Squad Leader Li stared fixedly at the Snake Demon's gruesomely mangled corpse.
He couldn't believe it!
How could it possibly be a Second-Order Demon?!
Squad Leader Li had returned victorious with his new recruits and even earned praise from Captain Chen. He was still basking in his own smug satisfaction.
Then he heard that Hu Biao had slain a Second-Order Demon, and he couldn't accept it.
The Demon Suppression Division's intelligence was rarely wrong. The demons' ranks were always clearly reported.
To ensure that the appropriate Demon Suppression Guards were sent to deal with them and gain experience, their intelligence was always highly accurate.
Even if he gave Hu Biao the benefit of the doubt and this Snake Demon really was a Second-Order Demon—
Could Hu Biao's bottom-rung squad possibly handle it?
Before Captain Chen could even speak, Squad Leader Li couldn't hold back any longer.
"Hu Biao, what are you talking about?!"
"Deceiving Captain Chen is a grave crime! If it was a Second-Order Demon, could someone with your Body Tempering Seventh Level cultivation have dealt with it?"
"Forget killing it—you wouldn't even have been able to run away!"
Squad Leader Li said with a cold snort.
The Squad Leaders of several other squads nearby were whispering among themselves, too.
It was true. Hu Biao simply wasn't strong enough to do it.
Almost no one present believed the Snake Demon was a Second-Order Demon. The sole exception was Lu Gang, standing behind Captain Chen...
Lu Gang's expression was dark. Only he knew the Snake Demon really was a Second-Order Demon. But how it had been killed was a mystery that left him intensely curious!
Just then,
Captain Chen said calmly, "Whether it's a First-Order or Second-Order Demon—we can just examine it, can't we?"
Then he strode toward the Snake Demon.
Captain Chen spread open his right palm. With a hum, a stream of invisible True Qi gathered there.
Then he struck the Snake Demon's neck on the ground with a single palm.
With a boom, the Snake Demon's neck snapped apart!
Lin Feng watched from the side, stunned.
So this was a Captain's strength? Terrifying.
He knew better than anyone how thick the Snake Demon's hide was.
Even if he gave it everything he had, he couldn't pierce it. He'd only been able to target the Snake Demon's weak point: its eyes.
He hadn't expected Captain Chen to punch straight through it with such a casual blow.
"This Snake Demon..."
Captain Chen could feel the incredible resilience of the Snake Demon's defenses.
This was clearly beyond what a First-Order Demon could possess. A glint flashed in his eyes. "It really is a Second-Order Demon!"
Once Captain Chen confirmed it, the entire scene fell silent.
Captain Chen had achieved great things in the martial path.
There was no reason to doubt his word.
It really was a Second-Order Demon!
Everyone present wore an array of expressions.
They all turned to look at Hu Biao and Lin Feng.
How could these two possibly have killed a Second-Order Demon?
Had they come across a Second-Order Demon's corpse in the wild?
Or perhaps the demon had already been near death, and Lin Feng and Hu Biao had simply stumbled upon it and claimed the kill?
Captain Chen glanced over the Snake Demon, then said:
"There are no other wounds on this Snake Demon. The arrows filling its eye sockets were what killed it."
"Who was the archer?"
There was only one archer in Hu Biao's squad: Lin Feng.
But Lin Feng's cultivation was too low, while this Snake Demon was a Second-Order Demon. Had a brash youngster at Body Tempering Third or Fourth Level really killed it with arrows?
Even Captain Chen found that hard to believe, which was why he asked.
Hu Biao didn't answer. Instead, he looked toward Lin Feng.
Lin Feng said gravely, "Reporting to you, Captain, I was the one who shot it."
Captain Chen had already guessed who it was when Hu Biao looked at Lin Feng. But when Lin Feng admitted it himself, surprise appeared in his eyes.
It really was him?!
Captain Chen felt a surge of delight.
He had secretly lamented before that this year's recruits had no one with promise, and that the Demon Suppression Division would suffer a shortage of talent.
He hadn't expected Lin Feng to show up at the last moment.
And on his very first mission, he had managed to kill a Second-Order Demon!
It wasn't unheard of for someone to kill a Second-Order Demon on their first mission.
Many names immediately flashed through Captain Chen's mind.
Those people were now all powerful figures, every one of them at least a Colonel—higher in rank than him.
Lin Feng might have what it took to become a Colonel!
While Captain Chen rejoiced that the Demon Suppression Division had finally found someone promising among its new recruits,
everyone else present twitched with disbelief!
Many thought Hu Biao and Lin Feng had just gotten lucky and claimed the kill.
Given their actual strength, there was no way they should have been able to kill a Second-Order Demon!
Many people looked at Lin Feng with envy.
The kid was unbelievably lucky—he'd actually stumbled upon a Second-Order Demon and claimed the kill!
That meant he could get 100 Merit Points right away!
Enough to exchange for a great deal of cultivation resources...
At the thought of this, many were consumed by envy and resentment.
The contrast was simply too great. Many recruits had died outright, and several Squad Leaders had been injured.
Yet Lin Feng had killed a Second-Order Demon, despite having the lowest cultivation among the recruits.
Captain Chen smiled and said, "You're Lin Feng, right? Well done!"
"I said before that a new recruit who kills a demon for the first time can receive a reward of 100 Merit Points."
"But for a new recruit, killing even a First-Order Demon already makes you exceptional."
"You killed a Second-Order Demon. A reward of 100 Merit Points is nowhere near enough! I'm awarding you 200 Merit Points this time."
When Captain Chen finished speaking, many people present couldn't help but gasp.
200 Merit Points?!
He was actually giving that kid that much!
Even someone like Lu Gang, a Squad Leader, would struggle to earn 200 Merit Points.
And the Squad Leaders had an even harder time.
"Thank you, Captain." Lin Feng spoke solemnly, delighted inside.
He knew what Merit Points were worth. They could buy anything in the Demon Suppression Division—they were hard currency.
Captain Chen looked at Lin Feng and said, "The Snake Demon was carrying offspring, so it wasn't in peak condition. Luck played a part in your victory."
"Of course, there's no question about your strength."
"I have high hopes for you. The Demon Suppression Division's Year-End Assessment is coming up soon. With your strength, becoming a Squad Leader outright shouldn't be difficult. Keep it up." Captain Chen smiled.
Becoming a Squad Leader meant better monthly cultivation resources and more Merit Points, among other things.
Most important of all, it meant higher standing.
The new recruits present didn't know what to say. The gap was simply too huge!
You'd only been here a few days, and you were already about to become a Squad Leader?
Then Captain Chen said, "Move the demon to the Heavenly Prison. After that, you can go rest."
"Yes, Captain."
Everyone nodded.
Then they began moving the demon's body to the Demon Suppression Division's Heavenly Prison.
Before long, Lin Feng and the others had disappeared into the distance.
At that moment, Lu Gang, standing beside Captain Chen, kept his eyes fixed on Lin Feng!
His back teeth were almost ground to powder.
His plan had worked this time, but not completely.
Four people had died, freeing up four spots for him to manipulate.
But Lin Feng was still alive!
Lu Gang was narrow-minded and never forgave a grudge.
Lin Feng was a brash youngster at Body Tempering Third Level, yet he'd dared to refuse him. Lu Gang had held a grudge ever since.
This time, not only had he failed to kill him, but Lin Feng had turned misfortune into fortune and killed a Second-Order Demon. The kid had stepped right in dog shit!
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