Earthfire Red Dragon

This was a valley where not a blade of grass grew.

The group stood on a platform halfway up the mountain, with jagged rocks below.

Ling Yiyi smiled faintly and said:

"Your next task is survival.

"You will work in groups of three.

"The longer you survive, the more points you will earn in the preliminary selection.

"Hunting Soul Beasts will earn you additional points according to their rank.

"If you are killed by a Soul Beast, your preliminary selection will end."

This was similar to the previous High-Energy Youth Class assessment, so no one reacted much.

"Then let's begin. Good luck."

Seeing little reaction from the group, Ling Yiyi lightly waved her slender hand, releasing a layer of energy from her body.

In the next instant, she turned into a streak of light and vanished.

The instant Ling Yiyi disappeared, an earth-shaking beastly roar suddenly rang out.

Everyone cried out in alarm.

As if by prior agreement, they all looked toward a valley.

"What was that?"

Confusion filled everyone's faces. All they could see was mist swirling through the valley; nothing else was visible.

Lu Qianxun shouted, "Stay alert! Take cover!"

Having undergone long training, everyone reacted immediately.

They quickly sought cover and concealed themselves.

"Roar..."

Another sky-shaking roar rang out, deafening as it echoed through the valley.

It made everyone's hearts tremble in fear.

Then came a series of deep, muffled thuds, followed by dense, rustling noises.

Soon, countless creatures emerged within the valley and raced toward the mountain walls in every direction.

"Earthfire Lizards!"

Nan Xuanyu warned them.

They were slender lizards with grayish-brown skin, faintly marked with dark-red patterns.

Dark-red light flowed through those patterns like magma.

Earthfire Lizards were Fire Attribute Soul Beasts that lived in groups and possessed extremely formidable defenses.

They generally lived near volcanoes and naturally possessed fire abilities.

Earthfire Lizards that cultivated for more than ten thousand years could evolve into Earthfire Dragons.

Earthfire Dragons belonged to the Sub-Dragon Species and were exceptionally powerful.

"Retreat to the mountaintop."

As class leader, Lu Qianxun made a prompt decision. After issuing the reminder, he charged toward the peak.

Everyone reacted quickly.

There was no need to fight head-on. They only had to survive.

Another roar came.

A massive figure entered everyone's sight. Its enormous eyes were staring directly at them.

"What the hell is that?"

Qian Lei could not help shrieking.

The giant beast stood more than thirty meters tall, its huge tail trailing behind it as its body rose upright.

It even had a pair of wings on its back, which flapped continuously.

Its entire body was covered in dark-red scales. Within several dozen meters around it, even the air was distorted.

The temperature around it was extremely high.

The instant the massive creature spotted them, it opened its mouth and spat out a huge fireball.

It came hurtling toward them.

"It's an Earthfire Red Dragon!"

Nan Xuanyu answered, his gaze fixed firmly on the giant Soul Beast. It was his first time seeing a Soul Beast this enormous.

"Run!"

Someone cried out in terror, and everyone fled with all their might.

Boom...

A thunderous blast shook the mountains as the enormous fireball slammed viciously into the mountain wall.

Sand and rocks flew everywhere, and an immense shockwave rattled everyone to the core.

Fortunately, everyone had reacted quickly and already fled beyond the attack's range.

Otherwise, that strike would likely have killed quite a few people.

Nan Xuanyu waved his hand and swiftly constructed a transparent Ice House around himself, Qian Lei, and Liu Feng, shielding the three of them from the scorching heat.

But the shockwave was simply too powerful. The three were still caught by it and blasted into the air.

At the critical moment, Nan Xuanyu waved his hand again. A gale appeared, sweeping the three of them up and carrying them rapidly upward.

In an instant, they rose above everyone else in the class.

After reaching temporary safety, they turned back to look.

They happened to see the Earthfire Red Dragon lower its head and bite down on a massive Earthfire Lizard.

It swallowed it in just a few bites.

Then it swung its body sideways, sweeping its massive tail through a group of Earthfire Lizards and sending them flying.

After that, it charged toward the group again.

"Could Ling Yiyi have released that thing when she disappeared?"

Qian Lei's face had gone pale. This thing was not easy to deal with.

Even if several six- or seven-ring powerhouses came, they probably would not be able to handle it.

"Roar..."

Another earth-shaking roar rang out. The Earthfire Red Dragon opened its mouth, spitting out a second enormous fireball.

Its target was the four groups below.

To dodge the earlier fireball, those four groups had chosen to descend.

Now, they had become the Earthfire Red Dragon's prey.

The four groups had already gathered together and were engaged in fierce combat with the Earthfire Lizards attacking from all around them.

The sudden arrival of the enormous fireball multiplied their pressure.

"Quick! Put distance between yourselves and everyone else! It likes attacking crowded places!"

Nan Xuanyu warned them as he dashed rapidly toward a less populated area.

Qian Lei and Liu Feng quickly followed.

Nan Xuanyu was the strongest among the three, and the other two had long regarded him as their core.

They instinctively followed his commands.

The Earthfire Red Dragon was simply too terrifying, and its attacks were immensely powerful.

In this situation, they could not fight it head-on. They had to avoid direct conflict.

Rumble...

The second fireball exploded. Terrifying waves of flame surged outward, blasting great numbers of Earthfire Lizards away.

Among the four groups of High-Energy Youth Class students, seven were swallowed by the flames, while the rest were blown away.

They suffered devastating losses in an instant.

The seven swallowed by the flames were eliminated from the preliminary selection.

At that moment, the Earthfire Red Dragon's eyes revealed a cold glint as it looked toward the mountaintop.

It opened its mouth again, and a third fireball shot straight toward them.

"Split up by group! Don't bunch together!"

Nan Xuanyu shouted, warning everyone.

Then he used Wind Element Control again, and the three of them rapidly moved away.

Lu Qianxun had always been decisive. Making an immediate decision, he said to Chang Jianyin and Ye Lingtong:

"Jump!"

There was no longer enough time to run upward.

The three of them leaped down without hesitation.

The fireball nearly grazed their heads before crashing viciously into the mountain wall and exploding.

Huge chunks of burning rock tumbled down, crashing toward them from above.

At the critical moment, Chang Jianyin immediately cast a slowing effect upward, slowing the falling rocks.

Lu Qianxun threw back his head and let out a long roar, Golden Lion's Roar!

The falling rocks were blasted aside, narrowly missing the three of them as they fell.

The three landed miserably on the platform halfway up the mountain, gasping for breath with fear in their eyes.

Lu Qianxun looked into the distance and muttered to himself:

"Nan Xuanyu, impressive!"

By then, Nan Xuanyu's group had already pulled far away from them.

"Good thing he warned us in time. Otherwise, we might already have been eliminated!"

Ye Lingtong looked at Nan Xuanyu, gratitude filling her eyes.

Nan Xuanyu's warning had saved those of them who remained.

The remaining five people below also quickly scattered.

And at that moment, once everyone had separated, the massive Earthfire Red Dragon seemed unable to see them anymore.

Its huge tail swept around and it spat fireballs, but all of its attacks targeted the surrounding Earthfire Lizards.

It no longer attacked them.

Only then did everyone finally have a chance to catch their breath.