Slaughter Begins

"Alright! If others don't want to compete, don't force them!" Huo Lixuan frowned, seeing the foolish behavior of the two behind him, and immediately stopped the two who were about to say more.

"Old Huo! It seems the good seedlings from your Martial Arts Academy this year still need some polishing! A bit too impatient!" He Yanjun couldn't help but tease when he saw this.

This immediately angered the two young men behind Huo Lixuan.

Seeing this, He Yanjun shook his head helplessly and called out to Chen Lin and the others, "You few, come with me. I have something to tell you."

After speaking, he led Chen Lin and the others away from Huo Lixuan's area.

Huo Lixuan's originally good mood was completely ruined by the two young men he had high hopes for.

After snorting at the two of them with displeasure, Huo Lixuan turned and strode away.

Xu Tao and the other stared at Chen Lin's departing back with ugly expressions, a hint of malice flashing in their eyes.

An hour passed quickly.

When the rest period ended, Chen Lin and his group, led by the general of the military camp, continued south in a mighty procession.

Half an hour later, the group arrived at the outskirts of a dilapidated fortress.

The sun was shining brightly at this time.

However, the various heart-pounding strange cries emanating from the dilapidated fortress made many people feel uneasy.

"Roar~"

"Aow~"

"Woo~"

Chen Lin looked up and saw that the broken city walls surrounding the fortress were filled with soldiers in light armor. Groups of various demonic beasts were constantly charging towards the dilapidated fortress as if they had gone mad.

"Chen Lin, do you see? Those demonic beasts ahead will be the targets for your practical assessment. These demonic beasts are not weak; the weakest are ferocious beasts at the early stage of Martial Apprentice, and the strongest can even be comparable to Martial Masters at the early stage. Their weakness is low intelligence, but their advantage is tough skin and thick flesh, and they are bloodthirsty and frenzied. Every year, many Martial Artists undergoing assessment lose their lives due to carelessness. You must be careful after you enter," He Yanjun, who had been following Chen Lin, pointed to the demonic beast horde ahead and reminded him.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior He," Chen Lin nodded.

"The assessment for Demon Slayer Envoy primarily aims to temper the mindset of you new generation Martial Artists. Remember, great strength doesn't necessarily mean you can kill demonic beasts! After all, some people have very poor courage. When they see blood or face life and death, it's good if they can exert even one-tenth of their strength. When you fight these demonic beasts, do not hesitate or show mercy," He Yanjun added with lingering concern.

"Understood," Chen Lin nodded again.

Chen Lin had heard this information from Zhu Wei at the Lieyang Martial Arts School many times before and was mentally prepared, so he was not overly surprised.

"Everyone~"

The deep and loud voice from before entered Chen Lin's ears again.

Chen Lin looked towards the sound and saw a burly, resolute-faced Golden Armored General standing on top of a giant tree not far from the team, speaking to all the Martial Artists. "This Demon Slayer Envoy assessment will follow the same rules as before. From the moment I announce the start until noon the next day, the more demonic beasts you kill and the stronger they are, the higher your accumulated points will be."

"Remember to cut off the right ear of the demonic beasts as proof after killing them. You will only have three chances to return to the temporary encampment to hand in your points during this period."

"Remember, killing fellow Martial Artists is forbidden. Those who violate this rule will be killed without mercy. All your actions are being watched by the patrol envoys on the fortress's arrow towers. Please abide by the rules and do not harbor any hope for luck."

"After the assessment ends, the top three hundred people in points will obtain the identity of a Nine-Star Demon Slayer Envoy. Those ranked below three hundred will have to participate in the next Demon Slayer Envoy assessment."

The Martial Artists below, hearing the Golden Armored General's announcement, immediately began to discuss amongst themselves. Some had eager and expectant eyes, some had cold eyes, some looked nervous, and some looked composed...

"Now I announce that the assessment begins. All participating Martial Artists, start hunting immediately." The Golden Armored General ignored the discussions below and directly announced the start of the assessment.

As the Golden Armored General's words fell, hundreds of participating Martial Artists immediately pounced towards the nearby demonic beast horde like arrows loosed from a bow.

As they got closer to the fortress, everyone began to consciously disperse to hunt their chosen prey.

