Xiao Han held the slip, pushed open a heavy metal door, and walked into the assessment venue for martial artist certification.
The venue was quite spacious, easily half the size of a basketball court, and the floor and surrounding walls were reinforced with a special alloy radiating a cold, hard sheen, obviously designed to withstand powerful impact forces.
Several people were already standing scattered around the interior.
Near the entrance were two or three young people who looked like they were also here to take the certification, with obvious tension and anticipation on their faces.
In a slightly more distant corner, seven or eight people were gathered together as if observing, conversing in low tones from time to time while their gazes swept across the venue with a hint of scrutiny.
Directly ahead, a middle-aged man wearing the uniform of the Martial Artist Association and possessing a resolute expression stood there with his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp like an eagle's as he scanned everyone entering the venue, imperceptibly radiating a pressure that belonged to a strong practitioner.
Clearly, he was the examiner this time.
The examiner's gaze fell on Xiao Han, compared the electronic roster in his hand, and confirmed his identity before announcing in a steady and powerful voice: "The assessment rules are very simple: independently defeat an Iron-Armored Savage Bull of the Martial Artist Realm First Level within a ten-minute time limit. Start when you are ready."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly spread throughout the entire venue.
Xiao Han nodded to indicate that he understood.
His overly young, and even somewhat tender-looking face immediately attracted the attention of those onlookers at the side of the venue.
"Hey, look at that kid, are his feathers even fully grown yet? How does he look like a high school student? He's here to get certified as a martial artist too?" A burly man wearing mercenary attire said in a low voice to his companion beside him, a hint of mockery in his tone.
"Probably a young master sent by some wealthy family to see the world and gain some exposure. It's good to broaden his horizons. An Iron-Armored Savage Bull of the Martial Artist Realm First Level has thick hide and plenty of impact force, it's not something to mess with." His companion curled his lip, clearly not optimistic either.
"Tsk tsk, young people these days really don't know the immensity of heaven and earth, thinking it's that easy to be a martial artist?" On the other side, a martial artist who looked experienced shook his head with the tone of someone who had seen it all.
A few discussions laced with contempt, curiosity, and a trace of disdain arrived at a moderate volume. Although they intentionally lowered their voices, within the relatively quiet assessment arena, with Xiao Han's current hearing, he naturally heard them clearly.
Xiao Han ignored these discussions, his expression remaining calm.
As the examiner raised his hand in a gesture, a heavy alloy door on one side of the venue slowly rose, emitting a dull, creaking sound.
In the shadows, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly lit up!
Immediately following, a sturdy exotic beast walked out with heavy strides.
It was close to two meters tall with broad shoulders and a wide back, its entire body covered in deep brown fur resembling iron armor that flashed with a hard metallic luster under the lights.
The two thick curved horns atop its head resembled sharp scythes, glittering with a chilling, bone-piercing light.
It was precisely the assessment target this time—the Iron-Armored Savage Bull!
"Moo—!"
As soon as the Iron-Armored Savage Bull entered, it emitted a deep roar filled with a tyrannical aura.
Its crimson eyes instantly locked onto Xiao Han in the center of the venue, two thick wisps of white steam puffed from its nostrils, and its four thick hooves began violently scraping the ground, kicking up a burst of gravel and dust.
The next second, its hind legs erupted with force, and its entire massive body shot forward like a launched cannonball, or rather, like an out-of-control heavy truck, carrying an extremely fierce, unstoppable momentum as it fiercely charged straight at Xiao Han!
Even the hard alloy ground seemed to vibrate slightly under its violent impact!
Facing this violent charge fierce enough to scare an ordinary person out of their wits, Xiao Han showed not the slightest trace of panic on his face, maintaining that same calm and breezy demeanor.
He didn't even summon his dual SSS+-rank martial souls that were enough to shock the world on the first instance!
Just as the chilling horns of the Iron-Armored Savage Bull were about to gore his chest, Xiao Han moved.
He merely tapped his foot to the left seemingly at random, yet his entire figure drifted sideways by half a meter at an incredible angle like weightless willow catkins.
Swish!
The savage bull brushed right past the corner of his clothes, and the wind whipped up by its passage stirred the stray hairs on Xiao Han's forehead.
The entire dodging movement was smooth and flowing, relaxed and effortless, as though he weren't dodging the fatal collision of a fierce exotic beast, but rather strolling casually in his own backyard.
"Huh?"
The few people on the sidelines who had been waiting to see Xiao Han sent flying or awkwardly dodging let out a sound of surprise involuntarily.
This dodge seemed simple, but the grasp of timing, speed, and distance was nothing short of miraculous; it was definitely not something a "rookie" who had just awakened their martial soul could pull off!
"Heh, this kid's got a bit of substance..." The burly man who had mocked him earlier touched his chin, his gaze turning somewhat surprised.
"This footwork... is very solid!" That experienced martial artist also put away his contempt, his gaze becoming focused.
The expression of the examiner, who had been expressionless all along, also tightened slightly, his sharp gaze lingering on Xiao Han for a few extra seconds like a searchlight. He could see that this young man had extremely steady lower stances and even more seasoned and steady footwork; it was definitely no fluke!
More importantly, at that very instant just now, he had felt a surge of blood-qi fluctuations from Xiao Han that far surpassed an ordinary Martial Apprentice Ninth Level!
This kid's physical body strength and reaction speed... probably had already steadily stepped into the Warrior Realm! Furthermore, seeing how his aura was condensed and restrained with an exceptionally solid foundation, he certainly didn't look like someone boosted by elixirs!
A bit interesting! The examiner thought to himself, beginning to truly take this overly young examinee seriously.
With the first strike missing, the Iron-Armored Savage Bull appeared even more tyrannical. It violently shook its head, its thick hooves kicking a few shallow pits into the ground, adjusted its direction, and let out another roar, preparing to launch a second round of collision.
Xiao Han looked at this beast, the corner of his mouth curving into an imperceptible arc.
Warm-up... was just about over.
He decided not to waste time anymore; it was better to finish the battle swiftly. After all, he still needed to go to the Martial Skills Pavilion later to pick out a few suitable martial skills.
This time, facing the Iron-Armored Savage Bull charging over like a mini tank once again, Xiao Han chose not to dodge.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, stepping forward against that fierce wave of air!
In a flash, he took a deep breath, the muscles of his right arm instantly bulging and tightening like coiling dragons, and the blood-qi power of the Fourth Level of the Martial Artist Realm within his body surged out without reservation, pouring into his right fist along his meridians! His tendons and bones emitted a continuous series of subtle cracking explosions!
He didn't summon a martial soul!
He didn't use any fancy techniques!
He relied solely on the tyrannical physical body strength far surpassing peers of the same rank, initially tempered by the Creation-Heaven-Penetrating Art!
"Hoo—!"
With a single punch, he fiercely blasted towards the massive charging head of the Iron-Armored Savage Bull!
His fist tore through the air, moving so fast that it even dragged along a faint white wake of air. The air around his fist-tip was compressed so rapidly that it actually emitted a faint sound—like cloth being violently torn apart—
Poof!
A clearly audible explosive crack!