Swift and Deadly

The Hundred Beast Garden contained one hundred Demonic Beasts, and since the garden wasn't large, it was easy to find targets.

Of course, it was also more dangerous.

Because the distance between each Demonic Beast was very close, if one couldn't cleanly resolve the opponent in front of them, they might attract other Demonic Beasts and be surrounded.

Lu Ming was naturally not afraid; it was just a Demonic Beast that had just entered level two, and he was confident he could resolve it quickly.

The Steward Disciple followed behind without a word. Lu Ming didn't mind, carefully searching for his target. Soon, he noticed some movement.

What emerged was an Ironclad Rhinoceros, its body covered in scales the size of a cup, its hooves as large as bowls. Its massive form left deep footprints on the ground.

It also had a sharp, black spike on its head, which emitted a cold, eerie light under the sun.

"Is it this Demonic Beast?"

Seeing the Ironclad Rhinoceros, the Steward Disciple following Lu Ming's gaze shifted slightly. Based on his understanding of the Hundred Beast Garden, this Demonic Beast was one of the strongest within.

Its iron-like armor made it difficult for blades and swords to wound, and what made it even more troublesome was a layer of oil beneath the armor, soft as cotton, that yielded to force.

Thus, it was difficult for power to penetrate.

Coupled with the sharp, venomous horn on its head, if one were gored and not treated promptly, death was certain.

Even he, possessing a Mid True Qi Realm cultivation and having practiced a formidable Human-grade Peak Stage martial art, wouldn't dare to be careless when facing this Demonic Beast.

Therefore, he secretly circulated his true energy, preparing to intervene and rescue at any moment.

He even considered asking the other party to change targets, thinking that the disciple was a descendant of Elder Ming's friend, to avoid failing the assessment.

However, before he could speak, Lu Ming had already leaped out.

The moment the Ironclad Rhinoceros emerged, Lu Ming had a general understanding of the situation. The opponent was clearly a Demonic Beast with extremely strong defenses.

Its offensive power would also be immense, but it had a fatal flaw: it was extremely clumsy.

Lu Ming had extensive experience dealing with such opponents.

So, after a quick observation, he leaped out like a Beguiler, his long saber unsheathed, and the blade light flashed in rapid succession.

Then, to the Steward Disciple's shocked gaze, the Ironclad Rhinoceros crashed to the ground with a roar, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"What happened?"

Lu Ming's speed was too fast. The Steward Disciple hadn't grasped the situation yet, and with the dust kicked up, he had to walk closer.

Only then did he see that the Ironclad Rhinoceros's limbs had been crippled. Despite its struggles, it couldn't stand up, indicating the strikes were precise and vicious.

"How did you do that?"

Seeing the situation clearly, the Steward Disciple couldn't help but ask, because it was too fast; even he couldn't do it.

Lu Ming twirled his long saber, ending the Demonic Beast's suffering, and then casually explained:

"The Ironclad Rhinoceros isn't entirely as hard as iron. The connection points between its limbs and abdomen are its weak spots."

The Steward Disciple looked where he indicated and indeed saw four saber wounds at the stated locations, cutting straight to the bone.

After looking, the Steward Disciple couldn't help but shake his head. Although the other party spoke so easily, if someone else tried to do the same, it would be difficult.

Because one had to deliver four strikes almost simultaneously in four different directions within an instant.

This required not only extreme speed and exceptional eyesight but also extremely fast and precise technique.

Missing any one of these would make it impossible to succeed; even a slight mistake could lead to death.

Therefore, his only evaluation of Lu Ming at this moment was that his attacks were extremely swift and deadly.

He even unconsciously began to wonder if he could withstand such rapid attacks from the other party.

"Let's go."

At this moment, Lu Ming had already lifted the Ironclad Rhinoceros and was heading out.

The Steward Disciple snapped back to attention and quickly followed.

Since they hadn't entered the Hundred Beast Garden very far, they soon exited.

At this time, only a bit of the incense had burned, just a few minutes.

"So fast?"

Seeing Lu Ming emerge so quickly, Elder Ming, who had been waiting on his seat, couldn't help but stand up.

