D-Class Intermediate Hunter

Z City.

Hunter Association.

Outside the grade assessment office.

About a dozen people waited in the corridor, the line crawling forward slowly.

Most were youths around sixteen, their faces a mix of tension and excitement.

Only a few were clearly older.

Xu Feng's burly figure stood in the middle of the line, drawing noticeable attention.

He observed his surroundings with a sidelong glance, keeping his movements subtle.

Many had their cheeks faintly bulging, chewing something on the sly, their eyes flickering with a tacit wariness.

"It seems this method isn't known only to Father." Xu Feng understood. "If so, the Magic Power Content test alone won't carry much weight. The Association has its own comprehensive evaluation methods."

He lowered his gaze, looking at his own hands—knuckles prominent, brimming with formidable strength—and tightened his fingers slightly.

Just how strong was he now?

He didn't know himself.

But at least, if those E-class Octopus Monsters from last night appeared before him again, they probably couldn't even withstand a single punch.

He had broken through from Qi Realm to Blood Replacement Realm, and his Body Realm had also completed its tempering, stepping into the First Refinement Realm.

With this pure physical strength alone, he was confident he had no equal among E-class opponents.

And if... he were to activate that trace of blood energy within him?

The thought crossed his mind, warming his heart.

Perhaps, even against a D-class opponent, he wouldn't be without a fighting chance.

Xu Feng clenched his fist, feeling the power surging within it, and finally felt a measure of security.

With the help of Breakthrough Points, he would climb step by step!

He would become that—

"Ding—"

The sound of the door opening rang out, snapping Xu Feng back to his senses.

Before he knew it, the line had moved up to him.

"Handsome, it's your turn."

The assessment office's sensor door slid open silently, and a young woman in a black professional skirt and sheer black stockings leaned out, wearing a practiced smile.

When her eyes landed on Xu Feng, a flicker of admiration passed through them.

The youth before her was not only strikingly handsome but also tall and robust, his youthful aura brimming with power, making her take a few extra glances.

"Yes."

Xu Feng took a deep breath, steadied his nerves, and instinctively looked back.

Not far away, Xu Shan was vigorously shaking his fist at him, his face full of encouragement and hope.

A warmth spread through Xu Feng's heart. He gave a slight nod toward his father and mother, then collected himself and followed the staff member into the assessment room.

"First test: Magic Power Content."

The room was brightly lit, with a silver-white precision instrument resembling a CT scanner sitting quietly in the center.

Xu Feng walked to the designated spot as instructed, swiftly removed his upper garments, revealing a body honed by tempering—lean and powerful.

A soft, pale blue light swept down from the top of the instrument, slowly passing over his entire form.

A moment later, the scan was complete.

"D-class Intermediate Magic Power level, Physical System."

The young woman in black stockings glanced at the data on her tablet and nodded lightly.

She had been working in Hunter grade assessments for two or three years now, and could basically tell at a glance who had real skill and who was just "packaged" by temporarily eating monster meat.

Someone like Xu Feng, with an unusually strong physique and a faint, restrained pressure radiating from him even while standing still, was undoubtedly a successfully awakened Hunter.

"Looks about seventeen or eighteen? Didn't awaken at twelve, but had a lucky 'late' awakening recently?" she speculated inwardly.

Her gaze uncontrollably slid over Xu Feng's perfectly sculpted upper body and his face, which blended strength and handsomeness, and she unconsciously licked her lower lip.

"Tsk, a strong, handsome young guy like this is rare... I'll have to find a chance to get his contact info later..."

"Sister?" Xu Feng's slightly puzzled voice broke through her reverie.

He had already put his shirt back on and was standing in front of her, looking at her dazed expression with confusion, even noticing a suspicious glisten at the corner of her mouth.

Was she... hungry?

Xu Feng scratched his head, unsure of what was going on, but the D-class Intermediate Magic Power result was within his expectations.

After all, the dried meat he had swallowed was from a D-class Monster.

The black-stockinged young woman quickly composed herself, the fleeting regret in her eyes over the loss of the "beautiful sight" vanishing, and a gentle, professional smile returned to her face:

"Oh, it's nothing. Handsome, let's move on to the next item."

The second item was the Punch Force Test.

A device shaped like a giant boxing target stood nearby, supported at the rear by several thick composite springs, with a display screen embedded in the center of the target face.

Xu Feng stood before the target, slowly adjusting his breath.

He stared at the dark bullseye, the muscles in his right arm tensing slightly before pulling back like a bowstring.

"Whoosh--!"

His feet rooted into the ground like growing roots, his spine undulating like a great dragon, the power of his entire body linking through each joint, finally converging into his right fist!

Boom--!!!

A dull, drum-like thunderclap suddenly exploded!

The test target shuddered violently, and the springs behind it groaned under the unbearable strain.

The numbers on the display began to jump wildly:

E-class Low-grade... E-class Medium... E-class Higher Rank... D-class Low-grade (flickering faintly)...

Finally, the numbers stabilized, settling on [E-class Higher Rank].

