Undercurrent

Liang Ji watched the entire battle between his Retainer team and the Tier 1 Spotted Demon Snakes, gaining a general understanding of the combat power of his Half-Dragonfolk Retainers and the Void Demon Race.

With the current combat strength of his Half-Dragonfolk Retainers, Liang Ji believed they were definitely among the top-tier students in Xiūshé City's ten high schools.

However, even though his Retainer warriors managed to kill a common Tier 1 Spotted Demon Snake without any casualties, it was clear the fight wasn't easy. It required over half of his Half-Dragonfolk warriors, including the scout team, shield team, and battle-axe team, to form a formation and engage in a tactical encirclement for a long time before they could finally slay it.

If they encountered more and stronger Void Demon Snakes later, the battles would undoubtedly be even more difficult, with heavier casualties.

If his Retainer team was like this, then the outcome for ordinary Star Lord students, who could only deploy a few thousand Retainers with average combat strength, was predictable.

"Perhaps, quite a few Star Lord students will fail this second mock exam!"

The Xiūshé City Education Bureau organizing this second mock exam and practical combat assessment against the Void Demon Race was likely not just for the college entrance examination, but also to give the Star Lord students in the city a clear understanding of themselves and the Void Demon Race.

Within the assessment Star, after the Half-Dragonfolk Retainer team cleaned up the battlefield, they set off again.

They proceeded in the direction indicated by the compass, with the scout team leading the way and 'Chi the Fourteenth' leading the main army behind.

Along the way, unless they were attacked by Void Demon Snakes and forced to fight, the Half-Dragonfolk team avoided encountering other Void Demon Snakes from a distance, unwilling to initiate combat. Instead, they focused on accelerating their progress to rendezvous with Peng Yue's Retainer team.

Peng Yue, the little rich girl, had invested over sixty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones in him. Since Liang Ji had promised to do his best to help her secure first place, he naturally had to preserve his combat strength and rendezvous with her as soon as possible.

Only then could he better assist her.

On their journey, Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk Retainer team often encountered other students' Retainer teams. Most of them were ordinary Star Lord students, with Retainers primarily being Spotted Serpentfolk. Some had nearly ten thousand, while others had four to five thousand. Their combat strength and equipment were also ordinary.

Just as Liang Ji had predicted, these students' ordinary Retainer teams, when attacking Tier 1 Spotted Demon Snakes, were basically engaging in suicidal battles where they killed one enemy at the cost of eight hundred of their own.

Often, after a battle, they would finally manage to kill a demon snake, but their own Retainer team would be almost destroyed, rendering them unable to continue the assessment.

They could only withdraw from the second mock exam with the spoils of killing a Spotted Demon Snake.

In fact, this situation was considered good. At least they had killed a demon snake, which counted as a qualified achievement. Moreover, the materials from the killed Spotted Demon Snake could be sold for some Spirit Stones, which was a small benefit for these Star Lord students.

Even if a student was lucky enough to kill a demon snake that had condensed a Demon Core, they could make a small profit.

Of course, there were also unlucky or less skilled Star Lord students whose Retainer teams encountered too many or too strong demon snakes. Their Retainer teams were directly defeated and crushed on the spot, forcing them to withdraw from the assessment with tears in their eyes, their performance naturally being a failure.

Sometimes, luck was also a part of strength.

Of course, although they mostly encountered ordinary Star Lord students' teams, they occasionally encountered Retainer teams from wealthy and powerful Star Lord students.

On one occasion, Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk team saw a battlefield from a distance. The Retainer team dispatched by that Star Lord student was a vast, dense mass. A rough estimate suggested there were likely over a hundred thousand.

Those hundred thousand Retainer warriors formed a square formation and simultaneously drew their bows, shooting arrows that obscured a patch of sky. It was like the sky collapsing and the sea overturning, engulfing the demon snakes in the battlefield ahead, killing them almost instantly.

