Hunter Rank Assessment

Morning.

"Ling Xia, hand me that skinning knife." Xu Shan called toward the inner room as he adjusted the clothes on his body.

The beast-hide backpack slung behind him bulged, and the tools hanging from the basket on his right arm—various dissection blades—clinked together with a cold, hard sound with every movement.

"Brother Piao's raid team just cleared an E-class underground city yesterday.

I need to head out early today. Even if I just get the scraps from processing the monster corpses, it's still something."

Yang Ning Xia leaned out from the kitchen, still gripping a spatula.

She watched her husband's outfit, a layer of worry settling between her brows.

"E-class? Be careful, don't just bury your head in the work.

If you notice a monster that isn't fully dead, get close to the hunters right away. Don't be like last time, getting hurt and not saying a word."

"I know, I know. If something really happens, I'll run faster than anyone." Xu Shan grinned, patting his sturdy chest. "With those big shots from the raid team standing in front, even if the sky falls, it won't land on us grunts."

"Dad. Mom."

At that moment, Xu Feng's door creaked open softly, and the boy's slightly excited voice rang out.

Without turning around, Xu Shan habitually put on a stern face. "You little brat, what now? I'm telling you, don't get any ideas about following in your old man's footsteps. You think this line of work is fun? It's putting your life on the line..."

His words cut off abruptly.

The tool basket crashed to the floor with a clatter.

Xu Shan spun around, eyes wide as saucers, staring fixedly at the figure in the doorway as if seeing his own son for the first time.

Yang Ning Xia froze too, nearly dropping the spatula.

Standing at the door, Xu Feng was a completely different person from the frail, thin boy of yesterday, who looked like a gust of wind could knock him over.

His shoulders and back were broad, stretching his old, once-fitting T-shirt taut. The muscles on his bare arms bulged with distinct lines, brimming with an indescribable sense of power. He stood like a tower of steel.

Xu Feng rubbed his hands together, scratched the back of his head with his thick right arm, and forced an embarrassed smile onto his face.

"Uh... Dad, Mom, I think I awakened last night."

His gaze swept over his parents' shocked faces, and deep in his eyes, a flicker of cunning slipped by unnoticed.

The physical transformation from breaking through the Blood Replacement Realm was too astonishing to hide.

Rather than struggle to conceal it, it was better to go with the flow and attribute it all to "awakening."

As for the secret of martial arts, he had to keep his mouth shut, even to his closest family.

At least for now, that was necessary.

A path to transcendence that didn't rely on the "Hunter" system would drive the entire world insane.

Until he had enough power to protect himself, this secret could not see the light.

"Aw... awakened...?" Xu Shan murmured, his voice hoarse, his gaze unfocused.

Was this towering, iron-like young man really his son—the one who had been sickly since childhood, the one who had caused him so much worry?

The shock was too violent, leaving him speechless, lost in numb confusion.

"Husband! Snap out of it!" It was Yang Ning Xia who reacted first, slapping her husband's thick back with a mix of surprise and affectionate scolding. "Xiao Feng awakening is a huge blessing! Hurry up and take him to the Hunter Association for a rank assessment!"

That slap jolted Xu Shan awake.

Joy erupted like a volcano, instantly blasting away the daze on his face.

"Right, right, right! Assessment! Let's go now!" He was so excited he could barely string words together, every wrinkle on his face smoothing out. "Haha! Yi, good! My son made it! My son's a hunter! The Xu family has finally made something of itself!"

He fumbled to tear off the beast-hide backpack, pulled out his old phone, and dialed Piao Zhi Yong's number with slightly trembling fingers.

A hearty laugh and congratulations came from the other end of the line. Piao Zhi Yong not only readily approved the leave but also joked half-seriously

that if Xu Feng's assessment reached D-class or above, he'd be welcome to join his raid team, and he wouldn't be treated poorly.

"Thanks, Brother Piao! Much appreciated!" Xu Shan thanked him repeatedly, hung up, and the flush on his face grew even brighter. "Let's go, let's go now..."

He stopped mid-sentence, as if remembering something extremely important.

A rare hesitation flickered across his face, then his gaze turned resolute.

He turned and strode quickly into the bedroom he shared with his wife.

A moment later, he came out holding a rectangular wooden box carefully wrapped in red silk cloth.

"Xiao Feng, take this." Xu Shan handed the box solemnly to his son, lowering his voice, his expression serious.

Xu Feng opened the box in confusion.

Inside lay a piece of dried meat about the length of a palm, dark brown in color, dense in texture, its surface covered with wind-dried lines.

A faint, yet deeper aura, similar to the Octopus Monster meat he had eaten before, emanated from it.

It was the aura of mana.

"This... is monster jerky?" Xu Feng looked up at his father.

"Yes, a piece of D-class monster meat suitable for human consumption. I've kept it hidden for a long time." Xu Shan glanced warily around, lowering his voice even further. "You're a hunter now. Your body can fully handle it."

Eat it. The magic power inside will remain in your body for a period of time. When the Association tests your magic power content, it will also..."

Xu Shan didn't finish his sentence, only casting a meaningful look at his son.

Xu Feng instantly understood his father's intention.

He hoped to use this covert method to slightly raise his Hunter rating score.

His heart stirred involuntarily.

This happened to solve a difficult problem he faced:

As a martial artist, he tempered his blood and qi to step into the extraordinary, but his body contained no true "magic power" in the literal sense.

He had already planned to brush it off with excuses like "my ability is special, my magic power is concealed."

But the method his father provided undoubtedly gave him a more natural and less suspicious foundation.

"I understand, Dad." Xu Feng nodded, carefully placing the small wooden box into the inner pocket of his coat. "I'll eat it when I get to the Association."