"E-class Higher Rank for punch force?" Xu Feng was fairly satisfied with this result.

Achieving this level with pure physical strength alone proved that the tempering of his physique from the first refinement was quite significant.

"Punch force, E-class Higher Rank. Next is the Impact Resistance Test... Do you need to test your punch force again?" The young woman noticed that Xu Feng hadn't immediately left the testing device, and with a slight flutter of her eyelashes, she inquired.

Xu Feng nodded. "There's another power within me I haven't used yet. If I use it, my strength should increase by another notch."

"A special ability from mana burst?" The young woman understood in her heart.

Some hunters awakened with accompanying special abilities, such as strength amplification, speed surge, form alteration, etc., mostly achieved by instantly bursting their internal mana.

Xu Feng focused his mind, drawing a wisp of pure, blazing blood energy from his dantian.

In an instant, the skin on his right arm visibly turned crimson, the arm's circumference swelled by a circle, and veins bulged like writhing dragons. His entire arm resembled a red-hot branding iron, radiating astonishing heat and momentum.

Boom--!!!

As this fist was thrown, the air was violently compressed, producing a piercing sonic boom!

The numbers on the display surged wildly again, flickering intensely before finally stabilizing at [D-class Low-grade].

"By activating the blood energy burst, my punch force has at least doubled." Xu Feng felt the surging power in his right arm gradually subside, and his skin color and muscle state slowly returned to normal.

His physique, having undergone the first refinement, could withstand this level of burst without any damage.

"It seems this isn't the limit yet; I could still accommodate at least one more wisp of blood energy burst," he estimated in his mind, but chose not to continue testing.

Keeping some trump cards was always necessary.

"Strength item, final rating: D-class Low-grade." The young woman carefully recorded it on her tablet.

Xu Feng didn't pause and walked straight to the adjacent Impact Resistance Test room.

In the center of the room, a giant mechanical fist arm covered in special magical beast leather hovered in midair. The leather effectively transmitted impact force while possessing strong toughness, making it resistant to damage.

"Next is the Impact Resistance Test.

I will gradually increase the striking force. Once you feel your body can't withstand it, you must immediately speak up or give a clear signal to stop."

This time, the young woman's face rarely shed its ease, replaced by a serious expression.

This test directly acted on the physical body; even with the Hunter Association's top-tier medical technology, the risk of severe accidental injury still existed.

"Understood. You can begin."

Xu Feng stood in the center of the room, took a deep breath, and his muscles swelled, his bones and sinews humming in unison.

His entire form seemed to expand a bit more, like a steel statue entering a combat state.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The mechanical fist arm began rhythmically striking Xu Feng's chest and abdomen. Each collision produced a dull sound, with the force increasing incrementally.

Xu Feng stood firm as a rock, enduring the impacts, until one heavy blow caused his blood energy to churn, and he involuntarily took half a step back.

The fist arm immediately stopped on cue.

The screen displayed the result:

[Impact Resistance, D-class Medium].

The last item was the Speed Test.

The result was similar to the Punch Force Test.

Without bursting blood energy, his speed was rated E-class Higher Rank.

But when he infused a wisp of blood energy into both legs simultaneously and burst into a sprint, his speed reached D-class Low-grade.

In the end, his comprehensive evaluation result was set at:

[D-class Intermediate].

"So the hunter rank assessment takes the highest level among all categories except magic level."

Xu Feng held the freshly printed evaluation report, understanding in his heart. "This assessment method is indeed a bit loose. It seems that even among hunters of the same rank, there can be considerable gaps in actual combat power."

He walked out of the assessment room with the results.

Behind him, the black-stockinged young woman watched his retreating figure, a satisfied smile on her face. She lowered her head and added a note tag next to a certain communication number on her tablet:

[D-class Sturdy Little Milk Dog, Potential Stock √]

Becoming an officially certified hunter meant formally stepping into the ranks of the extraordinary, and also entitled one to corresponding benefits.

For example, D-class hunters could receive a basic subsidy of 5,000 yuan each month from the Hunter Association, while C-class hunters received 10,000 yuan.

Of course, compared to the wealth that a high-risk, high-reward profession like hunting could bring, this subsidy was merely a drop in the bucket.

The real value lay in the door this identity opened to a broader world and greater resources.

"Next, I need to consider whether to become a solo hunter or join a raid team," Xu Feng pondered as he walked.

The hunter identity came not only with rights but also with obligations.

According to regulations, each registered hunter must assist the Association in completing a certain number of dungeon raid tasks each year.

For a D-class hunter like him, that meant participating in at least four D-class dungeon raids annually.

Of course, the compensation was quite substantial.

If he chose to be a solo hunter, he would need to go to the Hunter Association's mission hall and find a suitable team to "group up" with on the bulletin board.

But if he joined a fixed raid team, the team could directly undertake the entire raid mission and coordinate arrangements.

To minimize risks as much as possible, the Association had a clear regulation:

Teams of three or fewer people were prohibited from entering dungeons.

Hunters were ultimately a scarce resource, and the Association did not want to see unnecessary losses.