Exotic Beast

Before long, everyone had selected suitable weapons from the warehouse.

At the same time, each person carefully reviewed the precautions for this Martial Exam.

This Martial Exam was a grand undertaking. River City had released tens of thousands of Exotic Beasts into the wilderness.

The Starry Sky Beast Clan existed among the stars. It was a powerful race not much weaker than the Human Race, with traces scattered throughout every corner of the universe.

Exotic Beasts were, in fact, the offspring of ordinary animals crossbred with the Starry Sky Beast Clan.

These Exotic Beasts had no civilization or social systems, nor were they particularly intelligent. They acted solely on instinct.

Yet they were far stronger than ordinary beasts. Some rare species even retained faint traces of Starry Sky Beast Clan bloodlines, granting them unique innate abilities.

However, because of their mixed blood, Exotic Beasts were not acknowledged by the bloodline-revering Starry Sky Beast Clan and thus were not considered a branch of their race.

To the Human Race, Exotic Beasts were merely livestock raised in large numbers for meat.

Based on their strength, the Exotic Beasts in this Martial Exam were divided into four grades: S, A, B, and C.

The points earned for killing them also differed by grade.

S-Rank Exotic Beasts possessed strength comparable to the Body Tempering Peak. Killing one earned ten thousand points, but there was only one in the entire Martial Exam arena.

A-Rank Exotic Beasts were roughly at the Body Tempering Eighth to Ninth Layer. Killing one earned one thousand points, and there were around several dozen of them.

By the same logic, B-Rank Exotic Beasts were worth one hundred points, while C-Rank Exotic Beasts were worth ten. Though they gave fewer points, they were not particularly strong either.

"Looks like the key is still this S-Rank Exotic Beast."

"If someone can take it down alone, they can basically secure victory."

Chen Yu thought to himself.

But accomplishing that would not be easy. An S-Rank Exotic Beast with strength comparable to the Body Tempering Peak usually required at least three Body Tempering Ninth Layer martial artists working together just to barely hold it off.

Actually killing it would require many experts coordinating their efforts.

"But I don't."

Chen Yu was exceedingly confident about that.

At that moment, the many Martial Exam candidates remained silent, all calculating their plans for what came next.

Time passed second by second.

Suddenly, the piercing blare of loudspeakers rang out again.

"Now, please follow your Terminals' guidance to your respective starting points and wait there."

As soon as the announcement ended, a red dot clearly appeared on everyone's Terminal. It marked their entrance starting point.

In an instant, the crowd quickly dispersed and soon vanished completely.

Though there were many Martial Exam candidates, compared to the vast area designated for the Martial Exam, they were like a drop of ink falling into a pond, unable to stir up much of a ripple.

Chen Yu was fairly lucky. His starting point was only a few hundred meters away, and he reached it in just a few strides.

At a glance, there was not a single person in the surrounding area.

Bzzz—

A faint hum sounded from all around.

"A drone swarm?"

Chen Yu looked up and saw dense swarms of drones hovering high in the air, overlooking the scene below.

Before he had time to think, the sound of loudspeakers echoed through the forest.

"Everyone, the Martial Exam... begins now!"

As the words fell, Chen Yu drew his combat blade. Like a soaring swan, he plunged headfirst into the dense forest.

Meanwhile, in the center of Jiang City, the figures of the martial arts students appeared across countless screens.

Numerous Martial Exam staff members were also busily adjusting the viewing parameters, ensuring that no mistakes occurred.

Besides them, representatives sent by the various Martial Universities were closely watching the Martial Exam candidates on the screens.

"Looks like you care a lot about this Chen Yu." Mo Bai walked to Jiang Xiaoyue's side and chuckled softly.

"Obviously. He's someone I recommended. Only if he performs well can I earn more credits." Jiang Xiaoyue shot Mo Bai a look as though he were an idiot.

Elsewhere, Dai Guang said expressionlessly, "I thought giving a B-Rank Contract was already Huaying's limit. I never expected you'd give an A-Rank Contract to a Biohuman."

"You're really getting worse with age."

He admitted that Chen Yu had performed well in the Warm-up Tournament, but an A-Rank Contract was treatment reserved for those at the Body Tempering Peak.

What right did a mere Body Tempering Eighth Layer Biohuman have?

"That's Huaying's business. What does it have to do with you?" Jiang Xiaoyue refused to yield and shot back,

"And why can't a Biohuman produce a martial arts genius?"

"Wake up. Wasn't Blade Maniac humiliating your Imperial Capital Martial University back then bad enough?"

At the mention of Blade Maniac, Dai Guang's face could not help twitching.

That was a humiliation Imperial Capital Martial University was most unwilling to recall.

"Heh, that was just an accident. How could Crimson Radiance Star possibly produce a second Blade Maniac?"

"The previous River City Preliminaries were nothing more than the monkey ruling while the tiger was away. This Martial Exam will be different."

Dai Guang's gaze swept over three screens.

They displayed the figures of Yu Guihong, Wang Zhe, and Mi Ya.

Jiang Xiaoyue pursed her lips. Of course, she understood what Dai Guang meant.

Yu Guihong, Wang Zhe, and Mi Ya—these three visiting Body Tempering Ninth Layer martial artists—would inevitably clash with Chen Yu, River City's local genius, in order to control the ranking points.

Even if Chen Yu consumed a large amount of Body Tempering Elixir in advance like he had during the Warm-up Tournament, he would still be no match for those three.

But at that moment, Mo Bai suddenly spoke up.

"Huh, Chen Yu's score is rising unbelievably fast!"

Hearing this, Dai Guang and Jiang Xiaoyue immediately looked at the overall rankings. The Martial Exam had only just begun, yet Chen Yu's score had shot to first place as if riding a rocket.

Chen Yu: 320 points.

Wang Zhe: 280 points.

Mi Ya: 250 points.

Yu Guihong: 170 points.

"Hm?" Dai Guang looked slightly startled, then immediately turned to the screen showing Chen Yu's perspective.

On the screen, Chen Yu was strolling along alone with a combat blade in hand.

The instant an Exotic Beast appeared, he decapitated it with a single slash, without the slightest pause.

"This kid actually broke through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer!" Seeing such crisp attacks, Mo Bai immediately discerned Chen Yu's true level.

That attack speed was no longer at the Body Tempering Eighth Layer.

His strength and speed had both reached the level of the Body Tempering Ninth Layer!

"Looks like the outcome isn't certain after all." Jiang Xiaoyue smiled faintly.

"Body Tempering Ninth Layer... His talent is indeed not bad." Dai Guang had not expected this outcome. He admitted that he had underestimated Chen Yu somewhat.

"But... one against three. The advantage is mine!"

[Battle complete. Talent copied successfully.]

[Copied Talent—Nether Leopard Mixed Blood (Gray)]

[Nether Leopard Mixed Blood (Gray)]: Speed slightly increased.

"Wait, I can even copy the talents of Exotic Beasts?!!"

Hearing the notification, Chen Yu's hand gripping the blade could not help pausing. He then stared at the jet-black leopard before him, already dead, in astonishment.

Though it was only a Gray Talent, he had truly copied a talent from an Exotic Beast.

This shattered Chen Yu's previous understanding—

He had always believed that he could only copy human talents.