Liang Ji was deeply shocked by the performance on the distant battlefield.

Poverty breeds tactical infiltration; wealth breeds firepower saturation!

When the number and equipment of Retainer warriors reach a certain level, perhaps 'quantity' itself becomes the greatest combat power!

He briefly deduced in his mind the battle between his Half-Dragonfolk Retainers and the other student's hundred thousand Retainers. If he sent out all twenty thousand of his Natal Star's combat-ready warriors, the final result would be the annihilation of his side, while the other side would also be severely crippled.

It would be a Pyrrhic victory, but ultimately, his side would be the one defeated.

Liang Ji roughly understood that while his current Retainer strength was considered top-tier among Xiūshé City's Star Lord students, it was far from the strongest.

His Natal Star and the development of his Retainers had ultimately started one or even two steps behind those of the top wealthy Star Lord students. Although he had caught up in combat strength through bloodline mutation and the Hegemonic Body, the gap in numbers was clearly not something that could be closed in a short period.

After observing the battle of the wealthy Star Lord student's hundred thousand Retainers, Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk team continued their journey, moving closer to Peng Yue's Ice Soul Serpentfolk team.

The runes on the Rune Master's compass were glowing brighter and brighter, indicating they were getting closer to Peng Yue's Retainer team.

And just as Xiūshé City High School's second mock exam was in full swing.

In the northern part of Xiūshé City, opposite the 'Nether Prison' where the Patrol Division held prisoners, in a teahouse.

In a private room on the second floor, two people were observing the Patrol Division's 'Nether Prison' opposite them while drinking spirit tea.

At this moment, it was the shift change at the Patrol Division's 'Nether Prison.' A new team of guards arrived to replace the previous one, responsible for guarding the 'Nether Prison.'

Seeing the shift change completed, the two looked away.

"The second mock exam should have started. Is the demon embryo ready?"

One of them suddenly asked.

The person opposite him lowered his head slightly and replied, "It was placed inside when the City Education Bureau organized the cleanup of the assessment Stars. It can be activated at any time."

"No rush..." the other person shook his head slightly. "Let's wait a bit longer. As it progresses, the ones remaining in the assessment Stars will be Star Lord students from the city's wealthy and powerful families. When things escalate then, it will attract more attention from the city and make our actions more convenient."

"Yes." The person opposite nodded in agreement, but still showed a worried expression and mused, "However, doing this, won't it anger the wealthy and powerful elites in Xiūshé City?"

"Heh heh..." the other person sneered and shook his head. "Don't worry, even if it angers them a little, it's fine."

"This time, their move to crack down on the black market has incurred the wrath of the public!"

"These Star Lord masters, they hold official positions, earn money by running companies, and have their Natal Stars providing endless resources. Naturally, they dislike the black market."

"But, there are still so many struggling cultivators in Xiūshé City, from Human Immortal, Ghost Immortal, and Qi Refiner orthodoxies, who rely on many resources from the black market!"

"If not for this, why do you think our operation has been so smooth? We were even able to place a demon embryo in the assessment Star for the second mock exam?"

"Some people are expressing their dissatisfaction!"

"So that's how it is."

The person opposite nodded upon hearing this, understanding.

"Besides, nothing major can come of it."

"The city cherishes those Star Lord students. Countless people are watching the second mock assessment. At most, a batch of Retainers will be injured or killed, but the students themselves won't be harmed!"

"It's just to make it easier for us to rescue our brothers from the 'Nether Prison'."

As the person spoke, they changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, the reason the black market was raided this time was entirely due to that informant surnamed Chen!"

"Has that Chen been dealt with?"

The person on the other end frowned upon hearing this and said, "We've already spoken to the Li Yang Group, but the Li Yang Group insists on handling the matter internally!"

"The Li Yang Group!" The first person also frowned upon hearing this, seemingly wary of the Li Yang Group as well. In the end, they could only snort coldly and say, "Let's hope they keep their word!"

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