The Demon Suppression Division's Training Ground had already boiled over with excitement.
The first group to take the Bronze Man Formation test consisted mainly of Squad Leaders from the Houtian Realm.
Among them, several Squad Leaders had been eliminated after failing to hold on once they reached the Eighth Level of Body Tempering.
The Bronze Man Formation at the Eighth Level of Body Tempering had eliminated a full eleven Houtian Realm martial artists.
Most Squad Leaders couldn't even make it through the Eighth Level of Body Tempering!
But Lin Feng had already made it through.
The Bronze Men in the formation had reached the astonishing Ninth Layer of Body Tempering!
How outrageous was that?
After all, those Squad Leaders eliminated by the Bronze Men at the Eighth Level of Body Tempering—
Most had only been surrounded and attacked by a dozen or twenty Bronze Men at most.
The pressure they faced was nowhere near Lin Feng's!
That was because everyone in Lin Feng's group was an ordinary constable.
Their strength was so low it was hardly worth mentioning, and many had been eliminated early on.
So, from very early on, Lin Feng had been facing the attacks of over a hundred Bronze Men all by himself!
Not only had he held on, he had lasted as long as Qin Bang and Jiang Deyun!
And as for the difficulty, Lin Feng had it even harder than the two of them.
After all, Lin Feng was alone!
"Am I seeing things? He's an ordinary constable, only at the Seventh Level of Body Tempering, and he's held on this long!"
"Good heavens, he's already on the same level as Qin Bang and Jiang Deyun! His body-tempering martial arts are so advanced—his defense is terrifying!"
"He's incredible! He can still hold out at this point? His cultivation may only be at the Seventh Level of Body Tempering, but his defense is comparable to that of a Houtian Second or even Third Level martial artist!"
The Demon Suppression Guards watching from the sidelines cried out in astonishment, their faces full of disbelief.
And it wasn't just the Demon Suppression Guards watching.
The Squad Leaders and Squad Leaders taking the test couldn't stay calm, either.
Who could have imagined that someone in the ordinary constables' group could surpass them—even crush them?!
At that moment, Qin Bang and Jiang Deyun, the first- and second-place contenders, both looked grim.
Qin Bang looked at Lin Feng and thought bitterly, Damn it! This test is so unfair!
If the rankings were based on actual combat, I'd crush him in three moves! But instead, they're using this Bronze Man Formation to test us.
That means those with outstanding body-tempering martial arts can last longer. I can't accept this! Qin Bang was deeply frustrated.
He believed Jiang Deyun had surpassed him by taking advantage of his superior body-tempering martial arts.
And now Lin Feng was about to surpass him too, relying on that same advantage.
Unfortunately, the Demon Suppression Division's test had been personally devised by the Colonel.
No one could object.
Qin Bang was somewhat better off, since he hadn't been in first place to begin with.
But for Jiang Deyun, it was a completely different matter.
He stared fixedly at Lin Feng, his heart surging like a stormy sea, unable to accept the sight before him.
He had struggled desperately in the Bronze Man Formation, and at the very last moment, had finally beaten Qin Bang.
After all that hardship, he had claimed first place.
Thinking of the incredibly generous reward for first place, Jiang Deyun had grown restless with anticipation.
He had been eager for the test to end so the reward could be handed out.
But now, things seemed to be changing.
Someone in the constables' group had actually lasted until the Bronze Man Formation reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering!
That was terrifying!
Jiang Deyun's face turned ashen.
He watched Lin Feng, who remained composed despite being attacked by countless Bronze Men, and roared inwardly.
Why hasn't he been knocked out yet?! What are the Bronze Men doing?!
Aren't they at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering? How terrifyingly strong are the Bronze Men at that level? With so many attacking together, they still can't knock him out?
As time passed, Lin Feng would inevitably surpass Jiang Deyun's record.
Jiang Deyun couldn't help remembering what Captain Chen had said.
If someone from another group managed to surpass the top contender in the Squad Leaders' group—
They would naturally be able to claim the test's most generous reward.
Under normal circumstances,
The first-place contender among the Squad Leaders would also take first place in the entire test. That was how it had always been.
But this time, things seemed different.
Time dragged on.
The cries of astonishment from the arena gradually died down.
Everyone was watching Lin Feng.
Because even after the Bronze Men had reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, Lin Feng was still being attacked without the slightest trouble.
He looked completely at ease!
Soon, another sixty breaths passed.
At that point, the Bronze Men's cultivation rose once more.
They advanced from the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering to the Houtian First Layer!
Now, the Bronze Men possessed True Qi!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
At that moment, the attacks of every Bronze Man were terrifyingly powerful!
Once they reached the Houtian First Layer, their already incredibly hard bodies made them even more formidable.
A single punch was stronger than that of an ordinary Houtian First Layer martial artist, unless the martial artist had a weapon.
"H-he made it to the Houtian First Layer?!"
"Good heavens, even Jiang Deyun didn't last until the Houtian First Layer!"
"An ordinary constable, a Body Tempering Realm martial artist, with even more terrifying defenses than a Houtian Second Level martial artist?!"
"What body-tempering martial arts did he practice? They're so powerful!"
The Demon Suppression Guards watching could no longer stay silent. They gasped in amazement.
Watching a Body Tempering Realm martial artist surpass Jiang Deyun and Qin Bang—how could anyone not be shocked?
Besides, Lin Feng was a huge Dark Horse.
Even before the test began, some Demon Suppression Guards had privately made their guesses.
They had thought the championship would naturally go to either Jiang Deyun or Qin Bang.
No one had expected a third contender to appear.
Inside the Bronze Man Formation.
Once the Bronze Men's cultivation reached the Houtian First Layer,
Lin Feng began to struggle a little as he dealt with them.
The Houtian Realm and the Body Tempering Realm were ultimately two different levels.
One could use True Qi, while the other relied solely on physical strength. The gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.
Lin Feng was still gritting his teeth and holding on.
It was only because the attacks from the Bronze Men were increasing his proficiency at an astonishing rate!
+50+50+50+50...
Every Bronze Man's attack increased his proficiency by 50.
The amount accumulating each second had already become impossible to make out!
In any case, the increase was terrifying.
Before long, the total proficiency of his Iron Shirt had already surpassed one hundred thousand.
However, upgrading Iron Shirt again required a million proficiency points.
That was an exceptionally high bar, not something he could reach easily.
A little more time passed.
Lin Feng felt pain in every part of his body. His bones, muscles, and skin seemed to have been pounded thousands upon thousands of times.
At this point, even Lin Feng was struggling to hold on.
What a pity! My cultivation is simply too low. If I were at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, I could definitely keep going! Lin Feng thought.
He knew it was time to stop.
He had lasted longer than Jiang Deyun.
At the same time, Iron Shirt had leveled up.
He had accomplished both goals.
Thinking this, Lin Feng looked toward the edge of the Bronze Man Formation.
He pushed through the attacks of countless Bronze Men and walked out of the formation.
In just a few steps, Lin Feng darted out of the Bronze Man Formation, then panted heavily.
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