Swift and Deadly

The Hundred Beasts Garden contained a hundred Demonic Beasts, and since the garden wasn't large, it was easy to find a target.

Of course, it was also more dangerous.

Because the distance between each Demonic Beast was very close, if one couldn't cleanly deal with the opponent in front of them, it was very likely to attract other Demonic Beasts and thus be surrounded.

Lu Ming naturally wasn't afraid. It was just a Demonic Beast that had just entered level two; he was confident he could deal with it quickly.

The Steward Disciple followed behind without a word. Lu Ming didn't mind, carefully searching for a target. Soon, he noticed some movement.

"Moo~"

What emerged was an Ironclad Rhinoceros, its body covered in scales the size of a cup, its hooves as large as bowls. Its massive form left deep footprints on the ground.

On its head was a sharp, black horn that emitted a cold, eerie glint in the sunlight.

"Is this the Demonic Beast?"

Seeing the Ironclad Rhinoceros, the Steward Disciple behind Lu Ming's eyes flickered. From his understanding of the Hundred Beasts Garden, this Demonic Beast was one of the strongest within.

Its iron-like armor made it difficult for blades and swords to wound, and what made it even more troublesome was a layer of oil beneath the armor, soft as cotton and unable to bear force.

Thus, it was difficult for strength to penetrate.

Coupled with its sharp, venomous horn, any creature gored by it would surely die without timely treatment.

Even he, possessing a mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm cultivation and having mastered a powerful Human-grade, peak stage martial skill, wouldn't dare to be careless when facing this Demonic Beast.

Therefore, he secretly circulated his True Qi, preparing to intervene and rescue Lu Ming at any moment.

He even considered asking Lu Ming to switch targets, given that Lu Ming was the descendant of Elder Ming's friend, to avoid the assessment failing.

However, before he could speak, Lu Ming had already leaped out.

The moment the Ironclad Rhinoceros emerged, Lu Ming had grasped most of the situation. The beast clearly had extremely strong defenses.

Its attack power would also be immense, but it had a fatal flaw: it was incredibly clumsy.

Lu Ming had extensive experience dealing with such opponents.

So, after a quick assessment, he moved like a phantom, drawing his long saber. The blade flashed repeatedly in an instant.

Then, to the Steward Disciple's shocked gaze, the Ironclad Rhinoceros crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"What happened?"

Lu Ming's speed was too great. The Steward Disciple hadn't grasped the situation yet, and with the dust kicked up, he could only walk closer.

Only then did he see that the Ironclad Rhinoceros's four limbs had been crippled. Despite its struggles, it couldn't stand up. It seemed the blows had been precise and ruthless.

"How did you do that?"

Seeing the situation clearly, the Steward Disciple couldn't help but ask, as it had happened too quickly for him to even react.

Lu Ming twirled his long saber, ending the Demonic Beast's suffering, and then casually explained:

"The Ironclad Rhinoceros isn't entirely as hard as iron. The connection points between its limbs and abdomen are its weak spots."

The Steward Disciple glanced where Lu Ming indicated and indeed saw four deep saber wounds at the spots he mentioned, reaching the bone.

After looking, the Steward Disciple couldn't help but shake his head. Although Lu Ming spoke so casually, if someone else tried to replicate it, it would be incredibly difficult.

Because one had to strike four precise blows almost simultaneously in four different directions.

This required not only extreme speed and superb eyesight but also incredibly fast and accurate technique.

Missing even one of these would make it impossible to succeed. In fact, even a slight mistake could lead to death.

Therefore, his only evaluation of Lu Ming at this moment was that his attacks were swift and fatal.

He even unconsciously began to wonder if he could withstand such rapid attacks from Lu Ming.

"Let's go."

By this time, Lu Ming had already lifted the Ironclad Rhinoceros and was heading out.

The Steward Disciple snapped back to attention and quickly followed.

Since they hadn't entered the Hundred Beasts Garden very far, they soon walked out.

At this point, only a small portion of the incense had burned, only a few minutes had passed.

"So fast?"