Then, upon seeing the Ironclad Rhinoceros on his back, he was secretly astonished.

He naturally knew the caliber of this Demonic Beast. At first, he thought Lu Ming had emerged so quickly because he encountered an easily dealt-with Demonic Beast.

Although he knew Lu Ming had exceptional combat power and could fight above his level, this Demonic Beast was different. Even a Mid True Qi Realm cultivator wouldn't be able to emerge this quickly.

It was even debatable whether they could defeat it.

The Steward Disciple quickly recounted the entire process. His role, besides protecting the assessment disciple, was to evaluate the assessment's progress.

After listening, Elder Ming was increasingly pleased with Lu Ming, though he suppressed his expression. He said, "You've done very well. Your swordsmanship is extremely precise. If you continue like this, your future is boundless. Your assessment has now passed. However, you'll have to wait a bit longer for the others to finish their assessments before I can take you to exchange for your Inner Sect disciple identity."

He tried his best to give an evaluation that was neither too high nor too low.

This caused the Steward Disciples beside him to murmur, thinking the evaluation was too low.

Unable to understand, they could only guess that Elder Ming had higher expectations for this old friend's descendant.

Lu Ming knew the reason, but he didn't care even if he didn't. So, after bowing, he retreated to the side to wait quietly.

With that, Elder Ming sat back down.

Time passed quickly. In a moment, someone else emerged.

It was one of the participants in the assessment. Judging by his dejected appearance, it was clear he had failed, hence his quick exit.

"He panicked as soon as he encountered the Demonic Beast, and was completely flustered during the fight. In the end, I had to step in and save him."

The disciple blushed and lowered his head upon hearing this.

Elder Ming frowned, took the roster, and glanced at it before asking, "You haven't encountered Demonic Beasts before?"

The disciple quickly shook his head, "Reporting to Elder, my time has been almost entirely dedicated to cultivating my techniques and martial arts."

Elder Ming sighed. Without much criticism, he simply reminded him, "Practical combat is also very important. Practicing against a wooden dummy is completely different from practicing against a living creature, especially a Demonic Beast."

"Fortunately, you are young and still have opportunities. Go back and gain more experience in the outer areas of the Wuji Mountain Range."

With that, he drew a cross next to the disciple's name.

"Yes."

The disciple respectfully departed. Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance at Lu Ming, wanting to know why he had come out so quickly and whether he had succeeded.

However, seeing that he hadn't left yet, he assumed he had succeeded.

Or perhaps Elder Ming had given this descendant of his old friend some special treatment.

In any case, his mind was full of thoughts at that moment.

Lu Ming could also see many things from his gaze.

Elder Ming, naturally, saw them too. He waved his hand, retrieving the Ironclad Rhinoceros he had already put into his storage ring and throwing it onto the ground.

Then, he waited quietly.

After the first failed participant left, less than fifty seconds later, another person emerged. This time, it was a disciple who had participated in the assessment before.

He was tall and likely had trained in external martial arts.

On his back, he carried a massive black bear.

As soon as he walked out, his eyes fell on Lu Ming. He was clearly taken aback. He had thought he would be the fastest to complete the assessment.

For him, this was his last chance. To ensure no mistakes, he had spent more than five months in the Wuji Mountain Range.

During these five months, besides eating, drinking, and sleeping, he had been fighting various Demonic Beasts.

He had faced death three times, but fortunately, he had survived them all, undergoing a transformation in the process.

This time, he had expected to make a stunning debut and had specifically chosen one of the most formidable Demonic Beasts in the Hundred Beast Garden as his target.

This was to prove himself.

He hadn't expected someone to be faster than him.

However, he felt it must have been because the other person got lucky and encountered an extremely easy-to-deal-with Demonic Beast. He even had the same thought as the failed disciple: Elder Ming had given him special treatment.

But upon seeing the Ironclad Rhinoceros lying on the ground beside them, he realized he had been mistaken.

Thus, he couldn't help but look at Lu Ming a few more times.

The Steward Disciple following behind him didn't have as many psychological activities as him and directly stepped forward to report the situation.