Many people from other great clans and sects had gathered outside the Heaven Mending Pavilion's Mountain Gate, including the War Goddess of the Deer-Chasing Academy. They gave Xiong Fei, the Admissions Elder in charge of recruitment, quite a headache. He shouted, "Friends outside, you're overstepping your bounds! Stare all you like—they won't leave with you."
"They haven't joined the Heaven Mending Pavilion yet, have they? Loves Drinking Beast Milk and Invincible Handsome Guy, I invite you once again to join the Deer-Chasing Academy. I'll have a few pretty young ladies look after you, and I'll teach you myself."
Good grief. To recruit these two monstrous talents, the War Goddess had brought out her big guns, even dangling pretty older sisters before them.
The moment Elder Xiong Fei heard that, he realized she was trying to poach his two treasures. He hurriedly said, "Thank you for the reminder. Let the examination begin."
Elder Xiong Fei activated the Teleportation Formation at once, transporting thousands of applicants into different examination grounds.
When Shi Hao spotted precious bones beneath the Teleportation Formation, he immediately tried to dig them out. This fellow really was a Bear Child.
Jun Moxiao pressed a hand to his forehead. "Can you stop picking up everything you see? The precious bones in a formation like this can't be high-grade. Besides, you're not short on precious techniques now."
Shi Hao recalled his arsenal of high-grade Fierce Beast precious techniques, which even included several techniques of the Ten Fiends. He was no longer a pauper, so he abandoned the idea of digging up the precious bones.
Jun Moxiao came up with a plan and suggested it to Shi Hao. "I have an idea. There are nearly ten thousand people taking this examination. With so many, some trash must have slipped in. I learned a little about formations from the Willow Deity. Let's modify this one and eliminate everyone with fewer than four heavenly grottoes. We'll save the Heaven Mending Pavilion some resources."
Shi Hao said, "Good, I like that. If this many people entered the mountain, the Heaven Mending Pavilion would probably get a headache too."
Following the contents of the Three Thousand Ways of Formation, Jun Moxiao easily made a few modifications to the examination formation.
All the applicants with fewer than four heavenly grottoes immediately buckled under the pressure and were ejected from the examination grounds. Thousands were thrown out, cursing furiously, leaving only a few dozen behind.
Their parents could no longer sit still and demanded an explanation. Elder Xiong Fei guessed that someone was tampering with things, and the Bear Child immediately came to mind.
But if the Bear Child was behind it, that was fine. One Bear Child is worth thousands of you.
He promptly declared, "Those are the rules. If they couldn't pass, they have only their own inadequacy to blame."
The thousands of eliminated applicants could only leave the Heaven Mending Pavilion amid a chorus of curses.
Meanwhile, Jun Moxiao and Shi Hao reached the second stage of the examination, where the task was to seize Heaven Mending Stones.
Jun Moxiao knew that Xiao Tian, a fellow with Prominent Horns, was about to appear. Neither boy was in a hurry, and they searched at their leisure.
Many Fierce Beasts had also appeared in these examination grounds, and Shi Hao's tears embarrassingly began flowing from the corners of his mouth.
Shi Hao spotted a black lotus. This was a Precious Medicine! He hurriedly prepared to make his move.
Suddenly, a black tiger appeared and let out several roars. It was powerful, but it did not attack them. It was probably a Fierce Beast assigned by the Heaven Mending Pavilion to guard the herbs, likely above the Spirit Transformation Realm.
Jun Moxiao said, "Hao Tian! You want that spirit herb?"
Shi Hao said, "If you come across a Precious Medicine and don't take it, you'll get struck by lightning."
He truly was a Bear Child determined to eat his way across the world.
Then Shi Hao's mouth curled to one side. He swiftly attacked the herd of Fierce Beasts outside and drew them toward the black tiger. Using the stratagem of luring the tiger away from its mountain, he drew the black tiger out, then plucked the black lotus with a hearty laugh.
Once they were far from the Fierce Beast herd, Shi Hao held up the Black Fiend Lotus and asked Jun Moxiao, "Want some?"
Jun Moxiao waved a hand. "You eat it! I don't need it."
Shi Hao swallowed the Black Fiend Lotus in one gulp, then sat cross-legged on the ground to refine it.
Jun Moxiao watched, but Shi Hao did not open another heavenly grotto. He already had eight, and the energy he needed was growing ever greater. A mere Black Fiend Lotus was nowhere near enough to let him open another.
The two continued searching for other applicants, ready to seize their Heaven Mending Stones.
Before long, they encountered Xiao Tian, the fellow with Prominent Horns. He was brazenly robbing another applicant of his Heaven Mending Stones.
Shi Hao silently crept up behind Xiao Tian. As Xiao Tian turned around, Shi Hao smacked him on the forehead with a Fierce Beast's leg bone. A lump immediately rose on Xiao Tian's head. Now he truly had Prominent Horns.
Shi Hao gathered the Heaven Mending Stones on Xiao Tian. Good grief, there had to be twenty.
Shi Hao left him two, and the boys divided the remaining stones between them, also giving two to the applicant who had been robbed.
The applicant hurriedly thanked Shi Hao. "Many thanks, brother. I heard the Bear Child is in our zone too. Watch out for him."
