After Wu Mu’s “speech” was over, the second round of the blessing selection began.

As the green-eyed wolf had said, the beasts that reached the foot of Tianxing Mountain had already been through dozens or even hundreds of rounds of battles, so further competitions were not very meaningful.

Thus, the list for the second round of blessings was personally selected by the Beast God.

Could things really be taking a turn for the worse?

Qi Rong and the others were visibly nervous.

The green-eyed wolf, even more anxious, tried to distract himself by striking up a conversation with the large insect he had previously disliked. “Hey, buddy, you’re crowding me with all those legs. Could you move a bit to the side?”

Qirong glanced at him and shifted a leg of the insect.

But the green-eyed wolf was merely using the leg issue as an icebreaker and soon began chatting with Qirong.

“Hey, I see you’re having a hard time standing. You’re nervous too, right? I am! I missed the first round of selection when I was in the human realm. Now, I finally have a chance to participate as a beast from the human realm. If I don’t make it this time, who knows if there will be another chance!”

Qi Rong was speechless: Are we nervous about the same thing?

Nearby, Qin Ruqing transmitted a message to Qi Rong: “Talk to him, gather information.”

Qi Rong had no choice but to force himself to say, “Yes, I’m not sure if there will be another chance. If we don’t succeed this time, will we have another opportunity?”

The green-eyed wolf looked around, leaned in, and whispered, “I guess there will be another chance, but it will be a while.”

“Oh? How does Wolf Brother know that?”

Qin Ruqing and her companions were all ears, as this question was crucial.

But the unreliable wolf laughed heartily: “It’s just a feeling I have!”

Qi Rong: “…Huh?”

“As the Beast God’s most loyal follower, I feel that the level of grace this time is unprecedented and won’t end so soon.”

The surrounding beasts, who were eavesdropping, showed expressions of agreement, some even joining in to voice their approval.

The green-eyed wolf managed to garner attention and temporarily earned the label of “Loyal to the Beast God.”

Qin Ruqing realized: So, Qi Rong is being used as a tool to boost popularity. Good grief.

At that moment, the Wolf King approached with his staff and happened to overhear the green-eyed wolf’s speech about loyalty to the Beast God.

His actions momentarily paused.

The Wolf King quickly regained his composure and addressed the hundred or so beasts below: “We will now begin the second round of selection. Beasts selected will be eligible to ascend the mountain and go to the Blood Pool.”

The air buzzed with activity, and Qin Ruqing could clearly sense that some beasts were breathing heavily.

The Wolf King raised the staff and signaled to the beasts: “This staff represents the will of the Beast God. I will activate it shortly. The light that falls upon any beast indicates that they are favored by the Beast God and qualified for the blessing.”

Qin Ruqing’s gaze was drawn to the staff. Its silver-white shaft seemed ordinary, but the only thing that stood out was the deep purple “gem” embedded in the center.

Qin Ruqing sensed that it was a beast core.

Could it be the Beast God’s beast core? That’s unlikely.

Besides the Wolf King’s subordinates, there were other beast leaders present.

It wouldn’t make sense for the Beast God’s staff to be casually handled by the Wolf King.

From the Wolf King’s performance in the Void Realm, Qin Ruqing knew that while he had a high status among the younger generation of beasts, he was not the highest-ranking.

Given that this wolf was an unusual “beast warrior” and a rare love-struck lazy wolf, Qin Ruqing was more inclined to trust the dangerous Prince Wu Mu.

“Don’t be nervous. It’s probably just a gimmick. This second round of selection doesn’t seem too rigorous; it feels more like a formality,” Qin Ruqing transmitted to her team.

Meanwhile, the Wolf King had walked to the front of the line, still a bit far from Qin Ruqing and her group.

The tip of the silver-white staff, where the beast core was embedded, suddenly began to glow.

The light enveloped more than twenty beasts at once, forming a net.

Soon, the net was pulled in, and some beasts had no changes, while others bore a golden beast head mark.

The Wolf King raised his scepter majestically and announced to those with the golden mark:

“Congratulations, you have been chosen by the Beast God!”

The beasts with the marks were overjoyed.

Qin Ruqing glanced around and couldn’t see any noticeable differences among them, which confirmed her suspicions.

It seemed that the selection process grouped about twenty beasts at a time, and the Wolf King continued with the next group.

