"Phew~"
Having reached the roadside, the force enveloping Shi Yan vanished. Like someone who had held their breath underwater for far too long and finally burst to the surface, he could not help taking several deep breaths.
Just as he was about to say something, he saw her lightly tap the ring on her hand.
With a whoosh, the enormous axe on her shoulder disappeared, replaced by a red sports car.
The sports car had sharp, angular lines and a metallic gleam that screamed luxury.
"A Space Ring!"
Shi Yan was slightly startled. He had not expected Zhang Yunya to possess such a precious item.
Even the principal of Baiyun No. 1 High School did not have one. Before this, the only person he had seen use one was Mo Changfeng.
Before he could recover from his surprise, he was stuffed into the car.
"Senior, does this count as kidnapping... Holy shit!"
The moment Shi Yan spoke, a crushing sensation of weightlessness hit him.
Then he realized the sports car had taken flight!
This Senior was no simple person.
The combination of superpowers and technology could make cars fly, but in this day and age, anyone who could afford such a thing was either rich or noble.
And considering Zhang Yunya possessed a Space Ring large enough to hold an entire sports car, that "rich or noble" might need to be doubled.
"It doesn't count as kidnapping. There's an expert following us."
Zhang Yunya lightly pressed a button on the steering wheel, and a light screen rose from the center console.
The screen displayed the surrounding scene, and Shi Yan spotted Lin Ye following behind the sports car.
"Junior Student Sister Zhang, forcing others to do things against their will violates the Warrior Code."
On the light screen, Lin Ye spoke. Clearly, he knew he had been discovered.
"Junior, if you feel you're being forced, you can shout loudly. The Monster Suppression Bureau has the authority to rescue you."
"Senior Lin, I..."
"Senior Lin, I haven't forced him to do anything." Zhang Yunya interrupted Shi Yan. "I'm going on a mission. He can watch from the car, and whether he helps is entirely up to him."
Fine then.
With things put that way, Shi Yan no longer had any intention of getting out.
Besides, getting out of a car in midair sounded terrifying just thinking about it.
Of course, more importantly, he wanted to seize this opportunity.
Watching a powerful warrior carry out a mission with his own eyes was, in his opinion, worth more than attending a hundred classes.
With Lin Ye following them, he did not need to worry too much about safety.
The sports car flew incredibly fast. Shi Yan estimated it was nearing four hundred kilometers per hour.
"Junior, do you want a car like this?" Zhang Yunya glanced at Shi Yan beside her, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. "You can exchange Magic Martial University credits for one."
Shi Yan knew there was something behind Zhang Yunya's words, so he asked along the line, "How much would it cost outside?"
"Over a hundred million, probably. And you need a certain amount of military merit."
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yunya answered. She had never bought this kind of thing outside, so she only knew the rough price.
Shi Yan was stunned again. Never mind the latter requirement—even the price tag of over a hundred million was enough to make people recoil from it.
"Don't think it's expensive. It can defend against attacks from Demonic Beasts below Level Four."
Zhang Yunya's next words made Shi Yan feel that over a hundred million actually seemed cheap.
He had dealt with demonic beasts before and knew how terrifying they were.
If such a treasure could protect him in a critical moment, it would be worth any amount of money.
No wonder Zhang Yunya had said he could watch from the car.
Time passed.
About twenty minutes later, the vehicle suddenly plunged downward.
They had long since left the city, and below them was a stretch of darkness.
They were like insignificant specks of dust falling into a bottomless abyss.
The sports car landed, gently pressing down the wild grass.
They were at the edge of a forest. Sky-Piercing Giant Trees stood like ghosts in the night, making the place seem even more sinister.
The faint beastly roars drifting through the darkness made one's scalp crawl.
"So, have you made up your mind?"
Zhang Yunya opened the door and stepped out, then took the enormous axe from her Storage Ring.
The dark forest was like a giant beast baring its fangs, yet she showed no fear, staring straight ahead.
Shi Yan tightened his grip on the saber in his hand and got out as well. "Senior, what do you need me to do?"
Since he had come this far, there was no way he would hide inside the car.
Zhang Yunya turned back, glanced at the saber in Shi Yan's hand, then pointed toward the forest ahead.
"Go in and kill demonic beasts. Treat yourself as a young master of a Lineage who has come out to gain experience."
"Alright."
Shi Yan brought up the system panel and looked it over, feeling somewhat reassured.
