Assessment Ends

"Shing!"

The Qingming Sword pierced through the throat of a Shadow Cat. As Guan Ning pulled his blade free, the beast's corpse collapsed. Eight or nine monster carcasses already lay on the ground. He sliced off their left ears and stowed them in his backpack. Glancing at the dim, pre-dawn sky, he hefted the pack, felt its weight, and grinned. "Time is almost up. Let's call it a day."

He found a random house, cleared the surrounding monsters, then sat cross-legged on the floor to begin his cultivation.

Six-thirty in the morning.

"Woo-woo-woo--"

A series of ear-piercing alarms suddenly rang out across the entire monster town.

From the massive loudspeakers at the entrance, a gruff voice echoed through the town.

"The assessment time has ended. All Quasi-Warriors in the monster town, proceed to the exit immediately."

Is it over already? I wonder how Brother Wang and Brother Li are doing? Guan Ning, who had been silently reciting the Dao Scripture, was interrupted. Once he understood the message, he packed his things and headed toward the exit.

The Quasi-Warriors still inside the town began to file out.

Almost everyone was stained with blood; some were wounded, clutching their injuries while being supported by friends.

Several heavy-duty trucks drove out from the town, the front ones piled high with monster carcasses.

The final truck stopped by the roadside, but it was filled with the corpses of many humans. Some bodies were even mangled, with exposed wounds clearly showing the marks of being gnawed on by monsters.

"If you recognize any of these Quasi-Warrior corpses, come and claim them," a military officer stood by the truck, his voice cold and sharp.

"Ah!"

"Third Brother!"

"Ah Wu!"

Some of the onlookers gasped, and a few even rushed forward, clutching the bodies and wailing in grief.

"What are you crying for!" the officer's cold voice rang out again. "Did you think fighting monsters was a game?"

"In battle against monsters, how can there be no deaths? Since you chose to walk the path of a Warrior, you must be prepared to die!"

"Why does human society grant Warriors so many privileges?"

"It is not for you to act like tyrants in front of ordinary people!"

"It is because Warriors kill a vast number of monsters, protecting the safety of the people in the base cities, and have rendered service to all of humanity."

"That is why you are granted privileges."

"Status, power... everything must be earned with your own life on the line!"

"If you can't even pass the most basic actual combat assessment, you'll just be dead the moment you leave the city for the Wilderness Area!"

The officer's words silenced the Quasi-Warriors present.

"Those who can still move, go to the registration desk to submit your mission results!" After saying this, the officer stopped looking at the Quasi-Warriors and walked away.

Guan Ning scanned his surroundings and quickly spotted Wang Cang and Li Ze. Although their combat uniforms were tattered, they only had superficial wounds. Judging by their excited expressions, it was clear they had passed.

Guan Ning wasn't surprised; after all, they were both from families of Warriors and had mostly followed their parents into the Wilderness Area before. This actual combat assessment was a trivial matter for them.

"Guan Ning! Guan Ning!" Wang Cang called out when he saw him in the crowd.

"Brother Wang, Brother Li," Guan Ning replied.

"Tsk tsk, Guan Ning, you don't have a single drop of blood on you. Did you go on a field trip? Look at us—the difference is like heaven and earth!"

Seeing Guan Ning, Li Ze circled him, looking at his dusty but bloodless combat uniform, and exclaimed dramatically.

"Brother Li, you flatter me," Guan Ning said with a smile. "Judging by your look, you must have had a bountiful harvest."

Hearing this, the joy on Li Ze's face deepened. "I killed five monsters. Haha, after a night of slaughter, I can feel my strength has improved again."

"What about you, Brother Wang?" Guan Ning looked at Wang Cang.

"Seven." Although Wang Cang's face remained calm, the joy in his eyes could not be hidden.

"Guan Ning, you little rascal, you're quite sly." Seeing Guan Ning about to ask others, Li Ze immediately teased, "What about you? How many?"

"A few dozen, I suppose. I didn't count." Guan Ning and his group headed toward the registration desk together.

"A few dozen? Guan Ning, you really are a freak." Li Ze's eyes widened in disbelief after hearing the answer.

When they arrived at the registration desk, many Quasi-Warriors were already handing over the left ears of the monsters they had hunted.

"That's Guan Ning, the student recruited early by the Limit Martial Hall."

"I heard he signed an A-grade contract."

"I wonder how many monsters he hunted? Just a moment ago, Yang Lei from the Thunder Martial Hall killed forty-three."

"He's so young, he surely lacks actual combat experience. It'll be a miracle if he didn't wet his pants when facing a monster, haha."

Seeing Guan Ning approach, everyone began to whisper; the scene at the plaza before the assessment had left a deep impression on them.

For a moment, the entire registration desk focused its attention on him.

"Guan Ning, give me the left ears of the monsters you hunted."

Several officers were stationed at the registration desk, some counting the number of monster left ears while others handled the paperwork. One of the officers spoke to Guan Ning.

Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Guan Ning unslung his backpack, opened the bag, and turned it upside down.

