Swift and Deadly

The Hundred Beasts Garden held a hundred demon beasts, and since the garden itself was not very large, it was extremely easy to find a target.

Of course, it was also more dangerous.

The demon beasts were very close to one another. If he failed to dispatch his opponent cleanly and efficiently, he could easily attract other demon beasts and find himself surrounded.

Lu Ming naturally had nothing to fear. It was merely a demon beast that had just entered the second level, and he was confident he could deal with it swiftly.

The Steward Disciple followed behind him without saying a word. Lu Ming paid him no mind, carefully searching for a target. Before long, he noticed some movement.

"Moo~"

What emerged was an Ironclad Rhinoceros. Its entire body was wrapped in scales as large as cup mouths, while its hooves were as broad as bowl mouths. Its enormous body left deep footprints in the ground.

A sharp, black horn jutted from the top of its head, radiating a sinister, icy gleam beneath the sunlight.

"Is it this demon beast?"

When he saw the Ironclad Rhinoceros, the Steward Disciple following behind Lu Ming's eyes flickered. Based on his knowledge of the Hundred Beasts Garden, this demon beast could be counted among the strongest few within it.

Its body was clad in iron armor that swords and sabers could scarcely damage. More troublesome still, beneath the iron armor lay a layer of fat, soft as cotton and incapable of transmitting force.

As a result, it was extremely difficult for force to penetrate inside.

On top of that, the horn atop its head was sharp and laced with deadly poison. Anyone impaled by it would die without timely treatment.

Even he, with a mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm cultivation and an extremely formidable Human-grade, peak-stage martial skill, would not dare be the slightest bit careless when facing this demon beast.

Thus, he secretly circulated his Zhen Qi, intending to step in and rescue Lu Ming in time.

The thought even crossed his mind of advising Lu Ming to choose another target, considering that he was a descendant of Elder Ming's friend.

That way, he could avoid failing the examination.

However, before he could open his mouth, Lu Ming had already leaped forward.

The instant the Ironclad Rhinoceros emerged, Lu Ming had already grasped most of the situation. The beast was clearly one with extremely formidable defenses.

Its offensive power was certainly great as well, but it had one fatal flaw: it was terribly cumbersome.

Lu Ming had abundant experience dealing with such creatures.

Thus, after observing the situation clearly, he shot out like a phantom. His saber left its sheath, and in an instant, saber light flashed again and again.

Then, under the Steward Disciple's stunned gaze, the Ironclad Rhinoceros crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

"What happened?"

Lu Ming's speed had been far too fast. The Steward Disciple had not yet figured out what had happened, and with the dust billowing into the air, he could only walk closer.

Only then did he see that the Ironclad Rhinoceros's four limbs had already been crippled. Though it continued struggling with all its might, it could not stand up. It seemed Lu Ming's strikes had been both precise and ruthless.

"How did you do that?"

After seeing the situation clearly, the Steward Disciple could not help asking. It had happened far too quickly—even he could not have done it.

Lu Ming spun the long saber in his hand, completely ending the demon beast's suffering, then casually explained:

"The Ironclad Rhinoceros isn't hard as iron all over. The places where its four limbs connect to its abdomen are its weak points."

The Steward Disciple looked where Lu Ming indicated and, sure enough, saw four saber wounds there, each cutting straight to the bone.

After seeing them, the Steward Disciple could not help shaking his head. Though Lu Ming made it sound easy, if someone else tried to repeat the same feat, they would likely find it extremely difficult.

They had to strike four times in four different directions, almost simultaneously.

This required not only astonishing speed and exceptionally keen eyesight, but also swift and precise technique.

Miss even one of these requirements and the feat could not be completed. A slight mistake might even cost them their life.

Thus, at this moment, he had only one evaluation of Lu Ming: his attacks were exceptionally swift and deadly.

He had even begun unconsciously wondering whether he could withstand such rapid attacks himself.

"Let's go."

By then, Lu Ming had already lifted the Ironclad Rhinoceros and was heading outside.

The Steward Disciple came back to his senses and hurried after him.

They had not gone very far into the Hundred Beasts Garden, so they soon walked out.

By then, only a little incense had burned away—just a few minutes.

"So soon?"

When Lu Ming emerged, Elder Ming, who had been waiting in his chair, could not help standing up.

