Nine-Hundred-Year Rift-Toothed Tiger

A low beastly roar came from the depths of the darkness. This time, it was clearly much closer.

The inspector's expression changed, and he immediately ordered the hunting ground guards to release the recall signal. Crimson light shot into the night sky. Any teams still active on the northern side who saw it would immediately retreat to the gathering point on the outskirts.

The students who had just been rescued by the pool did not dare linger either. The injured one was supported by his companions as they followed a hunting ground guard outward. Lu Yuan's group also prepared to leave with them.

But they had barely gone far when a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from another forest path ahead. Three Royal Academy students who had not yet received the evacuation notice rushed out of the woods.

The leading boy visibly relaxed when he saw the inspector. "What was that sound just now?"

"Don't stop. Retreat immediately."

Before the inspector had even finished speaking, the bushes behind those three were violently smashed apart. Several branches as thick as arms snapped at once, and a massive tiger nearly thirty feet long burst from the darkness.

Its dark yellow fur clung to its powerful body, and two fangs protruded from the corners of its mouth. Several nearly black bone patterns ran across its shoulders and back. There was also a deep fresh wound on its right abdomen, blood constantly dripping down its fur, yet it was not slow in the slightest.

One of the hunting ground guards recognized the Spirit Beast, and his face immediately changed. "Rift-Toothed Tiger!"

The inspector glanced at its size and the bone patterns on its shoulders and back, his voice turning grave. "At least eight hundred years old. It may already be close to nine hundred. Everyone, fall back!"

The three students who had just emerged from the forest happened to be blocking the Rift-Toothed Tiger's path south. They had no time to fully scatter before it pounced at the nearest one.

That student hastily released his Martial Soul. His Second Spirit Ring had only just lit up when a huge tiger claw came crashing down over his head.

Qin Yue was faster than him.

The Iron-Backed Battle Ape instantly possessed him. He slammed hard into the Rift-Toothed Tiger's shoulder from the side, forcibly knocking its pounce off course. The Royal Academy student staggered away, but Qin Yue himself failed to completely avoid the tiger's following swipe. The sleeve on his left arm was instantly torn open, leaving three clear bloody gashes.

A Spirit Beast close to nine hundred years old was on an entirely different level from the assessment targets they had encountered during the day, whether in strength or speed.

The inspector had already charged straight at it, but before he could truly suppress the Rift-Toothed Tiger, several frightened Spirit Beasts suddenly rushed out from the woods on the other side. Two of them were close to four hundred years old, and seven or eight students happened to be retreating directly in front of them.

The inspector could only change direction at once, blasting away the leading Spirit Beast with a Soul Skill while ordering two hunting ground guards to get the students out first.

The Rift-Toothed Tiger took advantage of that opening and continued charging south.

Ignoring the wound on his arm, Qin Yue stepped in front of it again. This time, however, he did not collide head-on with the Rift-Toothed Tiger. Instead, he used the strength granted by the Iron-Backed Battle Ape possession to force it to change direction from the side.

Lin Che did not stay behind to watch either. Using the speed of his Azure-Feather Falcon Martial Soul, he swiftly darted to the rear and led two slower-retreating students out of the area.

Lu Yuan had already gripped the Piercing Spear, but he did not rush to attack.

He carefully watched the Rift-Toothed Tiger land and turn several times, quickly noticing that although the Spirit Beast was fierce, something was clearly wrong with its condition.

The wound on its right abdomen was deep. After every full-force pounce, its right side would show a brief unnatural stiffness. In particular, whenever its right forelimb touched down, it was always half a beat slower than the left.

More importantly, after being forced back several times, the Rift-Toothed Tiger kept searching for a route south. It did not stop to defend its territory or relentlessly pursue anyone.

Those lower-year Spirit Beasts had been fleeing.

This Rift-Toothed Tiger, close to nine hundred years old, also seemed to be fleeing.

It was simply that anyone blocking its way had become an obstacle it had to smash through.

When the Rift-Toothed Tiger pounced again, Lu Yuan did not meet its head or claws head-on. Instead, at the instant their bodies crossed, he swept his spear across to block its forelimb.

A heavy force traveled through the spear shaft and into his arms, numbing the webs between his thumbs and forefingers as he staggered back several steps. Yet at the instant of contact, his Second Spirit Ring lit up.

Shock Edge.

The shock force surged through the spear shaft and struck the Rift-Toothed Tiger's right forelimb.

After landing, the Rift-Toothed Tiger merely paused slightly before quickly steadying itself again. It looked as if it had barely been affected.

But Qin Yue noticed Lu Yuan had been staring at its right side. "It worked?"

"Once isn't enough."

The Rift-Toothed Tiger had already charged at them again.

This time, Lu Yuan took the initiative to sidestep. The Piercing Spear brushed past the right forelimb from below, unleashing Shock Edge once more. With two consecutive shockwaves striking near the same forelimb, the Rift-Toothed Tiger's right paw visibly sank when it steadied itself again.

