Su Ran stepped forward, gathering her ice-elemental spiritual power and gently channeling it into the crystal ball. A beautiful ice sculpture quickly formed within the crystal ball, lifelike and with every detail clearly visible, even revealing the flowing, icy-blue spiritual energy veins within. This not only demonstrated her powerful control over ice-elemental spiritual power, but also its extremely high purity. The ice sculpture emitted a pure and gentle light, drawing silent admiration from everyone present.

Lin Feng then stepped forward, planting his ice halberd into the ground and unleashing a surge of powerful ice-elemental spiritual energy centered on himself. The crystal ball trembled violently, as if drawn by a powerful gravitational pull, its surface rapidly covered with a thick layer of solid ice, inscribed with mysterious runes. Lin Feng's unique use of spiritual energy, and the immense power displayed by the fusion of runes and spiritual energy, made everyone realize that his spiritual energy was not only profound but also possessed unique offensive and creative qualities.

Xuanfeng strode forward, his hands moving with incredible speed, wind-elemental spiritual energy coiling around the crystal ball like silken threads. The crystal ball spun slowly under the influence of the wind, the whistling sound seemingly containing a rhythm, as if the wind were whispering ancient runic words. Xuanfeng's control over wind-elemental spiritual energy had reached a sublime level, and the runic power he incorporated made it even more mysterious and powerful.

The female general took a deep breath, flicked her spear, and pointed the tip at the crystal ball, unleashing a surge of powerful spiritual energy. The crystal ball was instantly enveloped in golden light, within which the shadow of a dragon faintly appeared. The female general's spiritual energy was fierce and domineering, carrying the killing intent of someone who had conquered battlefields. Its strength was astonishing, and its purity and control were in no way inferior.

The mysterious swordsman stepped forward last. Instead of directly channeling his spiritual energy into the crystal ball, he gently drew his sword. A sword's resonance rang out, and an invisible sword aura flew towards the crystal ball. The instant the sword aura touched it, a fine yet bottomless crack appeared on the crystal ball's surface. The crack then spread, only to stop just before shattering. The mysterious swordsman's exquisite mastery of spiritual energy conversion and application was displayed perfectly with a single sword aura; seemingly effortless, it actually contained profound sword-wielding spiritual power.

After completing the "Spiritual Power Control" test, everyone began to critique each other's abilities. The Blood Shadow Sect woman's spiritual power was unique, but its purity was slightly lacking; the white-clad woman's flame spiritual power was powerful and unique, but her control was somewhat weaker; Su Ran's spiritual power was pure and her control was exquisite; Lin Feng's spiritual power was powerful, and his integration of runes was uniquely creative; Xuan Feng had meticulous control over wind-type spiritual power and his use of runes was mysterious; the female general's spiritual power was fierce yet possessed both purity and control; and the mysterious swordsman's swordsmanship and application of spiritual power were unparalleled. In this round of testing, everyone had their strengths, making it difficult to determine who was superior.

Next, the second test, "Adaptability," began. The mysterious swordsman set up an illusion within the palace, where everyone would face various unexpected dangers and predicaments, thus testing their adaptability.

The illusion opened, and the group found themselves in a desolate desert. The sun blazed high, the heat unbearable, and suddenly a pack of sandstorm wolves appeared, baring their fangs and claws as they pounced. The Blood Shadow Sect woman reacted swiftly, immediately using the "Blood Shadow Ethereal Steps," her figure moving like a ghost among the sandstorm wolves. Her soft whip lashed out, each strike accurately hitting the wolves' vital points.

The woman in white formed hand seals and unleashed "Blazing Sun Hell," creating a protective circle of flames around herself. The sandstorm wolves that got close were burned by the flames. At the same time, she observed her surroundings and discovered a sand dune in the distance that might conceal a water source. So, while fighting off the sandstorm wolves, she moved towards the dune.

Su Ran swiftly conjured a massive block of ice beneath her feet. Standing on it, she used her ice-elemental spiritual power to create ice spikes, which she fired at the sandstorm wolves. The ice spikes gleamed coldly in the sunlight, striking the wolves with pinpoint accuracy. As the number of sandstorm wolves increased, she used her ice-elemental spiritual power to alter the surrounding terrain, creating ice walls to block their attacks.

Lin Feng planted his ice halberd into the ground, unleashing the "Ice Guardian Domain." The temperature within the domain plummeted, freezing the sandstorm wolves and slowing their movements. He also used his ice-based spiritual power to sense his surroundings and discovered that the sandstorm wolves seemed to be driven by a mysterious force. He then followed the fluctuations of spiritual power to find the source, attempting to resolve the crisis at its root.

Xuanfeng transformed into a gust of wind, rapidly weaving through the sandstorm wolf pack, attacking their vital organs such as eyes and throats with wind blades. At the same time, he used his wind-elemental spiritual power to sense the surrounding energy flow, discovering a massive energy node hidden beneath the desert, seemingly closely related to the operation of the illusion.

The female general, wielding a long spear, swung her weapons with sweeping, powerful strokes, each thrust sending a sandstorm wolf flying. As she fought, she observed the sandstorm wolves' attack patterns and weaknesses, directing her troops to coordinate and form an effective defensive formation. She keenly sensed the sandstorm wolves'...

