The flash of violet light was blinding, and the only reason Han Xuhan didn't momentarily lose his vision was due to the fact that he had been squatting on the ground observing the undead squirrel that now belonged to Yuen Zhou's army, with his back facing the source of the light.

Sensing the change behind him, he immediately jumped up and turned to look at the platform.

The lone figure of Qian Yun stood in front of the platform of Sentient Contracts. Han Xuhan breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't any of the 'allies' they had made on their way here.

However, just because it was somebody he could trust didn't mean he should drop all defenses. Before this whole inheritance test ordeal was over, Han Xuhan was determined to be on guard against any possible calamity. And he certainly had his reasons for not taking part in the third test.

"Brother Yun, how did it go ?" He asked with a smile.

Qian Yun stared at him blankly for a few seconds before nodding numbly.

"It went well. I got the cultivation manual for the Sentient Contract type laws."

Han Xuhan narrowed his eyes behind his mask, but didn't ask further questions. If things were that simple, he had no reason to worry.

"Why are you standing out there, brother Xuhan ? Did you not enter the third stage?" Qian Yun asked in a confused, somewhat accusatory tone.

Xuhan laughed nervously. How was he supposed to explain his suspicions to this guy?

"Brother Yun, I'm not really particularly interested in these law techniques. Do you remember that my dao base was infiltrated using some of those esoteric laws back in the first stage ? I have lost all my goodwill and interest toward this land of laws since then. I don't want to be a part of such a hateful sect."

"Brother Xuhan, you're not thinking things through clearly. You're already a part of our holy land. There is no risk in attending the tests, that I can guarantee. Just go in and choose whichever technique you want."
Trying to persuade Han Xuhan to take part in the their test, Qian Yun turned to look at the leaderboard on the air above him.

Han Xuhan's name was very eye catching among the ranks, flashing red on the last position.

Han Xuhan winced. He hadn't thought about that one issue in the heat of the moment.

"...Brother Xuhan, it says here that you have already participated in TWO tests and failed in both ! Why did you lie just now ?"

Han Xuhan sighed and shrugged his shoulders in a depressed manner.

"Brother Yun, do you have to go that far to pour salt over my wounded heart ? How can you not understand something so simple ? Stop embarrassing me !"

Han Xuhan reverted back to the whiny persona he had painstakingly cultivated throughout the inheritance test. What he wanted to express indirectly was very simple-

I feel too embarrassed to admit that I have failed twice when my all of peers passed. Please don't bully me uwu...

Qian Yun suspiciously observed him. He couldn't help but feel puzzled over how Han Xuhan had survived two tests and remained so normal...

Well, there was one way he could be sure of whether Han Xuhan was a threat or not to his plans.

Closing his eyes, Qian Yun focused on the voice in his heart that had guided him through the chaotic state of his mind inside the third test.

If everything was going according to his plan, a mental connection should be present among all those who have absorbed the special parts of his soul shards inside the numerous automatons.

But try as he might, Qian Yun failed to perceive the existence of any connection between him and Xuhan.

This revelation gave Qian Yun all the information he needed. Something was wrong with this weirdo. He might know something !

Qian Yun immediately focused all of his attention on Xuhan, who looked completely oblivious to the fact that he was in danger.

Deciding to get closer to the target before attacking, Qian Yun took a step ahead toward Xuhan...
Only to see that Han Xuhan stepped back as well, his gaze still on the leaderboard as if he was just stepping back subconsciously.

A grim look appeared on Qian Yun's face. Immediately he rushed toward Han Xuhan with the explosive speed that came with his cultivation level.

Han Xuhan, who was pretending to observe the leaderboard till now instantly turned around and ran as fast as possible.

"Brother Han Xuhan, why are you running from me ?" Qian Yun asked playfully. With his speed, he would catch up with his target within half a minute at worst. So he wasn't worried about Han Xuhan escaping his clutch.

"Aye, it's a sorrowful tale, brother Yun. For quite a while now, I have been feeling the urge to pee. But I'm too scared to go to a remote place to pee all by myself. Now that you're here, I can finally go pee in peace. Thank you for accompanying me !"
Han Xuhan replied succinctly.

By this time, Qian Yun had already halved the distance between the two of them. He could easily attack without worries. So he took out a stack of papers from his robe and clutched one in his hand, aiming it at Xuhan's back.

