At around seven in the morning, Su You and the other five were already fully armed and standing in a line.
Xing Huaiguo looked over the six of them and said gravely,
"Today is the day of your practical combat assessment. You have until midnight to hunt down an Elementary Beast General Level monster. If you exceed the time limit, you will fail the assessment.
"I won't interfere with any of your choices or actions today. I'll only step in to save someone if their life is in danger—but that will mean they've failed the assessment. Understood?"
"Understood."
Xing Huaiguo nodded slightly. "Get moving!"
Su You and the others exchanged glances, then headed straight up to the rooftop. Each took out a pair of binoculars and carefully scanned the streets below. It was one of the easiest ways to search for monsters in the city.
"Don't bother mentioning any targets with too many Beast Soldiers around them. Ideally, we should pick one with only two or three Beast Soldiers accompanying it," Su You said as he scanned the streets.
Over the past twenty-odd days of fighting, Su You had served as both the team's main attacker and its commander. He had also saved each of the other five at one point or another. Though he had no official title, he was already the team leader in all but name.
The six of them spent more than ten minutes observing the area, ruling out one target after another.
"Look over there! Five Tiger Mastiff Dogs!" Elena suddenly cried, pointing to a street below.
Su You and the others hurried over and peered down through their binoculars. It didn't take long to spot five streamlined Tiger Mastiff Dogs covered in spots on one of the streets. The spots on one of them were noticeably denser than those on the other four.
"That one's an Elementary Beast General Level."
"The other four are all Advanced Beast Soldiers."
"Su, should we go for it?"
"All right, that's our target. Let's move!"
At Su You's command, the six of them immediately left the rooftop. They carefully crossed several streets and reached a corner near the Tiger Mastiff Dogs, only sixty or seventy meters away. Xing Huaiguo quietly followed behind them.
Su You glanced through a crack in the wall at the five Tiger Mastiff Dogs nearby, then said in a low voice,
"I'll handle the Beast General. The rest of you take out the other four as quickly as possible. Then Garava and Dai Xueyang, cover both sides. Just hold it back long enough to stop it from escaping."
As for Colin, Elena, and Duoniya, all three were still Intermediate Warriors. They could manage against Advanced Beast Soldiers, but wouldn't last a single move against a Beast General Level monster.
So Su You had assigned them to take up a high vantage point and keep watch for other monsters.
This assessment was more difficult than most in previous years. Usually, only teams with a Spirit Reader got this kind of challenge.
Su You's team had received the same "treatment" as a Spirit Reader team only because of the mastery he had previously demonstrated in his micro-level movement technique.
"Move!" Su You drew two long swords and shot forward, charging straight at the Beast General Level Tiger Mastiff Dog. The other five followed him, rushing toward the remaining four.
"Roar—" All five Tiger Mastiff Dogs let out furious roars and pounced at the humans before them.
Su You's footwork shifted unpredictably. He used Lingbo Microsteps from the very start. Facing a Beast General Level monster, he couldn't afford to let his guard down for even a moment.
Though it seemed like a long time, less than a second had passed for Su You.
When he was only two or three meters from the Tiger Mastiff Dog, he swung the Baihong Sword in his right hand, while his left hand lagged half a beat behind and thrust upward toward the beast's left eye.
The Beast General Level Tiger Mastiff Dog was considerably faster than Su You. With one swipe of its paw, it knocked aside the sword coming down at it. But the second sword caught it by surprise.
In the nick of time, the Tiger Mastiff Dog lowered its head slightly. The sword struck its skull, but pierced only about half a centimeter into it.
The Tiger Mastiff Dog was in pain, but reacted quickly. It pounced, its gaping jaws snapping at Su You.
Su You hurriedly pulled back his left-hand sword and stepped diagonally backward to create some distance. At the same time, he turned slightly and swept his right-hand sword upward, slicing across the beast's left foreleg.
But Beast General Level monsters had very strong defenses. Su You's sword had barely cut through the fur, doing very little damage.
The Tiger Mastiff Dog landed on the ground, barely noticing the small wound on its foreleg. It turned around and roared as it charged at Su You.
Su You used Lingbo Microsteps and avoided meeting the Tiger Mastiff Dog head-on, wearing it down little by little instead. In terms of strength, Su You could muster only around six thousand kilograms, while the Tiger Mastiff Dog could easily manage over ten thousand. Trying to match it blow for blow would be suicide.
Holding a sword in each hand, he varied his pace between fast and slow, leaving wound after wound on the Tiger Mastiff Dog. None were vital, but if he kept it up long enough, he could wear the beast down.
Elsewhere, Dai Xueyang and the other four had already finished their fight. Duoniya, Colin, and Elena took up a high vantage point, keeping an eye on the monsters moving through the surrounding streets.
Dai Xueyang and Garava each took one side of the street, ready to intercept the Beast General Level Tiger Mastiff Dog at any moment.
Beast General Level monsters already had a certain degree of intelligence. As soon as the Tiger Mastiff Dog noticed that all its underlings were dead, it started thinking about escaping.
This human was far too slippery. It had already used all its strength and still hadn't even touched the other's clothes. Why stick around and wait to die?
The Tiger Mastiff Dog's attack slowed for a moment. Then it suddenly pounced at Su You.
"It's trying to escape!"
Su You's eyes lit up. He immediately realized what the Tiger Mastiff Dog was planning and charged straight at it.
When he was about five or six meters away from the Tiger Mastiff Dog, Su You's speed suddenly surged. Then he leaned backward and slid beneath it.
More than ten days earlier, Su You had mastered the first level of the Dripping Water Sword. His body could now exert 1.2 times its normal force. That didn't just mean 1.2 times his usual strength—his speed could also reach 1.2 times its usual level.
Thanks to Su You's sudden burst of speed, when he slid beneath the Tiger Mastiff Dog, it had reached the highest point of its jump.
The swords in both of Su You's hands flashed at once. Starting below the Tiger Mastiff Dog's neck, they cut along its soft belly all the way to its hind legs.
The Tiger Mastiff Dog landed hard, its belly pouring blood as its body convulsed.
That sliding tackle was downright terrifying!
Holding a sword in each hand, Su You approached the Tiger Mastiff Dog cautiously. Many rookies had died to a monster's desperate last attack. He couldn't afford to be careless.
Once he reached the Tiger Mastiff Dog, Su You thrust the sword in his right hand toward its throat. The beast, still lying on the ground, suddenly sprang up and snapped at him.
Su You immediately stepped back half a pace, while the sword in his left hand accelerated in an instant. Hindered by its injuries, the Tiger Mastiff Dog couldn't react in time, and the sword plunged straight into its mouth.
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