A large pile of monster left ears spilled directly onto the table in front of the officer, covering more than half of the two-meter-long surface.

"So many?"

"Just how many monsters did he hunt?"

The nearby Quasi-Warriors were shocked.

The officer in charge of the count was also taken aback by the sheer volume.

A smile appeared on the officer's face as he said to Guan Ning, "Guan Ning, there are eighty-seven monster left ears in total. As of now, you have the highest kill count in this batch."

"Next." The officer turned to look at the person behind, and Guan Ning walked away with a smile.

"What a freak. Yang Lei killed forty-three, and this Guan Ning killed eighty-seven."

"I wonder if anyone else could have hunted more monsters than this Guan Ning?"

Listening to the crowd's exclamations and discussions, Guan Ning didn't care in the slightest.

What was the point of killing more H-Level Monsters?

He had only sought out monsters to hone his footwork, killing them offhand once his practice was finished.

If he had only focused on killing H-Level Monsters, with his current strength, it wouldn't be strange for him to hunt over a hundred in a single night.

"The martial artist practical exam is passed; I am finally a true martial artist."

Guan Ning felt a sense of exhilaration in his heart.

He had finally taken the first step—the most important step—on the road toward becoming a top-tier powerhouse.

Thinking of the brilliant future that lay ahead, Guan Ning's emotions surged.

"Only a life like this is truly magnificent!"

"Guan Ning." A voice called out.

Guan Ning turned to see a bearded officer smiling at him. "Come with me. Someone wants to see you in the lounge just ahead."

"Oh?" Guan Ning was somewhat puzzled...

Wants to see him?

Guan Ning did not hesitate. He followed the bearded officer, but before entering the lounge, he took off his dust-covered combat suit, washed up, and changed into clean, fresh clothes before stepping inside.

Inside the lounge, a burly man, a lean man, and an officer were sitting on a sofa drinking. Upon hearing movement, three pairs of eyes locked onto Guan Ning like lightning.

"You are Guan Ning?" the burly man asked after giving him a once-over.

"Yes." Seeing that the lean man was Supervisor Yu, Guan Ning guessed the identity of the burly man and answered respectfully.

After all, he had previously declined the supervisor's invitation, so it was better to be respectful now.

"Not bad, not bad. This is Supervisor Feng Xiong of the Thunder Martial Hall, and this officer is Major General Wang of the military region," the lean man said with a smile.

It really was them. It seemed Supervisor Yu wasn't angry; that was a relief.

Guan Ning thought for a brief moment before cupping his hands. "Greetings, Supervisor Yu, Supervisor Feng, and General Wang."

Supervisor Feng of the Thunder Martial Hall nodded, but the thought of missing out on a genius like Guan Ning left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he could only drink his wine in silence.

"Heh." Seeing Feng Xiong's reaction, Yu Sen chuckled. His gaze toward Guan Ning grew even more appreciative as he gestured to the sofa. "Guan Ning, sit."

He was to sit opposite these supervisors?

Guan Ning was secretly startled...

He was well aware of how high a supervisor's status was. One could say that a supervisor of a general branch held a status comparable to a War God-level powerhouse! They possessed astonishing power; in Jiangnan Base City, the burly man before him could almost be said to have eyes and hands that reached the heavens.

"Why aren't you sitting? Afraid we'll eat you? Haha..." The burly man laughed immediately upon seeing Guan Ning's hesitation.

Guan Ning smiled, sat down in front of the two, and asked, "Thank you, Supervisor Yu. May I ask why you wanted to see me?"

"This is outrageous!" The burly man, seeing Guan Ning ignore him, felt his temper flare. Just as he was about to give Guan Ning a hard time, Yu Sen chuckled. "Blind Feng, you really are becoming more childish as you age. Guan Ning, don't mind him."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiong realized his mistake. If word got out that a supervisor of the Thunder Martial Hall had made things difficult for a newly qualified martial artist, not only would he lose face, but the Thunder Martial Hall would also be embarrassed. It wasn't worth it!

Realizing this, he felt even more depressed and could only continue drinking his wine.

"Guan Ning, we have all watched your combat process. Micro-Level footwork and Mastery-Level sword techniques—it is truly astonishing." Yu Sen praised him a few times before asking, "Looking at you, your sword techniques must have only recently broken through, right?"

"Mastery-Level sword techniques?" Although Guan Ning had known this for a long time, he still had to feign confusion; after all, with his current status, he shouldn't have been exposed to this level yet.

"Look at me, I forgot you didn't know!" Seeing Guan Ning's confused expression, Yu Sen patted his head and said with a chuckle, "Footwork is divided into Basic, Micro, Perfect, and Conception. Your current footwork is Micro-Level. Sword, saber, and spear techniques are the same: divided into Basic, Mastery, Perfection, and Conception."

Seeing Guan Ning's earnest expression, Yu Sen nodded slightly and continued, "Given your current situation, you are fully qualified to sign a special-grade contract and enter the Basic Training Camp at the martial hall's global headquarters. In the future, you may even have the chance to join the Elite Training Camp."