Black Blood Species (Please Keep Reading)

Chen Wu's smile never left his face.

He felt somewhat regretful that Song Jian had failed to advance.

But after Sims became the only one from Class Three to advance, seeing his old rival He Chi's face as black as the bottom of a pot made him feel incomparably refreshed.

Then, at the buzz-cut young man's signal, the coaches of each class led their students back to their classrooms.

Hu Qi and the others, however, were kept behind.

Only after most of the people had left did the buzz-cut young man speak again.

Compared to before, his attitude had clearly become much gentler.

"First, a brief introduction. My name is Lin Tong. You can call me Brother Lin or Senior Brother Lin.

"The fact that you were able to emerge victorious among so many students is enough to prove your strength."

As he spoke, he opened his palm, revealing several black cards resting within it.

"These are the symbols of a Core Class student's identity. You'll need them when entering the Core Class."

At Lin Tong's gesture, they stepped forward one by one and took the Black Cards representing the Core Class.

The Black Cards were about the same size as ordinary bank cards.

They were pure black from top to bottom.

There were no unnecessary words or markings.

Only a lifelike red serpent was depicted in the center of the front.

The serpent's body was smooth and agile in its lines, winding and twisting, every scale clearly visible.

Each scale gleamed faintly, as though reflecting scattered rainbow light beneath the sun.

At that moment, Lin Tong's voice continued.

"Keep your Black Cards safe. If you lose one, come to me immediately to get it replaced."

They nodded in acknowledgment.

"Senior Brother Lin, after joining the Core Class, can we really learn the Limit-Breaking Method?"

Ye Li suddenly asked from the side.

She looked somewhat uneasy, but the contents of her question drew everyone's attention.

Hu Qi could clearly hear that the moment they heard "Limit-Breaking Method," the breathing of those beside him grew heavier.

"Hm? Your surname is Ye, right? What is Ye Lan to you?"

Lin Tong smiled without really smiling.

"She's my older sister. She mentioned some things about the Core Class before..."

Ye Li looked somewhat restrained as she opened her mouth to explain.

"Heh, there's no need to be nervous.

"I've dealt with her before as well.

"If we really count it, the two of us entered the Core Class in the same batch."

Lin Tong waved his hand.

"Since you've passed the assessment, you already count as half members of the Core Class. I should have told you these things anyway."

"The Limit-Breaking Method naturally exists. As its name implies, it is a method for breaking the limits of the human body.

"It can give us greater strength, speed, endurance, recovery ability, and more.

"However, this is something that can only be taught after you enter the Core Class."

Afterward, he briefly went over some basic precautions.

"Take care of your own affairs over the next few days. Ten days from now, gather at the club. I'll take you to report to the Core Class then."

At that point, he paused, as though recalling something.

"Oh, right. Don't run around for no reason these next few days. If you die by then, don't blame me for not warning you."

Everyone wore different expressions. Hu Qi's expression shifted slightly, and he asked as if casually, "Senior Brother Lin, what exactly is this beast? Could it be a tiger? Even if it is a tiger, it shouldn't have gone uncaught for this long, should it?"

The others beside him also turned to look at Lin Tong, clearly extremely curious about the question.

"Heh, a beast?"

Lin Tong sneered.

His gaze swept over those present, and his voice lowered somewhat.

"Ordinary people aren't qualified to know about such things.

"But since you've obtained the qualifications for the Core Class, you'll learn sooner or later.

"Calling them beasts is merely rhetoric the Xiya Federation uses to placate the public and prevent panic.

"We call those things Black Blood Species.

"They are monsters truly standing on the opposite side of humanity. Their strength and speed far surpass those of ordinary people.

"They appeared a century ago. Most of them appear human on the outside, and they feed on fresh flesh and blood."

As Lin Tong spoke, Hu Qi also understood what these things were.

Put simply, Black Blood Species were somewhat similar to the ghouls in anime from his previous life. They both fed on humans.

The difference was that aside from their monstrous appearance when they went out to feed, they looked no different from ordinary people in their usual state.

This made it exceedingly difficult to eradicate the Black Blood Species completely.

Not only could no difference be seen from their appearance, but they could also use their own blood to transform ordinary people into Black Blood Species.

Some powerful Black Blood Species even possessed mysterious powers beyond all reason.

"Is there no way for us to deal with monsters like them?"

Sims was the one who spoke. His expression was also somewhat grave; clearly, the Black Blood Species had not affected him lightly.

Lin Tong smiled.

"Of course there is. Take conventional firearms, for example.

"Those ordinary Black Blood Species will still meet a dead end if several machine guns—or even rockets—are trained on them."

At this point, Lin Tong changed the subject.

"Of course, I know that isn't what you're asking. I can tell you for certain that the Core Class has everything you want.

"After cultivating the Limit-Breaking Method, killing Black Blood Species won't be difficult. Naturally, the prerequisite is that you have enough strength."

As his words fell, Lin Tong raised a hand. A coin bearing the image of a blazing sun was pinched between his index finger and thumb.

Just as everyone wondered what Lin Tong was doing, his fingers exerted a slight force and pressed down.

The coin actually began to slowly twist and deform between his fingers.

Lin Tong, however, remained calm, without the slightest hint of surprise or excitement, as though it were nothing more than a trivial little trick to him.

Clang!

Lin Tong released his fingers, allowing the severely deformed coin to fall to the ground with a crisp ring.

Only then did everyone come back to their senses, their expressions vivid beyond measure, as though they had seen a ghost.

Hu Qi was no exception.

He lowered his head to look at the coin that had rolled to his feet, then bent down and picked it up, squeezing it between his fingers.

It was hard. It was not fake.

Taking into account wear and tear during circulation, practical usage, and costs, coins were made from iron mixed with special alloys.

Their overall hardness was somewhat lower than pure steel, but they were still not something that could be flattened with two fingers.

This was simply not something a human could do.

"As for the specific cultivation methods, someone will naturally teach you once you arrive at the Core Class.

"Also, I told you about the Black Blood Species because you will soon become Core Class students and are qualified to know.

"But you must not leak this to ordinary people.

"This is something strictly forbidden by the higher-ups, and by the entire Federation. Don't entertain any fantasies of getting away with it.

"If you are discovered, prison will be the least of your worries. If the consequences are serious enough, there will be only one road ahead—death."

At this point, Lin Tong's voice suddenly turned cold, his sharp gaze sweeping across them.

At once, they felt as though tiny knives had scraped across their skin, stirring up threads of icy chill.