Seeing Lu Ming emerge so quickly, Elder Ming, who had been waiting on his seat, couldn't help but stand up.

Then, upon seeing the Ironclad Rhinoceros Lu Ming carried on his back, he was inwardly astonished.

He naturally knew the caliber of this Demonic Beast. At first, he thought Lu Ming had emerged so quickly because he'd encountered an easily dealt-with Demonic Beast.

Although he knew Lu Ming had strong combat power and could fight opponents above his level, this Demonic Beast was different. Even a mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm cultivator wouldn't be able to emerge this quickly.

It was even questionable whether they could defeat it at all.

The Steward Disciple quickly recounted the entire process. His role, besides protecting the assessment disciples, was to evaluate the assessment's progress.

After listening, Elder Ming became even more pleased with Lu Ming, though he suppressed his reaction. He said:

"You're very good. Your swordsmanship is precise. If you keep it up, your future is limitless. Your assessment is now complete. However, you'll have to wait a bit longer. After everyone else finishes their assessment, we'll take you to get your Inner Sect Disciple identity."

He said this evaluation, which was neither high nor low, with great effort.

This caused the Steward Disciple beside him to murmur, thinking the evaluation was too low.

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

Lu Ming knew the reason, but even if he didn't, he wouldn't have cared. After bowing, he retreated to the side to wait quietly.

With that, Elder Ming sat back down.

A moment passed quickly, and someone else emerged.

It was one of the participants in the assessment. Judging by his dejected appearance, it was clear he had failed and come out so quickly.

Indeed, the Steward Disciple reported the situation:

"He panicked as soon as he encountered the Demonic Beast, and became flustered during the fight. In the end, I had to step in and save him."

Upon hearing this, the disciple blushed and lowered his head.

Elder Ming frowned, took the roster, and glanced at it before asking, "Have you never encountered Demonic Beasts before?"

The disciple quickly shook his head. "Reporting to Elder, I've spent almost all my time cultivating techniques and martial skills."

Elder Ming sighed. Without excessive criticism, he merely reminded him, "Practical combat is also very important. Practicing against wood is completely different from practicing against living things, especially Demonic Beasts."

"Fortunately, you're still young and have opportunities. Go back and gain more experience in the outer areas of the Wuji Mountain Range."

With that, he drew a cross next to the disciple's name.

"Yes."

The disciple respectfully departed. Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance at Lu Ming, wanting to know why Lu Ming had come out so quickly and whether he had succeeded.

However, seeing that Lu Ming hadn't left, he assumed he had succeeded.

Or perhaps Elder Ming had pulled some strings for his old friend's descendant.

In any case, his mind was filled with many thoughts at that moment.

Lu Ming could also discern many things from his gaze.

Elder Ming naturally could too. With a wave of his hand, he retrieved the Ironclad Rhinoceros that had already been placed in the Storage Ring and threw it onto the ground.

Then, he waited quietly.

After the first failed participant left, in less than a minute, someone else emerged. This time, it was a disciple who had participated in the assessment before.

He was tall and likely practiced external martial arts.

On his back, he carried a giant Black Bear.

As he walked out, he saw Lu Ming at first glance and was clearly stunned. He had thought he would be the one to pass the assessment the fastest.

For him, this was his last chance. To ensure success, he had spent over five months in the Wuji Mountain Range.

During these five months, besides eating, drinking, and sleeping, he had been fighting various Demonic Beasts.

He had faced deathly crises three times, but fortunately, he had survived them all, and undergone a transformation.

This time, he had expected to make a stunning debut and had specifically chosen one of the most formidable Demonic Beasts in the Hundred Beasts Garden as his target.

This was to prove himself.

He hadn't expected someone to be faster than him.

However, he felt it must have been due to luck, encountering an easily dealt-with Demonic Beast. He even harbored the same thought as the failed disciple: that Elder Ming had pulled some strings.

But upon seeing the Ironclad Rhinoceros lying on the ground nearby, he realized he had been mistaken.

Thus, he couldn't help but look at Lu Ming a few more times.

The Steward Disciple following behind him didn't have as many internal thoughts and immediately stepped forward to report the situation.