Before the words were even out, Prince Qinglin shook his head.

He didn’t believe Zhong Ming could possibly hold that much influence.

Following him, Elder Huo let out a faint sigh and added, "It’s no use. Zhong Ming is being taken seriously now, but that’s largely thanks to Xiyue and Luo Zhiwei."

"The two of them combining their strength could barely push Prince Qinghe to the position of Vice Military Commander. They were already giving it their all."

"To push for another person... unless Zhong Ming can take first place in today’s Path of Purgatory..."

"Take first place?" Upon hearing this, Prince Qinglin shook his head and gave a helpless laugh, his tone full of resignation. "That’s a complete fantasy. I’d have better odds hoping he suddenly wins my niece Wanshang’s affection—at least that has some shred of possibility."

...

Having arrived early in Immortal Martial City, Prince Qinglin kept a close watch on Zhong Ming from the shadows.

Another great power was also closely monitoring the trial: the Demon Race.

And at that very moment, a fierce argument had broken out among this group of demons, all because of Zhong Ming.

It was an argument between the Fox Demon, Su Mei, and a Monkey Demon.

The cause of their dispute was Su Mei’s intention to dispatch the Earth Ox Demon, Huang Han, from their delegation to secretly aid Zhong Ming. Her plan, however, was vehemently opposed by the newly arrived Monkey Demon.

"Hmph! Our peoples joined together to establish the Royal Court, not to be at the beck and call of humans!"

Her face flushed with anger, but though her tone was urgent, Su Mei remained mostly calm. "I have no habit of letting my people be ordered around by humans. Having Huang Han participate is merely a way to maintain the balance of power between Prince Qinghe’s Mansion and the Silver Moon Royal Mansion."

"Besides, if Prince Qinghe’s Mansion saves face thanks to Huang Han, his status within the mansion is bound to rise. Then he won’t be some human’s slave. He’ll be treated as an honored guest and shown every courtesy!"

Su Mei had her strategy, but alas, it failed to persuade the Monkey Demon:

"Scheming to maintain a balance of power while you watch from the sidelines... Hmph! You Fox Race are far too obsessed with your little tricks!" the Monkey Demon scoffed, his voice thick with disdain. "But scheming is our Demon Race’s greatest weakness. Do you really think your petty calculations can deceive those cunning humans?"

"Rather than wasting our energy on all these schemes, we should play to our Demon Race’s strengths and have a head-on clash with the human prodigies! If we’re strong enough, we’ll command their respect, and they’ll offer us plenty of benefits on their own initiative!"

"But what if we can’t win?" Su Mei shot back, a hint of worry in her voice.

"The battle hasn’t even started and you’re already talking defeat! You Fox Race truly are nothing but a bunch of cowardly wastes!"

The argument between the Monkey Demon and Su Mei raged on, but this time, Su Mei couldn’t use the authority of the Royal Court to force the Monkey Demon to comply.

Though the White Tiger Royal Court was led by the White Tiger, there were several other royal clans besides the sovereign’s. The Melt Mountain Demon Ape clan was one of them.

Furthermore, the current generation of Melt Mountain Demon Apes had produced an atavistic throwback—the son of a Demon King. His power was unparalleled among the Demon Race. He was utterly fearless, with a rigid and unbending character. He disdained all forms of conspiracy and trickery, wanting nothing more than a true, head-to-head battle with the human prodigies.

Su Mei was helpless against the emissary he had sent.

But their argument revealed one thing: even Su Mei, who was determined to support Zhong Ming, didn’t truly believe he could gain any advantage in the upcoming Path of Purgatory trial.

In fact, the Demon Race was not alone in this opinion.

Prince Qinglin, the three great families of Immortal Martial City, the Celestial Sea Royal Mansion, the Silver Moon Royal Mansion, and even all the Loose Cultivators who had gathered to watch the show... of every single power gathered at the Qi Family’s estate, not one person believed that Zhong Ming, who had only just entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, could make it to the end of the Path of Purgatory.

Even the prodigies preparing to participate in the trial weren’t planning how to defeat Zhong Ming, but rather how to beat him in the most pathetic and theatrical way possible, humiliating him in front of everyone.

It couldn’t be helped. Zhong Ming had captured the hearts of several beauties, a fortune that was simply too enviable—and one that bred even greater jealousy.

Qi Yue gazed in Zhong Ming’s direction and murmured, a shadow darkening his eyes, "Zhong Ming, don’t blame me. The man himself is innocent; his crime is the treasure he possesses. You were never worthy of so many beautiful women’s affection."

VMMMM!

The very instant Qi Yue’s murmur ended, a long, deep hum suddenly reverberated between heaven and earth.

Within a heavily guarded secret realm of the Qi Family, a curtain of light began to shimmer. A faint aura of Sha Qi emanated from it as countless runes intertwined, forming a winding, twisting tunnel through the void—the Path of Purgatory was officially open!

And with that, the showdown between Prince Qinghe’s Mansion and the Silver Moon Royal Mansion began!