There was a distance of about ten meters between them and he had no reason to miss. But right at this time, Han Xuhan slowed down and came to an abrupt halt.

Qian Yun's pupils shrank for a second before he realized what his target was up to.

In the fog, it was hard to keep track of their surroundings. Han Xuhan had used this to his advantage and led him to a trap.

Just a few feet away from Qian Yun, there was a bunch of shallow scribblings on the soil that would escape the attention of most people. But Qian Yun's current state was rather special and he was instantly able to tell that the random strokes hid a few law fragments.

UPON ACTIVATION, ANY OBJECT THAT CROSSES THIS LAW FRAGMENT WILL BE STRUCK WITH MENTAL DEMON INDUCING LIGHTNING STRIKES FOR AS LONG AS IT'S FUEL SUPPLY LASTS

UPON ACTIVATION, ANY MOVING OBJECT WITHIN FIVE SQUARE METERS WILL BE TELEPORTED OUT OF THE LAND OF LAWS

How was he able to detect them with such proficiency?
Qian Yun couldn't answer that, but for some reason, he felt that it should be a natural part of his ability.

Meanwhile, Han Xuhan had turned around and noticed Qian Yun looking at the scribblings on the ground.

"Brother Qian Yun, please close your eyes, because I'm about to pee." Saying so, he started tugging off his trousers.

In front of Qian Yun's wide eyes, Han Xuhan turned his back on him and started peeing calmly while standing just a few meters away, on the other side of the law fragments.

"Let it go, let it go
I'll pee like a waterfaaaalll
Let it go, let it go
My filled up bladder is gone~
Here I stand, in the land of laws
Let me pee oooonnnn ~"

The sound of a stream of water hitting the loose soil reverberated through Qian Yun's ears. Accompanying that sound was the nasal voice of Han Xuhan, singing a suspicious song he had never heard.

What the hell is wrong with this guy ?

He really started peeing !

Qian Yun was still clutching the paper in his hand, his gaze on Xuhan's defenseless back that seemed to be tempting him to attack. But he no longer had the guts to turn his intentions into reality.

While Han Xuhan naturally was nowhere near skilled enough in the language of laws to randomly write such complicated law fragments with powerful effects, the situation right now was quite complicated. Han Xuhan had power sources with him, collected from the second stage. No matter how trashy his comprehension of laws was, he would only need to stimulate the law fragments with the help of the power sources to battle Qian Yun.

It was no different from dumping an entire ocean's water to put out a candle. It would work regardless of how tenacious the fire of the candle was. And it didn't require the other party to be skilled in anything. He just needed to roughly throw the water at the direction of the candle.

While Qian Yun was busy trying to look for a way to turn the situation around, Han Xuhan finished peeing and pulled his trousers back up. He had been trying to rile Qian Yun up to attack his defenceless back. Looks like it wasn't successful. But on the bright side, he really had managed to answer nature's call. It was a win-win anyway.

"Thanks for waiting, brother Yun. Do you want to pee as well ? Why don't you come over ? I'll wait for you to finish up as well."

Qian Yun gritted his teeth, not daring to move an inch. It was rather unfortunate that the law technique he practiced had low advantage in combat. He did know several other techniques that made up for the disadvantage brought by his main cultivation technique, but he couldn't execute them without moving at all...

"Heh, nice try. Did you think I cannot read the law fragments you prepared on the ground? The moment I move, you're going to activate them," Qian Yun growled, hoping to buy time by prolonging their conversation.

"I swear by the heavens, I will do no such thing," Han Xuhan slapped his chest and replied in an honest, rigorous tone.

"For some reason, that makes me sure of it. You definitely will."

"No, I won't."

"Yeah, you will."

"No, I won't. " Han Xuhan sat down on the ground and replied.

"...Are you planning to buy time this way ? It's of no use." Qian Yun threatened.

"Aren't you doing the same thing ? It's of no use either. "

Both of them were locked in a hopeless cycle where neither were properly willing to communicate with each other. Just as Qian Yun was finally ready to make his move, a change took place behind them on the distant platform, now vaguely hidden in the fog due to their little chasing game earlier.

A violet light had appeared again. Qian Yun couldn't help but be delighted. Looks like his reinforcement had arrived. Who was the other person that had completed the exchange with the soul shards ?