Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber-Level Movement Technique

Time gradually passed.

Within the ruined fortress crawling with demon beasts, bloody battles erupted incessantly in countless corners.

Although the demon beasts outnumbered and generally outmatched most of the martial artists taking the examination, before the cunning human martial artists, the demon beasts' clear yet foolish lack of intelligence was magnified without limit, becoming a fatal weakness that allowed one human martial artist after another to hunt them down.

Night fell.

On the rooftop of a building somewhere in the ruined fortress, two figures were locked in fierce combat.

"Whew~"

A black glint flashed past. Chen Lin, panting heavily, dropped to one knee atop the roof ridge. A bead of blood slowly slid down the edge of the Deep Blue Sword in his hand.

Behind Chen Lin, a figure fell helplessly from the eaves and slammed heavily into the ground, leaving a mess in its wake.

[Slaughter Points +1.5]

"This Two-Tailed Cat really was difficult to deal with. If I hadn't awakened Spirit Sense Power and been able to control foreign objects to hinder its movements, I'm afraid I would've returned to my homeland tonight!" Chen Lin rose and leaped down from the roof, walking toward the Two-Tailed Cat's corpse on the ground.

The Two-Tailed Cat on the ground was not particularly large, only around three meters long. Its fur was entirely black, and if one was not careful at night, one could easily be ambushed and killed by it.

At this moment, a horrifying wound split open its abdomen. Dark-red blood and its organs had stained a patch of the nearby ground crimson.

"If you'd run into other martial artists, you might really have succeeded in ambushing them. Too bad you ran into me, who awakened Spirit Sense Power. All I can say is that you were unlucky!" Chen Lin shook his head with a sigh, cut off its right ear, and stuffed it into the bulging cloth sack at his waist.

"The twenty-ninth."

After putting away his spoils, Chen Lin calculated silently.

"Judging by the past Demon Slayer Envoy examination results, hunting fifteen mid-stage ferocious beast-level demon beasts is usually more than enough to obtain the status of Demon Slayer Envoy. I've already hunted twenty-nine demon beasts, including a Two-Tailed Cat whose strength rivals that of an early Martial Master. Passing the practical examination is absolutely no problem. Next, I need to make good use of this rare opportunity. While honing my martial skills, I should hunt as many as I can."

In his previous battles, in order to preserve as much combat strength as possible, Chen Lin had always unleashed his full power in an instant and crushed the demon beasts to death outright. The two sides had not even been on the same level. After killing the demon beasts, his combat ability had not received the slightest bit of tempering.

It was not that this was bad, but Chen Lin knew very well that if this continued for too long, it would always become a hidden danger on his martial path.

After all, when he ventured deep into demon beast territory in the future, it was impossible that every demon beast he encountered would be far weaker than him, right?

As someone with a cheat, he also had a competitive desire in his heart to defeat the strong while weak.

"From now on, I'll suppress my strength to the Late Martial Disciple stage and fight the demon beasts here."

Chen Lin came to the roof of a house and began searching for a target to hone his combat techniques on.

"Mm, you'll do!"

Chen Lin spotted a Fox-Faced Dog searching for prey nearby. His eyes lit up, and he immediately pounced toward it.

"Wooo~"

When the Fox-Faced Dog saw its suddenly appearing prey, its scarlet eyes immediately brightened. After opening its mouth and letting out a howl, its body paused sharply before it lunged at Chen Lin in an instant.

Early the next morning, before the sky had brightened.

On the streets of the ruined fortress, Xu Tao, holding a long saber and covered in blood, strolled along slowly and without restraint.

"I wonder how many demon beasts that Chen Lin from the War God Temple has hunted by now. I really hope the Demon Slayer Envoy examination ends soon! I'm getting a little impatient! Hehehehe~" Xu Tao muttered to himself.

"Mm?" Xu Tao's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked toward a street corner in the distance.

There, a figure was locked in constant combat with two Fox-Faced Dogs.

The two Fox-Faced Dogs let out low growls. They were incredibly fast, their sharp claws swinging without pause, while the figure continually dodged with agile movements as he fought the two Fox-Faced Dogs.

"Chen Lin, you're having this much trouble killing two Fox-Faced Dogs? I thought too highly of you!" Xu Tao sneered loudly.

Squelch! Squelch!

[Slaughter Points +1.2]

[Slaughter Points +1.2]

Almost like lightning, Chen Lin swung his treasured sword and delivered two thrusts, cleanly and decisively finishing off the two Fox-Faced Dogs.

