Jiang Weiwei was now surrounded by golden light.
Martial Art: Protection of Light!
Everyone's defensive power, from the instructors and teachers to the students, increased by 100%.
Martial Art: Ring of Radiance!
Everyone's strength increased by 100%.
Su Xiaorui refused to be outdone. Her usual confidence and alluring charm vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous air. She activated Martial Art: Netherworld Dark Mark. A black orb appeared in the palm of her right hand, rapidly swelling as a powerful suction force poured from within. In an instant, more than a dozen Hellhounds were sucked into the orb and disappeared.
The Wu University students were fighting like mad now, and seeing their teachers and instructors charging through the pack of Hellhounds had greatly boosted their morale.
Wang Meng wielded a Blazing Long Blade, facing off alone against a Bronze rank Hellhound. His blade flashed up and down as he roared, "You beast! Take a slash from your big bro Meng!" The Bronze rank Hellhound couldn't dodge in time, and Wang Meng cleaved it in two.
On the other side, a cute little girl wielding a Thunderous Axe taller than herself chopped off the head of a Bronze rank Hellhound.
Lei Yunfan was no less impressive. His Sky Qilin Halberd was in a class of its own, and before long he had pierced a Bronze-rank Hellhound.
"Are those the Three Geniuses of this year?"
"Lei Yunfan is so handsome!"
"Holy crap, how is that little girl swinging an axe taller than she is?"
By then, Lin Hao had already charged into the pack of Hellhounds. Lightning began to surge around him. He unleashed Thunder Prison Instant Space Flash in an instant, and every Fierce Beast that took one of his punches collapsed to the ground.
"Holy crap, who's that guy? How is he so strong?"
"No idea. Never seen him before. Looks like he's always with the principal."
"I know! He's a freshman, just like us. His name's Lin Hao, and he's in Class One. But I heard he got in through connections. He didn't even attend military training."
"Are you kidding me? You call this guy a freshman? With strength like that, he needs connections? I'd never believe it!"
The Wu University instructors and teachers were also taken aback by Lin Hao's performance. What terrifying strength! Had he awakened as a Martial Fist Master?
As for the Fierce Beasts, the first wave consisted only of ordinary and Bronze rank fighters. Just five minutes into the battle, nearly thirty Wu University students had already fallen.
A Bronze rank Hellhound clamped its jaws around a Wu University student. With his last ounce of strength, the student slammed his shield into the beast's head before he died.
A Wu University teacher was surrounded by ten Bronze rank Hellhounds. Though he already had more than a dozen wounds, he kept fighting.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept in. A Wu University teacher was caught off guard and had his head bitten off. Blood sprayed everywhere.
Everyone stared. It was a Hellhound as large as a car. Unlike the others, it had a tuft of golden fur on its back. The Wu University teachers and instructors' eyes widened. A Gold rank Hellhound! Before long, twenty-six more enormous Hellhounds emerged from the woods ahead: seven Gold rank and twenty Silver rank. The Wu University students were dumbstruck. Their last sliver of hope for survival was about to vanish.
"Light of Faith!" Jiang Weiwei activated her third Martial Art. Everyone's fear and despair vanished in an instant. "Students, hold on! Reinforcements are almost here!"
The Wu University instructors and teachers were now up against the high-ranking Fierce Beasts. Lin Hao alone was holding off three Gold rank Hellhounds, greatly easing the pressure on them.
"Heh. Three Gold rank beasts. Let your big bro show you what he can do." Lin Hao was seeing red now.
Facing three Gold rank opponents, he advanced instead of retreating. He pushed Thunder Prison Instant Space Flash to its limits. After dodging another Hellhound's attack, a black orb of lightning suddenly appeared in his hand, with terrifying Black Lightning swirling inside. Martial Art: Thunder Prison Suppresses the Eight Wastelands!
The black orb swelled rapidly and hurtled toward the three Gold rank Hellhounds. Fear appeared in their eyes, almost human in its expression. But they didn't simply sit back and wait to die.
