Volume One: Emerging Brilliance Chapter 112

Inside the enclosed, ruined city, five thousand martial artists dispersed rapidly after entering, setting out to hunt their prey.

"Senior Brother, you said you intend to hunt the star beasts all by yourself?" Wang Jue and Monkey stood by the wall of a dilapidated small supermarket.

Monkey nodded solemnly. "Junior Brother, this practical assessment is not just an evaluation; more importantly, it is a test of courage. When we eventually enter dangerous zones on our own, the threats we face will be ten or even a hundred times greater than this. If I need your help just to deal with star beasts meant for this assessment, what will become of me later?"

"That is true. Take care, Senior Brother." Wang Jue nodded, deciding not to persuade him further.

He knew he could help him for a moment, but not for a lifetime. Since they had chosen the path of a martial artist, they had to be mentally prepared for death. If one could not even pass this assessment without relying on others, why bother participating at all?

Moreover, Wang Jue did not believe that the officials of the Martial Arts Association were oblivious to such tactics. If he guessed correctly, this enclosed ruined town was likely filled with hidden cameras. Their every move was probably already being watched by those high-ranking figures.

"Don't worry about me, Junior Brother. You should seize this opportunity as well," Monkey reminded him. "The city is filled primarily with Level 1 star beasts. This is an excellent chance for us to practice our blade techniques, and we mustn't miss it. As long as we don't blindly provoke Level 3 star beasts and stick to hunting Level 1 and Level 2 ones, we will definitely pass the assessment!"

"I understand, and I realize this is a rare chance to hone my skills," Wang Jue smiled and nodded. "Naturally, I won't let it slip by."

"Good. Let's meet outside the city tomorrow morning," Monkey said. After checking his surroundings cautiously, he bolted away like a flash.

Watching Monkey’s retreating figure, Wang Jue murmured softly, "Take care, Senior Brother..."

After a moment, Wang Jue withdrew his gaze. With a flicker of movement, he darted into the shadows.

...

Soon, night fell.

Large searchlights from the edge of the enclosed city shone into the urban expanse, illuminating many areas, though vast sections remained shrouded in darkness.

"I recall the official saying there are masses of Level 1 and Level 2 star beasts, and a small number of Level 3 ones," Wang Jue stood in a dusty, ruined alley, holding a multi-purpose entrenching tool in his left hand and a long sword in his right. "If we categorize them by human standards, Level 1 represents the Body Forging Realm, Level 2 the Spirit Gathering Realm, and Level 3 the Scarlet Star Realm."

"I don't believe any of us here are at the Scarlet Star Realm. In this city, those Level 3 beasts are absolute overlords—they are entirely impossible to provoke!"

"While I don't know the exact points required to pass, hunting Level 1 beasts with my current strength is less efficient than specifically targeting those Level 2 ones."

"I don't know exactly how many species of star beasts are in the city, but I remember the four types they mentioned when they released them. Ultimately, they boil down to two categories: those focused on power and those focused on speed."

Wang Jue scanned his surroundings.

He easily spotted a shadow moving slowly through a collapsed two-story building in the distance. With his keen vision, he could see it clearly: a star beast over two meters tall, its entire body covered in fur that resembled scales. In the faint light refracted from the searchlights, the two massive tusks protruding from its gaping maw reflected a chilling, heart-stopping glint.

An ordinary pig raised by humans typically stands about sixty to seventy centimeters tall. This meant this star beast was more than three times the height of a common hog—roughly the size of a small car.

"Hm? A Raging Boar? In that case, you shall be my first prey."

Wang Jue watched the Raging Boar and stepped out of the alley, exposing himself entirely to the beast's line of sight.

"Hmph... Hmph..." The Raging Boar locked its eyes on the human holding an entrenching tool and a long sword, letting out strange, low grunts.

"Boom!"

Its thick hooves suddenly trampled the concrete floor, kicking up a cloud of dust. It charged toward Wang Jue like a speeding heavy-duty truck, accompanied by a foul-smelling gust of wind. Those two sharp, long tusks loomed like giant curved blades.

"Whoosh!"

As the Raging Boar charged, Wang Jue dodged quickly, slipping to the side. The beast, moving at full speed, could not stop in time.

Wang Jue's eyes flashed with cold intent. He channeled the full force of his body into his long sword and, without hesitation, delivered a swift, powerful upward slash!

"Swish!"

The blade edge cut through the Raging Boar's neck from bottom to top!

"Pfft!"

The boar’s head was severed and sent flying, blood spraying wildly from the exposed neck. The body, still driven by momentum, sprinted for another dozen meters before collapsing with a thunderous crash. It twitched on the ground for a while before finally dying.