Shi Hao was speechless. I just saved you, and this is what you say about me?
He immediately said, "Hurry up and leave! Otherwise, I'll rob you of your stones."
The fellow was so frightened that he took to his heels, leaving both boys roaring with laughter.
Shi Hao said, "Xiaoxiao! This examination isn't challenging at all! What do we do now? We've finished all our tasks."
Jun Moxiao suggested, "How about roasting a crocodile Fierce Beast? The Heaven Mending Pavilion is sure to let us join anyway."
Shi Hao's eyes lit up. Glancing at the stone tablet bearing the examination rules nearby, he immediately embraced his inner Bear Child and carved into it: Heaven-gifted martial prowess, open and aboveboard; hammer in hand, the world is mine!
Jun Moxiao shook his head. This fellow really loved stirring up trouble.
The two killed a crocodile Fierce Beast by the river and set it up to roast. Shi Hao, that glutton, carried a complete set of tools and supplies-seasonings, bone knives, and more. He had even become an expert chef. He knew how to eat, but he knew even better how to cook.
Watching him work, Jun Moxiao teased, "Hao Tian, you'd make a fortune opening a restaurant in a big city. You really know your food."
Shi Hao declared, "When it comes to eating, I'm the ultimate professional."
Elder Xiong Fei watched as applicants emerged from the other examination zones, but Zone Eight remained silent.
He immediately headed toward Zone Eight. The War Goddess still refused to give up and followed him to take a look.
Just as they reached the stone tablet in Examination Zone Eight, they heard someone cursing. "Who was it? Come out! What kind of hero attacks someone from behind?"
Xiong Fei saw a young man standing beside the tablet, cursing away with a large red lump on his forehead. Elder Xiong Fei sensed that this fellow had cultivated six heavenly grottoes.
Thinking he was the Bear Child, Xiong Fei cried out excitedly, "Six grottoes at such a young age! Truly a fellow with Prominent Horns! You must be the Bear Child. You're the Bear Child!"
Xiao Tian looked utterly bewildered. "I'm not the Bear Child. My name is Xiao Tian, from the Xiao Clan. I'm looking for the Bear Child too."
The War Goddess interjected, "He's not the Bear Child. I've met both little fellows, and neither looks like this."
Xiong Fei asked the War Goddess, "Are you sure?"
The War Goddess nodded. That Invincible Handsome Guy's appearance had left quite an impression on her!
Just then, several Heaven Mending Pavilion disciples came to report that the Black Fiend Lotus was missing and someone had carved words into the examination tablet.
Xiong Fei read the words on the tablet: Heaven-gifted martial prowess, open and aboveboard; hammer in hand, the world is mine!
"Bear Child! I'm going to spank him!"
Although Xiong Fei cursed furiously, he was delighted inside.
At that moment, the War Goddess caught the aroma of meat and exclaimed in surprise, "What's that smell? It's so fragrant!"
Following the aroma to the riverbank, everyone found two fellows, one plump and one thin, heartily devouring roast meat. It smelled incredible!
Xiong Fei shouted, "Bear Child! So this is where you two are!"
Shi Hao looked around, throwing himself into the act. "Where's the Bear Child? We're looking for him too. I want to challenge him to a duel!"
Jun Moxiao said, "Senior, calm down. Would you like some crocodile Fierce Beast meat? It's delicious. I guarantee you'll want to swallow your tongue along with it."
Certain that these two had ambushed him, Xiao Tian immediately launched a precious technique at them and shouted, "Bear Child! Were you two the ones who ambushed me?"
Jun Moxiao was thoroughly enjoying his meal and could hardly let Xiao Tian knock the meat over. He unleashed the Suanni Precious Technique, pinned Xiao Tian to the ground, and stuffed a fragrant piece of roast meat into his mouth. Then he said, "Brother with Prominent Horns, calm down. Here, have some meat."
Jun Moxiao said to the War Goddess, "Pretty big sister, you should have some too."
The three were stunned by Jun Moxiao's strength. Xiao Tian, who possessed Six Cave Heavens, had been subdued in an instant and pinned to the ground without the slightest ability to resist.
The War Goddess asked Jun Moxiao, "Are you Invincible Handsome Guy?"
Jun Moxiao thought, I won't hide anymore. With strength like mine, the moment I make a move, there's no hiding it anyway. Besides, I have my Heavenly God Weapon Cleaver and my Quasi-Immortal Emperor weapon, the Haotian Pagoda! There's nothing to fear. The Willow Deity can save us at any time too. No one in the Desolate Region would dare lay a hand on me.
"Pretty big sister, you have sharp eyes. You saw right through me. Hao Tian, stop acting."
Jun Moxiao also told Shi Hao to stop acting. There was little point anymore, so both boys restored their true appearances.
Elder Xiong Fei was only putting on an angry face; inwardly, he was overjoyed. Xiao Tian, too, was won over by Jun Moxiao's strength.
After everyone shared a meal of Fierce Beast meat, they returned to the Heaven Mending Pavilion, while the War Goddess headed back to the Deer-Chasing Academy. Before leaving, she told the boys they were welcome to visit the academy and added that there were plenty of pretty young ladies there.
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