Qin Yue completely understood what Lu Yuan was doing. Without waiting for instructions, he pressed toward the Rift-Toothed Tiger's left side, constantly forcing it to bear more weight on the right.

Lin Che had already escorted the last of the slower students to safety. After returning, he did not rashly approach. Instead, he repeatedly flashed past the Rift-Toothed Tiger's right side using the Azure-Feather Falcon's speed. Whenever it tried to adjust its direction, he would suddenly make a disturbance, preventing it from stopping steadily.

After being obstructed again and again, the Rift-Toothed Tiger finally became completely enraged.

This time, it stopped searching for another route. Its tiger eyes locked directly onto Lu Yuan. Of all those who had repeatedly prevented it from escaping, it was that spear-wielding boy who had made its right forelimb increasingly painful.

In the next instant, the Rift-Toothed Tiger's hind legs violently kicked off the ground, and its huge body lunged forward almost skimming the earth.

Lu Yuan could clearly feel the foul wind rushing toward him.

The repeated uses of Shock Edge had consumed a considerable amount of his Soul Power, and his arms still tingled from the earlier collisions. But he did not retreat any farther.

His First Spirit Ring lit up.

Piercing Edge!

The Piercing Spear suddenly shot forward.

The Rift-Toothed Tiger had already raised a forepaw to strike down, but Lu Yuan's spearhead suddenly dipped. Rather than targeting its hardest skull, it accurately stabbed into the pre-existing wound on its right abdomen.

The penetrative force of Piercing Edge poured straight through the torn flesh.

The Rift-Toothed Tiger let out a roar of pain, but its body still pressed forward on momentum alone, its forepaw savagely sweeping toward Lu Yuan's chest.

They were too close. There was no time to pull back the spear.

Lu Yuan directly released his right hand, and the Piercing Spear vanished with it.

Having suddenly lost resistance, the Rift-Toothed Tiger lurched forward. Its forepaw also shifted slightly because of the change in balance, only grazing Lu Yuan's chest. It still tore a long gash through his clothes, and the force behind it left his ribs aching dully.

Using that small opening, Lu Yuan sidestepped half a step. The Piercing Spear reappeared in his left hand.

He reversed the spear's butt and slammed it heavily near the wound Piercing Edge had just left.

His Second Spirit Ring lit up again.

Shock Edge!

The Rift-Toothed Tiger's right side violently shuddered. Its right forelimb, which had endured repeated shock forces, finally could no longer support it, and its massive body tilted to one side.

Qin Yue had been waiting for this opportunity. The Iron-Backed Battle Ape's strength erupted completely as he slammed into the Rift-Toothed Tiger's shoulder from the other side with all his force, completely overturning its already unbalanced massive body.

The Rift-Toothed Tiger crashed heavily to the ground, yet it still struggled to get back up.

Lu Yuan's spear hand was already obviously numb, and the web between his thumb and forefinger had split open from the repeated impacts. His Soul Power was nearly depleted, but he could still manage one more use of Piercing Edge.

Just as the Rift-Toothed Tiger raised its head, Lu Yuan closed in again, pouring the last of his Soul Power into his First Spirit Ring.

Piercing Edge!

The Piercing Spear stabbed diagonally upward through the Rift-Toothed Tiger's open mouth. The spearhead pierced through its upper jaw and directly into its skull. The Rift-Toothed Tiger's huge body abruptly went rigid, its limbs struggling against the ground several times before quickly losing all strength.

Lu Yuan pulled out the Piercing Spear, then took half a step back before managing to steady himself again. His chest was still heaving visibly.

Qin Yue's left arm was still bleeding. Though Lin Che had not been directly injured, his breathing was also somewhat rushed after repeatedly rescuing people at high speed.

The three of them looked at the fallen Rift-Toothed Tiger, and for a moment, none of them spoke.

This was a Rift-Toothed Tiger close to nine hundred years old, and one that excelled at close-range pouncing and killing.

After dealing with the chaos on the other side, the inspector soon rushed back. He first confirmed that none of the three had been seriously injured, then crouched beside the Rift-Toothed Tiger's corpse to inspect it.

He looked at the fatal wound in the Rift-Toothed Tiger's mouth, then swept his gaze over the bloodstained Piercing Spear in Lu Yuan's hand. His eyes paused for a moment, but he did not ask anything. Soon, he noticed the long-existing wound on its right abdomen.

A hunting ground guard also leaned closer for a look. "It wasn't clawed by a Spirit Beast?"

Beneath the torn flesh was a wound far cleaner than the surrounding damage. It looked as though it had previously been struck head-on by some sharp weapon or attack-type Soul Skill.

This Rift-Toothed Tiger had not just been injured.

And the hunting ground's outer perimeter had only undergone another full inspection yesterday.

A Rift-Toothed Tiger close to nine hundred years old had suddenly appeared in the assessment area the following night with obvious injuries, fleeing all the way toward the outskirts.

The inspector stood up and did not linger any longer.

"Terminate the assessment. Release the highest-level evacuation signal."

"All participating teams are to leave the Royal Hunting Grounds immediately. Hunting ground guards, reseal the outer perimeter."