Black Light enveloped the three Hellhounds, and they spat out three streams of black energy. It was the Hellhound's attack skill: Hellish Roar.
The three streams of Black Light slammed straight into the oncoming Black Lightning Orb. While the Hellhounds and the orb were locked in a stalemate, Lin Hao had already vanished from where he stood. In a flash, he appeared behind them and activated Martial Art: Endless Thunder Prison. Countless bolts of Black Lightning, each as thick as a bowl, struck the Hellhounds.
The three Hellhounds let out a miserable howl, paralyzed by the lightning. The Black Lightning Orb, no longer held back, crashed into them in the blink of an eye.
A thunderous explosion rang out, and the entire field shuddered. Even the fighting stopped. Everyone stared at the blast site in horror.
As the smoke cleared, a cheeky voice rang out. "Damn, that nearly choked me to death. What the hell do these Hellhounds smell like?"
Everyone stared blankly at Lin Hao. He had killed three Gold rank Fierce Beasts in an instant.
Suddenly, someone began cheering.
"Holy crap, is this guy a freak? Is he already Platinum rank?"
"Bullshit! I just told you, he's a freshman too. What, you think your family has a sixteen-year-old Platinum rank fighter? Even if you'd been cultivating in the womb, you couldn't pull off something this ridiculous."
"Defeating enemies above his rank! Lin Hao is so handsome! I've decided—I'm going to marry him!"
"Pah, you shameless vixen! Take a look at yourself. You think you're good enough for my Lin Hao?"
Jiang Weiwei and Su Xiaorui also relaxed at the sight. "Weiwei, Lin Hao's way too ridiculous. He's at the initial Bronze stage and just took down three Gold rank Hellhounds in an instant. If I told anyone, they'd send me straight to a mental hospital." Su Xiaorui pursed her lips.
Lin Hao's instant kill of three Gold rank Fierce Beasts immediately rallied everyone's spirits, from the instructors and teachers to the students. They charged at the Fierce Beasts as if they'd been injected with adrenaline, utterly unafraid of death. They had seen hope—the hope of surviving.
Lin Hao didn't stop. In an instant, he joined the other battles against high-ranking enemies. With the high-level fighting force now balanced, the Wu University instructors and teachers quickly cleared out the ordinary Fierce Beasts.
Ten minutes later, when the last Hellhound's head was chopped off, everyone burst into cheers.
Some began celebrating, while others laughed like maniacs. Their laughter turned to sobs. They had survived. They had withstood the Beast Tide. They had conquered their fear and dared to face death. From that moment on, the students' mindset changed. They grew stronger and lost their fear. They had teammates they could trust, teachers who would shield them in danger, and a principal who would share life and death with them.
"Hahaha! I can brag about this for the rest of my life."
"When we get back, we've got to have a proper drink."
"I'm confessing to my crush tomorrow. Damn, I almost didn't get the chance."
"Everyone, assemble at once!" the instructors called.
They needed to count everyone immediately and get the students back to campus as soon as possible. The students quickly lined up.
"Reporting to Principal Jiang: Wu University was attacked by Hellhounds. We killed 267 Fierce Beasts: 200 ordinary, 40 Bronze rank, 20 Silver rank, and 7 Gold rank. We lost two teachers and 58 students."
Jiang Weiwei nodded. She had activated all three of her Martial Arts and was exhausted. "Return to the academy immediately."
Lin Hao frowned as he heard the instructor's report. The system had clearly told him there were 268 Fierce Beasts, and that the danger level was five. Though the battle had consumed most of his Spiritual Power, it had nowhere near been dangerous enough to warrant a level five.
Just as the students were about to head back to the academy, a powerful pressure descended in an instant. Everyone there, Lin Hao included, was unable to move.
I knew the system couldn't be wrong. There was another Fierce Beast hiding in the shadows. Damn, I let my guard down. Didn't dodge in time.
A sinister voice reached everyone's ears. It was like a roar from the Netherworld Abyss: "You humans really are arrogant. You've taken out a few measly cannon fodder, and you're already so excited?"
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