Rising Fame and Second-Order Demonic Beasts

Outside the Myriad Beast Mountain Range, the inner plaza of Cloud Creek Academy was buzzing with excitement.

Tens of thousands of students, their families, academy instructors, and various forces from Cloud Creek City gathered beneath a massive light screen, anxiously watching the constantly updating rankings and points.

On the light screen, a thousand names were densely packed, each with a corresponding string of numbers representing their points. At the very top were none other than the renowned geniuses from this enrollment period, their points steadily increasing.

However, just an hour ago, an anomaly had unexpectedly burst into everyone's view.

"Quick, look! That guy Lin Xiao, his ranking is climbing again!" "My goodness, he's already at fifty-third place! Who is he? How have we never heard of him before?" "Qingyang City... what kind of place is that? A remote border town, right? How could such a powerhouse emerge from there!"

Discussions erupted from the crowd. All eyes were fixed on the name that was skyrocketing like a rocket – Lin Xiao!

In just a quarter of an hour, his points had surged from an unremarkable twenty-something to a hundred and seventy, propelling him from the bottom of the list into the top hundred, and he was still climbing with terrifying momentum.

On the high platform, the expressions of three high-ranking academy officials varied.

"Dean Chu, this Lin Xiao seems to be the young man who unleashed nearly nine grids of force with a single punch during the initial trial," a slightly plump elder said, stroking his beard with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Oh? It's him?" Vice Dean of the Outer Court, Chu Tianxing, also became interested upon hearing this. A sharp glint flashed in his cloudy old eyes as he carefully examined the name on the light screen. "His initial trial strength was astonishing, and his points in the practical assessment are also so impressive. It seems it wasn't luck. Go and retrieve his file, I want to see it."

Soon, a simple file on Lin Xiao was presented.

Chu Tianxing's brow furrowed slightly as he read the words "Hometown: Qingyang City" and "Aptitude Test Result: None" on the file.

No background, no letters of recommendation, not even the most basic aptitude test records. Such a young man, with a background so clean it was almost bizarre, yet exhibiting strength far beyond his peers, was inherently suspicious.

"Interesting," Chu Tianxing said, putting down the file with a meaningful smile. "Continue observing. I want to see how much surprise this dark horse from a remote small town can bring us."

Meanwhile, deep within the Myriad Beast Mountain Range.

Lin Xiao and his two companions were unaware of the storm they had caused in the outside world. At this moment, they were cautiously making their way through a damp swamp.

"Lin Xiao, why are we coming to this godforsaken place? It's wet and smelly, and there's not even a decent spot to stand," Shi Lei grumbled, carefully avoiding a bubbling mud pit at his feet.

"Because it's safe," Lin Xiao whispered, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. "The more remote the place, the lower the chance of encountering other student teams. Also, according to the map and my deductions, a highly valuable demonic beast should live in the center of this swamp."

After robbing Li Mo's team, their points had surged, but they had also become targets. Lin Xiao knew that their current ranking had surely attracted the attention of many powerful teams. Rather than confronting them head-on in a popular hunting ground, it was better to take the opposite approach and seek out areas that others overlooked.

"A highly valuable demonic beast?" Su Yue's beautiful eyes lit up at the mention. "What is it?"

"A low-grade Second-order Demonic Beast, the Swamp Giant Crocodile," Lin Xiao replied, his tone laced with seriousness. "This beast is a treasure trove. Not only is its Beast Core worth 50 points, but its hide is also excellent material for crafting inner armor. Most importantly, it's lazy and usually stays near its lair. As long as we prepare well and strike when it's unprepared, our success rate is very high."

Upon hearing the words "Second-order Demonic Beast," Shi Lei and Su Yue's expressions changed slightly.

Those were beings equivalent to cultivators at the Body Refinement Fourth to Sixth Levels! For the three of them, all at Body Refinement Third Level, to challenge one would be like a tiger trying to snatch a bite from a dragon.

