Teacher Du's Vassals

Thirty minutes passed in a flash. The hundred First-Order Vassals Teacher Du was responsible for testing soon appeared in the distance.

Liang Ji had read some basic information about Teacher Du. His Vassals were also the most common Spotted Serpentfolk. But the Vassals appearing in the distance now were vastly different from the Spotted Serpentfolk he was used to seeing.

During the trials, he had seen plenty of ordinary Spotted Serpentfolk. They were generally between 1.2 and 1.4 meters tall, short and thin, with nothing especially distinctive about them.

The Spotted Serpentfolk's only advantage was probably their ordinariness. They had no strengths, but no weaknesses either, so they could develop in all kinds of directions depending on how their Star Lord cultivated them. They were suitable as blank slates for beginners.

For that reason, the Demon Cores provided to Star Lord students by the ten high schools in Xiūshé City—and even most high schools on Sky Snake Star—were generally Spotted Snake Demon Cores.

But the First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk among Teacher Du's Vassals were generally over 1.8 meters tall. They were nearly as tall as Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk Vassals, who had mutated through the Dragon Soul.

"So this is what First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk look like when nurtured by a Fourth-Order Star Spirit Vein, its spiritual energy, and its source?"

"Compared to First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk nurtured by a First-Order Star Spirit Vein, its spiritual energy, and its source, they're worlds apart!"

Watching the hundred First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk Teacher Du had sent out, Liang Ji couldn't help sighing inwardly.

Compared with his Half-Dragonfolk Vassals, these "ordinary" First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk were only lacking in bulk. The Half-Dragonfolk Vassals were about twice as thickset as Teacher Du's First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk.

Yet despite that difference, the Half-Dragonfolk were vastly inferior in aura, presence, and every other regard to the hundred First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk charging toward them.

An invisible battle lust and bloodlust radiated from the oncoming Spotted Serpentfolk.

The two sides were like battle-hardened veterans facing mountain hunters. Both could fight, but when the blades crossed, the results would be worlds apart.

Liang Ji was reminded of some reports he had seen on the Star Net. They said that every Main Star in the Star Alliance had several "Demon Caves" sealed nearby, and that the Vassals of the high- and mid-tier Star Lords on those Main Stars were the main force responsible for suppressing and clearing out the Void Demon Race within them.

Now, the reports seemed entirely plausible.

Teacher Du's First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk, who were responsible for the test, looked as if they had just come off the battlefield.

Though they hadn't raised a formation diagram, they still instinctively formed battle ranks and charged toward the "Iron Fortress" built by Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk.

There wasn't a sound out of place. Their silent bloodlust pressed against the mind, leaving the Half-Dragonfolk behind the Iron Fortress momentarily frozen in fear.

Liang Ji now understood why, during the mock exams, the teachers' Vassals didn't use ranged weapons.

Otherwise, they could have crushed the students' Vassals with the sheer force of their killing intent, then launched a few volleys of ranged attacks and wiped out every Vassal taking the test.

That wouldn't leave much of a score to judge.

At the same time, Liang Ji noticed a flaw in the "Hegemonic Body" cultivated by the Half-Dragonfolk: it offered no mental defense.

But mental cultivation wasn't covered until at least the Third Order.

As things stood, the only way to improve the Half-Dragonfolk Vassals' resistance to mental attacks was probably to keep fighting—and even killing—until their battle resolve and bloodlust grew stronger.

The Arena in the Cultivation Dharma Land could improve a Vassal's battle resolve. It looked like he would have to find a way to build one as soon as possible.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Inside the Iron Fortress, Chi the Eighth lived up to his reputation as the warriors' leader. His battle resolve was the strongest, and he was the first to snap out of it. He immediately struck his shield hard with his battleaxe, rousing the others.

"Throw your spears!" "Throw them now!" "Bring them down!"

Chi the Eighth roused everyone and quickly issued orders. At the same time, he grabbed a Flying Snake Spear, as thick as an iron pillar, and hurled it with all his strength.

His overwhelming power sent the Flying Snake Spear hurtling through the air at tremendous speed. It even tore through the air with a thunderous roar.

Behind him, the other Half-Serpentfolk warriors quickly recovered as well. One by one, they grabbed Flying Snake Spears and hurled them with all their might.

They had no formation or order. The Flying Snake Spears they threw looked like a chaotic mess. Fortunately, they had enough strength, speed, and numbers: a sudden downpour of spears blanketed the charging Spotted Serpentfolk.

"Scatter!"

A leader among the Spotted Serpentfolk assigned to the test immediately issued an order.

The hundred First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk who had advanced in formation split into groups of three and scattered like petals.

These Spotted Serpentfolk were also First-Order, but they were clearly well versed in combat and the battlefield. Their formation scattered in such a way that it directly evaded most of the thousand-plus Flying Snake Spears flying toward them.

More than ninety percent of the Flying Snake Spears slammed into the ground. They dug out plenty of pits, but failed to cause a single casualty.

The few that couldn't be dodged were blocked without exception by the shields raised by the Spotted Serpentfolk in groups of three.

It was clear that Teacher Du's First-Order Spotted Serpentfolk were extraordinarily skilled and experienced in battle.

Moreover, the shields in their hands weren't Rune Artifacts or magic artifacts. They were clearly ordinary shields, newly made, yet both their craftsmanship and materials far surpassed those of the Half-Dragonfolk Vassals' equipment.

The iron ores nurtured within a Fourth-Order Star were of far higher quality than those nurtured within a First-Order Star, even if both were First-Order ores.

As a result, not one of the Flying Snake Spears that hit the shields managed to punch through and injure a Spotted Serpentfolk.

After just one exchange, Liang Ji could see the enormous gap between his Vassals and his teacher's.

The difference spanned everything: fighting power, combat experience, equipment quality, and more.

And that was with Teacher Du having greatly weakened his Vassals. How much greater would the gap be if they were fully armed?

Fortunately, Liang Ji also saw that although the Flying Snake Spears couldn't pierce the Spotted Serpentfolk's shields, their tremendous force still knocked them back—some even toppled to the ground.

It seemed his Half-Dragonfolk Vassals did at least have one advantage: their unmatched strength.

That gave Liang Ji at least a little confidence about the test ahead. He shouldn't be swept away right off the bat; he ought to be able to put up a fight and earn a decent score.

Otherwise, there would be no point in hoping for the school's rewards or the Rune Master inheritance.

My heartfelt thanks to readers Yunlingshan, Dark Sword Jihun, I Want to Ride the Wind to the Mountains and Seas, Reader20210829143748902, Qian QZ, Suixin One, Gao Wanjia, Linyuan, Reader20210503220244171, Yuanqing, Magical Mengmengda, Star Emperor, Cold Water, Where There's a Will There's a Way1111, Reader20210319174726529, An Erqiu, Reader20190625122320010, and Be a Rich Person for your generous support!