Who Isn't a Martial Artist?

From the moment Lu Chong broke through to become a Martial Artist, he was no longer an ordinary student, but a key talent entered into confidential files.

Once Lu Chong was truly assassinated, it would not just be a loss for Guanyun City; even the provincial authorities would demand accountability.

Of course, to Principal Fang, Principal Wei, and Colonel Huang, Lu Chong carried significant weight; the three had long regarded him as a close student, and even the hope for Guanyun City's rise.

Therefore, Principal Fang was currently furious, though he did not show it too obviously in front of Lu Chong.

Fortunately, Lu Chong's strength had surged recently, allowing him to discover the assassin early and even resolve the situation on his own.

Facing the assassin directly and killing him in return was an excellent training opportunity for Lu Chong. On this point, Principal Fang was quite satisfied.

"Go back and check the cave," Principal Fang said, snapping back to reality to remind Lu Chong.

Lu Chong had the same intention. He entered the cave alone and carefully retrieved a black leather bag the two men had left behind.

Squeaking sounds emanated faintly from the bag. Lu Chong looked at Principal Fang and said, "This should be the mother rat they mentioned, a Level 2 Gold-Devouring Rat."

Principal Fang signaled for Lu Chong to open the bag. Immediately, a black shadow darted out, heading straight for Lu Chong's face.

However, before Lu Chong could even move, Principal Fang had already gripped the air with his palm. A fiery red gangqi surged out, enveloping the Gold-Devouring Rat.

The Level 2 Gold-Devouring Rat lunged left and right, but it was burned until it squeaked in pain, unable to escape the range of Principal Fang's gangqi.

"To be able to condense gangqi outside the body without it dissipating—is this the method of a Martial Ancestor?" Lu Chong's eyes lit up; compared to his current abilities, the difference was like heaven and earth.

He saw the appearance of this Gold-Devouring Rat clearly; it was indeed very similar to the one he had killed yesterday.

It had a palm-sized body with pitch-black, oily fur, save for a tuft of gold hair on its forehead, and its exposed teeth were extremely sharp.

This was a Gold-Devouring Rat. Despite its small size, its lethality was not to be underestimated.

This type of Exotic Beast was incredibly fast, and its primary means of harming enemies was its razor-sharp teeth. A Level 2 Gold-Devouring Rat could even bite through two-centimeter-thick high-strength steel plates.

Gold-Devouring Rats fed on various hard metals, which made their bodies extremely tough—virtually impervious to blades or bullets.

Of course, Gold-Devouring Rats also ate humans, which could accelerate their evolution.

If Lu Chong hadn't broken through to become a Martial Artist, he likely wouldn't have been a match for such a Level 2 Gold-Devouring Rat had it targeted him.

Principal Fang calmly placed the Gold-Devouring Rat back into the black leather bag and said, "These two assassins certainly went to great lengths."

"To avoid exposing themselves, they actually found such a pair of mother and child rats."

"They released the child rat first for you to kill, so that the mother rat would remember your scent and lock onto you."

"When you entered the Wilderness tomorrow, the lurking mother rat would have delivered a fatal blow, not even giving the instructors time to react."

"A cunning scheme. From start to finish, they didn't even need to show their faces," Principal Fang snorted coldly.

Lu Chong now understood the method the enemy had used to assassinate him, and he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

Who exactly wanted to assassinate him?

Lu Chong naturally pondered this; he didn't seem to have any deep-seated grudges with anyone.

If it were a case of inadvertently infringing on someone's interests...

Lu Chong first thought of Zhao Longfei, whom he had forced out of the Hunting Ground last time.

"Could it be him?" Lu Chong dared not be certain.

These kinds of things could not be guessed.

However, Lu Chong grew more guarded against Zhao Longfei in his heart.

"Don't overthink it." Principal Fang seemed to see what Lu Chong was thinking and waved his hand. "I will help you investigate this matter."

"But remember, only mediocre people are not envied; this is nothing new."

"Therefore, one must always be on guard against others. Do you understand?"

Lu Chong quickly said, "Thank you, Principal Fang, I will remember that."

"Good," Principal Fang said with a booming voice. "But don't become timid because of this. If anyone dares to target you openly, just come to me."

"I don't think Old Wei would stand for it either."

Lu Chong felt moved, but he didn't say much, simply keeping those words in his heart.

"Go back," Principal Fang said. "The special training will end in a few more days."

"I will try my best to find some Level 2 Exotic Beasts in the depths of the Wilderness for you to practice with."

"The military merits for killing Level 2 Exotic Beasts, including this Gold-Devouring Rat, will also be quietly saved up for you."

Lu Chong thanked him repeatedly. Although Level 2 Exotic Beasts were dangerous, they were treasures from head to toe and worth a fortune.

A single, most common Level 2, Tier 1 Exotic Beast could be exchanged for five hundred military merits, which was roughly fifty thousand Huaxia Coins.

Returning to the Fortress, Lu Chong went straight to rest, while Principal Fang took the assassin and went to investigate through the night.

By early the next morning, Principal Fang found Lu Chong and said with some frustration, "I couldn't find anything."

"I could only confirm that they were registered overseas bounty hunters who had previously committed murder and robbery in the Wilderness."

"But the person who contacted them this time never showed their face; they only issued the mission and transferred the money through an overseas virtual platform, making it impossible to trace the source."

Lu Chong had long guessed this; if the two assassins were so cautious, how could the person behind them easily surface?

Lu Chong comforted Principal Fang in turn, "It's alright, Principal Fang. I'll just be more careful from now on."

"Once I become an official Martial Artist, I will have a certain degree of self-preservation," Lu Chong said confidently.

Principal Fang nodded, "If you have any suspects, don't hesitate to tell me or Principal Wei."

"It's fortunate that it wasn't foreign spies targeting you; otherwise, they would be even more unscrupulous."

"Do not enter the Wilderness alone during this period. It is still quite safe within our base," Principal Fang cautioned.

Lu Chong nodded solemnly, though a thorn remained in his heart, thinking that he must find an opportunity to pull it out.

On May 1st, the students were hunting in the Wilderness as usual.

By the afternoon, news arrived that another person among this batch of students had broken through to become a Martial Artist: it was Xiang Yueya.

The students were in an uproar; after all, students breaking through to Martial Artist before the college entrance exam were truly rare in the small Guanyun City.

However, Lu Chong didn't pay much attention to it.

Who wasn't a Martial Artist these days? He was already a second-stage Martial Artist.

Over the next few days, perhaps because the special training had taken effect, or because the students were finally reaping the rewards of their hard work, students broke through their cultivation levels one after another.

This included Lou Qingqing, who also broke through to the seventh stage of Martial Disciple on May 3rd, her strength increasing significantly.

On May 5th, the day before the special training ended, another Martial Artist was born among the students—it was none other than Xue Cheng from Third High School.

Consequently, this young man who had just broken through to Martial Artist sought out Lu Chong that very afternoon, declaring his intent to challenge him.