"Lin Xiao, isn't this... a bit too risky?" Su Yue said with some worry.

"Fortune favors the bold," Lin Xiao's eyes were exceptionally firm. "There are less than two days left in the assessment. If we proceed as usual, hunting First-order demonic beasts, we can at most secure a spot in the top hundred. To break into the top ten or even higher, we must take risks!"

Looking at Lin Xiao's confident gaze, Shi Lei and Su Yue's doubts gradually dissipated, replaced by a surge of shared ambition.

"Let's do it!" Shi Lei thumped his chest. "I've been wanting to test the strength of a Second-order demonic beast! I'll follow your lead!"

Su Yue also nodded heavily. "That's right, we'll listen to you!"

Seeing that both of them had reached an agreement, a smile appeared on Lin Xiao's face. He knew that the most important thing in a team was trust.

"Good. According to my plan, we need to do this first..." Lin Xiao gathered the two and began to quietly lay out the detailed combat plan.

Half an hour later, the three arrived at the center of the swamp.

It was a vast mud pond, its water murky and covered with green duckweed. Large bubbles occasionally rose from the bottom, emitting a rotten stench.

On a shallow bank in the center of the lake, a giant beast, over five meters long and covered in thick, rock-like dark green scales, lay in a doze. Its ferocious maw was half-open, revealing dagger-like fangs that sent shivers down one's spine just by looking at them.

It was their target – the Swamp Giant Crocodile!

[System Notification: Detected Low-grade Second-order Demonic Beast – Swamp Giant Crocodile]

[Scanning Target: Swamp Giant Crocodile]

[Realm: Peak Body Refinement Fourth Level]

[Weakness Analysis: Abdominal armor is relatively thin; Eyes are a fatal weak point; Slow turning speed.]

[Special Ability: Death Roll (Once bitten, it will spin at high speed, instantly tearing the prey apart)]

Peak Body Refinement Fourth Level!

Feeling the powerful aura emanating from the giant crocodile, Shi Lei and Su Yue couldn't help but swallow despite being mentally prepared.

Lin Xiao's expression remained calm. He made a gesture to the two, signaling the plan to begin.

Shi Lei took a deep breath and unstrapped a large stone tied with vines from his back – something he had prepared on the way. He poured all his strength into his arms, veins bulging, muscles knotting.

"Hah!"

He roared, launching the several-hundred-pound stone like a catapult towards the Swamp Giant Crocodile's head!

"Whoosh—Bang!"

The stone arced through the air, hitting the crocodile's eyelid with a dull thud.

"Roar—!"

The Swamp Giant Crocodile, its slumber disturbed, instantly became enraged! It violently opened its cloudy, savage eyes, letting out a deafening roar that seemed to shake the entire swamp.

Its massive body rose from the mud, locking onto the direction the stone had come from. Its limbs moved with an unstoppable momentum as it charged towards Shi Lei on the shore!

"It's here! Stick to the plan!" Lin Xiao whispered.

Upon seeing this, Shi Lei showed no fear. Instead, he let out an excited roar, turned, and ran. His mission was to draw the giant crocodile's aggro and lure it to their pre-arranged battlefield.

Although the Swamp Giant Crocodile was massive, its speed in the mud was astonishingly fast. It chased closely behind Shi Lei, its gaping maw narrowly missing Shi Lei's back several times, making Su Yue, who was watching from afar, incredibly anxious.

Finally, Shi Lei led the giant crocodile to a relatively dry, hard patch of ground. Lin Xiao had already set up many sharpened wooden stakes and vine traps here beforehand.

"Now! Attack!"

The moment the giant crocodile stepped into a trap, tripped by the vines, and stumbled, Lin Xiao and Su Yue, who had been ambushed on both sides, launched their attacks simultaneously!

"Starlight Sword Rain!"

