Iron-Armored Rhino

Hearing that, Lin Qingxue let out a sigh of relief.

"That's good. I heard it's dangerous outside the city, and I'd been worried about you coming back..."

She suddenly realized what she had said, her face flushing slightly. She hurriedly changed the subject. "By the way, what's your Vitality Value now? You must have gained something from the field training, right?"

Lin Qingxue's eyes were clear, filled with sincere concern. She still did not know Song Chen's true strength. She simply thought he had found some small opportunity outside the city and broken through 1.0.

Song Chen nodded. "Not bad. I gained a little."

Lin Qingxue was happy to hear that as well. "That's good. Be careful during the assessment later. The exotic beasts used in the practical combat test are all caught in the wild, and their strength varies. If you draw a powerful one, give up decisively and come back next time. Safety comes first, understand?"

Looking at how serious she was, Song Chen suddenly felt like laughing.

"I understand."

Lin Qingxue glared at him. "Don't take it lightly! I heard someone once drew a Mutated Iron-Armored Rhino. That thing has thick hide and tough flesh, at Peak First Rank—equivalent to a human with a Vitality Value of 8.5. Last year, a candidate got his stomach gored through by one and nearly couldn't be saved."

"Alright, I'll remember."

Lin Qingxue wanted to say more, but a shout came from ahead.

"Candidates for the eight o'clock session, begin entering now!"

The crowd began to surge.

Lin Qingxue waved at Song Chen. "Good luck!"

"Good luck."

The two entered the building with the crowd. The third-floor hall was even more crowded than yesterday. Dozens of candidates were packed into the waiting area. Some were warming up, some checking their weapons, while others were pale-faced, looking nervous beyond measure.

More than a dozen enormous alloy cages stood in the center of the hall. Each was over a dozen square meters in size, empty for now and waiting for exotic beasts to be sent in. The examiners stood beside the cages, expressionlessly checking the roster.

A middle-aged man in a black uniform walked to the center of the hall and clapped his hands.

"Quiet!"

Everyone fell silent.

"I'm today's chief practical examiner. My surname is Zhou."

"I'll only explain the rules once. First, enter according to your number tags. When your name is called, come up and draw lots. Whatever exotic beast you draw is the cage you enter."

"Second, no one may interfere during the assessment. Unless you are certain to die, the examiners will not save you. Since you chose to become martial artists, you must bear the risks that come with being one."

"Third, the way to surrender is to throw your weapon out of the cage. Once you throw it out, we'll open the door and let you out. But surrendering also means failing the assessment."

His gaze swept across the candidates, carrying a trace of coldness. "Do you understand?"

"Understood!" everyone answered in unison.

"Good. We'll begin now. Number One, Zhang Qiang. Test your Vitality Value first."

A tall boy stepped forward and placed his hand on the Vitality tester. A number soon appeared: 1.4.

"Vitality test passed. Proceed to practical combat."

He came to the box before him, drew out a slip of paper, and handed it to the examiner.

The examiner glanced at it. "Mutated Wild Dog. Enter Cage One."

The tall boy took a deep breath and walked into the cage. The alloy door closed behind him.

Soon, a gray wild dog half the height of a man was driven into the cage through the rear passage. The moment it saw someone, it immediately bared its fangs and let out a low growl.

The battle began.

The tall boy's martial techniques were fairly well-practiced. He hacked the wild dog to the ground in just a few strikes, but his hand trembled during the final blow. He nearly got bitten by the wild dog's dying counterattack. He dodged away miserably, his face covered in cold sweat.

"Number One, passed," the examiner announced.

The tall boy walked out of the cage, relief written across his face, though his legs were still shaking.

The assessment continued.

Numbers Two and Three—some passed, while some failed. The one who failed had drawn a Mutated Fox and was led around by the nose by that cunning creature until his strength gave out. He had no choice but to throw out his weapon and surrender.

"Number Four, Song Chen."

Song Chen stood up.

Lin Qingxue whispered beside him, "Good luck! Draw an easy one!"

The examiner pointed at the Vitality tester. "Test your Vitality Value."

Song Chen pressed his hand against it. The machine gave off a faint hum, and a number soon flashed across the screen: 2.2.

Standing in the crowd, Lin Qingxue's eyes widened, her small mouth slightly open, her face full of disbelief.

The Song Chen she had always worried about, always wanted to protect—the Song Chen whose Vitality Value had only been 0.6...

2.2?

In one week, it had risen by a full 1.6?

Song Chen walked back and stood before the examiner, beginning to draw his opponent. There were many slips in the box. He casually grabbed one and handed it over.

The examiner unfolded the slip, took one look, and his expression changed.

The entire hall fell silent for a second.

Then the examiner looked up at Song Chen, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Kid, your luck is truly terrible. Mutated Iron-Armored Rhino, Peak First Rank, equivalent to a human with a Vitality Value of 8.5. Do you want to give up? If not, enter Cage Four."

Lin Qingxue really had a crow's beak—she had actually called it.

An uproar broke out in the hall.

"Iron-Armored Rhino?"

"Peak First Rank? Isn't that one of the toughest draws?"

"What kind of luck does this kid have..."

"That thing's hide is so thick even a C-grade blade can't cut through it. How is he supposed to fight it?"

Lin Qingxue's face instantly turned pale. She rushed over in a few steps and grabbed Song Chen's sleeve, lowering her voice anxiously. "Song Chen, give up. This is too dangerous. You can't beat it. Come back next time—I'll come with you."

Song Chen looked at her anxious face without moving.

The examiner looked at him as well. "Young man, an Iron-Armored Rhino isn't easy to deal with. Fighting this is too much of a stretch for you. I suggest you give up this round of the assessment and come back tomorrow."

The candidates beside them also began speaking up.

"Yeah, brother, don't throw your life away."

"The one who got gored through last time was fighting an Iron-Armored Rhino."

"There's no shame in surrendering. Once your life is gone, everything is gone."

Everyone looked at him. Their eyes held sympathy, regret, and some who were waiting to watch a joke unfold.

Song Chen stood where he was, utterly calm. "This one will do. I'm in a hurry."

Then he turned to Lin Qingxue and patted her shoulder. "It's fine. A small problem. You can go back."

Another uproar rose in the hall.

Naturally, Lin Qingxue refused to leave. She tugged at the corner of his clothes, signaling with her eyes for him to give up.

Song Chen could not be bothered to explain anymore and walked directly into Cage Four.

The alloy door shut behind him.

Soon, heavy footsteps sounded from the passage behind it.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

Every step seemed to stomp on everyone's heart.

A massive creature emerged from the darkness.

It was a Mutated Iron-Armored Rhino. Its body was a full size larger than an ordinary rhinoceros, covered from head to toe in gray-black keratin armor, as though draped in a thick layer of stone. The single horn atop its head was half a meter long, its tip gleaming with a faint, chilling light.

It let out a low roar, the sound seeming to rise from the depths of its chest, shaking the iron cage until it hummed.

"Damn, it's huge..."

"That horn could skewer someone clean through in one hit, right?"

"Even a Second Rank martial artist would probably have to work hard against this. Its hide is too thick..."

Discussion erupted outside.