

“Which path should we take?” Someone inquired.

Enzo closed his eyes, releasing a surge of spiritual strength to perceive the surroundings. Both paths seemed to conceal various dangers, making it challenging to determine the safer route.

“How about we split up? This way, we might have a better chance of finding the Ferocious Beast Pearl sooner.” Matilda suggested.

“No.” Enzo immediately vetoed, “It’s too perilous here. Splitting up could leave us vulnerable to individual attacks. Let’s stick together. Whatever difficulties we encounter, we face them as one.”

The group found Enzo’s reasoning sound and decided to proceed along the left path.

Before long, they heard the gentle sound of flowing water. Following the direction of the sound, they stumbled upon a crystal-clear stream.

However, as they approached the stream, the water suddenly churned, and several enormous water pythons emerged.

They glistened with moisture and scales shimmering in the sunlight, exuding a menacing aura.

“They’re back. Be wary of their constricting attacks!” Enzo cautioned.

The group immediately assumed a defensive stance, preparing to confront the water pythons’ assault.

One of the water pythons lunged forward, jaws wide open, towards the nearest person.

The individual quickly invoked a defensive spell, enveloping themselves in a shimmering shield. The water python clamped down on the shield, emitting a grating sound but failing to breach its protection.

Seizing the opportunity, Enzo summoned a potent surge of fire elemental energy and unleashed it towards the water python.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep