Liang Ji watched the battle between his vassal troops and the first-tier Spotted Demon Snake from beginning to end. He now had a general understanding of both his Half-Dragonfolk Vassals' combat strength and that of the Void Demon Race.
With his Half-Dragonfolk Vassals' current strength, Liang Ji was confident they ranked among the very best of the Star Lord students at the ten high schools in Xiushe City.
However, although his vassal warriors had surrounded and killed the most ordinary first-tier Spotted Demon Snake without suffering any casualties, it clearly hadn't been easy. More than half of his Half-Dragonfolk warriors—the scouts, shield-bearers, and battle-axe units—had to form up and coordinate their tactics to encircle the snake for a long time before they could finally kill it.
If they encountered more Void Demon Snakes later on, or stronger ones, it was easy to imagine that the battles would be even more grueling, with heavier casualties.
If even his vassal troops had struggled, the outcome for ordinary Star Lord students, who could only field a few thousand vassals of average strength, was easy to guess.
Perhaps quite a few Star Lord students will fail the Second Mock Exam this time!
The City Education Bureau had organized this Second Mock Exam as a practical test against the Void Demon Race. It was probably not just for the college entrance exams, but also to give the city's Star Lord students a clear-eyed understanding of themselves and the Void Demon Race.
After the Half-Dragonfolk had finished clearing the battlefield, they set out again.
They followed the direction indicated by the compass. The scouts went ahead to find the way, while Chi the Fourteenth led the main force behind them.
Along the way, unless they were attacked by Void Demon Snakes and had no choice but to fight, the Half-Dragonfolk kept well clear of any they came across. They were unwilling to start battles lightly, focusing instead on moving quickly and reaching Peng Yue's vassal troops.
The little rich girl, Peng Yue, had invested more than sixty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones' worth of resources in him. Since Liang Ji had promised to help her claim first place at all costs, he naturally had to preserve his strength as much as possible, then join up with her as soon as he could.
Only then could he help her more effectively.
As they pressed onward, Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk troops often came across the vassal forces of other students. Most belonged to ordinary Star Lord students, whose vassals were mainly Spotted Serpentfolk. Their numbers ranged from four or five thousand to nearly ten thousand, and their strength and equipment were nothing special.
Just as Liang Ji had expected, these students' ordinary vassal forces fought the first-tier Spotted Demon Snakes in battles that were practically suicidal, killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of their own.
By the time a battle ended, they might have managed to surround and kill a Demon Snake, but their own vassal forces were usually all but wiped out, leaving them unable to continue the exam.
They could only take the spoils from the single Spotted Demon Snake they had killed and withdraw from the Second Mock Exam.
In truth, this was still a decent outcome. At least they had killed a Demon Snake, which counted as a passing result, and the materials from the Spotted Demon Snake could be sold for a few Spirit Stones, providing some help to the Star Lord students.
If a student was lucky enough to find a Demon Core inside the snake they killed, they could even make a small profit.
Of course, some students weren't so lucky, or simply weren't strong enough. If their vassal forces encountered too many Demon Snakes, or ones that were too powerful, they could be routed and crushed on the spot. Those students had no choice but to withdraw from the exam in tears, their results naturally a failure.
Sometimes, luck was part of strength.
Although most of the groups they encountered belonged to ordinary Star Lord students, now and then they came across the vassals of a wealthy, powerful Star Lord student.
Once, Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk troops spotted a battlefield in the distance. The Star Lord student had sent out a vast sea of vassals; a rough estimate put their number at well over a hundred thousand.
Those hundred thousand vassal warriors formed ranks, then drew their bows and loosed their arrows in unison. The rain of arrows blotted out the sky, crashing down like the heavens collapsing and the sea flooding over, and swallowed the Demon Snakes on the battlefield ahead. They were almost killed in an instant.
Liang Ji watched the battle in the distance, deeply shaken.
When you're poor, you rely on tactical maneuvers; when you're rich, you blanket the enemy with firepower!
Once a vassal army's numbers and equipment reached a certain level, perhaps sheer numbers were the greatest combat strength of all!
He briefly imagined a battle between his Half-Dragonfolk Vassals and the other side's hundred thousand vassals. Even if he sent out all twenty thousand warriors on his Natal Star who could fight, the final result would probably be the total annihilation of his own forces, while the other side would be badly mauled.
It would be a pyrrhic victory at best—but his side would still be the one defeated.
Liang Ji now had a clearer idea. His vassals' strength might already rank among the best of the Star Lord students in Xiushe City, but they were still far from the strongest.
His Natal Star and his vassals had ultimately gotten a later start than those top wealthy Star Lord students—by a step, perhaps even two. Bloodline mutations and the Hegemonic Body had helped him catch up in combat strength, but there was no way to close the gap in numbers in a short time.
After watching the wealthy Star Lord student's hundred thousand vassals in battle, Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk troops continued on, drawing closer to Peng Yue's Ice Soul Serpentfolk.
The runes on the compass in the Rune Master's hands were glowing ever more brightly, which meant they were getting closer and closer to Peng Yue's vassal troops.
Meanwhile, as the Second Mock Exam for Xiushe City's high schools got underway in full swing...
Across from the Patrol Division's Nether Prison, where prisoners were held in the north of Xiushe City, there was a teahouse.
In a private room on the second floor, two people drank spiritual tea as they watched the Patrol Division's Nether Prison across the street.
The Patrol Division's Nether Prison was changing shifts. A new group of guards had arrived to replace the previous watch and take over the duty of guarding it.
Once the shift change was complete, the two men turned away.
"The Second Mock Exam should have started by now. Have you put the Demon Fetus in place?"
The man opposite him lowered his head slightly and replied, "We put it in when the City Education Bureau organized the cleanup of the Second Mock Exam's stars. It can be activated at any time."
"There's no hurry..." The man shook his head slightly. "Let's wait a little longer. The further we get into the exam, the more of the students left in the stars will be from the city's wealthy and powerful families. When things erupt then, they'll draw more attention from around the city, and our side will have an easier time carrying out its operation."
"Yes." The man opposite nodded in agreement, though concern still showed on his face. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "But if we do this, won't we anger the wealthy and powerful elite in Xiushe City?"
"Heh..." The man gave a cold laugh and shook his head. "Don't worry. Even if they get a little angry, it won't matter."
"This time, they've stirred up public anger by wiping out the Black Market!"
"These Star Lord big shots hold government posts and wield power, run companies to make money, and have their Natal Stars constantly supplying them with resources. Naturally, they don't like the Black Market."
"But all the impoverished Human Immortals, Ghost Immortals, and Qi Refiner Orthodox adherents in Xiushe City can't do without the many resources found in the Black Market!"
"If that weren't the case, why do you think our operation went so smoothly this time? We even managed to put a Demon Fetus in one of the stars used for the Second Mock Exam!"
"Some people are making their discontent known!"
"I see."
The man opposite nodded as understanding dawned.
"Besides, nothing major will happen."
"The city cherishes those Star Lord students like precious treasures. Who knows how many people are watching the Second Mock Exam? At most, a batch of vassals will die or be sacrificed. The students themselves won't be harmed!"
"It's just to make it easier for our side to rescue the brothers in the Nether Prison."
As he spoke, the man shifted the topic. "Speaking of which, the Black Market was wiped out this time because that man surnamed Chen reported us!"
"Have we taken care of that man surnamed Chen?"
The man opposite frowned. "We've already spoken to Li Yang Group, but they insist on handling him internally."
"Li Yang Group!" The man frowned too, clearly wary of them. In the end, he could only give a cold snort. "Let's hope they keep their word!"
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