Decisive Kill

Song Chen stood where he was, facing the giant beast. His right hand rested on the hilt of his blade—the standard-issue combat blade Lin Qingxue had given him. It had accompanied him through five full days of practical training and slain hundreds of Exotic Beasts.

The Iron-Armored Rhino began its charge. It was far faster than it looked. Its four hooves hammered the ground, making the entire iron cage tremble, while its horn aimed at Song Chen's chest like a massive arrow shot from a bow.

"Get out of the way!" Lin Qingxue shouted from outside.

Song Chen did not dodge. He charged straight at the Iron-Armored Rhino.

At the instant they were about to collide, his body suddenly dropped low, nearly skimming across the ground. The Iron-Armored Rhino's horn swept over his head, missing by a hair. At the same time, the combat blade in his hand slashed upward.

The blade carried all his strength and the force-generating method of the Blood War Blade Technique, striking precisely beneath the Iron-Armored Rhino's neck. That was where the armor on its entire body was thinnest—its sole weak point.

"Pfft."

The blade sank in half a foot.

The Iron-Armored Rhino let out a shrill scream. Its charge was interrupted, and its massive body staggered, nearly falling over.

But it was not dead. The vitality of a Peak First Rank creature was too formidable; that strike was not enough to kill it.

The Iron-Armored Rhino's eyes turned red. It spun around and charged Song Chen again, even more frenzied this time. Its horn stabbed wildly, its hooves trampled madly, as though it wished to crush the human before it into pulp.

Song Chen took a step back, then raised his left hand.

"Crackle..."

A bolt of lightning shot from his palm and struck the Iron-Armored Rhino directly in the eye.

The paralyzing effect of his Lightning Ability took hold instantly, freezing the Iron-Armored Rhino's body for a moment.

In that single moment.

Song Chen had already rushed forward. His whole body leaped into the air, both hands gripping his blade as all his strength gathered into this strike. Fine arcs of electricity wound around the blade—that was the result of him forcibly pouring lightning power into its edge.

One slash fell.

It hit the Iron-Armored Rhino squarely in the neck, right on the wound from before.

The blade sank in most of the way, nearly severing its entire neck.

Blood sprayed wildly.

The Iron-Armored Rhino's enormous body crashed to the ground, making the floor quake. Its limbs twitched a few times before falling completely still.

The iron cage was silent.

Outside the iron cage, it was silent too.

Everyone stared blankly at the sight before them, forgetting to speak.

From the Iron-Armored Rhino's charge to its collapse and death, how much time had passed in total?

Five seconds?

Or ten?

No one remembered. They only remembered that blade light coiled with lightning, and the giant beast that had crashed to the ground.

The examiner was the first to recover. He opened his mouth, his voice somewhat dry.

"Number Four... Song Chen, passed."

The Mission Hall erupted with earth-shaking cries.

"Holy shit! He's that fierce? How come I've never heard of this guy before?"

"He only used one slash..."

"Not one slash, two. The first injured it, and the second killed it outright."

"Are you blind? The first slash went half a foot in, and the second was just a finishing blow. Together, it was the work of one slash."

"Lightning Ability! He even has a Lightning Ability!"

Lin Qingxue stood frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded. Looking at that familiar figure inside the iron cage, her mind had gone blank.

Was that Song Chen?

The Song Chen she had stopped at the training grounds, the one she had urged, "Don't go throw your life away"?

How had he... how had he become this strong?

Song Chen walked out of the iron cage, wiped his blade clean, and sheathed it. Iron-Armored Rhino blood splattered his body, but his gaze was calm—so calm that it was as if nothing had happened.

He walked up to Lin Qingxue.

"The blade was pretty useful. Thanks."

Lin Qingxue stared at him blankly. Her lips moved, but no words came out.

Seeing her like this, Song Chen suddenly smiled. "Didn't you tell me to do my best? I did."

Lin Qingxue finally came back to her senses, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

"You... you liar..."

"You were obviously this strong, but you acted like you only had 0.6 vitality and made me worry for nothing..."

Her voice carried a sob.

Song Chen was taken aback. "I didn't lie to you. Before practical training, I really only had 0.6."

Lin Qingxue wiped her eyes and glared at him. "Then what about now?"

Song Chen thought for a moment. "Now? Now I'm probably... doing okay?"

Lin Qingxue was so angry she laughed. "Doing okay? You call this doing okay?"

Someone nearby leaned over.

"Brother, wanna add each other as friends? We can team up sometime!"

"Man, what school are you from? Third Middle School? I'm from Third Middle School too—how come I've never heard of you?"

"How did you awaken that Lightning Ability? Is there some secret to it?"

Song Chen was surrounded by a crowd asking questions all at once.

He frowned and was about to speak when the examiner's voice rang out.

"Alright, alright, disperse. There are still candidates behind him!"

The examiner waved his hand and drove the crowd away, then looked at Song Chen. "Go to the second floor to collect your badge. You passed."

Song Chen nodded and handed the blade to Lin Qingxue. "Here, your blade. Thanks for lending it to me."

Lin Qingxue's expression darkened upon hearing that. "Do you dislike the blade I gave you that much?"

Song Chen shook his head. "No, I like it a lot. I just said I'd return it."

"Since you don't dislike it, keep it."

"Mm... alright."

Half an hour later, Song Chen stood in the second-floor hall of the Martial Arts Association, holding the Martial Artist Badge he had just collected. The badge was bronze, with a sword and shield engraved on the front and his serial number on the back: Anning-607932.

From this day onward, he was an official First Rank martial artist.

He pinned the badge to his chest and walked out of the building.

Lin Qingxue had actually invited him to dinner earlier, wanting him to tell her about his stories outside the city. Song Chen had politely declined. Who had time for all that pointless nonsense now?

Outside the building, the sunlight was dazzling.

He narrowed his eyes and checked the sky. It was still early—not even ten o'clock.

He had to take a mission as soon as possible, leave the city as soon as possible, and kill Exotic Beasts as soon as possible.

The threat of Zhao Wei's grandfather was like a thorn lodged in his heart. Until he pulled it out, he could neither eat nor sleep in peace.

Song Chen took out his phone and searched for "Anning City Martial Artist Mission Hall." The map showed that the Mission Hall was in the western part of the city, near the city wall, about half an hour away by car.

He hailed a Hover Taxi and headed straight for the west side of the city.

Half an hour later, Song Chen stood before the Mission Hall entrance.

It was a five-story gray building, utterly unremarkable on the outside. But all those entering and leaving were martial artists. Some carried combat blades on their backs, some shouldered massive swords, and others were wrapped head to toe in bandages, clearly injured after returning from outside the city.

Song Chen walked inside.

The hall was buzzing with voices. Long lines stood before dozens of service windows, while the large screen on the wall continuously displayed various missions.

[The East City Patrol Team is recruiting temporary members. First Rank or above required. Compensation negotiable.]

[Evergreen City outskirts reconnaissance mission. Second Rank or above required. Danger level B. Reward: 5,000 points.]

[Purchasing First Rank Crystal Cores. Minimum purchase: 50. Favorable prices offered.]

Song Chen's gaze swept across the screen before finally settling on a small line in the corner.

[Outside-city hunting mission: Evergreen City outskirts. Freely hunt Exotic Beasts. Rewards determined by the number of Exotic Beast Crystal Cores.]

He nodded. This was not bad. He was not interested in mission rewards—only Killing Value.