He glanced at the gloomy young man, but Luo Zhe paid him no mind. Still, the other man's aggressive stare made Luo Zhe frown. What an irritating look!
"I'm not interested." Luo Feng shook his head too.
The gloomy young man froze, then gave a cold laugh and said nothing more.
Zhuge Tao and the burly man from Thunder Martial Arts Hall, standing nearby, both laughed at the sight. "Zhuge, these two youngsters of yours are pretty interesting. They're steady, and they didn't lose their heads at the first provocation! I'm starting to like this young man named Luo Feng. Luo Feng, have you considered joining Thunder Martial Arts Hall..."
"Go on, get out of here." Zhuge Tao glared at him. "Don't try to drive a wedge between us!"
"I was only joking. You really have no sense of humor," the burly man laughed heartily.
As they spoke, Zhuge Tao glanced downstairs. "Let's go too. The Martial Artist Combat Assessment is about to begin!"
Luo Zhe and the other 1,680 Quasi-Martial Artists followed the soldiers in a vast procession. It took them a full half hour to reach the outskirts of a small town. By then, evening had fallen, and the sun had already set.
A wire fence encircled the town's outskirts, and large numbers of soldiers patrolled the area with guns in hand. All kinds of unnerving monster cries came from inside the town.
"Roar—"
"Grr—"
Heavy trucks raced along the road, each one filled with angry roars. Luo Zhe and the many other martial artists watched them closely.
Every truck carried several cages, and each cage held a monster. Their snarling mouths gaped open, sharp teeth bared and drool dripping from their gums. The enraged roars made some Quasi-Martial Artists who had never killed a monster tremble with fear.
The upcoming Martial Artist Combat Assessment would require these future martial artists to fight these terrifying monsters to the death!
"Luo Zhe, Luo Feng."
The chief instructor, Wu Tong, stood beside Luo Zhe. His expression serious, he pointed toward Monster Town. "See the monsters inside? Those are the targets you'll be hunting during your Martial Artist Combat Assessment."
"Monsters like these are everywhere throughout China, and indeed, throughout the world! When you enter the Wilderness Zone in the future, you'll face even more of them, and stronger ones. You'll only have a chance to survive if you kill them—and only then will humanity have a chance to survive!"
"I know you two are talented martial artists whom our Dojo recruited early. You're much stronger than ordinary martial artists, especially you, Luo Zhe. You've already reached the Advanced Warrior Level." Wu Tong gave Luo Zhe's shoulder a hearty slap, making him roll his eyes.
Hearing the words "Advanced Warrior Level," Luo Feng couldn't help glancing at Luo Zhe a few times. He hadn't expected Luo Zhe, who had entered Extreme Martial Arts Hall only a month before him, to be stronger than he was. It seemed those recruited early by Extreme Martial Arts Hall all had something exceptional about them!
Wu Tong laughed, then continued seriously, "I know you two are physically strong and have good blade skills, but that doesn't mean you can kill monsters! Some people see blood or face a life-or-death situation and can't bring out even a tenth of their strength. So the main purpose of this Martial Artist Combat Assessment is to temper your resolve. You need to get used to fighting monsters to the death. Don't show mercy!"
"Understood!" Luo Zhe nodded.
He had understood this long ago. A martial artist who had never seen blood was like a beast raised in captivity. Though it had sharp teeth and claws, its wild nature had long been dulled, and it had lost the courage to roar through the mountains and forests.
"Mm... These monsters are all the weakest H-Class Monsters, and they're not very intelligent. With your abilities, as long as you're careful and don't get surrounded, there's no need to worry about your lives. But—"
Wu Tong paused. "Be extremely careful! Every monster is bloodthirsty. If you really get surrounded, even if you have to fight through serious injuries, you must kill them all first! Wounds and blood won't scare monsters away. Only killing them more ruthlessly than they kill, and making them hurt, will make them afraid!"
Listening to Wu Tong, Luo Zhe nodded firmly. He turned toward the town, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
His first kill was about to happen here!
As more and more monsters were brought in and released into the town, the number inside reached an all-time high.
"Everyone."
A loud voice reached every Quasi-Martial Artist. Luo Zhe and the others all looked up.
A military officer stood on the roof of a dilapidated three-story building inside the town, addressing them all. "This practical assessment will follow the same rules as in previous years! It will begin promptly at 6:30 tonight and end at 6:30 tomorrow morning!"
"The more monsters you kill during that time, the more points you'll earn. For every monster you kill, cut off its left ear as proof."
"Remember, Quasi-Martial Artists are absolutely forbidden from attacking one another!"
"You're being monitored at all times. Anyone who breaks the rules will be shot!"
"Also, only the top 60 percent of you 1,680 Quasi-Martial Artists will earn the right to become martial artists! The bottom 40 percent will fail and have to wait for the next Martial Artist Combat Assessment." The officer's voice grew colder.
"In other words, 1,008 of you will pass, while 672 will be eliminated!"
Luo Zhe thought for a moment, then looked up at Luo Feng and saw that the other man was also looking down, deep in thought.
This was the first time he had learned that, besides being killed by monsters, so many people could be eliminated as well. The standards for this Martial Artist Combat Assessment were clearly far higher than those for the college entrance exams.
The Quasi-Martial Artists listening below couldn't help whispering among themselves. The elimination rate was actually 40 percent!
"Here's a reminder: usually, killing three monsters is enough to pass. If you kill only two, it'll come down to luck." The officer's voice rang in everyone's ears. "If you have the same score as someone else, your ranking will be determined by how long it took you to kill the monsters and whether you were injured. So once you've killed enough monsters, leave the town as soon as possible."
"Remember, if you're seriously injured, you can press the emergency button on your communication watch. Someone will rescue you immediately... But the moment you do, your Martial Artist Combat Assessment will be over." The officer sprang into the air.
Whoosh!
He leaped more than ten meters straight up from the roof of the building inside the town, then bounded twice more and landed outside.
"All Quasi-Martial Artists, move out! Enter Monster Town." The officer waved his hand.
The 1,680 Quasi-Martial Artists surged into Monster Town like a rushing tide.
"Close the gate!" the officer ordered.
"Rumble—" The only gate slammed shut.
At that moment, the Martial Artist Combat Assessment officially began!
Before you continue