"A'Lin, let's split up here. This Demon Slayer Envoy assessment is not only a test of strength but also a tempering of courage. If we stay together, we will definitely influence each other. It's better to separate," Chen Yu suggested to Chen Lin, who was accompanying him.

"Okay!" Chen Lin nodded upon hearing this.

He was already wondering how to find an excuse to hunt separately, but Chen Yu had taken the initiative to suggest it.

"A'Lin, be careful too. Don't push yourself too hard. If it's really not possible, just give up this opportunity and take it again later. Your life is the most important thing," Chen Yu reminded him earnestly.

"I know, I'll be careful! Brother Yu, you be careful too," Chen Lin replied with concern.

"Mhm, I know. See you tomorrow noon," Chen Yu said, turned around, and sped off in his chosen direction.

"According to the ancient sages' classification of demonic beasts, their ranks are divided into Ferocious Beasts, Demon Soldiers, Demon Generals, Demon Kings, Demon Emperors, and Demon Sovereigns, corresponding to the human races' Martial Apprentices, Martial Masters, Martial Ancestors, Martial Kings, Martial Emperors, and Martial Sovereigns."

"Although there are many monsters around this fortress, they can generally be divided into three major categories: felines that excel in speed, canines with moderate strength and speed, and porcines with great strength and strong defense," Chen Lin's eyes scanned the demonic beasts ahead as he mentally classified these monsters using his knowledge from his previous life.

Among these three categories, the porcines, with their high defense and great strength, were the most difficult demonic beasts to deal with. The felines, which were the fastest, had low defense but their extremely high speed and agility made them the demonic beasts Chen Lin least wanted to hunt currently.

After all, the Slaughter Points he had acquired during this period had all been added to his physical strength and soul, with no points added to his cultivation techniques or martial skills.

Finally, Chen Lin's gaze first fell on the canine demonic beasts, which had moderate speed and strength.

Chen Lin moved his body and quickly charged towards the nearest canine demonic beast.

Hearing the movement from behind, This demonic beast, with fur like steel needles and a height of nearly 1.8 meters, suddenly turned around, its scarlet beast eyes staring intently at the approaching Chen Lin.

"Aow~"

The demonic beast opened its blood-red maw and roared at Chen Lin before lunging at him fiercely, like a speeding heavy-duty off-road vehicle.

Chen Lin had no intention of clashing head-on with the Iron-Haired Dog from the start. The moment the Iron-Haired Dog lunged, he swiftly dodged to its side.

Before it could react, he fiercely swung his sword, aiming for the Iron-Haired Dog's waist.

The rapidly lunging Iron-Haired Dog had no time to stop its momentum.

As Chen Lin's sword fully penetrated its body, it could only let out a piercing howl. Then, its body was torn apart like a rag doll by immense force, its intestines and organs spilling out. It fell to the ground, twitching uncontrollably, clearly on the verge of death.

[Slaughter Points +1]

"Hoo~" Chen Lin let out a light breath, then directly cut off the Iron-Haired Dog's right ear and placed it into the cloth bag at his waist.

"This Iron-Haired Dog's strength is only comparable to a mid-stage Martial Apprentice. To get one point of Slaughter Points from a single one is truly surprising!" Chen Lin's eyes gleamed as he stared at the horde of Demonic Beasts in the distance, muttering to himself.

Given the Iron-Haired Dog's strength, an ordinary Martial Artist would struggle to kill one without at least half an hour of fighting.

The reason Chen Lin dispatched it so easily was not only his powerful strength but also his formidable spirit.

The Iron-Haired Dog's rapid speed was like a snail in Chen Lin's eyes.

This allowed Chen Lin to effortlessly dodge its lunge and, relying on the sharpness of his weapon and his own immense strength, kill the Iron-Haired Dog with a single sword strike – a beast that many would find troublesome.

Chen Lin's current strength was enough to fight even early-stage Demon Soldiers. Killing a fierce beast with strength close to that of a Martial Master was child's play.

"On to the next one!"

Chen Lin's figure flashed as he rapidly charged towards the direction of the fortress, leaving behind only the corpse of an Iron-Haired Dog, nearly severed at the waist, lying silently on the ground. Dark red blood stained the nearby soil.