Xu Tao's eyelids twitched at the sight.

"So fast, and such clean attacks!" Xu Tao's heart skipped a beat as he muttered, "Agile footwork, vicious moves... I don't think I could do that!"

Xu Tao had thought Chen Lin struggled even to kill a Fox-Faced Dog, but Chen Lin's final two clean, decisive strikes had startled him.

Only then did Xu Tao realize that Chen Lin was not as weak as he had imagined.

Looking at the two Fox-Faced Dogs, Chen Lin muttered softly, "I originally wanted to play with you a little longer and continue tempering my combat ability. But since an annoying fellow has appeared, I don't want him figuring out the extent of my strength."

He bent down, cut off the Fox-Faced Dogs' right ears, and placed them into the cloth sack at his waist. Then, without even sparing Xu Tao a glance, he turned and left decisively.

Xu Tao's face turned green with rage. He felt as though he had been ignored, and his hatred for Chen Lin deepened by several degrees.

All around the ruined fortress, slaughter continued without end.

Some martial artists were fighting demon beasts for the first time. Because they lacked courage, many were killed when the demon beasts seized the brief instant they froze during battle.

Some martial artists, after killing a demon beast, could not bear the bloody sight and vomited a complete mess, causing their combat strength to plummet before they were ambushed and killed by demon beasts.

There were also some formidable martial artists who, after killing demon beasts, not only showed no reaction at all, but instead grew exceptionally excited. Their combat strength surged, and they began crazily hunting down demon beasts.

On the arrow towers surrounding the ruined fortress, the lofty observers had every contestant's performance within the fortress in full view.

On one of the towers, the Burly Man in Black handed a bronze gong to the white-robed old man sitting cross-legged and remarked with a sigh, "The youngsters in this round of assessment are still a bit green when it comes to combat ability, aren't they?"

"They are indeed a little green, but they also remind me of the days when I was young, fighting monsters to the death. Just as young, just as inexperienced!" the white-robed old man said sentimentally.

"Old Zhang, in the blink of an eye, we've known each other for decades. Both our potential has long been exhausted, and our paths in martial arts have been cut off. It really is hard to accept!" the Burly Man in Black said with a wistful expression.

"Look on the bright side. At least we're still alive, which means there's still hope. So many people..." The white-robed old man's voice trailed off midway.

"What is it?" the Burly Man in Black asked in confusion.

"Old Huo, look!" The white-robed old man abruptly rose to his feet and pointed in a direction.

Following the direction he pointed, the Burly Man in Black saw five demonic beasts continuously attacking a sword-wielding martial artist on one of the ruined fortress's streets.

Those five demonic beasts were Fox-Faced Dogs with the strength of mid-stage Martial Apprentices, while the young sword-wielding martial artist under attack was none other than Chen Lin.

"Oh-ho!" The Burly Man in Black's eyes lit up as he exclaimed in surprise.

"This kid is actually treating the Demon Slayer Envoy assessment as an opportunity to temper his combat abilities. He's bold indeed! And... look at the coordination between his footwork and swordsmanship. It's truly remarkable! If I'd had talent like this back then, I'd at least be a Martial King by now. And take a close look at his footwork." The white-robed old man clicked his tongue in amazement. "This kid's footwork has already reached Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber!"

"His footwork has reached Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber?" The Burly Man in Black sucked in a sharp breath, staring fixedly at Chen Lin amid the attacks of the five Fox-Faced Dogs.

Facing the five Fox-Faced Dogs' attacks, Chen Lin never made large movements when evading. Yet every time, he nimbly slipped past their attacks. That relaxed ease and fluid, natural grace left both the Burly Man in Black and the white-robed old man endlessly amazed.

For a martial artist, bringing one's footwork to Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber was an exceedingly difficult matter.

Many Martial Ancestor-level martial artists had never cultivated their footwork to Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber, which showed just how difficult it was to reach that level.

For footwork to reach Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber, one needed not only exceptional talent, but also solid foundational training in footwork and a wealth of combat experience. Only then might one achieve sudden enlightenment and cultivate it to that level.

"This kid is only eighteen, yet his footwork has already entered Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber. Unbelievable, truly unbelievable!" The Burly Man in Black first clicked his tongue in awe, then let out a soft sigh. "What a pity. I didn't discover him sooner. Such a terrible pity!"

"How do you know his age and cultivation realm? Do you know this young man?" The white-robed old man looked at the Burly Man in Black in astonishment.