Ten days later.
After climbing over mountains and crossing streams for nearly thirty kilometers, the group arrived at a cliff overlooking a river valley.
Facing the cliff ahead, Zhang Xiaohou showed extraordinary courage, just like in the Original Work. He used Wind Element Magic to leap across the gap and carried the rope over with him.
"Nice one, Monkey!" Dongfang Chen gave Zhang Xiaohou a thumbs-up.
Zhang Xiaohou smiled bashfully.
Mofan simply rolled his eyes at Dongfang Chen.
"Dongfang, I'm starting to suspect you didn't come here to train at all. You came on vacation."
After all these days, everyone else was covered in dust from head to toe. But Dongfang Chen and Ye Xin Xia, who was beside him, were another story.
Not only were their faces and skin spotless, their clothes didn't have a speck of dust on them.
"What can I say? You're the one who didn't awaken Water Magic." Dongfang Chen grinned.
"Is being born with every element really that impressive?" Mofan grumbled.
There were other classmates who'd awakened Water Magic, but none of them wasted their Magic energy as casually as Dongfang Chen did.
At most, they'd conjure some water to wash themselves off.
"Enough about that. Don't you think you're slacking off a little too much?"
"How so? If Monkey hadn't stepped up just now, I would've had Xin Xia do it." Dongfang Chen grinned.
"How could Ye Xin Xia help? She doesn't have Wind Element Magic."
"But she has Wing Magic Equipment. Xin Xia can't sustain it for long with her Magic energy, but it's more than enough to fly across a cliff."
Dongfang Chen's words left Mofan's face flushed with frustration. Was this guy just here to show off how rich he was?
After talking with Dongfang Chen more often, Mofan wasn't as clueless as he used to be.
He was still broke, but he'd seen enough to know just how precious Wing Magic Equipment was.
His classmates Zhou Min, Zhang Shuhua, and the others looked on enviously.
"All right, enough chatting. Let's move."
Dongfang Chen glanced at the bushes behind them. A Military Department recorder was hiding there, noting down how everyone had done just now.
Still, Dongfang Chen planned to keep slacking off.
After all, Zhan Kong had said that as long as he took it easy, he'd get the highest rating: an S.
Once they'd crossed the cliff, the group reached Hundred Grass Valley.
There were a few weak Vine Demons in the valley.
To Dongfang Chen, there were so many of them that they were practically weeds along the roadside.
But for the Advanced Class students, they were still a serious nuisance.
Vine Demons didn't kill their victims. They bound them, slit their skin, and drained nutrients from their blood.
They especially liked female students. The demons would wrap around their thighs and hang them upside down, giving everyone quite a sight.
What kind of Vine Demon was this? It was more like a vine bodhisattva!
Still, the Advanced Class students weren't as useless as they seemed. They'd panicked a little when they first saw the demons, but soon calmed down and dealt with them.
Ye Xin Xia took the opportunity to kill quite a few Vine Demons with her Slaying Magic Equipment.
She performed the best out of everyone, remaining calm in danger and handling things steadily.
Beyond the valley lay a cave at a mountain pass.
That was the group's destination.
Zhan Kong had secretly sent people to follow the student group all along the way.
Their first purpose was to keep the students safe; the second was to relay information so the students' training results could be scored.
"Boss! We've got trouble!"
Bai Yang came running over in a panic.
His sudden arrival made several schoolteachers tense up.
But Zhan Kong didn't panic. He calmly asked, "What happened?"
"Our scouts sent word. Three Commander Level Bone Thorn Fierce Wolves are heading toward the students' training site."
"Commander Level?!" Zhan Kong frowned. "Didn't we clear out the demons nearby before the training started? How did Commander Level demons suddenly show up? And three at once?"
"I don't know either. But if we leave them alone, the students could be in danger," Bai Yang continued.
Zhan Kong's brows remained knitted.
Under normal circumstances, they could send out a team to deal with the three Commander Level demons at their leisure.
But this wasn't a normal situation. To ensure the students' safety, the three had to be killed immediately. And in the entire Military Department, Zhan Kong was the only one with the strength to do it, being a High-Tier Mage.
He turned to his deputy, Pan Lijun, and Luo Yun. "You two stay here and continue overseeing the training. I'll go take care of those three beasts. Bai Yang, your task stays the same. Send your Summoned Beast to scare those students, but make sure you don't overdo it."
Bai Yang nodded at once, a teasing smile on his face. "Understood, Boss Zhan Kong. I won't scare them too badly. They're the flowers of our nation, after all. We wouldn't want to give them a lasting trauma."
"No. I'm worried your Ghost Wolf Beast will make it too convincing, and that kid Dongfang Chen will mistake it for the real thing and kill it."
Bai Yang: "..."
With that, Zhan Kong spread his Wind Wings and flew toward the three Sub-Bone Thorn Wolves.
Inside the cave.
"Awooooo!!!"
The terrifying roar left the students frozen in place.
They'd all talked about killing demons and fulfilling their duty as mages, but the moment they faced one for real, they finally realized things weren't as simple as they'd imagined.
Faced with the Ghost Wolf Beast's roar, most of them stood rooted to the spot, their bodies too stiff to control.
Deep inside, they were overwhelmed by the terror of facing a demon.
Only then could they truly understand how terrifying demons were, as described in their textbooks.
"Run!"
At someone's sudden shout, most of the students turned and fled from the cave.
"W-Wind Track... Damn it, I can't connect to the Star Seeds..."
Zhang Xiaohou didn't run, but panic had taken hold of him, making it impossible to cast a spell properly.
It wasn't just Zhang Xiaohou. Even Mubai and Xu Zhaoting, who usually got good grades at school, couldn't cast a single spell.
"F-Fan Ge, Brother Chen, what... what do we do?"
Zhang Xiaohou was holding up fairly well. At least he managed to get the words out.
Mofan was scared too, but he wasn't as useless as everyone else.
Dongfang Chen and Ye Xin Xia were another matter.
They'd faced demons plenty of times already. One measly Ghost Wolf Beast wasn't enough to scare them.
"Heh. I promised someone I wouldn't step in." Dongfang Chen looked at Mofan and Zhang Xiaohou with a grin. "So, what's it gonna be? If you're too scared to act, I'll have Xin Xia handle it."
Ye Xin Xia adorably raised her biceps. The Shield Magic Tool and Slaying Magic Equipment on her wrist were already primed.
"Have Big Sister Xin Xia step in? Brother Chen, are you kidding? We should run, or we're really going to die!"
Zhang Xiaohou was still trying to talk them into it.
But just then—
A foul stench wafted from deep inside the cave.
On either side of the Ghost Wolf Beast, more and more Ghost Monkey Faces appeared—demons with deformed bodies.
"Ugh! W-What are those? Why do they stink so much?"
The stench made Zhang Xiaohou and Mofan gag.
Dongfang Chen's expression turned serious.
The creatures beside the Ghost Wolf Beast were unmistakably Black Beast Demons, unique to the Black Church!
"Heh. He's right. If you don't run, you'll die here. But, well, it's already too late..."
In the cave's shadows, Bai Yang's figure slowly emerged.
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