Looking at the fallen beast, Wang Jue reflected on the fight: "Compared to the Level 1 Blood Wolf, this Level 2 Raging Boar doesn't seem much stronger. However, cutting off its head in one stroke takes quite a bit of stamina. If I keep running into these, I'll likely need to find a safe place to recover soon."

"Based on my experience with the Blood Wolf, I cannot fight these beasts recklessly. I must learn to exploit their weaknesses and kill them in a single, effortless blow."

"When the Raging Boar charged, I felt a tremor of fear. That won't do. I must adapt quickly. I will often have to fight star beasts in the future, walking on the edge of life and death. If I cannot keep a calm mind during critical combat, I will easily lose my life."

Wang Jue understood that the more critical the moment, the more one needs to remain calm. He still lacked much.

In truth, compared to his peers, Wang Jue’s mindset was already excellent; many others performed far more poorly.

Finished with his self-reflection, Wang Jue walked to the severed head and swung his sword.

"Rip."

He cut off the Raging Boar's ear and stowed it in his backpack. "First one down! On to the next!"

With that, Wang Jue vanished into the street, leaving the headless carcass of the Raging Boar lying on the road, its blood staining the dusty concrete.

Shortly after he left, a group of five people emerged from the shadows, hoisted the boar's body, and disappeared into the darkness, leaving only a pool of blood as evidence of the battle.

...

Time ticked by.

In every corner of the enclosed city, bloody battles were unfolding!

Although these Level 1 and Level 2 star beasts were similar in strength to the martial artists, the humans held one distinct advantage: intelligence. The star beasts possessed no wisdom, only wild, primal instincts.

Around 1:00 AM, on the rooftop of a three-story residential building, two dark shadows collided in a fierce struggle.

"Rip!"

A flash of cold light illuminated the scene. Wang Jue knelt on one knee on the roof, a faint trace of blood on his sword. The other shadow fell limp and tumbled onto the rooftop, leaving a trail of blood.

"It seems my guess was correct. The Night Leopard is indeed the fastest; for a Level 2 beast, its speed reaches about 40 meters per second."

Wang Jue stood up and walked over. The Night Leopard’s corpse was covered in black fur and was about two and a half meters long. A gruesome wound spanned its abdomen, its internal organs exposed by Wang Jue's strike.

"For a Body Forging Realm martial artist or an average Spirit Gathering Realm practitioner, this Night Leopard would be a true threat. But against me... what a pity."

Wang Jue shook his head and cut off the leopard's ear. In reality, Wang Jue's speed was slightly slower than the leopard's. However, the beast lacked intelligence, making its speed useless, and Wang Jue easily identified its patterns to strike it down.

In terms of difficulty, it was even easier than the Raging Boar from earlier!

"Not bad. The seventh trophy is in hand."

Wang Jue stored his trophy and made a decision: "From now on, I will diligently refine my sword and footwork. I will gain combat experience while accumulating assessment points."

As for whether he would pass, Wang Jue had no concerns at all. To put it somewhat arrogantly, among the 5,000 candidates, while his cultivation level might not be ranked at the very top, his true strength was enough to put him in the top three!

Wang Jue now intended to suppress his own power when fighting the beasts. Only by keeping their strength levels somewhat balanced could he truly refine his skills. After all, when he eventually ventured deep into dangerous zones, he couldn't expect to always fight beasts weaker than himself.

"Now, the training begins!"

Wang Jue stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the surroundings.

"Hm?"

He immediately spotted a ruined courtyard below, where a gray-furred creature, resembling a wolf yet having the traits of a dog, paced. The only difference was the four intimidating, jagged fangs protruding from its mouth.

"Is this... a Tusked Mastiff Wolf?"

Wang Jue's eyes lit up. He leaped from the edge of the roof, soaring over ten meters through the air before landing heavily in the courtyard, shaking the ground.

"Bang!"

Upon landing, Wang Jue rolled to dissipate the impact and immediately lunged toward the Tusked Mastiff Wolf.

"Roar..."

The wolf, seeing Wang Jue, pounced toward him as well.

...

Meanwhile, on a distant street, a youth stained with blood walked with an exceptionally arrogant air, holding a long saber.

"I wonder how many star beasts Wang Jue has hunted by now?" the youth thought to himself.

He was Wan Qianshan, the only other genius among the 5,000 martial artists whose strength was comparable to Wang Jue's. It wasn't that his true ability was equal—the gap between them was actually quite large—but he was considered a genius primarily because his physical fitness was nearly identical to Wang Jue's.

Had Wang Jue seen this youth, he would have recognized him as one of the two young men he saw when he was first brought in by Ning Chuan.