Monster Hunting Hall

The Nine Meng Beast retracted its claws and stood tall, looking at him coolly.

"You managed to take three of my moves without falling. You're already quite good. But before the imperial race, you still have a long way to go."

Golden Horn struggled to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He felt neither anger nor resentment; he merely gave the Nine Meng Beast a long, deep look.

"I concede."

The host announced the Nine Meng Beast's victory.

There were no boos from the stands. Instead, applause broke out. An unknown Gray-Horn Beast had endured three direct exchanges with an imperial and remained undefeated—more than enough to earn everyone's respect.

Golden Horn silently leaped down from the arena, intending to return and reflect properly.

"Young man, wait."

An aged voice came from nearby.

Golden Horn turned and saw an old man standing at the edge of the stands, smiling at him. The old man wore a gray robe, his back slightly bent and his aura restrained. He looked like nothing more than an ordinary elder. Yet Golden Horn's instincts told him that this man was powerful—so powerful that he could not even summon the thought of resisting.

"Do you need something, Senior?" Golden Horn stopped.

The old man nodded and slowly said, "You have great potential. Though you lack the guidance of a renowned master and sufficient experience, the fact that you cultivated your Metal Domain to the second level at the Stellar level and tempered your body to this degree is already quite impressive."

Golden Horn said nothing and waited for him to continue.

"Are you interested in joining the Monster Hunting Hall?"

"The Monster Hunting Hall?" Golden Horn raised an eyebrow slightly.

Seeing that he had not immediately refused, the old man continued, "The Monster Hunting Hall was jointly proposed and established by the Dream Demon Ancestor and the Shock Demon Ancestor, along with the Eighteen Imperial Clans and the hundred great royal races. Put simply, it is the Demon Race's own mission organization. Handling border conflicts, exploring secret realms, hunting alien races—so long as you complete missions, you can earn Merit Points and rewards."

He paused before adding, "Cultivation methods, secret techniques, heavenly treasures, rare metals—whatever you want, it has it. And genuine experts will guide you. Not a few casual pointers, but systematic training."

Golden Horn's heart stirred.

This was precisely what he lacked most right now.

Seeing his interest, the old man added, "The Monster Hunting Hall has nine ranks, from Ironblood Hunter to Immortal Horn Hunter. With your current qualifications, you can register directly as a Copper Skull Hunter. Given your strength, you should rise through the ranks quickly."

"Each rank comes with corresponding missions and privileges. The higher your rank, the more resources you can access. For example, that Nine Meng Beast you just faced is a Silverwing Hunter. It can already form its own hunting party."

Golden Horn fell silent for a moment.

He recalled the bottleneck he had encountered during three years of secluded cultivation, as well as the helplessness he had felt when the Nine Meng Beast crushed him moments ago. He needed stronger opponents, more resources, and people who truly understood the path to guide him.

"How do I join?" Golden Horn asked.

A smile appeared on the old man's face.

"It's simple. Just go register at the Monster Hunting Hall. Give them my name, Cang Jin. They'll handle the procedures for you."

He took a token from his robes and handed it to Golden Horn. "This is a temporary pass. With it, you can enter the inner hall of the Monster Hunting Hall directly. Someone will bring you for a strength test, then determine your initial rank."

Golden Horn accepted the token and glanced at it. A savage beast head was engraved on the front, while the character "Cang" was engraved on the back.

"Thank you, Senior."

"No need to thank me." The old man waved a hand. "Your road is still long. Whether you can go far depends on yourself."

With that, his figure flashed and vanished from the spot.

Golden Horn gripped the token and stood there for a long while.

"My lord, are you going to join the Monster Hunting Hall?" Mouse Nine-Nine asked cautiously.

Golden Horn put the token into his spatial ring and nodded.

"Let's go take a look."

He stepped forward and headed toward the Monster Hunting Hall.

Holding the token, Golden Horn arrived at the Monster Hunting Hall branch on Myriad Monster Star under Mouse Nine-Nine's guidance.