The female general wielded a long spear, her movements powerful and sweeping, each thrust sending a sandstorm wolf flying. As she fought, she observed the sandstorm wolves' attack patterns and weaknesses, directing her men to coordinate and form an effective defensive formation. She keenly sensed that the sandstorm wolves' attacks seemed to be guiding them in a certain direction, and a sense of unease rose within her.

The mysterious swordsman moved with lightning speed among the sandstorm wolves, his sword gleaming coldly, each strike precisely hitting the wolves' vital points. He appeared to be fighting alone, but in reality, he was keeping a close eye on everyone's movements while simultaneously searching for flaws in the illusion.

As the battle continued, the group gradually figured out the Sandstorm Wolves' attack patterns. Lin Feng followed the fluctuations of spiritual energy and found the source of the Sandstorm Wolves—a stone emitting an eerie red light. Just as he was about to destroy the stone, he discovered that more and stronger Sandstorm Wolves had suddenly appeared around him, clearly indicating that some kind of defense mechanism had been triggered.

Seeing this, Su Ran immediately used her ice-type spiritual power to build a thick ice wall around Lin Feng, blocking the sandstorm wolves' attacks. The woman in white assisted from the side, using powerful flames to attack the distant sandstorm wolf pack, relieving the pressure on Lin Feng's side. The Blood Shadow Sect woman used the speed advantage of her "Blood Shadow Step" to circle around to the rear of the sandstorm wolves and attack their weak points.

Xuanfeng sensed the unusual activity at the energy node beneath the desert and deduced that destroying this node might break the illusion. He shared this idea with the female general, who immediately ordered everyone to defend against the sandstorm wolves while simultaneously moving towards the location of the energy node.

As the group approached the energy node, the mysterious swordsman relentlessly slayed the sandstorm wolves that tried to get closer, protecting them. With everyone working together, they finally reached the top of the energy node. Xuanfeng concentrated all his wind-elemental spiritual power, combining it with runic power, and launched a fierce attack on the energy node.

After the energy node was attacked, it erupted with a blinding light, and the entire illusion began to shake violently. The sandstorm wolves seemed to have lost control, running around wildly. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the group launched a final attack and successfully destroyed the energy node. With a flash of light, the group escaped from the illusion.

In this round of "adaptability" testing, everyone demonstrated extraordinary abilities. Lin Feng astutely identified the source of the sandstorm wolves' motives; Su Ran provided timely defensive support for Lin Feng; the woman in white provided ranged firepower assistance; the Blood Shadow Sect woman flexibly attacked the enemy's rear; Xuan Feng accurately judged the key to the illusion and launched an effective attack; the female general's excellent command ability ensured everyone's seamless cooperation; and the mysterious swordsman's powerful individual combat ability guaranteed everyone's safety. In this round, everyone's performance remained neck and neck.

Next, the third test, "Wisdom and Strategy," began. The mysterious swordsman produced an ancient map marking a mysterious mountain range, concealing numerous dangers and opportunities. The participants needed to devise an exploration plan based on the map, including route planning, strategies for dealing with various dangers, and how to allocate potential resources. The mysterious swordsman and some ancient wisdom remaining in the palace would serve as judges.

The woman from the Blood Shadow Sect spoke first: "We can split into several groups. I am skilled in stealth and tracking, so I will lead one group into the mountains from the west, responsible for scouting the surrounding dangers and finding hidden passages. The woman in white is skilled in fire attacks and can lead one group into the mountains from the east, using fire to clear a path. If we encounter danger, we can quickly form a defense." She elaborated on her plan, her eyes revealing confidence.

The woman in white nodded in agreement with part of the plan, but added, "While splitting the force into several groups can expand the exploration area, it might not be able to provide timely support should we encounter a major danger. I think we can concentrate our forces to enter from the front of the mountain first, ascertain the dangers ahead, and then divide our forces according to the situation. Moreover, we should allocate resources according to the size of the contribution."

After a moment's thought, Su Ran said, "I think we can use my ice-type spiritual power to create some temporary outposts in the mountains for us to rest and store supplies. As for route planning, we can proceed along the waterways in the mountains, because there are often more resources and clues near water sources. As for dealing with dangers, if we encounter powerful monsters, Lin Feng can use his ice halberd and rune power to restrain them, while the female general leads us to attack in a spear formation."

Lin Feng continued, "Su Ran's idea is excellent, but we also need to consider the potential dangers of the water system, such as water-attribute monsters or traps. I suggest that during the exploration, Xuan Feng use wind-type spiritual power to scout in the air and detect dangers in advance. At the same time, we need to establish an effective communication mechanism to ensure timely information transmission."

Xuanfeng agreed with Lin Feng's point of view and added, "In terms of resource allocation, in addition to the size of the contribution, we should also consider the compatibility of the resources with the individual's cultivation direction. For example, some wood-attribute resources are more useful to those who are good at wood-type spiritual power, so they should be allocated to them first."

After pondering for a moment, the female general said, "I think we..."