After observing several groups, Qin Ruqing summarized the pattern and transmitted to her companions:

“The second round of selection typically picks two types of beasts: one with great bloodline potential but currently lacking in strength, and another with weaker bloodline but a strong aura of bloodshed, clearly experienced in numerous battles.”

“These two types of beasts share a common trait.”

“—Both can rapidly enhance their strength through external means,” Black Panther Xiao Tang added.

“They intend to artificially create a group of highly powerful, slaughter-oriented beast soldiers within the lower and middle levels of the beast race,” Fifth Youlin added, his face serious despite the deep gray scales covering it.

“It’s frightening. Can we really stop such a plan?” Qi Rong asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry about stopping it for now; that’s not our task. You should be more concerned about whether you’ll be chosen to enter the Blood Pool,” Qin Ruqing said.

“So, should we go into the Blood Pool or not?” Rui Fenhua asked softly.

“Whoever is selected by the scepter will enter the Blood Pool. Those who aren’t selected will stay at the foot of the mountain to support us,” Qin Ruqing answered, addressing both Rui Fenhua and the others.

They were positioned in the middle of the hundred-beast team, and it was soon their turn as the Wolf King continued his selection.

The group fell silent, each pondering whether their beast forms met Qin Ruqing’s previously mentioned selection criteria.

When the Wolf King approached them, he glanced at Qin Ruqing and gave her a reassuring look.

The Golden Tiger, receiving this encouraging look, appeared even more excited.

However, inside, she remained calm.

She even thought that the seemingly dull Wolf King didn’t quite seem like a normal beast.

Qin Ruqing was right—his thinking was more like a human’s, concerned about his companions and favoring promising juniors.

In such a situation, the Wolf King didn’t dare openly communicate with Qin Ruqing but only lit his scepter.

For the more than twenty beasts, including Qin Ruqing, the scene repeated— a net appeared, gathered them, and after the light dissipated, some beasts had the golden beast head mark.

Qin Ruqing felt a tingling on her forehead as if something had swept over her entire body and then focused on her forehead. She knew she had been chosen.

This wasn’t surprising.

The Golden Tiger had a pure bloodline, and according to the beast soul memories, his elders had connections with the higher-ups.

Everything about him fit the criteria, so it was no surprise he wasn’t eliminated.

Looking to her side—

Black Panther and Green Snake both had marks, as well as the fierce Praying Mantis Beast.

This included Tang Zifeng, Fifth Youlin and Feng Mingyue.

The remaining Pangolin, White Rabbit, and Big Bug were not selected.

The Green-Eyed Wolf at the front suddenly howled in excitement, “I’ve been chosen! I’m a beast favored by the Beast God! The Beast God truly saw my loyalty!”

No beast considered him impolite; instead, they looked at him with envy.

Qin Ruqing wasn’t surprised that the seemingly dull Green-Eyed Wolf was selected.

He was of the same tribe as the Wolf King.

It wasn’t about favoritism; the Wolf King’s tribe was exceptionally strong.

His one eye was a form of divine power, and the Green-Eyed Wolf had evolved to have two divine eyes, with a promising future.

The “Beast God” would not miss such a good candidate.

The Wolf King was pleased to see both Qin Ruqing and the Green-Eyed Wolf with marks.

Before moving to the next group, he said: “Follow the instructions to ascend the mountain.”

While this was directed at the group, Qin Ruqing felt the Wolf King’s gaze linger a bit longer on her.

Ah, it really pays off to please this seemingly simple-minded Wolf King.

Is this why the little fox is willing to give up her entire mountain just to “rekindle” with him?

After the Wolf King left, Qin Ruqing gave Qi Rong and the others a look.

For this round of selection, Qi Rong, Fenhua, and Fifth Youlin were not chosen, which wasn’t their fault but related to their beast forms.

As Qin Ruqing previously mentioned, they didn’t meet the selection criteria.

The Golden Tiger and Black Panther Tang Zifeng had advantageous bloodlines; Lu Wei, Green Snake, and Praying Mantis Feng Mingyue had the aura of bloodshed.

Their selection was not surprising.

Given the presence of the mark, Qin Ruqing couldn’t transmit thoughts.

Instead, they communicated through glances:

— We’ll enter the Blood Pool. — You stay below to support us.

When they officially ascended the mountain, Qin Ruqing realized the purpose of the mark.

Around the Blood Pool was a barrier, and the mark served as a pass to get through the barrier.