Outside the Myriad Beast Mountain Range, the atmosphere in Cloud Creek Academy's inner plaza had already reached a fever pitch.
Tens of thousands of students' family members, academy instructors, and representatives from every force in Cloud Creek City had gathered beneath the enormous light screen, anxiously watching the rankings and scores constantly shifting across it.
A thousand names were densely arranged across the screen, each followed by a string of numbers representing points. Those at the very top were all renowned geniuses from this round of admissions, their scores steadily climbing at a stable pace.
Yet just one hour earlier, an anomaly had burst into everyone's sight without warning.
"Look! That guy named Lin Xiao has risen again!" "My heavens, he's already reached fifty-third place! Who is he? How come we've never heard of him before?" "Qingyang City... what kind of place is that? Some backwater border town? How could someone this fierce come from there?!"
Discussion surged through the crowd like rising waves. Everyone's eyes were fixed on that name rocketing upward as if strapped to a rocket—Lin Xiao!
In the span of a single quarter-hour, his points had skyrocketed from an unremarkable twenty-something to one hundred and seventy. He had charged straight from the bottom of the rankings into the top hundred, and he was still climbing with terrifying momentum.
On the high platform, the three academy higher-ups wore entirely different expressions.
"President Chu, this Lin Xiao seems to be the youth who punched out nearly nine grids of force during the initial registration test," said a slightly plump elder, stroking his beard with surprise in his eyes.
"Oh? Him?" Chu Tianxing, the vice president of the outer academy, was intrigued as well. A glint flashed through his cloudy old eyes as he studied the name on the light screen. "His strength in the initial test was astonishing, and his points in the practical examination are just as ferocious. It seems it wasn't luck. Go fetch his file for me."
Before long, a simple dossier on Lin Xiao was presented to him.
When Chu Tianxing saw the words "Place of Origin: Qingyang City" and "Aptitude Test Result: None" on the file, his brows furrowed slightly.
No background, no letter of recommendation, not even the most basic record of an aptitude test. Yet this youth, whose history was so clean it was nearly strange, had erupted with strength far beyond that of his peers. That alone was filled with suspicion.
"Interesting." Chu Tianxing set down the file, an enigmatic smile appearing at the corner of his lips. "Continue observing him. I'd like to see just how great a surprise this dark horse from a remote little city can bring us."
Meanwhile, deep within the Myriad Beast Mountain Range.
Lin Xiao and the other two had no idea that they had already stirred up a great commotion in the outside world. At that moment, they were carefully making their way through a damp swamp.
"Lin Xiao, why did we come to this damned place? It's wet, it stinks, and there isn't even a spot to put your foot down." Shi Lei grumbled as he cautiously avoided a bubbling mud pit beneath his feet.
"Because it's safe." Lin Xiao lowered his voice, his gaze vigilantly sweeping the surroundings. "The more deserted a place like this is, the less likely we are to encounter other student squads. Besides, based on the map and my own deductions, a highly valuable demonic beast should live in the center of this swamp."
After robbing Li Mo's squad, their points had soared, but they had also become targets for all. Lin Xiao knew very well that their ranking had surely caught the attention of many powerful teams. Rather than butting heads with others in the popular hunting grounds, it was better to do the opposite and seek out areas everyone else had overlooked.
"A highly valuable demonic beast?" Su Yue's beautiful eyes lit up. "What is it?"
"A Low-grade Second-order Demonic Beast, a Swamp Giant Crocodile." Lin Xiao's tone carried a trace of gravity. "This demonic beast is valuable from head to toe. Not only is its beast core worth fifty points, but its hide is also excellent material for making inner armor. Most importantly, it is lazy by nature and usually stays near its nest. As long as we prepare properly and strike with intent against the unprepared, our chances of success will be high."
At the words "Second-order Demonic Beast," Shi Lei and Su Yue's expressions both changed slightly.
That was an existence equivalent to cultivators at Body Refinement Fourth Level through Sixth Level! With the three of them only at Body Refinement Third Level, challenging it was no different from pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth.
