Soon, the entrance examination officially began.
Clack!
With the heavy grinding of machinery, an iron gate on the eastern side of the Beast Arena slowly rose.
Before anyone could see what was inside, a thick, feral aura surged out of the darkness.
"Roar!"
The next instant, a massive creature burst out of the iron cage.
It was a one-horned rhinoceros covered in stiff, gray-black hair. It stood a full ten feet at the shoulder, with thick limbs and a razor-sharp horn three feet long atop its head.
The moment it charged into the Beast Arena, it began pawing irritably with its forehoof.
Its hoof stamped a shallow pit straight into the hard ground.
The watching youths immediately quieted down.
"An Iron-Horned Rhinoceros at the peak of the meridian-opening realm."
Shen Siqi clicked his tongue.
"They're starting with something this tough?"
The instructor overseeing the examination opened the roster.
"First candidate."
"Zhao Yuanjia, Dragon-Tiger Guard of Linshan City!"
An eighteen-year-old young man stepped out of the crowd at the call.
He was not particularly tall or broad, and his skin was dark. A standard-issue Dragon-Tiger Saber hung at his waist.
Zhao Yuanjia stepped into the Beast Arena.
The iron gate crashed down behind him.
The Iron-Horned Rhinoceros immediately raised its head.
Its blood-red eyes locked onto him.
Huff!
Two thick jets of white vapor burst from its nostrils.
The next instant-
Rumble!
Its massive body launched into a charge!
The ground shook violently.
Many of the watching youths paled.
A mutant beast like this had thick hide and tough flesh. Even a warrior at the peak of the meridian-opening realm would never dare meet its charge head-on.
Yet Zhao Yuanjia did not panic. He did not even draw his saber.
Only when the Iron-Horned Rhinoceros was a dozen paces away did