Su Yue cried out, her soft sword transforming into a sky full of stars. Countless sharp sword energies poured down like a torrential rain towards the crocodile's relatively soft underbelly!

"Clang, clang, clang!"

A series of metallic sounds rang out. Although the sword energies were sharp, they could only spark against the crocodile's scales, leaving behind only shallow white marks.

"This guy's defense is too monstrous!" Su Yue exclaimed.

"Its weakness is its eyes!"

Lin Xiao's voice echoed like a phantom from the other side of the giant crocodile.

He didn't know when, but he had taken the opportunity while the crocodile was tripped to climb a nearby large tree. Now, like a hunting leopard, he descended from the sky. The steel dagger in his hand drew a deadly arc through the air, aiming straight for the giant crocodile's left eye!

This strike was fast, accurate, and fierce!

The giant crocodile sensed the fatal threat and violently shook its head, trying to evade the deadly blow.

But how could Lin Xiao's attack be so easily dodged?

[System Prompt: The target's head will swing in 0.5 seconds, after which its left eye will be exposed within attack range!]

Lin Xiao twisted his body in mid-air, and the trajectory of the dagger shifted slightly.

"Squelch!"

The sharp dagger accurately and deeply pierced the Swamp Giant Crocodile's left eye!

"Roar--!"

The earth-shattering pain drove the Swamp Giant Crocodile into a complete frenzy! It let out a more piercing roar than ever before, its massive body twisting and rolling wildly!

"Death Roll!"

Having struck true, Lin Xiao pushed off the crocodile's head with his toes, flying backward and narrowly dodging the gaping maw capable of tearing steel to shreds.

"Shi Lei! Now! Attack its other eye!" Lin Xiao roared from mid-air.

"Coming!"

Shi Lei, who had been readying himself, shot forward like a cannonball. Taking advantage of the moment the crocodile, writhing in agony, exposed its other intact eye, he launched his strongest attack!

He gathered all his strength into his right fist. The surface of his fist even emitted a faint earthy yellow glow due to the intense friction of spiritual energy.

"Mountain Splitting Fist · Rock Shatter!"

"Bang--!"

This punch landed squarely on the crocodile's right eye!

The fragile eyeball exploded like an overripe tomato under Shi Lei's terrifying might!

"Aow..."

Blinded, the Swamp Giant Crocodile let out a final cry of despair and unwillingness. Its massive body twitched violently a few times on the spot before finally crashing heavily to the ground, completely lifeless.

[Successfully killed Low-grade Second-order Demonic Beast: Swamp Giant Crocodile] [Gained Points: 50] [Gained Experience: 150] [Level Up! Current Level: 5 (121/200)]

Lin Xiao landed steadily and let out a long sigh, listening to the system prompts in his mind.

They won.

A virtually perfect hunt against a superior opponent!

"We... we succeeded?" Shi Lei looked at his still slightly trembling fist, then at the crocodile corpse that resembled a small mountain, his face filled with disbelief.

Su Yue also emerged from her hiding spot. Looking at Lin Xiao, her beautiful eyes were already filled with admiration.

From formulating the plan to luring it, and finally to the fatal blow, every step was meticulously linked and executed with extreme precision. All of this credit was due to Lin Xiao's near-monstrous command and judgment.

"Don't celebrate too early," Lin Xiao said, showing no signs of relaxation. "The smell of blood will attract other trouble. Hurry up and process the spoils, then we leave immediately."

The three immediately got to work.

Lin Xiao skillfully cut open the giant crocodile's head and retrieved a fist-sized Second-order Beast Core radiating dense water-attribute spiritual energy.

Just as they were preparing to skin the valuable crocodile hide, a voice, tinged with a hint of flippancy and mockery, drifted leisurely from the woods behind them.

"Heh heh, your cooperation was truly spectacular. You even managed to hunt a Second-order Swamp Giant Crocodile. This great gift will be gratefully accepted by our 'Heavenly Wolf Society'."