I Believe You, Ghost

At the entrance to the temporary camp north of the ruined fortress, lifeless bodies were piled haphazardly on the ground.

Not a single body was intact. Most had been half-devoured by Demonic Beasts, while a smaller portion, though complete, were so mangled and bloody that they were horrifying to behold.

This terrifying and gruesome scene served as a constant reminder to the returning Martial Artists of the brutality involved in fighting Demonic Beasts.

As the Demon Slayer Envoy assessment concluded, Martial Artists began to emerge from the Demonic Beast horde surrounding the ruined fortress, returning to the temporary camp one after another.

Almost every returning Martial Artist was stained with blood, some the blood of Demonic Beasts, and some their own.

Some Martial Artists were being supported or carried out of the ruined fortress.

Before entering the temporary camp, these individuals would subconsciously glance at the piles of mangled corpses at the camp entrance.

Then, some would break down and wail uncontrollably.

"Xiao Lin! Xiao Lin!"

"A Fei! Look at me! Look at me!"

"Fatty, wake up! Fatty, don't scare me!"

Seeing more and more Martial Artists breaking down in tears, the Silver-armored General at the camp entrance couldn't help but reprimand them sternly, "What are you crying about? Do you think anyone dies when fighting Demonic Beasts?"

As soon as the Silver-armored General finished speaking, many Martial Artists glared at him angrily.

But the Silver-armored General paid them no mind. Instead, he swept his icy gaze over them and continued his chilling lecture.

"What are you looking at? You're not convinced? Since you've chosen the path of a Martial Artist, you should have been prepared to die at any moment."

"Why do the Eighty-One Cities of the Five Nations grant Martial Artists such high status and wealth? It's not for you to stay in the rear cities and indulge in pleasure. It's for you to enter the Demonic Beast territories and fight them, to carve out more living space for humanity. You will have to learn to get used to death sooner or later."

"The Demonic Beasts you faced in this practical assessment were specially selected. There were no particularly powerful ones among them. If you can't even defeat these Demonic Beasts, then I advise you to abandon the path of a Martial Artist as soon as possible, lest you end up being devoured by Demonic Beasts one day."

The Silver-armored General's words immediately silenced all the returning Martial Artists.

These Martial Artists participating in the Demon Slayer Envoy assessment were already the cream of the crop from their respective cities. They knew a lot about Demonic Beasts and understood that the Silver-armored General was not wrong.

The Demonic Beasts they faced in the assessment were indeed not the most troublesome among their kind.

If they had faced Demonic Beasts that operated in groups during the assessment, such as wolf packs, rodent-like Demonic Beasts, or swarms of flying Demonic Beasts, not only would they have failed the practical assessment, but surviving the ruined fortress itself would have been a question.

Furthermore, in the future, when entering the Demonic Beast territories, the strength of the Demonic Beasts they would encounter would not be as evenly distributed as in this assessment.

With a bit of bad luck, encountering a Demonic Beast several realms higher than themselves would spell their doom.

The conflict between humans and Demonic Beasts had always been bloody, cruel, and merciless.

Seeing that the Martial Artists had fallen silent, the Silver-armored General stopped his reprimand and loudly commanded, "Now, we will begin verifying your results. Line up and submit your proof!"

"Li Ming, right ears of 12 Iron-Haired Dogs, right ears of 3 Fox-Faced Dogs, chest wound. Next."

"Zhang Qiang, right ears of 13 Iron-Haired Dogs, right ears of 5 Fox-Faced Dogs, leg wound. Next."

"Zheng Yukang, right ears of 9 Fox-Faced Dogs, right ear of 1 Two-Tailed Cat, arm, thigh, and chest wounds. Next."

In the center of the temporary camp, each Martial Artist who entered submitted the right ears of the Demonic Beasts they had hunted, proving the quantity and quality of their kills.

"It's Chen Fan's turn!"

"As one of the two most outstanding martial arts talents recruited by the War God Temple this year, how many Demonic Beasts do you think he hunted?"

"It should be a lot. I heard someone witnessed his fight against the Iron-Haired Dogs. The only description was 'like slicing through vegetables.'"

"That impressive? Then I'm a little curious!"

Chen Lin listened to the discussions around him as he watched Chen Fan dumping the Demonic Beast ears, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Compared to the dozen or so Demonic Beast ears submitted by the Martial Artists before him, the number of Demonic Beast ears Chen Fan poured out of his sack was significantly larger.

This also indirectly proved that his strength ranked among the top contenders in this batch of Demon Slayer Envoy assessment participants.

Chen Fan, who was currently dumping Demonic Beast ears on the field, couldn't help but smirk as he heard the surrounding discussions.

"That's a lot!"

"Yeah, yeah! Compared to those who submitted their proof earlier, it's like comparing the heavens to the earth!"

"How many Demonic Beasts did he actually kill!"

After counting the Demonic Beast ears submitted by Chen Fan, the Silver-armored General announced expressionlessly in a loud voice, "Chen Fan, a total of 46 Demonic Beasts killed. Among them, 23 Iron-Haired Dogs, 13 Fox-Faced Dogs, and 10 Two-Tailed Cats. No injuries."

As the Silver-armored General's announcement echoed, the onlookers erupted in a clamor.

"So many? How did he do it?"

"We're all Martial Artists, yet the gap between us and him is so huge!"

"Comparing people makes you want to die, comparing goods makes you want to throw them away. He's not leaving any face for us ordinary folks!"

"I wonder who's better, him or that Chen Lin from the War God Temple?"

"I heard that Chen Lin from the War God Temple is not only younger than Chen Fan but also has a higher cultivation realm. I just don't know about his combat strength. I really want to know how many Demonic Beasts he hunted."

"Before yesterday's practical assessment, my friend told me that Senior Huo from the War God Temple brought Chen Fan to see that Martial Artist named Chen Lin. They say they got shut down."

After finishing his registration, Chen Fan heard the discussions in the arena gradually straying off-topic. He immediately frowned and couldn't help but look around for Chen Lin.

After searching for a while, his gaze happened to meet Chen Lin's in the crowd.

Immediately, his eyes looked at Chen Lin provocatively, and he casually made a thumbs-down gesture.

Seeing Chen Fan's contemptuous expression, Chen Lin couldn't help but frown.

He had no prior connection with Chen Xu from the Martial Arts Academy. They had only met for the first time yesterday, and he didn't know why they harbored such animosity towards him.

"A'Lin, this Chen Fan is quite a formidable individual!"

Chen Yu appeared beside Chen Lin at some point. After hearing the number of Demonic Beast right ears Chen Fan submitted, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Hearing this, Chen Lin looked at Chen Yu with delight and asked with a smile, "Brother Yu, when did you get back?"

"I just got back!" Chen Yu replied with a smile.

"Brother Yu, how many Demonic Beasts did you hunt?" Chen Lin asked curiously.

"30," Chen Yu answered, then asked with a smile, "What about you? How many did you hunt?"

"Not many! About the same number as you hunted!" Chen Lin replied with a smile.

"I don't believe you! Look at how bulging your bag is; it's clearly a lot. I'd better hurry up and submit mine! I don't want to end up behind you and be compared to trash!" Chen Yu glanced at the cloth bag on Chen Lin's waist, rolled his eyes, and then quickly squeezed out of the crowd, heading towards the registration area.