Then, upon seeing the Ironclad Rhinoceros slung over Lu Ming's back, he was even more secretly astonished.

He naturally knew what level this demon beast was. At first, he had assumed that Lu Ming had come out so quickly because he had encountered an exceptionally easy demon beast to deal with.

Although he knew Lu Ming's combat strength was extremely formidable and that he could fight above his level, this demon beast was different. Even if a mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm cultivator took action, they could not have emerged this quickly.

Whether they could even defeat it was another matter entirely.

The Steward Disciple soon recounted the entire process. Besides protecting the disciples taking the examination, his duty also included evaluating their performance.

After hearing the account, Elder Ming was increasingly satisfied with Lu Ming. However, he forcefully suppressed his feelings and did not show them as he said:

"You did very well. Your saber technique is extremely precise. As long as you maintain this standard, your future will be limitless. You have passed the examination. However, you must wait a little longer. Once the others finish their examinations, I'll take you to change your status to that of an Inner Sect Disciple."

He had worked very hard to give an evaluation that was neither too high nor too low.

This left the Steward Disciple beside him muttering inwardly, wondering if the evaluation was too low.

Unable to understand, he could only guess that Elder Ming had higher expectations for this descendant of his old friend.

Lu Ming knew the reason, but even if he had not, he would not have cared. After saluting, he withdrew to the side and waited quietly.

Elder Ming sat down again.

A short while passed, and someone emerged once more.

It was one of the people who had just taken the examination. From his dejected appearance, it was obvious that he had come out so quickly because he had failed.

Sure enough, the Steward Disciple reported:

"The moment he encountered a demon beast, he panicked. During the fight, he was even more flustered and clumsy. In the end, I was the one who rescued him."

Hearing this, the disciple lowered his head, his face flushing red.

Elder Ming's brows knitted tightly. He picked up the roster and glanced at it.

"You've never encountered a demon beast before?"

The disciple hurriedly shook his head. "Reporting to Elder, I spent nearly all my time cultivating cultivation methods and martial skills."

Elder Ming sighed. He did not criticize him further, merely reminding him:

"Practical combat is also important. Practicing against a wooden dummy and fighting living creatures—especially demon beasts—are completely different."

"Fortunately, you're still young and have opportunities left. Go back and spend more time tempering yourself in the outskirts of the Wuji Mountain Range."

After saying that, he drew a cross over the disciple's name.

"Yes."

The disciple left respectfully. Before departing, he could not help glancing at Lu Ming. He really wanted to know how Lu Ming had come out so quickly, and whether he had succeeded.

However, seeing that Lu Ming had not left, he assumed Lu Ming had succeeded.

Or perhaps Elder Ming had opened some back door for this descendant of his old friend.

In any case, his mind was filled with tangled thoughts.

Lu Ming could also see many things from his eyes.

Naturally, Elder Ming could as well. With a casual wave of his hand, he took the Ironclad Rhinoceros—which had already been stored inside his Storage Ring—back out and tossed it onto the ground.

Then he waited quietly.

Only a few dozen breaths after the first failure had left, someone else emerged. This time, it was a disciple who had participated in the examination before.

He was tall and broad, and he had likely practiced External Skill.

On his back was a gigantic black bear.

The moment he walked out, he saw Lu Ming and froze. He had thought he would be the fastest person to pass the examination.

For him, this was his final chance. To ensure there were no mishaps, he had stayed in the Wuji Mountain Range for over five months.

During those five months, apart from eating, drinking, and sleeping, he had spent all his time fighting various demon beasts.

He had faced the threat of death three times. Fortunately, he had survived them all, and those experiences had brought about a transformation in him.

This time, he had thought he would amaze everyone with a single brilliant feat. He had even deliberately chosen one of the strongest demon beasts in the Hundred Beasts Garden as his target.

He wanted to prove himself.

He had not expected someone to be even faster than him.

Still, he felt certain that Lu Ming had simply gotten lucky and encountered a demon beast that was exceptionally easy to deal with. He even began entertaining the same thought as the disciple who had failed: perhaps Elder Ming had opened some back door.

Only after seeing the Ironclad Rhinoceros lying on the ground nearby did he realize that he had been mistaken.

Thus, he could not help taking a few more looks at Lu Ming.

The Steward Disciple following behind him, however, had nothing like so many thoughts. He simply stepped forward and reported the situation.