"Lin Xiao, isn't this... a little too risky?" Su Yue asked worriedly.
"Fortune is sought amid danger." Lin Xiao's eyes were exceptionally resolute. "There are less than two days left in the examination. If we methodically hunt First Order Demonic Beasts, at most we can hold onto a place in the top hundred. If we want to charge into the top ten, or even higher, then we have to take a dangerous gamble!"
Seeing the confidence in Lin Xiao's eyes, the doubts in Shi Lei and Su Yue's hearts gradually faded, replaced by a blazing surge of heroic spirit.
"Let's do it!" Shi Lei slapped his chest. "I've wanted to test the mettle of a Second-order Demonic Beast for ages! We'll follow your command!"
Su Yue nodded heavily as well. "That's right. We'll listen to you!"
Seeing that the two had reached a consensus, Lin Xiao smiled faintly. He knew that trust was the most important thing in a team.
"Good. According to my plan, we first need to do this..." Lin Xiao gathered the two together and began quietly laying out a detailed battle plan.
Half an hour later, the three arrived at the center of the swamp.
It was a massive mud-pit lake. The water was murky beyond measure, green duckweed floated across its surface, and huge bubbles occasionally rose from the lakebed, releasing a rotten stench.
On a shallow bank in the center of the lake, a gigantic beast over five meters long lay dozing. Its entire body was covered in dark green scales as thick and heavy as rock. Its savage maw hung half open, exposing Fangs as sharp as daggers. The sight alone made one's scalp prickle.
It was their target—the Swamp Giant Crocodile!
[System Notification: Low-grade Second-order Demonic Beast discovered—Swamp Giant Crocodile] [Scanning target: Swamp Giant Crocodile] [Realm: Peak Body Refinement Fourth Level] [Weakness Analysis: The armor on its abdomen is relatively weak; its eyes are fatal weak points; it turns slowly.] [Special Ability: Death Roll (Once it bites its prey, 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, even though Shi Lei and Su Yue had mentally prepared themselves, they could not help swallowing.
Lin Xiao's expression remained calm. He gave the two a hand signal, indicating that the plan had begun.
Shi Lei took a deep breath and untied a huge boulder bound with vines from his back. He had specially prepared it earlier along the way. He poured all the strength in his body into his arms, veins bulging and muscles knotting.
"Hah!"
With a thunderous shout, he hurled the several-hundred-pound boulder at the Swamp Giant Crocodile's head like a catapult!
"Whoosh—bang!"
The boulder traced an arc through the air and struck the giant crocodile's eyelid with perfect accuracy, producing a dull boom.
"Roar—!"
The Swamp Giant Crocodile, its pleasant dream disturbed, flew into a rage at once! It abruptly opened its murky, brutal eyes and let out an earth-shaking roar. The entire swamp seemed to tremble with it.
Its massive body rose from the mud pit, locking onto the direction from which the boulder had come. Its four limbs moved, and with an irresistible momentum, it charged toward Shi Lei on the shore!
"It's coming! Follow the plan!" Lin Xiao shouted in a low voice.
Shi Lei showed no fear. Instead, he gave an excited roar and turned to run. His task was to draw the giant crocodile's hatred and lure it to the battlefield they had prepared in advance.
Though the Swamp Giant Crocodile was enormous, it moved astonishingly fast through the mud. It chased closely behind Shi Lei, its gaping maw brushing past Shi Lei's back several times by the narrowest margin, making Su Yue's heart leap into her throat from afar.
At last, Shi Lei lured the giant crocodile onto a relatively dry patch of hard ground. Lin Xiao had set up many sharpened wooden stakes and vine traps across the ground there beforehand.
"Now! Attack!"
The instant the giant crocodile stepped into empty air, tripped over the vines, and staggered, Lin Xiao and Su Yue, who had been lying in ambush on either side, launched their attacks simultaneously!
"Starlight Sword Rain!"
