This time, Evan Parker made no attempt to dodge. Instead, flames surged in his palm as he unleashed the “Blazing Flame Palm” charged with divine essence, furiously striking out. Instantly, a pillar of pure white fire as thick as an arm erupted, hitting the tiger demon squarely—a creature that knew only to attack and attack again, with no concept of evasion.

The “Blazing Flame Palm” was originally the most basic offensive spell, its value akin to the “Black Tiger Steals the Heart” move that every martial artist knew.

But the source power Evan Parker used to cast the “Blazing Flame Palm” was the one-and-only divine essence, which fundamentally transformed the technique. Not only was its power multiplied, but the flames it produced were five times hotter than ordinary fire.

The tiger demon, having lost all intelligence, took the full force of Evan Parker’s palm and was pierced straight through the chest. The flames spread, and instead of neutralizing or extinguishing them, the demon’s power only fueled the fire, causing the white, otherworldly flames to surge even higher. In just a few breaths, this century-old tiger demon was reduced to ash, not even a trace left behind.

If any other cultivator at the Innate Realm had witnessed this scene, they would surely avoid Evan Parker as much as possible in the future. To kill a demon beast with a single palm strike—one whose strength was at least at the eighth level of the Innate Realm—was impossible without a powerful magical artifact. Otherwise, no one could be a match for Evan Parker.

In fact, even Evan Parker himself could hardly believe the sharpness of this strike. He had only tested it on inanimate objects before and never thought it would be so powerful.

What Evan Parker didn’t know was that the rock layers within the Huayun mine were diamond rock, as tough as lapis lazuli. This was the main reason why spirit stone extraction here was relatively scarce.

At the very moment the tiger demon perished, the “Beast Soldier Talisman” hanging at the waist of Examiner Number One suddenly flashed with a red light. Cracks appeared on the jade talisman, and it shattered.

“The Beast Soldier Talisman is destroyed?!”

Examiner Number One’s face was full of shock. It wasn’t until he saw the tattered-clothed Evan Parker slowly walk up to him that he snapped out of it.

“Sorry... I couldn’t hold back and ended up killing that tiger demon...”

At this point, Evan Parker saw no need to hide anything and simply revealed his strength at the early stage of the Innate Realm, though this was not his original intention.

Examiner Number One frowned slightly, sizing up Evan Parker for a long moment, thinking to himself, “Who would have thought that among this batch of miners, someone could cultivate to the Innate Realm? He’s not to be underestimated. But the tiger demon in the ‘Beast Soldier Talisman’ had strength equivalent to the ninth level of the Innate Realm. This person is only at the early stage—how could he possibly have killed it... Unless he possesses a sharp magical artifact. No, even a top-grade artifact wouldn’t be enough to bridge such a gap. Could it be an even more powerful spiritual artifact?”

At this thought, Examiner Number One’s gaze toward Evan Parker softened a bit. A self-taught cultivator at the Innate Realm like Evan Parker had already firmly secured a spot as an outer disciple. And if Evan Parker truly possessed a spiritual artifact as he suspected, it was all the more important to maintain a good relationship. After all, spiritual artifacts were rare treasures—even among the one hundred thousand outer disciples of the Supreme Xuanyang Sect, few possessed one.

“You’ve already reached the Innate Realm; you could have been exempted from the test...”

The examiner first put on a stern face to scold him, then relaxed his brows and said, “Never mind. In any case, you’ve earned a spot as an outer disciple. This is the Jiuyang Jade Slip—take it as your proof. Once you enter the sect, you and I will be fellow disciples.”

Evan Parker could hear the deliberate friendliness in the other’s tone. Smiling, he took out three mid-grade Five Elements Spirit Stones and quietly slipped them into the examiner’s hand, saying, “Thank you for your appreciation, senior brother. Please accept this small token.”

“This kid has strength and knows how to conduct himself. He’s sure to do well in the sect in the future!”

All the examiners sent to oversee this “Grand Selection” were people who had done well among the one hundred thousand outer disciples. Examiner Number One was no exception. He quietly accepted the three spirit stones, sighing inwardly, and his impression of Evan Parker changed from good to excellent.

Chapter 10: The Golden Core True Person

“Mr. Parker, I passed the test! Haha!”

As soon as he stepped onto the platform, Evan Parker was swept up in a bear hug by the excited Iron Bull. If he hadn’t already reached the Innate Realm, that hug alone might have cost him half his life.

“Not bad! The two of us brothers both passed the test. Looks like we both have a bit of immortal fate!”

Evan Parker was genuinely happy for Iron Bull and said, “Iron Bull, but you must remember—the world is harsh, and people’s hearts are unpredictable. You’re straightforward by nature. In the future, if anything happens, be sure to think thrice before acting, or come discuss it with me. Don’t act on impulse.”

Iron Bull scratched his head and grinned, “Mr. Parker, I’ll listen to you.”

Some left in failure, some entered the trial grounds. Three hours later, the entrance test finally came to an end. During this time, Evan Parker and Iron Bull were led early on by someone in charge of receiving those who passed the test to a separate courtyard behind the trial grounds.

At this moment, eighteen people had gathered in the courtyard—all those who had passed. Among them, besides Evan Parker with his early Innate Realm strength, there were two others, one at the third level and one at the fifth level of the Innate Realm.

“Out of over ten thousand people in the Huayun mine, there are indeed others with great perseverance seeking the immortal path. I am not alone!”