From afar, it was a building that made one's scalp tingle. The entire hall had been constructed from the complete skeleton of an unknown colossal beast. Its ribs supported the dome, its spine formed the main beams, and its skull hung high above the main entrance, its hollow eye sockets overlooking every visitor. That beast had been at least a World Lord in life. Even after being dead for many years, the lingering pressure it left behind was still suffocating.

On either side of the entrance stood a statue dozens of meters tall, carved in the true forms of the Shock Demon Ancestor and the Dream Demon Ancestor. The statues were lifelike, as though they might come alive at any moment and tear apart all trespassers.

Golden Horn took a deep breath and walked inside.

The interior of the great hall was even grander than it appeared from outside. Glowing crystals embedded in the dome illuminated the entire hall brightly. Various trophies hung from the walls: banners of alien races, the head shells of insect empresses, the remains of Machine Race experts...

Each one silently recounted the Monster Hunting Hall's achievements.

Golden Horn found the service counter and handed the token to the attendant. It was an elderly white Fox Demon dressed in a proper long robe. He narrowed his eyes as he examined the token, then looked Golden Horn over.

"A newcomer recommended by Lord Cang Jin? Follow me."

The old Fox Demon led him into a testing room, where several members of the Demon Race were already waiting. At their head was a Bear Demon with grayish-brown fur, a massive build, and a deep aura. He was clearly a Universe level expert. The examiner was named Shi Kui, an Ironblood Instructor of the Monster Hunting Hall, a Universe level ninth order expert who had participated in three bloody border wars. His body was covered in scars.

"A newcomer?" The Bear Demon glanced at Golden Horn. "Show your token. Begin the test."

The test had four parts: strength, speed, domain, and actual combat.

The first was the strength test.

The Bear Demon pointed at a pitch-black metal plate. "Hit it with your strongest attack. Any method is allowed."

Golden Horn walked before the metal plate, took a deep breath, and activated Original Body Heaven and Earth, compressing his body to the limit. Then he unleashed Heaven-Splitting Earth-Rending with all his strength and struck out with a claw.

Boom!

Five deep claw marks were left on the metal plate. The entire plate trembled violently, humming without end.

A trace of surprise flashed through the Bear Demon's eyes as he wrote several notes on the record sheet. "Not many Stellar level fighters can produce this kind of destructive power."

The second was the speed test.

The testing area was a long corridor lined with sensors on both sides. Golden Horn had to dash from one end to the other, and the sensors would record his speed.

Golden Horn applied his Void Beast clone's comprehension of spatial fluctuations to his main body. His figure became a streak of light, and he crossed the finish line within a few breaths.

"Your speed is also decent." The Bear Demon nodded. "But your movement technique is rather crude. There is still room for improvement."

The third was the domain test.

Golden Horn spread his Metal Domain. A second-layer golden glow flooded outward, illuminating the testing room as brightly as day. Bear Demon reached out to sense it and nodded faintly.

"Second level. Not bad among those of the same rank."

The fourth was the actual combat test.

Bear Demon personally entered the arena, suppressing his cultivation to the peak Stellar level to exchange blows with Golden Horn.

"Attack with everything you have. Don't hold back," Bear Demon said calmly.

Golden Horn did not stand on ceremony. He spread his domain and unleashed Heaven-Splitting Earth-Rending. Golden claw light slashed toward Bear Demon like lightning. Bear Demon neither dodged nor evaded, casually striking out with a palm to dissolve Golden Horn's attack. He then swung a backhanded punch into Golden Horn's chest.

Golden Horn grunted and staggered back several steps.

"Your strength, speed, and domain are all acceptable, but your combat experience is too shallow." Bear Demon withdrew his hand. "Your attack paths are too direct and easy to predict. Go back and train more."

He paused and wrote down the final evaluation on the record sheet.

"Overall evaluation: peak Stellar-level combat power, second-level domain, acceptable secret technique cultivation. Recommended rank—Copper Skull Hunter."

The old Fox Demon took the record sheet and said to Golden Horn, "Copper Skull Hunter is the Monster Hunting Hall's second rank. You may accept B-rank missions and below. With your strength, if you continue accumulating experience, you can apply to advance to Silverwing Hunter after some time."

Golden Horn accepted the bronze token. A savage beast skull was engraved on it, while his number, 10036333, was on the back.