Su Yue gave a clear cry, and the soft sword in her hand transformed into a sky full of stars. Countless fierce Sword Qi poured down like a torrential rain toward the giant crocodile's relatively soft abdomen!
"Clang, clang, clang!"
A string of metallic clashes rang out. Though the Sword Qi was sharp, when it struck the giant crocodile's scales, it could only scatter sparks and leave behind shallow white marks.
"This thing's defense is ridiculous!" Su Yue cried out.
"Its weakness is its eyes!"
Lin Xiao's voice sounded like a ghost from the giant crocodile's other side.
At some point, he had used the opportunity of the giant crocodile being tripped to climb a nearby tree. Now, like a hunting cheetah descending from the sky, he plunged downward. The refined steel dagger in his hand carved a deadly arc through the air as it stabbed straight for the giant crocodile's left eye!
This strike was fast, precise, and ruthless!
The giant crocodile sensed the fatal threat and violently swung its head, trying to avoid the deadly blow.
But how could Lin Xiao's attack be so easily evaded?
[System Notification: In 0.5 seconds, the target's head movement will expose its left eye within attack range!]
In midair, Lin Xiao forcibly twisted his body, and the dagger's trajectory shifted by the slightest degree.
"Squelch!"
The sharp dagger pierced deeply and precisely into the Swamp Giant Crocodile's left eye!
"Roar—!"
The world-destroying pain drove the Swamp Giant Crocodile completely mad! It released an even more miserable roar than before as its massive body began twisting and rolling wildly!
"Death Roll!"
After landing his strike, Lin Xiao tapped the giant crocodile's head with the tip of his foot and borrowed the force to drift backward through the air, narrowly avoiding the gaping maw that could have torn even steel into pieces.
"Shi Lei! Now! Attack its other eye!" Lin Xiao roared from midair.
"Coming!"
Shi Lei, who had long been ready, shot forward like a cannonball. Taking advantage of the instant when the giant crocodile's agonized rolling exposed its remaining intact eye, he unleashed his strongest strike!
He gathered all his strength into his right fist. The surface of his fist even glowed with a faint earthy-yellow light from the intense friction of spiritual energy.
"Mountain Splitting Fist · Rock Shatter!"
"Bang—!"
The punch landed squarely on the giant crocodile's right eye!
The fragile eyeball burst apart like an overripe tomato beneath Shi Lei's terrifying strength!
"Aoo..."
The blinded Swamp Giant Crocodile released one final cry of despair and unwillingness. Its colossal body convulsed wildly a few times before crashing heavily to the ground, completely losing all signs of life.
[Successfully killed Low-grade Second-order Demonic Beast: Swamp Giant Crocodile] [Points obtained: 50] [Experience obtained: 150] [Level increased! Current Level: 5 (121/200)]
Lin Xiao landed steadily on the ground. Listening to the system notifications in his mind, he let out a long breath.
They had won.
A nearly perfect hunt across levels!
"We... we succeeded?" Shi Lei looked at his still slightly trembling fist, then at the giant crocodile's corpse lying like a small mountain. His face was full of disbelief.
Su Yue also ran out from her hiding place. Her beautiful eyes were already filled with little stars of admiration as she looked at Lin Xiao.
From devising the plan to luring it in and delivering the final fatal blow, every link had meshed perfectly, precise to the extreme. All of it had come from Lin Xiao's almost monstrous command and judgment.
"Don't celebrate too early." Lin Xiao showed no sign of relaxing. "The smell of blood will attract other trouble. Handle the spoils quickly. We leave immediately."
The three immediately got to work.
Lin Xiao skillfully cut open the giant crocodile's skull and removed a fist-sized Second-Order Beast Core brimming with dense water-attributed spiritual energy.
But just as they were about to strip away the valuable crocodile hide, a somewhat flippant and teasing voice drifted leisurely from the forest behind them.
"Hehe, the three of you worked together magnificently. You even managed to hunt a Second-order Swamp Giant Crocodile. Then our Heavenly Wolf Society will shamelessly accept this generous gift."
Before you continue