[Name: Shi Yan] [Realm: First-Order Warrior] [Superpower: Southern Bright Blazing Fire (SSS-Class)] [Blood Vitality: 56 Cal (+)] [Mental Power: 31 Hz (+)] [Martial Arts: Thrusting Punch (Beginner +), Explosive Flame Eighteen Sabers (great accomplishment)] [Martial Virtue Points: 1133]
On his way back from his uncle's home, he had spent two thousand Martial Virtue Points to raise his saber technique to the realm of great accomplishment.
After reaching great accomplishment, the plus sign behind it disappeared, indicating that advancing it to perfection could not be done with merely one thousand Martial Virtue Points.
But that was not important. With this great accomplishment saber technique supporting him, he felt incredibly strong now.
He would save the remaining Martial Virtue Points for now, in case of emergency.
After Shi Yan entered the mountain, Zhang Yunya also stored away the sports car. She cupped her hands and bowed toward the empty ground, then turned and entered the darkness ahead.
Several seconds later, Lin Ye's figure slowly descended where the two had departed.
"What a strange one."
Looking in the direction Shi Yan had gone, Lin Ye clicked his tongue in wonder.
If it had been anyone else, they would probably have been clamoring to leave already. Yet Shi Yan was not like that; there was even a trace of excitement in his eyes.
Just who had given him such courage?
Shi Yan did not know what Lin Ye was thinking. At that moment, he had already stopped, drawn the saber in his hand, and fixed his gaze on the front.
The Lava Spirit Devouring Saber gave off a faint red glow, making those blood-red eyes appear incomparably eerie.
Judging from its aura, it was a Second-Order Fox Demon. Unlike the Second-Order Demonic Beast he had encountered at the examination site, there was less savagery in its eyes and more cunning.
It did not charge at him immediately, instead locking eyes with Shi Yan.
This was a method commonly used by demonic beasts in the mountains. The moment fear showed in your eyes was the moment they launched their attack.
Unfortunately, Shi Yan remained unmoved. Instead, he raised his saber and slowly approached.
The fox demon waited no longer. Its hind legs kicked off the ground, and it pounced at Shi Yan.
"Now!"
Shi Yan grinned. His feet suddenly accelerated as he charged straight at the fox demon.
A sheet of crimson saber light flashed out, crossing paths with the fox demon.
Man and beast stopped ten meters apart, then both turned around.
Shi Yan sheathed his saber, while blood spurted from eighteen places on the fox demon's body.
"So this is the essence of the Explosive Flame Eighteen Sabers."
Shi Yan murmured. Only after his saber technique reached great mastery did he truly understand its profound intricacy.
It was not about slashing a demonic beast eighteen times, but cutting its major arteries.
Demonic beasts possessed powerful bodies, making it extremely difficult for an ordinary person to kill one with a single blow. Thus, all kinds of Martial Arts techniques came into being.
Take the Explosive Flame Eighteen Sabers, for example. It avoided direct clashes with demonic beasts, then unleashed one's strength to target their major arteries.
That took far less effort than severing a demonic beast's body or head.
Shi Yan felt that if his saber technique had reached great mastery during the College Entrance Examination, he would not have needed to burn demonic beasts with his superpower at all. His saber technique alone could have worn them down to death.
Hiss, hiss.
Shi Yan did not need to finish it off. In just over ten seconds, the fox demon bled to death.
[Killed a Second-Order Gray Fox Demon above your level. Martial Virtue Points +54]
Sure enough, these wild demonic beasts were stronger than the ones that had just been born in the examination grounds, and the Martial Virtue Points gained were greater as well.
Of course, they also appeared far less frequently.
After continuing for a full quarter of an hour, Shi Yan encountered his second demonic beast—and it was only First-Order.
This place was still close to the base city. Human warriors would not allow large numbers of demonic beasts to linger nearby, nor would they allow overly powerful demonic beasts to exist here.
That was also one of the reasons Shi Yan had dared to enter the forest.
And so, he continued onward with his saber in hand.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, a huge pig demon collapsed at his feet, and his role as "bait" finally took effect.
A figure wrapped in a black robe appeared behind the pig demon like a ghost.
His face was covered, leaving only a pair of emerald-green eyes exposed.
"I never expected to encounter a genius with talent like yours in this shithole."
Black Robe's throat sounded as though it had been carved by a thousand blades, making his voice hoarse and grating.
Yet the excitement in his voice was unmistakable.
A genius capable of killing demonic beasts above his level could generally be exchanged for a great deal of resources.
"Who?!"
Before you continue